Iberostar Varadero Hotel

We just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at the Iberostar Varadero. It was our first trip to Cuba, we travelled with another couple. We had heard stories about the airport, tipping, food, so we were a little confused when we got there and had no problems what so ever! The airport was typical of the area. They checked documents, asked no questions, our luggage arrived and we walked through onto our bus. Very comfortable, even with the long lines when we arrived, things went smoothly. The hotel is beautiful. Check in was fine, Lily was especially helpful at the front desk. Rooms are spacious, with a room safe and fridge in a standard room. We were in building 12 with a gorgeous view of the courtyard. Pool and beach were great, you do have to get up early to save chairs! The waiters were friendly, we really liked Marcos's strawberry daqueries at the beach. Harold was our server at the pool, he was attentive and chatty. Lots of variety in the buffet and staff there were great, especially Regla in the morning, she always had our coffee ready and waiting. All restaurants were good. We were a bit leary of the choices in the Cuban restaurant, but it turned out to be our favourite. We had no problems tipping. Our gifts were graciously accepted and our room maid even left of notes thanking us for the things we left her. The towel art is amazing. The entertainment staff were very energetic, but didn't pester you if you wanted to be a bystander either. Unfortunately, we were always too tired to stay up for the shows, so can't really comment on those. If you wanted to be busy during the day though, there was always something going on around the pool or at the beach for all ages and fitness levels. The only sour note to our experience was the staff in the 3 shops there. They were not friendly, even intimidating at times. We didn't go there to shop, but when we needed anything we were either ignored or glared at. Not very pleasant!! We didn't purchase a lot from them, in fact, the little mall Las Americas was better for post cards and touristy things. Not a lot of selection but found the people friendly, especially the lady in the post office on the second floor. She was nice even though her English wasn't the greatest. All in all we had a great time and would recommend this resort to our friends. It was a 5 star experience!

My friend and I just returned from Cuba yesterday and we had a fantastic week. We stayed at the newest Iberostar resort - 'Iberostar Varadero' and it was a great choice. I have heard many horror stories of Cuba so I was a little apprehensive. I chose a 5* resort hoping to avoid disappointment and I was not disappointed with anything. The lobby was quite impressive to walk into and the lobby bar was a great spot to spend the evening. The disco played a lot of retro so we had fun dancing the night away. The pool area was big and beautiful with many areas to swim in...an area for children, a pool for sports and a private one too if you did not want to swim in the common area. And, one for toddlers too! The beach was beautiful with plenty of loungers. It was difficult to get a hut though so that required getting up early to reserve one..take note of this!! The food was fine...I would rate it as average. There is a lot of variety..I'm just a little selective with my food when visiting a resort. Having said that, I always had something to eat. Great tomatoes and fresh bread! The 3 a la carte restaurants were a nice change from the buffet. The staff were very friendly all around..the maids, the front desk, the waiters, the entertainment staff. I never had a problem getting drinks at the bar or getting served at the front desk. Everyone was very pleasant to deal with and they were all very helpful. I tipped on occasion and even when I did not the service was excellent. When I showed up at the bar at 6p Vincent knew I was there for my latte with (2) sugars not just one. Our room was also great with a tub and separate shower. Now, if I had to go again I would choose building #19 as that was closest to the pool area. Nothing is really too far. If you have specific questions, don't hesitate in emailing me at: concetta1970@yahoo.ca

Our family visited Iberostar Varadero during spring break March 25 to April 1st. Lucky for us we booked with Air Transit and had a direct flight to Varadero from Calgary. Exchange your Canadian $ at the Cuban Airport upon arrival or at your hotel. Exchange rate is just fine and this is the most convenient. We know several people who had travelled to Cuba before and we were very prepared what to expect. The hotel is fairly new but there was nothing lacking. While we were there, at least 200 brand new high quality lounge chairs arrived. The rooms were lovely, facilities great, music and shows were addicting, food was just fine by us (don't expect spicy food) and the staff were very warm and friendly. I must have been having fun because by the second day, I had forgotten what day it was. Our two kids age 22 and 18 along with their new friends that they met from the UK, Chile, Toronto, Calgary and Europe, closed the disco down every evening. There was really no need for them to leave the grounds to be entertained. There is no need to bring hairdryers, toilet paper etc. as I have read on some websites. Don't over pack like I did. Bring things that you can give away. The most rewarding thing that our family did was to bring gifts for staff or if you are travelling into Havana there are always people in need. Try to drop by a school and bring along pencils, crayons, paper, markers, scissors etc. Don't save all your gifts for the maid, spread your giving around. The gardeners need baseball caps. Also bring any extra tylenol, aspirin, stretch bandages etc to the doctor in medical office - they are very much in need and your donations go to the Cuban people. The staffs smiles of gratitude make the holiday even more special. Don't waste your money on a tour bus trip to Havana. Instead hire a taxi to take you to Havana for the day. You will see alot more and not spend half your time picking up other tourists and waiting around. Unfortunately we spent far too much time at cigar and rum outlets where our guide got a cut of the profits. The four of us learned alot in one week - wish we could have stayed longer. Our whole family can hardly wait to go back. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns. I am certain that you will enjoy this all inclusive resort. I know that Iberostar is going to be one of our main choices in the future. Enjoy!!!

IBEROSTAR VARADERO – March 22-29, 2005 We were a group of 12 that traveled from Halifax to Iberostar Varadero March 22-29/05 with Air Transat Holidays. Flights down and back were uneventful with the flight home being early. Kudos to Air Transat once again. Arrival in Varadero was as per usual, there were two planes that arrived at the same time so it took a while to clear customs and get to the luggage carousel. We exchanged money at the airport and while there was a line, it moved quickly. We had our money exchanged long before we saw our luggage. Air Transat rep was waiting for us outside the airport and we were directed to our bus. Ride to the resort was approximately 25 minutes with a couple of stops on the way – Brisas and Playa Varadero 1920. By far the Iberostar Varadero was the most beautiful!!! Beer and Rum Punch were available on the bus – the rum punch was $2.50 Canadian!! CHECK IN On arrival at the resort porters meet the bus and begin unloading the luggage while you are told to go directly to the desk for check in. Packages are waiting for you there, which include a resort map, towel cards, room keys, etc. In all check in took about 3 minutes. Very nice. They ask to see your passports but do not keep them – they simply record you passport numbers on the registration forms. The lobby is breathtaking – large fountain in the middle with seating all around it, lobby bar to the right on entering the lobby with comfortable seating. It’s simply beautiful. ROOMS Within 3 minutes we were taken to our room, # 1823, second floor, partial view of the path to the beach and pool. The rooms are huge! The bathroom is awesome, glass shower, separate tub, separate room with toilet and bidet. Very, very nice. We had a king size bed which was nice and our balcony had a table and two chairs. We spent late evenings and early mornings sitting on the balcony soaking up the heat – it was lovely. We saw a junior suite and quite frankly, for the difference in price, I could not justify spending the extra when a standard room is more than large enough. Air conditioning works wonderfully and the room safe is included, you simply program it with a 4 digit code of your choice. The mini fridge is restocked every other day with water, pop and beer. Simply write your maid a note and she will leave extra for you. BEACH Beautiful fine white sand – just like sugar. There were plenty of loungers available no matter what time you arrived. There is a pathway to the beach and to the left, just before you get to the beach is the beach bar. To the right there is a small buffet lunch served with hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. Nice touch. The hotel was not full but I honestly can’t see that getting a lounger would be a problem, even at full capacity. There was a delivery of two loads of lounge chairs for the beach the day before we left. Palapas are a hot commodity – mostly because people insist on getting up at 6:30 and saving their chairs. We would watch them walking to the beach with their towels very early in the morning and returning a couple of minutes later without the towels. Doesn’t matter that the resort says this is not allowed, like other resorts, it happens anyway. Something really should be done about this practice but that’s for the hotel to handle. We just hung out as a group and made enough noise that the people under the palapas would move … not really but we certainly thought about it more than once!!! There were Hobie Cats, Catamarans, etc. available but you had to get there very early to reserve as they book up very quickly. You can keep checking at the water sports kiosk as there are usually some cancellations and they will take you right away if that’s the case. Awesome beach! POOL Huge! Beautiful!!! Cold water Jacuzzi right in the middle – nice touch. Pool bar is great. The water was warm the entire week we were there – not a cool spot in the pool. Carlos and Ernest at the pool bar will take excellent care of you – they are great guys!!! On the deck by the pool bar there is ice cream and ice cream cones. Many flavors and excellent ice cream. Make yourself a cone and sit back and enjoy it – all the best of summer in the middle of winter!!! Very nice. There is also a lap pool where they play water polo, etc. as well as a separate pool by the spa, directly behind building # 20. We used the spa pool for an entire afternoon – we were the only ones in it. It was great. No one even walked by so it was like having our own private pool! We really enjoyed it. RESTAURANTS Breakfast Breakfast is served at the main buffet restaurant “Ambrosio” from 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. There is a huge selection of food – eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, waffles, fruit, bread, cereal, etc. The fresh orange and mango juices are excellent. Lots to eat here. There is also a continental breakfast served at the pool restaurant “El Bohio” from 10 a.m. till noon for those who like to sleep in. Lunch Lunch is also served in the main buffet restaurant between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Again, there is a vast selection of food – fresh cooked pasta, pizza, fish, chicken, etc. Also a great selection of salads and fixings, fruit, cheeses, cold meats, fresh baked bread. The list is endless and if you can’t find something to eat here then perhaps you are way too picky!!! I’m an admitted picky eater but I never left any of the restaurants hungry (unfortunately)! They also serve lunch at the beach grill “Arena Fina” as mentioned previously and at the snack restaurant (pool restaurant) “El Bohio” where there is a hot and cold buffet with salads and breads. Don’t forget to try the desserts or the ice cream – both are excellent. Dinner Buffet restaurant is open for dinner between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Again, there is a vast selection of food available including roast beef, chicken, baked fish, pasta, etc. There were large shrimp almost every night as well as one night with lobster and crab. Excellent selection. A la Cartes A la Carte restaurants are booked at the Guest Services desk in the lobby. Baby (pronounced Bebe) is the lady that will make your reservation and she is a lovely person. If you are passing out tips or gifts, don’t forget her! We booked the second day we were there and had no problems with getting times, even though we were a group of 12. Cuban “El Criollo” This is the pool restaurant which turns into the open air Cuban restaurant in the evenings. It is open from 6:30 – 9:30 every night. Reservations are required. This was the first of the a la cartes that we tried and it was okay – on a scale of 10 I would rate it a 7. The tuna was excellent but the steak left a lot to be desired. The service here was quite slow and the servers somewhat reserved but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. We had originally booked this restaurant twice but cancelled the second reservation as we preferred the buffet. Mediterranean “La Dorada” This was the least favorite of the 3 specialty restaurants. The staff was awesome but the food was not! We had an awesome time here – the waiters are the absolute best. The fish was highly recommended and was Seabream – most of the fish eaters ordered this but could not eat it – it was cooked in a very heavy sauce and was very salty. I had the chicken which was, how shall I say it, different. It was also cooked in heavy, salty sauce and was just not edible. The real saver at this restaurant is the dessert bar. Awesome! The cheese cake is to die for. As mentioned, the waiters made this restaurant for us and despite the fact that we couldn’t eat our meals, it was a wonderful experience and we had a lot of fun. I would rate this as 5/10. Japanese “Manzoku” By far the absolute best restaurant! The food is excellent, the waiters are excellent, the atmosphere is excellent. On a scale of 1-10 we give it a 12!!! There is sushi to start, tempura, the fried rice cooked right in front of you is wonderful. You have a choice of chicken, beef or shrimp and all is very tasty. The portions are very large so be sure to go here with an empty stomach!!! Dessert was bananas flambé which was outstanding!! We had an excellent time at this restaurant and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone! Did someone say Tequila??? ENTERTAINMENT The entertainment staff at this resort are fun. They are a little more reserved than at other resorts we have visited but we believe it may be because this is a new resort and they are only getting to know one another let alone 1,200 tourists!!! They are a great bunch and with time will come into their own. Please give them the benefit of the doubt – they work very hard and are great people. The shows were a disappointment to us. We did love the Chicago show as well as the Black Theatre but other than those two we ended up leaving before they were over. Again, they are trying very hard and it will all come together – it will just take time. There are a lot of activities around the pool and beach. The pool aerobics were a lot of fun as was the kayak race in the pool – if you compete in this make sure everyone on the team knows it’s a relay and don’t think it’s a one on one and paddle over to the pool bar for a beer!!!! EXCURSIONS Eight of us did the Havana day trip and the other four the Jeep Safari. Both were excellent and well worth the money. Our guide for the Havana trip, Ilea, was excellent. She gave us a tremendous amount of information about Matanzas, Havana, etc. on our way to Havana. She was very knowledgeable and made the trip most worthwhile. Havana was an awesome experience and we are very glad that we went. We also took the double decker bus to Varadero however did not enjoy it at all. We had to walk to the main road from the resort, approximately 15-20 minute walk as the bus stops in front of the Mambo Club. It was an extremely hot day and the bus was jam packed. They simply piled people in and continued stopping well after the bus was full, both upper and lower portions. It was so hot and there were so many people on the bus it was difficult to breathe. We got off at the first opportunity and simply waited for the next bus, which was not as packed and we were able to sit upstairs in the open air and catch some wind. We toured the market in Varadero – very interesting with lots and lots of vendors and just about anything you could want. It was so hot that we decided to take a taxi (air conditioned) back to the resort which cost $12 CUC for 4 persons. We found out on returning to the resort that it was 42 degrees. No wonder we were hot. The remainder of our group took the train back to the resort and really enjoyed it. Your $5 CUC ticket for the bus also serves as your ticket for the train. Again, the train only stops on the main road so you have to hike back to the resort. Suggestion – when returning to the resort, use the staff entrance. No one will question you and it saves you having to walk by the sewage lagoon (not pleasant). We returned to the market in Varadero later in the week when it wasn’t so hot and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It’s a great place and you would literally spend hours there looking everything over. Prices are more than reasonable and the vendors are willing to dicker with you! My husband had a blast with that! WEATHER Beautiful and hot the entire week. Not a red flag to be seen. Actually, most days there wasn’t a breath of wind. As mentioned previously, we had 40 & 42 degree weather – really hot but nothing the pool and beach couldn’t take care of. On the day we left there were extremely high winds and huge waves – the beach almost disappeared. Believe this cleared off by noon as it was sunny and very hot when we were at the airport. We were told they were expecting a cold front but I’m sure their definition of cold and the Canadian definition of cold are much different!!! OVERALL Would I recommend this resort? Absolutely! In my opinion it’s a true 5* which will only improve with age. It’s only been open a little over 3 months and already has all the makings of a truly outstanding resort. Once again, as in all of Cuba – it’s the staff that makes the place. The waiters and waitresses are tremendous, always smiling. Animation team is warming up day by day – just give them a chance. Bartenders are very friendly, the maids are awesome. Will we return? No. While we would return to this resort in a minute - we did not enjoy Varadero at all. We prefer a more laid back, quiet locale so it’s probably back to Cayo Guillermo or Holguin for us. Enjoy!

We just came home from a week at the Iberostar Varadero, March 11th till March 18th. We had a fantastic time and were impressed with many things this resort had to offer. First of all I would like to say the Cuban staff were extremely polite and friendly at all times. They tried very hard to make our stay comfortable and fun. The rooms were immaculate and spacious. Also, they were very quiet even when the nightly entertainment was going on. I recieved a call mid week inquiring if we were satisfied with everything. I was low on shower gel and it was brought to my room within two minutes of that conversation. The beach was beautiful and a waiter came around frequently asking if we wanted drinks. We took a hobycat to an area around the peninsula to snorkel for 15 pesos each. This lasted about two hours. It was wonderful. My son and husband went to swim with the dolphins and they thoroughly enjoyed this. The food was plentiful at the buffet. Noone got sick that I spoke to. We ate at the japanese restaurant twice. Delicious. We wanted to try the Meditteranean, but, it was booked. It was also supposed to be really good. There were three pools. The main activity pool was beautiful. A bit crowed though as it was March break. They could use more loungers during peak times but not sure if there is any more room for them. Lots of action and activities here and many people got involved. Lots of games offered and the Champion gathering at the night show was fun. The night shows were okay. The staff work really hard to perform well. A Cuban band played twice a week at the lunch buffet. This was very enjoyable while the breeze passed through. The resort itself is not finished. You would never have known they were still working on it, no disruptions to the guests. It really is beautiful and will only improve with time. I would highly recommend this spot. We had lots of fun and enjoyed the atmosphere at all times. We would definitely consider returning for another vacation.

I am going to write my review from mostly a family perspective. We took 2 kids ages 3 and 5. They had a fantastic time and so did we. We stayed for 7 days returning March 18. Room- We started off with a standard room and requested to be upgraded to a suite. It wasn't a lot bigger.We were in building 20 which is a great location close to everything. The rooms were nice not fabulous. The bathrooms are really nice. Bede and all. (not sure how to spell it-never had one before). I liked how the shower was glass so I could shower while my kids bathed in the large bathtub and I could watch them.The bathtub had also had a low hand held shower head-great for kids. There is a soap and shampoo dispenser in the shower as well as soaps and creams for the tub and sink. We had 3 bath towels per day- it was sufficient. The maid did a great job, making cute towel animals each day which included flowers. She also left us a note with her name saying if we had any problems to see her. She was always easy to find if I needed something. She also tried to include the stuffed animals my kids brought in the room decor. Requested 2 double beds to fit the 4 of us. We did tip our maid ( not always) and had a great service. Fridge was always stocked. Staff- Was helpful and most spoke english. The front desk was always helpful and so was the management. Never had trouble reserving the a la carte restaurant. We got to know a girl named Ana who greets guests at the door of the buffet restaurant. She watched our kids for us one evening during supper and then for an entire day when we went on an excursion. She spoke good english and was very nice. She loved taking care of the kids. Her management was accomodating in letting her take the day off to watch the kids. I did pay her but she would have done it for free. The restaurant staff was friendly and treated out kids very well. Most of the bar staff were friendly. Some didn't smile much-but I still got my drinks quite quickly. I didn't tip all the time and service was still good. All staff have uniforms so you know what job they perform. It makes it easy to identify them. Food- was good. They had enough variety to keep me interested. The buffet restaurant had a lot of variety and changed it enough to keep my interest. They had a shrimp and lobster night at no extra charge. Good juices at breakfast. I never had lunch there. Lunch was always at the snack bar by the pool. They had BBQ's a couple of times with lots of meat. they had hot dogs, burgers, fries and pizza to keep the kids happy. They had all day ice-cream by the pool-a big hit with kids. I brought snacks for the kids (granola-bars, crackers etc and they didn't starve). Did find it hard to find food (not existent0 at night). The snack bar is suppose to be open from 11 pm- 7am and we found it closed the few times we checked late at night and early in the morning. Fill up at dinner. Meditterean restaurant was good, but if your kids don't like seafood they won't like it. Kids Klub- Open 10-5 everyday. For ages 4 and up but will watch the younger ones if the parents don't venture too far. My kids never spent a lot of time there but the ones that did really loved it. They have games all day and then give awards out at night at 8:00 at the kids show. The 2 girls that run the kids club are quite nice. One of them has 2 kids- 2 and 4 year old boys. I gave her clothes and shoes and she was very appreciative. The kiddie pool is right beside it so they can run back and forth all day. They have a TV, VCR and video games there. They will also take the kids for lunch at the snack bar. They stay away from the water if they have more than a couple of kids. Entertainment- is very good. They run activities every 1/2 hour from aerobics to rifle shooting to sumo-wrestling on the beach. At night the same crew does the evening entertainment. I thought the shows were excellent and there was a lot of variety. My daughter loved the singing, dancing and extravagant costumes. My son only liked the glow in the dark show. But he is hard to please. They go from about 9:45-11:00 pm. The shows are not professional but I am impressed with their wide range of talents and creativity. If you like volleyball, they have it but on a hard packed sand court. Should be on the beach in the soft sand. Pools and Beach- are great. The sand on the beach is soft like powder and picture perfect. Can use hobie cats and paddle boats. Kids loved the paddle boats on a calm day. They liked swimming out in the ocean of the boat. They have kid size life jackets.Bring your own sand toys. They only had a few. We used cups, bottles and whatever we could fine and it worked. The pools are warm and clean. The main pool has a shallow end for kids and the entire pool is not deep. Good for activities. I did not use the other 2 pools. Can also see the kids club from the pool so you can keep an eye on the kids at the same time. Everything is close,even the beach. Excursions- We went on the double decker bus for 5 pesos each.Kids are free. It was a good 1/2 event. There is a small amusement park in Varadero. It is hot off the beach though. I didn't find a lot to do with the kids there but the bus ride was fun. We also went on the cataraman trip.We wanted to swim with the dolphins but that trip was overfull and couldn't get on. We eventually at the last minute found the same trip but with a dolphin show instead for 75 pesos- kids are free. Didn't bring them but could have (day was long but I think OK for kids). The food selection is not great for kids. We got fresh, right out of the ocean lobster on the boat for 10 pesos-well worth it. The ladies at the excursion desk were really helpful and one lady got us on the trip at the very last minute and even got the boat to wait 15 minutes for us at the marina. If you book at the marina you save about 11 pesos each. You have to take a taxi then which is about 5 pesos. You do risk having a full trip if you don't book ahead. Tipping- we tipped with pesos and gifts. We brought a gym bag full of clothes, kids clothes, toys and other stuff. They loved the stuff. I brought to old umbrella strollers and gave them to the entertainment staff who had kids. They were very appreciative for everything. Also brought a bag full of condoms I got free from the health nurse. Got the thumbs up for those. They told me every little bit helps. Misc.- to avoid packing a change of clothes to leave -the bus and airport are air conditioned so to dress in pants and a shirt is appropriate to prepare for the cold weather at home. You can use your visa to buy cigars, souvenirs and duty free at the airport. The hotel store doesn't take visa. Bring lots of sunscreen- costs 26 pesos at the hotel store for a bottle. Put sunscreen on kids several times a day. We ran out. Bring extra cash or you have to go into Varadero to get a Visa cash advance. Save 25 pesos each for the departure tax.

Review of Iberostar Varadero My husband and I just returned from a 7 night stay at Iberostar Varadero last evening (March 8th to 15th, 2005) and would like to share our experience with people, given that this site was extremely helpful to us prior to leaving. We were upgraded to a junior suite in Villa 17 (room 1701). Pros: The beach was beautiful with plenty of umbrellas and lounges. The water sports (ride on the Catamaran, kayaking, paddle boats) were free for hotel guests. We took a half-hour ride on the Catamaran and loved it. The water was clear and warm. We only had one day with a red flag (see below for details- in Cons). Beach bar staff were friendly, especially Marcos and Ovidio. We were serenaded daily when we got our drinks and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The beach bartenders were great with mixing drinks and were generous with the alcohol. (I especially liked the Mojitos) There is a snack bar near the bar with hamburgers and hotdogs throughout the day. This was very helpful, especially when we didn’t want to leave the beach to go to the snack bar for lunch. Coffee at the snack bar was delicious (the best I’ve had for a long time) with frothed up milk. Vincente was the bartender in the afternoon and he was very nice and even helped us get a table at the Cuban dinner when we couldn’t get a reservation. We went on the Seafari excursion for 75 dollars US each and it was definitely worth it. The Catamaran was spotless, with an open bar for the entire day. We brought our own snorkel gear and were able to stay in the water for the entire allotted time for swimming (others had to be divided into two teams, in order to share the equipment). We swam with the dolphins, who were very friendly, and were excellent at posing for pictures. The excursion team took an 8X10 photo of us with the dolphins (which turned out really nice), costing $10 per photo. You only have a five minute window the next day to pick up the photos at the entrance of the hotel (so don’t be late). We had lunch on an island (so-so meal) with a local band playing in the background before returning to the hotel. In the morning, at the buffet, I enjoyed daily omelettes and freshly squeezed orange juice. The lobby is very nicely decorated. Cons: Although we were told about the friendliness of the Cuban people, we did not find that this was always the case and frankly, our experiences with the hotel service is the reason we would not recommend this hotel to anyone. The front desk was not particularly friendly on several occasions. We were ignored several times. Several of the staff could not speak English well and one manager actually required another staff member to interpret for her. When I tried to make a reservation for an a la carte restaurant at the guest service desk, the woman manning the desk told us to come back later (she was apparently on break despite sitting at the desk) and a few hours later, as I approached the desk, the same lady simply got up and left, making it impossible to make dining arrangements. Our chambermaid, Xiomara, was terrible for the following reasons: We left gifts the first two days but stopped because the service was so awful. It became worse after we stopped tipping. - Dirty dishes were never or only partially cleaned up from the day before. - Our bar fridge was only refilled twice (we had to call for one of them) over a seven day period. My understanding is that it should have been refilled every two days. - Our blankets were taken away one day and not replaced. When we called the front desk to ask for replacements, Marlize was rather unpleasant. After a half an hour of waiting (at this point, it was midnight), we called to cancel so that we could go to bed. She only then told us that the chambermaid did not have a key to the blanket room and she would leave a note for the chambermaid the next day. She was reluctant to give me her name. - We had a small bed in the room and without consulting us, this was taken away halfway through our vacation. We originally had three bath, face and hand towels respectively, but were downgraded to two each after that. - Shampoo was not replaced after we used it (near the end). - The worst thing was being confronted by Xiomara, the chambermaid five days into the trip, (with a note and verbally twice), about a missing face towel (my husband had left it by mistake with his things). We stated we would look for it and have it for her by the end of the trip. The following day, despite us having found it, she did not leave any face towels. I called the front desk about having some sent and when Xiomara arrived, she had Susel, her manager with her. She argued with me about having found only one face towel (basically accusing me of lying because I had stated we left two) and then when her manager asked her to get some face towels for us, she never did. We had to go to the front desk three hours later and talk with Susel again who stated that she would call her for some. We discussed our problems with Susel, who stated she would take care of it prior to our leaving Cuba the next day. When we checked in the morning, Ketty (the day manager) knew nothing about it. Once again, they said they would look after it but we left shortly thereafter and could not follow up. My advice for you is that if you find out your chambermaid is Xiomara, change rooms!! Food was hit or miss. We tried all the a la carte restaurants. The Japanese chef was fun to watch but the food was hard to eat. The fried banana dessert was yummy. We were offered nice liquors at the end. The servers were very polite. The Mediterranean dinner was pretty good (We had their recommended Sea Bream). The Cuban restaurant was also fine (We had the Tenderloin), except we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. The buffet food could be a little bland. We frequently had to wait for the buffet to be open several minutes (sometimes 10 minutes) after their stated opening time. The snack bar band played only once the entire time we were there (the first day). We did not hear the piano bar in the lobby played at all. There was no music at the pool bar and it had a YMCA feel. The bartending staff people at the pool bar were unfriendly (especially the ladies). The Entertainment Staff seemed to linger and hang about the pool like they were guests rather than employees. My husband saw one of the female entertainment staff drinking beer during the day. Junior suites are over-rated. A regular room is more than adequate. (Our friends had a regular room for comparison). There was a bad odour (like sewer) apparent in the room overnight and on occasion during the day around the resort. The day we had a red flag at the beach, the waves appeared better than the previous day. Several people attempted a swim. Finally, we asked a lifeguard why there was a red flag. At that point, we were told that there were medusa fish in the water, which were poisonous. A sign explaining the reason for the red flag would have been helpful to prevent people from wondering why and prevent attempts at entering the water . At the evening shows, the staff worked extremely hard but the shows still fell into the “amateur” category. At a resort, with nothing else to do at night, seven evenings of this type was difficult to endure. Overall, I left the hotel feeling that we had overpaid because I did not pay thousands of dollars to be accused several times of stealing a face towel or stay in an unkempt room because we stopped tipping. I understand that the standards are different in Cuba but one should not be harassed on vacation. That was a first for me. I have tried to accentuate the things we enjoyed about our trip but overall, I would only rate this hotel low because they also did not address our concerns in a timely manner. Service is extremely important at any hotel and I spent a considerable amount of time being annoyed because I was treated poorly. There is no way this hotel will ever be a 5 star resort. Given the number of alternatives in Cuba and elsewhere in the Caribbean, there are better places to spend your vacation. I hope those that go to IV have a better experience than we did.

We have just returned from two weeks in the brand new Iberostar Varaderro in Cuba. This 5-star resort is not quite finished, as it only opened in December, but is already spectacular. The grounds are well-planned out and will be very lush within a year (they've just been planted a few months and it's still winter there.) The rooms are really nice, with all the amenities you would expect of a 5 star hotel. (irons & ironing boards, hair dryers, toiletries and a bidet) and exceptionally clean. All rooms have balconies and the buildings have been laid out so that all have beautiful views of either the gardens or ocean. There are 2 buffet restaurants that both serve delicious food with a wonderful selection of great variety. There are 3 a la carte restaurants, The Cuban, the Meditteranean and the Japanese. Our favorite was the Japanese, where they cook the food at your table and provide a very entertaining show while doing so. Very delicious! This is also one of the few resorts we've been to over the years where everyone agreed the food was exceptional and no one got sick. There is entertainment in the open theatre every night and there are different shows for two week periods, so you don't see the same show twice. Audience participation is encouraged in some of these, and is a lot of fun. There is a really good disco at this resort that was well-attended every night. Great music. The spa and gym at this resort is very nice. Great selection of equipment in the gym and good-sized hot tubs. There is a separate pool outside the spa, as well as a "sports pool" and the large pool, including a swim-up bar. The beach is comparable to the Mayan Riviera. Miles and miles of fine white sand, clear blue water and no stones. A great "walking beach" and very safe. The water is very shallow for quite a way out, so also a great place to take kids. There were quite a few children there and we noticed they had a great kids club. The staff are wonderful at this resort. Typical of the Cuban culture - very warm and friendly. We had so much fun with all of them - the staff and the entertainers, and became friends with all. Many of them made a point of coming to visit us our last day on the beach, and some even showed up in the lobby to say goodbye the day we left. They are truly lovey people. I highly recommend this resort, and, while we tend to go to a different location every year, we have decided this is one resort we will return to. It's also close to the town of Varaderro, so if you want to go shopping or sight-seeing or try some really unique restaurants (I recommend the DuPont Mansion) it's a good choice.

We just came back 2 days ago and my kids keep asking us when are we going back again to this Beautiful and more than Excellent resort. They have the best activities and play grounds for kids's This was very Important to me and my husband, to keep busy my little ones. We've been in another Iberostars ( Mayan Riviera, Cozumel and Huatulco ) and we found the IB. Varadero better that the other 3 we stayed at, The food is excellent, considering is Cuba (3rd world country) and the staff very friendy, our room was very clean at all times and the decoration had a great teast. I really recommend the Grill restaurant and the Main Buffet was the best and no problems to make reservations to the a'la carte ones. We paid quite large amount for the 2 weeks we stayed but it was worth it!! We definately will go back, even though we like to experience different places every year,... but to this Hotel ..... we 'll go back to next year.!!! No.. we'll go back at ANYTIME :)

My mother and I went to the Iberostar Varadero from Feb 21 to 28 and our review is much the same as the first review of this property, see below... we want to provide detail, and examples, as to how we came to our conclusions. Even two months after opening, they are still disorganized and the resort needs quite a bit of fine-tuning. Let me preface our review by saying that we got an excellent price for our trip and we would have felt ripped off if we had paid any more... even when the resort is totally finished, and running smoothly, it could never be more than a 3.5 star property... when we visited it was slightly above a 3 star but only because of the fantastic beach! So, don’t pay too much $$$ for your trip to the IV as it’s not worth big bucks. Go to heavenly Hawaii instead for the same price! We had realistic expectations and not truly believing this would be 5 stars, we were hoping for 4 stars but this resort does not even achieve that... OVERALL IMPRESSION: Construction and design is of entire resort poor and we heard another Canadian guest shaking their head making a bewildered comment about “whoever designed this resort...”. In a couple of years, the IV will seem run-down as the property ages and isn’t maintained properly as evidenced by the paint already peeling off in big chunks from the bottom of the artificial pond outside the buffet restaurant... it’s unsightly and shows a lack of care of the property. And, one of the beach towels I was given had a small hole in it, and all the towels already seem worn. PROPERTY & POOL: The staff was always cleaning the lobby areas and we found this a bit obtrusive and unsightly as they use large carts for their cleaning equipment that they would leave in right in the middle of the walkways and corridors. Also, beware of the sand bar (planted with a few young palm trees) separating the hotel and the beach... one night it rained very hard so the sandbar got flooded. The ground floor of our building also was flooded with mud and we heard that the disco was closed for a couple of days because water was coming up through the floor. My mother would typically go out to the beach at 7am to reserve lounges and her leg got caught in a sink hole up to her knee. Note that the sun rises very late this time of year – not until about 7:45am so if you’re an early riser it will be dark. Iberostar seems to have not considered the effect of heavy rain on their hotel or its guests. So, safety seems to be a major oversight as there were no signs warning of unstable soil. The pool wasn’t super clean, there was sand on the bottom. At check in, we were given a photocopy of the resort; however, the copy was so dark and blurry that we could hardly read it so it was useless! The resort is mid-size and you can easily walk from one side to the other in about five minutes; however, the staff use golf carts to get around the resort and the carts use the same paths as the guests for walking. Sometimes you feel that you’re in their way and you should move for them and that they have the right of way and they don’t excuse themselves or thank you for moving out of their way either?! The design and layout of the resort is, in our view, its biggest fault... even though the buildings are painted pink, blue, yellow, orange, it feels like a military compound. Before going, I was concerned about the lack of natural greenery and vegetation from the few pictures I saw. We don’t like resorts that don’t accentuate its tropical location with a lot of ground cover, especially in the pool area. The IV has three or so single palm trees in the pool area which makes it feel like your local community center outdoor pool. There is zero lush, tropical atmosphere. It’s all concrete with sand and brown grass, with only the thatched roofs of the buildings showing anything remotely natural. Each room patio is supposed to have a bed of flowers planted but most do not so you have to look at an empty flower bed. The courtyard has no big trees planted and only a few small bushes. Only a few rooms, most of them Junior Suites, would have ANY view of anything including the ocean!? The IV’s property is wide so why didn’t they design it so that more guest rooms would have a view of something, even trees! It’s such a shame that a piece of property with such potential could be so underutilized and make it look like Iberostar was in a huge to build a resort without thinking it through... based on this property, we would not stay at another Iberostar. You would think that being a new, supposedly 5 star resort, that they would try to put their best foot forward... not so. It’s like getting by with whatever and they hope that it all falls into place on its own. We feel the Iberostar chain presents a lackadaisical image which is not conducive to a 5 star resort. BEACH & OCEAN: This is where the resort shines and has to do with Cuba’s topography, and not the Iberostar chain. The beach seems like the best along the 20km strip. The water temperature can vary from cool to lukewarm. Water can be almost dead calm to big swells (not suitable for swimming). The water can be almost clear to slightly cloudy. The sand is pale beige but contains a lot of natural debris (sticks, twigs from the barricade of bushes separating the beach from the hotel). The hotel could do a much better job of keeping the beach lean from the guests’ trash like straws, bits of paper etc. as it would improve the overall appearance and safety for people using the beach. The IV’s beach is long and wide but still very busy and can feel overly crowded... they are still building palapas and brining in more lounge chairs but seem to be lagging behind the demand and guests are angered by the lack of lounges. Go to the beach before 8am to secure a spot, otherwise there will be virtually nothing for the rest of the day... they have one beach boy on duty (all day) to help move lounges and mini tables. The beach gets great sun exposure from morning until the sun sets so there is no shady beach to prevent long sun bathing hours. RESTAURANTS, BARS, FOOD & DRINKS: Contrary to other reviews, food is NOT always being cooked. They do not have 24 hour snacks. In fact, what the info sheet says will be open for food (esp. snacks) does not reflect what really is open and at what times. The restaurants usually run about 10 minutes late so if you need to eat before going on an excursion, be prepared to be rushed and the staff to be panicked and disorganized. The buffets were poorly laid out (pods of food with some dishes hard to reach hiding behind other dishes) and presentation was so-so (didn’t present food to make it look appetizing). Popular items like fries and tomato slices were not replenished as they ran out... supply and demand was a problem. Their vegetables and meat were very good (tomatoes, asparagus, beef, chicken) as they don’t use the chemicals we do in our food but the fruit was not very sweet (pineapple, papaya). Buffet Restaurant “Ambrosio”: Mediocre for all meals. Breakfast choices consist of everything you would see at any other breakfast buffet but had a few Cuban specialties like spinach rolls. We only ate lunch there once but it was cold cuts, cheese slices, chopped/shredded vegetables, pizza, pasta, fried fish, French fries, plainly cooked vegetables, etc. They seem to try to cut corners by serving cheap food such as having at least 3 simple rice dishes at dinner! Their chocolate desserts are pretty good and taste normal and not too low quality tasting. Open: 7-10am, 1-3pm, 6:30-9:30pm. Snack Bar “El Bohio”: This is also supposed be open for snacks (4-6pm) but usually wasn’t, and is THE place to have lunch as there is no strict dress code. It is also open for breakfast... the breakfast and lunch buffet selections are almost the same as Ambrosio but pared down. My mother said their ice cream is great as it is rich and creamy. Open: 10am-4pm. This is an open-air restaurant with a only a roof and no walls doors to enclose it but it is very large. Japanese Restaurant “Manzuko”: Terrible. I have never had crunchy, undercooked rice and freeze dried fish served as sushi before. The cooked portion of the meal was almost charred... you can have chicken, beef, pork, octopus or shrimp which are stir-fried with rice and some vegetables like peppers, onions. They have no sake either. They have a soup course which is beef, chicken or seafood. The seafood soup we ordered was inedible as it tasted like it was dredged up from the ocean floor. The guy who cooked our food seemed like he really didn’t want to be there and rushed through the process. The desserts were good as we had deep fried bananas and a rice tart which were the best part of the meal. They sauces they used, even the soy sauce, didn’t taste authentic. Being from Vancouver, where we have a plethora of Japanese restaurants, we are used to the top quality Japanese food and have had this type of grill cooking restaurant in our city since 1968 (Kobe) so it’s not a thrill to have food cooked in front of you with flames and acrobats with utensils (which the guy kept dropping and fumbling with). Open 7-9:30pm. Mediterranean Restaurant “La Dorada”: In our opinion, the best of the a la cartes. The appetizer buffet had refreshingly new items that aren’t available at the other buffets such as roasted red peppers in sauce, seafood lasagna squares. This restaurant focuses on seafood and I had grouper steamed with potatoes in a white wine based sauce which was tasty. They have a lobster soup which is not that appealing. A proper menu had not yet been printed so it was on photocopied paper. Open 7-9:30pm. It’s also supposed to be open from 11pm to 7am for night owls serving continental breakfast. Cuban Restaurant “El Criollo”: During the day, it is the Snack Bar and this is not indicated on the resort map. We only found out where the Cuban restaurant was via chatting to other guests. They have a buffet salad bar which is really only chopped or shredded vegetables, same as when it’s the Snack Bar during the day. Again, this menu is seafood oriented. I had a tuna steak that was grilled to being charred and dry. My mother had steak and it was just ok. Open 7-9:30pm. BARS: The beach bar is within short walking distance from the beach so if you want a quick drink, it’s not a problem. They also have a burger shack on one of two pathways to the beach for burgers and hot dogs and which is almost directly across from the beach bar. The lobby bar is nice except they ruined the it’s look by having this huge, hokey looking stenciled sign above the bar saying “CAFÉ BAR”. They don’t have enough seating and there is too much space in between each table so we assumed that they are still waiting for more furniture to be delivered... they have a piano but only saw it being played once. The theatre bar is loud, because of the music, and hard to communicate with the bar tender when ordering. At the pool bar, on one side you can sit in the pool and the other side you can sit out of water on stools... my mother went to the bar to order a drink and the two women serving were mocking her pronunciation of “tropical” and they pretended they didn’t know what she was saying and said that it was “tropicale”. Nice attitude and one of them we saw buying Italian leather shoes at the Las Americas mall before her shift a few days later... ROOM SERVICE: No such thing. What 5 star property doesn’t provide room service?? Even if they did have room service, they would have a difficult time managing it as regular tasks seem to be challenge and overwhelm the IV staff. Cuban coffee, at least at the hotel, is excellent. You can make your own espresso and americanos at the Snack Bar and Buffet Restaurant. The bartenders at the Snack Bar can make cappuccinos but it seems like a bigger task than they are willing to take on. Rum drinks are very strong and margaritas are 3 ounces of tequila with a splash of lime juice. Drink mixes are of low quality and they have drink menus but, for example, we ordered the “Tropical Coconut” four times and each time received a completely different drink!? Strawberry Daiquiris were quite good and not too strong. ACTIVITIES, ENTERTAINMENT & DISCO: We did not visit the disco so we can’t comment on that and we didn’t see any shows, only the pre-show music with a live Cuban band which was fairly well done. However, they had singers come on after a few songs and they weren’t that good and ruined the pleasant, melodic band music. The entertainers accost guests, wearing weird, garish, home-made looking costumes as they go to and from dinner in what I call “restaurant row” as three of the four restaurants are located in the same area of the property. ROOMS & HOUSEKEEPING: Standard rooms are a decent size so you don’t feel cramped. We were in three different rooms in blocks 14 (put us in a room with one bed without asking us to confirm that’s what we wanted), then 12 (poor location), and finally room 1922. In each room, there was a different amount of furniture?? The first room was missing an armchair, glass top table and two iron chairs, there was only a huge bed and a desk, so it was very strange to be in a room with virtually no furniture. The second room was facing a dirt lane, had no sunlight, and faced a wall of bushes – it was completely furnished but the stand alone shower leaked badly on to the floor. The last room, and the one we stayed in for the rest of the trip, was missing the armoire to hold the TV and mini fridge and was missing the two iron chairs for the glass table. All the rooms have the same colour palette – bright orange (curtains and armchair), yellow walls, blue alcove in bathroom for toilet and bidet, terra cotta bathroom. The bedspreads were pink, blue, yellow and orange. The furniture was wood and painted a cream colour. The rooms are reminiscent of a teenage girl’s room. Cheerful and bright but the overall look and quality is cheap. There is no clock in the room so bring a watch or two... the tv, and its remote, are supposed to control the air conditioning, calendar etc. Of course, none of these features work! Satellite tv is limited to CNN, HBO and MTV for English channels. We discovered that not all rooms get the same channels (ie. our room in block 12 did not have HBO). Each room is only given two bath towels and two hand towels per day. Every hotel I have ever stayed at gives four bath towels per day. The rooms come equipped with full iron and board which were of decent quality. And there is a ceiling fan which can be turned on and off via a switch above the beside table for nights when it’s too cool for the AC but still warm as you need to keep the patio doors closed at night due to the noise from the theatre and disco. The in-room safe was large, electronic, free and easy to use. The patio was a good size and had a plastic table and two chairs. Beware that we heard a number of people complaining about their rooms and had requested rooms changes so it wasn’t just us... the mini fridge was pretty well stocked but not to its full capacity as it is supposed to be and this happened in both rooms we spent the night. In room 1922, the housekeeping was fabulous with the maid leaving us welcome and goodbye notes. STAFF & SERVICE: Inconsistent. Beach staff appears to be from a different planet than a la carte restaurant staff... and the rest of the staff are all over the place with their quality of service. But, overall, we felt the service was good but not great. Front desk staff are quite scattered and get flustered easily. Buffet restaurant had the worst service as the servers were too busy jabbering to each other to do more than pour water and coffee yet expect tips. Service was usually efficient but, again, the buffet restaurant had many tables un-cleared and not re-set quickly. The bellman who greeted us did not help us retrieve our luggage from the storage room when we were preparing to depart – the bellman were quite busy so he told us to go into the unlocked storage room and get our bags ourselves?! What 5 star resort has such lax security and unmotivated staff, the irony being we had tipped this guy $5 when we arrived... and another guest on our return flight was told to get her own luggage as well. None of the staff made a stellar impression with their attitude and service... there was one guy in the theatre bar, and who also was a server in the lobby bar, who was efficient and pleasant but I didn’t think to look at his name tag. As well, the “head waiter” in the Mediterranean restaurant was very efficient and professional but didn’t catch his name either. Beach drink service is all over the place and they only had one person serving hundreds of people on the beach... they need at least two people serving the beach all day long. The person serving the beach is named Marcos and he is quite the character as he wears a huge straw hat and he likes to practice his English with Canadians but he picks and chooses who and when he wants to serve?? One day, he will be around frequently, and one day was giving out slices of watermelon to guests, but the following day he wasn’t asking anyone if they wanted a drink ALL DAY. Unfortunately, he’s the only beach server so you might be better off to fetch a drink from the beach bar yourself. You are also not allowed to bring food to your room or the beach or the pool?! I have never seen this rule before and it makes it like a “camp” instead of a full-service resort... at real 4/5 star resorts, food is served to you at the beach, pool and have room service! Unfortunately, most of the staff, even at the front desk, have the “deer caught in the headlights” look about them when they have to deal with someone in English and deal with questions/problems. They seem inadequately trained for their jobs. The “Star Friends” (the entertainment staff) are fraternize too much with the guests... they try to make special friends to get extra tips/gifts and it’s very disconcerting and distasteful to observe this kind of behaviour... as we can only imagine what may REALLY be going on between some the staff and guests. Some of the staff try to make advances on women (myself included) which mars your experience by having to ward off unwanted attention... INTERNET CAFÉ: Basically, don’t bother. It costs $10 pesos for an hour which seems like plenty of time to send a few emails but the bandwidth is so slow that it’s like being on dial-up from 1998. So, an hour gets used quickly. Canadians beware of their European keyboards... the @ symbol does not work as we are used to and same with the underscore key. Of course, they don’t have instructions in other languages to assist you while you’re trying to figure out the keyboard while wasting your internet time. They give you your login and password on a sliver of a piece of paper and each of the 3 computers seems to take the log-in info with caps on and caps off. The café is just off the lobby and isn’t decorated at all and is very unwelcoming and sterile. Windows, and the program that monitors your internet access, are all in Spanish so that can be a bit of a time waster as well. So, don’t waste your time and money on this overpriced activity. When you ask the front desk for help, they just stare at you and aren’t prepared to help with basic questions for the internet service. I shared tips with other guests and they need more computers in there as it’s a popular after dinner activity. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: One family from Canada was complaining to the front desk that their Junior Suite wasn’t finished and had a hole in the wall. Also, there is space for five shops in the lobby area but none of them are open so if you like to poke around in shops, it’s not yet available and looks like it will be months before any of them will be open. Varadero is an hour bus ride (with all the walking to the pick place and all the stops it makes so bring anything you can think of that you might need). While we were there, the IV installed a pool table in the shop area but, again, it was not ready for use by the time we left. The Mediterranean restaurant looked unfinished as well and did not have a good ambiance... it was like they gave up putting finishing touches on the place to make the “feng shui” happen. It may be how Iberostar manages their resorts, but we felt the IV, and its staff, presented themselves as more of a camp rather than a true resort. The lack of visible management supervising the staff, and attending to guests’ needs, was odd and made you feel like you had to fend for yourself and no one cared about making you feel welcome. The staff seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted without being properly managed and the IV is “loosey goosey”. I know this is a long review, and it could be longer, so if you have specific questions about the resort, Havana, Varadero, the bus system, tipping, Signature Vacations, please feel free to email me... we hope this review has been informative and helpful. The Iberostar Varadero is not a bad resort, it’s just not what you would expect from a 5 star property. Ps, if you want more info, from our perspective, please see the Varadero/Cuba forums under the alias of “tomatoheart”.