Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort

This is an exquisitely designed resort - from Velcro strips to keep curtains closed & screened balcony doors allowing fresh air in to the unique layout of the main dining room & gardens. I was extremely pleased that there is no PA system on the beach!! This allowed total enjoyment of their beautiful beach - the main reason most folks have for visiting Cuba. Far too many reports feel their beach is "lacking" & so, it constantly needs a backbeat & Americas dance tunes @ 90 db to be enjoyed. I loved that the Grand Astin Veradero respected their beach & guests enough to let the beach just be a beach, rather than try to turn it into a 1990's Tampa Bay frat house dance party. Also, that when PA systems were used, Cuban music was featured. [Details]

The Rooms were clean and spacious. The staff were friendly and helpful and didn't demand Tips. The food was very substandard, so was the bars. They didn't have ingredients to make any regular cocktails. They have 500 plus rooms and currently only use roughly 300 or so but ran out of bath towels on day 3 and day 4. They closed the beach for a full day due to work on the beach but didn't warn those making booking in advance of this. There was also work going on in the water all days we were there, loud noise and cranes on the water. The pools were not being cleaned sufficiently and the water looked murky on day 4 onwards . [Details]

The hotel is new,clean , and everything works perfectly. The staff is amazing from the front desk to the cleaning lady .
There is a bit of animation during the day BUT unfortunately nothing to do at night . [Details]

Great stay! The food, room, pool, staff and beach all exceeded expectations.

There was no shortage of food, toilet paper, clean towels or drinks. They always had what we needed.

The rooms were clean and if you want bedding changed they will do it.
Grey/white shirt pool guys will get you umbrella by the pool if you ask.
Dayna in the lobby and Java bar is always great!
Snack bar always has something to offer to eat. Limited menu items at times but it's all good!
Buffet had fresh eggs daily, chicken and pork and the off beef. It was good! It was the same most meals with small changes but it was all good food and well flavoured.
Daily pool activities and evening music in the lobby and later evening outdoor show. It's very quiet after 11pm. Wifi is good all over the resort but the signal comes and goes and it's slow but it works.
We will return [Details]

I enjoyed my stay at the Grand Aston Varadero [Details]

We were there for eight days. I would go back to Cuba but not to this resort. The beach is definitely not great. Compared to other beaches in Cuba. I found the staff to not be very kind either making her stay not the greatest. [Details]

Recently stayed at the brand new Grand Aston. This resort is by far one of the nicest 4 stars I have stayed at in Cuba. Everything is extremely clean and modern. [Details]

We were very disappointed with this resort. Understaffed, and overpopulated with tourists. There are not enough amenities for anything. Food was horrible, drinks were horrible. Beach was rocky and steep and not of the beautiful white sand in most of Varadero. [Details]

Beautiful resort, food was ok. Amazing time ! [Details]

The rooms are clean and the staff are friendly, however most of the staff speak very little English so it's hard to communicate at times. Food is adequate, but found it difficult to get cutlery and water in the buffet area. Hard to book the a-la carte restaurants because they tend book really fast. The water is difficult to get in and out of because the beach is man made and there are alot of small rocks that hurt your feet when entering the ocean. I found beer was not always available at many of the bar areas. I had to go from bar to bar to find out which one had supply. Vodka and gin are rarely available. Overall my experience was good. Just keep in mind you go to Cuba for the sun and relaxation not for gourmet meals. Wi Fi is not the best and I found android seems to work a better than i-phone. Washrooms in the main area were lacking proper maintenance ( no toilet paper in womans washroom). There were not alot of daytime activities and most people brought their own portable sound systems for music as the hotel didn't have much / any music playing. If your looking for great restaurants and premium alcohol you might want to consider the Dominican or Mexico but expect to pay ALOT more. [Details]

We just returned from Grand Aston Varadero and we had a wonderful time. The resort is gorgeous and new. Despite the language barrier the staff are so sweet and go above and beyond for you when you ask. The food was better than I expected for Cuba, definitely bring your own spices and condiments though. The beach was stunning and the water warm. It is a smaller resort but plenty to enjoy, we went to Havana and Varadero and on the caves tours and had and awesome time for all 3 off site excursions. We felt safe the entire time. Toilet paper is scarce sometimes but there is always some, somewhere. No vodka but tons of other delicious drinks. Overall my only complaint was that they use the same utensils and cookware for fish as they do the other meats and pasta dishes, with my husband being allergic he did get sick once when not being super careful. We had a fun, relaxing and amazing vacation would recommend this resort. [Details]

Beautiful new resort. Clean, spacious and plenty of bars & restaurants on site. Gym equipped properly. Great potential but needs better management, food safety, supplies & friendlier staff. It's only got life when shows run. They play boring elevator tunes at pool bar all day (it doesn't feel like you're experiencing any Latin culture). I'd return because it was new, great location & safe but would prepare for short falls (take salt, coffee, condiments, toilet paper, napkins, cookies/chips, music, reusable bubbas). Also take lots of $1 US dollars to tip for service. Food buffet was basic (eggs station & pasta bar with bread was our go to). [Details]

I give this resort 2 stars
Check in: We arrived at 1pm and were told our room wasn't ready so we proceeded to the pool where we were instructed to get a towel which we were then told we couldn't have. Checked back at 4pm with reception as they told us our room would be ready by then only to be told it was not, we didn't get into our room until 5:30pm
Room: Upon arrival we noticed the shower had not been cleaned properly, there was no top sheet on either bed, so you are sleeping under the comforter everyone sleeps under. Our room was not made up for 3 or our 7 day stay. Garbage was not taken out, no towels, no water and most importantly no toilet paper. I reported this daily and on the 3rd day had to get angry and tears came we were frustrated. Our room faced the ocean pool side and it was constantly loud 11-11 so much that the balcony door would rattle.
Beach: This isn't the resort to be at if you are going for the beach. Steep grade at the beach to the water and then in the water there is a drop off which makes coming out difficult and it's rocky.
Al a Carts: We didn't get any you have to line up by 9am and the bookings can only be for the next 2 days so by the time you get to the front of the line they are full.
Pool: There are 2 big pools. Chairs were easy to get but the beds you had to go out by 5:30am and reserve one. The water was really cold but refreshing. The animation team was good. The shows at night are in this area.
Buffet; Be early or you are eating off of dirty tables and clearing dishes yourself. Food was plentiful no issue of shortages while we were there except for butter. Take peanut butter as the eggs are a mixture of something I didn't consider an egg. Lunch there was always fish and pasta the same with dinner. The Icecream was a hit.
The only this resort has going for it is that it's new and with the cleaning staff they have there it won't take long for that to deteriorate. So many nicer places to stay in my opinion. [Details]