Varadero

I had not been to Cuba in over 10 years, the people are still as friendly as I remembered at the hotel and everywhere else as a matter of fact, the beach at Sol Varadero was beautiful, the hotel was very clean, the energy was great, now we had a room right in front of the main pool, that was a big mistake on some nights impossible to sleep early, knowing that the hotel was not a full capacity, they could of given us a better room. The food was fair, we did not get a chance try any of the a la carte restaurants, even if a couple did open during the week we only find out when we saw people eating there, it was the buffet all week, the fruits were very dull and unsweet for the most part, the juices also, the meats were ok. Room was clean, but not sure if it was the AIR\AC ventilation system that seems connected in between the rooms, but I think some people smoke in their room, so the air gets distributed in other rooms, so we had to open our patio door regularly to get rid of the smell. Drinks at the bar were very redundant, but overall we had a very good time, we're not picky people, people were friendly for the most part and the entertainers were great, bartenders at the outside bar were very nice, reception was very slow most times for no reasons.

Among the best features were the beach (really beautiful, clean, safe), the staff (helpful and pleasant), the pool and the nightly entertainment (among the best we have experienced, both in the theatre and the live music at the bar). We were less positive about the food - the buffet and the Italian restaurant were OK, the Caribbean, the Bistro and the Tex Mex restaurants much better, the International and the seafood ones much worse. We liked walking around the resort and the bungalow style buildings are very attractive. The rooms themselves and the restaurants are somewhat dated and need major upgrading but everything worked and was clean. Having stayed at a few all inclusive resorts elsewhere in the Caribbean, we were surprised at having to tip nonstop all day long (if the staff needs some income supplement, maybe a collective tip surcharge when booking would be less tiresome). We would definitely go back.

I had the chance to stay at this wonderful resort for a second time, this time I stayed in the Level Adult section. This trip was also amazing, great hotel, great food and all the personal is very friendly. Arrival: upon arrival I was greeted by the management which was a great way to start the trip. Lisset, the Level Adult manager, made sure to make me feel welcome and helped me to get organised. Concierge service: Andy and the rest of the team was just amazing, every time I needed something he would get on it right away, great service! Food: The food was unreal, sooooo good! The service I received at the restaurent was very professional, efficient and the staff always had a big smile. They even taught me Spanish during my vacation. Julio and Ernesto were amazing and very nice, I developed a strong friendship with them, fell like I knew them for years. Cigar: The cigar lounge is very nice, they offer great cigars and rhum. The staff is very knowledgeable, it was very nice to discuss cigars and rhum with Yaniris, she's an expert in cigar and rhum! Animation: Bébé is sooooo good at her job at animation, she's very funny and very nice. Her catch phrase is Ciao Ciao Mickey Mouse and it cracks me up everything I hear it. Entertainment: The entertainment at the Melia is perfect. The shows are very classy and fun. The talent displayed by the entertainment artist was simply amazing. You would pay money to go see artists of that caliber in Canada. Rooms: the rooms are very modern and nice, if fact they are perfect! To conclude, I would like to thank the Melia staff for a wonderful vacation. Thank you, Stef

Just came back from one week vacation at this resort in mid December. The beautiful view of infinity pool caught my attention when booking for the hotel. Upon check-in, we upgraded to the oceanfront room above the lobby. The views from the room were breathtaking, which was the best part of our stay. Very impressed with the hotel covid safety protocols! Every single staff was wearing masks in and outdoors. Hand sanitizers everywhere throughout the resort. Bathrooms were kept super clean in all public areas with abundant tissue papers and soaps! Customer service throughout the resort was professional and friendly, special thanks to the super kind and caring lady at the reception and customer service relations (sorry I forgot their names), Yadami at the buffet restaurant, and the most helpful, friendly and generous electrician Barbaro, for lending his electronic convertor to me so I could use my own hair curler and hair blow dryer! Thank you so much!! The room was clean and well maintained. The cleaning service lady Donalis was not only very friendly kind helpful and hard working, but also a great artist in making creative towel artworks! Very impressive! Probably the best one I had seen so far! The restaurants. Had tried 3 ala carte restaurants - the Cuban, Italian and international. My favorite was the Cuban restaurant. Everything was super delicious! For the buffet, thumbs up for keeping the customer safe! Instead of self-serve, there was a server at every food counter to offer what customer wanted. The foo variety and quality were reasonably fine considering it's Cuba. To me, breakfast and lunch were better. There was always a long line up for the omelets and grills. So I only had a chance to try it once. No hot tea serving at all restaurants, which I wish the management can improve. The entertainment. One of the most important reason for me to choose Cuba as my vacation destination was the live entertainments with talented musician and dancers. Had been to many other Cuban resorts in the past before Covid, I'm sorry to say that this resort was at the bottom list that I had seen so far. This is the only reason that I took one star off the five star review, and probably will be the only reason that I will not come back to this resort. To me, there was lack of activities throughout the day. Occasionally some live music playing in the lobby, but no customer participation anywhere such as dancing! The nightly shows at the theater was fine. But everything was quiet and dead after the show. Not sure if it was the Covid, but I'm sure the management can do something to make customers smile by letting them participate in dance and other activities, and still keeping some social distance. WiFi is now provided free and can be connected at almost everywhere in the resort including guest rooms. This is a great improvement in Cuba! We were given 7 hours when we checked in, but needed to call or go to the lobby reception to renew every 3 hours. Sometimes there were long lineups. After 11:00 p.m., we tried to call but no one answered to renew Wi-Fi, which was a bit disappointment. Overall, it was a present experience at this resort! Appreciate all the friendly supports from the staff! Would definitely recommend!

My family, parents and mother-in-law had a fantastic time away at this resort! Two of the three parties didn't upgrade to The Level, and we enjoyed our time equally as much. The food in the buffet was typical Cuban food, but did offer a good rotating variety. Because of the time we went, at the beginning of the pandemic, not all a la carte restaurants were operating (they were on a rotating basis). We found the food at the a la cartes to be alright, but the experiences were a nice change from the buffet. The service all around in all areas was fantastic! The employees were almost all personable and helpful. The hotel is in need of minor repairs, but nothing that stopped our enjoyment of it. The pool and beach areas were relatively clean, and there were plenty of chairs for our group of 7 to sit on. I would recommend this resort!

We didn't get to our hotel, Iberostar Laguna Azul, until after 4 am. We were on the third floor of a building with no elevator. This was a problem for our friends - booked this hotel because it indicated there were elevators. They had two cots, not the king bed requested, My friend & I had the king bed. - Next day, we went to ask for our rooms to be corrected. We're told the hotel couldn't accommodate us & we would have to wait a day or two to be moved. Our friends were moved on the 2nd day of the trip to a building with an elevator. Unfortunately in a building with at least 6 elevators throughout, there was only one that worked. It broke down occasionally too. My friend & I decided to stay in the first room. - Rooms - staff did the best they could for the most part, but they were in poor condition. The shower head holders were broken & could not be used unless you held them. We did not use them that way one day & it flooded our bathroom. We called for assistance to clean up the water. No one ever came Food was pretty good with good variety. Very long lineups at breakfast. Coffee was undrinkable We were given beach towels & told we could change them. EVERYTIME we went to do that we were told there were none & to come back. There were never any available Lobby bar was good but not enough tables.

We had a very nice time there. The resort was beautiful and the staff were very accommodating , we will go back again

My 12 year old son has been chastised for being negative about experiences - so instead of saying he dislikes something, he simply will say it existed. That is an apt description for this resort. Everything was fine, but nothing was great. We received mixed messages constantly about where/how to order food and drinks. Some staff wanted us at a table (covid protocol) but then no one would come to the table as they were serving people from the counter! there was no poolside drink service. Food was sub-par even for Cuban standards.

I love this resort, the food is good, grounds are beautiful and the beach is amazing! The evening shows are great and entertainment staff are the absolute best!! Denis was great, he kept us entertained all week, such a friendly person and always goes out of his way to help everyone. We had a great trip and can't wait to return :)

Enjoyed most everything. Small things to fix to make it a lot better. Great beach And pools.lounges around pools are great.