Playa Vista Azul: Amazing Resort

We just love this resort. From the area not far from the airport, the beautiful grounds, 2 gorgeous beaches, and most of all the staff are so friendly and they do their best to make your vacation memorable. This was our second time at Playa Vista Azul in Varadero and we will visit again. We chose to stay in Premium and it was amazing.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing resort

The food in the Sanctuary was always good !! We had beef many times the week we were there was always fabulous! There was no bacon 3 mornings out of the week they said was very frozen. The beach was amazing .

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: The best vacation ever

It was one of the best vacations I ever had. The hotel was very good nice and clean the people over there was very nice very helpful and honestly I recommend Paradisus Princesa Del Mar to anyone planning to travel to Varadero

Blau Varadero: BlU veradero

Wow, Varadero was a really nice hotel. We really enjoyed the pool and the ocean the food. Well we all know what to expect there, but we have some good meals and slot a good times met some really good people and thanks Martin. Really happy to use you and we will use you again.

Melia Las Antillas: Would NOT recommend!

This is our fourth trip to Cuba. Just returned home from Melia Las Antillas (Sept 7-14/23). We arrived at the resort between 10:30 - 11:00 am on 7th of Sept. Front desk staff was very friendly and welcoming. The lovely woman explained that rooms were being cleaned and instructed us to leave our luggage in the front lobby while we went to the buffet, had something to eat and got familiar with the property. We returned at 3:30 as instructed only to be told that our rooms were still not ready. We  [... read more]waited in the lobby until about 4:30 before we were assigned our rooms -3203, 3325, 3327. (Joanne, UK, as you mentioned in your review the condom is still there at 3203). Rooms- VERY dated and in desperate need of fresh paint and new furniture. The maids did their very best cleaning and tidying daily. Fresh towels and 2 bottles of water were replenished daily. We left a 5.00 tip (Canadian) daily. Bathroom - Bathtub looks like it fell off the Titanic. The glaze finish is all but gone. There is a large soap holder attached to the middle of the shower wall that impedes your struggle with not having the shower curtain get stuck to your body as your shower. The shower faucet was loosely attached to the wall. Toilet flushed well and there was a bidet for your use as well. The hair dryer was falling off the wall and wasn't much stronger than a breath of wind. Sleeping area - there are no electrical outlets near the head of the bed for those of you with CPAP machines. We asked for an extension cord and were told basically to turn the mattress around and place the CPAP machine on a chair which could reach an outlet nearby. (You will need a universal wall adapter). We slept upside down (feet at headboard) for the duration of our stay. We brought some skirt and short hangers and some plastic hangers from home which came in really handy. In room safe - worked just fine for storing our valuables. Buffet - Pretty impressed the first day but became very repetitive quickly. Same foods offered at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some days there was no butter, no bread for toast, bland fruit choices, absolutely no tomatoes, lettuce, carrots or vegetables period. Our main staple daily was carb related - pasta, (hot and cold), rice, potatoes. There were some meats choices - beef, pork, chicken but we were leery about the way they are cooked and stored. We did bring KETCHUP, HOT SAUCE, MUSTARD, RELISH, SALT, PEPPER, PEANUT BUTTER, JAM, CHIPS, CEREAL BARS and licorice which came in extremely handy! (Also, don't forget your Imodium, aspirins, etc) which became very helpful to have. The Buffet Grill exhaust fan was not working a few times which quickly lead to a smoke filled room. Doors were opened to help the situation but it did not help. It was not pleasant. The A La Carte Restaurants were all a very nice change from the monotonous choices at the buffet for dinner. Thank you Daylis for making the reservations for us. It was much appreciated. (By the way, they did not enforce the mens dress code -long pants - perhaps because it was so darn hot and humid - even in the evening). Be careful going into the ladies washroom close to the buffet. Only one of four toilets had toilet paper. Again, no soap, no paper towels. Pool - It was no fault of the resorts but the pool water was about 90 degrees - like a warm bath at best - due to the 100 degree temperature. One side of the large pool has a encircling river of water which stinks to high heaven of polluted wastewater - especially when they turn on the three waterfall ornaments at the one end. The smell was so disgusting that the sun lounging chairs around that side were always empty. The water in that area was stagnant, slimy and rancid. Those poor sharks and fish in there! In fact, the smell was so bad one day, my husband asked someone to turn off the fountains which they did. The other side of the pool which is adjacent to the bar and washrooms was much nicer however why they feel the need to blast the Spanish music at 9:00 am is beyond me. We were in the pool speaking to each other and we were shouting. They did lower the sound a few decibels when we asked them to. Speaking of which, the entertainment team worked very hard to make sure everyone had fun but I must say that the short female in the group (Sheila?) got annoying very quickly - we could hear her all the way to our rooms when we were getting ready for supper. I can only speak for the ladies pool washroom - only one of three sinks worked - the other two were broken. No hand soap. No paper towels. One of three toilets did not have a seat. The property is very large and there are many stairs to climb. They do have elevators however. Again, no fault of the resorts but the air was so humid and hot in the evening when we sat in the lobby after dinner. No ceiling fans anywhere. No breeze anywhere. Our wonderful server Ramon did his best to serve us but choices of liquor were very limited. Be careful buying the Cuban Pesos - if you purchase too many, you will be stuck with them. You cannot exchange them back for your currency. We gave tips in American and Canadian however we did purchase about 40.00 (Canadian) worth of Cuban pesos from the shuttle on the way to the resort. Better deal than buying them at the resort. We walked off the property one day and took the hop on hop off bus into Varadero (5.00 American each). The woman handing out the tickets asked for credit cards and we told her that was all we had and she accepted it. (I had read that when some people got home, they were charged two or three times on their credit cards). We also booked a tour of Havana with Alejandro (Cuban Compass Tours). This is the third time I booked Alejandro and once again he did not disappoint. He picked us up in a beautiful '56 Bel Air that was air conditioned. His driver was so accommodating as well. All in all, we managed to have a good time and make some fun memories. Cuba is in a very, very sad state of affairs and I pray that it gets better for the people.

Club Kawama: Okay resort..

The hotel was not good at all. But that was expected for a low star hotel. I didn't really care for the facilities. More so the beach, the people and the exploring. It was fine to sleep. Not to eat or stay hydrated. Our fridge never had any water. You couldn't find water bottles anywhere. Drinks and snacks were few and far between. The cleaning wasn't really cleaning with our dirty towels being folded up to reuse. It wasn't comfortable for necessities but ok to sleep.

Paradisus Varadero: Good resort

Paradisus Varadero is good resort very nice beach 🏝️I love palm trees and lots of sun beds at all time. Restaurant was very clean it was always 4 different types of meats but I was surprised to see nothing from veggies or even oranges which is tropical fruit. Room was ok I was on ground floor it was my first time that I had a ground floor so I am not sure if it’s normal to find huge bugs like it was 10 cm long and lizards visiting my room. Also there was lingering smell of sewage on and o [... read more]ff from nearby sewage drainage system. Few times I had to spray perfumes to be able to breathe. I think hotel was ok but because of this issue and older limited air conditioning system I would give this hotel 4 stars not 5 like it’s on the site . Oh yeah I forgot my very first trip on the beach my flip flops got stolen. So I had to buy another one over there which caused so uncomfortable they made many wounds on my feet I was in a lot of pain walking. So bring your ugly flip flops.Internet was frustrating because auto log in doesn’t work and even you are not active for 2 minutes it logs you off so you have to keep logging in every time you intent to use your phone. They give you like 10 h a day so you have to go back to reception for more hours. I didn’t like that. It was also very hard to log in to I pad.

Barcelo Solymar: It's Cuba!

Spring for the updated bungalows. The food is decent, the pools are kept as clean as chlorine availability allows, and you can use three resorts for the price of one. Beach is beautiful, of course, it is Varadero. The proximity to town is great and it's nice to walk around during the day and possibly go to the nearby bars and clubs at night. Cuba is having issues with everything, so please don't go if you are expecting it to be like Mexico, Dominican, Jamaica, or even like Cuba of 2-3 years ago, [... read more] it is not, nor will it be close as long as their trading partners are at war.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Simply Amazing!!

Royalton Hicacos is a wonderful Resort! We were welcomed at check in with a glass of wine then escorted to our room. As it was a birthday trip, the staff was aware and dinner was arranged by the hotel. The waiters poured wine and served cake, they cheered and celebrated with us in the international restaurant. The beach at the hotel is fantastic and the property is magnificent! It was a wonderful trip, we enjoyed every minute. We will be back!

Iberostar Selection Varadero: SUNWING: Iberostar Selection Varadero

The resort was amazing. It was beautiful and clean. The entertainment was wonderful. We found a great variety of food between the buffet and the other restaurants.The lobster dinner was delicious. We had some challenges to find our favourite drinks like margaritas. While the resort experience was great, our flight timing and experience was awful. We lost the whole first day as we arrived in the resort around 11pm. The return departure was so late that by the time we got home, it was around [... read more] 5am. So we lost the whole next day due to exhaustion. Also our SUNWING rep, was not very responsive when we reached out to her prior to our trip.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Amazing staff!

Thank you for your great hospitality! I love cuba 🇨🇺. It’s well managed resort. Good à la card restaurant and a lot of options to do in the resort. Lacking a bit of during the day entertaining and sports activities.

Iberostar Selection Varadero: SUNWING: Iberostar Selection Varadero

The resort was amazing. It was beautiful and clean. The entertainment was wonderful. We found a great variety of food between the buffet and the other restaurants.The lobster dinner was delicious. We had some challenges to find our favourite drinks like margaritas. While the resort experience was great, our flight timing and experience was awful. We lost the whole first day as we arrived in the resort around 11pm. The return departure was so late that by the time we got home, it was around [... read more] 5am. So we lost the whole next day due to exhaustion. Also our SUNWING rep, was not very responsive when we reached out to her prior to our trip.

Melia Marina Varadero: Beautiful beach, old resort needs work

The front entrance is renovated. The bar area has very old chairs. Can be improved, among 4 elevators only 2 works. It was not busy season but they could open more elevators. People at reception are nice and friendly They tried to help. The waiters are friendly as well.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Everything was *okay* 3/5

View 10/10: Beautiful resort, beautiful beach, beautiful pool. It honestly captivates you. Food 4/10: Very bland. No spices. No ketchup, no potatoes, no milk. etc. They have a shortage of practically everything. However, the cooked chicken/beef was good, some soups were good, and the bread was great. Cleanliness 4/10: The rooms were not clean. My throat hurt me every time I went to sleep, including my familys'. Service 6/10: Despite not being very clean, the people are pleasant and  [... read more]sweet. Nightlife 5/10: Mostly very dead in the resort, lol. Go outside the resort. Definitely not a 5-star hotel. They could do much better to bring it up to 5.

Grand Memories Varadero: Tired Resort.

Very tired feeling resort. We were suppose to be allowed to check in at 4pm, our rooms weren't ready until 6ish. Rooms were falling apart and 2 out of the 3 rooms we had, had a bad mold smell. None of the safes even worked. We also lost power in one of our rooms. Many little things were out of order. (Waterfalls etc) The buffet was pretty bad, all the alacarte restaurants served the same things prepared differently. Seemed like they had a shortage of food. The BBQ lunch wasn't e [... read more]ven really BBQ. Bring your own ketchup packets As long as you Temper your expectations you will be ok, it's advertised as a 4.5 star but it's a 2.5.

Club Kawama: You get your money's worth

This was our 6th visit to Kawama. We know that this is a 3 ⭐️ and know what to expect. The rooms are outdated. The buffet is so so. The A la carte dinners are much better and offer a higher quality of food. There are days when some food and drinks are not available but this happens all over cuba. On the up side, the beach is truly amazing. There are 2 pools. The staff go above and beyond to make your experience at their hotel a pleasant one. There are many repeater customers. August was not [... read more] a good time to go. The temperature was extremely hot and most of the customers were locals on vacation . This hotel is close to many restaurants on the main street and a few steps from the double decker bus. The currency rate appears to change every other day. Best to exchange money on the ride to your hotel and at the market. Avoid the bank. Better to bring loonies and twoonies and $5's. Tipping a$5 bill is a lot right now. The staff may ask you to change the coins into dollar bills. Remember to bring new bills without folds or rips. All in all we really enjoy this hotel and have made many friends over the year. Best time to go is between November and April. Enjoy!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Staff is amazing. Beautiful resort

Staff are very friendly and don't demand tips, contrary to other comments. I recommend tipping because they work very hard. Had too many issues with wifi, and reserving food places within the resort. But aside from that, great experience!

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Service a big question

The hotel was advertised as 4.5 star. The service was not. First when I checked into the room, there were no towels at all except for a foot towel in front of the bath. I told the front desk and half an hour later when I was back in the room, they had placed bath towel in the room but no hand towel. The next morning I walked to the front desk and they very politely apologized and ensured me that it will be there. It was not by the afternoon, so I told them again and they very politely apologize [... read more]d and ensured it will be there shortly. It was not. I talked to the front desk the second day to no avail. Then on third day I asked straight for the manager, and he again apologized and ensured me. To no avail. On the second day I dropped some drinking water and I used the foot towel to clean up the mess and left the wet foot towel there and also informed the manager in my conversation that the foot towel has not been replaced and the mess is still there. Short story, they finally removed the wet foot towel on day 5 with no replacement so each time I wanted to get out of the showers, I had the likelihood of a fall. For the whole 7 days, I had no hand towel. Additionally, they never changed the bath towel during the 7 days. Easy to fix, but I do not understand why they did not.

Melia Marina Varadero: Worest experience!!!

First I want to say, this is not my first time to Cuba. This was my third time, and after this vacation I will not be going to Cuba ever again. The hotel lacked in food, I mean shortage and sometimes ran out of liquor so I couldn't get drinks. The wifi needed to be refeshed ever 5 hour at the lobby. They ran out of beach towel and limited food at the snack bar, I mean they mostly had bun and cheese. This was one of my worest experiences I had.

Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Great resort

We had a great stay at this place, very nice staff and food was good, in season fruits and salads The beach and pools were clean and very enjoyable, the rooms were clean and had AC, overall it was a very nice stay