Varadero

Staff was friendly. The room was dated and some rough spots, but clean. Good water pressure. The resort atleast had toilet paper, and condiments. Food was just ok. A la carte suppers are really only the same things you'd get from the buffet, just presented a little more fancy. Most days there was only vodka for a couple hours. The pool bar often ran low on options for drinks, so hopefully you like Rum. The wifi is basically useless and not worth connecting to. Front desk check in was brutal and took over 45 minutes. The customer service staff never seems to be around or available for any help. The 24 hr beach bar basically only ever had ham and cheese or fish sandwhiches on toast available. Short 15 min taxi for $20 to Veradero

The hotel was clean, spacious, and the staff were excellent. We enjoyed the pools and the service.

This was the 2nd time we stayed at the Sol Varadero in 2025 and had an amazing time as we did the 1st time. The resort is very clean and the staff are all friendly and provide amazing customer service. The food was good and we walked miles on the beach and the beach at this resort was the best of them all. We will be going back in 2026 for sure.

We had a bad experience visiting Cayos on Cuba in March of 2024. We were very hesitant to return, but we heard some very positive feedback from friends and family about Melia Internacional at Varadero. We've been at that hotel 3 times previously, but in the earlier years. I'm happy to report that the experience was phenomenal: the food, the organization, the facilities, the activities and content for everyone - but most important, the BEACH remained magical and best value for money in the Caribbean. We've been to Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, St. Maarten's - this beach wins everything, hands down. Of especial note is how quick and responsive the staff is. You may have heard of the "Island Time" or a "Cuban Minute". This staff does not run on that time. Rather, they run like a Swiss clock - fast and efficient. We were very impressed by this. We're definitely going to return, as long as things stay like this time!

Beautiful beach kids love the place. Good food,very relaxing, I recommend this place for family with kids . They treat you good in the playa vista azul

We had a fantastic stay at Sol Palmeras in Varadero. The resort is beautiful, well maintained, and offers an overall excellent experience. The staff truly stand out — always happy, cheerful, and welcoming, which creates such a warm atmosphere throughout the resort. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and housekeeping did a great job every day. The beach is absolutely stunning — wide, pristine, and with that perfect turquoise water Varadero is famous for. One of the highlights of our stay. The food was very good, with plenty of variety, and we honestly have no complaints. We also really enjoyed the evening shows, which offered great variety and entertainment each night — well organized and enjoyable. The only small suggestion for improvement is regarding pricing and currency. Some items felt a little pricey in USD, and as Canadians — who are frequent guests in Cuba — it would be great to see CAD more widely accepted or offered at better value. Overall, a wonderful resort with great service, beautiful surroundings, and a lively yet relaxing atmosphere. We would definitely return and recommend Sol Palmeras to others.

We stayed in the Royal Services room with private cabana and direct pool access right outside our room. Seriously could not have asked for anything more, we had our own buffet and pool bar in our area which was great! Our room also includes many additional perks like butler service that we truly didn't even take full advantage of because everything was already so great! It was fairly quiet the week we were here but even if the rooms had been full I have no doubt we would have still had peace and privacy when wanted. Beach is beautiful, pools are large, lots of amenities and activities available (many more free activities if in Royal Services area). Despite food options being somewhat limited, the resort à la cartes were wonderful and as long as you're not expecting a high end culinary experience, I trust you'll find more than a few things to enjoy at each meal. Medical services available on site which I ended up needing for an allergic reaction to some bug bites. Quality of medical care was great, I paid in cash but could have used my insurance (didn't feel like taking the time to call and sort out details) but it was very affordable, they followed up the next day, and provided me with a full medical report. Above everything the staff was incredible! We plan to return in the future!

The main hotel lobby and grounds are lovely. Beaches and pools are great as well as the staff are friendly. no toilet paper in main hotel bathrooms most of the time. The rooms are showing age and need some updating. Air conditioner in roof was leaking on floor, wet towel soaking up water on floor not changed by staff. Patio door very hard to move, wheels worn out, towel hanger loose on wall, dirty towels changed only once the whole week. Couldn't get clean pool towels all week. Bathroom mirror needs replacing as all rusty, shower drain clogged as almost overflowed. Phone not working in room, so couldn't call for ride to buffet, long walk for those with issues. but ok for us. Ocean views are great, though we thought we were staying in main hotel, but put in smaller building quite far away on grounds, so don't know how the main hotel rooms were. Food was very nicely prepared, but very repetitive (no beef) and lacking flavour. The drinks were mostly less than good, artificial flavours, not fresh lemons or limes, they put in artificial juices like tang or something similiar. I personally would not go back, heard from others that other hotels had better food an drink, but somehow I doubt it, as Cuba doesn't have access to a lot of things we enjoy normally in Canada. I was told not to expect much, and enjoyed the time there inspite of what I mentioned.

We really like the beaches in Varadero. This resort has a small beach but it is quite nice and it is easy access for longer beach walks. The people that work at the resort are very freindly and I really appreciated their warmth and welcoming attitude. This about where the positives end. We stayed Start Prestige level Ocean view. The view was good. The hotel overall is in okay shape, but looking around much maintenance is lacking. Most of the furniture outside of the lobby is looking pretty rough. Cold showers are a real feature here with us having about four hot ones between two people in a weeks time... unacceptable. No filling of the beer fridge( 2 beers and 2 pops only for you!!) They told me one days worth only. We were rationed on toilet paper, water and bathroom garbage bags. Now for the food... wow, I know the food isnt as good as the Mexican resorts but this was no where even close. Aside from cabbage, green peppers, tomatos all the vegetables were previously frozen or canned. Similar for fruit other than papaya, pineapple, watermellon and guavas also canned or previously frozen. The pineapple and watermellon were hardly worth eating as they were never ripe. The A La Cartes were not worth doing as the food was never hot and always overcooked.. plus the mushy vegetables. Best bet for the food is the main buffet where you can hunt and gather some half decent stuff. We are adventurous eaters and like most everything so the food was a real dissapointment for us. The Star prestige resteraunt offered less chaos then the buffet but lacked in selection. Two of the four main elevators were constantly down. Star Prestige isnt worth the extra $$ other than access to the bar up top, but it had no ice while we were there:(. We typically go to Mexico and are H10 Premium members. We know what a five star resort experience is, and this was far from one.

Overall I would say its decent, not overly impressed by the hotel amenities. but the beach blow me away. So good that if I will just make a recommendation for the beach I will give it at 100%! worth it!