Sol Varadero Beach

Extremely disappointed with the hotel, the room stank of damp and sewers, was falling to pieces and there was no toilet door. As we left our room to go back to reception and complain, a naked man walked past us as though it was totally normal and a large group were making vomiting noises, which seemed to keep their rather base intellect amused. These, as a vast majority of the clientele were French Canadians as we later found out, and were not a very good example of race. They were rough people, poorly mannered and extremely loud. Unable to get anywhere with reception that evening, and unable to contact our holiday company rep or the company directly, we, driven by hunger and tiredness were forced to stay in the atrocious room for the night. Our first taste of the food on offer was not a good experience, the buffet restaurant was full of the rough types and the food was diabolical. Cold, tasteless and badly cooked. We didn't change or dare to unpack for fear of our clothes stinking as bad as the accommodation , so just went back to the room showered and tried to sleep. In the morning we did manage to to speak with the reception manager, a nice lady called Jennifer, who took our complaints on board seemed to be totally exasperated by the whole situation with the hotel. She unfortunately, was unable to get us a move to another hotel without it causing disruption to our stay further, as there was no availability for two weeks and would mean us packing and moving again. She did thankfully ask us to give her one chance and showed us to a brand new part of the hotel away from the main block and the rabble. There we were shown the room that was advertised on the holiday companies website, although this was called a Superior room and differed from the standard room advertised by the addition of a sofa. We were also upgraded to a la cart dining each night, rather than just the 3 nights per week. Thankfully we could now get settled in and begin to enjoy our much look forward to holiday. Positives. The hotel was a nice looking place, from a visual perspective and was right on the beach. The alcoholic spirits were very good. We met a few nice folk. Negatives. The hotel was in most areas, including the restaurants dirty, all bar counters and tables were smeared. Cutlery, crockery and glasses were smeared. Far too many of the staff were poorly trained, and tended to prioritize the French Canadians as they threw small tips at them like feeding bread to ducks. The food, in all the restaurants was diabolical, to the extent where some days I just couldn't face anything to eat. (Just to put this into perspective , we are normal working class folk, and one of my all time favourite meals is proper chips, fried egg and processed peas, with a couple of slices of bread and a cup of tea) So we are not food snobs and to be fair expected fairly basic meals and shortages of certain foods with all the issues Cuba has with supply. However, the quantity and variety didn't seen to be an issue, what was is how it was destroyed by the chefs. How any self respecting cook, chef or manager could actually think that what was on offer was acceptable was beyond belief. Shame on you! The coffee and tea was diabolical, the hot chocolate was cold, the beer was mostly terrible and on rare occasions at the very best O.K. The mixers ran out or were flat and the wine tasted like the cheapest bottle of plonk from a supermarket. The biggest part of the clientele were foul, rough, rude and very loud ( And again, I appreciate folk are on their holidays and have the right to talk, laugh, sing and act about, but this was something else, and totally unacceptable.) There was no security that I witnessed and I also did not see any member of staff politely ask anyone to calm it down or even stop serving them alcohol, although many were completely drunk. We are 'Cup half full' people, and did try to make the best of our holiday. I loved Cuba and found it fascinating and if the hotel would have been as described on the holiday website and on the YouTube presentations that we watched, it would have been up there with our best holiday experiences. But regrettably not, which is such a great shame as this place has so much potential. So to sum up. This is the worst hotel we have ever stayed in, the management of the hotel and Melia, the parent company should be ashamed.

We had an amazing time at Sol Varadero Beach. We wanted to stay at a smaller adults only hotel and were really happy with the service we received. We required a ground floor room for accessibility and although the first room had two double beds, they moved us the very next day to a king room. The hotel staff were absolutely fantastic and accommodating, their service and activities staff were fun and management provided very good service, going above and beyond to make a very special day for me and my fiancé. Thanks to Lionel! The hotel is very nice and the grounds are tended to daily. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Many places to go and sit and relax around the hotel. It’s very close to the town of Varadero and you can take the hop on hop off bus, take a ride in a classic car or walk if you are up for it. The pool was great with the swim up bar and there were daily activities that you could partake in. The beach is the best part by far with lots of shade and a beautiful sunset. Get there early to get a seat and stop by the beach bar to get a drink. Bring your reusable mug/cup from home. We wished we had. The buffet was generic but we found something to eat every day. There is the market grill at lunch where the food is grilled. I recommend booking the a la carte for a couple of nights. We found the Cuban and the and the International pretty good. For anyone that wants to complain about the food they need to consider the economic situation a very beautiful country and appreciate what is available. We found the drinks especially the sparkling wine (when around) was great. Table wine was hit and miss. You can’t beat the rum and the tequila was ok. Coffee is great at the espresso bar. Bring lots of small bills (not coins) Canadian, US or Euros for tipping staff and others. You can also exchange for Cuban Peso while you are there, but you can’t take them home with you. Credit Cards are widely accepted for tours and when there’s Wifi at shops. Be generous if you can. The average wage is very low. If you are feeling extra generous bring extra toiletries, tooth brushes, feminine supplies, individual treats, etc. to leave for the housekeeping staff. The clientele is a mix of Canadians, Germans and Brits of all ages. Everyone was there for the sun and fun and coexisted peacefully. We plan on returning to Sol Varadero Beach. Have a great trip!

Nothing to say about resort but the bar service can be quicker but that’s Cuba. The beach entry is not for everyone. They are narrow trails to reach the beach. Bathroom is pretty far from the beach and sometime had no toilet paper so check before sitting down.

Very nice hotel. Perfect for Cuba. Clean room, excellent service, super beach, food ok, not many variety at buffet but it’s ok. Ran out of beer 2 times and pasta last 2 days. All the rest was perfect.

The Best resort in varadero, its my second home, my beautiful cuban family. The hotel , the food, the animation, everything was perfect. The animation with Kiko, Otto, Mélissa, Carla, Éric, Denis, Osviel was simply amazing. We where in the room 1153 the room was super clean with a perfect view on the pool. At the pool bar yeni make the Best miami vice. A big thank you at Jennifer aballi for the amazing accommodation for us we where so happy and we had a perfect vacation. Do not forget that every sunday the amazing and talented group Dúo Sendero have their concert at the hotel with very good music, its an amazing moment with them. Thank you so much Sol Varadero Beach.