The staff is lovely but unfortunately the management doesn’t have a system in place to provide an adequate guest experience. Came here for our honeymoon and it was underwhelming. We know the country is going through a very difficult time and has limited resources so we didn’t come with high expectations but we were shocked when meat would run out so quickly at dinner and there was no phone in our room to contact concierge and no way of knowing if someone was coming to fix anything we requested. Everything was a guessing game. We had to ask for water bottles many times since there would not be one in our room like was promised some days, our screen door to the balcony was ripped so we couldn’t enjoy the fresh air unless we wanted mosquitoes in our room. I tripped on the misaligned floor many times going to the lobby (you could put a bright colored tape on the elevated portion so it’s more visible). Our bath towels were never changed for our entire 7 day stay even when we put them on the ground, they were just put back up on the hook and I knew it wasn’t a new towel because some of my make up from earlier would still be on it. If you tipped the staff well every time for everything you could get great service but if you didn’t it was 50/50 on the quality of the service. Now for the good - The beach was beautiful and the pool was relaxing and had lots of activities to do (tennis, ping pong, massages, gym, dancing). The shows they put on were lots of fun and the grounds are great to go for a walk, felt very safe. I hope the new management takes these criticisms to heart and changes things so the next visitors can get a better all inclusive 5 start experience like it claims to be because this felt more like a 2 start experience. Had to do a lot of asking for things to be fixed, had to book a la carte so far in advance that we never got a chance to enjoy it. The people were kind but I wouldn’t come back to stay at this resort. Wishing this establishment the best.

Our stay was very pleasant, loved the coffee shop on the premises!!! Hop on hop off bus is right outside of the hotel and passes every 30 minutes✔️very convenient way to visit Veradaro city centre. Beach was amazing!

The grounds/landscaping are really beautiful, both main pool and Alegance pool are well maintained with lots of chairs. As regular ( 2X per year) visitors to Cuba we look forward to the beaches, the beaches at this property we're very rocky, narrow, drop to water into a line of sharp shells, dirty old lounge chairs, we spent no time at beach. We upgraded to Alegance, unfortunately Alegance restaurant was closed for renovations, so all our meals were supposed to be at Caleta restaurant where your "butler" had to make daily reservations; our butler was always missing, so we had to beg the staff in restaurant to book us in. Caleta had the exact same menu all week, which got rather tiresome. We did try the buffet in main resort a few times, but probably the worst food we've had in 10 years of visiting Cuba. Mike's Coffee Bar was the highlight of our day, the cappuccino were excellent .None of specialty restaurants were open/available. Some decent music was provided after dinner by lobby bar, there was a magician in the theatre one night. The rooms were cleaned daily, comfy beds, lots of water, pop, beer in fridge. Lunch in 24 hr snack bar near beach was always good, but repetitive.

THE GOOD - Hotel Staff and workers are absolutely wonderful THE BAD - Unfortunately they cannot give you what they don't have THE UGLY - Three Rooms in Two Days, (Gave Up) - Everything Else, The rooms are lacking any degree of maintenance or repair - Same Food Menu regardless which Specialty Restaurants they decide to open on any given night - King Bed, Queen or Full sheets and Blanket - Walkway Lights are missing light bulbs (Guests removed them for their Room lights) - The Absolute worst Food anywhere in Cuba, even the Cats walked away from it. - All 3 Golf Carts were broken down requiring replacement Batteries.... They borrowed one from the Neighboring Resort. This Resort has been SOLD to A Russian Company which explains whey everything is broken and in Short or no-existent supply

The grounds were very unkept. Overgrown grass and un weeded at more than half the resort. Large holes and exposed pluming in the ground in multiple locations. With the smell of sewage through out. Buffet for dinner was only open one night a week. We were a party of 7 and the majority of the rooms had broken items. Broken beds. Safes don’t lock. Shower doors that wouldn’t close.. block 36 had no hot water at all.. the list is longer. They claim this place is 5 star. I’m not sure we’d give it a 3. The staff was ok. Most were not very pleasant. The lady who cooked the eggs in the morning deserves a raise. The nicest and happiest person on that resort. I’d recommend a different resort..

It was very clean. The beaches were nice but lots of mosquitoes. Food was hit and miss as the supply was scarce. The people were friendly and always ready to help put but very laid back. They served same food everyday, basa fish, pork and chicken or pasta.

Overall El Patricicia hotel, the location, food , employees, rooms were second to none, I have already recommended friends to your establishment. Almost forgotten to add the hotel cleaners also done a great service by providing clean bedding, and keeping the bathroom areas in top shape.

My husband and I went to Valentin El Patriarca, September 1st to 8th, 2025. We ended up with a free upgraded room to the Deluxe Alegance (yes it's spelled that way) section room 4514, totally awesome, right outside the door is the pool for that section with a bar. Although this was a slow time for the resort as it is being renovated, the food was very tasteful, we did not get buffet, all lunches and dinner are a la carte, yes there's a shortage of food in Cuba, but let me tell you this resort you did not go hungry, the food was delicious and filling. Water bottles are placed in the room everyday and the maid is tidying up everyday. If you get this section please ask the lady at the restaurant for your bottle of free Rum she will get it to your room. The Alegance section has a restaurant right out your door and they take orders for breakfast also lunch and dinner, yes there's eggs. The beach's just gorgeous, warm water to swim. The resort and pools all clean everywhere, all open, all bars open with one at the beach. Beautiful lobby with bar and a coffee shop that's just fabulous, a must have coffee there everyday. The lawn and flowers well manicured. Someone to give us fresh coconuts everyday, that was a must for us, tips please for everyone, it's much appreciated. And I cannot stress enough please do not leave any coins as it's not accepted at their banks, so the employees cannot exchange it's just a waste. Please exchange all Canadian money to US dollars (dollar bills), that is totally accepted everywhere. Americans are not welcomed (have to travel from another country first) but their money is. One night they take you and your family (Over 16 years old) and bus you all off into another location for a party if you wish to stay for the party or just eat and and then get on the bus, any bus just tell them your resort and they will take you back when needed, yes it's all very safe. Security guards on the resort day and night also lifeguard on duty. They don't let anyone try to sell you anything on the beach, not allowed at this resort. I highly recommend this resort to everyone (16 and over), you will not regret it.

I can honestly say , the only thing good about the resort was the beach , the buffet was closed , the cigar lounge was closed, the disco was closed , they had one restaurant for the whole resort and only served chicken, pork or fish every day the same thing , lobby bar closing at 10:30 pm , hardly any entertainment. Got there and gave us room with 2 beds when we are a couple, had to fight for a room , stayed at elegance side a bottle of rum was supposed to be given , never got it , only Yamila and Roxanne were of help and upgraded to a better room , a far from that , terrible experience.......

A very good resort... personnel were very attentive ... beautiful beach. Good food on all the restaurants and great service overall. Recommend it... for someone that likes to be in a private secluded resort ... get the Alegance previlege... its really great

4star hotel with No food or bad food. all inclusive hotel with no food.No bread No snack No buffe only 2 order a day lunch and diner the same food fish and rice or chicken and rice, 2 star hotel would have beter food ,we are starving in that hotel shame of this hotel, no other discation

We stayed in the Alegance section from April 3-10. Staff is wonderful! Beach is awesome!!! We met great folks and enjoyed our stay. We ate 3 meals a day and were served with smiles and kindness. Locals have only 2 hours of electricity a day at their homes yet they come to work to serve guests. We swam in the ocean and the pool so having no hot water while the solar station was being repaired was not a big deal! Drinks were plentiful and cold, towels were changed often. Cuba is suffering these days. Be patient and kind!!! Bring medicine and personal items to distribute. We will be back!!!!

We went last minute and were very satisfied with our resort.We went understanding the shortages Cuba is experiencing and were fine with everything.Would have preferred a little more variety at the a la cartes but staff was always amazing and loved the entertainment.Will be back!

The grounds were beautiful and so well kept with all the gardeners. The food was fabulous, always plenty of fresh fish fruits, meats and desserts were fabulous! I would highly recommend this hotel. It is only rated as a 3.5 star but really and truly it should be a 5 star. No complaints from me at all!!! I plan on going back to this same place in the future. This was my 5th time to travel to Cuba and this was by far my favorite resort. Everyone one so friendly and Christian Reese the new manager was amazing!!! Room service everyday and clean. We actually had toilet paper delivered when needed also which is a shortage there! (LOL) I also felt very safe there. They had security everywhere.

I needed a restful vacation to relax and destress and this was the perfect place. I did not want to leave. The beach is beautiful, the food was nice and the workers were friendly. I enjoyed the entertainment; especially the guitar player and the saxophonist.

Considering the economic situation in Cuba right now, and many complaints from visitors, the staff remain in such high spirits, and are doing their best with what they have. Low on supplies, including toilet paper, and some amenities need repairing in hotel rooms, such as shower heads. But the staff and breathtaking beach makes up for it.

The hotel itself was beautiful, the rooms were I’d say an eight out of 10. As a single guest I had two bathrooms, two separate showers one giant bed, I really didn’t need that much for one person.There was no hot water in my room , Alegance , for 4 days. The staff were amazing and very friendly. The buffet had a good variety, but certainly could’ve been hotter food. There were plenty of drinks, although they did not have vodka or orange juice. The grounds were very beautiful. The two pools were very well-maintained. The snack bar near the beach was very nice, but they certainly could’ve used some music piping through the whole time. The drinks were very strong But very good. All in all I would recommend it but personally, I would’ve preferred a little more excitement and a little more nightlife. There was a disco that started at 10:30 but by that time there weren’t too many people there. There was entertainment in the lobby from approximately eight till 10, the guests were just getting a good buzz and enjoying the evening when the entertainment was done at 10 o’clock, it certainly could’ve gone on longer. All in all, I would recommend it if you want a lower key vacation. The staff was amazing. We brought lots of gifts and we tipped well and they were very appreciative.

Hotel staff was helpful, friendly, and always smiling. The beach is awesome and swimming in the ocean was a highlight of the trip. Room was big and soundproof with a comfortable bed and a second bathroom. Food was good considering the shortages they were dealing with. Grounds were well kept. Excellent value for the money. Kayaking was included and the sailboat ride to swim with the fish was well worth it. Get the video and pictures if the camera guy is there.

Unfortunately, my experience at this hotel was disappointing. The service was below expectations, cleanliness was lacking, and there was a clear lack of attention to guest comfort. I wouldn't recommend staying here unless improvements are made

let me start by saying that i have been vacationing in cuba for the past 20 yrs and understand what to expect from Cuba service/food/hotel. i have never written a review as most places were acceptable. for this time around, i can not stay silent and have other customers suffer like we did. this is a horrible hotel that has no food to offer, three quarters of the resort was closed. when i complained, i was told this is cuba after covid as well as august is a low season. when i went to other resorts they were fully booked and sold out, and they had all types of food that was not being served at this resort. please don't be fooled with the reviews in june and july...i truly believe that they were fake.

Starting with the beach it was awesome!! This is the reason we travel to Cuba. Food was very repetitive at this resort, although we did not starve the a la cartes all offered the same menu options (chicken,fish or pork) that is pretty much what we ate all week for dinner. Beach snack var had hamburgers, ham and cheese, pasta, hot dogs. Coffee was hit and miss, ran out some days also beer. We were booked in the Alegance section so didn't have any issues in that area with drinks. No shows at the theater at night, there was some entertainment in the lobby every evening (singer,sax player, band) The hotel seemed to be in its low season as there were not many guests the week we were there, maybe 100 total. That could be the reason for the lack of food options and entertainment. No activities at the beach or pool areas during the day. All in all it was a relaxing vacation, not sure I would return to this resort unless it was a super great deal $$ to go.

This resort is the perfect get away for me. It has delicious foods, friendly customer service, clean rooms, friendly and cheerful cleaners, waiters and waitresses are very down to earth superb specially at Alegance ( I’ll give these people two thumbs up for their services), gardeners are friendly as well and greet you “Ola” all the time.

Rooms were very filthy, VERY poor mattress, feels like I slept on springs the whole week . They would NOT give us water everyday in the room. They did not change the sheets the whole week. They did not give us new shower towels everyday. Beaches were awesome and coffee also. Food was awful. No butter At all.

This hotel is a five star resort that has expansive grounds covered with lush mature foliage. It is so beautiful and well kept. The layout is really good with the pools in the center and all the buildings encircling the pools. The beach is very natural and flanked by trees all around. It's beautiful but you can only see it when you are on it because there are so many trees. That being said, there are no ocean view rooms on this resort, you can't see the ocean for the trees. We booked ocean view and got a pool view which was fine. If you want a beautiful ocean view you won't get that here. Anywhere. We booked ALEGANCE and it was certainly worth the upgrade. Our first night there were no ALEGANCE rooms available so they put us in a regular room. It was large with a kings size bed, bathroom with tub and shower. The bed was not very comfy and we both slept poorly on it. The shower had good pressure and the was lots of hot water. Only 2 towels were provided in this room so you had to use your own pool towel. There is no towel exchange at this hotel. The next day we went to our ALEGANCE room and it was wonderful. 2 bathrooms a separate living room with flat screen and sofa. The private bedroom had a king size soft comfy bed and a patio that led out to the grounds and pool. Really nice. The bathroom had a 6 foot soaker tub and a walk in shower. There was never an issue with hot water or pressure, everything worked as it should. The AC was nice and cold and worked well. We got 4 towels in this room so we were able to use 2 at the pool and 2 for showering. They only changed the towels 1 time when we left them in the tub otherwise they were just hung to dry. The room was really clean and we only had 1 cockroach and 1 gecko in our room all week. There are several restaurants as well as the main buffet all with limited menus due to the food shortages. The food they do have is well cooked and well presented, but the lack of variety is notable everywhere. The liquor is also in shortage. They can offer only rum and beer at most of the bars. The lack of bailey's or rum cream for coffee was a real let down. There are no liquors available and you have to make due with rum or beer pretty much. I will say they did have red and white wine at the restaurants. The food shortages is highly apparent, there was no butter at all, they gave Mayo instead if you asked. No potatoes, no fries at the buffet, no pancakes, waffles, very limited vegetables mainly carrots, cabbage, and cucumber. One day they had tomatoes and 1 day lettuce. It is known by most that you don't go to Cuba for the food but this was the worst I have ever seen it. The main pool is large freeform with a swim up bar. It is 3 feet deep or less around the outside. It was green and got worse til they had to red flag it and close it for health reasons. They finally added some chlorine and cleaned it and it finally went beautiful blue. We just stayed out and swam at the allegiance section because the pool there was clean all week. All in all a good week. I would definitely go back to this resort in the allegiance section but not until the food and liquor shortages are over.

The place was beautiful, with a great beach and spacious rooms, and the staff was very friendly. However, a couple of details were not pleasant. One issue that did affect my stay was the malfunctioning washroom light. While it wasn't a problem during the day, thanks to the ample sunlight, it became a significant inconvenience at night. I found myself resorting to using my cellphone flashlight just to take a shower. Several nights, we tried to have food in the snack bar that was supposed to be open 24 hours, but we got the "we ran out of" reply. At some point there was just no food at all. The Gastronomy restaurants were a hustle to get a booking, We arrived at 11:30 am to the resort and when we asked, we were told that the reservations were done between 9am and 11 am, the next day when we stopped by to make the reservation, the availability was for the day after, (our last night). When we visited the restaurant, the menu had 12 items, but only 3 of the 12 were actually available. And at last THE POOL WAS NOT AVAILABLE

The management of this place is absolutely ridiculous, we arrived at 12 pm and our rooms were not ready untill 7:30 PM. The pool was off for the whole 4 days we were there, the water was green you couldn't see the floor on it. The beds did not have sheets after we asked for it they brought sheets that had yellow stains on them, this is not a 5 starts hotel at all, I will give a 2 if anything.

We really liked the way the resort was set out, with small, two-storey buildings in well maintained grounds. Lots of flowering shrubs and trees. Our room was lovely and clean, and the housekeepers made sure that we had everything we wanted. The pool was great, the beach was sandy and fabulous. Lounge chairs were in demand, however. Get there early! We enjoyed the omelets at breakfast, with plenty of fruit available.There were line-ups for coffee in the morning, but the coffee was worth it. We found the fresh fish and chicken options the best choices for lunch and dinner. The staff are friendly and helpful, and made our visit really enjoyable.

We did not check in on time, they made us wait for 2 hours,room was not what we asked, no clean bedsheets/towels, no toilet paper, room lock cards did not work at all times. The staff at the hotel was rude, did not want to cooperate at all.

So we got off to a bumpy start on the day we arrived. I had paid for the upgrade to the Alegance section of the resort,having been to the resort 3 time previously I knew the section and were definitely not in the adults only section. Our first room had many deficiencies too many to list. We slept in the room we were given but I got no sleep that night. The following day we went to the concierge in Alegance and she was amazing, her name is Jolie. By 2 pm that day we were given a room in that section. Had it not been for Jolie our vacation would have been ruined. The Alegance section service and food were great. The grounds were well maintained and the weather was perfect. I will return to this resort, Valentin El Patriarca however I will be asking for confirmation prior the leaving of the section requested. All in all we had a great time, made new friends, and came home relaxed and our tanks were full. J. Harwood

This hotel is possibly the worse place we have ever stayed. They ran out of everything, except for the alegance part, they had food and alcohol.. 23 chairs around the pool for the guests. Not nearly enough. Guests were stuck sitting or laying on towels on the concrete. Rooms had no ac, fridges that even when turned way down froze anything put in it. Beds were uncomfortable and there were no clean towels or toilet paper most of our stay. The rooms were cleaned once in awhile. They were short staffed all over the resort. The staff in the buffet ignored guests requests for basics like water, utensils, glasses etc. We arrived at 10 am and knowing ahead of time that our room wouldn't be ready till 4, we relaxed and waited, and waited and waited. We didn't get our rooms till 730 at night. We were exhausted. There was no explanation given. The WIFI will cut out continuely and you will gave to sign back in each and every time. The beach! This is possibly the worse part of the hotel. It's almost non existent. What there is, is on a slant, to the left is full of coral and to the right is covered in seaweed. It was never once cleaned. It certainly doesn't stand up to the standards of Varadero Beach. The activities people aren't around much. Neither are the gardeners. The grass was crazy long and the blossoms from the flowering trees were left to lay on sidewalks the entire time we were there. No one bothered to clean up at all. This hotel is gorgeous, the grounds are lovely and it is the only reason I'd give this resort a 1 star. Even the coffee bar ran out of coffee more times than we could count. We all understand the shortage issues and we were ready to accept these problems. But when part of the resort has eggs, bacon, cheese, vodka etc, and the other part doesn't? Then shortages aren't the problem. Other guests at other resorts reported no shortages at all. My husband had to go behind the grill one morning to heat up his cold food (i ate toast every morning), not a single employee stopped him, in fact, one of them told him rather than reaching over, just walk around. I was sure he was going to get into trouble, but after waiting over 45 minutes (and constantly being told "uno momento), his patience ran out and he took matters into his own hands. His breakfast that morning was finally hot. The buffet was just sparce and cold. We've been to Cuba over 40 times . We started traveling there in the 80's. Before Cuba was a real tourist attraction. This hotel doesn't even come close to those days...back in the 80's Cuba was just learning the tourist trade. Save your money, or spend it elsewhere. Stay away from this resort.

Literally no food, no sheets,no towels,not enough beach or pool chairs, people reserve their chairs in the middle of the night. Terrible service as well. The only good thing was the wheather. I will never go back to that place. If anyone wants to go because of the low price take with you food,towels and sheets.

The hotel was ok to look at. A bit run down in room. Food was awful. Staff were racist to black people. Felt like I wasted my money. Never going back. The check-in was really bad. They didnt give us the wifi info. AC stopped working 2 days in. No white towels. Had to ask for clean towels and water 5 days in

We were extremely pleased with the resort, the staff, the location and the food. Though the rooms were a bit tired looking especially the bathroom, they were kept clean, and were spacious and comfortable. No issues with bugs. A spider got in once and a few pesky flies that bit me (but not my husband) as we left the window in the bathroom open, and it had no screen. Nice sliding/screen door leading to a porch or patio if on the 2nd floor. Room service came daily to make the beds. The bath towels were replaced once on our 10 day stay. The beach towels were huge and plush. We did not run out of toilet paper or bottled water in our room. The common washrooms occasionally ran out of tp but I always had tissue on me in case. On any day trips we took, we needed to bring tissues with us, and to pay the attendant for some toilet paper (they expect a tip either way for keeping the washroom clean). I had read up a lot before we went to Cuba on the food shortages and lack of tasty food. The food far exceeded what we expected. The a la carte restaurants were fabulous. I stuck to fish for most of my meals and it was extremely tasty. My husband had fish, chicken and beef. His only complaint about the food was that it was often cold. Some of the buffet food was not great but there were also some very good options. They had a few grilling stations which were very popular. The bread and cheese were so good and available at every buffet meal. It was open 3 times a day: 6am-10:30am. 1-3pm and 6-10:30pm. You need to sign up for your three a la cart meals starting Monday between 8am-12pm. The sign-up is available Mon-Fri but not many spots left after Mon. The snack bar by the pool was great. It was pretty much open 24 hrs. It offered simple meals: sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers etc... Ranchon was an amazing lunch restaurant near the beach that was open from 12:30-3pm daily. This restaurant offered an app, main course and dessert as did the all the a la cartes. Coffee was available at Mikes coffee bar, the main lobby bar and the snack bar. Mikes offered amazing coffee choice. The resort ran out of coffee grounds for a couple of days but offered an instant substitute that most people thought was good. There was plenty of beer, rum, tequila and whisky. Wine was hard to come by and vodka was only offered in the piano bar. The staff was amazing. They were helpful, cheerful, pleasant, positive etc... They appreciated all the extras were brought with us. The store shelves are pretty bare. We were glad that we brough a 50 lbs duffle bag full of items to give out to these wonderful people. We also left some of our personal items and all our remaining sunscreen, bug spray(a must) and medicine. The beach of course was amazing. To the left it was rocky (you need to have footwear for the first 10 mins if you go for a beach walk) but to the right it was the typical endless sandy beach. We had heard that beach and pool lounges were hard to come by. This is correct. If you want a lounge chair by the pool you need to be up by 7am and reserve with your towel. If you got the beach by 8:30am, you could usually find a few open lounges. The most annoying part is the guests who put towels on lounges and don't show up until the end of the day to retrieve their towels. Very selfish.

The Valentin El Patriarca Varadero is okay and they DO try hard to make your stay pleasurable. It's not their fault that they have so many shortages. I realized during our stay that I am a bit of a food snob and I also have high standards with regards to hygiene. We stayed for 2 weeks and never once had our sheets or towels washed which was disappointing. The selection of food at the buffet is amazing however, food items you expect to be hot (or at least warm) are only room temperature which may be okay for some people but personally, I like my hot food to be hot. We had our share of challenges with the wifi and for sure we were never able to connect in our room so just be aware of this. Our shower door was poorly fitted and every time we used the shower, we had a flood on our bathroom floor. The pool area is amazing but you can never get a lounger around the pool OR on the ocean. The pool bar/restaurant is great with great food and drinks and sadly, as a result of the shortages of loungers and chairs, guests take the chair from the restaurant out around the pool so finding a table with chairs to enjoy lunch is often a challenge. Great people and they try very hard. Al A Cart Restaurants are good (except The Gourmet with chairs that are not very clean and actually smell, plus the food is not desirable) but the other's are good. Night shows are fun and evening music, entertainment in the lounge is enjoyable too.

This hotel has sadly seen better days. The grounds are beautifully kept by hardworking staff, but so much else needs to be updated. They were repairing one of the bridges at the main pool, but it was slow going, partly due to the weather. My room, which was in the Privilege section was spacious and clean with a comfortable bed, but the curtains would not close properly and the thermostat was hanging by a wire. AC was not needed as it was cool during my stay but it did work. The staff work so hard to keep up, but at the beach restaurant it was so busy during lunch that many people walked out without eating. There were no eggs, no yogurt, no butter, no fresh vegetables and very little fruit, but you won’t starve as there was plenty of fish and meats like chicken and pork. There were so few loungers by the main pool that fights broke out over reserving the chairs. The Privilege section pool got all new loungers which were great. I would say it was worth it to pay a little more to stay in the Privilege section, but you still have to go with an open mind when it comes to the shortages in Cuba.

Stayed a week, end Jan into Feb. We enjoyed our stay, room was nice AC worked, good shower. Beach is amazing, go early in the morning to put your towels on a chair to make sure you get one. Make sure to put Teatree oil in all your body wash, shampoo conditioner and make a spray bottle with vodka and tea tree oil to spray from your kneecaps down every morning and night. This will help with the sand fleas and mosquitoes. We never had any, but some people did. Yes, they did run out of pop for mix and the food is not the best. We always found something to eat and drink. There was a coffee bar that served amazing hot and cold coffees.. I always bring a bottle of Baileys, and I really didn’t need it this trip. I would return, but would paid the extra to book to /privilege. I tried to upgrade once we arrived, the cost was $60 US a night and they didn’t have anything available when we arrived so we didn’t bother. With the status you have your own pool bar and apparently they have better selection and a Restaurant that people said had better selection.

Medium size resort. Quite clean pretty good entertainment at night Excellent pool. Excellent coffee bar for liqueur in coffee Not impressed with food but Cuba is not a good place for good food Front desk staff spoke little English Habana and Veradero day trips were excellent. Overall for the price it is a good deal

The personnel assigned to the Alegance section of the resort was amazing!!! Caring, attentive and helpful resolving issues, if any. A private pool, bar and restaurant make a big difference if you're looking to escape big crowds and loud animation! Note : The following star rating will be relevant solely on the Alegance option.

Patriarca Varadero, about 20 minutes by taxi from Varadero, 40 Valentin Patriarca, Varadero about 20 min by taxi $20 or 40 minutes by open top bus, 5$ US credit card only. The resort, like all others in the area are about 40 years old, so the buildings, rooms are dated. We stayed in the Elegance section upgrade, private pool for about 60 units or so. Separate restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner or other choices, 3 or 4 courses, plus as many ala cartes, choice of 5. The resort, though dated and in need of some maintenance that they are working on.. The place is clean, the grounds are beautiful, ocean was close, beach nice. Service was great everywhere, people are great, 2 weeks which IMHO is why Cuba is special and you overlook the shortages or shortcomings. Everything they had was well presented. You don't go hungry or thirsty.

When we arrived to the resort and our room we found the bath tab was out of order, no towels at all, the telephone set was out of order. Room was dark, not enough lights. Only two bath towers we got on the next day, and it never have changed during all two weeks of our stay. Hand towels they just don't have. The food was poor, include buffet and all of a la carte. There is even no tea spoons and your ice cream one had to eat using table spoon, if there was luck to get it or may be by finger. Also there were mosquito. Cuba became less comfortable and more poor since our last visit 7 years ago.

First time staying at this resort and it was great. Great staff, very clean, rooms were great and maid service was supper. Grounds very nice. Supper beach that you can walk for miles and miles. Beach bar folks very nice and polite. Great entertainment. Great pool staff. Overall, supper place to be.

What a great resort! The staff and the beach were both amazing.! Even the food was great! We were not expecting much in the way of food since we knew Cuba was suffering from shortages. However, that wasn’t the case at all. This resort allows unlimited à la carts… And they were awesome.! We will be back forsure. We have been to Cuba probably 15 times and this resort might be our favourite.

This was low season (early November) and we loved the serenity and the staff. We upgraded to the Alegance which gave us a quiet pool, separate restaurant and bar. Well worth the money. Rooms were clean, staff were helpful and friendly. Entertainment in the lobby at night was amazing. Our meals in the Alegance restaurant were great. The other restaurants were just ok but menus similar. Cuba is not known for cuisine but always fresh bread, cold beer and drinks and smiles all round!

For my first time ever going on a plane and resort this was perfect. No complaints except for the food wasn’t to its best. The staff amazing. We had an issue with booking of the room but it was solved the next day. Couldn’t ask for better service. If you get to go to this place. Try out Mikes cafe near the lobby. The staff there are amazing. Frozen cappuccino are the best. I so recommend this place.

We had a great stay at this place, very nice staff and food was good, in season fruits and salads The beach and pools were clean and very enjoyable, the rooms were clean and had AC, overall it was a very nice stay

I was not happy with the room we were assigned to. The lower part of the wooden entrance door was decaying (probably water damaged) and the entire door was in dire need of painting. I wanted to ask for a change in room. My husband encouraged me to not so we try to look beyond that and focus on other things. Needless to say every time I had to enter the room seeing that door left me with an unpleasant feeling. The room itself and bathroom needed so updating also but was not a big issue. Warm water was available in the bathroom which was great The food was ok (six out of 10). Entertainment was great, the staff were professional and friendly. They made one feel welcome which made up for the negative issues.

Very organized and on time the tours. Very clean!! People very friendly and polite A pleasure to walk around the area I loved the shower outside right after coming from the beach 😊. Food great. Love the small restaurant. It made the dinner special 👏

Worst resort ever! So many mosquitos and bug bites in beds, every room. The key doesnt work, safe doesnt work - food was horrible in every restairant. Absolute worstttt Staff was worst and not helpful. Tripcentral with the worst recommendation - Manuella made this recommendation. Worst ever.

The hotel was nothing special. Pool and beach was very nice but that bar weren’t. Barely any drinks to pick from and a lot of them taste the same. The food was 5/10 served the same stuff almost everyday at the buffet but the restaurants that you needed reservations too were pretty decent. The buffet was also covered in cockroaches near the food and they would run across your table. I found that a lot of the staff new barley any English and they weren’t all that friendly. As soon as we got to our room the bathroom had bugs and ants everywhere so we had to request a new room. Our new room was better but we couldn’t leave any sort of snacks out, plates or drinks because the ants kept getting to them.

Shame on TripCentral rating this resort as a 4+, this is nowhere near a 4+. More like a 2+. First we've been down south approx. 20 times. 10 times to Varadero, I even got married there. And this is by far the worst experience we've had. I'm going to try and keep this light because I don't want to be too critical. If you are into intermediate fasting and are concerned about going to an all inclusive resort don't worry this resort has you covered. Because for breakfast don't expect eggs, bread or milk. Yes what you ate the evening before is what is on the menu. Eggs and bread in the morning was a surprise some mornings until they ran out. So if you are into fasting, great for you, breakfast is not even an option. If you are into ice baths and are worried about taking a nice hot shower. Again no worries this resort has you covered. Cold showers are on the menu here. Yes no hot water. If you are watching your weight and are thinking maybe I will indulge too much sweets at an all inclusive resort. Then this is the resort for you. One evening dinner the only thing they had for sweets was apples. Yes apples. Some had chocolate syrup on them. So when you are doing your groceries and are thinking of what to get for dessert tonight and apples is the first thing that comes to mind book at this resort. If you are a heavy beer drinker and think an all inclusive resort just might be too much for your liver. Don't worry this place has got you covered. Yes most days they either didn't have any beer at all or would run out during the day. Nothing like being on a nice hot beach thinking of the nice cold beer you would love to have. Peachy. If you are allergic to chicken. This is the resort for you. Our second week they had no chicken. Pork, mince meat some fish and always pasta was on the menu. We lived on pork, white rice and potatoes for a week. If you like watching the discovery channel about animals and the survival of the fittest. This is the place for you. There are cats at the resort. For three days my wife and I stopped to watch a little kitten play by the main buffet. On the third day after watching the kitten for a minute or so we started walking away just to encounter a pack of wild dogs. I won't go into details it was pretty gruesome. Lets just say the kitten didn't make it and my wife was mortified. If you are more of a beach person. That's good because we didn't use the pool on our second week for reasons I will not write here. "I don't think they would post my review if I did" The pool needs to be sanitized. No joke. If you don't like the shade and just want to fry in the sun. Wow this is the place for you. If you want shade, a 6 am alarm is what you will need. There are not enough chairs and shade at the beach or at the pool. And to the people who reserve chairs in the shade in the morning to only show up at 3 pm...... Shame on you. Selfish. If activities are not for you. Again resort for you. Pool table but no cues or balls. Ping pong table, no pallets or balls. Tennis courts have no rackets or balls. There is a spa but no water in the spa tub. Maybe you can get a message if someone is around. There is a gym that we use every morning. Nothing great but it did the job for us. The floor of the gym got swept once in two weeks. Most of the staff are stone faced. Maybe 20% still have a smile and a little pep in their step but most of them have checked out and are just going through the motions. The most upbeat personnel are the gardeners. And they are doing a great job. Bugs are everywhere. This place needs a lot of work. The list goes on but I think that is enough for the resort. This was a two week vacation and after the third day I wanted to go home. The cherry on top was our ride back to the airport. Getting on the bus thinking we have a 30 minute drive to the airport, just to find out, with no warning, we have a 3 hour drive to Havana airport instead. To make things interesting we got a flat on our bus in the middle of nowhere. Stuck on the side of the road it finally took three other buses to get us to the airport. We are finally home and I'm sad to say, I will never return to this resort and probably not to Cuba for a long time.

I will say good things first....neat and well kept grounds,beach was amazing,pool mainly well kept. Now the bad,no hot water the whole time we were there despite calling daily sometimes 3x.Had towels exchanged 1 time and had to ask.sheets never changed,2 adults and hot weather needs sheet changes.Buffet was typical except the piece of glass my husband chewed on. Would I go back?NEVER

We visited the hotel for the second time. / first Nov 2019/ and we are very disappointed from the service, food. We arrived at midnight- no water in the room ,flooding in the bathroom. Every days complaints for changing the bath towels toilet paper and supplies for the mini bar./ we used to receive 20 beers for 10 days we received at least 5/. The food- everyday chicken, only 4 times pork and if you are among the first in the buffet. The entertainment was nice. At the end our luggage was damaged at the Varadero airport and part of it was stolen. We will not visit Cuba for the next 5 years. We already recommend this to our friends .

After reading some reviews we were kinda scared to go but we went with an open mind! The hotel is clean, neat and tidy. The rooms were big...bathroom huge! We did upgrade and were glad we did as we got to book our a la cartes all at once ...our restaurant was the best in my opinion for breakfast and dinners. We did get a bottle of rum....20 minute massgae and laundry service with our upgraade. Also had access to higher quality liquor in the piano bar! The pools were both great...one quieter but both fun. The entertainment was fun at the swim up bar. They got people moving! The beach was beautiful as Cuba has the best!! There was alo activities on the beach...never a dull moment! The food was for the most part very good for Cuba....We ate very well and always found something tasty. We did take snacks but brought most home as we never touched them! The lobby bar was fantastic! The entertainment top notch!!! The Sax player, electric violin and the singers all were amazing! Staff for the most were very freindly and did whatever they could for us. They are amazing people. Mike's coffe bar...yummy! We took a cab to town for a look around and found interesting sites and people to talk to. We did not run out of anything..toilet paper, coffee, etc We did NOT see any cockroaches! The only negative view I have are of the sports bar...food and service was terrible!! But I just went somewhere else...no big deal! Towels were tough to get some days but again no big deal, as I reuse mine at home so was able to do so there. Our Vacation was GREAT!

The room was quite outdated but the beach makes you forget all about it. Most staff is very friendly. Food is not that great, but we were expecting that to be the case. Well worth the money and would go again.

This was my 6th time at this resort. Stayed in Alegance section and got upgraded to a suite that walks out to the private pool. Great to see Roberto and Jorge tending bar. We enjoyed lobster dinner at the Alegance restaurant and ate in all 3 alacartes. Beach was fantastic. Entertainment at night in the lobby bar was phenomenal and we met lots of great people. The Cuban people are awesome and go above and beyond. Will definitely return!

At first I wasn't sure about my stay at the resort but after a day looking around and getting confertable it was great. The pool and the beach was great .my room was clean and had water and beer everyday. My maid was really nice. The hotel is build more like a small village with beautiful blossomed trees. The food was so so but I didn't go there to eat all day. The Italian a la cart was excellent and the people working theere were the best ever. We had a birthday party for a friend and they made it wonderful for her. Everyone on our group had a great time. I'll probably go back . Thank you to all for a great vacation.

Beach is excellent. Room was big. That are all good things about this hotel. Food. was for 3 star hotel. a lot of local vegetables but we have to stand in line every lunch and dinner to order meat or fish to cook for us. My daughter was happy anyway because she was able to swim in clear sea every day.

The hotel grounds were well maintained.The rooms were adequate. We experienced a few glitches such as the curtains not closing and the entry lock batteries being faulty. We were graciously upgraded to the VIP Alegance section when we encountered additional glitches. The food selection was not 4.5 star rating. Several cockroaches were seen walking the buffet. A la carte was mediocre. The Alegance restaurant was satisfactory but with extreme fly infestation. Annie our room cleaning lady was exceptional. Wifi was free and adequate most of the time. Bathrooms are generally clean and stocked with toilet paper although my personal roll came in handy several times. Unfortunately will not return to this hotel.

Where do I start? This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed in! After complaining over one hr they decided to up grade us! NO DIFFERENCE!!! From curtains falling door not locking empty fridge on arrival not being able to get water to take with medication they door locks did not work so they could not program our keys! Room change in exclusive section!!!! JOKE!!!!! even worse! same problem locked out of our room clothing door broken could not open the door only 1/4 way! patio door locked automatically so we were stuck on the balcony, shower head broken no hot water! DO NOT GO TO THR BUFFET! Cockroach's all over! Even seen them on the food! floor, chairs! As for the staff, if you are leaving tips you are the best! I will never go back! also, while I was at the customer service desk, they were many many many couples transferring from this resort. Unfortunately, I could not do that, as I would've had to change airlines completely. by far the worst vacation of my life.

Staff very pleasant pleasing and service like none other I realize with covid shipping lanes are busy across the nation and premium for shipping are hard to justify for certain items Some items were in shortage but always a compromise available The resort is beautiful but not in new condition but but price is dictated by the quality of yr stay Keep in mind no one gets 5 star accommodations for the price of 4 star

We very much enjoyed our stay at Patriarca. The resort is well kept, staff are fabulous and they give their best to the guests. The entertainment team are super talented. Shows were very good and the beach/pool staff were fun. Our room was spacious and clean. The food is typical Cuban and again they give the best they can. Oh and the desserts were really nice. I would go back to this resort.

Resort definitely needs a management shake up. Allowing late check out past check in time isn't cool! Probably 1/3 of their staff actually care about service. Won't be back for sure. More attention to providing a quality product than just doing whatever is the bare minimum you can get away with is how we felt about our stay.

We had a good time with a variety of activities. Food was OK, not a lot of variety but the quality was good. Service was friendly and consistent. We would come back if we had the chance. The massage at the spa was amazing!

The beach was great! However, the resort itself needs a lot of attention. It seems it has fallen into neglect. The rooms are tired and need some attention. For example, our bathroom had mildew at the back of the countertop, and the shower head spewed water over top of the glass door and onto the floor. The food was good. This resort should be downgraded to a 3 star until things are updated and properly maintained.

The resort could be beautiful if they took the time to upgrade it the rooms were old and dirty no clean towels sheets not changed the whole time received clean towels once never a clean beach towel Staff smoking and on cell phones customer service was not seen The young girl at the inside bar was amazing maybe the only smile we received all week

What a great place! This resort is well maintained and clean. It is not luxurious but very cozy with the friendliest staff. The rooms are nice, equipped with the safe, fridge and coffee machine. We always had bottled water in our room. The grounds are nice with blooming hedges cut into nice shapes. The gardeners are working very hard every day to keep everything fresh looking. There is a buffet that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is nice with a reasonable amount of food selection. Fresh fruits and vegetables are on the menu every day. Full roasted turkey and pork couple of days during the week. Fresh seafood grilled for you on the spot and one day we even had lobster for lunch! WOW! And there is the best ICE CREAM which comes daily for both lunch and dinner!...so delicious! :-) There are also 3 different A la Carte restaurants for which the reservation is needed. This is a little bit difficult as the reservation can only be made at 9 am in the morning for the same day and there is a limited seating. People were lining up since early morning to get a spot which is not something I want to do at the resort. We tried only one restaurant. The food was good but we definitely prefer buffet with a wide selection of dishes. There is also a restaurant by the ocean where they serve lunch. There is a pre-set menu of 4 dishes to choose from. One day a week they have a BBQ lunch They served pork, chicken, ribs, salads, soup, desserts and so on ) and there is a live band playing for you. Very nice ambience! I need to mention desserts. We normally do not eat desserts but Cuban cakes are so delicious that it is hard to skip them. Fresh, fluffy, tasty and without artificial flavours. It's a real deal :-) The beach is amazing, sandy with crystal clear water, no seaweed and it's very quiet and relaxing by the ocean! No blasting music. There are enough activities to join for fun time by the pool and also by the ocean. The evening entertainment is awesome. The lady signer was out of this world! The dance group that performs 3 times a week is superb! Their costumes and different choreography are the top notch! There is nothing to complain about. This resort is very good and we will for sure be back!

The palm trees, blue skies and Island grounds were lovely. Beach was beautiful. The Resort was spread out so no crowded feeling.There was a good variety of food items. They had various entertainment, most nights, in the Main Lobby which was great. The Disco from 10pm to 1am, every night, was too loud and kept many guests awake, who were trying to sleep. Not enough lounge chairs at the pool but they are ordered and haven't arrived yet. We used wicker, straight-up chairs from the Pool Bar for four days until we complained to a Female Rep and demanded to see the Resort Manager. The Female Rep handled it and obtained chairs as the Resort Manager was never 'available'. We gave her a large tip and some Womens Make-up items that we intentionally took there to give to deserving workers. We also gave a tip to the Pool Attendant who kindly saved the chairs for us. The rooms were adequate for holiday needs. We had no 'hot' water but usually warm or cool-to-warm. We are so blessed in our own country! It was nice to get away from the snow. The country is struggling after Covid and doing its best. Let's all be grateful and not grumpy.

Rooms dead bolt not working,no hot water for 2 days,a lot of bulbs needs to be replaced on entrances and side walks,lighting to dim in rooms..some patio doors broken cannot lock,I came on Thursday and as of Tuesday no clean towels.false advertising on website.had to book a la carts.website said a la carts all day.did not like the food.no face clothes I will come back to cuba but not to this resort. They need to update there website

Was here 3 years ago under Ocean El Patriarca Varadaro and was a bit disappointed this trip. Still advertised no booking for a le cartes which is false. (A main reason I took a group of 15 people 3 years ago) Some facility issues ie: no hot water for couple days, tv didn’t work, no butter, no potatoes or fries, no fish. Pool was pretty dirty. Most days would run out of red wine, gin, vodka, tequila. Next day a few more bottles would appear. Almost like they were rationing them. Rooms really starting to look tired. Had 10 others join me this time and next years group which will most probably be larger, WILL NOT return. Listed as a 4+ but this trip I’d say 3* Weather was fantastic and the staff were great! Our group overlooked the issues and enjoyed meeting new friends and had a great time together!

We were recently at the Valentin El Patriarca for a two week vacation First the positives. The resort grounds were very nice and well maintained, the beach was absolutely amazing, and the people/staff were very friendly, helpful and worked very hard so that you enjoyed your stay. The room needed some updating. The mattress on the bed was sagging towards the headboard. The first night we slept with our heads at the foot of the bed. The next two nights we were given additional pillows and the mattress was changed for the fourth night. Now for the big problem. We were expecting bland food, but were not prepared for what we encountered. The food was terrible. Here are a couple of examples. The Italian a la carte had no pasta, a ham and cheese sandwich had no ham or cheese, but was a weiner between two pieces of bread, I observed staff watering down milk because of shortages, they ran out of butter for bread after the first week. The deal breaker was when we saw cockroaches crawling the food at the buffet. The buffet was repetitive and seldom varied the menu. Even the scrambled eggs were like porridge. Beef was non-existent and hamburgers were made with ground ham. After talking to other people at other resorts, they had the same issues. Food for us is an important item when on vacation, for this reason we will not return to Cuba.

Beautiful place and tasty food. The staff was scarce, but they were training new people. The pool was dirty and and beach is crawling with mites. Don't lay in the sand direct, get a chair, must get up early for this.

We stayed at the upgraded Elegance, which is definitely worthwhile over the basic package. Speaking with other guests, the beds were more comfortable, there was beautiful and artful bed making each day, the rooms are closer to the beach, breakfasts are in a private and small Elegance dining building, private butler to arrange a la carte dinners. A suggestion to the resort, would be to not label their a la carte dining rooms as Italian, Gourmet or Caribbean, for (perhaps) due to food shortages, the menu was the same - pumpkin or chicken soup, rice, chicken and most likely boiled cabbage. Service at these locations was cheerful and quick, but food did not resemble anything that was billed. For valentines, we signed up for a surf and turf meal, that was a pumpkin soup, tasty pork stuffed with walnuts, eggplant ravioli (very tasty, but was simply eggplant with tomato, rice, and a Cuban dessert. This was the best meal of our stay, but not the surf and turf that was advertised. Basic package includes the main buffet, that changed little from day to day. I believe there were some food limitations. Food is simply prepared without spice. Fruit was beautifully cut and presented, Cuban pastries, breads were good, but butter sometimes lacking. Bottled water always provided by servers. Open bars and evening lounge performers at 8 pm. Tipping is appreciated, first US$, then Cdn, and rarely pesos. We did not use pesos during our stay. There were no Covid restrictions at the resort or on the buses, guests did not were masks, but most of the time everyone is outside. We did not sign up for day trips. We did hire a taxi for a tour and trip into Varadero - dinitely recommend travelling this way. We also took the hop on, hop off bus that stops at each resort with Varadero as a destination, we stopped in the plaza Americas, which was expensive shoes, tshirts, expensive cigars. Simply took a taxi back to resort. Rating is based on our upgrade. People in other tiers, were not as comfortable or happy.

Not a five star as they advertise. Rooms are dated but exceptionally clean, the grounds are beautiful, and the staff is incredible and can't do enough for you. I was happy during my 2 week stay with the beach, pool, entertainment.... The only complaint is the food, the buffet was repetitive and the A la cart was also a disappointment.

This is my fourth trip to Cuba. First Trip at Valentin El patriarca. Varadero beach is beautiful. This Hotel is run by Gaviota, the Cuban government tourism organisation. It is not an international chain like Melia and Riu or Barcelo. If you understand what that means, read no further. It is terrible in every possible way. It used to be run by Ocean and must have been nice in the past. But It is near the park so mosquitoes are numerous as well as other creatures. The privilege suite is an extra which seems worth it until you do the math, with added cost it becomes more expensive than competitors, who offer better amenities. I could go on about food and dirt etc.. but I have no time. Please see attached photos, the place is dark so stepping on a snake walking to my room, I didn’t even see is no fun. But that is not too much of a bother to me, dirty pillows and cockroaches in the food (zoom in on photo), is worse. I get one week per year to relax, I imagine most of us do. I do not recommend this place.

sad to say the resort was definitely not as advertised. short notes; NO TOILET SEATS OR TOILET PAPER in the various bathrooms and they were dirty and smelly and just gross, a/c cut out, no clean towels, no drinks (including water) in our fridge as advertised, we requested a king bed but got 2 doubles that we had to push together and then end up sleeping on one or falling through the cracks, sand fleas attacked a few in our group quite severely, food was worse than usual (wieners substituted for ham!) and just really scarce, bar staff were not the greatest...inattentive and a little rude at times. we really didn't feel we got what we paid for...many others from surrounding resorts said the same. excursions were less than advertised to say the least. bus ride to town was jam packed and took forever. we will not be returning.

This is a cute place to go for a quick getaway! If you upgrade to a suit! But still don’t expect the best! This maybe a 3.5 star ⭐️ at best and even if that, your still going to be disappointed. The shortages are still apparent everywhere, not just this resort. The great part of this resort are the people (Staff) and the distance of the marina from the hotel. The shortages are not the staff’s fault. It’s the government and post Covid. Invent your own meals, create your own stay on your terms. We took a 10$ taxi ride to the marina and bought what we thought would make our vacation rewarding. We had everything we needed for a great week. Thanks to the great taxi driver Omar with the most spectacular blue eyes and very accommodating, he took us anywhere we wanted to go. Varadaro 60 is a great place for great food and drinks. Thanks to Javier our dear friend for coming out with us to dinner. We can’t wait to go back. Maybe not this resort but somewhere new.

food was half decent. i enjoyed the buffet. room was not the greatest everting seemed to be broken and damp sheets was a regular. the shows were great. and the staff super friendly and nice. if u don't plan to be in ur room a lot, like us, then perfect. beach amazing. as always. and pool was good too. not too much selection of drinks. no pina colada. otherwise i would recommend and go again. love Cuba

Overall this resort was quite good. There were a few issues, which were resolved after mentioning to the PR person. There was no hot water upon arrival and the bathroom sink was leaking from the top. Also, there were no lights on at night in front of our building. The light situation was never resolved.

Beach was beautiful but the pool was not so deep. If your room is close to the Disco hall you will hear loud music until late night. The room was a bit old but I didn't spend too much time in there so it didn't bother me so much. Food was fine overall. Only problem I had was small rocks inside rice. I had to be really careful not to break my teeth. Their paella was amazing and they have fantasitic cakes.

I stayed in a Privilege suite and found the room to be simple, clean & comfortable. Spent most of my time at the beach because the ocean was gorgeous for viewing & floating. Ate most of my meals at the Privilege restaurant. The food was better here than in the general buffet but still limited in variety but no complaints. The resort staff were ALL friendly and very helpful. Would definitely recommend this resort.

The sunwing outline of the hotel said if your vacation is during your anniversary then you would get a bottle of champagne. Flowers. And a special dinner at this hotel. We asked 6 times for these bonus items as it was our anniversary we asked the front desk as well the concierge manager we finally got a dinner but nothing else. The flight with sunwing to cuba was horrible we paid for prestige seats and got regular seats my husband is 6’8” tall he cant sit in regular seats yet s mother and child were in emergency exit!! Flight attendants did nothing about it. We had paid 120.00 for these seats on the plane. We advised sunwing rep about this and he said nothing he could do from cuba, we had to pay another 100.00 to get emergency exit for the seats back to winnipeg Terrible flights!

Have stayed here before. Hotel is not the same. My room no HOT WATER. Asked many times...no responce. Towels are not changed unless you ask. Beach is beautiful but thats about it. Shows are few and tacky, no class. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT WAS THE FOOD PROGRAM. Buffet was terrible, food was often re-heated over and over. very little taste and quality. No imagination on presentation and culinary skills. The head chef walked thru the buffet more than once and started picking with his hands and eating off the buffet........GROSS beyond words. Biggest disappointment was our Anniversay Dinner at the a la carte. We pre-ordered steak and lobster......we were served Tough Roast Beef and Seafood Lasagna !!!!!! Will never stay here again. SUNWING IS A WHOLE OTHER ISSUE

The resort stated 24 hour bars and this was not a thing half the vacation. Half the bars/restaurants/ services were open. The buffet had hardly any choices compared to our last visit to this same resort. We will not be going here again.

The grounds were amazing! Trees, flowers, cactus oh my! Friendly grounds-staff and great maid service daily. Katherin and Alejandro and the main bar were super accommodating and helpful. The Ocean was breathtakingly beautiful and clean but no bar service. The pool was good, clean and spacious, umbrellas would have been nice for those that can't handle the sun (not me) there was no shade. The swim up pool seats are not worth sitting on, don't do it. There should have been towels at the pool but we had to cart them from our room and back again. Unfortunately many amenities were not open. Some were not open the hours we were told. A printout in English with information about times and restaurants would have been helpful as my Spanish is sparse. Lighting was a poor at night everyone was using phone flashlights to find our way. When our flight was delayed we had to pay for 2 hours to have a room to freshen up. No wine. Restaurants are a joke, it's the same food as the buffet just presented nicer. Buffet did not care much about vegetarian clients. I was hungry the entire time I was there. Maybe a snack bar should be considered on the grounds. Despite being advised against bringing any American dollars because they would not be accepted, this was incorrect, I wish I had brought some with me. The internet was really really poor so arrange a specific time to catch up with family at home. Be prepared, bring snacks, bug spray and any necessities as the store on site stocks rum and cigars. This was good value for the money, but don't expect 5 star service and amenities.

Privilege is the way to go! We stayed here before COVID and this is my 5th time staying at this resort and the first time under the new ownership Valentin El Patriarca. The Island is still recovering from COVID but the people are friendly and helpful. The food was plentiful and tasty. Better than I remembered. The resort grounds are well groomed. The large pools filter system had an issue so it closed on our second last day and the privilege pool was open for everyone which wasn’t optimal if you were looking for a quiet spot to read etc. The coffee shop was closed under this owner and that was a disappointment. The beach was fabulous. The rooms were ok. One of our party did not get water for 4 days and one had to move rooms because of bugs but they were most accommodating and upgraded her to a suite. All in all we had fun!

Resort Staff are good, pleasant and welcoming. The neatness / hygiene however could use a lot of improvement. The wifi issue was another major problem as it disconnects every 3 hours or so and if you’re not in your room or around the reception, say you were relaxing at the beach, you’ll have to walk all the way if it’s that important . The main meals are nice, I mostly enjoyed them, dessert however… not as much.

The Beach and hotel room are very good, but the people who worked there are very rude and demanding. They stress you so you don't know how to ask them for anything. Some of the bar closed at 6:00 pm while you want to stay.

We were a group of 9 women who were so eager to travel to one of our favorite spots again since Covid. This excitement was over shadowed quite quickly once we were finally settled into our ant infested rooms. One of the women's rooms looked like there was bed bug eggs all over her nighttables and the other room wreaked of sewer. This was topped with the absolute lack of service everywhere in the resort with the exception of the à la Carte restaurants. If you have a picky eater in your group good luck. The buffet mainly consisted of muscles, shrimp and questionable mixes of all of that. Saving grace was the omlette station but be prepared to wait 25 mins. One grill and lots of hungry guests from the night before. One honorable mention was Dayron in entertainment, real gem. One server in the restaurants named Edwin. No bar service close enough to the beach to make it anywhere near wanting a drink. The bugs nighttime were absolutely unbearable and several girls needed medical attention. Cuba is normally a favorite place of mine but I think I will wait a couple years to return, if ever to Varadero. Also off resort we went to a lobster dinner at El Carbon, the house flies almost ate our meal for us and the waitress ripped each of the 4 of us off for 12 dollars each. We just paid and got the hell out before we got eaten alive.

This was my second time at this resort.The first time was 9 years ago and it certainly could use some freshening up. I strongly recommend you upgrade to privledge.The food and service there is exceptional compared to the buffet and restaurants.Roberto in the privileged bar went over and above for all of his guests as did all of the staff working the privileged restaurant. The jeep safari was one of the best excursions I have ever been on in Cuba.

A lot of cockroaches in the restaurant. We saw them over the tables, chairs, so many of them on the floor and on the food trays. A lot of mosquitoes, we got up in the morning with lots of bites on our bodies. The bites on my parents-in-law’s bodies suggested bad bugs. The services was bad unless you tip them well.

Just got back on May7th.Check in was easy and fast. Our room was ready which was great so we didn’t have to worry about keeping our luggage somewhere. We were in room 4111 which was a very short walk to the pool as well as the privledge restauant. We were on the bottom floor and had two double beds. I had requested both so was very happy about that. The room could use a bit of updating (electrical outlets fixed) but it was absolutely fine and clean. It had a nice patio. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. The shower stall was spacious, the water pressure was fantastic. We had hot water every day except one and had fresh towels daily. The bathtub was huge. The air conditioning worked really well. The woman who cleaned our room, Yamile, was wonderful. She always had a smile and a kind word. This was our second time at this resort and privledge is definitely worth the upgrade! However, be prepared to get lots of mosquito bites and flies are quite abundent in the priv restaurant. The shows were entertaining but not unmissable. This could use some improvement. Lobby also had entertainment after show. The beach is amazing here and lots of activities to keep you entertained. Wifi was free but you have to go to main reception to add time to your wifi ticket when 3 hrs of use is up. TIP: turn wifi off when not using to conserve time. The staff is super friendly especially when tips are in your hand. All in all great spot to relax by the pool or on the beach and feel safe. No one goes to Cuba for the food but you must upgrade to privledge to eat half decent!!!

I have been to Cuba many times. I know what to expect. The people are friendly, the food is OK and the rum is plentiful. This place was recommended by my new Trip Central booking agent. He said it was 20 minutes from the airport.. We were be the first to be dropped off and it took 45 minutes. It started with arriving and the room wasn’t ready. We were told to come back at three and double check but in the end it was a hard no, check-in is at four. But there were no bellboys when we finally got checked in and all they handed us was our key card in an envelope that had our room number on it. Internet was not available till 7 PM when you were in your room so we had no idea where to go, (they told us to look on their website) where the bars were, where the food was, and hours of everything. It continued to be like this the entire week we were there. People had no idea because there was no communication. But we got to meet in a lot of people because everybody was asking where everything was the hours of everything and how to get things done. Even our Air Canada on site agent got the times of things wrong. The first two days, there was no milk for your coffee, there was no red wine the entire time and no gin for our friends for the first four days. It would be helpful to have a big board, chalkboard or whiteboard, in the reception area that would tell you all this information. We were told that due to Covid they didn’t want to touch the paper because it transmitted the disease but nobody wore gloves. A map that was accessible and visual would also would have been good so we would know where things were. On the plus side, the resort was immaculate, we had toilet paper and people were so friendly. Coffee in the bar is the best! Cuba has nothing so bring tons of everything including your old clothes, toiletries, stuff for kids and Canadian money. They can only go to the bank with $20 bills from Canada but staff will ask you to change their money or Canadian money to do this. Unfortunately not going back to this place again

The initial impression soured the whole experience. We arrived too early to check in which was made abundantly clear. We were waved off to find our own way to the buffet or beach. When we finally got to check in, we had to wait 20 minutes while the front desk rang a little bell. We had to ask for the bus boy to be called and then we loaded our own bags onto the wagon. When my key card didn’t work, I was told to stand by the room and wait until he eventually came back. I didn’t, I got back on the trolly and saw him galavanting around to see his friends before we returned to get a new key card. We were not given the rooms we requested and were told that there could be no moving. Frankly, if I could’ve gotten back on the plane, I would have, I was that angry. There was no information given ever about the facilities of the hotel: no map, no times for restaurants, nothing. The official explanation was Covid, even though paper was regularly passed around by people who didn’t wear gloves. We were told to download information from the website despite the fact that Wi-Fi didn’t work. We relied on information from other guests. The resort was very badly sign posted, a problem for a sprawling resort. Unfortunate because it is actually a nice resort. Well-maintained. Clean. The lack of communication and the lack of any effort to communicate made it difficult. They could’ve laminated a map for us to take pictures of. An easel could’ve reported which restaurants were open and closed, We were constantly left guessing. We were told things were open when they weren’t. There were no managers wandering around to talk to. The overall impression was of a badly organized facility.

Mask are required only when entering the restaurant and during collecting your food. Outside- lobby, pool, beach: no masks. However, personal are wearing masks. Stars of the hotel are matching the quality. Small deficiencies that everyone can find are not important. People running the resort are friendly. Pool is loud from music. Beach is very nice. Ocean super! Food is mainly chicken and fish, plus reasonable fruits and vegies. Highly recommended after 2 years of trauma in Canada. One week there will bring much needed relax everyone need.

Overall clean resort,, staff wore masks all the time. Resort was very quiet due to low occupancy rate. Little entertainment each night, restaurants were limited in opening each night. Buffet limited selection as well. This resort is still feeling the effects of low fill rates and have had to make many cost cutting measures. Wifi hit and miss. Had no hot water for 2.days. Mini bar only stocked with water each day in room. A lot of flies nightly in the lobby. Easy access to antigen test on site, 50 dollars American for 2 people. Overall I have been to Cuba many times with reasonable expectations but I would not return to this location but would return to Cuba.

A fair experience,inexpensive resort,good getaway after 2 years of pandemic.Things are still slow,just 1 restaurant open per night,scarce reservations,at 9:30 all seats were gone.As expected for someone who travels for the sun and the beach.

Upgrade is totally worth it- privilege section- beach section, restaurant and pool and bar tender! Roberto- was awesome- very professional but friendly and made us feel at home the very first day there! He made the stay at the pool very enjoyable!!!! Makes a "mean" kiwi daiquiri and sangria!!! Walk to the lobby was further than I thought- but it made for a good workout each day! A la Carte restaurant was OK.... Italian night very disappointing- the service was not their usual and the food was a long wait and each table was not offered the same thing- some received pizza other tables were not offered. Lobster dinner was AMAZING in the Privilege restaurant!!!! Friday night was very upsetting- many newcomers into the hotel and not made to wear masks around the buffet or in the lobby- All other days- felt very safe with people wearing masks and following protocol! The staff was super- very friendly, helpful and very accommodating. If you needed a ride to somewhere in the resort- they were there almost immediately to pick you up! Service with a smile daily!!!!! definitely will recommend this resort to friends and will definitely return in the near future!!!!

This hotel has been taken over by new management so they are hiring a lot of new people and working on the grounds as the hotel is outdated. However, the rooms were very clean and spacious, the pool was nice and the beach was awesome. I cant say much about the food as I expected it not to be good. I had 3 good dinners. The breakfast buffet needs some work. Couldn't stomach it the last day. The staff are awesome and very friendly. This hotel.just needs to work on their menus. Of course there are a lot of shortages on certain foods due to Covid. Bring condiments as there weren't any.

Enjoyed staying at this hotel. Easy check in and stayed in the privilege area. Was nice to have a restaurant and bar nearby and really good serving personnel. All the hotel workers wear masks inside and outside. The room was spacious and had a balcony. The one issue I had was little to no hot water. However the rest was great. Privilege has it's own pool and its a short walk to the ocean. The beach is not as nice as the long main beach of Varadero but it's adequate. Internet is free and works through out the resort.

Friendly Cubans ..............................................................)))..)).).........................................................)))))))).................................)...............