Less than average

Front Desk Receptionists are ruthless. They are not helpful at all and very rude. Bars stop serving before closing time. I have been to all inclusive resorts in Rivera Maya, Mexico and Cayo Co Co, Cuba and have received way better service.

Mixed reviews

First off my friend and I came to this resort with an open mind. We were looking for a resort where it was a younger crowd and where people wanted to party. We definitely got that! If I was able to take all the people (travellers)I met and the location of the resort and replace it with another such as a melia or iberostar I would definitely give it 5 stars, but unfortunately we can’t haha. I also got my phone stolen at the lobby bar... I was getting two drinks left it on the bar turned arou [... read more]nd to give my friend a drink and POOF if was gone. When I asked around and asked the reception the were no help and felt so remorse. Which again is fine and it was dumb on my part to leave it on the bar in the first place. The staff at the resort were not friendly compared to other resorts I have been to and again I took that with a grain of salt because these workers are working long strenuous days so I don’t blame them, however we pay this money because we want a good experience. There was absolutely NO entertainment, we had to create our own and play our own music which was fine but it would have been nice to have the entertainment team try to engage people to play games other than BINGO at the pool. I felt as though I was at retirement home playing bingo and it was the same thing every day it just got SO BORING. At other resorts I’ve been to the entertainment team always put in so much work chatting with travellers and just making sure everyone was having a good time whether it be from children to the elderly and in between. There is NO swim up bar which sucked, but again that wasn’t a big deal since there was a pool bar near by, but the pool bar was ALWAyS packed. At most resorts I’ve been to there is usually servers walking around the pool to take your orders and bring it to you rather than having to get out of chair every single time and wait in a long line, but not here! The drinks situation was awful - no blended pina coladas (except for at the lobby bar ) no strawberry daquiris, NO MOJITOS ( like what???) NO MIMOSAS. When I go to resorts I usually drinks Bahama mamas and varadero sunrise and when I asked for that they laughed at me and said no as if I was stupid. I’ve been to Cuba before and those were my staple drinks, so I know they do exist. The lobby bar closes at 11pm and there is really no 24 hrs bar except for the snack bar. However, the snack bar only serves beer and they ran out a few times and just decided to stop serving at random times. Also there is NO bar on the beach so you have to keep walking back to the nearest bar for a drink and walking it back on the beach. If you are going here definitely bring a bubba mug as they use disposable plastic cups that don't hold very much and that are also not good for the environment. The towel situation is also god awful. I was using the same beach towel all week because every time I went to exchange it weather it be early in the morning or later on that evening they were always somehow out of towels. We also needed towels in our room that we waited for 2 days to get and when we got them we had small hand towels to use for our bodies which is not ideal. The only good thing about this resort was the people we met staying at the resort and the night life that is within walking distance of the hotel. If they made a few changes such as -investing in more towels -having an entertainment team - playing more pool games and beach games to engage people( NOT BINGO) - having a new cocktail menu that includes resort staples such as mojitos mimosas , blended pina coladas and blended strawberry daquiris -asking the staff to be more friendlier , I tried so hard to be friendly and even tip more but it felt like nothing was good enough. -have a bar on the beach would make a huge difference - have beach games - have a 24 h bar that serves more than just beer (even adding rum and cokes would make it better) I definitely would not recommend this resort unless they make some changes as it does have a lot of potential!! Regardless my friend and I made the best of the trip despite the little bumps in the road but compared to any other resort I’ve been to in Cuba it did not compare in the slightest.

Wouldn’t go back

This hotel is very outdated and needs a lot of work. Elevators often broken. Restaurant for breakfast and lunch often ran out of plates, dirty tables everywhere. Some service staff was nice but mostly curt and not very welcoming. Liquor options were very limited even if you wanted to purchase premium brands. Didn’t have clean bathing towels for two days, no water for 48 hours, and then another disruption for 24 hours. Hotel store to purchase beer changed their prices depending on who you were  [... read more]and who you spoke to to. Repeatedly asked for ice and they were out of that too. Sunwing rep was rarely around and when you did find them they were not helpful at all, in fact they were rude. I flew back home before my spouse and the hotel checked him out on same day- was an extreme hassle to get sorted out. Food was not great so we went out for dinner each night in Varadero to have a decent meal. I will say the beach was very pretty and relatively clean- no beach bar and no washrooms anywhere close to the beach. Quick walk into the town of Varadero to restaurants and bars where you will find awesome food, drinks and nightlife.

Such an amazing time!!

The Barcelo Solymar was a wonderful choice for the misses and I we had the must amazing time. Now I will 100% honest this place has earned its name as the party spot.... but it is not bad enough you cant find peace away from the parties. The main building is always hopping and older so the noise does travel. But if you want the best of both worlds get a bungalow or a bungalow suite ( we did) it allows you to join the party when you want but to go back to your own little quiet slice of paradise w [... read more]hen you want as well. The staff are absolutely amazing so kind and friendly, never had there hands out for anything and were so appreciative when you tip. They never seem to forget anyone and even the dinner staff knew where we liked to sit after the first day and would have our spot all set up with coffee and water before we got back with our plates. The food was 3-4 but its Cuba you should of known that going in. There is still so much to choose from you will never go hungry. This resort is older and does show its age in some areas but the staff are always cleaning and fixing stuff up. It's the disrespectful guest that cause most the issues by just tossing their garbage anywhere. This resort is also all about location they have the best section of beach by far and it's always clean. But our favorite part was the 4-5 min walk and your in the town of varadero with so much to do. For the price this trip was worth every last penny to us. We will definitely be back to this resort and will be bringing more friends and family. We cant say enough good about the people at this resort.

Very Nice Resort

Overall, the hotel was quite nice! It was very close to the beach and ocean and had plenty of pools and places to relax. The staff who worked there were very accommodating and nice. I found the resort attracted a younger crowd of people which was nice as my friends and I went for our grad trip. The resort had lots of activities going on. It was a short walk to downtown Veradero where the bars and clubs were located which was nice. The only down side was the food. However, the special dinners you [... read more] got to choose were very good. I would definitely go back and recommend this resort to anyone.

Decent for the price

Overall a pretty decent resort! Very close to downtown varadero, about 10 minutes walk to bars and clubs! Beach very close and beautiful! No swim up bar and bars around the beach and pool do get super busy so bring a big cup or get multiple drinks at a time! Food is decent, recommend bringing condiments like hot sauce and spices to make it more enjoyable. Definitely bring snacks as the snack bar only sells fries at night. Rooms were decent other than broken drawers and tv, but they did the job,  [... read more]very clean. Maids were very nice! A la carts (Mexican and oriental) were very good. Excursions were so exciting and worth the money! Fun activities and entertainment at the pools! Cheap trip and you get what you pay for.

Dissatisfied

7 out of the 9 nights the room had No AIr conditioning and everytime the front desk said they would send a technician to fix it they never showed up. On our last night they finally changed our room. Sleeping in the heat with no AC was torture. I would not go back to this hotel

Okay resort

I’ve been to Cuba a few times and Barcelo was not too bad in my opinion. The only complaints I have are that they lack entertainment at the beach and just in general the entertainment was not as good as other resorts. The hair dryer in my room was not working, I called them everyday and even went to the fromt desk to ask for replacement. They continuosly promised me that they will send smebodg but never did. Aftee a few days of complaining I gave up. Our housekeeping was not as good either, we [... read more] had stuff go missing from our room. One day our room was mopped however the bed was not made, and one day it was not cleaned at all. There was also a lack of towels, imagine wiping urself down with face towels, not good.

Great resort

The hotel was okay, poor lighting in the rooms, but the beds and pillow were very comfortable. The food was okay I always found something I enjoyed. I enjoyed the location of the hotel. I read reviews it was a party resort there was lots of activities if that was what you were looking for but a number of areas where you can get away from that and relax

Do not go there

My husband and I went there for four days and I could not wait to go home. Room had no hot water, no blankets, leaking toilet. For two days we were requesting at least to fix hot water, and every time the answer was “we took your request “. On the third day my husband forced management to give us another room and we finally had hot water. Needless to say, the service was just awful, everyone from service desk to cafeteria staff were very rude. Greasy dishes, cockroaches in a restaurant, old  [... read more]lipstick on napkins. I can honestly go on and on. This place need a change. Don’t waste your time and money.

Not very good

Many bartenders were disrespectful and ignore us when they were not doing anything. When I tipped bartenders it did not matter I didn’t get any better treatment. Servers at late night buffet would wave me away when we wanted to order.

Average resort

Barcello Solymar resort was a descent resort with it's ups and downs. The air conditioning worked well and in fact, had to turn it of some nights due to not having a thermostat to control the temperature. The bathroom is dated however the shower had plenty of pressure and the temp range was descent. Unfortunately, 2 days in a row, the power went out in several rooms, not resort wide. I approached reception and was asked to meet the repair man who is on his way to my room. I waited by my roo [... read more]m for over 30 minutes and no one came. I went back to reception and inquired what the hold up was as I did not want to wait in a dark room for the repair man. The guy at reception was angry and said that they are working on it. I asked why I was asked to wait for the repair man and that I waited over 30 minutes. He dismissed this and appeared more concerned with him counting money and was very dismissive. Not sure of his name but he appeared to be management of some kind. The food was descent at the buffet however repetitive. The burgers/bbq by the beach were my fav. The bartender staff seemed emotionless for the most part at the lobby bar. The beach was good with plenty of lounge chairs to enjoy the sun. Internet 1 hr cards appeared to last approximately 40 minutes until needing to be repurchased for 1 Peso per "hr" Water and beer were provided in the rooms daily.

Somewhat disappointed.

Where we upgraded to a superior room, I was hoping that the Barcelo would have had a better hotel room. I mean for Cuba standards it is ok, only that the pillows have a strange odour and bathrooms are in dire need of an upgrade. At meal time it would be nice to not have pork 4 days in a row as main dish and to fluctuate different meat groups. My husband and I both have welts on our legs so we are not sure what bit us while we were there. Beach is gorgeous. Staff are awesome. Waitress, Moira (no [... read more]t sure I am spelling her name right) and other servers very friendly and efficient. Bartenders made great drinks. Overall a bit disappointed. but still enjoy our time in the sun.

Great resort

I’ve been to Cuba many many times this resort I could say eight out of 10 I really enjoyed it the only problem the activities group were the most laziest people that I’ve ever met in any any resort . The people in the service they were very very friendly I would go back to solmar. Especially the location which is right on the strip

Sun and fun

Have been to Cuba 13x love the people and country. This hotel was nicer then some i have stayed in clean well laid out. Was surprised to be able to use facilities at hotel next door but was not as impressed with that hotel felt mine was better. Location to town was great. Beach was well kept I was very happy with everything at this hotel and would definitely return here again Thanks for a great vacation

We will not be coming back...

The good: - beach is beautiful - food in the main buffet restaurant was good; relatively good selection as well. - bottles of water, beer, etc., in the room fridge at no extra charge (with refills when needed) - the room maid was very nice and helpful - very good and helpful Sunwing representative in the hotel by the name of German - main evening shows were nice - good drinks in the main lobby bar - good food in the a la carte restaurants, good live music there as well  [... read more] - hotel is conveniently located close to the town of Varadero The bad: - the room was in disastrous condition; so many things broken: balcony door, AC control, closet door, falling off drawer front, falling off handle of another drawer, broken lamps, missing bulbs, completely broken alarm clock, damaged bathtub, TV did not working initially (the maid helped getting it fixed), closet hangers falling down, broken off makeup mirror, and so on... - lots of noise from the numerous "overly exited" guests, including at 4:00 am. - lots of smoking guests; smoking in the lobby and other places regardless whether smoking was permitted or not; the hotel stuff would not react to smoking in smoke-free areas. - lots of noise from cars, buses and tracks passing on the main road in the front of the hotel. - most (with a few exceptions) of the stuff appeared to be on an auto-pilot; very few smiles. Definitely the worst was the main reception service. On our last day we asked for the (promised to us a number of times) courtesy room to have a shower. In response we got a classical treatment combining everything between pretending that they did not understand us to telling us that there is nothing that they could do. It took them 30 minutes to get us 3 towels and telling us to use the falling apart showers in a gym with no lights and water flowing through everything but the shower head. Rodney, in the reception, was especially useless to the point where he would encourage me to write a negative review about his service... Rodney could not care less... :-( - evening live band would play for only a few minutes in the indoor venue used for evening shows, etc. The music was so painfully laud that you would not hear yourself. It was impossible to stay in the room when the band played. It looked as if it were done by design... blast the people out of the room and then quit as there would be no one to play for... When I got there there were only two people there: me and the barman. I run away from the noise and felt bad for the barman who had to stay in the bar... Too bad as we like a lot to listen and dance to Latin music and the band appeared to be good. - during times when the main restaurant was closed your only other food option were hamburgers and some cold salads that I was afraid to try. - sewage like smell in the main lobby for a couple of days.

Awesome resort

Resort was well staffed friendly and courteous couldnt have asked for a nicer vacation for the first one outside of Canada. Great pool beach was amazing. Everyone i talked to said food was going to be bad in cuba but i thought it was excellent and lots of it. Cant wait to do it again.

Not a terrible resort...I would go again

The Barcelo Solymar wasn't terrible however there were certainly a few things that were unsatisfactory. The biggest complaint I have would be with the people at the check-in/out desk. When we arrived we were early so we knew we wouldn't get our room until after the check-in time. This was fine because we were able to store our luggage in a safe spot. What wasn't fine was when we finally got our room. The room itself was pretty standard for what you would expect at a 3.5 star resort (beds were no [... read more]t that comfortable, bathroom needs to be upgraded as it's weathered, nice pillows) but we only had a fitted sheet on our bed. We went back down to the front desk since they would not answer our 3 attempted calls and let them know we didn't have any bedding on our beds other then a fitted sheet. The lady there told us they were aware but someone would be up to give us one in a couple hours. We went back to our room a few times and still there was no other sheets. Again, we attempted to call down to the front desk but no one answered, so again, we went back down and let them know we needed some sheets. After our 4th time doing this and we were ready for bed they finally had maid come to our room. The maid showed up with ONLY a thin sheet for each bed. This was certainly NOT enough to keep us warm. We tried to explain to the maid that this thin sheet was not enough to which she became angry. We finally found some old looking blankets that were not even large enough to fit the bed and used those for the entire week. The resort itself was clean, the rest of the staff was extremely friendly. Try to tip the cooks, the staff that goes around the pool cleaning it up and the cleaning ladies on the first floor that clean the floors and bathrooms! The food was not great but that's Cuba. Go out to the restaurants or get the street meat. We went out every night to the bars/clubs and had the best time. I will probably look at another resort however what I did really like about this one was the location and of course the beach!!

The not so sure resort

First the good stuff it was really easy access for wheel chairs on the grounds of the hotel and very clean in the outside the beach was super. Inside was a night mare dirty no toilet seat in the bathroom dirty towels daily dirty sheets 2weeks never changed the sheets once what a mess never again but I will return to Cuba but not where we stayed that's for sure

Loved the location!

There was six of us that went on this trip. Great Hotel and location. I have now been to Varadero several times and I have to say that this was my favorite spot. It was a good sized resort and always lots of room to find a place to sit and relax. Never huge line ups at dinner or the bars. I loved the grounds, pool area and food was good too! Most of all The beach in Varadero is one of the most beautiful beaches you will ever experience. The staff was always so accomidating to help us out [... read more] in any way they can. I would definitely stay here again.