Barcelo Solymar: “ The New Cuba”

Or at least that’s what the Sunwing agent tried to explain to me at the resort because there were no toilet seats in the main building washrooms ( in the men’s washrooms) I booked my trip through trip Central as always I looked at the pictures and trusted their 4 Star rating. I’ve been to Cuba well over 10 times so I know what to expect or what can be expected while I’m there. I go for the beaches, the weather and for the Cuban people. That said, I have never experienced such a. disappointing ho [... read more]liday in all of my travels to Cuba. We could not get my door to the room to close properly and the safe in my room wasn’t working. I lost the whole first late afternoon and evening., having to stay in my room while they worked on the safe which they were unable to fix . I lost numerous hours over the next two days having to wait in my room while they worked on my safe we’re having to travel to the lobby and wait on staff to come to my room with a key that would open my safe.. There was no water, hot or cold in my room on the first day or night, which happens in Cuba. However, they sent me to a hospitality room to have a shower and it was disgusting. There was no soap or shampoo, no towel and the room and shower hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. I asked my Sunwing rep for assistance i.e. moving to another room or another resort preferably. She told me that this was the new Cuba. That they can’t get toilet seats and things have changed a lot since Covid. I don’t think that she knew that I’d mean to Cuba five or six times post Covid and every resort had toilet seats, and had staffed that would clean rooms and provide towels, etc. She told me that if I was switching resorts, it would be my responsibility to cover the cost of transportation and differences in resource pricing. She was constantly looking over and agreeing with the hotel relations officer, and not supporting me at all. I’m travelling to Cayo Coco at the end of the month with a group of friends … it will be interesting to see what the conditions of the resort are there. The Solymar should be rated as a 3 - 3.5 at best. If you are recommending this trip, your client should be made aware of the conditions there

Memories Jibacoa: Fantastic Resort! Staff second to none!

This hotel is somewhat outdated, but it is extremely clean and very well maintained. Considering it’s Cuba, the food was very good, and the staff were absolutely excellent—perhaps the best I’ve experienced at any resort. You can tell they are proud to work there; they are enthusiastic, genuine, and consistently welcoming every day. The staff truly make this hotel what it is. Another great feature is the location. The resort is about an hour from Havana, making it perfect for a worthwhile day  [... read more]trip, and the surrounding areas are absolutely stunning. The beach was also very beautiful and easy to walk, adding to the overall relaxing atmosphere. This is a very peaceful resort, and I would highly recommend it. Thank you to Trip Central for the help in finding this resort.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Average Resort

Beach: It was never cleaned, piles and piles of debri from ocean on the beach 24 hr Snack Bar : Only had hot dogs and nothing else. Restaurants: Half the restaurants were closed for renovations Quality of food: Poor, most of the time only meat was Pork Food Preparation : No touch of North American cooking Staff : Most of the staff was polite except few who wanted money to serve international dr [... read more]inks Rooms: Smell of moisture but house keeping was ok Pool : Clean but was cold Towels: No towels at the pool or the beach had to bring own towel from room Beach Bar: There was bar around 200 meters from beach but no server. Had to go get the drinks Location: Good Enterntainment: OK

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Staff here are the Stars

This was my second trip to Cuba and this experience was better than my last. The beach was great, rocky to the right, beautiful sand to the left. Rooms were dated, but clean. Food was as expected, fairly repetitive, however Christmas day dinner was fantastic and they truly out did themselves for New Year eve dinner! The staff here truly made you feel like their family! The beach and the people here make it worth the time here. Typical to Cuba, beach towels were limited, however we tippe [... read more]d well to our room cleaner and she was sure to provide extras. We brought extra toilet paper to have for the public bathrooms (airport and on the resort) Often they ran out. But again the room was stocked daily. The beds in the room were older, and as a person with back issues, was sore by the end of the week. If you are looking for a cheaper get away and set your expectations accordingly, I would recommend this hotel.

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Great resort!

Great resort. We stayed over Christmas 2025. It was a pleasant stay. The staff are lovely. The food was good by Cuban standards. Pretty much same almost every day but it was decent. Bring hot sauce with you if you like a little stronger flavour. The room service was excellent. We never had to call to ask for anything. Our ocean view room was very clean and huge. The beach was ok. The water is pretty rough around there. It was windy when we were there so it was even rougher. The lounge chair w [... read more]ere a little gross. They should be replaced.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas: Vacation as expected

We have been to this hotel on many occasions. In 2025 we went three times. Hotel staff are very good and recognize us. Hotel is not extremely big but the location is why we go there. The beach is simply beautiful. Everything is close by. We will certainly return again and again

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Beyond Expectations

We recently spent a wonderful week at Iberostar Selection Veradero, from December 13th to 20th, 2025. This was our second visit, and we were impressed by the many improvements made since our last stay. Yady, the customer service representative was exceptionally helpful and welcoming, treating us like family. As returning guests, we were delighted with an ocean-view room and a complimentary bottle of wine. The food and entertainment were top-notch. Overall, we’re very pleased with our stay and wo [... read more]uld recommend to see it for yourself.

Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort: Great resort— could use some changes.

Public washrooms are often missing toilet paper (so take your own). Food was reasonable given its Cuba. They have some strict rules around beach towels so need to safe guard those. You are charged if both are not returned and it seems their staff tends to remove the towels often if left unattended by the pool. Other than that, rooms seemed clean and views were great.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Sanctuary at Grand Memories

Our family of 7 had a great time at the Grand Memories Sanctuary. It was a little resort in a big resort. It had its own beach, pool bar, bar and buffet. Every room at the Sanctuary has their own butler. They are amazing humans who you can text whenever you need something. Our favourite was Norvy- he was our kid’s butler- but he was always around and answered our questions and helped us out- even though he wasn’t our butler. All butlers work in pairs- they alternate. Our two butlers- Tahlia and  [... read more]Jenny were also very good and helpful. The food was good. Not much to eat if you are a vegetarian though. Everything has meat in it and the restaurant staff tried their best, but two of our kids had a very limited diet for the week. I would recommend that vegetarians pack their own protein and snacks to bring. Pool bar was a great place to order breakfast and lunch. The Sanctuary has its own small secluded beach with bar service. You can also eat a bbq lunch down at the beach bar too. The big resort was a five minute walk away. The main lobby had some good entertainment after supper. It had several nice pools, a swim up bar and OK pool bar food. It was open 24 hrs. The two big buffets in the main hotel were OK- not as good as the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary unfortunately had an entertainment person that played LOUD music all day long by the pool. There were not many people in the pool because of this- it would have been nice to lounge by the pool and just read, swim or have a conversation without the constant BOOM BOOM or his loud voice trying to get people to play games. Really wanted to give him $100 to stop playing for an hour so we could enjoy the pool. So- we never swam in the pool- just in the ocean where it was quiet. As it is a small resort in a big resort- we met a lot of people and got to know many of them. The staff there worked a lot of long days. They were always setting up something for a party or special day. They always had a smile for you even if they were tired. New Years Eve was amazing. The band, the food, the champagne…. Our older kids’ room had newer paint and hot water 24 hours. They also paid for the extra package. This was the only difference between theirs and ours. The younger kids’ room had no hot water and not much toilet paper. Our room had toilet paper and hot water from 4-8pm. The resort did not have blackouts, it had wifi, and there was lots of food. Not a variety of food, but there was lots. If you are over 18- go to the Sanctuary- not the main resort. We would all go back.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing

I highly recommend this hotel: the room, the restaurant, the beach, the pool, the services are outstandingly! Many thanks to waiters, to bartenders and all the service staff. You all made my vacation unforgettable. I'll difinitely be back!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: So So Sanctuary in November

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Veradero November 2025 Trip Overview My wife and I booked it because we were tired of being sick for much of September and October and needed time together, and the direct flight from Ottawa in early November was inexpensive. Unfortunately, WestJet delays caused us to lose two full days of our vacation and added an extra day of leave from work. Once we finally arrived, the resort was not full, which worked in our favour. The weather was cooler during much of our sta [... read more]y, and two days were too windy and wavy to enter the ocean. The pool water was also cold. Even so, when the ocean was calm enough to enjoy, it was fantastic. The Sanctuary beach area was close, quiet, and had excellent seating. We spent time reading, relaxing, and enjoying drinks even on red flag days, which became some of the more peaceful moments of the trip. Food Food was generally good for Cuba. We did not try the specialty restaurants because in Cuba they tend to feel similar to the sit-down dining already available. Sanctuary meals were convenient and quieter, but the kitchen was extremely slow at breakfast, with simple items like eggs and omelets taking close to an hour. We liked the small buffet-style accompaniments available at each meal. The main Grand Memories buffet had friendlier staff and a more positive atmosphere, although the buffet often ran out of plates and lines for certain stations were long. Birds were allowed inside the main buffet and often perched in the rafters. While the bird song was pleasant in the morning, it raised questions about hygiene and droppings. Food variety at the sit-down meals changed throughout the week and we always found something to enjoy. The soup, however, was consistently watery and lacked substance, with fish soup being the most common. We did not enjoy it. At the buffet, cross-contamination was noticeable because there were not enough utensils for each dish, and many guests moved spoons from one dish to another. Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 Pool We went into the pool every day, even though the water was cold for much of the week. We were not able to stay in as long as usual until the last few days, when the weather warmed up. Despite the cold water, the night we arrived became one of the most memorable parts of the trip. We arrived after midnight and jumped into the Sanctuary pool until four in the morning, simply relieved to finally be there after two days of travel chaos. The Sanctuary pool area was never crowded and always had loungers available. Music around the pool was an odd mix of country music and unrelated genres that did not match the Caribbean setting. The Sanctuary does not have a direct pool bar, but staff came around to take drink orders when we sat near the tables. Our room backed directly onto the pool, which made accessing it extremely convenient. Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 Beach The beach was one of the highlights of our stay. The Sanctuary section was close, quiet, and had comfortable seating that was always available. We never felt crowded. We lost two days to red flag conditions where the waves were too rough to enter the water. Even on those days, we enjoyed sitting on the beach with drinks, reading, and listening to the wind. On calm days, the ocean was excellent. The water was clear, inviting, and easy to enjoy for long stretches. Overall score: 4 out of 5 Facilities The Sanctuary section was very easy to navigate, with flat walkways, clear signage, and short distances between the pool, bar, restaurant, and beach path. Because the resort was not full, the entire area felt quiet and easy to move around. Maintenance issues were visible in both the Sanctuary and the main resort, such as worn areas or older fixtures, but they did not significantly detract from the stay. The Sanctuary bar and outdoor seating areas were pleasant and reliable places to sit, and service there was consistently good. The Sanctuary pool area was quiet and comfortable, though a pool heater would be beneficial during cooler periods. Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 Rooms Our Sanctuary room was clean and reasonably comfortable, but it came with several issues. The layout was unusual, with areas placed at angles that felt unintuitive at first. We paid for the premium level, but it offered no noticeable benefit; guests who did not pay for premium were in identical rooms. The jetted tub and shower area looked appealing, but hot water was rarely available. Most days the water was cold, and on the first day the tub produced brown water with sediment. Even after the concierge addressed this, reliable hot water never appeared throughout our stay. Housekeeping kept the room tidy, but restocking was inconsistent. Our bar soap disappeared on the third day and was never replaced, so we had to walk to the shower and use shower gel to wash our hands. Extra pillows were not available when requested. Despite raising issues with the concierge or making requests to him we never saw items actioned.    The room phone did not work, and we later learned none of the Sanctuary phones were functioning. This meant every request required tracking someone down in person. The towel station on the grounds was never open, so towel exchanges were random. The safe reset itself to the default code mid-week, and we could not determine whether anyone accessed it. The best part of the room was its location. Being beside the Sanctuary pool made it quick and easy to enjoy the outdoor areas. Overall score: 3 out of 5 Service and Staff Service across the resort varied widely. The main Grand Memories buffet staff were consistently the friendliest and most engaged employees we encountered. Their positive attitude improved the experience greatly. In Sanctuary, service depended on location. The Sanctuary restaurant, bar, and outdoor seating areas offered good, reliable service at a solid four out of five. The concierge service, however, was ineffective. Sanctuary alternates concierges daily, which meant no continuity. One concierge was responsive but accomplished nothing, while the other was often absent. With room phones not working, finding a concierge became a frustrating daily challenge. Alittle like playing where’s waldo The Sanctuary front desk was indifferent, and issues such as lack of hot water or missing supplies received little attention. Housekeeping was tidy but inconsistent with restocking. The towel exchange booth was never open. A concerning incident involved another guest whose wife had not left their room for most of their trip due to an illness. He repeatedly asked Sanctuary staff for help arranging medical support, but the response was dismissive. We witnessed this while standing behind him in line. The man was in tears and asking for help and the front desk staff said he’d have to wait until the concierge because they don’t do anything. We eventually went to the main lobby to speak with a manager ourselves, urging him to take the situation seriously. The guest later told my wife she made it home safely, but the resort’s initial lack of urgency and care was troubling. Overall score: 2 out of 5 Entertainment Entertainment was relaxed and easy to engage with. Daily activity boards made it simple to see what was happening. We participated in activities such as drinks served in coconuts, poolside games, and pig roast events. The main Grand Memories area generally offered more engaging versions of the activities. For example, during pig roastings, you could watch the carving process. Sanctuary offered the same food but without the event itself. Music around the Sanctuary pool was often an odd mix of country and unrelated genres that did not fit the setting, but it did not stop us from enjoying the area. Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 Overall Our stay at the Sanctuary section of Grand Memories Varadero had enjoyable moments but also several service and maintenance issues. The quiet atmosphere, friendly buffet and bar staff, and proximity to the beach were highlights. When the ocean was calm, swimming was excellent, and even windy days were relaxing. Food was generally good, although breakfast service at Sanctuary was slow. The biggest drawbacks were the lack of effective service, inconsistent room restocking, lack of hot water, and communication  issues and non-functioning room phones. Despite these issues, we relaxed, enjoyed the ocean when we could, and appreciated the quieter environment. Overall score: 3 out of 5 WestJet Travel Experience Our experience with WestJet before, during, and after this trip was truly terrible and caused us to lose two full days of vacation along with an extra day of leave from work. On departure day, we spent hours on the tarmac and then hours waiting for luggage. The lack of real communication after cancelling the flight created tons of anxiety.  There was no one who seemed to be in charge of finding a solution, no one at the desk and we only out of luck found A random staff member casually told a small group of passengers to return at eight the next morning, but WestJet had no record of this when we called later that night. Their only official rebooking option was a flight two days later. We were staying positive, because westjet’s system issued us a hotel voucher fairly quickly.  However; The first hotel WestJet sent us to was full. It took nearly two hours finally get to a room after they turned us away, and then be moved to a second hotel. Before that, we stood outside in the cold for twenty to thirty minutes waiting for a shuttle along with most of the plane. Flight information never appeared in the WestJet, Sunwing, or Tripcentral apps. Airport screens and staff statements did not match. We decided to just wing it and went to checkin and were issued boarding passes for a flight that was supposed to leave at 11am even though no one prior seemed to know that this was our flight.  After boarding late in the afternoon around 4pm, we sat on the tarmac for hours due to radio and paperwork issues, arriving at the resort after midnight, two days late. The return flight was just as bad. There is no seating in the Varadero airport, so we sat on the floor for hours. WestJet would not check us in early despite our VIP lounge access. Another long tarmac delay pushed a one a.m. arrival into four a.m. Communication was contradictory or nonexistent throughout, and despite the lost days and additional expenses, we received nothing from WestJet. Overall, it was a truly terrible travel experience that added unnecessary stress to both ends of the trip. Also, Westjet provided no compensation.  

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Great resort

This had changed our mindset on Cuba. Tge resort was great. People very friendly and helpful to make sure you are having a great vacation. I highly recommend this resort. Diamond club crew were amazing and helpful.

Melia Internacional: Amazing

Room was very clean & spacious ala cartes were amazing,friendly,fast bar service..clean pool & beach areas,beautiful beach!,ice cream parlour & snack bars were great,location was great for walking downtown & lots of options for rides if u didn’t want to walk,private excursion to Havana was wonderful but pricey

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: We loved the resort!

We stayed from December 22 to Dec 29 and the resort is beautiful. That said, we stayed in the Royal section, where the amenities are elevated. Food was plentiful, staff are wonderful. There is an older section that I would steer clear of... it needs some work. The al a carte restaurants are good. On the Royal side, you are assigned a butler who will look after anything you need. It's Adults Only, so it's very laid back. Cuba is very economical, so I would suggest always a 5*, or 4.5* at t [... read more]he very least, and upgrade to Royal, Premium or whatever the resort calls it for upgraded room/amenities.

Melia Peninsula Varadero: Not so great

Resort view was pretty the pool was great staff great very friendly how ever food was not good at all not much to choose last day was horrible found cockrochies in the room and the staff did nothing slept in the lobby

Resonance Musique Varadero: Very disappointing

I’m sorry to write that, but our experience was very unpleasant I went with my son to celebrate his graduation and it was bad very bad My son had dirty sheets on his bed with visible stains of blood. We had to go twice to the desk to ask somebody to send housekeeper to change the sheets. He had a blanket in his room that smell like a piss we asked to change it, but nobody did so he didn’t use that blanket. There was no hand towels and face towels at all. In my room on the second day, I had po [... read more]wer off for a whole day so I didn’t have air conditioner. It was impossible to find anyone who can fix it on the property. The resort is very old broken tiles doors that cannot close in a room. It was disaster. I never stay in such bad resort and it says four star I wonder who give them those four star I would hardly give twoThey play music every day till 1:00 AM. I was wondering for who they play because there was no one from the guest. I spoke to many people who was complaining about so loud music too late. It is adult adults only resort but most of adults was over 45 and they play Latino rap, music, nonstop, and same at the beach. I definitely blame myself for not doing my homework about this resort. I did last minute booking and I definitely regret it. I would not recommend this resort to nobody.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Family vacation

First of all I’ve been in Cuba ten times and I never had complain until now. First complain, we lost two days of our vacation due to cancelled flight by Westjet. Second complain, when we arrived in Varadero our luggage was not on the plane. Basically all passenger's luggage was left in Montreal. No explanation on the part of Westjet. I believed it was intentional since the Captain never told us about this. We received our luggage after three days and we have to pay a taxi to pick up at the [... read more] airport. Third complain, when we arrived at the hotel our book rooms were already given to somebody else. Just imagine five oceanview rooms in the same floor gone. We were given temporary rooms until available rooms come up. I told the hotel reception that they should not given the rooms to somebody else however, their reason was we did not arrive on the agreed date. So blame it to Westjet. Now we lost two days of our vacation and we were not able to get the rooms next to each other. For my entire family’s first trip to Cuba, it was a nightmare. The inconvenience and stress that we endure is not worth to have this vacation. Lastly Westjet is not handicapped friendly airline. My wife, mother and brother was in the wheelchair but we are the last group to board the plane. The humiliation as if we are not welcome was hard to take. This happened in Montreal and so to those Westjet counter personnel I forgot to ask the specific persons names you will become senior too one day you will know how we feel.

Royalton Hicacos Resort and Spa: Just OK

PROS: Beach- Awesome white sand clean beach, water clear Staff- Most are pleasant and helpful Food- Diamond side beach bbq - Excellent, Cuban night - Excellent, Buffet - Good Cafe Latte & Cappucino - Great Grounds: Well looked after and lush CONS: Beach: Beach is nice. Always lots of chairs available. Diamond upgrade side there is no bathroom so if you need to go you either pee in the ocean or walk down to the Beach Grill restaurant on the regular side- which is an issue for those [... read more] with mobility issues - Shouldn't Diamond side have a bathroom since you are paying for an upgrade? The facility is actually there but boarded up and from what we understand has been for quite a long time Drinks: Beer & wine is good and maybe Pina Coladas (depending on who is making it). The rest of the drinks were not good at all. Ordered 2 margaritas and one glass came half full and both were sour and awful. We realize that there is a shortage of some things but honestly we know better drinks could be made if the effort were put in Coffee: Regular coffee in the buffet was the worst we have ever drank. Imagine pouring water through the same grinds 5 times - that is what every cup tasted like, weak as dishwater. Guaranteed there was only 1/4 of the grinds that should have went in to make a pot of coffee. Cappuccinos and Cafe Lattes were really good, thank goodness Food: The food served at the Diamond side noon bbq was excellent. Buffet is good IF you get things cooked directly in front of you. Like chicken & pork ... all good. The items in the serving trays were often terrible. Meatballs that were so overcooked they were hard and dry. Alot of what we didn't like was the fact that it was cooked badly (way overcooked), not what was served. The a la cartes: the only one we enjoyed where the food was good was the Tex Mex. The others were awful. Special mention to The Pearl where we were told when we sat down they had no chicken (but the buffet had all kinds) so we had fish or beef to choose from. We ordered the beef stroganoff. It was the worst meal we have ever had. It was beef grizzle chunks in beef packet gravy. Neither one of us could even chew it because it was literally all grizzle. Dessert was good though lol The special Christmas Eve dinner was interesting. The A/C was so cold in there everyone was using their napkins as shawls lol. We were served a scallop in a shell that was so overcooked it was hard as a rock. But we got a piece of beef at the next course that was excellent. Out of 5 courses 2 were good - the beef and the soup. One evening they did an open air Cuban night. Now that was excellent! They had pork and chicken, shrimp etc and all cooked beautifully so I am sorry but there is no excuse for some of the terrible food served at the Pearl and Grazie. We are very understanding of shortages, but not understanding of being served something that not even a dog could eat. Consistency would make a huge difference. Front desk staff: When we first arrived they were pleasant but when we tried to get information when we were about to leave about what time the bus would arrive to take us back to the airport they looked at us like we were bothering them. Room: We had a superior room and everything was fine with it except for no hot water for a few hours one day but that was remedied quickly. The housekeeping staff were excellent. Overall, we enjoyed our time away and the beach bbq and Cuban night saved the day as it made this trip nice. Would we go back? No. For the price we paid we expected more. Yes, yes, this is Cuba and expectations have to be kept lower... however, some things were just too ridiculous. There are alot more places to discover and this was just so-so.

Paradisus Princesa Del Mar: Beautiful resort

The resort grounds were beautiful and very well maintained, creating a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere throughout the property. The room was spacious with a nice balcony. The food was quite good. We were there on Christmas eve for which a truly special dinner was prepared. The staff were very welcoming and friendly.

Grand Memories Varadero: Memorable trip

The people of Cuba make up for the lack of luxury that one might expect. The resort was functional for the most part, the rooms require renovations, the showers are luke warm, the food was better than expected, but set your expectations! The beach was lovely and the pool was good too! If you know what to expect for Cuba, I recommend this ressort, it was a wonderful trip!