Punta Peninsula Varadero: Has potential

Grounds: large resort, lots of potential, close to beach ---- could be cleaner/ needs some renovations Food: lots of variety, and great coffee Staff: the best feature- good shows with very talented dancers/ singers/ comedy, very fun dance lessons by the pool, and helpful staff - dance lessons by the pool were very fun, and the instructor was very funny, and could teach any level. Would only recommend if management were to invest money/ time to improve things including more supply of to [... read more]iletries, pest control, and night-life....need a maybe choice for whether or not to recommend to a friend.

Blau Varadero: Amazing People! Amazing Resort!!

My husband and I recently returned from the Blau Veradero in Veradero Cuba. It was a beautiful resort. We met so many amazing people and were treated like royalty! They gave me a cake on my Birthday!! The only thing was the food, it lacked flavor and variety. I didn't like that you could only attend the a la carte restaurants twice in the week you were there, I think It should have been an open option. The food was really good at the international restaurant. The buffets had a lot of stuff tha [... read more]t was mushy, or in sauces after a week my tummy was not agreeing with me. Other than that they had a mini train that stopped out front and took you on a tour into Veradero and the resort itself was very laid back and very restful. I would go again but honestly I'd pack my own snacks!

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Colonial Hotel Cayo Coco Cuba.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL HOTEL, SO HOMEY AND COMFORTABLE.. THE STAFF IS AMAZING AND OUR REASON FOR RETURNING SO MANY TIMES.. THEY HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE, AS DID THE OTHER HOTELS ON CAYO COCO FROM THE HURRICANE IRMA, BUT THEY HAVE ALL WORKED VERY HARD,( all staff) TO BRING THE HOTEL UP SO THAT THEY CAN RECEIVE CLIENTS... I GIVE TEM SO MUCH CREDIT, AND IT IS A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL, SPANISH STYLE AND SO MUCH CHARACTER, NOT LIKE THE MODERN HOTELS THAT WE SEE IN NORTH AMERICA.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great resort

The staff and grounds at this resort were great, friendly staff and clean grounds with beautiful beach , what more could you ask for. The hotel itself is in need of some repairs, and is currently working on new ownership. This was evident in a couple of areas as they did run out of a few items while we were there, French fries, hotdogs, bread(once), etc. Still a very enjoyable vacation. I would be very excited to see what changes happen with new ownership.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Fantastic resort

The staff is amazing , our favorite was Sunny she was the first to greet us at the bar when we arrived. I am sure that the group of 11 drove her crazy but she h ad a smile the whole time. The resort is very nice but a bit dated and in need if some repair. We had also found out that the resort was in transition of new owners while we were there , which may explain why they ran out of things during our visit. This did not impact us being able to have a good time though . We look forward to comi [... read more]ng back next year. If they will have us. Lol

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Wonderful vacation

Although damage was still evident from hurricane Irma,we had an absolutely great time! The staff was very accommodating. The food in our opinion wasn't the greatest, however we spoke with other guests that loved it. We loved the coffee!

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Loved it again!

This was my second time to this resort and would gladly return. The older section is showing some wear and tear but the plus section was great. We were surprised by the lack of crowds which caused some restaurants to be closed but other than that all was excellent! The staff are great and very helpful. Loved the VIP bar! Would recommend to anyone for an economical and pleasant all inclusive!

Muthu Colonial Hotel: resort from hell

worst resort in all my life ok lets start day 1 got too my ocean view room very out dated tried to grab a quick shower only to find out very little water pressure so I said this is cuba maybe be better in morning .nope same day 2 very windy and raining that was ok but the 3 inches of water that leaked through bottom of floor ok forgot to mention I was on 2nd level yup tried to cal front desk phone did not work my room s at least a10 min. walk in the rain.got to front desk and they told me we hav [... read more]e no empty rooms for ocean view he then said we have one that is not ad told me to go and look at it was smaller show it was ok till it rained in middle of night got up too pee and slipped on water and fell on my butt next day they dried it up for rest of the week my room smelled like mold did not surprise me ok the pool was dirty only seen at the most 3 people in at one time foodwas the worst pretty well same menu daily tasted like all the food got mixed with a little fresh stuff added and reheated over and over being in a tropical place they only had oranges grapefruit and banans sometimes a tasteless watermelon the bar drinks were ok if you like white 2dollar a gallon rum if you did find a bar with maybe kalula it tasted like it was more white rum than anything this is a place that needed lots omore time fixing it up after the fall storms well I could write a book on this place Im very surprised there was not more people with food posining they used same tongs to pick up raw and cooked food and a dirty rag was used to wipe counter and that same tongs a complete disaster of a vacation. oh and when I sent a email to trp central they did not even respond to me thank you not using you no more oh one more thing they said they offer tennis archery not there also deep sea fishing they use paddle boats to get to a 30min fishing spot an the kikker was 25$ an hour with a two hr min

Blau Varadero: A Nice, Clean, Chill Resort with a Great Beach...

My husband and I, along with another couple, stayed at Blau Varadero from January 20 - 27th. Other than the weather being crummy for all but three days, we did enjoy our stay. I will elaborate: Flights/Airport: We flew Air Transat and it was a good flight. Although we had a delay due to them being short a staff member, we still made it to Varadero around the same time we were expected to, and everything regarding our arrival at both airports was fine. Our flight back to Toronto was fine as  [... read more]well, however at both the Varadero airport and Pearson in Toronto it seemed to take forever to get through everything. Once you get to Cuba, you can exchange your Canadian funds for CUC's (Convertible Cuban Pesos) and you can exchange it back to Canadian before you leave. If you have any left over you may want to even if you plan on going back to Cuba in the future as they said they aren't sure if they will still be using the same currency or if it will be discontinued and it is useless anywhere else. You no longer have to pay the departure tax at the airport as it is included in the cost of your travel plan. Shuttle/Arrival to Resort: We were the last to be dropped off at our resort so it took a little longer than we thought to arrive at Blau, but the shuttle was comfortable and it gave us a chance to see what some of the other resorts looked like. Upon arrival we were checked in promptly and up to our rooms in no time. Resort: The resort is a pyramid-shaped hotel that has all of the accommodations together in one building, and the resort property is very compact in that you don't really have to walk too far as everything is all quite close together and not very far spread out. For people with mobility issues there is an elevator to take you from floor to floor. Pretty much everything is all in the one building or very close to it. The hotel is also built so that when you drive up to the lobby you are ground level but then at the back to be ground level you have to go down a couple floors. Rooms: The rooms were spacious and clean. Nothing fancy, but we don't spend a lot of time in them anyway. We were on the 4th floor just above the piano bar, which, if you go to bed early, you will hear quite clearly. Our bed was comfy and we slept well, but our friends who were down the hall a few rooms did not as they said their bed was very uncomfortable, almost as if they were missing the foam on top of the mattress springs. That was pretty much the only issue with the rooms. They are your typical all-inclusive room with a balcony, bed, bathroom, room safe, etc. The t.v. had a couple of English channels like CTV, CNN, etc., so we could watch something before we went to sleep. Restaurants: The main buffet restaurant is in the main building and serves breakfast and dinner daily and you don't need reservations. There are two a la carte restaurants right behind the resort. You need reservations for these and we were given vouchers upon check in. One is used during the day for the lunch buffet and is attached to the pool bar. It is then transformed at night as an a la carte serving tex-mex. The other is an international restaurant and both of them are right beside each other so they aren't hard to find. There is also a 24 hour snack bar right by the beach. We didn't eat at it, but we ate at the others and the food was good and we were able to find something to eat each day, even with one of us being vegetarian and the other being gluten-free. Bars: There is a main bar on the bottom level, a piano bar up one level, a pool bar, a chill-out bar, and a beach bar, all serving typical all-inclusive drinks and you can also get cappuccinos. Entertainment/Activities: You can get a schedule that outlines the daily activities that go on. There are things like Yoga, Tai Chi, Aqua Zumba, Beach Volleyball, Bocce Ball, etc. They also post each day what the nightly entertainment will be. We did a couple of daytime activities, but because we are early risers we did not stay up to watch any of the entertainment as it doesn't start until 9:30 pm. If we could wish for one thing it would be to have maybe an earlier show for the people who eat dinner at 6:30 pm and don't want to wait around until 9:30 pm to watch it, but we could be in the minority for that so I am not sure if it would be feasible or not. There is always live music playing throughout the day and evening somewhere on the resort, and they had statue people one night and these other characters another. There always seems to be something going on, yet it never seems loud or overly crazy. Beach: The beach is beautiful and it is very long and quite wide. You can walk a good distance to get to either end before you hit a rocky corner, so for beach walkers, it is situated in a good location along Varadero Beach. As long as you get up early enough you can get loungers and a palapa to sit under, but if you wait until later morning you will likely be out of luck as it can get quite busy. They have Hobie Cats and paddleboats,and you can go out 20 minutes off shore to snorkel for an hour and then back again for $20 CUC's each. We were going to do this, but unfortunately for one poor lady that we saw, she got stung by a jellyfish as it was quite windy and the tide was bringing them in, so we were hesitant to go after witnessing that. She was in the beach area when this happened but we still didn't want to risk it. Pool: The pool is fairly big and there are lots of loungers around, and although there were a few pergolas they didn't have many with sunshades to sit under. Maybe something that is to come as perhaps they got damaged in the hurricane a few months back. We spent some time here when it was too windy to sit on the beach. Spa: There is a spa where you can get services like massages and facials. We had massages and they were $40 CUC's per person for 50 minutes. There is also a gym, whirlpool and sauna in this area. Shops/Internet: There is a souvenir shop and a cigar/rum shop right in the hotel. There is also a pharmacy. You can buy WiFi cards at the front desk - $1 CUC for one hour to use on your own devices. Service: I have to say that all of the staff were very friendly, attentive, eager to please, and all seemed to enjoy their jobs. Excursions: We didn't do any as the weather was not very cooperative - but you can go on tours like going to Havana. We took the double-decker bus into the town of Varadero just to get a change of scenery. You have to walk out to the main highway to where the bus stop is. Or you can get a cab right from the lobby entrance. Overall: This is a very decent, compact, laid-back all-inclusive resort that is for adults-only and seemed to be primarily couples - many of whom seemed to be retirement age, although there were some younger people as well. If you want to get away with your significant other, or a few friends, or maybe other adult family members and just have a chill week and do a few activities then this is a resort that is good for that. We really don't have any complaints, other than we hit a bad week where we got more bad weather days than good. But as far as the Blau Varadero goes, we were satisfied with everything.

Blau Varadero: Awesome time

Beautiful hotel. Loved the service and the food was much better than I expected it to be. Lots of variety in the food as well. Rooms were nice and large. The hotel was very clean and felt very welcoming. Overall, we had an amazing time at Blau and would definitely come back.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: The Blau was ok

This was our 2nd time back, we really enjoyed our first time, obviously. They were much better than any other Cuban resort we had been to., and we have been to a few... This time however, was a little lack luster. Maybe we expected too much. Small point but, we never did get our Complimentary Bottle of Rum as returning guests... Leaking roofs in the Main Lobby and Main Dining room, to me are in unacceptable. They are steel roofs. FIX them. Seeing paint peeling on balconies and walls around the m [... read more]ain swimming pool is a little depressing... I was not a fan of ANY of the Entertainment. it was Amatuerish at best. and in most cases TOO LOUD.The food in the banquet room was fine. It didn't really change night to night, but it is Cuba after all. You don't go there for the food. The A LA Carts were nice. Service there was good as well. Service around the Bar I felt was Slow. I had a few incidents, but that was more on individual servers, and not fair to the whole group of them. But over all it was slow. Don't expect them to come to your table. Maybe if you TIP up front.... But I don't tip in hopes of Service, I tip FOR good service. Rooms were clean, Pools good. Don't know how you can replace missing tiles in a resort opened 365 days a year, so.... Its my opinion that you don't need music every where all day, every day. Some folks even brought in a Bose speaker to the Snack bar, blasted it out over the Pool Bar speakers that were 5 feet away. It shouldn't be our job to ask them to shut it down. We were also almost in a fight with some drunk people, and still no help from Bar staff. We had to handle it on our own. My 2nd biggest concern the broken glass (from the aforementioned drunk folks). In the Snack Bar around the Pool bars... even in the VIP dining room. It didn't seem to be a Top Priority to them. Internet was better, and cheaper than last time, so that was good. You could get in in many areas of the compound, not just the Lobby. Beach was good, although I question if they were draining septic into the ocean on the edge by the towel shack. Maybe its too much to ask but, speaking better English would be nice. We been coming since the 60s, tourism is a HUGE part of their Economy. Try having a conversation with them... people keep saying, "They try hard".... its been 60 some odd years! When will they get it? Americans will surely not put up with it. that will be interesting. in closing its OK. But you come to Cuba for the price and the weather, and the absence of Americans! lol

Blau Varadero: A memorable vacation at the Blau Varadero!

This resort had alot of positives. I really liked the design of this hotel for its practical elements. You could access all rooms easily by elevator as well they were all in one building. Every room (front and back of hotel) had a view of the ocean. However, I would recommend asking for a premium oceanview room facing the beach because they are the more modern rooms. Also, rain or shine you are protected from the elements and all rooms are the same (short) distance to the pool and the beach. The [... read more] morning and evening buffets offered a good selection of breads, cooked meats, seafood, salads and desserts. They even had peanut butter! The staff was wonderful!!! They were all kind, concerned and helpful. The grounds were quite beautiful and kept very clean. The beach was also very clean and offered pristine waters and beautiful fine white sand for those long inspiring walks. Too bad for the weather though. We arrived just in time for a cold front moving in.This is quite predictable for this time of the year! The Entertainment was top notch. They had many musicians performing (jazz, classical, opera, cultural) throughout the day, at the lunch buffet, in the piano bar and before the evening shows. I would probably be a repeat Customer at the Blau Varadero! The only inconvenience about this resort is that there was not a bank on the premises. You could exchange your money at the front desk but you could not use your credit or debit card to withdraw any money. You could always take the doubledecker bus into the nearest town and find a bank there.

Blau Privilege Cayo Libertad: Blau privilege Libertad

We would only give it a 2/5. The sheets were not changed for the ten days. We had to ask for regular supplies like shampoo and TP. The facility looked great from a distance. The food is only passable... we have all been sick... and five days later I still am. We would not return to Cuba.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Relaxing vacation

Had a nice relaxing week here. Resort was not too busy. All staff very nice, although felt pressure to tip frequently at bars. Bartenders simply were not as friendly if they didn’t receive a peso after every drink served. Felt we were ignored by staff at bars when they were conversing with Cuban vacationers. Food comparable to other Cuban resorts. Great that snack bar is open 24/7. Beach beautiful though was grateful that we brought our water shoes as it’s quite rocky in an out of water. Sew [... read more]age smell noted in ocean and beach area, possibly a result of the recent rains. Grounds well kept, though notably aged. We noted that clean up of broken glassware was not highly prioritized. At one point I picked up glass from the floor of the buffet patio. My husband picked up glass near the Club House bar at the beach. My father in law witnessed a glass be dropped at the snack bar one evening. The next day large remnants of it were still there. I am not sure of smoking regulations in Cuba, though there was no regard for maintaining smoke free areas for non-smokers and children.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Hotel was dated but clean!

Had a great trip even though it rained 6 out of 7 days. We stayed in the regular section, it was dated but clean. Staff was very responsive to any issues. The beds were not the comfiest but fine. Food was pretty good. Italian for lunch was our favourite! The beach was rocky but we were fine with our water shoes. Snorkeling was great although we only got do it the last day because of the weather, although the kids loved the rough ocean just as much! We would come back, great value and we had a gr [... read more]eat time as a family.

Blau Varadero: Needs improvement

The cheaper rooms were dirty. Guests in the more expensive rooms did not have the same issues. The service was slow when the hotel was busy, but improved when the occupancy decreased. The Cuban people are wonderful!

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Would Go Again!

Terrific resort with many amenities. We stayed on the Plus side and found it to be well worth it. Pools, bars and restaurants were all very clean and the service staff were fantastic. Less than an hour from the airport, it's worth the drive. Rooms were modern and clean. VIP bar was great when looking for a few additional choices of drink... bartender was amazing! Would definitely go again!! Beach was a little small with a few rocky areas in the water but still beautiful. Large stretch to [... read more] walk along.

Blau Varadero: Amazing experience

My boyfriend and I were at Blau Varadero resort (adults only since last November 2016) from Dec 15-22, 2017. Our flight there with Sunwing airline was delayed by 3 hours and by 2 hours coming back. This resort was absolutely the same as I remember from my first stay there in December 2009 with my kids. Friendly staff all around, great food, great entertainers, live shows. My boyfriend took scuba lessons in the pool and went to sea 3 times after that. He truly enjoyed it. We went to visit downtow [... read more]n Varadero by double deck bus which is only 5 CUC/day. The a la carte restaurants were a great treat away from the buffet dinner. Loved the English movies that were available during our down time in the room. It was my boyfriend's first time in Cuba and can't wait to go back. I've been 9 times to different resorts. This one was by far the best I've seen in Cuba. Not a huge walk from hotel to the beach. If you were not tired, the disco bar from 11pm - 1am was an extra bonus after all live shows were done at 10:30am. I would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends and looking forward to going back soon. PS - water bottle, beer and coke is supplied daily in the fridge. Fresh beach towels daily. Free in safe box, wifi available for 2CUC card purchased at the front desk.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: A Resort In Transition.

We stayed at this resort from November 27- December 9. We continue to return to this resort at least once a year. It has become a favourite. The Plus section is a solid 4 star. It is no longer co-managed by Blau Resorts. It is in transition and the new partner is Fiesta Americana from Mexico. There was not a large headcount when we were there. I do believe that it was because of the past hurricanes. No need to worry as Cuba is up and running as if nothing happened. There were lots of chairs an [... read more]d shade area around all of the pools and on the beach. A perfect beach for snorkelling and swimming. I would recommend the Plus section because of the newer ammenities and the digital air conditioning. There were lots of upgrades continuing on the older buildings. We will be returning. I advise to take insect repellant and an after bite lotion. Due to the heavy rains previously there were a lot of no see ums and mosquitos. It was very hot, humid and sunny during our stay.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: ok

there was no tomato juice available in the restaurant or the lobby and other bars I wonder how they make drinks that require tomato juice. the store had limited selections and no gin for sale and no water at other times. I wonder why they did not put the hotel closer to the beach even with a rocky shoreline it would be ok. they need a path along that rocky area.