The hotel clean? You have got to be kidding! I have never stayed in a place so execrably filthy. Not once was the floor swept, let alone washed. The place was falling apart; baseboards missing, louvered windows and doors mouldy and missing slats, curtains falling off the rails, dead bugs in the window wells, in corners and under the beds that remained, untouched for the duration of our stay. One of the two elevators juddered from floor to floor with such a shaking and wobbling that I was terrified. On the day we left, neither of the elevators arrived at the fourth floor and after a five-minute wait, we were obliged to hump our suitcases down the four flights of stairs.
The floor of the shower was so badly designed that one could only shower for a few seconds before the water (on the few occasions during the week when there actually WAS hot water) built up and began to flow across the bathroom floor. No soap, no facecloths (the maid explained that they were waiting for them, hah) and beds so old and uncomfortable that sleep was impossible.
On our first day, the girl at the front desk, whilst we were checking in, was so rude and unpleasant, telling us, "No food until 2.30!" (We had not eaten since 8.00 A.M.and there are no restaurants in the area), that I was amazed.
The food was, in a word, disgusting. Stale bread and rolls, daily-recycled rice dishes, tough fatty chicken and interminable little cut up hotdogs masquerading as ham.
My husband and I are frequent travellers and are used to budget hotels but to call the Tropicoco a two-star place is to call a sewer a spring fed pool. I would not recommend the hotel to my worst enemy.

We were absolutely disappointed with this hotel from the very first day. Dated (e.g. a/c falling apart), dirty (e.g. stained linen), staff usually snotty (with a few wonderful exceptions), terrible food (cafeteria style, diluted drinks, servers decide how much cheese you'll get!!!)... Barbarita never introduced herself to us, and even turned off her cell phone when we tried to reach her. Upon check in, the receptionist only gave us the key, and I had to ask her about all the basic information that a new guest is to receive automatically -- meal times, shows, facilities etc. For example, reading one of the reviews on this site, I am surprised to find out that there was a la carte lunch. Nobody ever told us about that. The excursions person (was that Barbarita's responsibility as well?) was never around, so it was impossible to arrange anything through the hotel.
The receptionists in general have penchant for giving contradictory information. If you end up staying here, avoid a few particularly snotty receptionists (you'll find out soon who they are), and try to deal with the same person at all times (if possible).
Free shuttle bus was ok, but keep in mind that there are only two a day -- leaving hotel at 9:30 and 2:30, and returning at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. They tend to overbook them sometimes, so make sure you always book a day ahead, get outside the hotel at least 10 minutes earlier, and be somewhat aggressive. This hotel seems to attract quite specific crowd... Hm... read more reviews....
I would not recommend this place even to my worst enemy. Do yourself a favour, and book your stay somewhere else...

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 [--]