Good resort

Good economical resort...clean and hard-working staff.....lobby got rained out one day..but good price and convenient to downtown and the Beatles bar...nice beach accross the street...rooms were clean if not run down...but overall was a great stay

Good Value for price

Third time to resort. Knew what to expect. Last minute deal. Very close to everything in town. Reason for choosing. Under new management. Noticed some cosmetic fixes. Cleaning staff were always around keeping things clean. Seemed to be upping the customer service. Staff were much friendlier. Wait staff were fantastic. Food was okay. Could always find something to eat. Great restaurants within walking distance of hotel. Building four. Room was very clean but needed some work. Guest elevators not [... read more] working in any buildings. Change in bar hours. Now direct access to disco - didn’t go. Lobby bar closed at 11pm. Black & White in building #4, 5:30om-8pm. Building #1 10-5 - best Spanish coffee. Don’t go around Mother’s Day. Locals get cheap rate for weekend. Place was packed when we left. It was like spring break. Would go back but not same week. Old resort that needs work. Be interesting to see if more changes under new management. Management was visable all week. They were doing customer satisfaction surveys. 14th trip to Cuba.

Poor this year

I am really disappointed this year on Palma Real Resort. First of all i did not get the room that we had ask for . The front desk at the resort told us that the room would be available in a few days of being there, but when i went back to see them for that room they had given it to a local familly. The food was nasty, the staff was horrible, I didnt see much white teeth at the bar or the restaurant. Although the morning breakfast cook was great the rest of the employees needs work . I dont own a [... read more]nyone there for tips . I will truly think twice about going again to Palma Real next year.

LOVED IT

I just returned home from 7 nights all-inclusive at Allegro Palma Real and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to go back! ARRIVAL at Palma Real- We arrived at night, around 11 pm. There was only 1 lady on the desk and by that time everyone had already had a few beer on the bus so it was a long process waiting for everyone to check in. I suggest you hit up the lobby bar and get a drink while you wait. (I told them I was waiting to check in and they were fine with it). You also have to pay  [... read more]for a safe. I did not, and I made friends with my housekeeper initially so I felt safe leaving my belongings out. Nothing was ever stolen! ROOM- Room was very spacious and what I expected for a 3*. Phone,Air conditioner, tv,fridge,hairdryer, and balcony was what we got in Building #2. I enjoyed our building because it was close to the pool and the lobby. If you do not like to hear noise or loud music, i suggest you ask for Building #4 because it is the furthest away (2 minute walk). The elevators usually do not work, so if you have mobility issues, ask for a lower level. Our balcony did not lock, but we were on the second floor and I was ok with that. Air conditioner did not work for 2 days, however, soon as I called to inquire, they sent someone right away and it was fixed and cold in the room, it was perfect. FOOD- Buffet was OK. The only issue I have with the buffet is that they constantly are mixing foods to make it look pretty on plate. Every day there was different things mixed with the rice, or pasta. It should be laid out so that everything is by itself and we can pick and choose what we want to mix with it.(EXAMPLE- Do not mix fish in things, put it to the side for people to add on their own.) Breakfast was amazing, I highly suggest getting there early and getting the guy on the grill to make you omelet. He will also make your eggs any way you like, even if there are eggs in the buffet. (I did not enjoy the ones pre-cooked)The Snack Bar was Ok. There are only two items you can get, Ham and Cheese Sandwhich, and Hamburger. Rarely do they have fries. They also serve drinks. If you are nice and always there, they will give you nice glasses instead of the plastic ones. I was disappointed when there was no other snack options available. And it was NOT open 24 hours. There should be a few more snack options, not just some extra fruit laid out in the heat and flies. I tried 2 a La carte restaurants- Le Pizza , and Cuban Restaurant. I enjoyed the Pizza, but did not enjoy the cuban restaurant at all! You must book between the hours of 10 am-Noon in Building #1 if you want to make a reservation. POOLS- Swim up Bar pool was nice, however, there should NOT BE KIDS IN THAT POOL! I can tell you it was one of the most annoying things that everyone was complaining about the entire week! Splashing kids everywhere, ruining any of the games, and making it near impossible to enjoy the swim up bar. Parents would just let their kids roam around and swim by themselves. There are 3 other pools that the kids should be in, NOT THE BAR POOL! As for the other pools, they were very nice and usually had not many in them, so it was a nice relaxed area. Don't expect super clean pools, you get what you paid for and sometimes there was some cups and random stuff that was found floating, but for the most part it was still great! BEACH- Beach is literally a 5 minute walk (if your slow) and it has the most beautiful water and sand I have ever seen. Lots of chairs to lay out on and some covered with cute palm tree looking umbrellas. I haven't swam in a beach in almost 15 years because I do not like the beaches in Canada. However, this one, I was out for hours at a time and the sand bar went for miles. There is a free Catamaran trip with our hotel but there are many on the beach that will try to charge you. The one that is included in our hotel is the one on the right side of the beach. So when you enter the beach, take a right and walk down the beach. You will pass a volleyball net, and then you will see the boats, Let them know that you are with Palma Real and it is FREE. It is only about 20 minutes but really fun! I suggest you do it any day you can because we had very windy days and they were not running that day. Water is very salty, bring goggles and its nice to not have the sting in your eyes from the waves. There is a snack bar for Palma Real located right before you enter the beach on the right. There is a gate, and a sign. Basic drinks served and some snacks like hamburgers or fries. There is a larger snack bar buffet for other hotels located right after the volleyball net and we ate there twice and no one said anything. TIPPING- Exchange your money at the airport and ask for lots of 1 dollar bills or coins. These will come in handy, trust me! I did not tip very much on the resort but if I went off the resort I always tipped people or tried to give a few pesos out to the locals to help out. Also if your able to, go to the Dollar Store before you go and get a bunch of basic stuff that you would want to give away. THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT. Anything that they can get, it will go to good use. Pencils, toys, treats, cups, hats, facecloths, shampoo, razors, pads,nail polish, literally anything is appreciated. Also, I brought old clothes that I had and gave those out to people, including my housekeeper. ENTERTAINMENT- We missed most of the night time shows that they had planned but I heard they were good. We made our own entertainment by getting together in the Lobby bar with people we had met. We had found someone who made a beer pong area and asked to play, everyone is welcome! Smoking is also aloud in the lobby so its very open and fun area to hang out before going out for the night. Lobby Bar closes at around 11 but thats just in time for the Clubs to open. BARS- There is a club called Havana Club that is located by the Snack Bar. It is opened at 11 and it gets so many people in there that is a big sweat show, in a good way haha. SO MUCH FUN. Free drinks and disco lights, smoke machine and projectors. If you go right at 11, sometimes your the first ones there, but don't worry, many many more will arrive. And even some from other resorts. The Beatles Bar was very fun. About a 5 minute walk from the resort. There is a cover band that plays old 80 hits and the lead singer is amazing. You can dance here but most of the time you grab a table at 9:30 pm and wait for the vibes to start. Once one person gets up to dance, everyone starts and its so fun. Beer is $2 a can. Calle 62 is a outside bar that is about 2 shops down from the Beatles. there is seats but also a dance floor and a closed off street. Many Many people go there and lots of locals makes for a super fun night of dancing and hip music. EXCURSIONS- Highly recommend the JEEP SAFARI TOUR, so so so much fun. Beware though, you will have to drive a Manual or hop in with someone who is ok driving, even on the highway. They did not even ask for our license so if your young, don't worry haha. You drive the whole day to your destinations. TIP- BRING dollar coins!! or treats for the kids in the villages. There are some very sad spots you will pass and you can stop and give the kids treats. (They will run out of their home and expect it) Bring a bag with you and just take it with you whenever you get out of the jeep. Also bring your goggles, the Cave to swim in is amazing!! and the water is so clear and fresh that you will want goggles to dive in. it is 22m deep with all clear water. You can also drink here(for a price) The Boat ride was fun but short, The operator in the first boat will only tell you to switch drivers once, So if your in a group of 4 and everyone wants to drive, switch is up quickly amongst yourselves so everyone gets a turn. We switched while the boat was still moving haha. FRIENDS- I highly suggest that you mingle with people at your resort. It would not have been the trip it was if it hadn't been for the friends we made. Age differences did not matter and we all discovered quickly that we were all wild party goers who were here to do that same thing. We made friends for life. SHOPPING- Walking out of your resort and taking a left down main street is where you will find all the shops. Every single shop pretty much has the exact same items. so go explore before you buy because you WILL find better deals or someone who is willing to barter with you. If you walk about 15-20 minutes you will find larger and larger areas to shop. I suggest hopping in an old car for about 5$ and driving down to the end to see what kinds of shopping there is and then either walking back, hitting up the markets, or taking a old taxi back. (The old car taxis were so much fun to drive in). Do not take the horse and carriages before you ask if the price is per person or total. A friend of mine was ripped off because he told her total price is $10 and then said per person after the ride. Make sure when purchasing items at the shops that you say the price and ask if they have change before buying. They will try to rip you off and not give you proper change or charging more. I bought a change purse one day for $3 and the next day he told me $5 so I said no "I paid $3 yesterday", he said "oh ya, $3 no problem". Then said he had no change, which i said ok I wont buy it then, and then all of a sudden, he had my change. I did not like that kind of scammers. HOME ITEMS- I recommend you bring a few bags of chips with you from home. These came in VERY handy on late nights when there was no where to get any snacks. Even a knock-off pringles in the store was about 4 pesos. Any condiments you think you might want also. Also go to Dollar Store and get pool floaties. They were the hit of the pool and when we left, we passed them on to new people. OVERALL- I had an amazing trip, I would recommend this resort to anyone who is wanting to combine the best price, best location, and not overly picky. This is the perfect vacation for you. I cannot wait to return next April. I will continue to try to book last minute to get the best deal. ps. Mellis the housekeeper is an amazing person! I hope she is there when I return. Great Service!!

Do Not Stay at this resort!!!

I arrived at Allegro Palma Real on April 18th, 2018. The resort is old and run down. The reception at the hotel are not very accommodating. Fortunately, I met a person who had just arrived at the hotel on my flight and was very helpful in advising me what block to stay in this hotel. I stayed in Room 3214, the room overlooked the ocean and there was a ramp leading up to these rooms which was very helpful for me as I have had knee replacement surgery. The room was clean and well maintained b [... read more]y the maids. The elevators in the hotel do not work. I am not a fussy eater, but the food in the buffet area was a lot to be desired at the best of times! The Cuban people are now allowed to stay at this hotel and the women, men and children are rude, pushy and show no respect for other paying guests. On April 19th, I met with the The Air Canada representative who never mentioned anything about the services of the hotel, where you had to go to the beach and what was available at the beach, he only was interested in selling the excursions. It is a long walk to the beach and very hard to find chairs, as they are being taken up by individuals who are saving them with a towel. There was a fight in front of the hotel and police came and arrested this individual. There is no filter on the alcoholic drinks, the 24 hour snack bar is not open 24 hours. This place is not very well maintained and would not eat their if my life depended on it after the experience I encountered on the day I was departing the resort which was April 25th. The hotel did not offer any accommodation for the individuals leaving the resort at 7 am for an early breakfast. The bus did not pick us up until after 8 am to go to the airport, so we could have gone to the buffet restaurant for breakfast. I have been travelling to Cuba since 1986, and have stayed at many different resorts all over Cuba with the exception of Havana and Cayo Largo. I enjoy vacationing in Cuba, due to the weather, ocean, beach, different sport activities, the people and feeling safe. However, I would not recommend this resort to anyone in my opinion it should be rated as a 2 -1/2 star resort.

Okay for the price we pay

The staff was very good and friendly. Telephone not working so we couldn’t receive phone calls from friends. Water was very good for showers. Could clean pool more often. Food was okay there should be glasses on tables so we can get our own juice or yugourt

Having problems

Third trip to this resort & I must say they are having problems at this time. No elevator service & we were on the 4th floor with mobility issues. Our room had a water leak so our bathroom floor had a flood & of course they had to shut off the water, so for 3 days no hot water. The food had improved with many new selections. The staff is fabulous especially Jesus & Joanna in the buffet & Osoyios & Elena at the snack bar. I have recommended this hotel to friends but I would be a little dubiou [... read more]s of doing that at the present.

Allegro Palma Real, Varadero

The facilities are no more than 1.5 stars but the food was surprisingly good. With one exception, the front desk staff are not helpful or friendly at all. The service overall was not great. We were treated like we owed the staff for being there. We never used the "party pool". You could smell the pee standing beside it. The "quiet pool" is very run down and need's replacing. The draft beer is TERRIBLE. Its about a 6 minute walk to one of thefts beaches anywhere. and your right in town so  [... read more]eating out is a great option as well. Many of the local restaurants are excellent.

Another Great Stay!

This is our second time back to the Allegro Palma Real, the resort is definitely in need of some TLC, fresh paint in the rooms and hallways would go a long way. Hotel is clean, beds are comfy and we had hot water all week without fail! The food at the resort was actually very impressive considering it is a 3 star and better than some of the food we've had at some 5 stars in Cuba. Jesus our bartender was top notch!!! Remember this is a 3 star resort, anyone going with the expectation of pa [... read more]ying for a 3 star with 5 star amenities is going to be extremely disappointed. Nothing beats the location, this resort is steps away from the downtown and easy access to everything! The beach is incredible and probably the nicest out of anywhere we have stayed in Cuba, Mexico or the Dominican. The restaurants and live entertainment downtown such as the Beatles Bar and Calle62 are excellent, we had a surf and turf dinner including appetizers, desert and drinks for $15 pesos each and it was delicious! I have two complaints 1) we were not able to get a lock for the safe in our room, every time we went to the front desk, we were told there were none available. We did not have this issue last year and were aware that we'd have to pay for the lock, however we were not able to get one. This was frustrating as we then had to carry our cash and passports with us every where we went. 2) All of the staff were extremely friendly except for the front desk staff, only one lady was super (forgot to get her name) the rest of them were rude and made you feel like you were bothering them. If you are looking to experience the Cuban culture and want to be close to downtown this is a great, basic resort close to everything! I would definitely return!

Enjoyable resort

Location location location. Sure it’s got some bumps and bruises but it’s safe decent food decent accommodations. Good value for the money. If ur used to top end look elsewhere but if ur down to earth u can have a great time here

Good downtown resort

Overall a good resort, the service was good and we enjoyed our stay. Immediately upon return to Canada my wife became very sick, it was confirmed by our local hospital that she had salmonella. The only place we ate was at the resort and was careful to drink only bottle water supplied by the resort.

Can't complain for the price

Since the Barcelo group took over in Dec-Jan. they are making an effort for improvement. The food is as good as before but repeatative. Still not enough beach chairs. Only 2 a la carte restaurants and they really need improvement on the menu, the buffet is a better choice.

In one year went extremely down hill!

Hello, my partner and I recently stayed at the Barcelo Allegeo Palma Real in Varadero, Cuba and I have to say that we were very disappointed. When I had first received the email that Barcelo Allegro had bought the Palma Real I was quite excited, as I have stayed at a Barcelo in Punta Cana and various times at the one in Puerto Plata and was expecting great things but I was sadly disappointed. I have stayed at the Palma Real various times since 2009 and always enjoyed it. I love the location and  [... read more]the staff are very helpful and friendly. The rooms had been dated but always clean and well maintained. Not this year. Although the regular cleaning crew did the best they could with what they had to work with it appears that more staff should be added to keep up with long term maintenance, not only in the rooms and buildings but the pools as well. There is mold in bathroom and on the furniture, holes in walls and ceilings, Stained towels, sheets, pillows, broken furniture and glass on decks, there is no theme night for meals just the same boring meals night after night (we ate supper off the resort after the 3rd night for the rest of the week), the staff are still happy and fun, the guest elevators in either building don't work, the pools have a green scum around the bottom edge of each pool, the quiet pool is falling apart and I was there in 2009 when it was closed and redone, the entertainment in the evenings is dull and boring and needs to be changed because no one goes, there is no longer beer in bldg lobbies, now guest pay $ 20 for towel rental that gets returned at the end instead of a towel card, while we were there staff did a room inventory in our room and did not close the room door, the pool cleaner only pours chlorine but doesn't clean pool, there are holes and broken tiles in all the lobbies that people could get injured on. We do not consider ourselves picky people, as we expect water shortages or cold water at certain times and don't need robes in our rooms but this trip was bad and unsanitary. I used to recommend this resort but won't anymore and will not be going back ourselves. I have pictures to prove I am not exaggerating.

Great resort

I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel. Although a 3 star it was clean and the grounds were well maitainted and most everything worked. The staff were always helpful. The location was fantastic. The food was not the strong point but there were many choises.

A great place to visit.minutes ,or walking distance to everything clubs or beach

spent one week in march of 2018at the allegro palma real cuba. had a great time. in the past several years I've been to cuba 5 times. so I can compare with justification. I visited the blau varadero a 5 star resort.to be honest and realistic there are differences the blau is quite large compared to the real,but as for service and dinning they are somewhat similar I am male,65 years of age with limited movement.the staff were truly sensitive to my problems with mobility, and they were very helpf [... read more]ul,assisting me whenever I needed help. to conclude I would highly recommend the real as a resort to visit no matter your age young or young at heart..great location. minutes from the beach and downtown varadero.would love to visit the palma again but I'm on pension so can't really afford to.maybe in a year or two.many sincere to the management and staff of the allegro palma real for a good ole time.love the people of Cuba!!

Fantastic

All around fantastic place. It was my frist time in Cuba! Great hostipailty, food was also great. I would deffentally consider staying here again, and would encourage others to stay there as well. The entertainment Was Great. The only disappointing thing was that the disco was closed for renos. I would Hope It is open next time if I was to go. Thanks for help making the frist time in Cuba to be a one to remember.

Such an amazing time

I had such an awesome time on my trip! This is my second time at this resort and I will definitely be back!! The weather is amazing the beach is to die for and of course the rum and drinks are delicious;) Please do keep in mind though that this is a 3.5 star resort so you’re not going to have absolutely everything at 100%. But I am truly grateful for the culture and the beach’s. Vacations like these are what I live for. So thankful for Cuba and it’s amazing people 💜

Party Real

This place is under new management so its gonna be a beauty when they sink some pesos into the renovations. There was 12 Bowmanville Bandits travelling together. Most of us really enjoyed the variety of food and drink especially the gasolena and Spanish coffee. The gardeners were always working hard trying to keep the cups outta the flower beds. Not sure where to start about entertainment...its quite a show in the main lobby bar area so get there early and enjoy your cup of tea. The beach is jus [... read more]t a short stagger across the street so bring your topped up bubba mug for the stroll. Staff are wonderful for taking pics/videos and the maids go above and beyond you make your stay most pleasurable. All said and done I wouldn't spend 8K on the place but for 700$ its a steal. Be sure to hit up the gas station pollo joint, just like KFC but only better and Calle 62 is close 2nd for BBQ pollo. If your on a budget and don't mind a little action and loud music this place is right up your alley. GAS ON

Good place to visit

Clean resort. Staff were friendly and helpful Food was typical Cuban and not very tasteful or hot. Rooms had mould from previous storms but were clean. Toilets did not work very well and no toilet paper at times. No hot water at times.

Amazing hotel

Great location , great service, spacious rooms. Very flose to the beach. Food was good, lotscof options availablem The A la carte Itqlian restaurant La Piazza offered great menu. We tried Lasagne qland fish filet both excellent.