Memories Jibacoa: Never Again

We felt that the Memories Jibacoa was a very intimate and quiet resort. The grounds were clean but nothing spectacular. The service was satisfactory. The staff did not go out of their way to greet us or to serve us during meals. The food was simple. The same food choices for the entire week. Most food was served cold and the buffet staff served you. If you wanted 2 pieces of bacon, you needed to ask for 2 pieces. They had limited choice for non alcoholic beverages. Housekeeping staff were very [... read more] helpful and friendly - they were the ones who provided the best service during our stay. The groundskeeper was always friendly. We would give this resort a 1 out of 5.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Terrible Resort

This hotel was definitely not as advertised. The food was very poor and stale and we saw that almost daily the leftovers were redecorated, recycled and represented to be eaten. We have food restrictions in our diet, but there were no vegetarian or other food options. We were hoping to have seafood in Cuba but all we got was shrimp and that too was stale, not properly cooked and caused us digestion issues. As per your site/resort website - there were supposed to be 3 restaurants but this was a li [... read more]e. There was only 1 restaurant that can only seat 14 people max! My son had to be hospitalized because he got food poisoning from the restaurant (not even the buffet). We were told there would be snacks bar but it was under construction and all they offered was soda or drinks. Even the soda was watered down and towards the end, they ran out of that as well. Not only that, the rooms were dirty, bathroom flush leaked all night and we had to request room change as it was so smelly. The lobby and bldgs. were dirty resulting in overflooding of bugs and mosquitoes. These led to us being bitten so badly that my daughter had allergic reaction and her face was swollen for 3 days! We had power outages, water puddles in the lobby, coffee that ran out and cockroaches running all over the premises. The elevators did not work and we had to drag our luggage up and down stairs with only one bus-boy to help the whole resort. No hot water in the showers, bedsheets/towels not changed/updated for 4 days with room service not being done everyday! Lastly they had huge speakers directly facing our rooms and blasted disco music all day and night long causing us severe migraines and nights without sleep.

Melia Internacional: could have been good

Stayed at International with my wife December 1-7, 2023. We have been in Varadero few times, Holgin and Cayo Coca, all before Covid. Here is story. I'll add 1 star for the amount and quality of entertainment. It was nice. Not too many chairs. So, you probably will be standing, but it was nice. People were nice except one bartender in a blue bar, but all are nice. A long nice beach and beautiful water as you would expect to see in Varadero. BTW, you can walk to the town, it is not too far. Upon [... read more] arrival we were not grated with any drinks. Yet when we were leaving they have expected a big group to arrive, some sort of colourful cocktails were waiting for them. We were given the room right away. that was nice. Room was in the 6 floor and overlooking the HWY and bay. It was nice as as the pool with load music was the other way. Some lights and fan in the washroom have never worked. We did not complain. TV was great. AC has two options cold or off. It has digital thermostat, but they would control the temperature in the hotel, just like in China they do. The AC makes the temperature, but pushing the moisture back to your room. So, it is cold and wet. Now the ugly. The first day we went for lunch into the buffet, it stinks so bad in the area they've fried some fish I could not come closer to investigate. We avoided that corner. A guy has handled raw and cooked fish with the same tool. One day there was a strong sewer stink everywhere, your room, buffet, beach. - minus one star for the stink, unsafe buffet described above. The beach: Nobody collect garbage. Don't give people straws. I had to clean around out loungers myself one day. Was just too much. People staying at the Level has their portion of the beach segregated. Would be still OK. But, why they have 2/3 of the beach there are ~ 20% of them? - minus one star for the beach issues described above. BTW you provide service only for the Level portion of the beach. I am OK with it. But, few Cubans could have made a living serving. Somehow they do not need to work. There no shortages for people staying at the Level. It is OK to give more to people who paid more. So, I didn't pay for butter, champagne and normal food and people at Level did? - minus one star for unjust food and beach situation described above. One nights the lights in the room went up and down and up again at 3:30 a.m. The second night was the same but plus some noise just outside our door. Electric was trying to fix something. I've turned off the breaker disconnecting the AC and power and tried to get some sleep. In the morning I went to the Customer Service. She looked at me like deer in headlights. After a short interrogation, she has admitted and had record that the work was done as guests in the room near by have complained on some lost power. She could not understand what is the problem as I did not call her at 3:30 a.m. and did not complain - so there was no problem or apologies. - minus one star for not letting me sleep for 2 nights. There were few other minor incidents that would account for another lost star. So, 6-4=2 stars -

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great resort!

Resort is big from end to end it has carts to drive you from room or beach to the lobby. Rooms were clean and well kept by housekeeping. 2 buffets at each end of resort and hotdogs/fries/snacks in the middle bars by the pool. Pool was clean, lots of chairs and a waterslide. Food was plenty and a 7/10. 24hr bar in lobby, other open till 10:30pm. Beer was draft, but cold, rum was aplenty. I would recommend this resort and there was not many kids, lol. It was loud with music and dancing crew but th [... read more]ey move from section to section. Beach was very nice alot of chairs, tiki covered and small rum bar but they where building a hide tiki hut near the beach. Flying out of Windsor was sooo easy and nice.

Sol Caribe Beach: Great resort

We went to Sol Caribe for Christmas. The resort is small and cozy, great for family vacation.Food was good, lots of variety. “Salt and pepper” restaurant was really good. The rest al carte not worth to go, same food at the buffet. They have 2 buffet for lunch, one is really close to the beach which was great and very convenient .Rooms are really nice, very clean and well organized, lots of cabinets , bathroom with nice big shower , comfy beds. Beach is pretty big, beautiful ocean to swim ? we w [... read more]ere very happy and had a great time . The entertainment need some improvement .Most shows were just dancing and competitions. No Michael Jackson or Queen show.

Sol Caribe Beach: Good Resort

Very nice resort in Varadero. I was nicely surprised with this resort. Lots of food and drinks. Lots of international drinks which I did not expect. Salt and pepper a la cart was great. Would recommend to anyone going there. Beach was great. No seaweed like other resorts I have been at. If you are looking for entertainment and shows, not the resort. Didn’t have much going on. Great people as always.

Starfish Jibacoa: A gem in Cuba that i am hooked on and will return.

Between Varadero and Havanna is a quaint village called Matanzas and The Starfish Jibacoa resort. This was our first trip to this resort. The staff are amazing. The food was great and unlimited with a wide variety everyday. There was wine both red and white that was served at your table at lunch and dinner. There was fresh fruit at the buffet everyday and freshly squeezed juices. This resort is always clean and tidy, and the grounds are vast and well taken care of. There are two grills wit [... read more]h a chef who will make your eggs or your meats anyway you want it. The shish kababs and the fresh fish were cooked on the grill to your liking. Our room which was a stand-alone bungalow facing the ocean was cleaned everyday and fresh towels and linen replaced.  Room was perfect with a very quiet AC. Marten our housekeeper was a joy to chat with and provided us with two bottles of water everyday. Ther entire staff are always focused on the clients' problems and always have a smile that is genuine. This is an exceptionally clean hotel with a beautiful beach for snorkeling and if you take the track behind the pool that leads to the beach you can walk for miles and miles on the beach. Be adventurous and go outside the resort and take in the trails that you can go up the mountains and get to the overlook to see Havana and the beauty of the ocean.  The rooms are simple but very cozy. Tours of Havana and neighbouring towns and villages are easy to get to. There is a local restaurant and a souvenir market just up the road within walking distance and the families that run these little shops are a joy to talk too. It is a quiet resort and I sure liked it a lot. I will return and definitely make this my “go to” resort in Cuba.  The staff treats you like family, and we always felt safe. Thanks to all the staff and friends I met. Had a very relaxing stay at this resort.  

Starfish Jibacoa: Nice resort to go

The staff are friendly, the foods are good: not many choices but the bakery and ice cream are delicious. Great landscape. The location is one hour away from Varadero airport, and one hour away from capital city Havana which is a must to go for people visiting Cuba.

Roc Barlovento: Beautiful resort

I liked everything about the resort buildings and looks. Staff was very nice. The resort lacked in wine, alcohol mixes, butter, bananas, Varieties of meat and beach towels. This is just naming a few items. The requirement of American dollars is also a real letdown.

Sol Caribe Beach: Really Nice Experience

We visited Sol Caribe the week before Christmas as a family of 5. The beach is stunning and there were plenty of chairs available with a nearby beach bar. The weather was better later in the week but overall sunny and warm. The rooms are clean, updated and fairly big. The resort had two nice pools, and a few bars around. There are several a la cart restaurants (Salt and Pepper was best). The buffet was fine - not a ton of selection but the food was fresh and decent. Grilled meat and fish was goo [... read more]d. We did a day trip through Nexus to Havana which was fun. The best part - the staff at the resort. So friendly, great with kids, just awesome. Overall, this resort is great for an easy vacation and delivers on all the basics without a ton of bells and whistles.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Shocking

We were shocked to see so many things wrong with this hotel. Where do i start? I will write in point format: - Was surprised that food was good. Especially ice cream. - Beach is amazing - Staff are friendly - No animation for kids (Animation team is siting and smoking next to the pool) When i asked why they are not playing sports with guests, they told me that they have no ball. ;( - Rooms are very old and not renovated. - Safe in room broken - Cleaning was fast and efficient, bu [... read more]t bed sheets unchanged all week - Door lock on room door was broken - The Gym has some good equipment, but sauna is in bad shape. - A la carte restaurant puts tap water into water bottles they serve. We all got sick on our last day. I later saw how they fill water into the water bottles. - Front desk employees look surprised and seem like they are there as a favor. Generally speaking, this hotel is far from 5 stars even by Cuban measurements. 3 Cuban stars at most.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Mexico is great this time of year!

The food was not good (some meat had jagged pieces of bone hidden inside), I cut my foot when I stepped on a piece of broken glass next to the pool, which was only half open (the swim-up bar half was closed for maintenance. On top that, one of the employees at the currency exchange lied to my friend about the exchange rate, costing her over $200 dollars Canadian more she she was told. Many places on the resort seemed to open only when they felt like opening and not the advertised times and the e [... read more]mployee in charge of taking reservations for dinner was annoyed by having to book reservations and mixed up every reservation we made. Do yourself a favour and go somewhere else

Muthu Playa Varadero: Will not return everagain

My whole experience was great but not because of the hotel...the only good part is it wasn't expensive...poor people that pay full price for that hotel...having very noisy construction work done starting 20.00h(8pm) and continuing till 03-04.00h AM that's not cool..unfortunately I'm not joking... would not recommend only if you really don't have any other choices

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Nice Family Resort

Well, this is a nice family resort: 5 pools. Unfortunately the part of the main pool with a bar was closed during our stay. But We were able to use other pools. Due to strong wind and waves the beach was deformed to unveil the rocks and some metal structures, as such it was not safety to go to the sea. We had to step aside from the resort to swim. The room service was good: water each day, towels are not changed for the stay, cleaning was excellent. The food: as we are seafood lovers we found  [... read more]it super good, as we had calamari, fish, octopus, mussels, scallops... Options for veggies and fruits. Entertainment team did their best and it was always funny and great. In general: even though this resort needs some repair done, It's a nice one.

Muthu Playa Varadero: Muthu Playa Varadero

Beach: It's Varadero so of course it is amazing. Food: plentiful but repetitive. How many ways can you serve rice? There was a roast beef night. Pork a lot of it. Ground beef was served but the globules of cartilage was huge turn off. There were a lot of Russian tourists, more than we have ever encountered. They shoulder you out of the way and take ALL of the best food for themselves. Cheese was rare to be seen and when it was it would all disappear quickly onto their plates. Room: two larger  [... read more]than single beds, tv, bathroom, everything you'd expect. The water was actually warm, most times. We revisited the "bat cave" to see the pre historic ancient drawings on the cave walls. The tour several years ago was much more informative than it is now. This year a different tour guide didn't do much in the way of being informative, as he did not even point out the ancient drawings on the walls nor did he tell the tour of how ancient peoples used to live in these cave dwellings. Took the tourist bus into Varadero twice. $5 cost each for a day pass. Cuba has a new peso - again. (New government) The Cubans do not want to take their own peso! Not even in the poorly stocked grocery store so don't bother getting money exchanged. Goods are priced in the peso. Exchanged to Canadian and then again to American which is the currency they want to deal with. We found it insulting. This was our 12th trip to Cuba along with many Canadians supporting the tourist economy and our dollar is not wanted! This was probably our last trip to Cuba, it has changed too much for the worse. The people are still lovely and kind but their circumstances make it difficult to see. We get food, they have little. How long can this be sustainable? We always pack clothing and buy socks etc. to give away at our own considerable expense. You can only do so much but it is never enough. The resort has a very large pool and plenty of chairs and loungers to accommodate a large clientele. Access to coffee was difficult. There is a wonderful coffee bar BUT you had to wait until 7:00 a.m. to maybe get some. There is no coffee available in the restaurant, as they have to go to the coffee bar to get it. We found it very inconvenient. Is it rationed I wonder? The servers never smiled; tipping did not help! We have always bought our limit of vodka and rum while in Cuba but vodka was not available and the price has more than doubled. The money exchange taking the lion's share of savings to our Canadian equivalent. So even this perk on a trip to Cuba is no longer as "perky". There is still a savings but not nearly what we've become accustomed to. To requote my husband. "the bloom has fallen off the rose when it comes to vacationing in Cuba." ...unfortunately.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: a good banging 7 day trip for the buck

I would give this resort 4 stars. I loved the common areas because of the Cuban design and deckor. The swimming pool was very cold. The ocean was a bit warmer but big waves with a red flag beach for many days. The room was nice but the safe wasn't even attached to the wall and moved around, lol. No stocked fridge with drinks. If you want a cola it will cost you $4.25 us. There is no orange juice nor oranges. No bananas ! All in all a good banging 7 day trip for the buck, especially out of Hamil [... read more]ton.

Grand Memories Varadero: Would definitely go back!

The grounds are very well kept. Hotel could use some updating in the rooms. They need more lounge chairs around the party pool, but everything is great! There were lots of food options and a variety so you won’t starve. Entertainment team needs work and there should be music at the party pool to eliminate people playing speakers around the pool with varying music. Staff are amazing and kind. They go out of their way to ensure you have everything you need.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Good times and people.

Was a fun time. missing items like eggs and meat. It’s an island. Cockroach in room. The atmosphere was nice. The staff were amazing. The pool with the bar was closed due to fixing it. Overall not bad

Roc Barlovento: Very comfortable resort

We have been to this resort for over 12 years. Unfortunately Cuba is suffering because of CoVid then the Russian war which they were getting a lot of their supplies. They do not get their supply of beach towels so one may go 4 or more days without. We brought our own in case. Towels in the suites do not get changed everyday. And the all inclusive you pay for is lacking sometimes no wine for 4 to 5 days. No butter in the buffet, no fish, no fruit except papaya and pineapple. I purchase bananas fr [... read more]om Matanzas. The beaches and the ocean is still worth it, most beautiful beaches of anywhere else that I’ve been to.

Sol Caribe Beach: Disappointing

The Sol Caribe is clean and well maintained. The staff is polite and helpful. The rooms are clean and spacious. However, the food was disappointing. No variety - the same pork and fish every day. The food was cold. No cheese, no chicken, no Fanta, no french fries at the snack bar. Even the bars did not offer the same drinks. Not on our list to return.