This was our 4th time to Cuba, second time to Varadero. We arrived from Halifax late in the evening (11pm) and were checked in right away. The front desk experience was professional, but not overly warm and welcoming. We were surprised and a little disappointed with the condition of the room. It was very dated and in need of renovation especially the bathroom and beds. Nevertheless, the room was very clean and everything (door, safe, patio, TV, etc…) functioned properly. The grounds and other buildings were also dated and tired. The layout of the resort is great and its fairly small which we liked. It just needs some renovations to spruce it up. That said it didn’t stop us from having a great holiday. The staff were very friendly and professional. The beach was fabulous (get there early to get a good spot). And overall, we were impressed with the food quality and selection. We didn’t spend much time by the pool or the pool bar. I can’t say we would go back there again. However, if renovations were performed to the rooms, grounds, and buildings we would definitely consider going again.
Room Number:
2307
Room Block:
2
Arrival: We flew Sunwing from Halifax to Varadero. Arrived at the hotel at 11pm. We didn’t like arriving so late, we lost a day on our vacation and it was disorienting trying navigate the resort in the dark. We would opt for the early morning flight next time.
Check-in was smooth and efficient. The staff were courteous but not overly welcoming.
Rooms: Room was in need of renovations. Everything was well used, but functional. The safe was simple and easy to use. There was a bottle or rum and water provided. It would have been great if the water was replenished each day.
The room was very clean and each day we had some kind of creative towel decoration on the bed.
Restaurants and Bars: There was 1 buffet restaurant, and 2 a la carte restaurants. The buffet restaurant had a good selection of food and we found it to be good quality as well. Actually the food was better than expected and better than other hotels we stayed at in Cuba. They made all the bread there fresh each day. The International restaurant was kind of pathetic. The service was great, but the choices were limited and the restaurant itself needed upgrades. The portions are small so if you’re hungry plan to go to the buffet to "top-up". The Cuban restaurant on the beach was better than the international. Again the service was excellent. It had better choices than the international restaurant.
We mainly had drinks from either the beach bar during the day and lobby bar in the evening. The mojitos at the beach bar were great!! Drinks at the lobby were good too as was the coffee. The staff at both bars were fantastic, very friendly, and entertaining.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Didn’t visit the pool much. We spent most our time at the beach which was fabulous. Plenty of chairs, but get there early if you want a sun umbrella. Keep in mind we were there at peak time in March.
The grounds were simple, but could of used some extra staff to keep it tidy. The resort layout is very compact which we like.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: We did a day excursion to Havana and loved it. The tour guide was very informative and entertaining. Highly recommend the Havana tour.
There was a great band that played Cuban music every evening in the lobby. The entertainment staff encouraged people to get up and dance. There were daily activities on the beach coordinated by the staff like dance lessons, volleyball, etc…