TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Just returned from a 2 week vacation on the 16th of April. This is my daughter Ava and I's 3rd 2 week trip since April 2023. We love this resort! We have made so many new friends since our stays here. The Entertainment team is above and beyond amazing! I am proud to call all of them our friends. Special thanks to Yandy for leading the Happy Birthday song to me in the theatre. You all fill my heart. Oliver, Mocha and the lady bartender (I apologize as I don't know your name) the best pool bartenders. Always polite and serve you with huge smiles. The lobby bartenders are as well so incredible. Patient and kind, even when the bar is super busy..and it gets busy! The snack bar is so much fun after the Disco closes. Big wide open space, people grab a bite to eat and often stay until the sun comes up. Luis, you are brilliant!! I have nothing bad to say about the food. I always found something to eat. I know there are challenges with supply, but that is with all hotels in Cuba not just here. I have been to Cuba 10 times now. Doesn't bother me. I come for the beach and the people. Our room 15317 was perfect! Everything was in great working order. Comfortable beds and loads of hot water. Our daily maid was Diyanna (sp?) Happy, friendly and took amazing care of us. The theatre show Circus night is the best! The other shows have not changed but this one was new to us. Maybe time to change it up a bit? Even the dancers looked bored :-( If I had anything negative to say, it would be that at the buffet the tables are not cleared and reset. Many times we could not find a clean table with cutlery and had to ask for it. Lots of people wandering around looking for the same. The lady by the door coming in to the buffet at breakfast and lunch is a doll. So kind. The food quality ebbs and flows. I get that. But like I said, I always had something to eat and the bread selection is yummy! I always cry when I leave here. It is so special that our friends, Yandy, Charlie, Pedro, Lazaro, (missed Yalbert this vacation) come to the lobby to see us off. You really have no idea how special you have become to me. Hopefully we will see you all 'one more time' So thank you to all the staff at the Laguna Azul for again making us feel like family. xx

Hotel has lots of food, it's very clean. The staff is amazing. The entertainment group is very energetic and interactive with all the guests. The buffet staff is very quick and friendly We have been a few times and will definitely return again.

We are finally leaving today and we couldn’t be happier. Even my children have been begging to leave before our week is over. We did not have a good experience and truly regret giving Cuba another chance. Never again will we be back. 1. First day at the buffet, my niece found a piece of metal from a scrubby in her pasta. 2. Second day, my son bit on a piece of glass from his pizza. 3. Our room smells like mold. Our sheets, pillows and towels are covered in stains. 4. Cockroaches in the bathroom. It’s very scary to wake up in the middle of the night and in the morning seeing cockroaches in my toiletries and the sink. 5. Shower head was broken and would not stay up. We had to hold it while showering. 6. Bathroom was covered in mold including the curtains. It’s disgusting and I felt very uncomfortable taking a shower. 7. The receptionist who checked us in did not have a care in the world and basically lied to my face. I asked her if I would be in the same building as our other family members, as we requested in advance, and she reassured me “yes yes yes”. Only to find out that we are in building 12 and they are in 16. That’s the opposite side of the resort. She also “forgot” to give us our wifi passwords. The list can go on and on but I’m just done with this place.

Overall my stay was satisfactory. I was in Cuba , Varadero 20 years ago in a different resort. Some things have changed a bit since but some not and limitations in Cuba persist . I stayed for one week in the Relax Zone which has its benefits.Beach is top notch . Daily meals at main Buffet were OK for me and many other guests. Food selections were also OK in my view during my stay April 2 - April 9,2024. One large pool was under renovations. Main bar was occasionally busy but not always. I was happy with my room although safe in the room stop working on a third day and could not be repaired. Restaurants which had to be booked had basic menus and in my view nothing to be fight for. Bring your own salt and pepper , mustard and ketchup is you require these condiments. I had my salt and pepper shakers. Definitely bring good mosquito repellent and plenty off as you will require it and apply repeatedly after 6-7 pm when sitting in the lobby , terraces, restaurants , at shows or discotheque or when outside any time after 6 pm. You may need it in the rooms as well. Possibly on the beach as sand on the beach may have some pesky critters which can bite and cause reactions similar to mosquito bites.Bring your own sun screen and lots of it to apply frequently as sun is very strong during day. You may bring your own beach towel if you do not want hassle with rental towel with deposit required. Bring some string to string on your balcony to dry towels and swim trunks. Bars had drinks which I like : variety of rums , vodka and tequila. Cuban cola only. I had small fridge in the room to keep the available purified water cool.You can take a bus to Varadero on your own . It cost 5 US $ and is valid whole day . It is hop on and hop off type of double decker bus which goes to Varadero and stops at major hotels outside Varadero and in main sites in Varadero. It’s route takes about 1:30 minutes to get around and bring you to your hotel at the street if you jut want just to take the tour around without exiting the bus. I did not exchange money for Cuban pesos.In Varadero in the markets you can use US or Can $ or Euros. When buying local stuff when Cuban pesos are quoted you decide how much you would like pay for the t-shirt for example and give the merchant your price in Canadian or American currency. Don’t be to stingy the Cuba is a poor country so are its people.

I am not sure how resorts keep their 5 star ratings and how long for but this resort needs to be down graded until it gets it repairs and receptionists in order. The room I was allocated the first night smelt like sewage and I could not stay in it , if it wasnt for my family I would of had to sleep in the loby as they said they didn't have anything else until the following night. There were many restaurants not open and when I arrived late before 11pm I couldn't get anything to eat but a cheese or pork sandwich. The buffet was good fresh fruit , eggs and homemade bread everyday , salad wine and more. The bar in lobby was very slow , but you got served faster if you were throwing tips at them, there was only one until a few days later they opened a small cart to serve more people as it was getting busier. The beach was beautiful and well kept clean by the staff. The pools were relatively clean and wonderful to swim in, they are renovating a large part of the main pool which when finished will truly be wonderful. The staff at the restaurant and buffet were very kind and very helpful. The front desk staff need to be retrained or replaced , not very knowledgeable or helpful , very rude and incompetent. The WiFi is not worth even trying to log on we didnt mind but it would be nice to have incase of an emergency. my recommendations would be paper posters for itinerary , more restaurants available for snacks throughout the day/night. I will not return to this resort.