Barcelo Tambor: Remote..beware land trip from airport!

Very remote but clean, beautifully landscaped resort. Food fair, repetitive, but best fresh fruit ever! Beach good for long walks. Majority of guests Costa Rican, EVERYTHING in Spanish, only English speaking at reception and customer relations! No Air Canada rep at resort for info. Have to find everything out yourself! Approx. 4 hour trip from airport , construction through mountains scary, drop offs, only yellow and orange tape markings,narrow winding gravel road, hairpin turns, for 20-30 km  [... read more]of it and driver going fast! Clouds of dust from large trucks made for poor visibility at times! Stressed on arrival and AC rep contacted twice via phone refused to give another option for departure! Cannot recommend land trip until road finished, unless come by ferry, as most Air Transat guests. Lonely, too, if social, as only a very small number of English speaking guests. Kudos to the 2 Customer Relations guys for their support and calls to AC rep. This is apparently common for them with Canadians arriving at resort by land from the airport and they agree with our concerns! Even an Air Canada pilot at resort on vacation was refusing to travel back on land with his family. Left before we knew his outcome!

Occidental Caribe: Good value

The resort it self was good, the grounds were clean well laid out the pools were big and clean and right up against the ocean which was beautiful. The rooms were dated and needed upgrades. But overall good. The food was average but you could always find something worth eating, the alacart restaurants were mostly good. The main drawback was the staff, most were not friendly to guests it was if the guests were a bother to some workers ,some were very rude and did not smile or talk to guests ,3 da [... read more]ys into our stay the resort was over run by college students on March break and they took over everything and were loud day and all night through out the resort. Over all it was ok we survived and had a good time.

Occidental Papagayo: Beautiful place and people

Enjoyed just about everything at the resort.I have to say the beach was not the best,too many pedlars and, jellyfish in waters. The people on the resort were wonderfully kind and respectful.The meals were wonderfully tasty, both in the buffet and a la Carte restaurants.

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Great Vacation at Barcelo!!

Travelled to Barcelo in late Feb and had a great week. The 4 of us found the food quite to our liking, the pool was excellent and the service was fantastic. Only drawback is no free wifi area and it's too far for easy access to the old town area. Highly recommend this resort.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Family Resort

We just returned from a week at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace. We travelled as a family of 10 including 4 children aged 4 months to 6. The Palace is a family resort with many activities for kids. They particularly enjoyed the water park. The resort and the grounds are beautiful and very well maintained, with staff constantly cleaning. The buffet was fairly standard and the a la cartes were good. Check in and dinner reservations were a breeze and we did not pay for the upgrade. The beach is beautif [... read more]ul, perfect for kids with lots of palm trees for shade.. We only saw one show however it was very well done. We stayed in building 5 which was close to everything. The rooms are large and were cleaned promptly, yes there is a lack of privacy in the bathroom area. We had a couple of minor issues in the room: the safe needed new batteries and the iron did not work, Both issues resolved very promptly. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, the service was great all over the resort. We would definitely recommend this resort.

Allegro Cozumel: A little disappointed.

The hotel was kept very clean. The rooms were very small. The pool and beach were nice, although the smokers used the sand as their ashtray, which I found pretty disgusting. The food was not good at all, it was always cold, even if they just refilled a tray of something, it was cold. The staff was very friendly. They should have more than one person cooking eggs at the breakfast buffet, I felt sorry for the lady that had to cook for so many people, the resort was very full. There was also only 1 [... read more] bartender at the beach/pool bar, there was a line up most of the time. I am sorry to say I would never return to this resort because of the food. It is certainly not a 4*, I would say it is more like a 3-3 1/2*.

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Ok, but many complains

We spent 10 days in February. Maintenance of the hotel is poor: rooms smell musty, public washrooms are poorly services; food is ok, but variety could be better. Our whole family (6 people) got sick with some sort of bug. We complained to administration, but got told that there is nothing going around the hotel. However, we undertsand from other guests that many of them got sick with the same symptoms as us. Good shows and entertainment crew is trying their best. Very small property wit [... read more]h not much to do.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Awesome Resort!!!

Excellent resort overall! The grounds were meticulously maintained. The food was at all of the restaurants was delicious and the drinks were all fantastic too! The staff was all lovely and polite. As well, the entertainment staff were all very busy making sure everyone was having a good time. The man-made beach cove (Arena Beach) was nice to have as the sand was rock free and quite calm. The twice/day turn down service was awesome too! We always had a nicely made bed and clean towels. A few m [... read more]inor items that could be improved on... The free lobby WIFI was spotty at best. The only place to find a good cup of coffee was the Nespresso bar which was as extra cost.

Barcelo Solymar: Resort to return to

The food was of good quality and extensive selection. There was. O la k of musical entertainment. Staff were all very pleasant. I have travelled to Varadero seven times and this was my third stay at this resort.I would go back again. Rooms are dated and bathroom need some serious updating, but they were clean and functual. If you are looking for a good value for your money this is it

Barcelo Solymar: Average resort

The hotel is rated 4 stars probably by Cuban standards. I would give it 2 1/2. The staff are friendly especially the ones at the Buffet. Our cleaning person, Judith, did a great job in making sure our room was cleaned properly every day. We were aware of the food before we went to Cuba so there were no surprises. The Hotel seems to cater to a younger crowd which we don't object to them enjoying themselves but running and yelling in the hall at 2:30 in the morning is a little much. The noise car [... read more]ries and I'm sure that the front desk would be aware but security seemed non existent. Our orientation with the Sunwing rep the day after our arrival was more about the tours and nothing about the amenities at the resort. It took us a few days to find out about activities and entertainment, etc. We took a day tour to Havana weren't that impressed with that particular tour and were rushed to get us back to the resort without any break.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Great Resort!

Beautiful resort immersed in wildlife with plenty to see. I would recommend this resort for a good balance between great service, food, entertainment and energy. Limited beach area, however there was usually chairs available because the resort is very spacious overall.

Barcelo Solymar: Great Atmosphere!

This hotel was very clean. I think in the last 10 visits to Cuba it was the first time we didn't have to change rooms because of bad odors or awful room. Reception was full of smiles and accommodating. Food was OK, I am not a fish eater so it was hard to find something I liked. The pork and chicken were cooked right. Pasta sucked big time, can someone show them how simple it is to make a good pizza dough and toppings. Over cooked pasta every day. To much tipping was expected from us. The exchang [... read more]e rate was horrible, on th ebus ride over they said it was gonna be .73 cents per dollar, but at the hotel it was .66 cents per dollar and at a closer bank it was .70 Cents. If i would walk a little further to the city bank it would be .73cents. How the heck is their dollar better than ours? The beach and sun was fantastic. CUBA is a beautiful place to visit. I never expect to eat well when we go so I am not missing anything. We go for the sun and beach.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Wonderful Relaxing Resort

The grounds on this resort are outstanding....the beach is absolutely beautiful!.....staff are very friendly and helpful....food selection is varied...sure to find something for every pallet.....For those wanting more activities or night life....the Bávaro Palace provides that just a short walk away.....Bávaro Beach provides a quiet relaxed environment for adults wanting to just get away and chill out.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: 3 couples, golf and fun

We returned from the resort on Sunday, March 3, 2019. This was our 2nd trip as we went last year too. I have to say we had not one complaint. The staff at this hotel are amazing, you can tell that they are treated well by management as they are happy to work there. Everything from check-in, housekeeping, food, bar service (Luz and Victor at the pool bar) was perfect. A few of the staff even remembered us from last year. We will return next year for sure. The hubbies loved the golf and the [... read more] wives enjoyed the beach. A fabulous vacation overall!

Palma Real: Fun Trip with My Sister

Although I had a great time spending the week with my sister. The resort was nothing to write home about. Extremely dated, and lacked the quality that I thought it would be. Although clean the rooms had holes in the walls and the trim was damaged. The staff was friendly and accommodating.

Palma Real: General resort

As for this hotel the location is awesome close to park beach town markets pharmacy banks car rental scooter rental. As for the rooms it's a bit dated rust an some mould very basic no alcohol in rooms no refills in fridge have to pay for beach towel had some plumbing an hydro issues but expected for an older hotel. Nightly shows very creative the food is good as I'm not one for spicy foods fruits were okay drinks ok didn't do a LA care dinners wasn't advised as to how to book an not always open [... read more]. Pool an swim up bar are great..snack bar was good but very limited. Overall I enjoyed myself an now know wat a 3 star hotel is like an what to expect.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Amazing Resort - Operational Goals Very Suspect

We have enjoyed the Barcelo Maya Resorts four times in the last ten years. We enjoy the beach, the buffets are good and and a la cart are okay. Holidays are for relaxing - our last stay was NOT. Between the PHISH Concert and The HEADBANGERS - Electronic Music (EMD) Concert we were woke up FIVE nights of the nine nights by roady drunk rude concert participants roaming the halls of our building once the performance(s) were over. Multiple calls to front desk to send security were placed each [... read more] of the five nights . I was told by Miranda the PHISH concert was happening after our booking was confirmed - NOT HAPPY. Why would you subject two people in their sixties to this scene. Staff told me that events are booked like this through out the whole season. Trip Central and Barcelo are both suspect in their business dealings in subjecting clients to this scene. The resort was really empty compared to other times we have enjoyed the facilities. I will be posting on trip advisor and writing to both Trip Central Management and Barcelo Mangement about our lousy experience.

Palma Real: Bad resort

Should have taken into account these poor only reviews before booking...We chose it because it was the cheaêst 3* at that time. Should be 1* hotel. Not worth. Never been in such a lousy hotel since I started to go to Cuba 20 years ago. Does not represent Cuban Turism or Cuba.I usually tip but this time not even once. Grounds: sad, mostly concrete. When raining: super slipery. Someone bleeded and it took them forever to remove the blood on the tiles so gross and lazy employees. Public area: [... read more] not fun just one loby, full of people smoking like hell even when you see the no smokin sign. Not enough space for such a big hotel Bedroom: ugly really stains everywhere missing piece of furniture and small!! Though bedroom was clean and no cucarachas or insects. One poor light for the whole bedroom and in order to have air condition I discovered we have to use the breaker No option for A/C just super col or no AC. After complaining a lot they supply a functional fridge. Only one bottle of water for the whole week for 2 people!!! You have to buy them at the depanneur inside the hotel Service: low quality, the maid for our bedroom was kind of rud and needless. So we asked her to stop coming in our room which was not a big deal since she was just placing our bed. Tip : bring your own bathroom towels they only give 2 tiny ones per bedroom!!! Beach: could add some palapas not enough. Really hard to relax when you are surrounded by russian music drunk russians and smokin like hell Food: cuba's quality so no surprise. But I really did not like when cuban were fighting and grabing food at the buffet as if there was a war. Healthy but poorly educated and arrogant for sure. Solution: to go out to some restaurants outside the resort plenty of choice. Snack bar was running out of lunch food at 12h30!!!...Only one little coffee machine at one lobby bar. Anyway will not go back there, neither to Varadero.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great Vacation. Destination

I had brought a first timer toCuba with me on this particular trip and we stayed at this hotel and the results were very positive.The grounds , pool and beach area are pristine and the staff are very accommodating to say the least.The rooms are dated , but were clean and comfortable and the view was spectacular.It is a sprawling resort a joined to another which is accessible as well.Plenty of things to do if you want to and certainly enough quiet private space to just enjoy the climate etc.

Occidental Caribe: beautiful resort

Overall had a great time. Went with daughter and son-in-law, 2 ladies in sixties, another couple and my other half. The grounds are beautiful and you could walk the beach forever in either direction on white sand. The water was warm but had some big waves. All right if you are comfortable in the water. The food was hit or miss but not bad. Sometimes hard to find something to eat at buffet. The a la cartes need to lay off their salt especially the italian which would have been delicious i [... read more]f not for the saltiness. The teppaniki was great and food delicious. Enjoyed the fish and meat a la carte. Ordered the steak and it was delicious and others ordered shrimp which they enjoyed. The mexican restaurant was only available at lunch but I hear it was good. We upgraded to oceanfront by the kiddy pool which I am glad we did as it was noisy by the bar pool especially in early mornings. The resort is a bit tired needing an update but rooms were clean and once figured out toilet workings all good. For the money not bad but will not be going back.