Very nice resort with exceptional views

We really enjoyed our stay in a junior suite in the regular part of the resort. The grounds were well kept and maintained, the pool was gigantic with a view of the ocean just like on their website. The food and service was exceptional in all the a la carte restaurants we tried (Venta- Greek food, International, Bohio-Cuban food and Japanese) but different to what we are used to, but you are visiting another country therefore need to be open to that. From reading reviews before we left, i wa [... read more]s a bit afraid, i don't understand all the complaints. If you prefer eating like at home, stay home. There was lots of choice at the buffet which was open to the outside with a view of the beach. The menu was repetitive (one station of pasta, one station of different meats, a station of fish and seafood) but this was great as you could always find something you like. Same for breakfast lots of options (crepe station, omelette station, egg station) plus all the other food available in the buffet including frits, beans, salamis, etc... We went with our 2 daughters (10 and 12) and they really enjoyed the pool. It was a beautiful main pool with again views of the ocean, just like on the resort site pictures. The pool water is cold bit when it's warm out, it's refreshing. The service at the pool bar from Anel and the 2 other girls was great! We enjoyed spending time at the Kristal bar meeting new people and trying new drinks, lots of non-alcoholic beverages too. The paradisus lemonade was great! All staff there were great but special mention for Yudith, Yenny, Antonio and Ana. Irelis at the restaurant counter was of great help and provided great information and suggestions. We participated to many activities with the animation staff. We had lots of fun with Nelly at the aqua fitness in the ocean and the spanish lessons, the dance at the beach and pool with Eddy and the aqua fit in the pool with Jose Angel. The animation staff was great and attentive making you feel special. The beach was beautiful. For a few days there was lots of weeds due to high winds but it provided us the opportunity to find beautiful shells. You could walk quite far when the water was quiet the other days. The water was all the different tint of turquoise, Varadero beach is one of the best. There is an area of the beach which is more rocky therefore you may want to bring water shoes. It is very nice to go walk on all the rocky part which is in front of the royal area. We haven't went to the kids club as my daughters were not interested and prefered spending time at the beach and pool with us but we saw the kids club coming on the beach and they seemed to be very well organized, we saw a Pirate day, an olympic day and a foam day which was open to all. The shows at the hotel in Cuba were great with nice costumes and with real professionals. We saw an aqua show, cuban show, magic show, acrobatic show, etc. They were all very good and we enjoyed all of them. The only downfall is that the shows are all late and started around 9:30-10:00 pm. Our favorite activity has been the Cuban lunch at the beach. There were dancers, music, great food (including the banana chips), cotton candy and sugar cane juice. Recommendation is to bring your mug for drinks has there is lots of pollution with all the plastic glass. Our room was 2128. It was facing the family concierge reception but from each side of the balcony you had an ocean view. Room was nice, air conditionner and hot water in the shower worked well. Only downside was there were bugs (kinda larva) in the last drawer in the washroom. We did report it to reception, the cleaner came but it kept on coming back, we simply did not used these drawers. We spent a beautiful vacation at this resort and will consider going back.

Lovely Resort

This is our second time to this Resort. Check-in was very quick our room was very clean and very nice. The maid was awesome. The buffet is very repetitive, so it's the same every day. The staff are amazing. The grounds were very clean. The ala carte restaurants were okay the best was the Mexican. The bar staff were great and the drinks were quite good. However the beach wasn't the greatest I think because of the hurricane there were lots of rocks that were brought ashore otherwise it's a lovely  [... read more]Resort

Amazing resort!

We upgraded to the Family concierge section which included access to all the restaurants and Butler service. We had the most amazing Butler Irving who went above and beyond to ensure that we had a great experience in Cuba. His knowledge, experience and willingness to provide superior customer service made all the difference. Our room was clean and well appointed. The grounds were well kept and the beach was beautiful. The resort is quite spread out and could improve the transportation within  [... read more]the resort and we would have liked some more entertainment. Overall we had an amazing time.

Nice resort

While I don't think it's a five star resort or one of Paradisus best resorts we had a nice time. We stayed on the family concierge side and glad we did. The majority of the staff are so nice, some of them could use some work . I gave Melia a comment card and they responded right away. We did not have any major issues other than some fine tuning they could do. The best restaurant was Bana - the others were just "ok". You certainly won't go hungry but I wouldn't rave. The beach servers and the sta [... read more]ff at family concierge were fantastic. Huge variety of cocktails! If I were going to pick two major frustrations: the lack of garbage and recycle bins- perhaps if they had more the clientele would be more likely to dispose of their own cups. Clean beach towels were near impossible to get- the staff would tell you "to maybe come back the next day" I would still say that this resort is one of the nicest ones in Varadero compared to others we have seen there. Staff I would specifically recommend: family concierge- Vitalina, chamber maid : Ixys Claudia ( she was our favourite) Beach staff: Jose Garcia, Mario, Eddy, Michele

Paradisus not quite paradise

The staff tried to save this trip. They were lovely and they did what they could to make this vacation fun. The food was cold, not cooked thoroughly and very bland. I ate raw meatballs, sausage, and hamburgers. The drinks were good, however, only served in super small glasses. Not sure if this was to make more tips or minimize the drunks. It was inconvenient because they were understaffed at the bar, always. I have been home for a while, and i bet i still have not received the extra [... read more] water i requested each day. The beach is absolutely beautiful. Bring spray for the sand fleas. Probably the worst 5 star vacation I have ever been to. They are lucky to have such nice staff, or this review would be MUCH worse.

Great beach and entertainment

Loved the smaller size of the resort and close proximity to the beach. Our room was great with an updated bathroom with a rain shower just steps from the beach. The beach offers soft sand and beautiful shells to find on a morning stroll. I loved doing the ocean aerobics. The resort offers many activities on the beach and the pool, the dance lessons are so much fun. The front open concept lobby was a Mecca for mojitos and a beautiful view of the beach and pelicans. I mention the pelicans because [... read more] they would soar across the beach so proudly. The drinks were great and I can't say enough about the great service. Some tips, ice cream cones at the buffet, cappuccino is best in the lobby, the chicken wings at the snack bar are great and the omelette bar for breakfast is worth the few minutes of waiting. Irene, Yuci and Yhira do an amazing job. Overall a great experience and I would go back. The food is fine and there is always something to choose. its a cultural experience to meet the people, try the food and slow down to listen to the music. I've brought kids colouring books, stickers and markers to share with staff.

Great views not food

The hotel was great. Huge beach. Lots of activities run by very friendly staff that make you feel at home. But the food was very repetitive and in some cases not cooked. The rooms were very clean but could use an update.

Great week at an amazing resort

Just returned from an amazing week at Paradisus Varadero. This is a beautiful resort. Don't pay attention to bad reviews. The grounds are beautiful and clean. There are so many places to relax by yourself or be with other people if that's what you choose. There are plenty of chairs by pool and on the beach. I never had trouble finding a spot in the shade - especially on the beach. I can't say enough good things about the staff. They were so friendly and always doing their best t [... read more]o make you happy and relaxed. Our room was a Junior Suite on the 2nd floor of a hacienda in the main area. We were very close to the pool and not too far to walk to main bar/lobby area. We had three people in the room, myself and two teenage boys. We were very happy with the room. It was clean and spacious. We had a third bed put in which was there upon our arrival. We never felt crowded. The buffet was plentiful but travellers have to remember - it is a buffet and it is Cuba. If you don't like resort food, don't go to a resort. We tried a couple of the A la Carte restaurants which were really good and a nice change. We especially loved the snack bar by the pool. Our server Thahira was especially wonderful and greeted me with my morning capppuccino each day. They have a menu with other choices than what you can get at the buffet. My sons loved the Paradiso Burger. The entertainment each night was lovely as was the music by the pool and beach bar. Originally I hesitated to book this resort after reading some negative reviews. We had a completely wonderful experience here and I thank the TripCentral agent, Julie Bond for recommending it to me. I highly recommend this resort for Varadero travellers. Thank you to all of the staff at Paradisus Varadero for making our stay so memorable!

Awesome

Cuba is a great place to go. Will definitely go again soon! The resort is beautiful even though it was affected by the hurricane. The people working there are super friendly and helpful. Loved our stay!

My favourite one so far!!

Can't say enough, everything was great!!! The resort staff, bartenders etc. were so nice!! The pools and grounds were well keep. The rooms were spotless. The beach was beautiful. We loved the pizza at the 24 hr restaurant. This is my 7th trip to Cuba and this is my favourite resort so far. I would come back to this one again for sure!!!

Old and outdated resort with slow service

This resort is very old and it doesn't look like it's been maintained. the beach was full of rocks and dead jelly fish. Almost everything is broken or in a very poor condition. For example, were we there for 4 days and had the following issues: - TV broke on day 2 - safe didn't work, it was replaces with a new one which also didn't work - the show water was never hot, just lukewarm - has to ask for additional towels every day - 2 night,out keys were deactivated and we had to walk at 2am a [... read more]ll the way to the lobby to get them activated - main buffet opened for lunch at 1pm (not noon) - we can only get 1 a la carte for the 4 days and it took another line up to get reso - wanted to exchange money' had to wait 45 min for an old man behind a desk to do - WI FI terrible and again line up to get a new card - every bar had a wait, the bartenders were so slow and had no experience handling more than 3 customers -snack bar had the french fries machine broken for the 3 days there and was the only place during the day to get fries - the coffee machine at the snack bard was broken for over 2 days and had to walk to the lobby to get coffee (wait another 20 min) I've never had to wait so much for service. I feel for the 4 days there, we spent most of it waiting or dealing with issues. This is definitely not 4.5 stars. At most 3 and the price should reflect that. Paying 870 for 4 days wasn't good value at all.

Overall pretty good

Food was good but very repetitive. Beach area was very nice with lots of space and palm trees. Drinks were great. Premium choices especially in the family consierge area. No exchanging beach towels, out every day. No face clothes. Show was great. Main pool was great.

I won’t be back!

We have stayed at this hotel at least 4 times over the last 10 years and were always very satisfied. This year, we even brought friends. Well, the whole thing was an embarrassment! The worst part was the food: 5 of 7 nights the main dish was roast pork, which in itself is not so bad (2 years ago the pork tasted very good); but, the preparation and presentation was absolutely awful. The meat was totally overdone and not edible. The other two nights turkey was on offer; and that was even worse (th [... read more]e meat was like straw). Other foods were uninteresting—why would I want to eat pasta with tomato sauce in a “5-star” facility—and usually cold (the soup was room temperature because there were no heaters!). We tried the buffet in the “Family Concierge” area and the beef offered was again inedible! The restaurants were very difficult to reserve and then, to get a tasty meal, we were expected to pay at least $20 extra. Our room was nice because it had been recently refurbished. But, the hot water did not work (it took 2 hours to get it somewhat warm) and there were some bugs in the room. We left this place with the decision that we will not come back and certainly will not recommend to anyone else. Going through the Cuba ‘hassle’ (endless lineups at airport, outrageous exchange rate, limited WiFi, etc.) is bad enough; but, then to have to deal with a hotel that pretends to be 5-star but in reality operates as a 3-star (food at 2-star) is totally infuriating.

Stay at 'Family Concierge' if you are going to this Resort!

We stayed in the "Family Concierge" section of this hotel which is newer and very clean. We talked to several people that upgraded to this section because of complaints about rooms, cleanliness and broken fixtures at Paradisus. The restaurants on this side were also much better. The food was fresh and the restaurants were modern and the service was excellent. On the days we chose to eat at The Paradisus side we always came back hungry and disappointed and ended up at our buffet. The poolside sn [... read more]ack bar at "Family Concierge' had the best calamari and chicken wings for "happy hour" snacking and the wait staff and bar staff were friendly and attentive. The butler service on the beach was also a plus. Jose was great!! I travelled with my young son and it was his birthday while we were there. Well!!!! Our concierge Arlene went above and beyond! They threw him a party with cake and a clown and all the kids joined in. It was amazing. The kids clubhouse and the pools were outstanding. There was always activities to keep my son entertained and happy! It was well worth the extra money to stay here. We are planning to return here with a large group, all with small children, in April!!

Amazing place!

Having visited probably over 20 hotels in varadero, Paradisus left me with a wonderful overall impression. The hotel was CLEAN. No bugs! No trash anywhere, toilet paper all the time in the bathrooms, and toilet seats which can be an issue in Cuba! The food was the best of all the all inclusives i have stayed at. The a la carte were superb, small portions however so if you are a big eater then grab something before hand at the buffet. Our favourites were the Mexican and Japanese! The service was  [... read more]great! I never waited long for a drink BUT a smile and remembering to tip goes a long way! I heard people complaining about the service, but it was the same people not tipping and rudely demanding drinks. They are hard working people making drinks 24/7, be kind! I was appalled by some of our fellow Canadians the way they treated some of the bar staff. We had a horrible week weather wise, didn't get to swimming once because it was just too cold and windy, but the pools and beach looked beautiful. The room: we had a king size bed and the only problem was they didn't have king sheets so they mismatched some queen ones. Mini bar was restocked daily. plenty of hot water for showering. Air conditioning worked well and we didn't have any bugs at all. Entertainment was great too! We had a great time, so much in fact we are returning with the whole family in a few weeks!

Beautiful Resort

I would like to thank you kindly for the wonderful vacation spot. The beach was incredible, the service was excellent. I would recommend this to anyone. Thank you again for all your help. A trip I will never forget.

Amazing service

Great value and high end at the same time. Second time there and will be going back next year Amenities are clean and we'll organized. Child care service is amazing. 200 words is too much for any hotel review.

Amazing resort

It was our first time in Cuba , and we went at Paradisus Varadero 5 ⭐️ hotel . The only thing I have to say , is that it was amazing, people were very friendly and always ready to help , rooms were always clean , the outside environment was always kept clean , the beach was grate and clean . Many people told me that the food is not good there , I don’t know why they said that , the food is amaizing , and something that surprised me it was that the cook talked to me in person because he saw [... read more] me having a 9 month old baby and he asked if I want any special menu for her , I told him what I want and I had it , I had every meal special food for my baby . We had a great time there and I recommend to many of my friends .

Definitely not a 5 star resort!

Hotel is save. Beach id beautiful with lots of coconut trees for shade. They had issues with towels though! so hard to get fresh towels. Not all advertised food is available every day. Entertainment is not too much. I would expect them to hire people that actually understand basic English at from desk! We slept on a broken bed for the week we were there and they didn't so anything about it!! Any request you do has to be in a form which takes forever to process. I would have expect [... read more]ed trip central adviser to be knowledgeable enough and actually do research before recommending this resort! I went there for advise but I could easily booked online!

THE WORST EXPERINCE EVER...NEVER AGAIN...

i have to switch my hotel from Paradisus Varadero to Iberostar Varadero due to the horrible level of service in Paradisus that does not belong to five star rating by any mean... and here is what we have been through in Paradisus; -we first check in in room 2026 the AC was broken and the room smells bad and i have a baby that can NOT tolerate this conditions. -same night they moved us to room 1815 the fridge was broken full of water/the AC was very weak/ and my wife wake up in the middle  [... read more]of the night to feed my baby to find that the baby food was full of INSECTS and she got INSECT BIT at the bed (photo and video attached) -so we called room service which supposed to be 24 hours,,there was NO answer for almost 30 min (no one answer the phone) -so i had to walk almost 5 min at 1:00 AM to get to the reception to find help,,so they moved us again to room # 2816 to spend the night tell we speak with the customer service in the morning.. -after we moved the new room was NOT clean and still have some insects (video attached) and MY BABY HAD NO FOOD after we throw her food in the garbage at room 1815,so we called room service again at 3:00 am to get any food for our baby and NO ONE ANSWER THE PHONE for 1 hour until my baby went for sleep STARVING. -further more my baby vomit at night because of the food she eat from the dinner buffet. -and me and my wife both had diarrhoea from the same food. -we tried to eat some fruits at the dinner buffet,,and the fruits was SPOILED and not valid for human consumption. so as a conclusion i had a NIGHTMARE night in this terrible hotel with NO FOOD,NO REST, AND NO SLEEP until i moved to Iberostar Varadero thanks for the help of sunwing agent in Iberostar which was excellent hotel.