Varadero

Cuban hotels get a bad reputation for food quality so let me address that first. Not at this hotel. It might not be five star food standard, but the quality is good. You will never go hungry for lack of quality or taste. The hotel - beautiful Elevator - needs updating. Very slow and small so it gets really hot and stuffy. Staff - great and friendly Entertainment - not so great. They could do some more English content. I know its nice to stick to the culture but diversity helps. Daily activities - Its by the pool and with the hot sun it was not for me. Proximity to beach - a nice little walk even though property is by the beach. Beautiful beach. Proximity to shopping - close by by bus or taxi. You can haggle with the classic car drivers who operate as taxi. Though this is an adult only property you will find a few adults who act like children. They will cut the line while you have been waiting for awhile and the worst I have seen and had to address is someone actually squeezing the dinner rolls with their bare hands. My overall experience was amazing and I would highly recommend this hotel. No regrets. Second time.

We had a great time at SOL Caribe Beach Varadero on March Break 2024. Overall we were happy with everything. It took a few days to find the food we liked but we eventually were able to. There was a ton of food selection but it wasn't very good! We finally learned that waiting for fresh cooked omelettes, pasta, chicken, or anything else you could see them make was decent! We didn't experience many shortages until our last day. They ran out of vodka at all the beach bars, no eggs, pasta, or cheese - but that was just 1 day for us. All the other days we had no issue. We also didn't think about the A La cartes until our 4th night and it was DELICIOUS! So thankfully we could get in to 3 different a la cartes for our last 3 nights! The beach was BEAUTIFUL. We went down to save chairs around 7:30 am to get front row chairs that was close to the beach bar boardwalk. No issues. Our last 2 days we sat in chairs by the other boardwalk. It was much quieter over there and tons of free chairs - didn't even go down to save any early on. This spot was just further from the bar but we didn't mind as we only stayed at the beach until 1 most days. The sand is SO soft and the entire beach is just so clean and wonderful. They always had music on the beach. We didn't use the catamarans or paddle boats this time. Entertainment on the beach was fun - aquafit and salsa dancing. People were always playing volleyball too. There was security in the section that is close to the beach bar area. The pool was great. Never felt packed. All the bartenders (beach and pool bar) were amazing. The kids loved when the beach bar staff rang the bell if they tipped. Pool always had entertainment going on and music. Fun atmosphere. There is a smaller “deeper” pool that was very quiet and away from most people. We tipped in American dollars because they don't like having the coins. Everyone was very friendly except for the front desk staff. A lot of the staff could speak some sort of little English - except the front desk staff which was interesting! I feel they should be able to speak English for if we need help with anything! It was very clean and everyone worked very hard at the resort! We had a wonderful time and definitely would go back again!!

We are older couple came celebrate our friends wedding, and our freind 60th Birthday. Arrived Nov 05 21.00, 22.00 bell boy helped us by card get to the rooms. Went to sleep, were very tired. At 3am noticed no drinking water in refrigerator. Since phone didn't worked in room, had to walk to find a water myself. On very dark streets, no signs at all spend lots of time until met young tourists walking by likely showed me the way to reception. Had to wait at reception water until 4.15am. In the room, noticed A/C is not working, only fan producing noise. No hot water niether. Only on day 3 we've got another room, where lock didn't work properly, we realized when we tried to get into the room many times without success. Other day we received half-black towels with a disgusting smell. We had never encountered so many unpleasant moments on our vacations before!!! At the reserve reception, the lady was very incompetent in her job. The last day tried to relax in spa: "Paid prior the service", When masseur had long nails, scrathing my hands didn't offer the shower after. We were waiting for this vacation since July with all our heart. But the services wish be better in 5 star hotel.

It was good and disappointing at the same time.

Very good hotel , food stuff, beach

This was our second time at Melia Varadero as we got married there last year and returned for our 1 year anniversary. We appreciate the size and set up of the resort, not too big that you feel lost and not too small that you feel contained. Staff were wonderful enough to host a special anniversary dinner for us, approachable and open to accommodations. (last year and this year)

PROS -Sol Palmeras hotel is paradise itself, the beach is beautiful and quiet, the ocean water was crystal clear. -I enjoyed the common area both interior and exterior a lot. -Food was above our expectations due to we were a bit skeptical looking at the current situation where the country is. Only the sweets and fruits did not have much variety. -The Lobby Mojito Bar and Coffee Bar deserve a shout out. The best mojito's I've ever had and the most delicious frappe's! -A la carte restaurant Chinese and Italian great food. -The bartenders are very friendly, you can spend hours talking with them, they will always make you laugh. -The staff are excellent - very helpful and most speak very good English. -The entertainment team are definitely the best. -A lot of activities with sports at the pool and the beach, there is always something to do. -Enjoyed the volleyball/basketball court, beach volleyball and ping pong. -Free catamarans, water cycles and kayak. -All the grounds here are gorgeous, you can tell the gardeners take a lot of pride in what they do. -The Private romantic dinner at the beach was a dream come true. CONS -Rooms showed wear and tear and their age. -Our room offered a beautiful view, but the air blowing from the AC was pretty stinky. That's why we always bring Travel Air Filters to clear the air flow from AC. It really worked wonders! -People often leave their towels on the chairs and go eat, grab drinks, etc. After noon it is not likely to find a beach chair. -At the moment there is no Bar in the beach, you have to walk almost to the pool to get a drink. We enjoyed our holiday experience here. If you are looking for the stunning beaches and good service - you are more than welcome to this resort.

Food is great. Staff was very friendly. Environment was awesome. Met a lot of people had an awesome time. Will definitely recommend and go back again. There was a couple hiccoughs with my room but management seem to rectify. Thank you. Look forward to coming back again.

Staff was nice , always helpful. Food was ok need to improve

Lobby is very nice, of course as they want to do a first impression. But then..... the service was long, the rooms, ouch, smells very moldy, beds are comfy but sheets, blankets and comforters are so old, they smell bad. Bathrooms are terrible, doors do not close, we had two bathrooms and one door was literally broken at the bottom. sink was cracked, and toilettes do not flush. We had 3 kids and the kids club was always closed Restaurant..... dirty with cockroaches walking around. Plates still dirty in the clean plate area. Food was okay as we are in Cuba and we eat what they make !!! We like, we like, we eat, we don't like, we don't eat !!! The 24 hour snack bar had not more snacks in the evening and at night. The pool was disgusting, chunks of hair everywhere and lots of sand at the bottom. They only add chlorine at night but the pool is never cleaned. The beach, beautiful, water amazing. The only thing there is they should pick up the seaweed along the sand in the morning.