Valentin El Patriarca Varadero: Worst resort ever - do not recommend

Worst resort ever! So many mosquitos and bug bites in beds, every room. The key doesnt work, safe doesnt work - food was horrible in every restairant. Absolute worstttt Staff was worst and not helpful. Tripcentral with the worst recommendation - Manuella made this recommendation. Worst ever.

Sol Palmeras: 1 week at the Sol Palmeras May 2023

Obviously, expectations will influence your experience. We expected an older resort, lack of food variety, and little pool/beach services. However, 5 guys in their 50s appreciated the impeccable beaches, beautiful weather, and friendly environment.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great Resort

The staff was very friendly and always helpful The food was amazing, lots of selection at the buffet There were daily activities we enjoyed as well as day and evening entertainment Clean grounds and pool

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Amazing resort!

Beautiful and clean hotel. Amazing clean and hot sea. Clean beach and no stealing beach towels, on surveillance all the time. So many clean pools. Delicious buffet. Did not try 3 restaurants because the buffet was so good. Best wifi on the lobby. Slow in the room. Live music every evening and show at 9:30 p.m. Very nice staff.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Returning guest warning!

Fantastic property but in need of urgent improvement in areas of the management, coordination & renovation. We used to come to this hotel during Sandals & it was our 11th time this year. When we arrived we couldn't get a room that we wanted & indicated during our booking with Trip Central back in February. The first room that we've got had a broken safe, no balcony screen & sunken bed/mattress on one side. The second room that we've got had no balcony screen (but they managed to bring one to [... read more] us), without 3 towels per person as it is standard in all hotels (but only 2 during our entire stay), had broken roof & a flood happened during a heavy rain. The food was basic in comparison to the previous years, lack of variety. Sunwing who apparently has some shares in this hotel as well, obviously doesn't care too much about addressing & fixing the current issues. Too bad for this fantastic property with great location & landscaping.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: A huge disappointment. Save your time and money; go elsewhere!

My family of four (two young adults, plus my husband and I) just returned from our 1-week vacation at the Iberostar Laguna Azul. While this was our first time staying at this resort, this trip marked our 2nd trip to Varadero and our 4th trip overall to Cuba (our first trip post-pandemic too!). We were all super excited to come back to Cuba because of the positive experiences we've had before on past vacations, but we would be lying if we said we didn't leave disappointed by the end of our trip.  [... read more] Admittedly, yes, the pandemic has caused an economic crisis in Cuba and life has gotten a lot harder for the locals there. This has also caused many food and supply shortages throughout the country, which affects the resorts as well. All of these factors are understandable and they’re out of the locals' hands. But at the same time, the purpose of a vacation is to relax and not worry about anything. If you want a vacation that's hassle-free with an ACTUAL 5-star resort that lives up to its expectations, don't stay at this resort and travel to other countries instead. 1. BEACH/POOLS: The beach is perhaps the only upside to this resort, unfortunately. It is very beautiful (think soft white sands and turquoise waters) and the water isn't rocky in the least. There's also a coral reef a bit further out, which is really interesting to explore! Watch out for sand fleas though; as long as you wash them off with soap and water, you should be golden. We didn't really go into the pools at all because there are some broken tiles that remain unfixed (lots of reviews online were commenting about this) and it could be a safety hazard. 2. FOOD: Yes, one doesn't go to Cuba for delicious food. However, my family have never been picky eaters and we've still thoroughly enjoyed our vacations to Cuba, regardless of the food. Despite this, the food at this resort was absolutely unbearable; always bland, undercooked, SALTY and/or oily. It was always the worst at the buffets because they would keep putting out the leftover meals from the day before (most likely due to the food shortage), which lead to a lot of food going bad that we would try to avoid. The a-la-cartes were a LOT better and our family enjoyed them (the romantic restaurant is the best, followed by the japanese one and then the italian). Those restaurants were also SO much cleaner in comparison to the buffet/snack bar, which always had flies swarming on your plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, etc, plus on the actual food at the buffet. Not to mention that there are always birds that sneak in and eat the food at the buffet selection and empty tables. The staff don't seem to really clean off the tables or chairs at the buffet/snack bar too, so we're not completely sure how sanitary the resort is. Staff also don't use any hairnets or gloves whenever they cook food, which was an interesting observation. The resort also doesn't provide bottled water and the only option is "purified water", which is served at restaurants, bars and in your rooms through reusable bottles. My entire family started getting stomach aches towards the end of our vacation and are still recovering right now back home here in Canada. We're not sure if this is due to food/water poisoning or the difference in the Cuban vs Canadian water system/food preparation process, but we would definitely say that this resort is not the most sanitary. There also isn’t much selection with regards to food wherever you go, whether that’s at the buffet or a-la-cartes. The 24 hour snack bar only serves basic sandwiches and half-baked pizzas most of the time, topped with a side of cockroaches (which you will find all-throughout the resort. I know it’s a tropical country, but not sure how sanitary it is to have insects in the kitchen and on countertops, which we saw). 3. ROOMS: Their rooms are pretty decent, but from what we heard from other guests, your room experience will be very hit or miss. Unfortunately, our family fell on the 'miss' side and we had a lot of problems with our adjoining rooms (same building as the main buffet and on the same floor as the lobby) right off the bat: - the toilet in one of the rooms wasn't working at all (couldn’t flush) - the lock for the balcony in one of the rooms completely dislodged from the door-frame, which is a safety concern - neither of the telephones work in both rooms - the sinks were semi-clogged - no soap/shampoo/body gel in any of the washrooms - both of the rooms were VERY dirty and we had to request for deep-cleaning We brought up these problems with customer service and to be honest, it took quite awhile for them to be resolved. They eventually called in a technician to fix the toilet/balcony and a maid to do deep cleaning, but they couldn't give us new rooms because this resort has limited adjoining rooms for families (families, take note of this!). You also have to kick to open one of the washroom doors because it was broken, which is hilarious. 4. SERVICE: This was between poor and fair (2-3 stars). There was a TripAdvisor review that I had previously read saying that the “spirit of the Cubans had changed”, which is an accurate way to describe it. Cuban people are usually known to be extremely hospitable and friendly individuals, but there seems to have been a shift after the pandemic due to their current economic crisis. While this is understandable, don’t expect to get outstanding service without giving a tip first. They will still tell you that tipping is optional, but most of the staff won’t acknowledge you or serve you efficiently or effectively without a tip first. It’s 100% not the same hospitable atmosphere that Cuba was known for. 5. LOCATION: The location is another upside, but just a minor one. The resort is pretty safe as a whole and it’s located about 2.5 hours away from Havana, which could be a really great excursion outside of the hotel (please note that you will absolutely be aggressively swarmed by locals trying to sell you services, products and excursions while in Havana. Don’t buy anything in the streets and stick to inside shops!! Don’t openly display that you bought anything too or else this will put a huge target on your back and you will be swarmed). 6. VALUE: This is most definitely NOT a 5-star resort and it fails to meet the expectations that are in place for hotels of this caliber. Our family was left feeling disappointed not even halfway through the vacation, despite trying to make the best of it. Their entertainment and nightly shows are sub-par as well, plus the disco is always DEAD (might be due to off-season, but the DJ didn’t really play great songs either). We read many reviews of this resort and saw quite a few bad ones, but we didn’t really believe them until we started experiencing it ourselves. Not quite sure how there are so many 5-star reviews of this resort online as of recent when we’ve talked to so many fellow guests during our vacation who also agree with us! "Don't sweat the small stuff," some reviews have said, but a lot of these factors WILL drastically impact your vacation! This has been a real disappointment and a wake-up call that Cuba is not the same travel destination as it once was. While this is of no fault to the Cuban people, this will 100% affect your vacation… and not in a good way.

Club Kawama: Great beach experience

The beach was a great location because it was easy and convenient to access. The food is not the reason for vacationing at this resort. The room while tidy was not equipped with towels and customer service was lacking .

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Royalton Hicacos is no longer a Gem or 5 star resort

The change in management of this hotel is hurting the historical reputation of this hotel. The Canadian management is inferior. It is all about the money .. in their pocket. They do not do anything for the traveler/guest. They have this ridiculous butler system that was incorporated a few years back. A butler is instructed to accommodate so many guest units. They hang around your unit in the morning, noon and night. They ask you if there is anything they can do for you, so you tell them, and the [... read more]y don't follow up with you. They don't get back to you .. because they don't care, but expect a tip at the end of your stay. A tip for doing what? We have been going to this resort for 11 years, but never again. It was better under the Sandals brand. Sandals was not broken, but Royalton is. Maybe when Sunwing completes its sale of aircraft to Westjet it may have a better influence on the management of this resort. What do Canadian companies know about managing resorts in Cuba. Absolutely nothing. They are like American companies, using the money model, and not the customer model. We requested a certain room in 2023 that we have preferred and obtained in the past. But not this year. We even had a second option that we did not get .. and we booked our trip 2 months ahead of time, like every other year. Look, this resort doesn't care about you and me. They care about the almighty dollar. We spoke with the so-called senior management and it's nothing more than lip service. As a loyal guest for many years we did not feel special in the least. Just another number. We have better things to do with our money than to give it to a management team that doesn't care. Sandals went beyond the call of duty for their guests, Royalton .. absolutely useless.

Iberostar Origin Bella Vista Varadero: Terrible resort and services

Locker dint work Balcony door was broken No wifi connectivity (I missed many work meetings ) Flush was broken in one of the room Receptionist didn’t action to our complain Our pickup from bus on day 1 was late by the bus driver which resulted in reaching hotel late at night and there was no dinner provided due to the delay Return flight was delayed for an hour which resulted in paying extra for the scheduled booked car at Toronto airport POS machine was not working in flight for  [... read more]any food purchase and the flight landed at 3 am. We were starving without food All 6 passengers in other itenary got 6 different seats despite of requesting them to provide same row seats as there were few senior and heart patient in family travelling together. Very limited option for vegetarians or who eats only chicken

Memories Jibacoa: amazing resort

We had an amazing experience at Memories Jibacoa. The rooms were spacious and clean. Staff was friendly and helpful. All the food, buffet as well as a la carte restaurants were excellent. Found that there was tons of selection and variety in food. Lots of fruit, vegetables and main dishes to choose from. The beach was great and lots of chairs available at the beach. Pool was spotless. Yoga classes were very good . (maybe could be earlier in the morning though). Lots of activities, had a histor [... read more]y seminar that was very informative. We had not one complaint about resort and cannot say enough about it. We would recommend this resort and hope to return again.. Resort is very clean but a little older so if you are looking for new and elaborate it is not. Would recommend

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great place to stay

This hotel is comparable to any in Europe south of France etc. grounds are exceptionally pretty and clean. The food is the best in Cuba however still needs a lot to be up to Canadian standards, the fruit and green salads were fresh and very nice. I would stay here any time.

Melia Marina Varadero: Not impressed

There were reviews that I saw about the flies in the buffet but obviously not has been done about it. So many going all over the food and people really not sanitary and gross. Overall service was ok but customer service not available over the phone. Beach staff were doing their best to create fun and interesting atmosphere. Food not good, no chicken, fish or sea food.

Playa Vista Azul: they tried very hard

All the employees were working hard..but you can see they are still feeling the effects of covid, one day there was no gas and people were told not till Thursday they were saving for buses so no boat trips. We were on the premium side and really had no faults, but we did see cockroaches in the lobby and people were talking about them. I saw a huge snake and a few other people also saw snakes. which I have never seen before in Cuba, as gardeners kept pretty under control. didn't seem very many gr [... read more]oundkeepers. We heard shipments aren't coming as often to Cuba and the people are struggling and even their supermarkets are pretty bare. We did find the money thing strange they prefer Canadian money now, but if you take big bills really hard to change we waited till the end of the day to change with the bar staff. My husband's vape was confiscated when he arrived but online says now the Cuban government allows it as long as the battery is removed and juice in a bag which he did all well but was still taken didn't tell him anything..but our representative the next day told us how to get back..the only other thing is the amount of Russians and the attitude they carried to the island they were rude to not only to Cuban people but to everyone, one even beat up his wife on the beach and another hotel didn't call the police because they said nothing would be done..our friends said they never return they were pretty shaken,.. wasn't just one group either, many vacationing and they were all pretty much, we are better than the rest of the world and Russia will take over the world..one was saying and then they all laugh..they would be very rude to the waiters ..the lady asked them to take no glass around the pool and he was so rude I thought he was going to hit her.. and they still took glass around the pool.. we just left that pool and went to another pool. The hotel itself is very run down and I would say a 3-star no more.. we paid the premium, but it didn't matter anyone could do the restaurants every night, they just had to wait in line, as not many people at the resort anyways. The hotel was tidy but not clean clean, in our hall the first night we were there someone put a big plate of spaghetti outside the door, and it was still there when we left 7 days later, but animals of some sort ate most of it..disturbing..I would not go back to this hotel. the rooms do not look like the picture.

Melia Marina Varadero: Amazing beach but resort was not good

Resort definitely needs a lot of renovation and improvement. Water pressure and water temperature at the room was inconsistent. Elevator knobs are broken and out of 4 elevators, only 1 or 2 are working. Room door won’t close. A lot of flies in the buffet which was disgusting. Mosquitos are so bad. You can’t even stay at lobby / bar area because of it since you’ll end up having a lot of bites. Not much food variety. Same everyday. Never had chicken nor beef. Fish only one time. Mostly p [... read more]ork. Had soda after 2 days. First day there was 2 big water bottle at the room. Succeeding days they only give you 2 small bottles. They don’t change your towels at the room daily. Room had a good view and staff were friendly. Beach was awesome though! Resort is definitely not 5 star!

Playa Vista Azul: BEWARE!! COCKROACHES..... ARE EVERYWHER!!!

To start, we booked the premium ocean view room. I'd say it was more of a partial ocean view, as we were on the bend and it was not really a direct view as one would think it would be. Next, it says we get a butler who we can call until a certain hour... how? There was no phone in the room. So in order to book any a la carts, we had to walk across the resort to the premium office and request to get a table for that night. You cannot book a la carts in advance; however, depending who you speak to [... read more], they will tell you different. Therefore... certain people were allowed to book in advance which made restaurants fill up prior to the rest of us peasants being able to book. The room... It was decent and maintained over all. The AC/Fan was not working and maintenance had to come and fix it when we first checked it. Within 2 days, our room FLOODED from the AC. By the time we walked across the resort to inform them of the flood, it took 2-hours for maintenance to come. Who then opened the unit and made the so much worse. he then LEFT it!!! and told us to use our towels to clean it up --- which with 2 towels (we actually used 1 to block the water from moving throughout the room) was not nearly enough... we had to wait another 2 hours for housekeeping to come and clean the water out.... More on the towel situation: they say you can get a new beach towel every day. EVERY day we tried, and failed. As the resort did not have any. We tried at 9am, we tried at 9pm. No towels available. Housekeeping was a joke... The first day we left gifts, and it was fine. The next day we only left a $5 Canadian bill, and it was half-assed. The 3rd day, I left nothing - and we got no towels but they took our old towels! When we went to the desk to ask for towels (again, walking across the resort) we were told there are no towels... How do you take our towels and not replace them?! The food... its Cuba so I had really low expectations, being my first visit and all... It was worse than I anticipated. Many a la carts were out of stuff - and all the menus were the same, if not similar. The difference between the Caribbean restaurant vs. the Italian vs. Seafood? None. The bars... This was a disappointment. I'm very picky with what I drink - strawberry daiquiri's or Pina Colada's. The one guy at the premium bar was the only one in the entire resort to actually make them properly. Forget bringing your own mugs, because it tasted awful. No measuring, did not use the blender that was there... literally rum and they mix poured over ice. The premium bar, had young children sitting at the bar - so, anyone can go to this lounge apparently. Don't believe when they tell you that you need your room key to enter because that's not a thing. Overall, we tried several drinks and they were all disgusting because no one measures... or knows what they're doing. And the cockroaches... save your money and go elsewhere. I expect to see bugs and whatnot, being that the doors and windows are open... I am not into seeing roaches crawling on the walls and tables. How people were sitting in the wicker chairs on the patio off the infinity pool is beyond me... as you move them, and the roaches come out. I could not stand to eat at the buffet after seeing the roaches crawling on the floors, by the food counters, across the tables... It still sends me shivers. What do you eat after knowing the place is infested like that?! The coffee shop was decent. Ladies were friendly, iced frapps were good. I always said I would only go to Cuba when I was too broke to go anywhere else... my advice: don't go - not to this place at least.

Playa Vista Azul: BEWARE!! COCKROACHES..... ARE EVERYWHER!!!

To start, we booked the premium ocean view room. I'd say it was more of a partial ocean view, as we were on the bend and it was not really a direct view as one would think it would be. Next, it says we get a butler who we can call until a certain hour... how? There was no phone in the room. So in order to book any a la carts, we had to walk across the resort to the premium office and request to get a table for that night. You cannot book a la carts in advance; however, depending who you speak to [... read more], they will tell you different. Therefore... certain people were allowed to book in advance which made restaurants fill up prior to the rest of us peasants being able to book. The room... It was decent and maintained over all. The AC/Fan was not working and maintenance had to come and fix it when we first checked it. Within 2 days, our room FLOODED from the AC. By the time we walked across the resort to inform them of the flood, it took 2-hours for maintenance to come. Who then opened the unit and made the so much worse. he then LEFT it!!! and told us to use our towels to clean it up --- which with 2 towels (we actually used 1 to block the water from moving throughout the room) was not nearly enough... we had to wait another 2 hours for housekeeping to come and clean the water out.... More on the towel situation: they say you can get a new beach towel every day. EVERY day we tried, and failed. As the resort did not have any. We tried at 9am, we tried at 9pm. No towels available. Housekeeping was a joke... The first day we left gifts, and it was fine. The next day we only left a $5 Canadian bill, and it was half-assed. The 3rd day, I left nothing - and we got no towels but they took our old towels! When we went to the desk to ask for towels (again, walking across the resort) we were told there are no towels... How do you take our towels and not replace them?! The food... its Cuba so I had really low expectations, being my first visit and all... It was worse than I anticipated. Many a la carts were out of stuff - and all the menus were the same, if not similar. The difference between the Caribbean restaurant vs. the Italian vs. Seafood? None. The bars... This was a disappointment. I'm very picky with what I drink - strawberry daiquiri's or Pina Colada's. The one guy at the premium bar was the only one in the entire resort to actually make them properly. Forget bringing your own mugs, because it tasted awful. No measuring, did not use the blender that was there... literally rum and they mix poured over ice. The premium bar, had young children sitting at the bar - so, anyone can go to this lounge apparently. Don't believe when they tell you that you need your room key to enter because that's not a thing. Overall, we tried several drinks and they were all disgusting because no one measures... or knows what they're doing. And the cockroaches... save your money and go elsewhere. I expect to see bugs and whatnot, being that the doors and windows are open... I am not into seeing roaches crawling on the walls and tables. How people were sitting in the wicker chairs on the patio off the infinity pool is beyond me... as you move them, and the roaches come out. I could not stand to eat at the buffet after seeing the roaches crawling on the floors, by the food counters, across the tables... It still sends me shivers. What do you eat after knowing the place is infested like that?! The coffee shop was decent. Ladies were friendly, iced frapps were good. I always said I would only go to Cuba when I was too broke to go anywhere else... my advice: don't go - not to this place at least.

Playa Vista Azul: Great resort

Nice resort. Wasn’t too busy. Buffet is reasonable. A la cartes we delish. Staff are very kind. Great place for some actual R&R. 2x beaches, pristine water. Infiniti pool for sunset is truly the most gorgeous view you could ask for. Lots of water bottles given at the resort. Big main pool, plenty of seating. Resort is not that full right now which means minimal crowding (or none at all) and some peace and quiet. You can also play blue tooth speaker if you want to. People like to hear the music [... read more]. Ice cold AC. Building 7 room 7307 was great. Balcony covered by tree for shade. DONT BRING CANADIAN COINS. They are not accepted at their banks and they cannot use them. Bring $1usd and $5 cad for tips. Cat treats for the animals. Cleaning ladies need clothes, shoes, candies, toiletries, kids stuff. Bring clothes you can leave, they are struggling for basic clothing and shoes.

Hotel Los Cactus: Amazing beach

Very nice hotel, good service enjoyed our stay! Amazing beach , quiet place good to relax . Food like everywhere in Cuba but we went there for sun and beach and we were not desaponted. Plus it was only adults.

Melia Las Antillas: Amazing beach!

Hotel and staff were friendly and always helpful. Resort is a bit out dated but kept very clean with good upkeep. Food was good and well prepared everyday. The beach is amazingly beautiful, we spent everyday there. There is no swim up pool bar, but there is a bar right next to the pool. Also, there are not a lot of shade options at the pool.

Paradisus Varadero: Absolutely stunning property and beach

The resort is located on a fantastic portion of Varadero’s beach and the grounds themselves are absolutely wonderful. We had a beachfront room, which is literally 10 feet from the beach making for very easy access and gorgeous views. The kids club team are an absolute treasure. Our kids loved spending the mornings with them and had very enjoyable experiences. This is unfortunately where things take a turn. On our second night, we visited the Japanese restaurant where we (and the tab [... read more]le adjacent) encountered cockroaches emerging from the hibachi table while the meal was being prepared. Literally crawling out of the table an onto the eating surface! This is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever experienced in a food service setting – People were rushing for the exit as if there was a fire. After abandoning the Japanese a la carte for the main buffet, we reported the issues to a gentleman who was a food service manager. He assured us this unheard of and must be an isolated incident……regrettably no less than 10 minutes later we found yet more roaches crawling on the wall beside the pizza station!! The staff seemed oblivious to the problem this posed and took no steps to close the area for cleaning, shoo them away and get back to serving was the order of operations. I approached the gest services manager about these issues and advised that we would not be eating on resort for the remainder of our stay. To the credit of this manager, she immediately made arrangements for us to access The Reserve for all meals and pre-booked our evening meals at the Reserve a la carte offerings. The difference in cleanliness and overall upkeep is literally night and day. The Reserve is spotless, all food service areas are immaculate and we had no worries or sight of further infestation. In closing – It is a beautiful location and grounds. Unfortunately, at the main buffet and a la carte areas, there is a serious lack of sanitary standards combined with a staff attitude that allows the issue to continue.