You Get What You Pay For

First time at a cheap resort in Varadero, and even though my expectations were low, I did not lower them enough. The beach, resort grounds, and especially the price are really nice. But that cheap price comes with a cost. Food was borderline. Some of the food was outright disgusting IMO (although others - especially East coasters, for some reason - really liked it). Rooms were just below average. The staff kept it clean every day but the water pressure was non-existent in the shower an [... read more]d the towels were tiny and scratchy. Our room was next door to a thumping disco that went very late (thankfully only a couple nights). Cockroaches were a familiar sight in the hallway and in our room (maybe that's par for the course in Varadero?). Ridiculous charges for lost beach towels (yes, I lost mine). Some staff were excellent! Some were terrible (as were many of the WT guests!). The alcohol selection was only bottom shelf stuff (bring a Bubba because the glasses are tiny). Again, maybe I had higher expectations than I should have and I'm off the mark, but I was really disappointed. I will say that because the resort is closer to town, we could escape to get decent food and drinks with only an 8 CUC cab ride (each way). If I could do it again, I would spend a bit more and pick a better resort.

Amazing resort

amazing all around resort...from people at guest services, to those providing services including grounds people and the rest of the staff. Clean rooms, grounds beautifully taken care of and friendly staff. Proximity to Varedero . will definitely be going back !

Amazing!!

5th time here and can't wait to go back! Everything about this place is wonderful, especially all the friendly staff. I can't say enough good about this Resort. The beaches are out of this world and there is lots of great food and entertainment!

Very good resort

We have been going to Hotel Los Cactus for 7 years now.We enjoy this resort as it has very clean rooms( Gardenview Suites)very spacious with balconies, excellent beach with lots of chairs and parasols, very nice staff and it includes rounds of golf.It is a very safe place to visit and stay.

A nice resort for a good price

A returning guest, had to go back due to having such a great experience the first time. 2nd experience was another great experience. Beautiful weather, great beach, and amazing people working there. Did have one bad experience however. Had requested a room near pool/beach, and asked not to be put into same building as the disco. However, despite being returning guest, we were placed in that building again. When requesting to be moved to a different spot, we were told we would have to pay $50 [... read more] CUC per person for the week for a new room. Unfortunately this was not in my budget, so I had to stay in that section. The rooms were damp, smelt of mold, with what appeared to be mold visible on a mirror and in the shower. Also had difficulty sleeping due to the dampness in the air.

Amazing resort/best time ever

second time to this resort ,so many repeat customers here ,the staff was the best out of all the resort we have been to in varadero.The food is typical Cuban good days and bad but the wait staff do everything in their powers to make it good. I would recommend this resort to anyone stay in the pool side suites not junior suites if you want a nice relaxing quiet time. Cant wait to book again for next April

Excellent vacation

Beautiful grounds, amazing beach, a big nice pool, friendly staff, good food. It didn't feel crowded in spite of the hotel being fully booked. Could always find a lounge at the beach or the pool. Well above the expectations. Would highly recommend this resort. Had a wonderful time.

Nice older resort

Hotel las cactus is a nice older resort The lobby bar is small but comfortable. The room we had was a standard room with a kingsize bed. The bed was a bit low to the floor but ok. If you go to Cuba expecting the food to be great, your at the wrong place. Mind you,there is always something you will like and will not go hungry. The beach was nice (wish visitors would not leave there garbage lying around though). Very soft sand but lots of shells near the waters edge. I would recommend beach  [... read more]shoes. There is a great grill near the beach with hotdogs, hamburgers and french fries. They also make pulled pork sand wicked. The trip to thE market in varadero was awesome. Super large area to shop for gifts etc. Pool was very nice. Workers were always pleasant.

Hotel Los Cactus

Hotel was lovely, staff friendly, food and amenities great, entertainment was good. Golf was great. Value for money in every aspect of this vacation, we will return. Bev as usual, was key to making this another fabulous vacation.

Improving Each Time!

This was our 5th trip to this Resort. We love the beach at this location. Each time we visit this resort things are always improved. The grounds, the buildings, the pool and hot tubs were always in impeccable shape. The rooms were always cleaned well and were spacious. The animation team and the staff were always friendly and eager to help and make it fun! We are looking forward to going back next March!

Gem

Excellent resort.Third time there.Lot's improvement done from last year.Will go again.Beautiful beach ,lot's shade if you need,very clean,amazing landscape.Good service.Very peaceful blockB.Nice bars excellent coffee.

Enjoyed stay

2 nd visit better than last year golf included this time had set of clubs to borrow so saved $$$ only cost was cart fee all staff friendly Food still needs improvement with smaller resort got to know lots of people......enjoyed vacation

Would definitely return to this resort

We travelled with 3 other couples and I think all really enjoyed the resort... I know we did! It is older and there is definitely room for improvements in the rooms but the housekeepers were fantastic. Food on the buffet could have been hotter some days but lots of options and the made to order omelets were a definite highlight!! The staff was very attentive and friendly. Didn't spend much time at the pool but it seemed nice - the beach was beautiful. They lost most of their palapas in the hur [... read more]ricane but umbrellas were plentiful and there was always someone available to put it up for you. They dug the hole so deep you could probably lean against it without it moving. We LOVED the Cuban A la Carte El Mojito. Staff there is second to none and made it a truly enjoyable, memorable experience. Be careful... this resort enforces the no shorts for men rule at the a la carte restaurants. Our husbands really had to scramble to comply with this rule. If I had one complaint, it would be that they tended to run out of wine often as well as mix for many of the drinks... mojitos, pina colatas, rum punch, etc.

Overall great time!

Our first room was a bit aged and in need of renovations, it was in the 600 block. It was a long walk for my wife whom had a recent surgery. I decided to upgrade to the 100 block area a lot closer to pool, buffet, and main beach. This room was much nicer and had 110v. The food at the al la carte's and main buffet was good.Grill at the beach was awesome, hotdogs , fries hamburgers and pizza. The beach was wonderful, they have paddle boats, kayak's, windsurfing and small catamarans. I would go bac [... read more]k here for sure, they really do need to update the older rooms. I would recommend paying a little extra and get a room that has been recently renovated.

Beautiful Beach but Lacking Night Life

When we first arrived at the resort we were early but our room was ready. Check in was quick. Upon getting to our room we noticed a very musty smell. The room wasn't the cleanest and the toilet only kind of worked. The next day we payed 70 CUC and upgraded to a suite. It was well worth it. The suites are much cleaner and very spacious. The Duna bar is only open until 10pm and closed early often. This is where the only hot hot tub was located. All other hot tubs were broken or not hot [... read more]. The food was ok... we didn't go hungry. The Italian a la cart was excellent. I found that they didn't post menus or times at the small snack restaurants. Like they didn't want you to know when they were open or what your options were. Almost made you feel bad when you asked for food(snack bar in lobby and Carlos at the beach bar area). This hotel is more catered to retired people. The beach was amazing however. That made the trip worth it.

Los Cactus was fabulous!

Los Cactus was a great place to stay in Varadero. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. I ended up switching rooms both of my first two nights at the hotel - the first because of noise from a neighbouring hotel, and then a second time because of a very loud air conditioner that started malfunctioning the second day I was in that room. The staff were gracious and understanding. The hotel itself was good. Not super luxe or anything, but that's life in this part of the world - esp Cub [... read more]a! I met numerous people who'd been coming back for years which I always take as a good sign. The beach was gorgeous, the dolphin excursion was AMAZING, as was the Havana one day tour (Amazing guide, Mairellis with Gaviota Tours!). Depending on the waves, the ocean is swimmable some days (green and yellow flags) and on other days you can't go in due to strong undercurrents. My sense was that the flag gets set for the day, even though water conditions generally change in the afternoons - definitely exercise caution and use your judgment. There was one yellow flag day that should have been changed to red in my opinion. The undercurrent was SO strong I was afraid to wade in above my knees, even though the waves were so tempting to play in! The ocean is powerful - be careful! I have a very restricted diet and I further restricted it during my trip (I didn't eat anything fresh, and no shellfish (and I love both!); I've had ongoing stomach issues for years from tropical travel, so I'm super cautious!) - but there was always plenty of food to eat that I quite enjoyed. Cuban food gets a rep as "boring" but remember these resorts are trying to make food that is palatable to everyone - so bring your own seasonings if you want extra flavour (salt, pepper, hot sauce). I loved all the fish, rice and beans and especially the Yucca! The fresh omelettes and bacon (which the chefs will happily let you grill further) made for quite a delicious breakfast, too. I was a bit taken aback by Cuban tipping culture (it seems like we were expected to tip absolutely everyone, which felt over the top to me...) - and hadn't quite factored that in to my budget. Do be sure to budget 5-10/day for tips alone! I like to mix things up and try different things, but I'd definitely consider coming back to Los Cactus and certainly recommend it.

Very good resort

The resort and grounds are good could use a bit of an upgrade but the sense of being very safe and the wonderful staff made this vacation a very good one. The beach was amazing and was cleaned every morning and the blue of the water is incredible. We went for a ride in a peddle boat for free and was alot of fun. Next is the food i had heard that the food was not great very bland and not a good selection, well I admit I'm kind of a food snob but I found absolutely nothing wrong with the food o [... read more]r selections. There was always fresh vegetables fruits salad greens soup delicious homemade bread cold cuts 3 or four kinds of cheese cuban food rice and beans pork chicken sausage and always a pasta station with four different sauces (meat,tomato and creams) There was a beach bbq with hot dogs burgers and pizza. 24 hours a day you could get food. Also the desserts were delicious and well presented. Every night there was a show and music. Contests and dance lessons and fun at the pool every day. There are five hot tubs which are open 24 hours. The drinks were good sometimes they ran out of vodka or tequila but always there was rum and beer. I met people that had spent their vacations at los cactus every year for multiple times one couple since 1994. One lady feels so safe she goes alone how amazing is that.I will definetly go back had an amazing time we all should be thankful for what we have!!

Calm and Relaxing

We stayed at Los Cactus at the end of February and found it very pleasant although it did have a few areas lacking. The rooms were clean and well kept. The lobby and dining areas were beautiful. We especially loved the beach with its free water services and extremely helpful staff that were available to set up umbrellas and chairs wherever you wanted; we never had to worry about getting up early in order to claim a spot. We did wish there were more activities held throughout the day and that the [... read more]y could have been held earlier, often there was nothing planned by the pool until after 4pm. We also found that there was very limited food options with few alternatives for vegetarians, made more difficult by the fact that their dining schedule is again very late, with the buffet not opening until after 7 at night; however, the food that was available was decent. The only truly negative experience we had was with their spa service. The hotel offers massages out of a room in the gym, we do not recommend using this service as it was clear that towels and sheets were not changed between massage clients. Overall though the staff were kind and attentive and this is a great spot for any adult that just wants to getaway and relax on the beach.

Okay resort

Grounds are well kept with beautiful mature trees and shrubs. Beach is fabulous. Rooms are okay but are in need some updating and renovating. Pool doesn't have stairs, it has ladders, not so easy for the many seniors that go there. The pool patio also is in rough shape with many holes. The food was very good. Lobster was available one night, but only at a certain time and not posted so we didn't know until it was too late. The staff were friendly and helpful. Overall had a good vacation.

Resort wasn't up to the mark

Rooms were not properly organize, flush tanks wasn't working at all air conditioning broke.On site Maintainace people weren't there to fix this issues.Food wasn't up to the mark it wasn't fresh specially vegeterian food was not ok not enough choice for vegetarian food.