Iberostar Selection Varadero

Just about everything was as good as pre-Covid Cuba - the grounds were being renovated, new structures being built, rooms were clean, grounds were well kept, every employee was friendly, cocktails were cold...what else can I say [Details]

Fabulous resort, beautiful
Had a great stay
Food was great, beautiful beach, reserved the bed with Richard, he was helpful.
Idelsis was very helpful. Stayed in a junior suite, spacious
Espresso coffee shop with sandwiches
Was great [Details]

We had a wonderful time in this hotel/ resort.
Definitely a 5 star hotel! [Details]

Would not go back [Details]

DO NOT GO TO THIS RESORT !!

Here is my review, start with bad.

Short version :
Lot of cockroaches in Ambrosio all buffet restaurant and they use fake eggs for omelettes.

Long version:
- Ambrosio Restaurant is pretty disgusting, cockroaches all over the wall. One of morning I saw cockroach crawling near the pasta counter section I told one of lady staff to catch the cockroaches, she used the pasta serving tongs to catch the cockroach and left the same tong on the plate. On the 3rd days in Iberostar, I noticed that one morning they were using pre-mixed eggs for egg omelette, It looks like pancake mix. Probably they are trying to save money since there is food shortage but i found that pretty disgusting. Also, they discourage people to eat sunny side eggs, only one area out of 3 you can ask for the sunny side eggs to be cooked.
Also they recycle the leftover food and cook it next day, and everyday it's same food, you will get sick of it on 3rd days, bring your own food.
The another bad about this restaurant is that they operates with odd hours, lunch from 1pm to 3pm, dinner from 7pm to 10pm, because of these off hours there is always huge line up of people trying to eat, and most of time they run out of food.
- Manzoku, a japanesea la carte restaurant it pretty much a la poubelle restaurant, its disgusting, the sushi rice was not cook, the "salmon" as they claimed is not salmon, it's just cheap white fish colored in pink food coloring. Avoid this
- El Bosque, the food was overly salty, I start to think chef here in Cuba doesnt even know how to cook.
- La Dorada, was probably was acceptable to eat, we liked this the most but steak was like rubber, again chef doesnt know how to cook.
- A la carte, you are only limited to select 3 a la carte during 7 nights
- The beach, there was one cuban guy (bald head with sun-glass) was so annoyoing we told him to leave us alone and he keep coming back to us pretend to help us in order extract tips from us. I was going to report to the resort but I didnt. So if you are going to beach go to the one with the yellow flag, the red flag beach you want to avoid.

Goods :
The only goods in this resort is the Pina Colada, it taste better than one in Canada.
And The staff who works at the spa were very kind and nice. [Details]

We (8 people) had the most amazing time @Iberostar Selection Resort in Varadero, Cuba. [Details]

Just got back from the selection. Beach is a 10, staff is a 9.5, resort is really well maintained. Facilities for a 2 year old is great. Room was spacious and clean. A/C not functioning that well to our standard. Maintenance cam and nothing could be done. It cannot go under 23-24C. Now my disappointments. Price $1,800 cdn. Could have gone to better resots in mexico, DR and cuba for that price. The room fridge included 2 bottle of water. That's it. Typical 5 star in cuba have beer pop in the fridge and stocked up daily. Not the selection. No waiters around the pool or beach to take your order. Buffet is 5/10. Always same boring food. Morning breakfast no yogourt, breakfast sausage etc. Not a burger fan but the day they had them at the beach grill ordered 2. These are not beef patties and took a bite they were raw. Had to wait 30 minutes to get them. They were 1 hr late. So when the 2 men at the grill started their shit they took 1 hr to prepare and cut fruits, cut the bread buns, then at 1 pm started the fire at the grill and waited 30 mins to put 12 patties on. The art of making sure people went to the buffet. The a la carte i would give a 8/10. Been to 2 paradisus, melia bonavista, melia america, royalton all better resort s than the selection. No banana mama, their drinks are poor. Dont have margaritas, most of the time no mojitos given they were short of mint. Mojitos not well prepared. All drinks have a tiny piece of limon. Internet limited to 7 hrs in total, slow and only available in lobby [Details]

We cannot wait to go back!! We especially loved the beach bars. Having a drink looking at ocean can't be beat !

The pools and grounds are kept immaculate. We want to thank Anita who gave us so many tips about the resort !

We will return for sure this year ! [Details]

We were at Iberostar for a mini 5 day getaway and we were so happy we picked this resort. It had so many amenities, the prettiest beach bar with swings and the most perfect beach. The resort was so clean, large and had friendly staff. The Gourmet restaurant had delicious food and because the resort wasn't that busy when we were there, we were able to eat dinner there twice. [Details]

From the time we arrived at the resort for my daughters wedding we felt very comfortable.Check in staff were welcoming with a smile and very helpful getting us situated.Wheather it was the cleaning staff , dining areas or any staff in general throughout the resort, there was always a smile passing by.The wedding at the beach was beautiful, well done by all involved.Everything was top shelf.Would definitly return [Details]

Very much enjoyed the lovely grounds, beach, sun, people and most of the buffet food. The a la Carte restaurants very disappointing though. Japanese only offered two options, Chinese fried pork and chicken rice, and fried fish on a bed of mashed potatoes. Gourmet not much better. Mediterranean grilled Lobster was nice one day but not the next. Vodka, Gin and white wine ran out daily at the bars. No Pina Coladas for 2 wks. I realize that post Covid and with the U.S. Embargo, supply chain options are limited. Most cooks and servers were very apologetic and did the best they could with limited supply. We will return next year and hope for overall improvements .I also hope the Cuban Government decides to widen their circle of trading partners in an effort to improve the tourism industry and the lives of their people [Details]

Overall was great
Just wifi was weak and food selection could have been better [Details]

It's the people that make this place special. It's a small, very family feel to this resort. The accommodations are well appointed, the grounds are kept beautiful and the food is very good. Lobby is gorgeous, beautiful tile work and the design is perfect. Everything is open air. Most importantly, the service is terrific, from reception to management, the people are incredibly friendly and hardworking to make your stay awesome. I'd encourage you to leave a little something every time you order something and bring items to leave behind that are difficult to find in Cuba. [Details]

The hotel is one of the best you can get in Cuba if you appreciate beaches, water and the nature above all other. The beach itself was clean, no corals, no garbage, thin clean sand everywhere. Amazing color of water, water temperature kept about 28C all the time. There were no fish, no sea animals at all anywhere (some people like it some not).
The hotel staff was kind and friendly and went above and beyond to make our vacation comfortable. The food in restaurants was pretty good but more or less the same menu over all 7 days became boring after 3-4 days. What was really disappointing is that from of tens of cocktails on menu in bars almost nothing was actually available. Forget about Pina Colada, Margarita and others, only Daikiri and rum with cola.
The room was clean, very well kept, bathrooms and washrooms, everything was good.
To access Internet you need to get credentials on the reception for 7 hours of usage, then you have to go again and get new ones. This and exceptionally bad Wi-Fi coverage made Internet almost unusable, we used our roaming instead of hotel Wi-Fi as a result. [Details]

IBEROSTAR resorts has always been one of our favorite places to stay in Cuba. We have been to many of them over the years. 3 years ago, we stayed at Iberostar Selection Varadero and it was very nice. But now very disappointed and will not be returning. Maybe things have changed for the worse because of COVID. The food was horrible, very bland, same thing every day, no spices. No variety of fruits and vegetables, no cereal, no variety of fish and seafood? The beef and pork meat was hard, dry and chewy. Even the most simple pizza & pasta was awful. They need to learn how to cook? A vacation without eatable food is not good.
The resort was beautiful and well maintained.
All the staff working at this resort were wonderful.
The beaches are fantastic. [Details]

Right from the minute we arrived to the resort we were greeted with smiling faces and open arms. Everyone was so inviting and kind. I will most definitely be back! [Details]

Traveled with wife and son (age 4). Part of the reason we picked this resort was because of the water feature pirate ship and the highly rated kids club. However, our son ended up spending 10 minutes on the pirate ship and 3 hours at the kid's club with Yiyi during the entire week. He preferred the main pool and swim up bar area to order the best lemonade slushies from Jorge. We ate about 90% of our meals at the main buffet, and the food was tasty & plentiful with lots of choices (did not bring/need any condiments). WiFi (limited to 10hrs per person) was spotty, but enough to keep in touch with those taking care of our pets at home. Room was clean, and the water pressure was good/hot for the tub and shower. [Details]

Consider a 5 star in Cuba is a 4 star in other parts of the world. Saying that, it is about the rooms needing a coat of paint and a bit of maintenance. As for the staff, the gardens, the pool, the beach and the restaurants, they were excellent.

The theatre show was daily at 9:30pm and lasted an hour. Each night a different show and the performers were amazing.

A good sized sandy beach with plenty of parasols, and sun beds. Free large pedalos and paddle boats We took a pedalo way out to sea a couple of times as the sea was calm and clear. You are issued with mandatory life vests. There is also a bar and snack bar by the beach, which was good.

The restaurants, The Gourmet and The Mediterranean we managed to book a table twice at each in our 7 day stay. the restaurants really are 5 star compared to the 3/4 star buffet. All staff were welcoming, friendly and attentive. Bring paper money US or Can $ for tips. Everything else like excursions, Covid test, rum and cigar purchases are with a credit card. I used my Mastercard that was issued by a Canadian bank no problem [Details]

The staff were very hospitable. The beach was the best part of the resort. The food was okay for Cuba. Night entertainment was great!
Main pool was cold so it wasn't very busy and the swim up bar wasn't serving drinks poolside. Very few poolside activities. No volleyball net in any pool. Volleyball should be beachside as well. Overall we had a great vacation however we don't plan on going back to this resort. [Details]

It is an older facilities but everything is very nicely maintained. AC was working with no interruptions. Food was great. The amenities were great too. Many swimming pools to play for kids. We have been travelling with 2 and 3 years old kids and it was very convenient and accommodating. Kids club and small aqua park was working regularly and we could pay for babysitting $10 per hour to leave kids with club worker. Shows are everyday. Nice drinks and premium alcohol are included. The hotel beach is amazing. Rooms are cleaned perfectly everyday. We had amazing dinner at the restaurants requiring reservations. Lobster was deliciously cooked. Extra lobster could be served for $25 anywhere in any of the restaurants. The resort was half-empty. It was a great trip with our 2 small kids. [Details]

We found this resort to have it all. Food was surprisingly great. Rooms were lovely. Resort is easy to find your way around. Very clean. Beach is incredible. Day trips to Veradero was a nice added feature. We will definitely be back. [Details]

Fourth visit at this resort. Did not have us marked as returning guests so did not get the extras without asking for it but was quickly resolved [Details]

It was a beautiful resort and staff were friendly but I think we got salmonella from the eggs. [Details]

We very much enjoyed our stay at the Iberostar Veradero. The staff are very friendly, helpful, intelligent, and knowledgeable. My husband and I have strictly gluten-free diets and this hotel can definitely accommodate your needs. Just let them know up front. They provided us with GF crispbreads, rice cakes, and cookies. There were PLENTY of GF options at the buffet; *all* of the staff/chefs at the a la carte and buffet restaurants had complete understanding of the GF requirements and actually provided us with custom "sin gluten" dishes, to ensure we didn't get sick! In fact, we did two tours that provided lunch for us and even the tour guides and the staff/chefs in these simple restaurants understood and accommodated our dietary restrictions. I haven't seen such comprehensive understanding of the GF diet in the Caribbean, except in Aruba! :)

The food and drinks at this hotel are quite good, in comparison to the other hotels in the area, with lower star ratings. After talking with other tourists in the area, we believe that our dining experience at the Iberostar Veradero was better because it's a 5-star resort. For "foodies" who have traveled elsewhere in the Caribbean, be aware that this is Cuba, so the buffet is not going to have endless variety each and every day, but the food will be fresh and tasty. I have been to Cuba before (3 1/2 star resort) and the food and drink at the IV were *much* better!

The beach is simply beautiful and you could walk to the west for about 30 minutes before encountering rocks. If you walk to the east, you encounter rocks after about 10 minutes. Bring sandals (like Tevas) if you want to continue walking farther than that. One of the things that we really liked about this hotel is that they enforce the rule that you can't "reserve" the beach chairs by going out early in the morning and putting down your towels, then skedaddling off for hours. The staff will respectfully remove your items after 30-60 minutes, if you haven't shown up. Of course, at lunchtimes, a little more time is given for you to get back.

We decided to upgrade our room to a Spa suite. It was only slightly more, and worth it, because we had WiFi in our room. (You still need to purchase the internet cards, though.) The Spa suites are also close to the restaurant buffet, so for people with mobility issues, I would recommend staying here. It's also quieter and you can share a private pool with others who selected the same upgrade. Lastly, you get a private, fully bilingual concierge who can help you with a la carte reservations, manage your dietary restrictions, etc.

It's very safe to walk around outside the resort. My husband and I are both "walkers" and enjoyed working off the extra calories we consumed in food and drink. There is a little cafe in a marina, about an hour's walk from the Iberostar Veradero, so we would walk to the cafe, drink a capuccino (muy caliente, sin canella), then walk back to the hotel. With a 2-hour, round-trip walk, followed by a swim in the ocean, we came back to Canada having gained only a couple of pounds, each. ;-) If you're not a walker, there's a public, double-decker bus that comes along around every 30 minutes in front of the hotel, that you can hop on/off for 5 CUCs/day.

Tips:
- My husband is fluent Spanish, so if you are not and wish to dine gluten-free, be sure to bring along a Spanish translation of your dietary restriction - you can find an online source at a Celiac's site.
- Bring Canadian dollars to change at the airport into CUCs. Over the trip, we changed $300. About $200 went to tips for the staff and tour guides. You can get lower-denomination CUCs at the hotel front lobby for tips.
- Buy the WiFi cards in the hotel lobby. You get one hour for one CUC. If you want WiFi in your room, upgrade to one of the Spa suites. The price isn't that much more, IMO. Note that it's one card for one device. If you have two people using two devices, you'll need to use separate cards. We spent about 10 CUCs on WiFi and it's amazing how quickly you go through the time if you're Facebooking.
- I wasn't able to get a cell phone plan through Rogers, but we could've used my husband's phone (Bell) for $60, with various conditions. We decided that having voice wasn't necessary and I could still call on my phone (for emergencies), with Rogers charging $3/minute.
- The staff appreciate tips. I found that I tipped way more in Cuba than I did in Mexico (have been several times) and in Aruba. Cubans live very simply, so the tips are appreciated. Note that the staff at the hotel are very respectful and do not expect tips, but my bilingual husband inquired of the locals what we should do, and we learned that tips - even small ones like 0.50 CUCs - are welcome.
- There are various, conflicting threads on the internet about bringing items from Canada. We decided not to bring anything along b/c it seemed that money was better than items. That's not true. If you have some small items you can bring along (hair scrunchies/clips, razors/shave gel, shampoo/conditioner, etc.), you can do that and provide them to the staff. We left a bunch of items in our room, or gave them to the staff, when we left because we knew the staff would appreciate them (examples: my "crazy high-heeled sandals" that were in excellent condition but I'm getting too old to totter around in them; my husband's Teva sandals, in excellent condition; my husband's snorkeling fins (brand new Mares fins, but they were too tight and hurt his feet); a sundress I wore once, but the colour doesn't look great on me; our extra razors, sunscreen, packages of gum we didn't open, some soap we brought but didn't open, etc.). I wish I had brought my jeans that are in excellent condition but just don't look great on me. Someone in Cuba would've really appreciated them!
- The coffee at the buffet in the morning is a little weak and the cafe does not open until 9 am. If you like strong coffee, bring some little packages of Starbucks instant coffee, with which to "spike" the coffee. Problem solved. :) [Details]

Very pleasant stay, highly recommend this hotel [Details]

People are incredible. Food is great. Wifi, only in the lobby, however, it forces you to realize that you are in vacations! [Details]

Our second visit in 2 years. Was even more pleased than first vacation. As returning guests we enjoyed the daily all a cart breakfast among other perks on my birthday. Would definitely recommend this resort. [Details]

Check-In
Arrived at 3pm and the room wasn't ready. We were told to wait in the lobby until 4pm. So just having arrived from -10C in Canada we had long pants and shoes on. It was a very long hot hour to wait for our room. No offer of a cold drink or a hospitality room so we could change into shorts and shirts. Finally our room was ready, we received the key and a circle on the map of where the room was located. So off we went on the hunt for our room, no direction from front desk, or a porter to help with the bags. After a while we found the room and carried the bags up 3 flights of stairs. Check in was not good

The Room
The room was ok, dated and very basic. Pretty much what you would expect from a holiday Inn or highway side motel. Day one our toilet stopped working, no water. Day two the AC broke. We gave the maid 5cuc each day but I feel we would have received the same basic level of service without the tips. Also Don't plan on getting to sleep before midnight each night. The noise from the theatre blasts into the room so loud that you have to turn up the TV to watch the one English Channel they have.

The Food
It's Cuba and what people say about the food is true. Not good. We were very very careful about what we ate. The ala carts were a joke. The Japanese was worse than bad Chinese take out back home. At the Mediterranean we had the surf and turf. I have never seen a lobster tail like that, we got about 3 bits of meat. The "steak" was the size, shape, and taste of a hamburger patty, I'm convinced that's what it actually was. One night we ordered room service. Some chicken nuggets and fries. Took 30 minutes and arrived burnt and gross. I wouldn't serve it to my dog. Had one bit and left it outside for the mice and rats.

The Pool and Beach
Despite the short comings of the hotel, the beach and ocean in Varadero are very nice. Lots of loungers, but the blasting music made it hard to nap on the beach.

Pool was ok. Typical large pool. They have a Jacuzzi in the middle of the pool, but surprise its broken and as per the pool bartender it has not worked for years. Swim up bartenders were hit and miss. Sometimes it seems we were making them made
by ordering drinks. One lady we joking referred to as the grumpy lady.

Be careful when picking loungers. After a morning at the beach we went to the pool, found two spots with no towels. 2 hours later some crazy guy comes up yelling that we stole his towel and begins to rip it out from under my wife and twisting her arm in the process and then kicks me in the back. We called security, but all they did was kind of listen, then walk away. I get the feeling this happens a lot at this resort given the people that come to the Iberostar chain.

This was our 2nd time at an Iberostar. Our 1st time was the Iberostar in DR for our honeymoon so for our 10th anniversary we thought we would try Iberostar again. No mention of us returning to the chain from the front desk. Other places keep your name on file and flag you as a returning guest and offer extra dinners or bottles of rum in your room. Iberostar seems like they don't care if you come, stay, or go.

Very disappointed with this resort, I will defiantly never go to another Iberostar resort. Next time it will be a North American chain with guests that have manners and don't chain smoke everywhere. There is lots more I could say about this resort like the smell of sewage that fills the air where they are doing renovations near the lobby. All in all, do yourself a favour and don't stay at the Iberostar Varadero, wish we didn't. [Details]

We have been to Cuba a few times and this hotel by far was amazing. Kind staff, clean rooms, wonderful gardens that workers work so hard to keep it that way. Great place! We will be back to this place for sure!!! [Details]

Wonderful resort. Would go again. [Details]