Varadero

It was a long 5 years since we have been to the Blau, and we were very happy to get back to it after Covid delays. We have been to Cuba 10 times, 5 to the Blau. We always compared the other hotels to the Blau and have decided that future trips will be only to the Blau. It is always the staff that makes the biggest difference. It is a very nice and clean hotel, the bars and restaurants are top notch (considering the current shortages they are doing a great job) and the pool area and beach are fantastic. As I said before, it is the staff that make it #1 in our opinion. From the kitchen, the grounds keepers, reception, customer relations, housekeeping, bar tenders and wait staff, they make it feel like coming home. Many have been there since it opened, and we have known them since our first visit there in 2010. We are already planning our next trip in 2024.

Its was great in every sense. Beach, food, cleanliness,staff, restaurants were great and most important the beach best one the strip of varadero. I did almost all the hotels and this spot is the best. Dont rely on people that say shortages and none of this or that. Granted they had no sprite big deal but everything else was amazing i rate it a 10 and will definitely go back.

I travelled to the Melia International April 29 to May 6. It was my first time at this resort, and definitely will not be my last, as I have already booked again for two weeks June 15-29. I knew while I was on resort I would be booking another trip right away when I got home. The resort is very modern with a cosmopolitan feel. It is well laid out with all of the restaurants except one and the same area on the ground floor and all the shops are also located on the ground floor. My room was on the sixth floor with a fabulous ocean front view. The room was large and very comfortable. The bed and the pillows provided a great nights sleep. The shower is large and has two rain showers. One on each end. There is a hairdryer and amenities in the bathroom. Thanks so much to the staff from sales office Nelido Casay and Mari the Community Manager that helped witj everything and assisted in my requests and suggestions as well as worried about my stay every day which made it exceptional in every way. I celebrated my birthday there and they made it unforgettable for me!! I ate at two of the a La carte restaurants in and both of them were fantastic. Sensum would be my favourite and they made my birthday dinner amazing. At the end of my meal they even had a flambé cake for me. The other restaurant was Casa Nostra the Italian restaurant. The pumpkin risotto and the chicken Parmesan were wonderful. There was also plenty of Prosecco in both restaurants. Many people are speaking of shortages on the resorts, but there was nothing that stood out to me while I was there. The pools are very clean and I was always able to find a chair. There are also two snack bars on either end of the pools. The beach is only a short walk with a great composite boardwalk. I have been to Cuba more than 25 times and I have never been on a beach as beautiful as the one at this hotel. It is a shallow walk out with white sand and very clear water. There is no shortage of beach chairs, and Palapas even when the resort is full to capacity. Anyone going to the Melia International will definitely not be disappointed. Great food, large clean rooms, helpful staff, fantastic entertainment, and generally just one of the best resorts in Varadero. Four weeks to my next visit and the countdown is on.

Beautiful property. Nice accommodations but terrible service. Staff very unfriendly. Seemed to not want to help. Felt ignored. Food shortages were annoying but I made do with availability

The resort has beautiful pools and beaches, staff were friendly and helpful. The food was better than expected. The a la cartes were great and we liked that we could pick one almost every night. The 24hr “snack bar” is not really a snack bar, they have a couple food options usually leftovers from the night before's buffet. Unfortunately the rooms and buildings need a lot of repairs, they are in rough shape with broken, furniture and fixtures, holes in walls, mold, doors that don't close. Bathrooms around the resort were very run down and missing toilet seats and fixtures. Cabana's are falling apart. We only had hot water two afternoons during the entire week. I was told from people who stayed in the Royal suites that it was the same there as well. Rooms/ buildings are not 5 star quality.

The location could not have been any better! Even though we upgraded to an ocean view room (which was incredible!) you could really smell the mold, it was in some corners and on the curtains and air intake vent. We made sure to daily air the room out and keep a/c on all the time! This did help a bit. The majority of the staff was very nice and helpful and friendly, but most of the Bar staff at lobby could take lessons from the others! Not very helpful or friendly. The beach was beautiful but could definitely be cleaned up lots of cigarette butts and broken pieces of plastic cups which I'm sure the tourists should be accountable for as well

Very poor service! Would not recommend or return!

We returned yesterday from a week long stay. This was my 9th visit to Cuba and my 6th hotel. We stayed in a standard room and no regrets about not upgrading to the allegiance. The room was in good condition and clean (I am a weirdo that cleans any hotel room at the start of my stay regardless of stars or initial impression of cleanliness and non of my clothes came back dirty). There is the usual to Cuba not so soft bed and pillows but it's a place to lay your head. The water was never hot ( its primarily solar heated) but it was warm and enjoyable. The ac worked well as did the mini fridge. Buffet & A la Carte We ate at the buffet primarily it had the most selection ( I am a pescatarian) so having the variety helped me eat within my diet. We did do one a la carte and it was a nice change of pace but limited on the choices of chicken, pork or fish. The line up to sign up for the al a carte was maybe 20 minutes even though some had been lined up from very early, it wasnt necessary to get a reservation even at a good time. We attempted to dine at the beach restaurant once but since my diet is limited we decided to do the buffet instead. There are some food shortages to note from past experiences there wasn't fish daily, nor a pasta station (there was only one night of a pasta station). The buffet can be repetitive and they reuse or reinvent dishes which is a great way to reduce food waste especially with food shortages. All that being said I ate plenty and enjoyed each meal and that's with pickier diet my partner ate well and enjoyed the meat. My suggestion be adventurous when trying dishes - some may not look appealing (it's not their strong suit) but they are tasty. We saw several people bring in ketchup, peanut butter, maple syrup ( they only had jams and simple sugar water for pancakes and waffles) so if these are staples bring them with you. The Resort Is as well kept as it can be. Property on the ocean requires extra care and more maintenance and they try. In all of the resorts I have visited if you look for it you will always find things to point out that are in bad repair. Take a step back and view the whole and remember your in a poor country with import limitations due to embargos. Remember all hotels are owned half by international hotel chains and half by the government. So they pretty much all have limitations on getting supplies and furniture and fixtures regardless of how many stars. The only difficulty I had which is common is toilet paper in the womens washrooms(lobby, beach bar, ect) they only use single rolls so they run out quick. ( in all my years and visits this has been a constant factor). My pro tip is bring individual Kleenex pouches and you always have some with you. Staff As always the Cubans add so much value to your trip. If you demonstrate kindness they return it ten fold. My tip ask their names and wave an extra hola you will gain fast friends for life. Pool- it looked nice... we aren't pool people so I can't say to much on it. Beach- Awesome beach and we never had troubles finding shade or a chair and we came down after breakfast around 9-10 am (albeit we did use broken chairs a few times, they kept you off the sand and were comfortable) no sand flea bites and we spent a fair amount of time here and were in shade most of it. Bars There was plenty of rum,beer and wine the entire stay. Lobby bar has the selection of other liquors like vodka and gin. Evening- bug spray there are mosquitoes and no-seeums so if your out in the evening put some on. Tipping They take USD or Canadian however USD bills are ideal as they dont need to trade coins for bills. Its a quiet resort, other than the evening shows I didn't see much for those that look for night life. We enjoyed are stay and the hotel and will come back to this resort.

Hello. This was my 4th time to cuba. First time staying at this hotel. Playa Alameda. The hotel wasn't too bad the food was ok. But the staff and housekeeping was just unreal. Stuff at the bars did not bothered to help you. They will sit and talk amongst themselves. Sometimes it took 5 to 20 min to get a drink or a coffee. Front desk stuff no help at all. As for housekeeping unbelievable. The maid just made the bed and left water. The bathroom wasn't clean, the shower never cleaned in the 7 nights we spent there. Sometimes o toilet paper. Sand on the floor always. And the worst thing was… the bath towels were never changed. We even told the front desk. Nothing was done about it. The worst experience ever. I will post about this hotel and bad experience on every post I can find about traveling.

We cannot wait to go back!! We especially loved the beach bars. Having a drink looking at ocean can't be beat ! The pools and grounds are kept immaculate. We want to thank Anita who gave us so many tips about the resort ! We will return for sure this year !