Memories Varadero Beach Resort

I went to this hotel in the beginning of May which I believe is the end of the tourist season. We stayed in a standard room which was run down, dirty, literally falling apart, and had holes in the walls and paint everywhere. Front desk was rude, customer service was not helpful (not even stocked with a first aid kit) and the communication between staff and guest needs is terrible. They don't give you the anything unless you ask for it, including general information on the resort. We didn't know about changing our towels, booking al la carte, where the beach is, mealtimes, differences between standard and premium luxury's, shows and bars- nothing. FYI you need to tip everyone for EVERYTHING. We although we had some good staff in the buffet, we did have a few notable rude staff who would ignore us, and shrug us off when we asked for drinks/help. The food and drink was decent- like everywhere in Cuba. The coffee was AMAZING. The room was so dirty, our sheets were stained and dirty, pillows were moldy, the blankets smelled awful, and were not changed the whole time we were there. Even though we asked for them to be changed. No towel changes in the washroom even though we asked customer service. The ceiling was falling down (maintenance did fix it same day), there was holes in the wall, no screen in the frame of the sliding door (which had a 3 inch gap). Our peep hole fell out of the door making it unsafe- anyone could have put a hanger through the hole and opened our door. Very much unsatisfied with our stay, will definitely not be staying there again. I honestly want a refund. [Details]

The beach is beautiful, the resort is ok but the food is under the standards.
Our bedroom was just in front of a big noisy machine outside. So impossible to sleep the windows opened and, unfortunately, the climatisation was also very noisy.
Thankfully, the place was almost empty, so, we have large enough place on the beach and around the pools. [Details]

The room was not part of the updated project which was something we could live with because we don't spend a lot of time in the room, that being said, the blankets and pillows smelled bad, the toilet didn't flush, the tap was to short for the sink so turning it on meant flooding the vanity and the tub was rusty and didn't feel clean. There was never water put into our fridge and because we were traveling with a 5 year old we took some from the maids cart and got yelled at. And FYI it's 200 amp service, also fine but there were scorch marks on the wall from previous problems that made me not even try to use adapters. [Details]

Staff are friendly and very helpful. Lots of bars and activities, Theater shows at nite very professional. Pools busy and beach very busy . . . Everywhere clean and groomed. Some room challenges that many were addressed well and a few that didn't get accomplished. [Details]

We've been to Cuba 4x now and have loved our first 2 trips but this has been, by far, the worst trip we've ever had in Cuba. Starting from not having toilet paper in our room 3 out of the 7 days we were there. Most of the time the public bathrooms lacked tp and soap. The food has always been less than other places, but this time your selection was pitiful: rice, beans, fish, chicken, some vegetables. Breakfast always had fresh omelette. Some days there was octopus and beef. We ate lobster twice (off the resort). Fruit: papaya, guava, watermelon. Dessert: some pastries, some pudding, two flavours of ice cream. All in all if you weren't too picky you had something to eat.
We stayed in building #39 which we heard was nicer then most. Only problem was it was next to the theatre and music went into the wee hours of the night. [Details]

Highly recommended. [Details]

This resort is the most disgusting resort I have ever went to.
There were "roaches" In the buffet restaurant behind the bread and snacks. I told the staff and they did nothing but move the bread to another spot. I'm telling you every day the roaches were creeping I barely ate.
They didn't have a variety foods at all.
I been to Cuba 6 times now and how does this resort not even have fries I don't get it ?! The staff members were very nice, they surprised my daughter on her birthday at our hotel room.
The one kids pool was okay the one with the slide Is also the main pool.
The other pool was the quite pool but it's awful beware of the black bugs....my gosh we got bit soooo bad on the last day by the quite pool while waiting for our bus to pick us up to go to the airport.
Yuck Yuck Yuck! for 5 days we were itching worst then mosquito bites.
Last problem the no lights in the night time around the resort is a big NO NO you can't see nothing you must take a cart to get around the resort because of how big it is.....Not ever coming to this resort again. [Details]

Arletty,Amaury,Diosdado set up everything for us for our return vist to the resort. 5th time...great clean rooms block 30 close to the pool,2 mins to the lobby or take a trolley...david and Amaury always helpful. food good it is cuba. Lobster special dinner amazing. Japanese fantastic...pool clean as always. Amazing time away for my birthday and our little nephew had a surprise party at his room. the staff make it a home away from home.kitchen staff Anaabel (egg lady) always singing. thank you for the great time. coffee is amazing as was the santiago. [Details]

The resort is huge and excited view, stuff are very kindly and helpful always good service, amelioration food noticing from May to September [Details]

Muy buen hotel sobre todo el staff de animacion muy buena gente. Recomendado 100% [Details]

It was my first time in this resort and certainly not the last. It is one of the best resort I've been too in varadero. The staff is so professional and caring. The entertainment team made our experience even more enjoyable with their energy and activities especially Rafael that went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having a great time. [Details]

I am never disappointed at this place! I went once again for my birthday and had a fantastic time! The beach is one of my absolute favourites, as well as the staff. In particular Felix, Chocolate, Cesar & Laritza for making my birthday an extra special one! Sharing memories and dinners was an absolute pleasure with great people. By far my favour resort with amazing people! If you want to feel like you have a little bit of home with you on vacation, this is the resort for you. Thank you again for an unforgettable birthday! [Details]

We arrived late after 11pm and found the room dirty, bed sheets with yellow stain and washroom also dirty, they moved to a different room and same thing dirty bed and washroom with hair but we had to sleep it was late so we just stayed there. People are great, hotel needs some fixing but great location and great employees. [Details]

Hotel rooms in bad condition, the staff don't care, food in general of bad quality, they serve ice and water from the faucet, pools are dirty, they give 21hrs of internet access for 7 days, still waiting for the baby crib! To be avoided! [Details]

The hotel look nice. But a big problem with communication [Details]

This hotel is one of the best places I've been to this far. The people, the entertainment and staff are just so incredible they treat you so nice and always have a great smile on their faces. If you are looking for a great getaway this should be the first place you choose [Details]

Thank you so much to the employees from lunch, specifically Tania Gilmacumo who served us with care. As well as Jessica Romero at the grill cooking the fish and meat with love. The delicious food had made the trip more enjoyable and I hope to come very soon and see them again. [Details]

The Animation Team were the spotlight and entertainment of the hotel! Especially Rafael Pérez and Sadiel Morales who were exceptional animators who went around entertaining people in the beach, with their yoga and dance classes in the water and volleyball games for younger people. At the pool they would encourage people to spend a good time and enjoy the day with their enthusiasm characters. They would chat with anyone and make good conversation if people ate alone or sat alone in places with a lot of movement to feel more live. They were honestly great people with amazing personalities who encourages me to come back to Memories Resort. Big thanks to the team [Details]

We've been many times to Varadero. This hotel exceeded my expectations. Clean, helpful, and friendly staff. Food was good for Cuba. Try the Japanese and Italian restaurants. Beach is great. Family Room had a king size bed and bulk beds. Animation team is also good. We met the hotel director and he's always making sure you spent a great vacation. You should try Memories Varadero! [Details]

We had a great time! The beach was beautiful and the people that work there are lovely. Music by the pool was wonderful. Because it was so warm the large pool needed some extra special attention but it didn't stop us from swimming in it. The only one that can ruin a holiday for anyone is other guests who don't appreciate the beauty and the people around them. We will be back! [Details]

I had the greatest time took my friend who has never been anywhere with me and now we both can't wait to go back. It was amazing staff so friendly and everything super clean. I know from talking with people that have been many times that it was not the same as Covid has hit them hard but we both enjoyed the food and drinks. [Details]

Second time at this resort . Staff is hands down the best I've had in many trips to Cuba . Animation team is full of life , Laritza, Chocolate , Amauri, yohan , rafael , Felix , Helen ,and a few others . Front desk and customer services so helpful .arletty is amazing . Restaurant , buffet and bar staff pool staff , I wish I could name everyone because they all deserve recognition. [Details]

I love this resort, the food is good, grounds are beautiful and the beach is amazing! The evening shows are great and entertainment staff are the absolute best!! Denis was great, he kept us entertained all week, such a friendly person and always goes out of his way to help everyone. We had a great trip and can't wait to return :) [Details]

I rarely take much consideration about resort reviews although I do read them to see if there is a common theme.

You know you're going to a tropical country and you cant possibly expect the same standards as Canada.

That being said in general people were good. As always tip a little- no brainer if you want good service! Laura Marie in the lobby - fantastic!

Facilities were good.

My only complaints the MEAT. Flavorless. Like no salt or pepper flavorless. If you enjoy meat, you know adding salt and pepper after being cooked is pointless.

The a la Carte - well they never have space so dont get your Hope's up. We tried to reserve for the week and they had 1 opening. Unless they just lie. Whatever I'm never going back and im.a travel Agent.

James [Details]

Food was disappointing at best rooms were falling apart pools were nice drink and snack bars always out of everything [Details]

Well all I can say is that my stay here was terrible. We came as a large group (20 or so). We paid for the Diamond Club (which was not worth the money), which was supposed to allow us to have better rooms, more selection of alcohol, a special place in the buffet area that had AC, 20% off services and a 2 pm check out. The only thing that was really nice was the 2 pm checkout. Started out okay, we arrived at 6 pm at the hotel. After checking in we went to the buffet which had a line a mile long. I'm not overly sure why this was as the dining area is huge. Only some of us had the Diamond club so we opted for the regular dining area. The food was terrible. All of the items in the buffet were not labelled correctly so you really had no idea what you were eating. We never received any drink service during the buffet so that was awesome. The pasta station was really the only thing that was decent. The morning buffet was worse however, as the only thing that did not make us sick was the fresh fried eggs or omelettes. The resort does have a 24 hour snack bar that was decent at times. They regularly run out of things which was extremely disappointing. After having so many issues with the buffet we started eating breakfast at the snack bar. one morning they had nothing but hot dogs so we had a hot dog for breakfast. One night they served sushi which was pretty good actually. Otherwise the buffet was terrible. The snack bar wouldn't have been too bad if they wouldn't have runout of things so much. The a la carte was also a huge disappointment. We did the Italian and Japanese. the Italian was maybe mediocre, very tasteless and itty bitty portions. The Japanese was much better. However, some of our group wasn't able to get in until 9:30 pm which by that point they had run out of appetizers and desserts and most of the options for the main meal. Therefore, I'd highly recommend that you book ASAP when you get to the hotel. We had a 6:00 pm slot which was great. The show was amazing and the service was also great. No complaints with the Japanese a la carte. The rooms: well, like I said we were Diamond club so we were supposed to have more recently renovated rooms with a stocked mini fridge. The photos online looked good so I figured the investment was worth it. I was so very wrong. The roms were spacious but very dated and run down. The walls were peeling and crumbling in some places. We had black mould in the shower and a bed that I'm sure was just a box spring. The mini bar had two beers, two orange fantas and a bottle of water. during the course of the week, the beer was never restocked and we didn't get water all the time. We tried leaving a tip, still nothing. Believe it or not out of group we had the least problems. Some other fellow Diamond Club members had problems with their show head as it would pop off mid shower. Some had dirty linens on the bed first night we arrived as well. Some reported their TV didn't work. I never really tried ours as I didn't really care to but probably didn't work either. Over all the rooms were very disappointing and not what was advertised to us online. The cleanliness of the hotel was horrible. Most times the bathrooms were not cleaned and never had toilet paper or toilet seats. I expected this outside the resort but not on the resort. We also discovered the worst bathroom I have ever seen in my life. Just off the theatre, the womens bathroom was another level of disgusting I never hope to encounter again. There was feces all over the floor in the toilets even on the walls. The toilets were pushed aside and full of feces. The sinks didn't work and none of the stalls had doors. I expect this bathroom was not being used, but the door should not have been open for guests to travel in there. I was absolutely disgusted and had a hard time using any other bathroom other than the one in our room afterwards. The entertainment was decent, we didn't attend all of the shows but the ones we did see were good. The pool entertainment was pretty blah. The beaches were amazing and very nicely kept. We tried to rent some non motorized watercraft but the wind cause some pretty nasty waves so wasn't much that could be done there. The resort was also huge. We were in building 30 which was about a 15 minute walk to the lobby. There were some of us in 36 and 37 which was even further away. They do have some carts driving around that people can ride on but good luck waving them down. We almost got ran over a few times however as they use the walking paths and dont generally make much sound when they come up behind you. We tried ordering one on check out day so we didn't have to haul our stuff across the resort but they never showed. Like the snack bar, the bars ran out of things quite often. Usually cups but we had a few times they ran out of rum, which I didn't think was possible in Cuba. So be prepared for that if you decide to stay here. The staff were also not the best. We hardly received service at the buffet. We would tip large (5-10 pesos at a time) but never made a difference. The lobby bars took about 20 mins to get a drink. The best service we had was the snack bar. We received better service when we left the resort. I'm not usually one to complain, as I am aware that places like Cuba do not have the luxuries like we are used to in North America, but I still expected for what we paid that it would be way better than what it was. If I ever return to Cuba you couldn't pay me to stay here. Our entire group was disappointed. If you chose to take your chances with this resort, well good luck! [Details]

We arrived around 10 at night. Check in was easy. We were loaded onto a large golf cart (4 adults,3 kids in our group) and driven to our room. We were on the 3rd floor and the driver helped carry our luggage up to the room. After a bit of unpacking we headed over to the snack bar for a late supper. They were out of just about everything. We waited for about an hour and ended up with only a small plate of fries to share. The next day was so much better. We headed to the main buffet and sat in the right hand section just inside the door. It was there we met Yudason(not sure if spelt correctly). He took great care of our group and was great with the kids. We sat in his section for the majority of our meals. The food is definitely not like we are used to but adults can make do. It was harder for the kids though. At breakfast they had fresh made omelettes (the ladies cooking are so nice! One lady sings while cooking), fresh fruit juice, hash brown patties, muffins Etc. They had plenty of other options too if you are more adventurous. Lunch we usually went to one of the snack bars for hot dogs and fries. A few times they were out of hot dogs so we had the chicken sandwiches. They were good. The hamburgers are pork not beef and too pink for us. They have a ketchup but it's more like a no name one from here. We had brought ketchup with us which helped with the kids! Suppers were back at the main buffet with Yudason. 2 nights had better food than the others. There was turkey and roast beef! For our 2 al a carts we chose the Mexican and Japanese. The Mexican one had run out of tortilla shells so we ended up with just the fajitas filling. Still tasted great. The Japanese one though was amazing! Highly recommend this one. The chef cooks right in front of you and does a little performance. Kids loved it too. Food was similar to Edos here. As for drinks, we never had much of a lineup but they did run out of cups lots. We had taken our own ones with lids so it wasn't a problem for us. There is a store if you want to buy snacks. They had lays plain chips in a tube like Pringle's. And actual coke a cola but sell out quickly so buy a couple if you want some for later. Our room was good. The size was perfect. Had a balcony but no view. We weren't in the room much anyway so it wasn't an issue. The bathroom was fine but no sink or tub plugs so it's shower only. Tub is a little slow at draining. The shower curtain rod and towel holders are falling off and need repair. We had a lovely lady named Ashley that cleaned our rooms all week. The kids loved her. She made the usual towel animals for them and left them notes. No matter how busy she was she always took a few moments to visit with them. Overall it was a great trip. Things we recommend you take with you- a roll of toilet paper, a reusable cup, ketchup, bug spray ( sand flies and mosquitoes can be bad), a flashlight and watch out for the golf carts while you are walking. [Details]

We arrived late Friday night and it was a rough start. Not a lot of help, snack bar was out of everything, couldn't get bottled water... I was panicking a bit as we were traveling with 3 little kids. We started the next day with a fresh perspective and were pleasantly surprised! The resort is well maintained and most of the staff is great. If you've been to Cuba and know what to expect as far as food and their standards (which we had) you'll be happy with this resort. It's clean and well maintained, beach is beautiful, there were always chairs and cabanas at either. Bring extra money to tip ( if we went again I would bring several Canadian five dollar bills, its slightly less than leaving $5 CUC but still a generous tip) if you want the excellent service or extra water bottles ect.. then tip. Most of the staff will go above and beyond so it's only fair! We travelled with 4 adults and 3 kids, none of us starved, the kids absolutely loved the kids club activities and the beach.
Bathrooms were hit and miss ( the one by the store is usually clean, has toilette paper and toilet seats, well worth the walk) [Details]

Memories to me is a great resort and has everything I need and my 5 year old. This is our second time. This resort is rated appropriately, due to the the rooms. The are fine, no complaints for a 3.5 star. If u are a picky person than book a 5 star. Me and my son choose memorise for the staff, the food, the beach, and all the entertainement, so for the price you cant beat this resort. [Details]

We left the middle of winter (Jan15-22) for a week in the sun. Memories resort surely provided more than just sun! Activities for the kids, dancing at the pool, night shows and more!! We were more than happy with our stay. [Details]