My favourite resort in Varadero

Everything was perfect. Would never stay anywhere else when visiting Varadero. I heard people from other resorts complaining about hundreds of mosquitoes everyday. I did not see even one at the Blau. Can’t wait to go back

Honest Review

We did alot of research based on others' reviews when we were looking to book our vacay. I will say that the staff were very friendly, inviting and were not demanding at all of tips; however they were appreciative when given. No issues with the staff there at all; they were great! We kept reading all the ranting and raving about how AMAZING the food was and that was a huge seller for us when booking Blau! However; we were heavily dissapointed with the food the most! We were pretty much vegetaria [... read more]ns all week. The meat options were terrible! Poorly seasoned; just very bland. And believe me; I am not a picky eater and will experiment and try many varieties of food; but I stuck to fruit, bread, cucumbers and eggs most of the week. The a la cartes were ok. The International a la carte is outside where the lunch buffet is during the day. The food was OK but we were sweating and were eaten alive by mosquitos. The waiter was kind enough to pass OFF bugspray to guests which was so kind of him; but not a laid back dinner either way.The Italian a la carte was in an air conditioned building. Very nice and cool (Plus no mosquitoes!!). They had live music which was nice. I opted for a "Lobster Gratin" dish and was dissapointed. It was unseasoned partially mashed potatoes mixed with lobster; very dry; just not very good. Dessert was delicious; just wish it were bigger! (obviously!!) For Breakfast-- There is one buffet that serves breakfast untill 11. For Lunch--There was a buffet by the beach opened from 12-3pm. Food was ok; but it did have a Pasta bar... but I thought that the tomato sauce tasted like ketchup. Definitely doable if your starving!! The buffet was covered in flies and very hot inside where you sit to eat. There was also a food station by the pool were they have burgers and sausages which we never tried because the meat just turned us off. The burgers had an awful smell to them. Only thing we really had from this station was the french fries. There was a 24 hour snack bar by the Beach but options were limited. They had made to order pizzas made on flatbread. We ordered the vegetarian pizza and the first time we ordered it, it had cucumbers, onions and cheese on it--- second time we ordered it it had potatoes, carrots and peas on it. Super strange. For Dinner-- we had the option of 2 a la cartes during our week stay and pretty much went to the buffet on the 3rd floor each night which again was ok. The Lobby Bar had the best cappuccinos and a good selection of tables to sit inside while feeling like your outside. The pool was nice with plenty of loungers and the water was the perfect temperature. The BEACH was absolutely GORGEOUS!! The water was amazing and there was nobody bothering you on the beach. Pure relaxation! The room was nice and the cleaning staff were creative with linen swans etc. The balcony door was so heavy! And just a note; the door MUST be closed fully or the A/C will not trigger on and the room heats up quick and the A/C isn't extremely cold to begin with! The fridge is stocked everday with 2 colas, 2 beers and a bottle of water. (Note; ONLY if you are out... so hide any leftovers before your room is cleaned so that they will stock you up with more!) We had issues with our door not latching and locking properly so make sure you check to make sure it is locked because I am pretty sure we slept a few nights with the door unlocked. We had to go 3 times down to the front desk to get our door card reset. That was a pain! No FREE WIFI!! You could buy an internet card from the front desk for $1 CUC which gave you 1 hr in the lobby only with very poor connection. There are two little shops in the hotel on the 3rd floor; one is a cigar/cigarettes/liquor--- Overpriced and they charge you tax if you pay credit. A note for all Canadian Travellers; if you plan on using "Capital One" Mastercard while travelling in Cuba, its not accepted.. strange. So make sure you have a back up. We didn't even buy many souvenirs or ciagrettes because of the exchange on Canadian to Cuban. We paid $100 Canadian for $70 CUC's. Ciagrettes are cheaper at the Cuban Airport and have a much bigger variety to choose from. The resort was overpriced and honestly not much selection at all. The Airport--- A note to Canadian Travellers... The Cuban Airport are giving Canadians a hard time now because Marijuana is now legal in Canada. There is absolutely no signage and very poor communication at the Airport so we collected our luggage and proceeded to head to our bus and were were "randomly" selected to have our luggage sniffed out by a dog and they insisted on opening one of our luggage and taking each and every item out to check for drugs. After finding NOTHING; they demanded a body X-Ray where they again found NOTHING! Disgusting! The Airport worker told us that Cuba was not a joke. Not a joke? ...yet there was a worker sitting at a desk in plain sight, NAPPING! Real professional! Our whole experience at the Airport just turned us off from Cuba and this will be our last time in Cuba for this reason. We were hoping to make up for it when we got to the resort, but that was also dissapointing.

110 % Satisfied

110% Satisfaction My wife, wants to go back for 2 weeks next time... 1 week is a tad too short. Went Sept 4>11-2019. Very humid and hot for us... Next time would be Oct or Nov or Dec. Cooler less humid. Forget the negative reviews. We stayed in room 708 which was Ocean view and totally 4 star. Buffet was great... Have the Crepes.. Great cheeses, bread, chorizo... Get smoothies and forget poor OJ. Both restaurants were semi upscale Italian/International... Had Penne arrabat Yum... Forget  [... read more]the Lobster. Cuban (Krystal) Beer is great as are all the free drinks. Coffee poor... Bring your favorite blend and round filters. Nice pools and 5 minute boardwalk to fabulous beach. NEGATIVES (Few) Bath soap small; Elevators tad slow at peak times but not serious. Pool Lounges fill fast but always enough. Food, Bar, Cleaning Service very friendly and competent. 2 CUC tips Likely best high rise hotel in Varadero... 1 week for 2 =$2200 CA Frank & Brenda Read... Ontario ps: Havana tour bus comes to door and you can pay for ride or ride with tour about double cost. Forget Hop on/Hop off bus. Next time I would take ride plus hire horse 🐴 drawn cart to tour old Havana Enjoy Blau Varadero✈️✈️✈️ 😁😎🌴😁😎🌴😁😎

Beautiful

The hotel is absolutely beautiful. Adult's only -people well dressed -classy and the nightly entertainment is great. They have this great big bar right in the middle of the hotel where everyone socializes or just a great place to listen to live music. The entire hotel feels like your in a tropical rain forest. An oasis. Food was good large selection to choose. The only thing that my husband and I didn't enjoy was that due to shortage of mint we did not have any mojitos... Beach OMG [... read more] WAS STUNNING LOTS OF LOUNGE CGAIRS AVAILABLE. I WOULD DEFINITELY GO BACK💗💗💗

Excellent Time in Blau Varadero

This Trip has been one of the very best from the beginning to the end. This Hotel is fantastic, the personnel is extremely friendly, excellent food!!!, nothing to complain at all, and the BEACH, you have to see it to believe it. Amazing, just amazing!!!!!

Lovely resort. A bit out-dated but staff are FABULOUS.

All areas well kept. Entertainment shows not in line with other resorts; very small stage and area, disorganized and not on time. Food could use a bit more variety but pretty typical of Cuba. Air conditioning in rooms could be better. Cappucinos and afternoon snacks great.

Nice surprise

Just returned from Blau Varadero and was pleasantly surprised.we actually could eat the food! Pizza was amazing Rooms very clean and roomy. I liked the lay out of the resort everything close by. Only down fall was the drink selection but always seemed to find something. Staff were extra friendly and spoke great english. Plently of lounge chairs to put your towels on but found not enough shady areas for those of you needing some shade. Overall nice small resort and had a very relaxing vaca [... read more]tion and planning on going back next June.

Great hotel

We have been to Cuba many times and i must say this hotel is at the top...clean and staff very nice lots of chairs and shade around the property..also food was very good.Entertainment at night is lacking a little but no biggie if you want a relaxing holiday this is the place to go

Excellent Resort

It's very nice hotel with beautiful beach and sunset. People there was all nice and make us feel comfortable. Nice food too. I can see why all the people there are happy and always smiling. We will go there again. Also I definitely recommend to my friends.

Very good value/price proposition

My husband and I just returned from a 14 day trip to Blau Varadero, which we visited for the first time (we have been in Varadero for 4 times so far). This has been our best trip. We had a select room ocean-view which allowed for unlimited a-la-carte dinners, most of which were at Palma Real restaurant, which has a good food selection and air conditioning (however the menu becomes repetitive after a while). Unfortunately, the other restaurant has no air conditioning during dinner. Main negative [... read more]s for us were lack of air conditioning at lunch time and the slow elevators, very crowded at certain times of day. The positives clearly outweigh these cons: best beach strip in Varadero, cabanas to rent for 15 CUC/day, great staff. Among the staff I want to mention the yoga instructor, Tony with whom I practiced daily - he is a real professional, Carlos and Norberto at the beach bar, Adelys at the Chill Out Bar and Janet, our server at Palma Real. It is very true that the staff makes the hotel atmosphere and we will definitely be back. We recommend this hotel, overall very good value.

Amazing as usual

My 10th at the Blau Varadero and as usual we did an amazing trip. The service is super. Very clean. Beach is gorgeous. The staff is amazing. I feel like home and would like to return anytime. I recommend this hotel!

Charming resort.

The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. Restaurants are clean and the food is good ad a lot of variety. Location is great by a beautiful section of the beach, and the staff providing lot of activities. At nights, we enjoyed the bars, the music and the shows. Front desk always helpful for any question or concern. We stayed on the eights floor on the sea side and the view was amazing. Overall we had a fantastic week at this hotel.

Wonderful again

Our 14th visit, great scenery, staff and beach. We will come here again. They improve with each visit. We noticed the beef and chicken were not as good this time but still lots of variety. We spoke to several other couples that were repeat visitors like us.

Nothing short of Amazing!

This particular resort held true to its 4 star standing. The hotel was beautiful from the outside as inside. My family and I went in January 2019. The Cuban hospitality held true. Once we arrived we were offered champagne. Check in was easy and fast. We went to our rooms which were spacious with an ocean view. The lobby bar was spacious and the bar staff were amazing. There were a few restaurants but the food that was served was excellent. Did not disappoint. There was quite a lot of v [... read more]ariety. The gym had the latest machines and weights to work with. The ocean was less than a 5 minute walk. The entertainment each night was fantastic and was enjoyed by my parents who are older and my boyfriend and I enjoyed it as well. There was a trolly outside of the reception which can be taken into downtown Varadero. For a small fee and comfortable ride - was taken twice by all of us. The beach was packed but the views were incredible. There were several game rooms. The kid inside of me came out and I thoroughly enjoyed paying tic tac toe and basketball in their court. The pools were beautiful as well. The entertainment team did not disappoint. Overall, a fantastic trip. A great travel spot for my parents as this was their first time. Surely, to return again. Would highly recommend this resort and may return again in the near future.

Great resort

Very satisfied with our early March stay at the Blau vardero , beautiful building with a very good lay out , service was good ( wedding planner did a very good job ) Food was excellent every day and a great selection . Plenty of room around pool never a issue to find chairs or a place to relax in and out of the sun . Beach was beutiful with lots of seating and activity’s . The multiple bars and bbq areas for lunch were also good staff were very freindly.

Resort Review

The resort was nice, beautiful beach, very nice pool, adult only resort, most staff very friendly , food was good with lots of variety. Cleanliness of room a 7 out of 10 . Make sure patio door fully closed or air conditioning does not work and leave one room card engaged in the outlet to keep air conditioning on so rooms do not heat up so much.

Great Resort

The staff were friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The food was excellent with lots of variety. The pool and the beach are beautiful. The entertainment was great always something going on.. A great place to stay.

Amazing resort

We really loved this small resort it has very easy access to everywhere you want to go. It has good food at the buffet and also at the 2 a la carte. You can have food available 24 hrs Personal are very friendly. Shows at night are good. Very clean..very nice beach if you like long walk.i would recommend it

Best experience in Cuba!

The atrium is amazing with the plants, the piano bar and those unique elevators. Wow! The staff was superb, making you feel welcome and remembering you. That was really nice.Room was nicely decorated. We would love to go back!

Had an absolute blast!

I loved this hotel, the front desk staff were friendly as well as helpful. The nightly entertainment was great. I enjoyed the circus and the magic show , they were terrific. I enjoyed the food selection at all the restaurants. The staff made you feel like old friends and family every time you saw them. I wish I could have stayed longer. I am missing everyone and everything.