TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Our preferred resort for the last 4 years now.... The Barcelo Solymar hotel is close to the boulevard & very handy to Varadero's activities by foot. Our room has always been with a view of the ocean & pool (thank you Guadalupe), our room attendant Yesenia, took great care of us, keeping the room stocked & cleaned. The buffet has a good choice of food, the people in there welcome you with a big smile & can't wait to bring you your beverage of choice. Lázaro, Ivo, Ismaël, Oli (pastry chef), my favorite chef Gabriel (breakfast) & many more.... The lobby bar with Jorge, Julio, Ketty, Ana, LisaAndre & many more, can make great coffees of all types from espresso to iced cappuccino & many delicious mixed drinks... Natasha, the PR person, assisted in making an occasion special to us, that much more special; with supplying a cake to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the baptism of our godson. All the workers here will do everything in their power to make your stay a memorable one. Too many individuals to be mentioned by name that I'd need a page just for their names... but believe me, the people here, will make your stay unforgettable! We're sure to come back soon. Thank you Solymar! ????

I went November 21 to see my husband he is cuban it was our anniversary on 26 I love the location great beach I stayed in room 1222 it had a bad smell but was clean our house keeper did a great job had water every day lobby bar was fantastic the staff there are great my husband and I do not drink so I can not comment on the quality of drinks they did make fantastic cappuccino front desk was very helpful food was ok I found things to eat but I found the temperature of food was not good often cold my husband said the gym needs upgrads but said it was ok the grounds are beautiful view from room was fantastic I would stay here again ??

Best location near town.beautiful beach. Beautiful people. Relaxing hotel I love the plant inside the hotel. Thank you so much to Alejandro for all the amazing service and also the stuff. The room we got has a beautiful view. Hotel price is good on the budget!

I was here from Oct 31 to Nov 21 and it was great! I reconnected with over a dozen friends who have also been here many times. The resort is a little dated but everything is clean and no complaints about the food. There is a lot of variety. All the staff is friendly and very accommodating. There are people who write bad reviews because they expect a Sandals experience at a budget cost. These comments should be ignored! One person complained about an employee there that supposedly ripped them off for money exchange and fake cigars. I believe that to be a lie. I know this life guard personally for many years and he is a dedicated employee. I have had many interactions with him almost every second day. He is an honest and caring individual. This person who posted here and is saying these things about him could get him fired because of this posting. Why wasn't he man enough to say something while he was at the resort to get it resolved instead he was a coward and posted after he got back home. This is disgusting and uncalled for. I hope the hotel and people in management see this and do not reprimand the employee. The person didn't even know his name! Some people are just cruel and don't care what the repercussions are of what they post. Shame on you. This person didn't even have the courage to post his name instead it came up DayTrip62100848980. His comment should be ignored! I have been to this resort about 27 times and never had an issue or a bad thing to say about this hotel or it's amazing staff. Any questions please feel free to contact me here.

Obviously this resort is older and not the best. It was also $650 for the week with air Transat... That is not much more than the price of a flight. If your expectations are low and if you realize the rest is basically free then it isn't so bad. Make sure you bring lots of condiments, snacks etc. Bring chips, crackers, condiments, ranch dip/salad dressing, trail mix etc. I brought cocktail mix packages from Amazon but the drinks are surprisingly not bad! Good mojitos, spanish coffees, Pina colada at the Occidental beach bar next door. Pineapples with Pina colada inside next door on the beach for $5. They always had soda/tonic. Maybe budget for some food or drink off the resort since the price is very cheap. Bring extra towels, your own cups (important), straws. Bring a water bottle they will fill it for you at the bars. FOOD Food is ok just not much variety. No weird fishy/oily taste I've had at other resorts which was surprising. Eggs for breakfast every day. Good pasta. Ice cream. Only vegetables I saw every day was cucumbers, shredded beets, canned beans, and pumpkin/squash. Often had good grilled fish but not always a good variety of meats.. no fries ever. Al a carts are limited to 2/week. We only went to Mexican. You book at 9am for the next day, not same day. Food was only a bit better than the buffet.. Coffee was incredible at the bar. Cappacinos and espressos. Bring one to the breakfast buffet as the drip coffee there is watery. VIBE No entertainment during the day except bingo. The resort is actually really quiet (November) Pools are clean and not green like the photos. Only ever 1 elevator working but it's only 3/4 floors so it's not bad to walk every once and awhile. Wouldn't recommend for anyone with disabilities or walking limitations. Paths are not smooth and never lit at night. Lots of rude pushy Russians pushing/butting and speaking to the staff rude. ROOMS We technically tried all room tyoes because we got picky... Booked a regular bungalow and it was decent.. We asked to change to a 2 bed room like we booked and ended up in a huge 2 story bungalow room that I think was closed (they had to restart the key lock, everything completely broken) it was 35 degrees so we asked for a new one (be nice) and we ended up in the main hotel in an oceanview and it was actually nice. All rooms were very spacious had comfy beds, hot water. Most rooms only had lamps (main lights missing from the ceiling) The bungalows had bugs (main floor with cracks in the doors) roaches and centepides crawled in. So the main hotel was better.