International Hotel

My first impression of this hotel is that it was not esticially pleasing to the eye. The pool was very mediocre, the grounds were not very lush, The front desk staff were not very well versed in English so it was difficult to communicate and seek out information. These were common critisism from many of the guests I spoke to. The term all inclusive is also misleading as many of the shows/meals you were required to pay for. The buffet hours are quite limited and if you are not an early riser you will likely need to eat at the snack bar or diner. The snack bar and diner are basically limited to hamburgers and hotdogs. There are a few other items on the menu like chicken but we and most others guests were discouraged by the cooks saying it would take 45 minutes to get it. Getting a drink was like pulling teeth, they certainly were not in any rush to serve and was off the impression that it was a tactic to give out less to the guests. The drinks are however poored very stiff. The food is hit and miss sometimes of good quaility but most often poor. The room itself is quite spacioius and very clean. The bathrooms appear to be newly renovated but the shower trickled a single stream of water. The staff were cordial but certainly not freindly, it was rare to see anyone smilling. I think this was in large part to the fact that they worked extremely long hours, morning to night and seemed exausted. The entertainment staff ""animacion"" were exceptional and for whatever the hotel itself lacks was made up for by these young and enthusiatic individuals who would run vollyball, dance lessions etc. Despite my critisims I had an excellent time as I only paid $800 for a week over New Years. Great Value for the money, I toured much of Veredero and can say that this is probably one of the better hotels and is directly on a very nice beach.

I've been to many all inclusives not only in Cuba, but in Mexico, Antigua, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic so I consider myself fairly knowledgable enough to critique this hotel. Overall I had a poor experience. Main problems can be listed as: - bad food - bad entertainment - bad service - rooms are ok - only if you are lucky enough to get one that has been renovated - bad hotel layout - worst communication between staff and guests ever! I just got back from spending Xmas 2004 in this hotel and I do not recommend this as a Varadero vacation possibility to anyone. The only positive comments I heard about this hotel came from people who have never travelled all inclusive before. If you do decide to go here because of a sell off - good luck to you. My advise is to pay an extra $50 to go anywhere else. Good luck to you all and I hope your next vacation doesn't come close to being as bad an experience as I had at this hotel.

If you enjoy cold food you'll enjoy it here. The staff are lovely and very helpful. But the worst was the smell of oil. There are several oil fields around varadero which will turn your stomach several times a day. Apparently they let of pressure and the smell, you can not escape. The food is cold as they don't have proper facilities to keep it warm. The drinks aren't much better, we spoke to several people from other hotels and theirs were just the same so it's not just Barlovento. If you enjoy shopping don't go to Cuba there is no shopping to speak of other than small craft markets selling the same old tat. The catamaran cruises were good and so was the jungle tour. We went to Havana which would be a beautiful place, the buildings were gorgeous. Unfortunatly they looked more than delapidated and there were beggars everywhere, we went to they cemetary in Havana and even there the guards were showing people the insides of graves and then they wanted tipping for it. Be prepared to pay out a couple of hundred quid in tips, they expect to be tipped for everything and complain if they think they haven't received enough.

Just came back after 1 week in this hotel. Had a great time. Rooms are large and very clean. Food was OK, there is also the cafeteria, the Universal Restaurant, the pool bar and the lobster dinner and cabaret (included in our package). Staff is very friendly and helpful. The beach is right off the terrace! Water is beautiful and the beach is clean. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

been back in england a week now (went cuba 29/10- 12/11) and we're already planning our next trip back. cuba is a wonderful country with nice people but don't forget INSECT REPELLANT and BABY WIPES. (there's never soap in toilets outside the hotels and in some places in the countryside not even running water) There's a shortage of shampoo and simular things so bring extra and you can give it to the cuban friends you make. barlovento is a great hotel (although i know there are better) , nice rooms, excellent staff, really friendly, good entertainment team in the evenings (they dance very good) and just on a perfect beach. but the food in cuba is generally quite bland, not the spices we are used to here although it's not bad. our maid left little cute notes on the bed next to the swan or heart she made and cleaned the room very well. the only thing with this hotel is that it doesn't have a swimup bar, otherwise it's all good. we did the jungletour on jetskies (amazing do it!) swimming with dolphins (increadible), 1night habanna+pinar del rio(excellent hotel, habanna melia *5) but you didn't get a lot of time by yourselves, tropicana was worth doing though, catamaran to cayo blanco(you think you come to heaven) and guama&sugarcanefields. all trips worth doing and next time in cuba we can just relax on the beach every day. many people complain that they all expect tips but if we earned around $10 (which a lot of people working in the hotels do) a month so would we. there's educated people working on the beach giving out sunbeds cause it gives tips and therefore more money. when you see how they really live and how life is for them (outside varadero) it's not that hard to tip after all. have a wonderful time in cuba!!!

We just got back from a rescue plane from Veradero due to Huricane Ivan. THANK GOD!!! The resort IS NOT A 4-STAR. The public washrooms are run down, some don't have toilet seats. 24 Hour bar is not 24 hours. Dirty swimming areas. Person responsible for the spa and massage areas were ON VACATION!!. I guess they don't believe is substitutes!!! The promised us Lobster dinner and a small bottle of rum, instead we got a piece of roast beef and lemonade!. The staff were great but the resort had to go. Yeah, it is old but its time to finish that one. The only good thing about the place was the cleaning lady on 5th floor, she was so sweet and the beach! Thats it!! By the way, the showers leak, and they don't have water pressure to take a decent shower!

My family and I just stayed at Hotel Internacional for 2 weeks (July 11-July 25) and had an amazing time! 2 weeks was definitely not long enough! The hotel was wonderful, very 1950s and had a great Cuban charm to it! The rooms were very clean and spacious and the maid service was excellent. The food and nightly entertainment were great. The beach was beautiful! Nice calm, clear, warm waters and soft white sand! The employees were extremely friendly and helpful especially the maids, waiters and security guards. Great location! close to the marketplace! very safe to walk! It was one of the best vacations we ever had and we plan to return to this hotel. We definitely recommend it!

You guys need an update ! For anyone thinking of staying at the Hotel Internacional - GO !! We were a bit worried after reading the reviews boy are we glad we went anyway. We met some wonderful folks from Quebec while we were there and they had also worried after reading Trip Advisor write ups. You will be pampered, smiled at, well fed. You cannot be bored, but you sure can relax. Nightly shows, constant drinks, and the best beach anywhere. We took the advice of others and went on the Catamaran trip. One little hint - we were offered a free trip to Habana as our hotel over-booked, we took advantage of the bus tour, night in a 3* hotel which was not as nice but still lovely. Walking tour, lunch, night time show - all for nothing. Check in at the tourist desk and see what freebies there are up for grabs. Food was wonderful and varied, and the spot is just the right size (150 rooms?) to get to know some of the same faces and form a few friendships. We are young 30 somethings, we did not bring our kids although families would be well looked after.\ The only critical remark and I can make is that the showers scalded us daily. We checked with others at the resort and found that was a common (and only) complaint.

Our family spent a week here on an all inclusive package. Good value value for money. Fantastic location on the beach, much closer to the water than any of the other newer hotels. Building has been renovated and is very well maintained. Located walking distance to town. Hotel also had free bicycles for travel to town. The rooms were spacious, very clean, tiled floors, comfortable mattresses, fantastic view of either beach or park/ocean, and the cleaning ladies made swans out of our towels every day. The food was good (for Cuba), a lot of variety, and could always find something we liked. Ate twice at Universal Restaurant which had great service and good food. Having a band going from table to table at breakfast, lunch, and supper at the buffet was annoying but could be avoided by eating out on the spacious beach side patio. The package included the Continental Cabaret Dinner and Show which was a fun and interesting evening. Found the staff very friendly. The daytime entertainment team tried hard to involve guests in dancing lessons, beach volleyball tournaments, etc. Beach was very clean and spacious, with many chairs under palm umbrella shades. Lots of drinks. Friendly bartender although main problem was bartenders giving drinks to our 15 year old son. Minor plumbing problems, Toilets had to flush several times and some water temperature fluctuation on the showers.

We just came back from a 1 week vacation in Cuba at Hotel Varadero Internacional. The beach was the best part. I think the hotel had the largest most beautiful piece of beach front in all of Varadero. The rooms were very clean and had all the basic necessities. The plumbing was the greatest, you had to flush the toilets 2 or 3 times in order for it to work. The temperature in the showers was not consistent......sometimes warm, sometime scaling hot, sometimes ice cold. The food was average. We found a few key things that we were liked. I can't imagine eating that food for longer than a week though! We ate a lot of Papas Fritas! The drinks were flowing 24/7. Be warned the drinks are very strong........you definately get your money's worth in that department. Most of the staff was extremely friendly and helpful, especially the pool waiter and bar tenders. As for the night life at this hotel, it was rather lacking. Definately more of a relaxing holiday......not much excitment. The majority of the guests there were in their 50s, so not a good hotel if your looking to party. The water sports were lacking a bit as well. There were no boogie boards or snorkeling equipment. They just have paddleboats and kayaks which you can only use half hour at a time. All and all it was a great trip.......the beach was wonderful and we made our own fun as far as activites and excitment go. I would like to go back to Cuba, but I would not stay at the Internacional......it's a little too quiet for me. P.S. (If you plan on doing any excursions.....go on the Catamaran trip......it was SO fun!)