Reviews of Beaches Varadero Hotel, Varadero, Cuba

I have never left a review about...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2005

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs E Oakley

Comments:

I have never left a review about a holiday but after reading some of the reviews on this hotel I felt I had to as I think some people obviously just like to moan about everything!



We got married at Beaches in April 2005. The hotel was recommended by parents who had stayed there when the hotel first opened. Although the hotel could do with modernising the overall stay was fantastic and I would definitely go back.



The staff were friendly and very helpful, especially our wedding co-ordinator. She was amazing and everything we wanted she sorted.



The food was really good and the buffet had a great selection of dinners and sweets.



The beach was fabulous and the bar (huts) were great as they were not right on the beach spoiling the view (especially for our wedding pictures).



We upgraded our room and were pleased on arrival.



The gardens were well kept which helped as we got married in them before moving to the beach for more photos and our pictures are perfect.

We visited Beaches Varadero in...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs L Sapsford

Comments:

We visited Beaches Varadero in July 2005 for a friend's wedding. I expected a lot of luxury as it was supposed to be 4 star and had the Sandals name.



The resort itself was a disappointment. The rooms were basic and certainly no more than a 3 star. There was a lot of peeling paint.



The beach was OK but I have seen far better beaches elsewhere in Barbados & Mexico.



This was an all exclusive holiday including motorised watersports and diving but it was too rough to go out.



The food was pretty basic which I know you should expect from Cuba. Friday night was fantastic though with all you can eat lobster.



Drinks were all local drinks. Best food was in the steak restaurant which is where we had the wedding reception.



Make sure you take plenty of mozzie repellent. I got 16 bites in 10 mins the night I forgot it!



I didn't like Varadero at all. There is not much there other than hotels. There is a small shopping centre but that didn't have much and there is a local market which was pretty good for handicrafts.

We, like most others who go to...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2005

Tour Operator:

Kuoni

Submitted By:

sammyjenkis

Comments:

We, like most others who go to Beaches/Sandals, went for our honeymoon. We chose Beaches Varadero because Cuba was a bit cheaper than the other Sandals resorts, yet looked just as fabulous in the brochure.



Unfortunately we were somewhat disappointed.



It didn't help that by the third day I had over 70 mosquito bites and hubby was burnt to a crisp despite constant factor 30 - we went in August, and it was SO hot, about 40 degrees on average, and we found it too hot to go out much during the day.



There was a massive thunderstorm almost every night which was quite nice but meant there weren't any romantic moonlit walks on the beach either!



The room was fairly average. We had paid for an upgraded 'concierge' room, but it was nothing special - there was a real problem with ants in absolutely everything, not to mention the mozzies! Air con was a saviour (but see below!), but the 'fully stocked in-room bar' was rather disappointing - 4 bottles of dodgy local spirits and a few soft drinks.



There was a main buffet restaurant where we ate most of the time, but the standard of food was average (mozzies everywhere in the restaurant). They went in for fish in a big way, and the included 'free' wine was absolutely awful! The staff were lovely though, and as helpful as possible. A couple of times there were local musicians who would play at your table which was nice.



The restaurants and bar weren't air conditioned (only areas with aircon are the gift shop and your room), so we didn't spend anywhere near as much time in the bar as we would have. The area around the pool was like a giant ashtray (fault of the Brits rather than the hotel I'm sure, but not too pleasant for non-smokers). Evening entertainment was exactly the same style cabaret as you'd get on any bucket & spade holiday.



Because of the situation in Cuba there isn't a great deal of opportunity to get out of the complex. We tried to hire a car but were told we'd have to wait several days and that it could be a bit dodgy as there's no guarantee of getting fuel, and there are laws requiring you to collect hitchhikers: we gave it a miss!



We did enjoy being away and relaxing after the stress of wedding organising, but overall were disappointed with the resort - this might have been largely due to our expectations being too high, but we assumed that all Sandals resorts were super-luxury.



At the end of our 7 nights we were so pleased that we hadn't stretched to a fortnight, and the other couples we had met who had another week to go all admitted they were jealous we were getting to go home!!!



If you do go to Cuba, you'll find the staff very helpful for the most part - partly because they are so desperate for tips. Apparently doctors earn about 40 dollars a month, so a dollar here and there goes a long way.



If you get a good deal, don't mind the heat and aren't looking for luxury then it would make a decent holiday, but if you're wanting something special then look elsewhere - sorry!

Spectacular part of the world to...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms M Stewart

Comments:

Spectacular part of the world to visit - loved every minute. Staff at the hotel were for the most part very helpful!



Be warned though the people of Cuba aren't as poor as some would like you to think - even the children know how to get those convertible peso's from your wallet. Havana is great for a one day visit but not much available to fill your time for any longer.



If your looking for the best beach in the world book a trip to Cayo Blanco - it is the whitest sand I've ever seen - but beware the food on CB - the thing that looks like beef - definitely isn't!

Having to book a last minute...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2005

Tour Operator:

Virgin

Submitted By:

Mr D Galloway

Comments:

Having to book a last minute replacement holiday due to our Hotel in Cancun, we settled on Beaches Varadero from The Virgin Website.



Myself and my girlfriend are easy going people who will generally get on, no matter the circumstances. I have never filed a complaint before but after 2 weeks at this hotel I am now filing my first.



Varadero is not the sort of place to go to immerse yourself in the culture of Cuba, their are very few places to go, especially walking distance. On the map given, their is app 50 hotel, 3 restaurants and 2 disco's separate from the hotels.





The hotel being advertised as a 4* fully inclusive luxury hotel was far from the mark.



The hotel is in need of a complete renovation, the grounds, although reasonably well kept have a large water feature/lake which needs a good clean.



The guttering is missing from large areas of the main build, when it rained we had a wall of water cascading down in front of our balcony.



It looks as though the gardeners are used on rainy days to do the decorating, they were there for a few days during our stay, dripping paint onto the floors, plants and furniture etc. Oh and leaving it.



Holes and cracks in the pavements and around the pool



Rotten and broken timber on bridge across pool.



Roof leaks to rear lobby, leaving tiled floor extremely slippery when wet.





Drinks at the pool and on the beach are served in low quality plastic cups ( the sort you would find in an office or sports centre for their water dispensers) These are left on the beach, by the pool and in the gardens, mainly due to them being blown off of tables etc. ( I except that for these areas plastic is better than glass, however the size and quality of the cups is poor)



The restaurants are of a poor quality, the food in the Arizona was exceptionally poor. The main restaurant where the buffet meals were served were generally ok, however after 1 week the food became a bit boring. The coffee is undrinkable ( tip, have coffee after breakfast at one of the bars )



Consider this, brussell sprouts in your salad with no sign of a tomato, lettuce only 2 times in a fortnight, tinned carrots and peas were regularly in salads



Service was generally ok, although lacking in parts



The beach bar doesn’t exist, instead you will find a shack ( a nice shack, but a shack none the less) in the bushes near the beach with 2 tables and 4 chairs if your lucky.



Their are no toilet facilities at the beach bar or on or near the beach



The beach is untidy



Shooting alley is a tin hut which is open for 1/2 an hour a day



Our room had mould on the ceiling and shower curtains also our linen always smelt musty and mouldy



Our fridge was not stocked until the 3rd day of our visit and it was not restocked on the following week at all



Coffee was not replaced regularly



Tea was available, but unless you can figure out how to make it with a coffee maker, then good luck.



The gym was outdated, towels were not always available, the clamps for holding the weights to the bars were missing.



Balcony doors were hard to open



Air conditioner leaked on too tiled floor, leaving surface slippery



Toilet worked sporadically



Ladies WC by pool had 1 wc blocked virtually throughout our stay and more often than not was devoid of loo paper.



The Cubans have created a currency for tourists called the Convertible Pesos, this is designed in my opinion to rip off the Tourist. Prices are generally set up to match western prices, well I don't mind paying a bit more as a Tourist to help the locals, however we seem to be paying 1000% more than they are.



We had a trip to Havana with lunch and evening meal, followed by the Tropicana show in the evening. This worked out at around £80.00 per person. The trip itself was ok, the food was ok, the show was ok, the price was not. I can go to the west end on a coach trip with meals and a show for the same kind of money and a much higher standard.



One women was charged £10.00 for a child T-shirt ( this is in a country where the average wage is supposed to be $15.00 a week)



Immigration control is a pain, we waited nearly 2 hours to get through immigration, and when we finally managed that we had to wait another hour for our luggage.





Sorry about the whinge, their is more, but to finish.



We went for a relaxing holiday, we got a relaxing holiday. Our issue is with the cost of the holiday coupled with the description on the web site and in the brochure. Go with an open mind, some things were being put right as we left. The staff and people are generally very nice and the weather was pretty good.

We had our wedding in this hotel...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2004

Tour Operator:

Tradewinds

Submitted By:

Mrs K Fitzpatrick

Comments:

We had our wedding in this hotel and it truly was a dream wedding. the staff were so friendly and the food was as good as it could be in Cuba we never went hungry.



We did tip the staff because they were fantastic and one member of staff who we gave a few dollars to each day must have seen us in our wedding outfits and the next day arrived at our table with a gift of an anklet made of sea shells for me and a key ring for my husband. For people who have nothing this really did touch my heart they are so grateful and so friendly.



I would recommend this hotel to everyone the entertainment was changed every night of our two week stay the piano bar was relaxing and enjoyable and I will go back. We also took the chance to swim with the dolphins this was an experience of a lifetime and was also very cheap. We toured Havana and through and through this really is a place to see.



The beach at the hotel is fantastic as was the whole experience there was even a man who played the saxophone each evening to let you know the restaurants were open and you were also serenaded as you ate. We will go back.

We went to Beaches Varadero for...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2003

Tour Operator:

Kuoni

Submitted By:

sammy-jenkis

Comments:

We went to Beaches Varadero for our honeymoon last year, expecting the ultimate in luxury, and were rather disappointed by the whole thing. Although we had a great time, it was despite, rather than because of the surroundings.



We upgraded our room to the 'Concierge Suite', but in reality this didn’t make a great deal of difference from a normal room. The in-room bar consisted of a couple of bottles of cheap spirits and the concierge service was just a girl in a room at the end of the corridor who you went to with problems rather than the main reception desk.



The biggest let-down was the lack of air-conditioning anywhere in the hotel outside of your own room. In temperatures of over 40 degrees and near 100% humidity, it was simply too hot to sit in the bars and enjoy the benefits of the all-inclusive package! The restaurant was also poor, both in choice and quality of food - not really the fault of the hotel as Cuba is after all a 3rd world country, but we felt that it didn’t live up to our expectations from what we’d read in the brochures.



There were flies everywhere - rooms, bars, restaurants, and at one stage I counted over 80 mozzie bites! It wasn’t particularly pleasant watching flies crawling around the buffet dishes, and we found that we spent so much of our time batting flies away when we were eating that meals were quite an unpleasant affair altogether. If you like wine, this isn't the place to go - there was one basic vinegar variety on offer which we and those other couples we met there all found undrinkable, and we’re usually happy to drink a £2.99 bottle from the Spar, so it must have been bad!



On a positive note, the beach was absolutely gorgeous, although the walk to it from the hotel (about 5 mins depending on where your room was) really took it out of you in the heat. My husband doesn’t normally burn, but even with factor 30 sunscreen 15 minutes on the beach turned him into a lobster so do be prepared!



The locals were extremely friendly and helpful wherever they could be. You are expected to tip all the time, and as little as a dollar is greatly appreciated. One lady in the gift shop (the only place in the building with air-con other than your own bedroom - we spent a lot of time browsing just to cool off!) explained to us that she hates taking the money from strangers, but to her family it makes such a difference, and she earns more in tips in a week than a doctor would earn in a month.



There isn't a great deal of scope to get out of the hotel. We tried to hire a car, but this had to be booked several days in advance and all seemed fairly complex. Roads and fuel are a whole other matter too, so check it out carefully if you’re into seeing around and about. The local shops in Varadero are worth a visit, but very different from back home - lots of empty shelves, and armed guards in banks.



Although this is much cheaper than the other Sandals resorts, it still cost us a lot of money, which we think now would have been far better spent somewhere else. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking, as we were, for the ultimate in luxury, but I think that we perhaps didn’t do enough research and were taken in by the beautiful pictures in the glossy brochures of a paradise honeymoon! Cuba is definitely worth a visit, but probably more suitable for a bargain deal or people who don’t care so much about luxuries like air-con and good food!