Paradisus Princesa Del Mar

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. [Details]

We had an awesome experience from beginning to end. The resort was a little tired but clean and very beautiful, the staff were very attentive and friendly, food was good with a large variety to choose from, Beach was amazing and the entertainment was also good. over all we loved our vacation and we would definitely return. [Details]

We have been to Cuba 5 times before and Paradisus Princesa Del Mar is our new favourite. The staff are super friendly right from our maid down to the guy who keeps the grounds maintained. No complaints of the food. It's was always fresh and plenty of selections. Our vacation started off on the right foot thanks to Ekaterina from their sales team. If spreading time at the pool get to know Ramese. He was always checking on our needs and a great person to chat with. When you go down to their large clean beach definitely look for Isela or Mela for they will give you an incredible foot massage. I really can't find anything to complain about so Paradisus Princsa Del Mar will be our resort when we visit Cuba. [Details]

The hotel was very nice. Several a la carte restaurants, nice private beach and great staff. [Details]

The resort has so much potential. A few sections were dated and no longer in use. Main areas, buffet and the one "a la carte" we were able to book were great. The 24-hr snack bar was also good. [Details]

We had a wondeful time, wheather wss good, People so Nice and the room perfect.
One thing for sure we want to go back, because it was besutiful , and the tour of havane, Mataza, Valadero was fun , éducative and beautiful.The staff are very Nice and polite and the show wow it was very good. The bartender kety was very Nice to us, mode somme good drink . We want to go back . [Details]

Rooms are run down, lawn chairs need replacing and there are not enough of them. Serving staff in the dining room are busy pouring coffee instead of turning over tables so the line up of guests out the door can eat. Overall 3 * [Details]

The hotel was wonderful, everything you need for a great vacation. Beach is beautiful, pool is gorgeous but wish it could be warmer more people would be in it, food is good as well, you have a lot of restaurants to choose from. 5 al la carts, we tried all 5 , fabulous. Entertainment every night was ranked very high from other hotels we have been at. Cannot beat the price we paid for our stay with everything included period. Thanks for a great time. The tall Spanish guy was on the ball we will assume he is the manager just wish he would smile every once and a while lol . The staff was incredible very happy to help and smiling and happy all the time. Great people that should be rewarded for their great service. Thanks to all of them from the pool bar , restaurants, lobby, cleaning lady was such a nice woman. I could go on and on just a great experience for us and we will return. Thanks again [Details]

We spent a week at Paradisus Princesa del Mar in January of 2023. We (my wife and I) have been to Cuba a total of seven times and have wanted to try this resort as it looks like one of the nicer ones in Varadero. We had Royal Service with a Junior Suite overlooking the pool as it wasn't too much more money and most people said it was worth it in the reviews we read. We gave the resort a 4/5 star rating based on Cuban standards in the present global situation. If we were comparing it to resorts in Mexico or other similar holiday spots it would be a 3/5. We feel that how one feels about PPDM has a lot to do with the expectations you have. If you have high expectations and think this will be like a five star in Mexico or the Caribbean you will be very disappointed. If you realize that this is Cuba and not everything is going to be shiny, modern and perfect, then you will be less disappointed.

We arrived at 7:30 pm and were instructed to stand in line at the main lobby desk. They took everyone's passport and started checking people in. After about 30 minutes someone came and took the Royal Service people back out of the main lobby and put us on a golf cart and took us to the Royal Service lobby which is about a two minute ride or a ten minute walk. They then started the check in procedure over again. We were offered a drink at this point which was very welcome. Check in from here was fairly smooth but everyone was frustrated that we stood in line at the main lobby for so long for no reason. We were told that our butler had made dinner reservations for us but ours expired two hours ago so we would have to find food elsewhere. We ended up at the main buffet near closing time and the food was bad. That was disappointing. It would have been nice if we just could have ate at the RS restaurant when we got checked in. We also got our internet cards at this time. Overall check in was much too long and could have been streamlined.

The resort itself is divided into two distinct areas: the Royal Service area and the rest of the resort. If you pay for RS you have access to the entire resort but if not then you have to stay in your area. The entire resort is very nice looking and the groundskeepers do a good job. If you look closer you will see some signs of wear and tear but not too bad. I noticed some rotten boards with nails sticking out by the RS beach bar and some of the day beds looked pretty rough around the RS pool as examples. Mostly though the resort looks really nice.

The advantages of Royal Service make it a good choice in our opinion. With RS you have access to two additional restaurants, a grill, a large beach area with bar, a lobby bar, a pool area with bar as well as a'la carte reservations every night. The food in the a'la cartes is for the most part superior to the buffets. The pool area is very nice and usually has enough chairs. Umbrellas are a bit harder to get but if you ask you will usually receive. You have a butler (not private but shared with a number of other people in RS) who will help you should you have any issues. Our butler was Ernesto. He said William was also our butler and they are there every other day. We never talked to William. He also makes all of your reservations for you which is nice. We saw Ernesto a few times but never really needed to use him. He checked in once or twice with us while we were there.

The internet in Cuba is still not up to North American standards but it is much better than pre-covid. You get ten hours per person when you check in and you can get more for free. Every time you want to use it you have to log in so I would recommend putting the username somewhere on your phone where you can copy and paste it every time and memorize the password. Be sure to shut off your Wi-Fi when not using it or you will drain it. For the most part it worked pretty well but I think it is primarily just for checking email or sending messages. I wouldn't want to count on it for work.

The TV in the rooms is pretty bad. Ours had a picture lag that was annoying and the channel selection was terrible for English. Download some movies on your phone if you like the watch TV. It wasn't a big deal though as I don't really go on a vacation like this to sit in the room and watch TV. It's just nice once in a while to watch a show at the end of the day or if the weather is bad.

Our second floor room overlooked the pool. There are about eight or ten buildings in the RS area and they all surround the RS pool. Some buildings have balconies that face the pool and the others face the ocean. The pool facing top floors have a nice view of the pool area. Botton suites have a day bed and good access to the pool. Ocean view buildings don't have much on the ground floor except some trees to look at and a day bed. Probably private and quiet though. Our room was spacious and clean. Almost everything was good in our room and worked well except the drains in the shower and sink. They were partially plugged. There was only one USB plug and it didn't work so be sure to bring your phone charging cube or an adapter. Cuba uses 220v so some things don't plug in. There are large bottles of shampoo and body gel but my wife ended up buying some conditioner in the store. We don't check bags so we can't bring that type of thing easily from home. The king sized bed was pretty comfortable and the pillows were good. Housecleaning came every day and did a great job. A couple of beers and water were left every day if you drank what was there. I overheard some people who had issues with their rooms but I think they were looked after.

The RS beach is beautiful and there are lots of chairs with palapas fairly close to the water. The water is crystal clear and easy to walk in. It doesn't get deep for quite a ways out so swimming is safe. There is very little seaweed or litter. The RS beach bar is good except for some of the floor boards have rotted. Access to the RS beach is easy to find and not very far from the main area.

Money is a bit tricky in Cuba. If you stay on resort you really don't need money for anything except tipping or if you want to buy stuff in the store. If you go off resort you should have, according to our bus driver, three ways to pay: credit card, your home currency and pesos. You can get pesos from the currency exchange by the main lobby. They do not have the CUC anymore. Some places will only take one type of payment. The airport does not take pesos so get rid of them before you get there. Cigars seemed cheaper at the airport but you can only take 50 back with you to Canada and some come in packs of 100 so be advised. Tipping is highly recommended, IMO, as the Cuban people work very hard and don't get much of a wage. Inflation is huge in Cuba and your tips are very much appreciated by them. Tip what you want and in whatever currency you want. It is important to note though that they cannot accept coins so if you are using Canadian money your lowest tip is $5. We would tip $5 for a meal, daily maid service or something special. $20 a few times for something very special like a musician or group. For individual drinks we would give 50 or 100 pesos. Roughly 100 pesos is one US dollar.

We brought some little gifts for the maid and she said several times how much she appreciated them. Things like over the counter pain medications, small toys, hygiene products, nylons and reading glasses to name a few. She really liked the reading glasses.

Be sure to bring sun screen, medicines of all kinds, bug spray and afterbite. There are some nasty little bugs here. Some are mosquitos and some live in the sand. They tend to affect the women more than the men; especially on the legs. The bug spray won't stop them but it helps. I overheard a lady who got bitten up so much say they gave her a shot of antihistamine. Be prepared or the bugs can really put a damper on your trip.

The staff here is excellent for the most part. They work really hard and are very friendly. Sometimes service can be a bit slow but that is often due to being a little short staffed at times. The staff who deserve mention are Yusmila at the RS lobby bar. So friendly and always smiling. She genuinely seems happy to see you each day. Lily at the RS beach bar was always happy and ready to chat. Marlene at the RS pool bar works very hard and always remembers your drink. If she has a second she will take a tour around the pool to see if anyone needs anything. Micheal and Blasario (sorry about spelling, pool attendants don't wear name tags) were super friendly and quick to get you an umbrella if you asked. Meidal at the Port Royal was excellent and would bring another drink before you know you needed it. My kind of guy. Finally the two ladies who kept us entertained around the pool with exercise classes and rum tasting. Marialys and Isela. I only did the rum tasting but it was not only yummy but very educational. They were excellent hosts and fun to talk to. Thanks to all of you for helping to make our trip enjoyable.

There are definite shortages of many common spirits on resort. Our pool bar did not have vodka, gin, whisky or tequila. You could sometimes find these in other places but not always. Rum, scotch and beer are plentiful and are your best bets. I basically drank rum punch and beer the whole week and my wife drank mojitos or rum Collins. There is also wine. I was pleasantly surprised by the red wine. The wine all comes from Spain and it was good. Pre-covid the a'la cartes we have gone to always had a wine list for purchase but now it's just whatever they have. I never had one I didn't like though. There was also white, rose and sparkling. Drinks were usually poured well with an appropriate amount of alcohol to mix.

The food is probably the most disappointing thing about our holiday. We know Cuba is not known for great food but before covid we were pretty happy with what we got. There are obvious shortages of some common foods. We never once saw chicken or potatoes, including French fries. We saw bacon twice but it was very little. Lots of eggs for omelets. Buffets are okay and if you're not too picky you can usually find something but a lot of it is just the same ingredients presented differently. Our grill had hamburgers once and they were pretty sketchy. I had pork ribs once at our grill and they were good. Hot dogs are okay. The a'la cartes had better food than the buffets typically. Desserts, however, were pretty good. They know how to do chocolate. Pork and seafood are your most common supper dishes. On Thursdays go to the Port Royal for lunch. It is Cuba days and they roast a pig and the food was probably the best we had there. The lunchtime entertainment is also fantastic there. The Japanese a'la carte was the best. I don't want to belabor the point or sound like a food snob though as I know that whatever we were being served was the best they had and probably a feast compared to what the Cuban people were eating at home. It is really important to understand however that if you are a picky eater or like a lot of food, you may be disappointed.

Some general tips and random stuff. Bring a Yeti cup or similar. Their cups are small and don't get recycled. Dress code is pretty lax in the a'la cartes. I don't care personally but don't have a rule about long pants and collars if you're not going to enforce it. Leave your Bluetooth speakers in your room or at home. Get some ear buds if you don't like the pool music. At one point we could hear three different songs blasting from three different directions. Hard to relax with 80s rock, Celine Dion and Johnny Cash all playing at once. It would be nice if there was a quiet area or pool. I don't love the new beer from Spain in the smaller cans. Stick with Cristal, it's awesome. There is a book exchange on the table by the towel exchange. Great idea. Cubans can only accept the paper money from other countries and it cannot have any rips or holes. Not even tiny ones.

Overall we had a good trip but not great. I wouldn't say we are foodies but when all you want is a good cheeseburger and fries and you can't get it, that's an issue for us. We have pretty good stomachs but we struggled the entire week with tummy troubles. As one fellow we talked to put it, “As far as the people and the beach go excellent, everything else problematic.” As much as we love the Cuban people and want to support them with our holiday dollars, we will likely not return to Cuba anytime soon as we assume all the resorts there struggle with the same issues. [Details]

It was suppose to be 5 stars but we were very deceived. After co planning and changing 3 times rooms, we were compensate by a beautiful and clean beach. [Details]

The hotel very old no services no towels no pillow to have all this you have to pay tips and hard to find, the food big fat 0 the dishes derty no plates one week the same food eggs and porc meat, no way to come back there never ever the only one is good was the sea only ? [Details]

My husband and I spent a week (January 22 to 29). We booked the Royal Service and it was an awesome stay. All the staff were amazing and the check in was quick and easy. The butlers (William and Ernesto) took care of all our needs. The Royal Service lobby bar staff were very friendly and hospitable. The waitress at the HillTop alla cart (breakfast) was so pleasant and friendly. The entertainment staff (Isela and Marialys) were super fantastic in keeping us happy and busy. Overall 10/10 service experience. [Details]

Relaxing time with the Cuban people at Varadero!! [Details]

Spend a couple more dollars and go somewhere else, food was brutal with long line up waits in the one buffet. Staff seemed to be 50/50 on happy with great service to grumpy an dont want to be here type..
Bars were inconsistent with drinks they'd serve with them being limited as they wernt serving the typical beach drinks. [Details]

What an amazing place!!! Marialys and Isela and Randy!!! Wow. So entertaining!! Great service at the pool and wonderful entertainment. We will definetly return. I cannot believe how great we were treated!!!
We made great friends and we're completely taken care of!!! [Details]

I would rate this hotel experience as adequate, but would definitely argue the word luxury. The room was good, the facilities, though a little run down, were good, the service was basic, the information was sparse, the drinks were very basic, the food was basic but I didn't starve and the grounds were ok. The pool is outstanding. It is clean and beautiful and the bar staff is great. The beach was spectacular and the entertainment crew was outstanding. It took me a few days to get pool towels as it took about 5 trips to the customer service to get them. You have to be willing to be patient and prepared to remind them of your requests multiple times. I understand many of the issues such as food and toilet paper scarcity has to do with the situation of Cuba and their struggles to recover from the pandemic etc... however many issues can be corrected, such as better information (map of the resort, how to book dinners, how to call for customer service, labels on the buffet so you know what you are eating) I wouldn't book this place again if I had another choice in my price range, but I could stay here again and have a nice time. [Details]

Though the establishment itself was beautiful, the room was ok and the views are amazing. There was more things terrible that outweighed the good things. Here is a short list of a few things we felt contributed to our decision of the resort not being worth the money paid:

-Worker in washroom didn't wash hands and then proceeded back into the restaurant to work.
-public bathrooms were gross (shit on underside of toilet, piss on floor)
-cockroaches seen in both buffet area and Firenze restaurant
-constant broken coffee machines and out of supplies (to-go cups, pina coladas, mint for mojitos etc)
-shower barely worked and no hot water (just barely Luke warm)
-toilet paper squares were used as napkins in the buffet.
-witnessed underage children served alcohol (as it was clear it's an adults only resort, these children snuck in from another resort)
-no hand towels were left after maid service went thru our room
-wifi was terrible. Worst we've ever experienced on any vacation.

The food in itself was NOT worth it. It felt as tho they just fed us the cheapest of the cheap food available. Half the buffet items were unknown to us and many other guests we talked to. Having no signage for dishes was horrible and left everyone guessing what the hell we were even eating. [Details]

Had a wonderful time, our Royal Service Concierge, Leodanis was very kind and helpful. The dining and bar servicers were all so friendly and always ready to help! The Royal pool entertainment staff were great, thank you Rames, Isela and Marielise for all the fun and great conversations. [Details]

Resort is no longer a 5 star. It appears the financial effects of Covid are still lingering. Limited food choices at buffet and a la cartes.
Beach and staff were great. [Details]

Had a wonderful vacation
Good weather and our son got engaged on the beach [Details]

Overall it was great for the price that we payed [Details]

The resort and staff were good. However, the rooms and food were horrible. Air conditioner did not work for 2 days, deadbolt on door was seized so if we locked the door it would take a lot of heaving on the latch to open, so much so that I was worried many times about being permanently locked in the room so we stopped using it. The safe was dead or non-functional. [Details]

I had the privilege to stay in the paradisus princesa del mar for 7 days, the hotel is beautiful, very clean, the food was great, many choices to choose from, the people are amazing, the beach are fabulous, I am booking another vacation for Christmas..

I highly recommend this resort. [Details]

Literally the BEST that Cuba has to offer. The Royal Service is a MUST. This resort has a wide variety of foods which are more than just the basic cuban dishes. My room was always tidy and house keeping was always punctual and beyond pleasant. There is an endless amount of things to do on and off the resort. I always looked forward to my morning workouts, yoga on the beach with Marialys, dance lessons with Marialys and daily Spanish lessons. If you're going to this resort, make sure to ask for Marialys. She works on the Royal Service side of the resort and she will most definitely make sure you are taken care of during your vacation. I will most definitely be back, seeing how much fun I had on my trip! Thank you to all the staff at the Paradisus Princesa del Mar. ❤ [Details]

The hotel itself was clean and very nice. Great beaches, super nice people. Food was improving as the week went along I think they were still maybe getting back on track from Covid and some import restrictions possibly. Didn't have a lot of fancy drinks but had the basics. Great vacation, I'd recommend it. [Details]

We stayed at the PARADISUS PRINCESA DEL MAR RESORT on all All Inclusive vacation from March 24 to 31, 2022.

Below is what was provided (or not)
- There was no gin, vodka or whiskey (of any kind). Only rum was available and that too the basic qualities.
- There was no red wine throughout. On March 29 they ran out of white wine and rose.
- Only three types of fruits – guava, papaya & pineapple
- Only one type of sliced bread and one type of rolls.
- Butter available in small quantities and long wait times for replenishment
- No cheese in the greek salad or in any pasta dishes; some slices availabe at the buffet breakfast
- No hamburgers
- No cream for coffee. Only skimmed milk from powder available and that too was not available on the May 31 breakfast

Below is our personal opinion
- All of our group was upgraded to ‘Royal Suites' rooms but could not avail of the nearby restaurant. We had to walk back to the regular buffet which was nearer the regular rooms that we had booked
- Service, on the whole, was poor, particularly when it came to replenishing food on the buffet
- Flies infesting the open air dining areas
- No cleaning materials in the gym to clean up before/after use, inspite of several requests

We were given to understand that we would be provided with premium services and we were charged for the same. We feel that we did not get our money's worth of service or satisfaction. [Details]

The resort grounds are 5 star, the beach is 5 star, the staff are friendly and very helpful. The food and buffet area may be a 3 star. The buffet had FLYS on everything, you feel like your in a horse barn! They're in your face, on your food, ALL over the food/counters at the buffet, it's disgusting. I've never encountered this before in Cuba. The food was very limited and the same all day long with little variation. Pasta, fish, rice. I've been to Cuba before and always stayed at 5 star because the food is different than in other countries and been very satisfied with the food, but here it is very different. Our representative said it was because of the war, that they get their supplies from Russia. Someone else heard that because they only re-opened in Jan., because of covid, they haven't got their contracts sorted out yet. So don't advertised as a 5 star until you are ready! They were out of red wine most days. No gin, no whiskey, no vodka. Only Cuban rum. Very bare bones at this point. I won't be going back to this resort, or Cuba for a long while for that matter. But it sounds like everyone on our flight home had the same issues at their resorts. Apparently our resort had only 200 guests and it's capacity was 2400. Four buildings around ours were closed up. But whether you have 200 or 2400, you still serve those 200 5 star service. [Details]

My husband and I recently travelled to this resort. We stayed in the Royal Service side and do recommend this upgrade. Our room was in a great location on the first floor near the buffet, the beach and the pool. We had a king size lounging bed in the back of our room that was just for our use. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Really the nicest people I have ever encountered at a resort. The food was better than I expected it to be. I had heard horror stories about the food in Cuba but we always found something to eat. Our favourite a la carte was the Japanese restaurant. We ate there twice. All in all I would recommend this resort. [Details]

A few days back we returned from Paradisus Princesa Del Mar Resort in Varadero. The resort is just beautiful, especially around the pool, huge and simply beautifully laid out. But we liked the premises throughout. Just want to point out a couple of shortcomings. The food, fruit and beverages selection in the first week was kind of limited, no chicken at all, no jams also we had to ask for some butter in the morning. Gradually it was getting better and in the second week there was 100% improvement. Then we learned that the resort had been closed for 2 years and re-opened in January 2022. So it is understandable there were some issues with the supplies and I take some of my discontentment back. Anyway, this did not spoil the fabulous time we were having at all.
There is one big concern we would like to address and that is the absolute absence of the umbrellas around the pool area. There are some Bali beds and pergolas but not enough of those. It is impossible to lie down in the sun all day long, especially from 11am-3pm. Please, note it was only beginning of March. In summer it must be absolutely crazy, nobody can take that heat no matter how much sunscreen he or she applies. We had a kind of partially shaded spot under one of the pergolas plus were using the shade of a palm trees but still having a proper umbrella would have been much better. The management should consider buying these items in the near future. It will make the resort even more appealing.
The staff people were all always nice, friendly and helpful. The room was always cleaned nicely, all the waiters and waitresses very attentive to our needs and questions, it was visible they all were happy to be back at work after such a long period. And they all appreciated my effort to speak with them in Spanish. A special praise goes to Giovanni, the lobby bar waiter. From the day one we just hit it off, we went to lobby bar 2-3 times a day for some coffee and drink, he always came over to our table asking how things were, we spoke briefly, he was just a joy to have him around. But of course he was being attentive to all the guests.
Also we loved the night entertainment, aquatic show on Sundays were spectacular and the Sol Dance dancing amazing, fantastic !!! Again all of them are very talented and gifted dancers and entertainers, but Rosmery, the prima ballerina was simply outstanding and dazzling. Just a few steps behind were her co-dancers Ivete and Lily. Fernando, the choreographer and dancer as well was also supreme.
To sum it all up it was a perfect vacation in a perfect resort and with ever so friendly and nice Cuban people. [Details]

Me and 3 other girlfriends wanted a relaxing vacation and after searching for the perfect resort we found it. The entire staff is amazing, attentive and so much fun! The entertainment here was hands down the best I have seen in Cuba. Alexis is an amazing MC who made every event exciting and fun. His sense of humor and energy made every activity and night show perfect! He is also incredibly knowledgeable about the grounds, people and the island. Soul dance was such a treat to watch through out the week, they are so talented and you must see every night show! It is so worth it. Fernando is your go to if you want to experience the local discos! I can't forget to shout if nayvi, Isabella and Isabelle! Amazing ladies who made our trip that much better!
Leo and Ruben took amazing care of us making sure we had everything we needed from the perfect room, dinner to the best care for our excursions. These two are the best!
The lobby bartenders and staff ensured we had the perfect start to every day with amazing coffee and service. Richard at the beach bar, Yoxleys at the pool bar, victor at the cigar bar!
The buffet staff showered us with love and flowers daily. Making every meal memorable. Delmis is the best!
24 hour snack back is a god send! Roger is great!
The Japanese restaurant has amazing chefs and was our favorite restaurant! The international was also delicious with great service!
I left a piece of my heart and Cuba and I will be back and I guarantee you I will return to this resort. If you were on the fence about booking… Just do it you will not regret it. [Details]