Barcelo Solymar: Less than average

Front Desk Receptionists are ruthless. They are not helpful at all and very rude. Bars stop serving before closing time. I have been to all inclusive resorts in Rivera Maya, Mexico and Cayo Co Co, Cuba and have received way better service.

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: Fantastic holiday

We were more than happy with every aspect of the resort. From amazing food to a fantastic view from the room. All the employees were very pleasant and helpful. The only issue upon arriving was finding out that we had been moved to a different room. We had initially reserved a ocean view room to find out it wasn't. It was worked out the next day and moved to another room by lunch. Other than that it was a fantastic holiday.

Barcelo Solymar: Mixed reviews

First off my friend and I came to this resort with an open mind. We were looking for a resort where it was a younger crowd and where people wanted to party. We definitely got that! If I was able to take all the people (travellers)I met and the location of the resort and replace it with another such as a melia or iberostar I would definitely give it 5 stars, but unfortunately we can’t haha. I also got my phone stolen at the lobby bar... I was getting two drinks left it on the bar turned arou [... read more]nd to give my friend a drink and POOF if was gone. When I asked around and asked the reception the were no help and felt so remorse. Which again is fine and it was dumb on my part to leave it on the bar in the first place. The staff at the resort were not friendly compared to other resorts I have been to and again I took that with a grain of salt because these workers are working long strenuous days so I don’t blame them, however we pay this money because we want a good experience. There was absolutely NO entertainment, we had to create our own and play our own music which was fine but it would have been nice to have the entertainment team try to engage people to play games other than BINGO at the pool. I felt as though I was at retirement home playing bingo and it was the same thing every day it just got SO BORING. At other resorts I’ve been to the entertainment team always put in so much work chatting with travellers and just making sure everyone was having a good time whether it be from children to the elderly and in between. There is NO swim up bar which sucked, but again that wasn’t a big deal since there was a pool bar near by, but the pool bar was ALWAyS packed. At most resorts I’ve been to there is usually servers walking around the pool to take your orders and bring it to you rather than having to get out of chair every single time and wait in a long line, but not here! The drinks situation was awful - no blended pina coladas (except for at the lobby bar ) no strawberry daquiris, NO MOJITOS ( like what???) NO MIMOSAS. When I go to resorts I usually drinks Bahama mamas and varadero sunrise and when I asked for that they laughed at me and said no as if I was stupid. I’ve been to Cuba before and those were my staple drinks, so I know they do exist. The lobby bar closes at 11pm and there is really no 24 hrs bar except for the snack bar. However, the snack bar only serves beer and they ran out a few times and just decided to stop serving at random times. Also there is NO bar on the beach so you have to keep walking back to the nearest bar for a drink and walking it back on the beach. If you are going here definitely bring a bubba mug as they use disposable plastic cups that don't hold very much and that are also not good for the environment. The towel situation is also god awful. I was using the same beach towel all week because every time I went to exchange it weather it be early in the morning or later on that evening they were always somehow out of towels. We also needed towels in our room that we waited for 2 days to get and when we got them we had small hand towels to use for our bodies which is not ideal. The only good thing about this resort was the people we met staying at the resort and the night life that is within walking distance of the hotel. If they made a few changes such as -investing in more towels -having an entertainment team - playing more pool games and beach games to engage people( NOT BINGO) - having a new cocktail menu that includes resort staples such as mojitos mimosas , blended pina coladas and blended strawberry daquiris -asking the staff to be more friendlier , I tried so hard to be friendly and even tip more but it felt like nothing was good enough. -have a bar on the beach would make a huge difference - have beach games - have a 24 h bar that serves more than just beer (even adding rum and cokes would make it better) I definitely would not recommend this resort unless they make some changes as it does have a lot of potential!! Regardless my friend and I made the best of the trip despite the little bumps in the road but compared to any other resort I’ve been to in Cuba it did not compare in the slightest.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Epic Massive Resort

huge resort with enough options for everyone. we stayed for a week in early may. temperature was perfect. our 2 year old had a great time at all the kiddie slide pools. swimming area at the beach was great. def recommend the Seafood restaurant and Tokyo. if you like tequila check out the tequila/cigar bar. amazing selection to try.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Ok

The staff were excellent, sweet kind and great sense of humour. The resort was clean and pretty as was the gorgeous beach and ocean. Food was fair. What was disappointing was my first class room! While the view was stunning, the luxurious king size bed I was to have was a double! The first class bathroom needed serious work..there was a lot of grout missing between the tiles and what ever was holding the glass door was loose at the ceiling!! The clock was broken(eventually replaced) tv🤨and I  [... read more]was horrified to find black mold in my room service menu!!!

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Disappointing maybe 3 star

First off the weather was fabulous, the beach and ocean..stunning. My first class room was very disappointing! I was supposed to have a luxurious king size bed...it was a double🙁! My first class bathroom...a lot of grout missing from between the tiles...gross! as well as whatever was holding up the glass door was loose from the ceiling! The clock was broken...I did receive a new working one! TV🤨! Finding black mold in my room service menu was NOT a nice surprise!!! Room was kept spotless b [... read more]y sweet kind maids. Staff were kind, polite and excellent sense of humour. Resort area pretty and clean.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Barcelo maya

All around great resort and staff. Food and service are great and rooms are clean and modern. The beach had alot of sargassium (seaweed) everywhere and although its not the hotels fault it ruined the beach.

Barcelo Solymar: Wouldn’t go back

This hotel is very outdated and needs a lot of work. Elevators often broken. Restaurant for breakfast and lunch often ran out of plates, dirty tables everywhere. Some service staff was nice but mostly curt and not very welcoming. Liquor options were very limited even if you wanted to purchase premium brands. Didn’t have clean bathing towels for two days, no water for 48 hours, and then another disruption for 24 hours. Hotel store to purchase beer changed their prices depending on who you were  [... read more]and who you spoke to to. Repeatedly asked for ice and they were out of that too. Sunwing rep was rarely around and when you did find them they were not helpful at all, in fact they were rude. I flew back home before my spouse and the hotel checked him out on same day- was an extreme hassle to get sorted out. Food was not great so we went out for dinner each night in Varadero to have a decent meal. I will say the beach was very pretty and relatively clean- no beach bar and no washrooms anywhere close to the beach. Quick walk into the town of Varadero to restaurants and bars where you will find awesome food, drinks and nightlife.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barcelo Bavaro Palace is an Amazing Resort!

This Is a beautiful mega resort on the best beach in Punta Cana! It takes 20 minutes to walk on the beach from one end to the other end of the resort. Great restaurants and lots of things to do for both kids and adults. Staff are very friendly and professional. If you want to have a relaxing & fun vacation this is a great place to go. Thanks Eva @ Tripcentral Hillcrest Mall!

Palma Real: You get what you pay for

We got a good last minute deal on this resort and with that had little expectations. Rooms: AC worked well in our room - the majority of the time the water was cold - we were told we would be provided with a new water bottle each day, but this never happened Pools: The pools always had garbage in it and a lot of the tile needs to be redone. Food: Food is bland and not much variety. However, they offer two al a carte. The Cuban one was not bad, but still not much selection. The Italia [... read more]n one was good. I really enjoyed my pizza there. Staff: Staff were nice enough - there were a couple who stood out like the pool bartender was awesome. Location: I was a little sceptical about having to walk across the street to go to the beach, but this was not an issue at all. The beach is the biggest perk of this place, as it was beautiful and not too crowded. The location is also close to a bank, some markets, and some good restaurants/bars.

Palma Real: Honest Review!!

Wanted to share a little bit about our experience at the Allegro Palma Real in Varadero Cuba. First let me start by saying that we have visited Varadero numerous times and it is our favorite vacation spot. We have stayed at 3, 4 and 5 star resorts in Varadero. We have always enjoyed being close to downtown Varadero so we decided on the Allegro Palma Real for vacation this year. This was our 2nd visit to this resort and our previous stay was quite enjoyable. This time our stay was 10 days as op [... read more]posed to our usual 7 day all inclusive. During our first visit we knew it wasn’t a high end resort however we enjoy being within walking distance to downtown Varadero, so we took the chance again to visit the resort…WOW. Upon arrival we were quickly checked in and got a poolside room on the 3rd floor however we requested to be on the 2nd floor. This was resolved within an hour and we were moved to the 2nd floor poolview without issue. The room was as expected basic, clean and a large balcony. Being in a 3rd world country numerous times of course we anticipate bugs, flies, ants etc…and come well prepared with afterbite, bug spray and benedryl. However after 3-4 days the mosquitos were so unbearable in our room we had to wear long sleeve shirts and pyjamas pants to bed everynight to minimize the mosquito bites(holy hell). We literally spent an hour every evening killing mosquitos and spraying bug spray over the bed linen, door frames, windows and ourselves and still got bit. We spoke to a few other Canadians staying at the resort and they also had the same issue and had never seen it so bad either. The biggest disappointment came 4-5 days before our departure. The resort became available to all local residents and therefore the hotel became more than overwhelming in a very short period of time with individual family sizes of 2-10 overtaking the resort. Because of this the buffet for all meals was inaccessible. The locals literally bullied other resort guests we were not able to get into the buffet for 2 ½ days and if you did manage to get in after lining up for the buffet it was cleaned out. Along with not being able to visit the buffet for our meals there were large groups of local people in the pool at the swim up bar anywhere from 4-6 hours at a time without leaving the pool (gross…we all know what happens when consuming alcohol). Also to note it seems that the locals that visit this resort feel that they all need to outdo each other with wireless speaker boomboxes including the entertainment staffs music and games. We do split our time between the pool and beach however after a day of trying to get food and drinks we spent our remaining time there at the beach and at local restaurants. Considering these are local residents the disrespect for a local property was a real shame and unbelievable. I don’t think I have ever seen people disrespect other’s property in terms of disposing of trash (cigarette butts, bottles, glasses), not to mention one’s personal space. Also to note numerous resort staff actually asked us and other resort guests how we were doing once the locals vacated the resort. Clearly they understood how unbearable it was. Cuba is a beautiful country and we will visit again however this resort is a no fly zone for us. We did visit a couple other resorts while there for our future visits. Please feel free to reach out if need an honest opinion. The review is asking for star ratings i will rate the stars based on the last 4-5 days of stay.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Horrible

I've been to Cuba many times and this time was not amazing. I've stayed at 3,4 and 5 stars. Started off with NO towels in the room. Then I thought ahh forget it; it's late so I'll get them tomorrow and I'm on vacation. Let's have a drink. We go down and the bar that is supposed to open till 1:30am closed at 12??? The snack bar had no more drinks for the night??? This is NOT a four star at all

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: Beautiful resort

The resort was beautiful with clean pools and friendly staff. We stayed at one and used the facilities at the other four. Food was amazing and plentiful. The only downside was the seaweed was in full bloom and you couldn't get through it to get in the ocean. Staff tried to clear it but it literally was impossible to clear . All resorts along the beach had the same issue. Over all was a great experience. Again pools were great beach was not but not anything the resort could do to change it [... read more].

Occidental Caribe: Great layout!

The resort layout is great. So close to the beach which has many palm trees for shade. 2 large pools with one being quieter than the other. Plenty of snacks and bars available. Beautiful grounds. The food was good at the buffet. I always found something to eat. We went to 2 À la Carte restaurants, La Hacienda which was good and it also has a daily sit down lunch menu during the day. The other was Tokio and it was the best. If I had one complaint it would be the restocking of the mini fridge [... read more] and towels in our room. I don't think it was the maids fault. They seem to have limited supplies on their carts. All in all I think it was a good place and we would go back.

Barcelo Solymar: Such an amazing time!!

The Barcelo Solymar was a wonderful choice for the misses and I we had the must amazing time. Now I will 100% honest this place has earned its name as the party spot.... but it is not bad enough you cant find peace away from the parties. The main building is always hopping and older so the noise does travel. But if you want the best of both worlds get a bungalow or a bungalow suite ( we did) it allows you to join the party when you want but to go back to your own little quiet slice of paradise w [... read more]hen you want as well. The staff are absolutely amazing so kind and friendly, never had there hands out for anything and were so appreciative when you tip. They never seem to forget anyone and even the dinner staff knew where we liked to sit after the first day and would have our spot all set up with coffee and water before we got back with our plates. The food was 3-4 but its Cuba you should of known that going in. There is still so much to choose from you will never go hungry. This resort is older and does show its age in some areas but the staff are always cleaning and fixing stuff up. It's the disrespectful guest that cause most the issues by just tossing their garbage anywhere. This resort is also all about location they have the best section of beach by far and it's always clean. But our favorite part was the 4-5 min walk and your in the town of varadero with so much to do. For the price this trip was worth every last penny to us. We will definitely be back to this resort and will be bringing more friends and family. We cant say enough good about the people at this resort.

Palma Real: Allegro Palma Real is getting better ..>!

The hotel is getting better every month, new renovations and more entertainment than before. To all my Canadian friends, I highly recommend this Hotel. The Beach house is the place. I had been to Cuba 12 times, I like this Hotel is fun and nice....alive ..!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Beautiful resort

The resort exceeded my expectations. It was beautiful, so much to do and very clean. Food and restaurants were great and staff was friendly. Although there were a lot of people there, it never felt too crowded. Will definitely be coming back!

Barcelo Maya Caribe: A 5 Star Resort in our opinion, with so many options that you don't have to leave the resort!

We can't wait to go back!!! We were there from April 21st to 28th, it wasn't overly busy but even if it was, it's so big that it would accommodate. We booked through Trip Central, they were very helpful & we're already saving to return anytime next year! We've been to several resorts all over & the Barcelo Maya Caribe is now our favourite! The water park has certain things for adults which we'll try next time we go & they have a sports bar called Strikers that has a bowling alley & we'd go t [... read more]here to watch the hockey games during the playoffs & have a little snack, so fun! It's an incredible resort with so much to do that you really don't have to leave the resort & pay for other excursions. We paid to go snorkeling & it was a fun day doing other things with the tour, however the snorkeling outside of The Palace is better than what we paid for & we just had to walk down the beach. The resort is super clean, the grounds are very well kept & the food was amazing, again with several options of where you can eat. We enjoyed the Mexican & Japanese restaurants the most. The staff are all very friendly but some of them had a hard time understanding us when we tried talking to them. Not a problem by any means, we just learned to keep it simple so it was much easier for them & for us. Especially when we had too many frozen drinks down by the water, lol. The rooms were also clean & the fridge was stocked daily. We read reviews about the rooms needing to be updated but they served their purpose with a comfortable bed & a hot shower. We weren't there to be in the room all day! The beach was also amazing, never having to fight for a chair or wake up early to put our towel on a couple chairs to hold them. You can walk for miles & the sand was like silk on our feet.

Barcelo Solymar: Very Nice Resort

Overall, the hotel was quite nice! It was very close to the beach and ocean and had plenty of pools and places to relax. The staff who worked there were very accommodating and nice. I found the resort attracted a younger crowd of people which was nice as my friends and I went for our grad trip. The resort had lots of activities going on. It was a short walk to downtown Veradero where the bars and clubs were located which was nice. The only down side was the food. However, the special dinners you [... read more] got to choose were very good. I would definitely go back and recommend this resort to anyone.

Barcelo Solymar: Decent for the price

Overall a pretty decent resort! Very close to downtown varadero, about 10 minutes walk to bars and clubs! Beach very close and beautiful! No swim up bar and bars around the beach and pool do get super busy so bring a big cup or get multiple drinks at a time! Food is decent, recommend bringing condiments like hot sauce and spices to make it more enjoyable. Definitely bring snacks as the snack bar only sells fries at night. Rooms were decent other than broken drawers and tv, but they did the job,  [... read more]very clean. Maids were very nice! A la carts (Mexican and oriental) were very good. Excursions were so exciting and worth the money! Fun activities and entertainment at the pools! Cheap trip and you get what you pay for.