Blau Varadero Hotel

We stayed in the Blau Hotel for the 2nd week of our 2 weeks holiday the 1st week spent touring Cuba. The hotel is very space age compared to hotels in the vacinity, the food was fantastic and they really pushed the boat out for the New Years Eve Gala dinner, superb. The rooms were very spacious and light and had a bathroom with a brilliant shower. They had shows on every night, mostly for children. The staff were helpful and friendly the ones behind the bar got our Havana 7 rum and Sprite of to a T. I would advise if you go to take a thermal cup because the beach bar gives you your beer in paper cups and it is not the same!. The Canadian's had the right idea they were armed and ready with thier thermal cups. If I go back to Varadero I would stay at the Blau Hotel again and take my thermal cup!

Blau is German for blue, as were most guests from the cold. Run of bad weather recently, no heat in rooms, pool colder than the ocean. hurricane blows through the impressive open atriwm lobby as there are no doors. Food nothing special, exclusive restaurant onsite costs $25/person over the inclusive buffet. I can get a much better meal in Vancouver for $50/2persons. Staff and Cubans in general are very nice, polite, friendly and seem well educated. Ambiance is somewhere between Caribbean and Latin America. Convertable Peso is a bit of a scam. Exchange at the Airport on arrival, or from an instant teller, don't change more than you need. Changing back is expensive. Entertainers are trying hard, and the bar is always busy. I'd pick a hotel nearer town next time.

looks like a concrete power station but its lovely, great food, room was clean and well looked after, staff were very friendly. after changing hotels the second day from the grubby palma real hotel this felt like paridise only 3a but more like 4a . do take the adventure day tour is excellent and good value for money

Ola I stayed at the blau varadero from jan 31 to feb 7 I absolutely loved my trip first time to Cuba in fact first time anywhere. The hotel is beautifull, the staff is amazing if you have kids mayra will be great to them(say hi from Kathy) Yuya,Ever and Orlando will really get you dancing by the pool right glynn. The Food was really good especially the pasta bar and the lobster right tracy.The gym had really nice and new equipment but needed some music bring your mp3.The shows where really good but needed some entertainment after so you need to go out of the hotel, I went to the mambo it was okay (strange smell behind the bar).Above all I would go back tomorow no today if I could. I went with a girlfriend but I might as well gone alone made some great friends I blow on them(joke for them).The beach,talk about paradise and if you go on the Havana trip you must have a pina coloda it is the best in the world although I havent travelled much (never). Yoel make the best mojitos. Wacht out in the pool dont make a bomb in the shallow end it hurt your knees, also dont go from the the end of the pool to the shallow end slinding over the wall it hurts your nose. Have a great time in Varadero, you better go this year because I have a feeling prices are going to go up next year I will probably be a 5 star.

I visited Blau Varadero between Jan. 7th-14th. This was a very last minute trip (1 day before) and I'm happy with the choice I made. I didn't know what to think about the Blau based on 5 reviews... but I'm glad people are commenting. Don't worry about really negative reviews... people always find something to complain about. This is a 4 star (or 5 star if you ask the front desk) hotel in Cuba, not in Bahamas. The hotel is new, opened for business around Dec 2005, which gives it an advantage of everything being new. One thing I learned about Cuban hotels is the pictures on the internet are taken when the hotel opens, so these are not very recent (Arenas Blancas looked a lot worse when I saw it than on the internet). The pictures you see posted here are true, since the hotel is still very new. Starting from the front desk, helpful staff once you give them an opportunity to explain themselves (English is not a problem, but you can't rush asking your questions). Money exchange is at the front desk (all major currencies, CAD, GBP, Euro, etc.) Don't exchange your money to another currency before, you can exchange directly at the hotel without problems and you won't get hit with conversion premiums twice. Cuban Convertible Peso was fixed to the U.S. at about 1.12, then it is converted to your local currency (so, Peso to USD to CAD, in my case, worked out to about 1.20). US dollar is no longer widely accepted, but can be exchanged at the banks with a 40% surcharge, so no use bringing it. Convertible Peso is also no good outside of Cuba, so exchange out of it before leaving (except for 25 Pesos for departure tax at the airport). I asked itravel2000 to put a note on the reservation to ask for Ocean View, which was provided at no charge (good tip, nice staff). The elevators are beautiful (glass facing the inside of the hotel) but slow, rather small and only four serving a hotel this size. The lobby is actually the 3rd floor, I was on the 6th and found it easier at peak times (lunch, dinner, etc.) to just run down the stairs... no biggie but I hope hotel management looks at this when the hotel gets busier. Speaking of which, on the pictures, the right wing and the middle of the hotel are occupied, the left wing is not yet in use. It doesn’t look like a construction floor or anything, just not occupied. The room was great. Marble bathroom, floors, good, clean bed (no bed bugs, believe me I checked!), I also had a couch in my room and balcony. The room was very spacious. You put your key into a slot when you enter the room which turns on electricity (so charging cameras, etc, when you're away from the room is not possible, but you can do this overnight). The plug is both European and American standard, so no adaptors needed (120V or 220V, worked fine on my Canon Elph camera). Mini fridge in the room is stocked with bottled water, pop and beer. There are half a dozen satellite TV channels (MTV, CNN, Discovery, etc.). Balcony is also spacious. Water pressure in the shower was great and because everything is new, it works great and is very clean. The room has a safe coded to your key (you pick your own password). There is a bar in the lobby and at night the two most hard working bartenders in the hotel, Onel & Joel, will serve up pretty much anything under the sun, with or without ice. You can see from the pictures, there are comfortable orange chairs with tables around the bar for lounging and having a lazy drink or two. The pool area has the Grill which serves lunch. For breakfast, lunch or dinner there’s always a chef at the grill whom you can ask to prepare your food whichever way you like. Chefs are courteous and try to accommodate your request. Also by the pool, there is another smaller bar which has an espresso machine! That’s right, cappuccinos, lattes, whatever (this part I enjoyed very much). The food is fine, that is not spectacular and not awful. I didn’t get sick or anything like that. I found the oil they use to be a bit heavy and you taste it in all things grilled. But I’m not a hugely picky eater and always found something different to eat every day. There’s plenty of choice, shrimp, chicken, pork, squid, burgers, pizza, pasta, salads, rice, soup, desserts, ice cream, etc. Wine, pop, drinks are available also at meals. The pool is nice, as you can see from the pictures, although I spent my time mostly on the beach which is just beautiful. A wooden walkway (under 60 seconds walk) takes you to the beach, which also has a beach snack bar (grilled tuna and chicken sandwiches). There are plenty wooden umbrellas (teepees) to provide shade and lots of chairs to lounge on. There’s always hotel security nearby who will watch your stuff if you decide to explore the beach. If you turn “right” when stepping onto the beach, you will be able to walk past the hotel developments and find some beaches without any people on them. If you turn “left”, you will see all the other hotels on the strip, depending how far you go. Needless to say, the beaches are beautiful and rival those in Cancun Mexico. Don’t be afraid to ask, but water sports are included! So, kayaking, hobby cats, etc. are free. All beaches in Cuba are public, but this does not mean that locals are roaming around trying to sell you stuff (the strip that the hotels are on is away from Varadero for locals to venture out). You will see a cart being wheeled once in a while and most tourists actually come up themselves. There is a small gym with weights, a few machines and half a dozen treadmills. The gym is not huge, but sufficient for a quick workout. Right next to the gym is the jacuzzi (inside) and sauna (these close at 8pm, but the staff are nice to let you stay if you agree to turn off the lights after you leave :) There’s internet access also. This is tricky, front desk gets only a certain number of cards per day which have a username and password, sort like a calling card, which you key in on the computer. I think I paid 8 pesos (about CAD$10) for a 60 minute card, the speed is dial-up like, so email and checking the weather is fine. Note, the locals have no access to internet, so that’s why the cards are being used. Speaking of weather, around 30C all week. They had a “cold front” from Canada for one day, which brought the temperatures down to 22C. Next day it cleared up by the afternoon and people were tanning again! Hotels and tourism are government owned in Cuba, which provides for equal pricing for tours. The tour to Havana is a must; I also took a catamaran tour to swim with the dolphins, very nice. The price is constant and you will not hear people getting better deals at other hotels or other touring companies. Don’t skip the meeting with your tour company rep, they’re not there to sell you timeshare, they actually provide very useful information. They come to the hotel in the afternoon daily. I also went to Varadero by scooter, which I highly recommend. 24 Pesos for 24 hours scooter rental. Just like riding a bike, no gears. The ride to Varadero is less than 10 minutes by scooter and you’re free to explore the markets, bars, etc. I dropped off school supplies I got at a dollar store in Toronto for the kids at school, amazing experience. If you’re going to do something like this, bring stuff from home, you can’t buy much stuff in Cuba. Cubans absolutely love Canadians there, since we’re about 40% of tourism, and there aren’t any Americans. The entertainment team puts in a good effort every night and is not repetitive. There are clubs all around in the vicinity at other hotels, just ask the entertainment staff and they will recommend one for you. Tipping is not mandatory and you realize quickly that 1 Peso won’t break your bank as a thank you for courteous service. Bar tenders and staff make an effort to remember you and strike up a conversation. Sports… tennis, table tennis, soccer, beach volleyball and dance lessons by the pool during the day. They actually have a pretty good tennis guy there!! Bring your own racquet for a good game (otherwise sport equipment is provided free). If I knew, I would bring some tennis stuff for the guy as a gift. All-in-all, very good time, no bad surprises, would come back to Blau when considering Cuba. Interestingly enough, there were people switching mid-week from other hotels.

re=hotel blau varadero, just returned beatiful hotel not completed as yet good food excelent help do not expect smooth sailling management have a few problems to iron out!

We booked at the Blau after our trip to Mexico got cancelled due to the hurricane, and I could not have asked for a better vacation. There were 8 of us in our group and all of us enjoyed the trip. The service at the hotel was spectacular, from the bellboys, to our maid, to the bartenders and the entertainment group. After a little confusion on rooms the first day the rest of the trip was awesome. The rooms were great and all of us got upgraded to ocean front rooms (without even asking), they have safes in room which were fantastic and fridges that were restocked daily with bottle water, pop and beer. The food was amazing, I had been told before I left that the food would be pretty bland with no seasonings but I always managed to find something to eat (sometimes to much) at all the buffets. The hotel is huge, clean and very open. The elevators are slow and on one occasion one of our group members got stuck in it but with most of the areas within 3 levels of each other didn't really need the elevator much. The pool area is nice with lots of room and chairs and a short walk to the beach which had some of the nicest sand and water I have seen. We brought stuff down that we had purchased from The Dollar Store and left little packages each day for our maid who always left us a thank you note saying how much her kids enjoyed the toys and books. We did tip the other staff with money and truly because we wanted to thank them for their service not because the expected it. The entertainment staff were fantastic (Yuya, Ivan & Pochanta) and made our stay even that much more fun. We had dancing lessons, spanish lessons, soccer and even went to the club one night. The nightly shows are good but after 11pm the hotel starts to slow down with drinks being shut down at midnight. We were told about the bars on our second night and had a chance to check out La Rhumba ($15 cover on weekends and $10 on weekdays includes alcohol) which was one of the highlights of the trip. More like the clubs in Canada with a mix of spanish music and hip hop. All in all this hotel was awesome and the service was great, if you are looking for a party hotel this isn't it, but if you are looking for a hotel with great service, staff and food I would book here!

This was my first time in Cuba, so I didn't really know what to expect. Although I heard tons of horror stories about hotel staff asking to buy/for personal items, personal items being stolen, diarrhea inducing food, etc. Setting: More hotel, than resort. Having been opened since August 2005, everything is nice 'n new, clean, open, airy, grand, modern, and full of natural light. All the plants are transplated, so the palm trees aren't towering. If that's a concern. No indoor pool, but 4 large outdoor ones. One thing that really irked me were the slowness of the elevators. There are 4 and they are SMALL, fitting 5-6 fat people or 4 max. w/ luggage. If your room is on a high floor, esp. at peak times, expect to spend a lot of waiting/stair time. Room: I really liked the room that comes w/ an easy-to-use safe - ask for an Oceanview! Washroom comes equipped w/ a hairdryer. You can plug your own electrical appliances into the AC plug there. No converter required. There's also a plug next to the television. There is "satellite" w/ MTV/CNN, but I suspect that it's censored because it seemed quite repetitive. Not complainin' 'cause it was merely to fall asleep to. Food: Before going to Cuba, I knew not to expect too much. Buffet at the Blau was alright. Some items tended to be either too dry, salty, or bland, but never gross. There were always a coupla good items each night. Depending on busy-ness, wait at the grill/smoothie station could be long. Out of the week, there were only 1-2 desserts that I really liked. Coffee during breakfast was gross, tasted instant, but way too bitter/strong. Instead, get coffee at the lobby bar afterwards!! Food at the a la carte was much better. The 24-hour snack bar ONLY serves 2-3 kinds of simple sandwiches. All in all, I never got sick so I can't complain. Scene: A mix of young/old couples, groups of friends, scattered singles, and the occasional young families. Not that many children kickin' 'round. Not recommended for BIG time party-ers as there is no disco on-site + alcoholic drinks are cut-off at midnight. There is a disco next door @ the Amigo, and tons within taxi distance. Apparently, Blau is trying to be more "family-friendly" as opposed to Spring Break which was a relief for me, a geezery 20-something. Service: Great maid service! I never realised how hard people at resorts worked until this trip. As a female, I found the male workers quite professional, respectful, non-slimy. In terms of actual service, it was good/friendly for the most part, but it depends on who you got. Other than a few order mix-ups, it was fine. Tipping extra/certain ppl didn't guarantee that you got better service later on. Front-desk, on the other hand, was a different story. For the most part, I found them curt and not very helpful. When they didn't understand you, they would just give you a random answer and didn't go out-of-their-way to clarify things. Beach: Beautiful, nice, white sand w/ lifeguard on-duty. If you get antsy beaching (as I do), there is not too much else to do, so you'd better learn to relax! Shows: Diff. each night, consisting of different Cuban cultural dances. I'm not much of a dance-fan, so I would prefer if it was mixed up w/ live music, some dance lessons, whatnot. Comments: My stay at the Blau left me with a MUCH better impression of Cuba than I came in with. My friends and I totally lucked out as we didn't want a Spring Break scene. I would def recommend this resort for anyone who just wants to relax, do nothing, socialise - if you want in the surroundings of a 4-star resort.

My husband and I travelled to the Blau on January 14th 2006 last minute and we got a great deal. We had never gone last minute before so we were nervous, but everything went extremely smooth. We arrived at the Blau around 10:00 pm and were amazed at the beauty of the hotel, we were greeted by the friendly hotel staff, check in was quick and efficient and the bell boy took us to our room and explained everything to us. The food was first class, couldn't have asked for anything better, breakfast and dinner were on the 3rd floor each day with a wonderful buffet and lunch was by the pool each day, another great buffet, lots of chicken, burgers, pizza etc. The entertainment group was very friendly and inviting, lots to do to keep you busy (if you like) or you could just laze by the pool or on the beach. The resort was clean and the layout was amazing. The bar served anything you would like, and the bar tenders were extremely quick and efficient (especially O'Neil and Yoel) We didnot have any line ups waiting for anything, everything ran very efficiently. The beach is beautiful, you can walk along the beach for hours, and the ocean was warm and inviting. I would go back in a minute, first class spot!!!

Single guy with 3 teen boys. Paid $3600 all in. Best value I've ever had for a carribean vacation. Is there room for improvement? Absolutly. When the hotel is complete, the elevators will become a huge issue. Drinks can be a little slow at times. And like others have said, no escaping the wind on cool days. If you are going to rent a car, do it from here!!!!!!! The place is new,so you may not get lush flowers, but then nothing is overgrown, nothing smells musty, and everything is fresh. This resort is the highest in Varadero. You get an amazing view if you have to contend with the elevators. The pictures that have been posted are exactly what you get. A brand new stunning large hotel. Don't go to Cuba for the food! I was hoping on loosing weight. The beef wellington is as good as I've ever had. I walked over 8-9 miles while I was there and still put on a few pounds.