Very good hotel overall.

For the food, there is little choice but very good food. The beach is not in the hotel but a 3 minute walk and with a beach bar dedicated to Palma Real. The only downside is the road that passes close to some rooms makes a little noise even at night, but the stunning water views compensate. I easily give a 4/5.

Keeps on getting better!

I dont recall how many times I have been to Palma Real but during my many trips, I have gained a lot of friends from both staff and fellow vacationers. This trip my friends and I noticed the food seemed to have improved. I was much hotter and seemed to have more flavor. We were also faced with hurricane Irma half way through our stay. The employees reassured us we would be safe from catastrophes at Palma Real because the hotel had been used as a shelter for others in then past due to it's sligh [... read more]t elevation, short buildings and strong structures. We watched workers preparing by putting up plywood panels for extra protection while we waited for our carrier, Air Transat to come for iur safe evacuation. Since the aftermath I have heard there was minimal damage and things should be back to usual at Palma Real in the very near future.

2e home

This resort is so friendly ..it like my 2 home ..it's not fancy but it's in town and we can walk ..the food is good and the room is ok ..the room are renovated and don't forget it's Cuba ...it's my 5 time and will be back ...

All the pillows had black mold

The negatives: we had three separate rooms and all 6 of our pillows (not the covers) had black mold spots on them. The sheets had a stench of dampness everyday. Some days there was no hot water at all. One day I was showering with cold water and it shut off on me mid shower so I had to rinse my whole body in the sink. Hint to hotel management: stop being so cheap and change your pillows for pete's sake. On the positive side: staff were very nice - restaurant servers only started being nice  [... read more]once they caught onto the fact that we were tipping; to our amusement, they wouldn't even look at us the first two days when we needed something. Food was good. I feel like hipster westerners who come to cuba are food snobs. I found it delicious.

Staff very cold who doesn't like foreign customers.

Malheureusement, les temps changent et ne se ressemblent pas... Il y a trois ans passés, j'y suis allée et ai vécu une belle expérience. Maintenant, le personnel n'est plus à la hauteur pour servir les clients. Il y a un manque de professionnalisme évident. De plus, il semble que le raz-le-bol de servir les étrangers est généralisé. Ils ont tous la même attitude envers nous : on nous ignore ou on refuse carrément de nous servir! Par contre, le personnel est très avenants auprès de  [... read more]la clientèle cubaine. C'est la première fois que je voyage sur cette île sans avoir eu de contacts humains avec les Cubains, autant du côté du personnel que de la clientèle qui était à très grande majorité cubaine au Palma Real. En plus, c'était malpropre. C'est dommage!

Palma Real

The hotel was not bad but the food was terrible. everyday the menu was exactly the same.A few more choices would have been nice.Half the hotel was closed due to low occupancy.. The staff were very nice. Unfortunately the beach is across a busy road.

Great value, price and location

The staff was all exceptionally friendly and were very accommodating and helpful. The location is perfect for anyone wanting to go out at night as there is free entrance to Havana club while staying at this resort also Calle 62, Beatles bar and la comparsita are all very close amongst others. The hotel rooms were clean and beds comfortable. For the price you really can't go wrong. My travel agent was also a pleasure to book with! Thanks again!!

Front Desk - Requested Upfront Payment

We were told that we did not have a reservation (yet our flight was confirmed, and our transfer was not a problem). The front desk requested we pay money upfront money during check in which was returned the next day but in Cuban Dollars not Canadian which we gave them. This seems like some sort of scam. You should not feature this hotel in your travel packages.

Lovely place

Awesome place ,3rd time there ...good price, alot of down to earth people stay there..super close to the down town area (Beatles club, Calle 62, Havana Club) Food could be a bit better as in more variety Lobby bar closed at 12 which was kind of a bummer Entertainment was great Also swim up bar was closed ,but that was stated before we booked

Was A Good Resort

The hotel was OK took 5 different rooms to get a OK room. No air mold in two dirty in another, food has gone from OK to terrible this place is not even a 2 star. Same food every day morning noon night nothing changes. Sorry to say but I never will return to Cuba. My first week went to eli-cart and that night food poisoning through up both ways all night sick for two days. And I made sure everyone new.I love the people but they have problems.

Nice resort

Lobby looks very nice with new renovations. Enjoyed buffet meals good variety in food , warm meals, Love their deserts fruits and ice cream. Staff and chambermaid friendly give good service. Warm water for showers. Pool was also very nice and warm. Been there three times would recommend this resort. Good location!

Beat my expectations!!!

Resort was very fun. I would say it was a party resort but very clean, respectful. People and staff were great. No staff were rude. Pretty much let everyone have fun. Rooms were clean. Nothing was stolen. People serving the drinks at the pool bar and lounge will serve you but just super slow. But I can understand. Long day to serve drinks all day to the same drunk people day after day. We did tip. Did pick up a little bit, but still super slow. lol. So don't tip to much. It won't change much. [... read more] Maybe $5 a day. Location is the key for this resort. I would go again just for that. You can walk everywhere. Super close to everything. As for the food on the resort. This was terrible. But I have stayed in other low star resorts and its all the same. Unless you go to a 5 star plus the food is not changing. Its all bad in all the resorts. But many nice restaurants near this resort to eat off the resort. Ranging from $5 to $30 cuban dollars a meal. Matters what your looking for. Hope this helps. But "Yes" I would stay here again.

Amazing resort

Palma Real is a great resort, it is walking distance to all the good bars and clubs, no need to pay for travel. The beach is a 5 min walk from the hotel, but it didn't bother me because there is lots of little things to see. They have a bar by the beach so you don't have to worry about going thirsty or hungry. The people that work there are great as well. The atmosphere is always good and I liked the food as well. I would recommend this resort to anyone I know.

Good for what you pay

I travelled solo April 22 to April 29 2017 As I have been here three times I know what to expect the food was a little better this time than it has been in the past that was a great assortment of fresh vegetables and meats The rooms are a bit dated but I always had hot water and a working toilet Some of the staff have been there for a long time and there are some newer staff There were some long lines At the bar and there were some very impatient customers there me I'm on vacation I don't m [... read more]ind waiting There was a chance to do excursions and shows every night and the pools were very well kept Also this hotel is on the main drag in the Varadero so you could spend a lot of time shopping or visiting the different restaurants I was able to change my money at the resort So for those on a budget it's probably a good deal

Good time!

Very nice, the room was as we expected and the pools were nice. The area and the beach were both great. The Cuban people were very nice, and did their best to help us with what we needed during our trip.

Hotel Palma Real

Having stayed last year at this resort we loved it , then we return this year to new owners & would not recommend it. The staff is not happy, the food is the same each day with a little tweak if not for the a la carte restaurants it would be really disgusting. Will not be returning to this hotel.

Better then expected

There were bad reviews so we were a bit worried at first. But to our surprise it was quite nice. We stayed in building three which was centered around Everything. You could tell alot of work has been done to fix this resort up. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We were delayed leaving and had no room for twelve hours. They stored our luggage and let us keep our bracelet so we could still come and go as we pleased, which was nice as this resort is downtown....lots to do off r [... read more]esort and very safe. We weren't crazy about the food, but my hubby is really fussy. We ate off the resort quite often.....had no stomach problems what so ever. I would go back to this resort and recommend it to anyone who likes exploring off their resort and is looking for a budget friendly vacation. P.S. the air conditioning was awesome!

Good Resort

Grounds, facilities and pools were all very well kept. Although the beach wasn't on the resort, it was very close and there was a snack bar there for the guests which was nice. Food was very bland and there wasn't a great deal of variety. As a vegetarian I found it difficult to find things to eat.

Great vacation

I found the atmosphere to be very friendly .l thought the buffet was adequate and the coffee bar was amazing. This was my second stay at this resort and l would go again! I may use this resort as a vacation in October.

Great hotel for the price

This was my first time in varadero and it was wonderful. The resort was walking distance to fantastic restaurants and night life. Rooms were well kept, pools were beautiful. The beach was amazing - the resort even had a beach bar and snack bar!