TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We're still here and can't wait to get home. Nothing in our room worked: fridge, TV, toilet...ants everywhere. We were given wristbands to eat in the adjoining hotel because the food here is inedible. We have been to Cuba MANY times, we know what to expect but this is ridiculous. There's absolutely nowhere to relax because people are constantly walking around with Bluetooth speakers, so even the tranquil pool is loud. The staff says nothing about it. We come here for some semblance of quiet but it's impossible. There has been a handful of staff here who are amazing. The others are too busy chatting or on their phones. Waiting 45 minutes for a coffee because we aren't Spanish speakers was the last straw. We are generally clean sheets, a door that locks and something to nibble on kinda people so this was very hard to ignore. 3 am people screaming on the balcony and we tried to call downstairs but the phone didn't work either so I question if there's any security at all. Waitresses being accosted by drunk guests and nothing is said or done. Other resorts there is a presence of management, we're yet to see any. There are many repeat customers here so maybe it is a good place, but we are yet to see it. There is NOT 24 hour coffee as we read in the hotel description. All travel agencies really need to update their sites because they actually have reps here who can attest to the conditions. There is not half the things available that are listed. The view from our balcony is broken chairs and garbage. The hotel needs work and good cleaning, inside and out. Fortunately the power went out once for about an hour during the day. If you're a regular Varadero traveler like us, you should know that EVERYTHING has sky rocketed in price. A light lunch of 2 beers, 2 water, 1 mixed drink and 2 tiny sandwiches in town. $75 Canadian or $47 Euro. (1280 CUP). The exchange rate at the hotel and for our VIP at the airport is nearly 50%. They want USD which I understand is what is traded on the world markets, but when you're a Canadian spending our money to go on vacation and our money is looked down upon it's getting hard to justify spending it here. For instance: we left a tip in CDN. The waiter looked at us as if we just slapped him and rolled his eyes. Fighting for a piece of cheese because it's the display...we couldn't get cheese because it was in the display on the buffet. What's going to happen to it if it doesn't get eaten? Anyhow, as I said, hopefully this isn't the regular service at this resort but we tried to get into the adjoining property but we were going to charged over $400 each to move but looking online that resort was less than what we paid for this. Thank you for reading my rant.

As soon as I came here, I got treated like a king. The people are amazing. The team is amazing, the class the level of expertise to me coming here. I will come again and again. And again and again, I wanna say a good shout out to my good friend. Randy, you need to know more. You need to come to Cuba and you will find out in varadero.

Nice hôtel , very good location. A little bit run down but they make up for it with an excellent service... Cheers to a very good worker Yordanis .

It's the worst hotel on the peninsula. I don't recommend it. The buffet has no air conditioning and all the windows are sealed. Not to mention the terrible food. Be prepared to eat ground beef; that's what they offer every day: fish with tons of bones and chicken bones. The staff does everything in their power to provide you with good service, but the place is ready to be shut down. If you don't want to waste your money, don't go to this hotel.

The beach is was VRA is know for, white sand, beautiful waters. And that's why you are going there. So have a positive attitude and enjoy. The Occidental (owned by Barcelo) is a good resort. 3.5 stars is a fair accreditation and the hotel offers what you need for a weeks vacation. It is in need of an update, bed is comfortable, bathrooms need a major over hall. Only our last night the A/C stopped working. Water pressure is low so plan accordingly. And the minibar only had water, so keep that in mind. A la carte restaurants, be aware you are limited to 2 reservations if you are there for a week. Seafood, Spanish, Mexican, Cuban. Honestly, Mexican was the best for us. You can purchase a upgraded dinner where you get lobster. Buffet, well let me just say be prepared. Enough variety, but people are what they are and fill up their plates like prisoners who have never seen food for a month. So you may not get what you want. We did have enough drinks, beer and wine. Sometimes they ran out, but restocked within 5-10min. Evening entertainment is pretty good, bring a drink or two and enjoy.