Worst hotel experience ever!

First of all I would like to express my disappointment of tripcentral and Sunwing for keeping this hotel in their portfolio. This hotel shouldn’t be sold to anyone let alone Canadian public. I understand Covid affected Cuba, but your company should have sent your people to check the hotel before sell it to people. You would have found out the incompetence in half a day if you had stayed at the hotel. We went as a group of 18 people. Everyone in our group wanted to come back home next day of ar [... read more]rival. I am extremely disappointed with your company and Sunwing. This was a false advertisement by your company and Sunwing. I regret that we trusted your company!!! Instead of a holiday we all came back home stressed out and out of money!!!!!!

Fun week in Varadero

Well, Kevin from Tripcentral got us a couple great rooms at Iberostar Laguna for August 1st to 8th . The hotel has reduced the over all customer capacity to help with reintigration after covid. Most of the guests were not wearing masks but there were hand sanitizer stations every where. Our rooms over looked the central pool area and had partial ocean views. Rooms were as described and kept spotless by house keeping. The grounds were well kept and the staff were attentive. Cuba still has suppl [... read more]y shortages but there was plenty of volume at the buffet and ala cartes. It is really hot there right now so we spent our time in the hotel air conditioned areas and then at the pools and beach. At this time of year there really aren’t any shortages of beach lounges with plenty of shade. The double decker hop on hop off bus still only costs $5 cdn each.we spent one day checking out the markets and shops in Varadero. The new Cuban peso was a bit of bother. The official exchange rate is poor, but these people have adapted and you can get better rates at the market stalls and from tour guides. We tipped in Canadian dollars (remember they can’t use our coins). Sunwing flights there and back were on new 737 max aircrafts. Seat backs have usb ports, there were no drop down tv sets so you should make sure you bring your own devices for entertainment. Once again, Tripcentral set us up with an excellent tour package. Cheers

Great resort! Would visit again!

Nice resort! Good food and nice clean rooms. Great pool! Nice beach! Friendly staff overall, Selection at the 24hr snack bar was hit or miss but a good option when feeling snacky later at night! Specialty restaurants had great food especially the Japanese restaurant. Lobby was nice in the evenings to enjoy a drink and people watch. Would definitely stay here again!

Can be better for 5 stars

We did an Ocean view and our room only got the tip of the ocean from our balcony view. Maybe request a room where your view is not being blocked by the buildings. Disco is currently closed for reno. The japense A la Carte is amazing. The Romentica (seafood) was alright but only had fish and civiche for seafood options. Lunch, dinner & breakfast is the same items everyday. Bar near snack bar is 24hrs but no frozen drinks there. Snack bar serves pizza, fries, hotdogs & tuna sandwhiches. Our maids  [... read more]were amazing. They have courtesy rooms for you to shower if your a late flight as check out is 12pm. However you need to request them. Late checkout to keep your rplm is $10 per hour cash or $11 hour credit card. There is a $30US deposit on your credit card per beach towel. Once you return it there will be no charge its just a hold. Internet user id they give you expires every 24hrs. So you need to go to the room across from the gift shop to have it renewed. Lunch does not start until 1pm. Dinner starts at 6:30pm. We had some indviduals whom worked there that treated us very kind. However locals are allowed on the resort now, & once you speak Spanish you will be taken care of first. Be prepared on the beach to be harrased by many locals to buy items or trade items. There is a quiet pool area. & 1 swim up bar. Ice cream hut was closed. No big wars to get beach chairs tons available. Not many shaded though. The wait to book your a la carte is about 1hr long. Look for Alex one of the entertainers to change $ with. He gives a faie rate versus the resort or toue guides. He also has links on taxis $25 CAD or US for a fancy car. $20 for a basic. Also shower heads in many rooms are not attached to wall heads up.

Covid Measures

Masks were almost never seen being worn by staff or guests. Sanitizer dispensers at several locations... not sure if they were empty or contained any sanitizer liquid. No apparent social distancing. No other covid precaution measures visible.

A very good resort!!

This Hotel is perfect if you don’t want the big crowds. Everyone gets to know the staff and they know you. Service is amazing and the people are great!! Tony at the buffet is excellent, always a smile and prompt to have a table for you. The animation team is also great. Highly recommended!!

No more Cuba

you would be lucky to get food very minimal really bad, hard to even get salt, ketchup, fruits, salads, ect. no orange juice, only pop and water same foods all week long rice and more rice, breads, help yourself. foods that were served by staff was cold cuts, vegetables, deserts, so that everyone could get a piece of something, eggs were always a go! no spoons any where eat ice cream with your fork. entertainment horrible horrible, bar drinks minimal rum and more rum no crystal beer any where in [... read more] cuba, 1 glass bottle of water in room with a seal on it. They claim its drinkable water now. If you want bottled water you pay for it. currency is a joke now DO NOT EXCHANGE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!! leaving the airport they have you believe you will get a better exchange for the paseo resort ratio 118 they will give you 140 get this goes to black market 190 they want you to exchange badly, you cant spend a peso if you tried only for tips and at market for souvenirs downtown Varadero and only private Cuban eatery's not even the beetle bar credit card only, no American cards so once again charge your Canadian card still converted to US dollar to you. you CANNOT convert paseos back to Canadian dollars lots of changes all the people that been going to Cuba for years will never go back again I guess its only for the sun now and water nothing else trust me resort occupancy scarce I don't think its all because of the covid it's the countries changes Good by Cuba

Loved the resort!!

The resort was beautiful, the rooms large and clean. The staff was friendly and helpful and happy to be of your service. The beach is beautiful and the sea water is clean, clear and warm. There are lovely palapas with loungers to keep you on the shade and the pool is enormous and clean with lots of loungers. The food is good with many options to chose from. The specialty restaurants were lovely and the food was very good. I would definitely return to this resort.

Amazing resort

Hi Martine thanks for your help! Everything was good ; the resort; was nose and clean , food was good the people are nice and friendly , beach is outstanding . We would go back again and would recommend this place to v everyone. The flight WESTJET was good; on time and really friendly staff. The problem was aero port Toronto - we have to stay in the plane for more then 2 hours and the staff of Westjet trying to comfort everyone giving water and inform us old time what’s going on! Thank [... read more]s again

Disappointing

I don't understand how this is rated so high. It was not a great experience going there for a full week. - food options limited, bland and disappointing - drinks were fine but alcohol was watered down - rooms were dated, we had 2 rooms but A/C only worked in one - cockroach found in one room - service was very spotting. Our room service did the best to keep the dated rooms clean, some of the servers at the restaurant were fantastic. Otherwise if you didn't speak Spanish you were left to f [... read more]end for yourself We spoked with 3 couples that were there from Canada as well, no one said they would return and all echoed our previous complaints. Would not go back and don't waste your money.

Iberostar Laguna Azul

Enjoyable vacation even with covid restrictions, the Cubans are happy to see Canadians back.The hotel is running at fifty percentage capacity. Well kept resort we were in building 18,for people with mobility issues all elevators should have been operational but were not. Dining room experience was different than normal they now serve you the food,because of language barrier you point at what you want. All staff must wear mask all the time. Be aware of the new currency useful for tipping. They no [... read more]w prefer us monies,do not exchange money at the bank the locals or people on the bus to hotel offer better exchange rate.Beautiful beach weather was 32 for the week we were there. I would definitely return to this hotel.

Beautiful Resort

I have been to Varadero 4 times and this one has probably the best design for the outdoor and indoor areas. Misinformation about the room having an ocean view was troublesome at the beginning because in actuality you could only see the ocean from the balcony if you looked in a very sharp angle. So I think it would have been better if we would have known in advance. Overall the hotel is clean but our room was ok and always after cleaning we found lots of long hair on the floor( my hair is short [... read more]) then, I saw the mop that they were using, which was really dirty. Also the staff did not check the shampoo or soap and we have to ask twice to fill the empty bottles. I have to mention that this hotel has very good mannered service people. I want to name Tony who served at the dinner buffet, Joanna and Gavier who served at the breakfast and lunch buffet; and very pleasant Daysolet, who was helping with drinks in the bar close to reception. Overall, I recommend this resort.

Great trip great value

Iberostar was a lot more then I expected.beautiful lobby,fantastic staff Rooms a little old but clean and beds were perfect. Lots of hot water and good pressure for showering Bathtub a bit hard to get in and out of for us old farts. 16th block was perfect for view of pool and ocean. Not too far to walk to lobby. We had 4th floor Was a great view. But lots of stairs cause the elevators were either not available or slow. Italian and Japanese restaurants were really good. We brought litt [... read more]le things to hand out to workers. They really appreciated it (dollar store reading glasses, baby items. Candy, gum, aftershave, tooth brushes and paste sewing kits). Never had to fight for a lounger around pool, we always picked side far from the kids area. All and all it was a perfect resort for the money

A Resort with a heart !!

Overall a great resort ! The grounds, food , restaurants, beach, and staff were fabulous!! We had a medical emergency (accident) while at the resort and the staff was exceptional !! Janet Bell from Customer Service went beyond to help us, the resort doctor and nurse so helpful and the overall staff so caring!

Still an Amazing Resort

I love Varadero and I have stayed at the Iberostar Laguna Azul 5 to 6 times. It is clean, safe, beautifully landscaped, well maintained, very friendly, professional and hard working staff. I have tried staying at a few other resorts and they do not measure up to Iberostar Laguna Azul. We were there for Christmas 2021 and they went all out for our Christmas Eve dinner it was unbelievable! A 4 foot tree of lobsters, a sushi buffet, a seafood buffet, a pastry buffet, steak, turkey, chicken, fish e [... read more]tc...impressive options. I highly recommend staying at this lovely resort

Great Resort - Second time!

Laguna Azul is a great resort. We were there for a second time March 2020 and last year April 2019. Been too many resorts in Cuba and Dominican. We found this resort a perfect size. Lots of beach/pool chairs. Never had to save chairs either time we went. Buffet is good for Cuba food. Very clean resort. Friendly staff. Looking forward to returning next year. They do offer VIP for I believe an extra $10.00 a day per person - looked into it and don't think its worth it. Does not offer th [... read more]e things that I would find beneficial. Really look into it before you purchase. I seldom if at all seen people actually using the perks it offers.

Great getaway

Staff and personal were nothing but exceptional. Last couple days the weather was suspect and they went above and beyond to cater to everyone within the resort. Food was ok not great but above average for Cuba. Beach was clean and had an abundance of chairs and room to lounge around. Very large pool with swim up bar that never went unvisited lol. Highly recommend for the perfect getaway to relax and enjoy the Cuban culture.

Beautiful resort!

We had a lovely stay at the Iberostar Laguna Azul resort. The hotel rooms were very clean with fresh towels and water refreshed daily. Some rooms were dated however that added to the Cuban atmosphere which we thoroughly enjoyed. The resort staff were all friendly and helpful. The buffet wait staff was amazing - especially Elizabeth and Raoul. There were lots of variety for food - fruits, breads, pastas all delicious. The beach was beautiful - very clean and well maintained. This trip was the fir [... read more]st time for my mother and she loved it. The evening shows were all fantastic and worth a watch. The a la carte restaurants booked fast and the food there was very good. We would definitely go back!

Very Very bad poor or what ever fits best

Very Very bad Dirty no safe no fridge no hot water broken shower head , that is a few things that went wrong in the first room they put us in Second room t wrong in the first room they gave us Moved to second room for the last 12 days of our stay 9 days with same beach towels Some days no clean white towels in the room No lock or latch on the patio door and even after several requests still never fixed we were on the first floor so had to jam it closed with an old mop handle We had paid f [... read more]or a 2 floor pool view room 5 times or more we had to have the room key card replaced as we could no get in this happened again at the worst times I.E. late at night Beach was nice and pools operating fine

Not ready for western tourists

Grounds good hotel rooms third world quality poor response by main desk to problems. Should be under construction than reopened. Food prep poor in ala carts. No pool towels 7 days not enough staff to service drink venue,s.Money exchange inflation cuc Paso a trip off. Tourist reps very good and knowledgeable.