I just came back from Tropicoco a few days ago. I went for one week left December 19 TH 2007 from Montreal. It was an amazing experience to say the least!!! I flew with Sunwing to Varadero airport and from there had a included shuttle bus to hotel Tropicoco which was about a one and a half hour drive. It is a very comfortable NEW bus with air conditioning, nicer than our coach buses in Montreal even!! When we arrived at hotel Tropicoco we checked quickly and efficiently and asked for a room facin the ocean, at no extra charge it was given to us with a smile. This hotel is rated a 2 star, but from it's exceptional staff and friendly service it is closer to almost a 4 star hotel! The satff are like family, Maria gives salsa lessons everyday at 5 pm near the pool. Nightly entertainment at 9:30 pm till 11:00 pm with Junior the DJ! We miss them already! Elias and Barbarita help you with any excursions you would like to take, but beware of the Varadero tour with dolphins for $110 pesos per person, it was not worth it, another family agreed also! There are many to choose from, but sometimes they are overly priced. Now let's talk about the food! I coming from Montreal love to eat out!! So i was overly surprised from the food given at this hotel! It was beyond my expectations, by far! Food was delicious, not a lot of variety, but this is the case everywhere in Cuba in every hotel. Since i was there for Christmas, on the 24Th they had a gala dinner included free of charge! It was like a Canadian 5 star dinner gala! Turkey, Roast, Beef, Fish, Chicken, a whole pig, entrees at least 10 choices, cheeses, cold cuts, salads, soups, sweet table etc... Dont worry there is a sweet table every night, a long with great food everynight and lunch. At breakfast you can choose from everything we are used to in Canada a long with a custom made omelette of your choice prepared for you! The drinks are 24 hours included, just two of the bars close at 10 pm, so you have to go to the 24 hour bar on the lobby floor. Yes they mix drinks really well, and know what they are doing, you will have an assortment of drinks, wine and beer! You dont have to worry about the ice, it is safe, i was fine. If you like for 1 pesos accross the street the supermarket sells 1.5 litre bottled water, really good considering the tap water at the bar doesn't taste good! Oh yes, the beach is superb, the water is a little cool, but great and beautiful. I only had one bad day of weather when i went during this time. It is a nice sandy beach and a bar is on the path to the beach which is free for Tropicoco tourists, make sure you go to the right one, because the beach is public, with many bars, but only that one is free!There is a free shuttle bus to Habana (Havana) only 30 minutes away and picks you back up. Make sure you put your name down. And the a la carte lunch is reserved at the reception desk the day before. The food is better, when you are sick of the lunch buffet, it is free and you can choose steak, pizza, pasta etc..along woth your entree and wine. You must reserve and you may go as many times as you want,and yes again it is FREE! I enjoyed my stay so much, met so many people, the staff trip over you to make you happy, you cannot go wrong trust me! It was the most beautiful vacation i have ever been on, the five star resorts i have stayed in did not even offer service like this! The hotel is big, plenty of room to sit, relax and walk around inside and with its terasses outside also!Go and have Fun, i will be going back either in March or Christmas again!!

We went to this hotel about two years ago and it wasnt bad. Best thing about it is that you are in the beach, but still pretty close to Havana, the even have a small bus that goes twice a day to havana and brings you back , so you can enjoy the beach and then go sigth seeing in the old city. The food wasnt great but it was good enough. The room was clean, the staff was nice. The swimming pool wasnt crowded. The beach is only about 100 meters away. More information available in [--]

The Tropicico is rated as a 2 star hotel in Canadian Travel brochures. With that in mind , this is an excellent hotel. With the two free tourist shuttles to Havana every day and in a good quality coach too; this makes a good Havana base.
Try some days in Havana mixed by days on the beach.
I had a room on the fifth floor. It overlooked the ocean and was kept clean each day.. Free safety deposit box. There are 3 bars; one downstairs at the pool level and two on the ground floor.
Bucaneero draft beer at the pool and Crystal draft at the lobby bar closest to the buffet. The other lobby bar is mixed drinks only.
There is a tiny "bar' on the path to the beach...It has no beer but has good fruit drinks of many kinds...also rum, Along the beach there are several cash bars for $1 a beer. You can walk east along the beach for several kms right into the little town of Guanabo where there are more bars and restaurants...
This is a Cuban resort and isn;t much like the typical tourist 4 /5star resorts . I;d reccommend it for those that are a little more adventurous and are happy to mingle with Cubans and South Americans. For the price , assuming it is on sale, it is excellent value.. Food is OK. Not great but I always found food I liked...
There were no hidden costs. The hotel looks more like a hospital than a tourist hotel from the outside but inside it is quite nice.. There are some nice views from the 6th floor roof too...
I'd go back! but I wouldn;t take the 5 star resort people with me!
Don;t expect that.. Good place to meet a diversity of people too..
There are some long stay people there too because of the good price and closeness to Havana...
Actually this one of the best "deals" I have ever had with travel and certainly one of most "diverse" trips for range of experience and things to do.. Havana is amazing.,

Nov. 17, 2007
Hotel Tropicoco is the place that we go every year to have good time and to charge our batteries.
Eventhough is only a three star hotel it gives us a fealing that we
spent our time in 6 star one.
We don't know how to start, from the maintenance people to the
management there all excellent and professionals.
The reception always staffed with smiling faces and eager to help you even save the newspaper for you every day.
The food is always tasty and plantiful. there is fish, chicken, beef
and pork almost daily.
Once a week they have a theme night with Cuban food, camarones, frijoles, lechon asado with the chicharones that make finger licking good. The wine or beer always accompany the dinner. The soups are very noutricious and the bread made in the premises is tasty, crunchy and even in crocodile shape.
Almost I forgot about the dessert, delicious even Flan and Arroz con Leche.
In the kichen and restaurant you find the most amazing and friendly people, to name a few Consuelo, Faustina, Ester, Ruben, Albertico, the funny Pedro and the rest.
The rooms are clean. The maides are very professionals and ready to help you with every need. if you need extra towel, blanket
or coat hangers you only have to ask them and you got them.
Who can forget the beautiful Meyelin the Public Relations Super Woman always ready to help and with the smile.
Funny another star of the office people.
All these positive things are the fruit of the one and only Director General who wants to offer the best to his guests.
We highly recommend this hotel.