Amazing Vacation - Excellent Resort!

ROC Arenas Doradas is a fabulous resort. This was our second time in Varadero Cuba but first time staying at Arenas Doradas. My boyfriend and I stayed from February 14th to February 21st, 2014. The resort was a perfect size, not too large and there was no need to worry about finding a lounge chair at the beach or by the pool. The staff was extremely friendly, provided excellent service and were incredibly hard workers. The food is mediocre but that is very typical for Cuba. Servers Yuliana, Jesu [... read more]s, and Raphael in the buffet restaurant deserve a special mention for their amazing service. The cleanliness of the resort was immaculate and the rooms were quite spacious. We were located in block 8, room 816 which was conveniently located by both the pool and beach. The maids provided us with fresh towels, a bottle of water and clean sheets daily. Although the shower pressure was low, the hot water was plentiful. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We will definitely, without a doubt, be revisiting this resort - excellent experience! Pictures of the resort are provided below.

Good Value for the money

The grounds and public areas are very beautiful. Pool and beach were the best points of this resort. I just found that there was a LOT of walking to get anywhere but that happens with larger resorts. A couple of downfalls I would like to mention. after the first few days, it was next to impossible to get a TIKI hut unless you PAID one of the lifeguards to save it for you. I find that totally unacceptable! Second negative is the a-la-carte free meals. We were allowed 4 (we had 2 rooms) and only g [... read more]ot to take 1. The reservations filled up very quickly and the hours the person was available was a hit and miss situation. We were told we could not "pre-book" all of them and to come back the next day. We were the 3rd people in line and we were told they were booked up..... not to mention we left the next day.

Fifth time back...but...

Clean,gorgeous beach ,friendly staff, treated well...BUT recently the management has chosen to engage with an Italian Tour company, and offer them exclusive areas of the beach, use of one of the a la cartes each evening, their own animation show before the general show, and their own dedicated staff. We have been returning to this resort because it is relatively small, and easy to get around, and it has met our expectations...improving each year. However, because the resort is fairly small, and  [... read more]there are not a lot of public areas, trying to accommodate a separate group doesn't work. In general, I don't feel that the rest of the staff appreciate the Italians being there....many are quite rude, and I never saw any one of them, offer a tip, or even a thank you. Disappointing, but we won't be returning...a shame after having been there 5 times in the past 5 years. Time to try something new...One more thing...not sure if this is a cultural thing in Cuba (we have only been to this one Cuban resort), but there is an unwillingness to "deal with" the idiot twentysomething Canadians (yes Canadians)...those self-absorbed, entitled morons whose parents have allowed them to "mature" into disgusting ambassadors for our country.....we're not young and we like to party as much as the next folks....but honestly...grow up....

Great beach!

Amazing grounds and beach. Rooms are fine but mattresses were horrible. Food is nothing special. Drinks were mediocre, pinacolada was the only nice done cocktail. Bring your tumblers with you as cups in the bar a very small. Would not recommend to go their for more then $750 a week.

Mheh…get what you pay for

Rated as a 4star but the price gives the true rating. Nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly good. The room and grounds were clean, just an older resort. Beach was great, if you're just looking to chill on the beach for a week at a lower rate this might be a good option. Sand fleas were pretty bad the week we were there, and mosquitoes in the lobby at night…bring bug spray and after bite.

Average Joe

This is one of the smaller resort I have been to and the food was not the best but we did not go to Cuba for food. Coffee was great and the staff are very nice and helpful. Musicians are at par and the beach is as expected being in Varadero, white sand. The pool is filthy with guests sitting at the bar drinking all day not going once to the washroom. Guess where they relieve themselves ?? Plastic cups are in the pool floating, just some irresponsible guests who have no respect of the resort. Unl [... read more]ike Dominican Republic or Mexico, we cannot rate Cuba the same way. People are poor but nice.However, recently the staff in Varadero area are expecting lots more tips from tourists than other area like in Hoguin or Santiago De Cuba

Very pleased with our stay!

We purchased our trip on price. We were looking for a nice place and were travelling on a budget. Our stay was very relaxed and comfortable. Staff were excellent and very helpful. Accommodations were neat and clean. We had heard not to expect much from Cuban cuisine however it was just fine with us. Cuba is the cleanest most pleasant country to visit. Both on and of the resort.

Excellent Family Holiday !!

Overall a great hotel. The staff was awesome as was the beach ... how could it not be lol. Our rooms were very comfortable with patios and mini-kitchens. We required 4 rooms and were able to be fairly close to each other on the same floor. The buffet was excellent the first few days but got a little boring by the end of the week. There wasn't any other restaurant to choose on-site (ala carte) as most other hotels have at least one. The location was perfect .. we could walk across the street and  [... read more]be entertained by multitude of shopping, restaurant and bar options. The hotel is also on the same block as the Delphinarium. Evening entertainment at the hotel was decent most nights but there was a little too much Karaoke haha.

Nice small family resort for price

- beautiful beach and nice pool - average food, bring condiments like peanut butter and syrup - good service - great live music - good option if you want less crowds and a smaller resort - renos to upgrade rooms are ongoing which is good as we were in an old room and there was no where to put clothes (no dressers) also no room clock

Good resort

For the price it was a great resort. Very friendly, clean and beautiful. The beach was absolutely amazing. Food wasn't the greatest but you don't go away for the food. I would for sure go back to this resort again