Occidental Arenas Blancas

Occidental Arenas Blancas
3.103.103.103.103.10
3.10 based on 749 reviews
#37 of 69 hotels The Monarc.ca popularity scale (#1/15) classifies all the hotels of a single destination according to the number of grades received on 5 and the total number of reviews. in Varadero
Rated 4 stars
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Not good experience

, Brampton, ON
2024-03-15
I was very disappointed service was not good food was not good, and i think you should offer me a cost free package then I would.be able to make a commitment to suit,.no disrespect to anyone but it was my experience thank you very much. [Details]
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Occidental Arenas Blancaa

, Calgary, AB
2024-02-04
It was great: room, restaurants, bars, huge pool and of course the ocean beach for swimming and walking. .
Awesome entertainment: kids & adult shows every evening, kids & adults activities during the day around the pool or at the beach.
Very helpful & friendly staff at the buffet and for the activities.
Special highlight.: our TV wasn't working well - It was taken care within 24 hours; since 2 repairmen tried to repair it and couldn't. A new TV was installed. My husband was so happy to watch soccer games. [Details]
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Certified

Spoiled bad food, unethical staff and scams

, Toronto, ON
2024-01-06
Rooms smelled like urine, had insects in them, and showers very non-operating.
Food is beyond horrible and is old will make you sick.
Hotel staff will scam you during excursions and alter the price of the excursion last minute as you are about to pay, hoping you wouldn't leave and pay for it. [Details]
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The strong points
Nice beach
The weak points
Horrible food, fraudulent staff at the excursions, unsanitary conditions
Sanitary measures
Non-existent sanitary measures.
Certified

Its so bad

, Markham, ON
2023-12-29
The shower head is broken since day 1 and not fixed until checked out [Details]
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The weak points
Everything is bad
Certified

Great hotel and awesome staff!

, Toronto, ON
2023-04-26
I love Arenas Blancas and I have stayed there many years. It's a great place, with such kind, friendly, loving staff who help you as much as they can! I can't name them all, but here's a few: Teresita, Alejandro, Karel, Jorge, Yanetsis, Katty, Osleidy, Liliana, Laren and many, many more! [Details]
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The strong points
Beautiful beach, great pools, great entertainment, great food, and great restaurants! Love it and highly recommend it!
Certified

Occidental Areana Blancas

, Brampton, ON
2023-04-16
The hotel is rated as a 4-star online, but in my honest opinion, it seems more like a 3. Overall, the staff are really friendly but my room was not fully cleaned upon my arrival; there was dust and hair on the ground. I had an ocean view from my room which was beautiful. I believe some renovations could be done to improve the interior of the hotel. My door handle broke on the second day of my stay; I would still recommend a stay at the resort, as the vibe is all worth it. [Details]
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The strong points
Beautiful beaches, pool, and amazing views and scenery when in resort
The weak points
Cleanliness, food
Sanitary measures
Excellent
Certified

Fun Week - but take your own special condiments!

, Toronto, ON
2023-01-25
We have stayed here numerous times pre-Covid. The staff are still great, and so was the sun and beach. This time -- Suggestion--Bring your own condiments because there were no basic condiments anywhere, such as S&P on any table, ketchups, mustards, any type of hot sauce, no potato fries, no shrimps, kept running out of plastic cups at pool area (bring your own), repetitive dishes every meal (but good!), alcohol limited to Cuban Rum and beer. Want something other, you go to the boutique and purchase your own (e.g. vodka, gin). (Not something everyone wants to do when they have already paid all inclusive.) Be sure to take your credit card! Many of the shops do not take cash. You can tip with CDN; USD (yes USD!); and CUP pesos (limited). -- Overall, we enjoyed our stay and will return, once again! [Details]
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The strong points
The Staff; excellent coffee bar; and coffee bar night entertainment; room was spacious; we experienced a lovely gala dinner for repeat customers
The weak points
No condiments; very limited variety of alcohol (Cuban Rum and beer); kept running out of plastic cups;
Sanitary measures
I liked that they still wanted you to hand sanitize before entering the buffet. What may have been beneficial is having hand sanitizer after leaving the food area (after handling the serving utensils).
Certified

Vacation on Cuba

, Ottawa, ON
2023-01-20
I do not think this hotel is 4 star,it will be 3 star [Details]
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The strong points
This hotel is near downtown Varadero
The weak points
The food all most the same every day.
Certified

Won't return

, Ottawa, ON
2023-01-16
Cockroaches & Rats [Details]
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The strong points
Beach was nice
The weak points
From arrival to departure- nothing about this place was worth the price
Sanitary measures
Hand sanitizer outside buffet
Certified

10 days of sunshine

, Mississauga, ON
2022-12-21
Overall I was pleased with the accomodations. I have been to cuba other times and this was one of the better ones. Covid and logistics have impacted Cuba...some basic commodities are missing. [Details]
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The strong points
Amazing Beaches and sunsets Friendly people Location next to Varadero shops and night clubs Free wifi 5hr/day Free non motorized sports..
The weak points
Food shortages have affected buffet variety and drinks choices Noisy residents by the bar late at night
Sanitary measures
Most people were not wearing masks...but forced to disinfect hands before entering buffet
Certified

Good

, Ste-Brigitte-De-Laval, QC
2022-07-09
T'was an overall good experience but for the tiny ants everywhere. Do something with the balcony door. Room 4330. Was a real hell to open or close it. Very very very very hard. [Details]
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The strong points
Room cleaning
The weak points
See above.
Certified

Much confusion this time (annual Cuba guests)

, Kamloops, BC
2020-03-10
The beach was amazing as always, best beaches in the world. This resort has the best restaurants for North American/Canadian guests, hands down and is why I chose it again. This time however, there was a distinct lack of customer care. The staff just didn't care.
My room (we had two) mattress had blood and other body fluids in the mattress and mattress cover. Sheets were just put right on top. I didn't see this until day three when the sheet came off a bit. I don't move a lot when I sleep. I was horrified. The body fluids can easily contain things that are transmittable. The manager was notified and a replacement (still worn out ) mattress was brought up and the bed made up. No other compensation.
Beach loungers this year- First time ever you have to be at the beach at 6am to get your chairs or sit in sand. It doesn't matter if the other chairs sit with a hotel towel, empty all day, security or hotel staff will not interfere. There were a few fights. Not even sure why security is there to be honest.
There was a couple, girl was topless, their 18 month (aprox) baby was naked, no hat, playing, while they lay together groping each other, having sex with only his speedo between them in front of everyone on the beach.....children and all. Parents were horrified. Security did nothing. When a 17 year old girl pointed this out to security, she was told “so?” I got up and handled the situation without actually touching them. The baby could have been into the water and they would have never seen it.

There was an ant infestation in both of our 2 rooms. They would come right out if the walls, 1000's if them if you had a drop of any drink or food.

For a 4 star resort, the beds were horrible. My back and children's (they never complain about backs) were sore the whole week. Yet their next door property has great beds but horrid food and cockroaches. I was hoping for so much better.
We were told at the desk that one night sells for $270 USD. I do understand that it is Cuba. I go every year. This is not a 4 star hotel. The food is, yes. Great variety, different each day.

Sunscreen and sunburn creams, gift shop, were expired 2 years ago [Details]
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The strong points
Food was top notch Beach is amazing
The weak points
Standard of hygiene (ants, blood on matressess) Maintenence-beds are very old. Need replaced Beaches were covered in cigarette butts and sharp seaweed. Hurt my feet a few times. Used to be cleaned beautifully
Certified

12 days at this hotel.

, Masstown, HA
2020-02-15
We stayed for 12 days. It is defiantly a 3 star and that is what you get. Please do not expect a 4 or 5 star rating. The location is the only reason we stayed here as we were in walking distance to shopping, clubs, hospital, local parks. You would need to leave the resort for night life and entertainment. The store on site had rude staff. The staff in the buffet were great. The walk way to the beach is a complete hazard, as well as the elevators. There was an oil smell from a local refinery almost every day and 1 particular day on floor 3 and 4 it was obscene and you could not stay in your room as it was too strong. The sheets and towels were changed alot, but always had a musty smell.
This hotel was $2000 pp for 12 days to come from Nova Scotia, Canada which was too much for this star classification. I will not return. I will spend more to get a 5 star if needed. [Details]
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The strong points
Cuba is not really known for its food, but the food here is good for Cuba . Excellent maid service and restaurant staff. Clean room
The weak points
The board walk to the beach is a complete disaster. The elevators are an accident waiting to happen. No grounds keeping. Towels and bedding always musty.
Certified

Great Vacation

, Half Island Cove, NS
2020-02-02
great vacation,the maids bar tenders and staff were excellent.second time there and will be going back,everybody goes out of their way to serve you [Details]
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The strong points
good location,near markets and night life.Cuban folks are friendly and welcome every one.very relaxing and stress free
Certified

Cuba trip 2020

, Queensport, NS
2020-02-01
We always enjoy this hotel. Been there 5 times. Friendly workers ☺️ [Details]
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The strong points
Clean hotel. Great location for night life and walking distance to stores and markets
The weak points
A lot of food issues this trip..no butter potatoes fry's ect..but I think it was delivery problems
Certified

My favourite resort

, Toronto, ON
2019-12-17
I love this hotel. Istay here twice a year, 2 weeks each time. The staff everywhere are very friendly and staff will accommodate you as much as possible. For example, I have a very restricted diet and they help maintain it for me every stay. Return guests get bonuses starting on their 2nd stay including a special 5 course meal and a free bottle of rum and other things [Details]
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The strong points
Staff, ocean view, A la carte restaurants, entertainment, friendliness, accommodation
Certified

Decent

, Camrose, AB
2019-05-04
Hotel is right off the Varadero Strip & you can walk down to the different restaurants and shops, which is great. I also felt 200% safe off the resort. So location is fantastic.

For the most part staff is friendly.

Our room got cleaned the first night we stayed & never again for the remainder of our trip even though we left tips. Fridge rarely got restocked.

There's plenty of chickens running around so be prepared to have a horrible sleep if you get a room facing the city.

Pools were decent. There's tiles missing but that's whatever.

There is entertainment for the most part everyday and tons of things to do on the resort. (Pool tables, snorkeling, paddle boats, daily bingo, contests, etc)

Food was meh. The first night my boyfriend ate fish from the buffet and half way through realized it was raw and was sick the entire next day. The resort has buffets and BBQs everyday so if you go to an area where a chef is grilling or BBQing be sure you get it fully cooked. Sometimes they dish you up because the line is just long. Also make reservations for the restaurants on the resort.

Beach is absolutely gorgeous, clearest water I've ever seen. Chairs are usually available around pool but get up early if you want a beach chair.

Wifi is trash.

Another thing to note : if you are Canadian, the exchange rate is horrible. We took out cash at the bank on Varadero strip as well as the airport. It charged me $130 to take out $300.
If you want to do excursions or dinners outside the resort, be prepared to pay!!!

Ps the rooms have normal outlets and won't wreck your devices [Details]
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The strong points
Beach Entertainment Staff Location
The weak points
Cleanliness Chickens Food Exchange Rate / ATM
Certified

Occidental Arenas Blancas

, Elmira, ON
2019-04-15
When we arrived, we were not registered at the hotel. Our names where not on the computer at check in, but they did find us a room.. The Hotel was not as clean as it used to be. The staff are over worked. Only One waiter at the Lobby bar. They have to serve, mix drinks and wash the glasses and bar tend making the service very poor. Three of the elevators were not working. Our room floor was never swept or washed. The pool was only cleaned on our 10th day there. The same food every day and no French fries.

Staff are very friendly and the location is great, but the hotel is going downhill. [Details]
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The strong points
location
The weak points
cleanlyness
Certified

Dont rely on the pictures and video on the Web

, Laval, QC
2019-04-13
OK hotel but much older and what is shown on the pictures. Definitely not a 4 stars. Need a good scrubbing. [Details]
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The strong points
Staff is smiley and helpful.
The weak points
No 24 hours food or drink. No bar on the beach.
Certified

Occidental Arenas Blanca

, Winnipeg, MB
2019-03-04
Great trip, air conditioning didn't work great, but was enough. [Details]
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The strong points
The employees are great.
The weak points
Maintenance is needed around pools.
Certified

Spend your money elsewhere

, Toronto, ON
2018-12-18
Pretty disappointed in this place. Even for Cuba, this resort is rough. You can do better for cheaper, or much better for the same price elsewhere on the island. People walking around til midnight blasting music was a treat too. [Details]
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The strong points
Good strong wifi (rare in Cuba) Nice beach Great location right in town
The weak points
Cockroaches (2 in room, 1 in lobby) Pillows brown with sweat Terrible food Pool in rough shape Most palapas reserved by people with towels all week and staff didn't remove or police Sewage smell around resort Rude front desk staff.
Certified

Recent vacation

, Toronto, ON
2018-07-26
overall the hotel was okay by Cuban standards and the location was great as it was walking distance to everything we needed. It was nice to be able to make use of the Solymar facilities as well. The food was as typical Cuban food goes (a bland mix of basic fare with nothing creative for the palate) but honestly while trying my best to be careful, i got food poisoning on the second day at lunch and was on a fruit and rice/veggies diet for the rest of the trip. The mangos were delicious!

The hotel has an ant problem such that when i was sick, the only thing i could drink was a pop and through the night, i didn't realize that the can was covered in ants as i drank...yeah, disgusting but i guess i got some protein in my system. The night that i vomited, we asked for someone to come clean but no one came until the next day (luckily i cleaned most of the stuff). We asked several time for the room to be treated for ants (and a fellow traveler had a nest of ants in between their mattresses) we had to pay the room cleaner a tip to ensure that she sprayed for us (which she did and it seemed to help).

We were expecting more interactive entertainment. The water activities were present but the activity board indicated sports like volleyball or soccer which we never saw.

Overall, the staff was friendly and we enjoyed the excursions that we went on [Details]
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The strong points
Mangos, Excursions, friendliness of staff
The weak points
Food. Ants.
Certified

Don't Do It !!!

, Wainwright, AB
2018-07-19
We will never come back to this hotel. Cuba is beautiful but this hotel is awful. Staff are not helpful. They made you feel like they were doing you a favour and were most disgruntled if you did not tip for every small service.We ended up eating off site most of the time as the buffet was a glassed in sweat box with mediocre food and dirty table clothes. Making reservations at the a la carte restaurants involved standing in line for an hour between 2 to 4 if Nancy was actually there. ( the hours on the restaurant info brochure we're 9-5. )don't eat or drink in your room you'll be over run by ants and bring toilet paper in case the maid forgets or doesn't show up [Details]
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The strong points
This hotel has a beautiful beach- but so does every other hotel in Varadero. Room was full of ants. We had to leave tips to get the maid to bring clean towels and request clean sheets Air conditioner wouldn't put out a match. Front desk is not helpful.
The weak points
You have to stand in line at the bar to get a drink in a 8 oz plastic cup and suffer dirty looks if you don't tip every time you get a drink. Food is mediocre. Buffet is a glassed in sweat box. Getting reservations for a la carte restaurants is an ordeal

I was not happy the first night I arrived there th

, Saint John, NB
2018-05-14
My experience at the hotel was not very good the first night we arrived there we asked to change rooms and they wouldn't let us change rooms our room was dirty I had a Dirty Ashtray filled with ashes cigarette butts our room was just like sleeping in the lobby so loud and noisy next morning went down to Ash change rooms we did get a room changed but it was just as noisy and spoke to the manager and the manager I taking me up to another room which was Ocean View and that room wasn't too bad until after it rained in a room late water everywhere I came out of my room and didn't notice water on the floor open the hallway and fell and hurt my leg bad I went down to the front desk to complain about it at first they just said to go see the doctor they didn't seem like they wanted to do anything at first so then I spoke to another manager I could hardly walk on my leg and then the other manager was super nice and asked if there's anything he could do and the people on the desk were all so nice to me the next time I went down so with that all said I ended up with a free massage I like the sore for a couple of days when I got home it got a little worse from sitting too long on the plane [Details]
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The strong points
I don't have any strong points to say about this
The weak points
I don't know if I'd ever return to this Resort again not that the people want nice but they were it's just the resort itself
Certified

Don't go

, Mississauga, ON
2018-05-07
Please don't go if you have any decent standards in life....if your a person with very low expectations then it's great for you [Details]
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The strong points
In one word......dump
The weak points
Everything

Overall not bad

, Toronto, ON
2018-05-03
The only major problem i had were ants in the room.
My room was located on first floor and from what i heard ants were problem in most of the room on that floor.
The worst was that they were in a bed and got into my luggage too. After I complained cleaning lady came and spray out the whole room including the bed. I think it is more temporary then permanent solution, so if you stay there more than a week, once you notice this problem, I would recommend changing rooms immediately.
Also, they take the tips for granted and as a must more then a trigger to give a better service. [Details]
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The strong points
beach food location
The weak points
cleanliness problems with ants
Certified

Good location!

, Oromocto, NB
2018-04-23
Arrival:
We arrived late at night and had much difficulty finding our room. There was an elevator in the lobby so we took it and assumed the room 4XXX was on the 4th floor. So we started there. Nope, down to the 3rd floor, nope. Oh my! The 2nd floor elevator door opened to a black wall full of graffiti blocking the exit! We had to return to reception and it turns out we were in the wrong section of the building! (It would have been nice to at least be told where to find our room, or pointed in the right direction.) The room numbers don't quite make sense as we were actually on the 2nd floor!

The room:
It was adequate for myself and 2 teenage daughters. The AC was easy to control, and had a lovely view of the water side of the resort. We really appreciated the in-room safe. The chambermaid did a good job each day, however we are certain our sheets did not get changed all week, and towels only a couple of times, but we are accustomed to this in Cuba.

The grounds:
The pool was lovely and always lots of choice for sunbathing locations / lounge chairs. Not a lot of shaded areas however. I think this is in part due to hurricane Irma having damaged palm trees and leaves of those existing. The beach is ever so close and again, lots of choice for lounge chairs. The one thing that concerned me for older guests or those with mobility issues, is that the walking grounds (especially concrete / cement areas) are not well maintained. Lots of holes in the concrete and uneven areas to be careful of. I would make this a priority for the hotel to address.

The food:
It was adequate. Again, it's Cuba and we have come to accept was is available, and not available. It is not uncommon to see visitors bring their own condiments! My concern however was with some foods not at the right (safe) temperature, i.e. either hot items served luke warm, or cold items laying on plates without ice or refrigeration (at times for hours). I REALLY enjoyed the food stations where the cook prepares your protein right in front of you! Xavier made lovely omelets each morning! We ate at 2 à la carte restaurants. The Mexican was ok, but the girls really enjoyed the Italian one.

Service:
Drink service at meals was inconsistent, despite having a few attentive servers. On our first day I went to a server and asked for 3 glasses. She explained that the servers will get our drinks, however we finished our meals before anyone came to our table. This occurred several times and so toward the end of our week, I insisted on simply obtaining the glasses so we could get our own drinks, especially when our time was limited e.g. before pick-up for an excursion.

Drinking water:
The staff insisted that the water is safe. I'm sure that's true for locals and many tourists. However, for some, there is the possibility of getting sick so we AVOID drinking the tap water, water in pitchers at meals and any ice. Of course we've taken medication (Twinrix) to avoid contracting certain illnesses such as Hepatitis A and B, but "tourista" / travelers' diarrhea is still an issue for many travelers. The staff do not take this seriously however, bringing drinks with ice, when we've asked for no ice, "Sin hielo por favor".
It is nice that they provide bottled water in the rooms but it is only one bottle no matter how many are in the room and this is not adequate. For the price we pay, at least one bottle per person per day would be more appropriate. My 2 teenage girls were sick for their last full day, one of them pretty much bed-ridden, and the other child and I were sick for nearly a week when we returned home.

Entertainment:
Throughout the day there is music playing outdoors, and for the most part it is very LOUD, making relaxing by the pool somewhat difficult (for this reason we preferred going to the beach). Although there is a very general Activity Board near the lobby, it is missing the daily specific activities. We just happened to come across the pool foam party but had not heard anything about it, nor was it on the activity board. We were very disappointed to learn after the fact that there had been a variety of animals that visited the guests at the resort, and we simply missed it because we didn't know. A separate board for the specific daily activities would be appreciated.
We were surprised to see that the "theatre" was simply an outdoor stage near the pool. The evening entertainment was nice but we tried to understand why the audience chairs were always 1/2 empty . . . then we realized it is sooo LOUD you could sit in the lobby and hear it clearly. Even my teenage daughters had to leave the theater area as it was simply too loud to enjoy the show.

Resort Location:
This was our main reason for choosing this resort. It is just at the end of the main road in the town of Varadero. Very easy access to the local shopping markets, bars, restaurants and other interesting sites. It is also very easy to hop on the tourist double-decker bus to access all areas of the peninsula.

We will be back to Cuba again, but will try a different resort next time. [Details]
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The strong points
- Proximity to the town of Varadero - Proximity to the beautiful beach - Price
The weak points
- Food safety concerns for hot and cold food temperatures - Inconsistent service - Very LOUD resort with music blaring much of the time - Terrain in need of maintenance, especially for those with mobility issues.
Certified

Hotel Arenas planta

, Campbellton, NB
2018-04-19
Well it wasn`t what I expected,service was terrible, we didn`t received the right room,food was good do,no towels in room,no toilets paper, I would not recommend this hotttttttttttttttttel to nobody [Details]
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  • Front desk & Reception
  • Beaches
  • Location
  • Bathroom
  • Staff / Crew
  • Cleanliness
  • Food & Restaurants
The strong points
10
The weak points
10

When is management going to listen!!

, Monastery, NS
2018-03-05
2nd visit, 1st in 2015, needed work then, but now it needs complete renovations. See pics of my room...door almost impossible to open or close (fire hazard) patio door (gap wide enough for bugs to come in). When new resort opens up next door next winter, they'll be sorry.

NOT RECOMMENDED [Details]
  • Room
  • Quality - Price
  • Front desk & Reception
  • Beaches
  • Location
  • Bathroom
  • Staff / Crew
  • Cleanliness
  • Food & Restaurants
The strong points
Great beach and location. Most staff are pleasant and work with what they have.
The weak points
Cold pools, buffet not so good. SW, AT, AC & WJ should reduce to a 2 1/2 to 3*.

Beautiful beach

, Toronto, ON
2018-02-26
A lovely beach and a great location as Varadero is easy walking distance.
The staff try really hard but there is no way that this resort should be ranked as a 4 star. We are not fussy people but the room was awful. It needs a total gut job. Any travel agents standing behind a rank of 4 stars is not providing a good service to its clients. We know it is Cuba and didn't expect much but this was bad. The lobby is also extremely sterile and dated. [Details]
  • Room
  • Quality - Price
  • Front desk & Reception
  • Beaches
  • Location
  • Bathroom
  • Staff / Crew
  • Cleanliness
  • Food & Restaurants
The strong points
Beach! Staff largely very pleasant. Nice to have a few different a la carte options for dinner. Water sports staff very helpful
The weak points
The buffets (breakfast, lunch and dinner) always the same stuff. Rooms and lobby in desperate need to renoing. If they don't tackle this I would strongly recommend dropping this resort to a max of 3 stars
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