We stayed at the Barcelo Marina Palace from July 5th to July 13th. Although we had an overall good time in Cuba and at the resort, there were some problems that came up during our trip:

The first night we arrived, the room that was given to us had a musty damp odour with a non working fridge. Also, the long distance on the phone was not set up until hours later so we could not call home to let our family know we arrived safely. So, after 2 days of talking to the front desk staff they changed our room to an ocean view, which turned out to be a lot better and made us a bit happy. However, in the new room the iron wasn't functional so we couldn't iron our dress clothes for the evenings, and after asking for it to be replaced it never was. The maids were very kind, they left us fresh towels every day and nice notes thanking us for the gifts we left them. And as long as you leave the beach towels when leaving you shouldn't have a problem. For a 4+/5 star hotel, I would expect more from the showers in the washroom comparable to other hotels that I have been to in Cuba that have glass doors instead of shower curtains and so on.

The grounds of the hotel do not have very many mature trees and gardens, everything looks like it has just been planted and will take years to grow in. The grounds could have also had better landscaping for a hotel that says its 5 stars and been better maintained. Around the main lobby area, there was swamp like water in the grass areas that didnt look very attractive and should be pumped out or something done with. Also, it was a breeding place for mosquitos which there were swarms of after 6pm and my girlfriend got over 100 bites and an allergic reaction and had to see the doctor who charged us a lot of money to get a shot in the butt to help relieve the swelling, she also got another shot the next day at the airport for free and realized she didn't have to pay 50 pesos at the resort which was a rip off.

Everyone knows the food in Cuba is lousy, we just stuck to the basics which consisted of bread and butter and cheese and grilled meats. Some of the foods tasted like they were rotting, especially the fruits, sauces, and deserts. The drinks also tasted a little funky and the bartenders there do not know how to make good mixed drinks. Also, it was difficult to get bottled water from any of the bars/restaurants on the resort, but they did give us 1 bottle of water a day in our room.

The beach was beautiful, with white sands and crystal clear blue waters was awesome. There is not too much to complain about that.
The weather was pretty good, it rained a few times in the evening but all in all the temperature was always above 30 degrees. The swimming pools are very shallow and there is no point going in them if you plan on swimming they are made more for children then adults.

The nightly entertainment was pretty good, they did an excellent job trying to keep people entertained, they had different shows every night and had a disco as well but that was kind of dead during the week and the music was really out dated but funny to listen to the old songs back in the day like spice girls and slam dunk the funk.

In the end despite all our tragedies we still managed to have a good time, there are some nice parts of the resort such as the main lobby. However for a 4+/5 star, the hotel can definitely use some upgrades to their grounds and rooms to truly be as nice as the other 5 star hotels in varadero. The service there was usually pretty good and the hotel staff was quite friendly to us. If we were planning another trip to Cuba we would try another hotel that is more put together and better maintained. The resort does have a lot of potential and could be a really nice place that one would want to return to, but it has to work out its problems first.

P.S. please consider fumigation for your resort, it would make a big difference!!

Well I was expecting the worst after reading many of the reviews here. We booked this holiday (2 adults and 2 older children) after saving Tesco vouchers for years so the holiday was almost free. Travelled with Virgin Holidays. I appreciated the advice on this site on getting good mosquito spray (only a few bites the whole week), insulated cups for drinks (kept the drinks cold), and the excursions. And taking clothes to give as tips.

This is the rainy season so everything was green but only got two early evening rainstorms. The rest was hot sunshine. We took factor 40 sunscreen and should have had higher to begin with. We all got burned on our shoulders.

The resort was half empty so there were always plenty of lounge chairs on the beach and by the pool. We didn't get to the hotel until late but the buffet is open until 10.30 pm so no problem. Check in was quick and we were amazed at our rooms-overlooking the beach and always a lovely sea breeze. The fridge in the room was always refilled each day. We only used the water until I started saving cans of beer to take home. I thought the Cuban beer was excellent. Also liked the real coffee and coffe machine. I hate instant coffee.

We had a screen door but still one or two mosquitos got in. Fortunately they were slow-sort of like the country runs-so easy to catch.

We had no problem with the food-in fact we were spoiled for choice-you could always get freshly cooked pasta or steaks if you wanted. We had our lunch at the Lighthouse as we always wanted something light like a burger or pizza for lunch. You can sit in the shade and the view is beautiful. Plus we would always go for a swim in the pool nearby.

We only did one excursion-the Sun Cruise- where you swim with Dolphins, snorkle and then eat on an island. Great fun and the crew on the catamarran had us laughing and dancing.

We joined in in most everything-exercise in the water, dancing lessons, games and volleyball on the beach and in the pool. The shows were a bit the same but the the dancers put in 100% though the audiences were a bit sparse. One of my daughters is learning disabled. She was included in everthing.

The beach and the pool were great. Met some lovely people. The last day the waitress in the buffet brought my daughter a gift. Everyday we left some clothes for our maid and she always wrote a lovely note. And made us laugh with the towels sculptures and little touches with the room.

I asked at the end if anyone had any conplaints-not a one. A great holiday.

After reading reviews on here prior to travelling to this resort, we were a bit skeptical but decided anyway to go with open minds and make the best of our time there. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and soon discovered it was not nearly as bad as some of the reviews on here make it seem. We arrived at about 9pm and our check in was quick and easy (we even travelled with a party of 7 and had 3 separate rooms), no problems with any of our rooms (minus one light not working). The rooms themselves were very clean and were well kept. The housekeeping staff works very hard and the rooms were cleaned promptly and efficiently every day. The bar staff at times were a bit slow however we were never ignored as some other reviewers stated. The buffet staff serving us were absolutley fantastic. Very friendly and always had a smile on their face. They work very hard for very little and although the food was not the greatest, the service at the restaurant was never lacking. Cheylin, Arelys and Boris were the ones we were fortunate enough to meet, perfect service! The rest all seemed very nice as well.
These people live off tips and are very very appreciative (and deserving!) of any tips left behind. It surprises me why people find it strange that tipping leads to better service -- it's like that anywhere, the only difference there is that they actually deserve it and need it. The pool areas were always very nicely maintained, never had any problems finding a poolside chair either in the sun or in the shade. The beach was amazing. We also did a day trip to Havana which was a great eye opener. The tour included historical old Havana as well as free time in the markets.
The only complaint as mentioned by everyone else was the mosquitos at night. They are everywhere! The problem is that there is lots of standing water around the resort including a lagoon area which has a great view -- but is also a breeding ground for the mosquitos. Bring lots of bug spray though and you will be fine.
Overall it was a great trip. Very relaxing and satisfactory. Well worth the money that you pay to go. I also took the time to learn about the Cuban way of life while there and comparitively speaking, this resort was absolutly 5 star quality. Feel free to message me with any questions prior to going. Enjoy!

I have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Barceló Marina Palace in Cuba with my girlfriend. The resort was clean and well kept apart from in the 2 weeks that we were there the Jacuzzi’s where out of order, and when asking the staff if they were going to be fixed they replied “No they are not”. Also the swimming pools weren’t cleaned regularly.

The Staff at the resort were arrogant, and when waiting for a drink at the bar we were ignored it seemed as though we had to tip the staff to be treated with a little bit of respect, and in order for them to give a half decent service (which they should provide anyway). The people who tipped would be remembered and served even though we were obviously in front of them in the queue for a drink.

The food at the resort was set out in a buffet style, this food made everyone sick that I met on holiday. The food gave me very bad stomach cramps and diarrhea for 10 days out off the 2 weeks that I was there. I’m sure Gordon Ramsey would have had a field day!!!
There was a doctor out there that you had to pay £50 just to be told some basic information (rip off) sure he must have been a millionaire with the amount of people getting ill.

There were also 3 A la Carte restaurants that you could eat at once a week which included Spanish, Italian and a seafood restaurant. At the Spanish restaurant I asked for a Spanish salad and it consisted of 1 slice of green dehydrated tomato, diced carrot, diced beetroot and 2 bits of cucumber also dehydrated, this was completely unsatisfactory considering this resort was supposed to be 5 star. Also the other meals in the restaurants were unsatisfactory because some starters and main courses didn’t include all of the items of food, and when I asked a waitress why we didn’t have everything included in the meal she just shrugged her shoulders and walked off and din't come back.

I don’t think I will ever go back to Cuba, defiantly a once in a lifetime experience, maybe all inclusive isn’t the way to go out there but I have researched Cuba and this is mainly the way holidays go out there. Whilst I was on holiday my friends were also at Cuba on the other side of the island and their resort was similar, they also got ill from the food. I think if you want to loose a stone in 2 weeks this is defiantly the place to go, I have named it the “Cuban weight lose diet” trust me it works.