TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

So so sad we have come back to our favourire hotel after 10 year staff are fantastic i feel so sorry for them. Spent ages with guest relations today she says she cant stand it anymore and is leaving no one listening We know there are terrible shortqges but largely no beer coke sprite white wine rose wine food unedible in buffet late night drink offer mango water red wine No plates cups bowls cutlery condiments Room poor cleanliness in buffet horrific So so disapointed

We are currently here. This is a great hotel where the staff are lovely. I have read a lot of negative reviews. But as a family of 3 (all adults) we have really enjoyed it so far. The hotel is big and there is some need of maintenance but understandable given the size, but the grounds are lovely with staff maintaining the grounds, our accommodation is comfortable and the pools and beach are lovely. We are in a bungalow suite that is close to the beach and one of the pools. The food will not suit all but there is enough to eat and you will find something and the advice on some reviews is bring condiments due to some shortages this is good advice(we brought breakfast tea and milk sachets) However there is plenty to eat and several restaurants that you can book into across both hotels. Would I come again, absolutely for the beautiful country and people and location. The staff work really hard and are so friendly and accommodating. A key point for us is this is walking distance to the old town and I did not want to rely on taxis. There is also opportunity to enjoy some water sports subject to sea conditions. Also this is all inclusive. Enjoy Cuba ??

My partner and I stayed at Barcelo Solymar in Varadero earlier this month for one week. We are young adults and were expecting to see people our age who spoke English (as we read from reviews that were posted pre-COVID). Most of the people staying at this resort were locals and spoke very little to no English. This is no problem at all - we met some great folks but the language barrier was very apparent and it was hard to meet people and do activities together. We had issues with our room from the beginning. We waited 5 hours for check-in to begin. Once we received our room key at 4:00pm, we were relieved and ready to rest after a long day of travelling. We walked into our room and noticed that it hadn’t been cleaned after the last guest checked out (toothbrush left over and even a used condom on the dresser….yuck). We waited another 45 minutes and finally the room was cleaned. Not long into our trip, my partner and I started experiencing cold symptoms. Mine were so severe that I was bed ridden and couldn’t go to the beach or buffet. It reminded me of when I found black mold in my student house years back after my roommates and I were constantly sick. Well, we turned our flashlights on and inspected the room very closely. Black mold was apparent in several areas of the room (it covered the smoke detector that hung above our heads when we slept). We went to the front desk multiple times and politely explained the situation to the lady. We explained that we were sick and required another room. She basically shooed me off and even started laughing shortly after seeing me cry because I felt so horrible. We did eventually get a new room the next day with no mold. However, the balcony door didn’t lock so we didn’t feel secure at night. We were expecting there to be food and drink shortages…Cuba was hit hard by the pandemic. Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves when we left the resort (i.e., the catamaran excursion to Cayo Blanco was lovely). This isn’t the first time my partner and I have been to Cuba…we went multiple times before COVID. We never had an experience this bad. The resort building itself requires a lot of maintenance and you can tell it’s falling apart. Many tripping hazards were encountered. My partner and I are young and able bodied but I can’t imagine how young toddlers and the elderly cope with the large holes in the beach boardwalk and the uneven floor tiles. We brought plenty of small gifts and tips for the resort workers. Some of the workers were lovely but others looked down on foreigners. Needless to say, we learned our lesson and will not be returning to this resort. We have had lovely experiences in Cuba in the past and were utterly shocked by how we were treated at this resort. Be aware and do tons of research before booking a resort!! We thought we did enough research - but clearly we didn’t.

We enjoyed our stay The hotel Is in a great location . Is it perfect no Cuba as a whole is having shortages . They have the most beautiful beaches in the world The staff at this hotel were FANTASTIC . Great entertainment The beach restaurant is really good You enjoy a nice lunch overlooking the ocean We could use Palma real and Arenas Blanco as well. The specialty restaurants are very nice. We found our bungalow clean. Air conditioner did leak but they fixed it . We love walking and this hotel is perfect for walking in day or night. Beatles bar and famous calle 62 are right there. We’ve been to cuba 30 times and have enjoyed it every time. Go with an open mind

Since we arrived at the hotel we were mistreated. The food little varied and poorly prepared. Not counting cleaning and no air conditioning. The beverage had bad quality. I’m very dissapointed. It’s way too expensive for a 4 stars’hotel!!!!