Melia Las Antillas

Just returned from Beaches Varadero (22nd to 29th of November). We were truly blessed with 6 amazing days of awesome weather (just the last day blew as a cold front/tropical rain storm came through). This was a fantastic resort with some minor issues. First let me say that I am an extremely positive person by nature so you won't find any real belly aching here. With that said, this resort is more of a 4 star than a 4 and a half star. Our arrival was flawless, filled out a short form and got our key immediately. However the front desk won't offer you the key to the room safe so ask for it up front. I didn't and had to return to get it. You must leave a 20 dollar U.S. deposit and it will be returned to you upon checkout. The front desk will also give you your beach towel coupon when you check in (you can pick up your towel at the pool side club house.). I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the room. Quite large. I was on the second floor of the main building and I was also on the side which had the view of the construction site of the new resort being built. These construction guys work 24 hours a day, seven days a week but the noise never bothered me. The air conditioning is much louder anyway. The view of the construction site did not bother me either because I was only in the room for my afternoon nap or to sleep at night. Also I read the reviews and I never saw any ants in my room. My fridge didn't work but I never asked them to fix it either. i'm sure they would have. The maids do a fab job of keeping the room in tip top shape so tip them or give them gifts. Everything is appreciated. The grounds are breathtaking. This was my third trip to Cuba and these grounds were the best of all the other resorts I stayed at. Word of warning there are four or five bridges that take you to the pool/beach. These bridges take you over the small lake which houses sharks and other fish. These bridges are kind of steep and posed some problems for some of the guests (or after too many cocktails). Don't fret, you can bypass the bridges completely by taking the trail around the lake on either side. The pool rocks and the service is amazing. Now let me point out right here and right now that I am one of those guests that tip; and I tip well. So......I get flawless service. There are some guests who don't tip and so the staff isn't as quick to serve your every need. It's not rocket science guys, tip your waiters! I would show up at any bar and there would be people waiting for service, and I got my drinks before anyone else, then the guests would get surly and I would quickly answer "money talks, so back off". Moving on, the beach is amazing. Clean, well kept, safe, with some of the most beautiful water animation team members ever! Cucko (that's his nickname) is the BEST! I took part in all of the beach sports and water sports (kayak, pedal boat, catamaran, banana boat, volleyball etc....) and had a lovely time. By the way, if you get the opportunity to watch Willie play volleyball, take it. He is the most beautiful creature our lord ever sculpted. Such a babe! The resort animators are a little blasé but never rude. If you ask them for something, they will always help. Just don't expect them to try to get people to participate, they call out the events on the mike and wait for you to show up. They just don't go to your chair and ask. Some guests prefer to be left alone so you'll love that aspect of it. Hernan (the beach towel guy) and Miguel (one the animators) are the best. By the way Miguel is also super hunky which is a pleasure on the eyes. Around the pool you can play on life size chess boards or checker boards. There is also shuffleboard, pool volleyball, water polo, pool basketball. Tons of chairs around the pool and getting one is never a problem. There are two jacuzzis. The smaller one is secluded and surrounded by greenery and it is the better of the two. The larger one is packed with people and you know how these all inclusive trips are, right? Some people don't know how to drink liquor. So we sit in this large jacuzzi looking to relax or maybe have a little conversation with another guest and there is always a few really loud, obnoxious, unpleasant drunkards who haven't figured out that they are not alone on this planet. No biggie, you just get out of the jacuzzi and leave. That's my approach. Now the food. I did not go to any of the restaurants that you have to reserve. Here's why, I can't be told what time to eat when I am on vacation. I'll eat when I show up. So the buffet and the snack bar were fine for me. No real massive kudos to give the food but it's all edible and there is a great variety. Try to sit in Camilo's section for supper. He is " da bomb ". He makes a great after dinner coffee (with a little something something in it). For breakfast visit Arturo and have one of his omelettes....delish. The waffle is also recommended. The down side is the morning coffee. Like dishwater! Do yourself a favor and skip coffee at the buffet restaurant and head over to the pool side bar when it opens (10 or 11 am) and have a cuban coffee made by the gorgeous Robe (pronounced Robbie). It's the perfect jolt early in the morning. But, by far I really enjoyed the snack bar (Arizona Ranch). You get your food hot and fresh. The burgers are the best. But the pizza is a pretty close second. You can also get pork chops, chicken, hot dogs, fries, sandwiches etc... at this snack bar. Evening shows are hit and miss. Every second night there is a professional dance troupe that comes to the Beaches resort and perform real shows. These are must sees with great costumes, live music, singing and dancing. The nights that the dance troupe is not performing are those nights when some audience members have to volunteer to go onstage and make fools of themselves. These shows are childish and boring (mostly) but it is kind of nice to see the animation team onstage (especially Miguel). The shows start at 9:45 and last about an hour. The hotel disco is all right for those nights you don't want to go off the resort and enjoy the real entertainment of Varadero. But when you want to go out please hit the MAMBO CLUB. The most fun you'll have in a nightclub. The cab ride from the beaches hotel to the Mambo Club is 2 dollars US. The cover charge is 10 dollars U.S. but all of your drinks are included (we love an open bar). There is a live orchestra playing latin music and they even have two professional dancers who will lead dances that you can follow if you can't dance. I would usually arrive after the show at the resort so I'm not sure what time it opens but it closes at 2am. There are tons of taxis out front at closing so it's not a problem. The Arizona ranch is open late so if you're hungry when you get back from the Mambo club you can get a bite to eat. You can also head all around varadero by taking the double decker bus. It costs 2 US but your bus ticket is good for the entire day. You can get off at any stop and look around and then get back on the next bus with your ticket. Buses come around every hour and five minutes. No one will bother you, it's very safe. Check out is at 1pm. My bus to the airport was at 7pm so I opted for late check out. You can go this route if rooms are available. Thankfully there were. It costs 35 US for late check out but it's nice to have a room to shower or nap on the last day before the loooooong trip home. I think that's everything. I invite you all to try the Beaches Varadero. It's great and I will return.

We just returned from a week at Beaches Varadero. We are untanned, English speaking Newfoundlanders who have never been on a Caribbean trip before. It was not the totally relaxing and hassle free trip we expected but it was most amazing. Here are a few tips on trip highlights, what to bring and advice.Highlights: Havana day trip for $67USD (interesting but request a good bus), Raulito and Ameli at the Arizona bar (great people), grounds at Beaches (impeccable), Scooters (great fun and great deal), omelettes and burgers (best food at Beaches), Arizona Restaurant (best overall food), safety (never a worry) and of course sun and beach.Bring: Large insulated mug for beer/drinks (small glasses at bar), long pants (for a-la-carte restaurants), magazines and Canadiana (hats, t-shirts, pins, etc for gifts to staff), 30 SPF (if you are green like me), $25USD (departure tax) and tip money (bar, wait and maid staff).Advice: Read other reviews before you go (very worthwhile), clear credit card for foreign travel (we forgot and paid $20USD to call bank), Beaches has only European 220 VAC electricity, you have to tip to poop at the airport, double-decker bus is usually full and only passes 1/hr, most food at Beaches is only "passable" but certainly edible and finally the front desk staff are somewhat indignant.Otherwise, enjoy. We did.

(Visit 15-29th October 2003)Arrival: On arriving at the hotel we, along with the other 8 people on our coach, were met immediately by the staff, where we were offered sparkling wine. Some very swift form filling (2 mins), and our rooms were allocated. Everyone was upgraded without charge, due to availability. Our luggage was taken up for us and, from arrival at the hotel; we were in the room within 20 minutes.Arrival Advice: Ask on checking in for the key to the safe, and pay the $20 deposit, which you will get back when you leave.Rooms (4th floor, main building): A pleasant, spacious, if a little poorly maintained, with excellent views over the gardens and sea. Inviting balcony and large, comfortable bed.The room suited our needs and had all the necessary items, including cable TV, fridge, hairdryer, ample storage etc. A 'towel swan' sat on the bed, which raised an 'aaah'.Room Advice: If you are able to secure the 4th or 5th Floor of the main building, you will have the benefit of the 'Concierge Service' which allows you access to the concierge lounge on the 5th floor, a dedicated PC for e-mailing home, continental breakfast, rather than using the restaurant, queue jumping for booking at the A la carte restaurants and other benefits etc.Room Advice: You should note that, to the immediate right of Beaches, a new hotel is under construction. If you want views without large cranes ensure you are not allocated on the far left wing of the main building (who's baloney give a grand view of the work.) To be fair, you will not be disturbed by the sound though. The air conditioning hums louder than the noise from the workers on the adjacent site!Room Advice: Take ant powder. Even on the 4th floor these tiny little creatures found there way in. Despite having some material to plug the gaps in the double glazed door to the balcony, they just kept getting in. After the first week watching the few brave souls that made it as far as the bathroom held a certain entertainment value. Leave food or sweet drinks out at your peril!Staff/customer service: As this was our honeymoon, as noted clearly on our hotel ticket, we were assured a special meal, champagne, just married t-shirts etc, however after 3 days nothing had turned up. On enquiring we were promised it would be rectified. Sadly, 2 more visits to the front desk, 1 visit to the public relations desk and 2 visits to the Concierge lounge did little to sort the matter out. The day before we left profuse apologies were thrown around like....confetti...overall disappointing, given the effort from all the other staff, but a few t-shirts and meal are not what makes a honeymoon.The bar staff, waiters, gardeners and beach guards were all very courteous, friendly and eager to serve or offer assistance. Do not be put off by the front desk and its failure to co-ordinate one element of our trip. It must be said though; the front desk is the least helpful area of Beaches, as most people noted when we travelled back to the airport for our return flight.Staff advice: Tip, for sure, but do not litter your money around. A well-placed tip to a few of the more alert waiters and barmen will ensure you receive prompt service. Tip as if it is going out of fashion and it becomes so expected as to not warrant you any special attention.Food: If you read anything into what others have said about the food at Beaches, it will no doubt be that it comes down to personal expectations. If you have a low level of expectation you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised with the variety, taste and environment. If, like us and most of those we spoke to on our flight, you have average expectations, you will be a little disappointed that the food is hardly ever hot, and that you can expect to spend a few days popping to and from the nearest toilet during your stay. (Of the total of 10 people on our coach at Beaches including ourselves, 6 had suspect stomach-aches and general fluid movement for at least 2 days of their stay. If food is your thing, or you have a delicate stomach, pick a hotel that has guests singing from the rooftops about the food, not Beaches.)The A la Carte restaurants have a pleasant environment, and the service was superb. They simply could not do enough for you. As I mentioned before, our food expectations are only average, but sadly the food was no better than the main restaurant. I am quite easily pleased really, but lasagne with only layers of pasta and cheese sauce, without so much as a sniff of actual meat, left me wondering if the chef had been sampling a little too much of the free drinks on offer! On returning twice more the quality of food did not improve. If you could eat quality of service however I would have been a well-fed man!Food advice: At Reflections if you want hot food, go with omelette for breakfast, the pasta station at lunch and, well, just keep your fingers crossed for dinner. To stand any change of getting hot food from under the serving trays, pick from the back at the bottom, or wait until the kitchen staff top up the trays.Amenities: A pleasant pool, with ample room to sunbathe, although given the amount of pretty palm trees you may find - like we did - the sea breeze is almost zero. The beach, which is clean, attended upon by a few security guards, offers a nice breeze, so you can feel cool whilst soaking up the rays. The bar just set back from the beach offers plenty of liquid refreshment. There are other distractions noted in the travel brochures such as 2 pool tables, shuffleboard, a shooting range, water sports etc, all worth doing and all well maintained.Overall: If this were not a honeymoon but just a general holiday, I would have rated it as 4 stars, with only the food causing it lose the perfect feeling.

I have one word of advice for prospective travellers to Cuba: Do not go to Beaches. The food is atrocious, and it is not a "Cuba" thing as I have stayed at various resorts in Cuba. The 3* star sol club cayo guillermo has much better food and service than the 4 plus Beaches. Breezes is also a much better choice. Beaches food is inedible so we had to eat out our last three days there; the service is also terrible - front desk staff do not try to help their guests at all. The seafood selection was terrible and the a la cartes are not worth going to - we ripped up our reservations after the first two nights (the restaurants were not even close to being full - strange!) The beach is nice but it is wider and prettier closer to Breezes. Overall the place is not worth the money.

We got checked in with no problems. The room was amazing. Here's something that'll make you stay a little nicer: get two room keys/passes. The only way the electricity works in the room is if you slide your key into a mechanism at the front of your room (including the air conditioning). so, with two keys (ask for it, as they only assign one), you can leave your room, and be air conditioning it at the same time... this was great. Before i get into our stay, MAKE SURE YOU SAVE $25 U.S. EACH FOR YOUR DEPARTURE. YOU HAVE TO PAY THIS TO GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY. No $25....No Leave Cuba. the food was okay some days, great other days. we did deep sea fishing: you are out for six hours, and for lunch (and $20 each person), the host of your mini yacht will dive down in coral and pluck lobsters right out of the ocean, and cook it onboard for you. the pool at the hotel was fabulous. there was topless tanning, as well as on the beach. but who cares? they are on vacation and can let loose i suppose. it was decent. the staff everywhere were so nice. we befriended a few people. as for the dining staff, the service is a heck of a lot quicker if you tip them. my husband and i reserved $50 at the beginning of the trip, and left $2 at breakfast, $2 at lunch, $2 at dinner. these people only make $45 a month, and there main source of income is the tipping. for those sweetner lovers (like me), BRING SWEETNER. there isn't any. at all. the weather was hot hot hot. drink lots of water. the buses are frequent and clean. don't take the trainy thing to town at the markets. they take forever and hurt your behind. hard to walk around once you arrive. take the bus to calle 44 (44th street), which is where the free markets start. they are amazing. the quality is extremely good. all handmade, AND INEXPENSIVE. well, the voltage is 220V. yes, i am one of those idiots who didn't think it was a big deal. i melted my curling iron. what was i thinking? the answer is i wasn't thinking. GET THE ROOM SAFE KEY AT THE FRONT DESK. For a $20 deposit, it's well worth it. You will get the $20 back once you return the key. Well, all in all, it was a great trip. Met some amazing people, who we will be keeping in touch with. Happy travels.

We (15 of us!) returned Oct 12. from Beaches Veradero. Besides attending our daughter's wedding at the resort, we all had a great week of rest and relaxion. I've seen some negative reviews of this resort and all I can say is "Huh?" The food was no worse than average,the service was excellant ,the staff friendly and the overall experience wonderfull. A return trip is already in the works. Our trip was arranged by Goligers Travels in Windsor and I must report that our trip was a success in spite of their unprofessional and incompetent bumbling.We had to take control of many details that should have been handled by the agent. I suggest that anyone traveling from Windsor use another travel agent or arrange things yourself,you can do a better job.

Had to change rooms several times to get away from the mildew smell. Food was only o.k. The MAIN Problem was a best dress that disappeared from the room!!!! We were only offered a discount on a restay, as if we'd go back! On arriving home, we spoke to another party that was there at the same time, MAY 2003 and the father had his best slacks and bathing suit also DISAPPEAR!!! Spoke to another man who had been there in the opening year 3 years earlier and he couldn't believe how the resort had slipped in quality. Guess everyone good went to Sandals Royal Hicacos...we couldn't cuze we weren't all couples at the wedding.

Like the other reviews we found Beaches to be a good holiday experience overall. was spotlessly clean everywhere and we loved both the beach and pool areas. The accomodation was adequate although not as grand as other hotels worldwide, but functional (appart from the hairdryer which really was worse than useless!!) The entertainment became a bit repetitive after 10 days and was almost non-existent during wet weather when the disco tried to accomodate several hundred people- NOT!

Just returned from a terrific week at Beaches (Aug 2-9,2003) Here's some information to help your decision. I loved it and really recommend it. Beaches vs. other resorts in the vicinity: There was a couple who spent a good chunk of time checking out some of the neighbouring resorts (similar star rating and pricing like Iberostar Tainos, Riu Turquesa, ect) and they advised that Beaches seemed by far the better resort (better tasting food, size and gen appearance of the resorts area.)We also had a chance to see the exterior of many resorts as our tour bus picked up/dropped off people for day tours. Based on ovearll visual impression, it's clear the resorts and beach area around Beaches are superior (cleaner, nicer atmosphere, grander neighbouring resorts) than those located further west in Varadero City or around SuperClub Puntarena (which is adjacent to oil rigs that burn at night...) The hotels in that appeared somewhat seedy and motel-like in appearance, and the beaches surrounding them were less pristine (murkier water with traces of algae) than the beautiful stretch along Beaches. For someone who is a bit of a "foodie", I was expecting to be disappointed after reading so many reviews about terrible food in Cuba. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the Beaches spread was quite good. If you are expecting gourmet fare comparable to the higher end restaurants in Toronto or most decent restaurants in Montreal, the food may not quite measure up. However I found the quality, quantity, selection and flavour surpassed a lot of generic Western family-style restaurants like Pickle Barrel, Suisse Chalet, Movenpick, ect. Breakfast : fresh fruit smoothies, freshly squeezed oj, fruit platters - papaya, guava, watermelon, honeydew, pineapple and some mango, yogurt, several breakfast meats (bacon, sausage, hotdogs), eggs (soft & hardboiled, fried to your preference), omelettes, fresh waffles, pancakes, toast, prociutto and a variety of cheeses, ect Lunch and Dinner highlights: roasted lamb, duck, lobster tails, grilled shrimp, veal cutlets, roast chicken, smoked salmon, a variety of desserts (mostly layered cakes, some mousse cheesecakes and tortes and delicious icecream -try vanilla and orange in particular) There's a lot of food, it's fairly fresh and the more popular items are quickly refilled. The only downside is that there are few fresh vegetables. Occasionally there was steamed corn, cauliflower and broccolli and every day at lunch there was sliced cucumbers, carrots, shredded cabbage and assorted sprouts. I noticed a sign on the door indicating that vegetarians could be accomodated, but most food was meat, starch and fruit. Drinks: I'm not a beer drinker but was told by others that the local Cristal beer is light and comparable to a Corona. Obviously there is plenty of good rum, which can be had on the rocks, but mixed drinks (daiquiris, mojitos, rum punch, ect)are most popular. I highly recommend the pina coladas from the lobby bar which serves the best tasting drinks. The pool bar sometimes uses premixed drink flavouring and some are more like slushies than drinks - great for pool/beach-side heat, but not as enjoyable flavour-wise. The rooms: we stayed in a gardenview (cheapest priced) room. They offered us a "beachview" room for an additional $100 per night, but this is not worth it because the resort is not right on the beach. The pool, artificial lake and much of the grounds seperates the main building and side villas from the actual beach.Abeachfront room will not provide much of a beach view unless you are on the top floor of the main building, and even so the beach will look like a horizontal strip somewhat in the distance. (Not to worry though. The beach is only a short walk - maybe 3 minutes - from anywhere on the resort.) Note that there is construction on another hotel going on at one end of the resort. A couple in one fo the villas directly facing the construction reported some disruptive noise one night. Ask the front desk to be placed in a room away from the construction if possible, but we stayed in the main building on the construction side and were never disturbed. While all the rooms seemed about the same, if you can stay in the main building this is more convenient as you have faster, closer access to the front desk (for bottled water and any kind of help) the restaurants and of course, the lobby bar. Inside the rooms there is a mini fridge. You may want to bring a small Tupperware-type food container so you can bring some food from the buffet back to your hotel room - this is only relevant for an early morning Havana tour day ifyou must depart the hotel before the buffet opens for breakfast, or if you have an evening flight back home. The airport shuttle bus took us back to Varadero airport at 6pm for a 9pm flight which was delayed. Aside from the terrible food on Jetsgo we missed dinner and arrived home past midnight. The food in the airport departure lounge is terribly overpriced and terrible in general. It would have been nice if we were able to take along a bite of food from the resort to tide us over. There is a hairdryer in every room, but extremely weak. If you have long hair like me, be prepared to spend extra time drying your hair, or bring your own hairdryer. Beach towels: you can exchange for a fresh towel at any time, but often they ran out of clean ones by noon and we had to wait until the following morning. I was also a little nervous as they charge you a 20 dollar US penalty at the end of your stay if you do not hang onto one to return on check out - I would have preferred to us my own towel and not worry that someone would grab "mine" by accident (they all look the same) sometime during the week. (No one ever did, and generally the crowd at the resort seemed upstanding and didn't bother other guests or touch anything that did not belong to them. ) Security around the resort/on the beach is quite solid. There is a subtle and non-intrusive, but constant presence of security guards sporting white shirts on the perimeter of the resort and beach. Generally you will not notice them, and they do not detract from the overall atmosphere of the resort. One morning when a local petty theft came to lift things from the beach chairs, he was quickly spotted and escorted off the premises. The guards seem to take their roles seriously, but otherwise were friendly (waving, helping to take pictures, joking around with tourist and the few locals who brought their children to enjoy the stretches of beach between the resorts) There is a US $20 dollar in-room safe that is recommended. We kept our passport, money, ticket, expensive camera and tourist card in it with no problem. While we never felt like the maids would take any of our things, it's just best to have peace of mind that our valuables were locked away. The local Air Transat representative told us that they once had a tourist accuse the maid of stealing his wallet. The hotel took it quite seriously and she was imprisonned. That guest apparently misplaced the wallet somewhere else in the room and failed to advise them when he found the wallet again. The poor maid was imprisonned for 4 nights until it was all sorted out. On-site shopping: There is a small gift shop that sells rum (Havana Club 7 yrs = $USD 10.70), snacks (a small assortment of cookies, most made in Chile) overpriced sun-block/aloe aftersun gel ($12 US/bottle) and postcards. If you are going to buy a lot of cigars, the gift shop is not the place. They were only selling individual cigars and had only 3 kinds availble, though there was one Cohiba (approx $7 US/cigar.) Shopping in general, and souvenir shopping in particular is quite terrible in Cuba. There is very limited selection, and a lot of what is offered is cheap, ugly, touristy stuff. Don't expect to return home with great gifts for friends and family, unless they enjoy cigars and rum. The beach: beautiful, pristine white sand, clear waters. Calm in the mornings, a little wavy later in the day. Sun stays up and water remains warm until 6 - 7pm. A little crowded on Sat/Sun during peak arrivals at the resort, very comfortable for the remainder of the week Pool: also excellent, though not large. Some foam mats available for tanning, floating aimlessly around....bar, washrooms and snack bar located directly pool side The guests: about half Canadian, half European (mostly British during our stay) Mostly couples with a few families and groups. If you are looking for a hot young singles resort with a party-like atmosphere where you can meet and hook up a la spring-break-in-Cancun, this is not the right resort or location for you. While maybe 10% of the guests were young singles in their 20's and 30's and some seemed to find adventure/romance with new friends, for the most part it would seem difficult and singles may be lonely at times as most people were coupled off or hung out with whoever they arrived with. Guests were pretty low key and while there was a little topless sunbathing, there were no overt public displays of affection between most couples. Anyone coming with platonic friends, family, ect will feel comfortable. There was also a good mix of people in their 20's to 50's, but very few teens. Nightlife: there is a one hour show (mostly dancing, cabaret, singing and some games) every evening starting at 9:45pm if you can stay up that late. With all the swimming and the heat, you can easily feel wiped out after dinner, even for night owls like me who normally can't sleep until past midnight. The show is worth checking out once or twice (the Friday night gala or Wed night Cuban night features local music and cabaret style dancing) but can feel repetitive after one or two nights. The "danceclub" is terrrible. It's just a small room off the side of the Italian restaurant. The two nights we walked by, there were at most 15 people there, half of whom were likely staff. Service: excellent. Everyone is exteremely friendly and accomodating. They seem sincere and there is no pressure to tip, though by weeks end, you will want to tip your favorite staff, so bring extra dollars for this. While it's a large resort, you will quickly recognize the same faces. The maids, restaurant servers, front desk, poolside staff, bartenders and entertainment coordinators all provide excellent service and contribute a lot to the atmosphere of the resort. Dress: For dinner there is a dress code. For men, a button down shirt or nice golf shirt and long pants are sufficient. Suit and tie is too formal unless you are part of a wedding party. For the ladies, a cocktail dress or a nice sundress or skirt is fine as well. Very few people wore fancy evening wear unless they were part of a wedding party as the restaurants are only slightly airconditioned and warm. The Arizona Cuban restaurant is outdoor and casual wear is fine there. While the dresscode exists and is preferable, it is not strictly enforced and we spotted the occasional person in shorts and t-shirt. We noticed most people dressed up for the first few nights and quickly became more casual as the week progressed. Aside from dinner, for the most part everyone is walking around in beachwear (bathing suits, sarongs, tank tops, shorts, t-shirts, flip flop and sandals. While laundry service is availabe on a piece-by-piece basis, it take 48 hours for them to deliver, so bring enough changes of clothes for the week, or pack easy to launder drip-dry items (there is line in the bathroom to hang a few items.) Other things to pack: your own first aid kit (sunscreen, aftersun care lotion, meds for diarhea (Imodium, Peptol Bismol ect), bug repellent (we got a few bites in the leg while watching the evening show which is outdoors), your own coffee - there's a coffee maker in each room, but their coffee is terrible, chocolate/candies/snacks as required, beach reading (as required) There is satellite TV available but sometimes power is cut if there is a storm, and there are only 2 or 3 channels in English (CNN, MTV and one other channel that shows some US programs like Seinfeld reruns in the afternoon) Rainy season: Sudden, intense but short showers about once every 3 days - you may want to bring a small umbrella if you are taking day tours and might get caught in a sudden downpour, but if spending most of the time on the resort, will likely not need it Day trips: Havana is a must see! We spent one day there and felt rushed. There is so much to see, an overnight trip would have been better. If you have a chance to add on a visit to the cigar factory to your tour, it is quite interesting. The square across from the cathedral with the music, cobblestones and patios seemed like old Europe. Varadero City, not much in this very small town , but worth a short visit to see the amazing display of vintage cars (Cadillacs, Studebakers, ect) from the Fifties still tooling around the main strip and check out some of the buildings. Two dollars US will get you a ride on the double decker bus all day, runs once an hour to and from Beaches until approx dinner time. Fel free to email if you have questions about Beaches. I'll do my best to answer whatever I can. Cheers and have a great time in Varadero! We had a fantastic time at Beaches and recommend it!

Hola, Just got back from a wonderful trip in Cuba, first time there with two of my boyz...We all had a great time and will be returning, SOON. Resort is awsome, clean, spacious and the most friendly staff around, there was no pressure to tip, so I did it anyway cause they were so nice. The food was pretty decent too. I read tons of reviews about how bad the food is in Cuba, besides the tough beef, everything else was pretty yummy....minimun 2 full plates every meal.I'd say 70 % were couples, but there were plenty of "singles" groups as well, besides you can meet all the hotties off the resort and on the beaches.Cuba ROCKS!!!!!