Starfish Varadero,Sunwing and trip central need to stop marketing this resort !!!

Been to Cuba 6 times and seasoned traveler...have always loved Cuba for what it is and our expectations are very reasonable...When every single thing you view in the resort is broken and filthy, I draw the line. I could write an essay on how poor the place is, but more than anything else, when we saw how dirty almost every wall was and the buffet juice dispensers were and just gunge and grime everywhere, we did not want to get sick...Long story short, arriving late at night, after we "thought [... read more]" about breakfast, we went straight to the Sunwing desk and asked for assistance to another resort. We gave her a few of our choices and within a few hours, we only paid $450 ( for both of us ) more to be moved to the Grand Aston. Ida the Sunwing lady was very nice and the move made our trip amazing after that....sorry, but being a little less money for the horrible state of Starfish Varadero, I think it looks bad on anyone to market this place.

50/50 Chance you will love it

Food selection was good. Worst coffee I have had in my life - never hot and tasted like mud. Huge resort with lots of stairs, lots of walking. Limited availability of elevator. Badly lit walkways after dark. Not much to do after dark. TV was all static with few channels. Great beach and pool areas with good music, a canteen and interactive poolside activities

Very disappointing resort overall

Every day we experienced something wrong at this resort. No towels or safe working in our rooms the first night. The toilet ran all night. The bed was very uncomfortable, was like a bunk bed mattress. When we asked to upgrade we were sent to a room with mould and a brown tub. So I guess we would want to go back to our first room ! Games played ! Then we were told at reception, that we could upgrade if we paid cash in American dollars ( because the visa wasn’t working ). Funny because it was  [... read more]working that morning ! Finally we were offered an upgrade with a discount in Canadian dollars for a bungalow( after lengthy conversations with sunwing and client services ). We finally get to our bungalows and my friend’s lock does not work at all so she put a couch against the door ! The next day her air conditioned was leaking and she had cockroaches in her room. My card for my room had to be replaced 6 times because it didn’t work. Then, finally my lock had to be totally replaced too! No ice and out of hot dogs at the snack bar. Dance teachers were not motivating at all. Many staff members were friendly in the buffet area and a la cartes and bars. Beach is beautiful but stay away from this resort. Worst vacation of my life ! Couldn’t wait to get home !

Changed room two times

We were given a room in the main building with three beds, no balcony, no air conditioning, and no flushing toilet. Told to pay 330 USD cash to move to bungalow. Moved to bungalow; unpacked. The air conditioning did not work; waited for repairs. The repairs could not be made, so we moved again the next day. The roof leaked on the rainy days, but fortunately we brought our own towels so we could spread them on the floor to contain water. The beach was awesome. The service is fine if you tip. The  [... read more]food was acceptable. I lost weight and very happy with that. Happy to be home!

Changed room two times

We were given a room in the main building with three beds, no balcony, no air conditioning, and no flushing toilet. Told to pay 330 USD cash to move to bungalow. Moved to bungalow; unpacked. The air conditioning did not work; waited for repairs. The repairs could not be made, so we moved again the next day. The roof leaked on the rainy days, but fortunately we brought our own towels so we could spread them on the floor to contain water. The beach was awesome. The service is fine if you tip. The  [... read more]food was acceptable. I lost weight and very happy with that. Happy to be home!

It was good

The environment was good but the hotel was full of bugs, and other insects and our all body were itching. In the buffet there were cockroach and bugs .The food not good and not enough to eat and no papar toilets. But the workers were amazing and friendly and nice and customer service too.

Don't go.....

The food was all right but the same every day. they ran out of plates and wine. your choice of drinks was wine[bad] rum vodka or beer. Your choice of mix was fanta or sprite. this wasmy 4th year in a row going to Cuba, this was the worst place I have stayed.

Not worth it.

Went to my first room discovered mold the doors didn't lock the toilet was broken and I left my bag on my bed and came back and discovered the cleaning lady rifled through everything. She was a big black lady did not understand English and I confronted her about it and her eyes told me the truth. Went to my next room the following day and it was disgusting. Water and s*** was leaking from the roof in the bathroom. They gave me a hard time for changing my room a third time. So I just endured it.  [... read more]The grounds and the beach were beautiful food was okay. I definitely would not recommend this hotel.

So, so

There is no any security staff or lifeguard on pools, but 3-4 securities and lifeguards are sleeping on the beach Despite "no smoking" signs - people are smoking everywhere and react very hostile on our request not to smoke. Hotel staff absolutely ignorant to enforce a non smoking policy People are smoking inside the pool and dropping cigarettes and ashes into the pool Restaurant staff absolutely do not speak or understand English and thus cannot be an efficient in providing a proper service [... read more] Room - balcony door has broken lock, sink was clogged, bathroom door could not open and close properly - stuck onto the floor Elevators has no proper signage and very confusing, because you cannot figure out a correct button

Nice resort

It was ok for the price I paid. The food was not good at all . My room was ok,although the washroom ,had difficulties. I was considered lucky. The entertainment was pretty poor. And the sports room,was so I'll equipped. I even had a fall,with a wet floor. The bars had a very poor selection and no coke for a national drink " Havana Libre.".

Resort is ok

Clean good service Cuban way everything is slow but that’s is the way they work ajust to they way and everything else is fine don’t try your way respect the people who work to the resort the beach is amazing everybody is so friendly they try to help you have a nice holiday enjoy if you don’t like anything just go to front desk and they will give you some good information about the problem enjoy because Cuba is good

Great resort

The food isgood. The staff are friendly and helpful. Rooms are clean. I will return this is my 7th time. Pool was clean grounds are nice. Beautiful beach . BBQ near the beach is amazing. Lots of mixed drinks and good snacks at pool bar

Great place

All was good for the price Nothing can beat it Staff very friendly Amazing beach For those on a diet best place to loose weight Just basic food like the rest of the people in world Will go back.anytime soon .

Great for the Price

We booked this resort last minute as we needed the beach and this did not disappoint. The grounds are beautiful and mature. We stayed in a bungalow and loved the location close to the beach. As it was a low occupancy week (thus the price) the chairs at the pool and on the beach were plentiful. I think we had the best stretch of beach compared to surrounding resorts. As this was Cuba there were limited selections at the buffet, often no ice at the bar and basically only rum most times. There was  [... read more]one buffet and a snack bar at the pool. We went to the other 'quiet' pool which was empty and had it to ourselves when we needed a beach break. Staff were fantastic and made the vacation.

Resort is ok

I got good room got everything good food was ok place was ok they run out off sugar is Cuba beach was 11 the bar on the beach was 11 towels lady was 11 the beach was excellent clean hotel but old nice

Great place

Clean grounds food was good. Hotel staff were very nice. Front desk extremely helpful. Had a great time will return. Beautiful beach and bar at beach. Bungalows are absolutely beautiful. My second time love it

Beautiful Resort

Beautiful Resort. Manicured grounds and beach. Well maintained pools and jacuzzi. Clean spacious rooms excellent a la carte restaurants and buffet with vast variety of foods. Friendly and courteous professional staff Excellent entertainment for all ages… Truly A Great Experience

Vacation

We recently returned from a stay at this resort in Cuba and had a mixed experience overall. The beach was by far the highlight—stunning white sand, clear turquoise water, and plenty of space to relax. The resort grounds were clean and peaceful. We stayed in a garden view room, which was quiet but quite a walk from the main areas. Since I don’t like using elevators, getting to and from the room involved several flights of stairs, which became tiring. The food was okay. The buffet and snack bar [... read more] were the only regular dining options available during our stay, as the other restaurants weren’t open. We did try one of the à la carte restaurants, and the food and service there were excellent. It would’ve been nice to have more variety throughout the week. Unfortunately, I experienced food poisoning during the trip and felt unwell for several days, which made it difficult to fully enjoy the vacation. I wasn’t able to eat much, and it was challenging to recover—especially since food couldn’t be brought back to the room. Despite that, we still managed to have a good time, and the beautiful beach definitely made the trip memorable.

Fantastic time!

We just returned from a wonderful stay at Starfish Varadero. We were very mindful of the shortages and challenges currently facing Cuba, so went with a sense of adventure. What we discovered was a huge bungalow, with amenities to suit all of our family. Plentiful and varied food, with something for everyone, both traditional Cuban fare and more North American options than we expected. We certainly ate well! Check out Milans for a finer dining option. The staff were welcoming, and we really conn [... read more]ected with a man on the entertainment team, Neslon. There was always something to do or see, and we were happily alternating between activities and relaxing. The beach is stellar, clean and well maintained, with water sports available. The drinks flowed and we were always able to access water. The resort as a whole was quite well maintained, and it was evident that a lot of work goes in to maintaining the grounds. We had an amazing time at this budget friendly resort, and would be delighted to return.

Good resort for the price

This hotel was a good bang for the buck. The grounds were well maintained and looked after. The staff were friendly, with or without a tip and I found that the staff in the buffet were exceptionally attentive especially with the crap they deal with from rude tourists. I found that nothing was lacking with regard to food, water and electricity. We had a superior room which was fine....nothing extravagant but had a nice bathroom, great mattresses, working tv and fridge and a balcony. The  [... read more]only downside is that the elevator was out of order most days. The only thing I would do different is book a bungalow next time ....closer to beach, own eating area and less steps. Overall, we were very pleased with our $800 vacation.