Occidental Arenas Blancas
Calle 64 y Final Varadero, Varadero 42200 Cuba
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Room & Suite (89)
Dining (86)
Travel safe during COVID-19
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What you can expect during your stay
- All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
- Face masks required for guests in public areas
- Face masks required for staff in public areas
- Floors marked for social distancing
- Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
- Stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
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Updated 06/24/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
A note from Occidental Arenas Blancas
Updated 06/24/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
About
#49 of 96 in Varadero
Location
4.3
Cleanliness
2.7
Service
3.1
Value
2.8
The hotel Occidental Arenas Blancas stands right on the sea front of the top spot of Varadero beach, Cuba’s best-known tourist destination. With a privileged setting, it’s the perfect place to combine rest and relaxation with a wide array of exciting activities. All clients staying in this hotel have the righ to equally enjoy all the facilities and services of both hotels at the Resort (except Solymar Buffet).
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Property amenities
Free parking
Public wifi
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Tennis court
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Paid internet
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Poolside bar
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Airport transportation
Meeting rooms
Concierge
Sun loungers / beach chairs
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Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Safe
Minibar
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
Spanish
Location
Full view
62Somewhat walkable
Grade: 62 out of 100
21Restaurantswithin 0.75 miles
11Attractionswithin 0.75 miles
Contact
Calle 64 y Final Varadero, Varadero 42200 Cuba
Getting there
Rental CarsSee all Varadero rental cars
955Reviews150Q+A91Room tips
Reviews
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Popular mentions
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+1
Occidental Arenas Blancas is one of my favorite hotels in the world! The staff are so helpful and friendly, providing great service and doing their best to keep us all happy, healthy, and safe! The rooms are nice and ocean view ones are the best. You get a patio in every room! It is right at the Varadero beach and right on the edge of town, thereby giving you perfect access to the beach, shops, restaurants, and clubs! The buffet is great and provides you with many choices every meal and the restaurants are awesome. As a return guest you will be invited to a very special 5 course meal every trip! They have great shows every night and games every day! It is an awesome resort for a great holiday! I'll never stop going!
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Traveled
Helpful
Response from Juan Marqués, Director General at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded 1 week ago
Dear guest, we would like to thank you for sharing your recent experience at Occidental Arenas Blancas. It's a pleasure for our team, reading your opinion about our staff who work so hard to offer you the kind of service you deserve. We ensure you that we are going to let to each department know about your impressions. And we actually appreciate your comment about the whole resort. We hope you to continue choosing us and you to get back soon.
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I stayed at Solymar but I would like to share to the community that the meals at the Ranchon were good, and the environment is relaxing when you eat next to the beach. The staff at Arenas Blancas cares of your stay and your concerns. The pool has entertaiment all the time and I loved that.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Traveled
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Yeni Sanabria SANABRIA, Ventas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear guest, we would like to thank you for taking your time to share your own opinion about your recent experience at the resort. It's great for us, to know you had spent a nice time with our Ranchon meals, our staff and the environment we could provide to you. We ensure you that we would let entertaiment team know about your impressions. Thank you again, and we hope you could be back soon, it will be a pleasure to welcome you.
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We stayed here for a week in May 2022. We had a voucher to use from a trip cancelled in 2020 due to Covid and our choices were a bit limited. After looking at the options we chose this one as we hadn’t stayed at this end of town in a while and it was convenient to places, we like such as Calle 62 and Josone Park. After booking we saw the numerous reviews and comment almost all negative. Well as always reviews should be taken with a grain of salt, while not he best place in Varadero we’ve stayed at it was far from the worst. First off, this resort unlike many others didn’t close down during Covid and therefore allow for some extensive renovations. Booking at Arenas Blancas also gives access to the sister resort, Solymar and this doubles the number of eating and drinking options. Arenas Blancas has 358 rooms and Solymar has 528 rooms. These include several small villas between the two properties. Despite this size everything is a quick and easy walk from your room. The hotel is also at the edge of town meaning bars, restaurants and other attractions are within walking distance. Both hotels were about half full when we arrived and the majority of guests were Cuban families. There were I would say about ten Canadians staying there and an equal number of Europeans. During the week the number of Cubans increased on the weekend as it was a local holiday. Being at half capacity meant service was probably better than normal Check in was easy and fast, mind there was only one other couple arriving at the same time. Later in the week a saw large groups checking in and out with the usual line ups. Staff at the front desk we found always polite and efficient in dealing with any requests we had. The same could be said for all other staff, bar waiters, servers, maids etc. I do think that the fact we tipped in Dollars not Pesos may be a factor here. As I said not many foreign guests during our stay and this would affect the types and amounts of tips Our room, 4305 was listed as superior ocean view. The view from the balcony is only a partial ocean view as it faces south and you can also see down Avienda 1. You can hear the ocean though and the noise and the sea breeze were better than the air-conditioner at night, although there were mosquitos. The room was spacious and clean with two double beds and adequate closet space. The safe worked and was big enough to hold tablets, cameras as well as Passports etc. Only one of the two room keys was coded to the safe but this wasn’t an issue. In addition to two key cards, we were also given a third to leave in the room to keep the air conditioner on if we wanted, which was a nice bonus. The large TV worked with the usual collection of channels, and the WIFI worked everywhere except the bathroom for some reason. The bathroom was a bit dated and the rainfall shower could probably use a thorough scaling but everything was clean and there were no shortages of hot water and pressure was good. Food appears to be a major complaint, but to be honest no one goes to Cuba for the food and there are supply chain and other issues at present. While there often shortages or absences of some items, we never went hungry. The main buffet isn’t the best and after a couple of days we began eating at the sister resorts, Solymars buffet which we noticed was a bit better in terms of both selection and quality. We also noticed most of the other foreign guests eating there as well. As an alternate the buffet lunch at the large thatched beach bar was superior to the main buffet in the lobby. We tried the seafood a la carte twice, as they made a mistake on our second booking for the Cuban restaurant. It was fine and service was great. The chicken, and shrimp were good but stay away from the filet mignon. Not sure what is really was but it stayed on the plate after one bite. Then again, I should know better than to order steak at a seafood restaurant in Cuba. These were the only a la carte options open to us although we did see an Italian restaurant in the lobby of Solymar but I guess you have to book it thorough them. It doubles as their snack bar and we enjoyed a light lunch there. Arenas Blancas snack bar always seemed to be closed or out of food. Being two resorts there are plenty of bars, three pool bars a couple of beach bars two lobby ones, and a cigar bar at Solymar open in the evenings and located conveniently next to the cigar shop. I tried it once but apparently during my stay not too many cigar smokers around. The lobby bar at Arenas Blancas was great, fast service, a nice patio, great coffee and live music at night. The Solymar one was a bit too small and cramped for tastes. Beach bars were fine a bit of a walk form the actual beach but that’s why bubba mugs were invented. Pool bars were the busiest while we were there, with usual long lines for service. They never ran out beer though. I found the staff professional and attentive at all and not just because we tipped in dollars. I recommend Moses at the lobby bar as a great source of local information in addition to being an attentive waiter The beach of course is the main attraction of Varadero and the beach here is excellent. The water is great for swimming and the large sandbar allows you to wade out quite far. There were plenty of loungers and palapas available, again probably due to the number of guests. There were the usual non motorised sail boats, kayaks etc. available and very popular with the Cuban families. A nice addition for Cuba was free wifi throughout most of the resort, rooms lobbies, pool areas and restaurants. It doesn’t seem to stretch to the beach yet and there were two separate WIFI log ins for Solymar and Arenas Blancas each with their own password. The WIFI did go down for about a day which was inconvenient but still it’s a an improvement over the old scratch cards There was the usual resort entertainment, bingo and games in the pool are in the afternoons and shows at night. They seemed mostly catered to the Cuban guests although we preferred to go into town rather than stay and watch. Not sure if we’ll stay here again anytime soon, but is mainly because there are other options available we haven’t tried and some favourites we want to return to. That said hopefully this dispels some of the negative and false impressions of this place.…
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: Ocean View or Villa
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Helpful
Response from Yeni Sanabria SANABRIA, Ventas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear guest, your point of view is the key to complete guest satisfaction and we believe your comments will assist our team in their continuous efforts, that's why we would like to thank you for choosing our resort to spend your holidays and for sharing your recent experience. We have taken note of your constructive comments and that would allow to reception, houskeeping, bar, restaurant and entertaiment teams to keep working hard in order to provide a best service. We are glad to read your kind words towards our staff. And we do let Moises know your opinion about him and his job. We ensure you that your concerns will be discussed with each head of department. Then, we appreciate the time you took to let us know your experience. We hope you could give us the opportunity to make your holidays unforgettable. Best regards!
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+1
Returned March 26, 2022. Small yet large resort (as you have access to 2 resorts) everything is walking distance. Large, clean rooms. Elevator. Several buffets including a beach buffet/bar. Staff is #1. Beach is spectacular. Close to downtown. If you see a good price, book it❤️
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Traveled
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Yeni Sanabria SANABRIA, Ventas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Apr 8, 2022
We are glad to read that you really enjoyed our unbeatable location to visit the wonders of a vacation in Occidental Arenas Blancas
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I went spend my birthday with my family. Booked 11 rooms, 25 people in total that I wanted to make feel happy and enjoy something they could never do by themselves. What a disgusting experience !! The first night we went to the buffet we saw the roaches walking around and even coming out from the bread. Everyone sees that and its like they are part to of the menu. So sad, the insalubrity was extremely bad. My husband asked the manager, why is this happening and why they don't do anything about this situation ? What was the answer from the Director: how many people are in this group living here in Cuba and how many outside?? My husband's answer was : WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE !!! of course we all know, if you are a Cuban person living in Cuba that is what you deserve !!! So sad, so frustrating and disgusting. Of course we all got sick, and had to go back to our country in a very bad shape. I will never go back again and I will make sure everyone knows my experience. No respect!! And yes, people were rude except for the girls in the buffet, even the Dr that did my Covid test, very rude and unprofessional.…
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Date of stay: March 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Yeni Sanabria SANABRIA, Ventas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Apr 8, 2022
Although we sincerely regret reading that your stay at our Barceló Arenas Blancas fell short of your expectations, we are grateful for the time you spent to share this feedback of your overall holiday experience among us as we certainly believe that there is always room for improvement and your constructive feedback .
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+1
Booked in here for one night during a road trip around Cuba. Friends and I had been travelling around Cuba and thought we experience a typical tourist hotel. I hope this is not typical of all All Inclusive Hotels. The hallways had a miss match of tiles and many were chopped and cracked. The paneling in the door to the rooms were very tatty. Upon entering the room my curtains were falling 8ff the rails, the fridge fell out of the cupboard when the door was open. Worst of all was the bath, it was disgusting, looked like it had never been cleaned. We went for food and the choice was very poor as was the choice for drinks. The restaurant was very noisy which was amplified by the fact it had a low ceiling. We decided to go out for drinks after we had eaten what we dare. In the morning there was a power cut. I know these are common place in Cuba and do not hold the hotel responsible for this but as this meant that there was not running water, it must be pumped. You would have expected them to have a generator. Thankfully, this prevented me from having a shower. I travelled around Cuda for 2 and this was by far the worst place I stayed and one the most expensive I stayed in. …
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Traveled
Room Tip: Stay elsewhere this place is not relaxing at all
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Helpful
Response from Yeni Sanabria SANABRIA, Ventas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Apr 4, 2022
Dear customer: We are deeply sorry to hear that you did not fully enjoy your experience at our hotel, as we strive every day to make each stay unforgettable. We have reviewed your comments in detail, together with our teams and managers of each department, and we would like to assure you that all your problems will be taken care of.
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This has been my sixth time visiting Varadero. It was my worst experience with the local at the hotel. Especially in the buffet. The week we stayed a lot of locals were vacationing here. The staff seemed to only want to cater to the locals. If you were white and spoke English , they would ignore you and serve a Spanish speaking person. The locals would even bud in front of you. The locals at the pool vacationing looked at us like why are we there.. Was very uncomfortable and we felt unwelcome . I’m thinking because we were so close to downtown Varadero? The life guards on the beach would harass my sister and I by asking us to go dancing and starring and gawking at us .. everyday. Wouldn’t matter where we sat on the beach they would find us. All the rooms on the 4th floor have a beautiful view. I was in 4401 with my sister and my parents in 4409. Breathtaking view. The best view I’ve had in Varadero so it almost makes the rest of the disappointment bearable. The beds are not too bad and the pillows are a good size. The buffet food is very salty, best to book a la carts, I will never return to this hotel. Ever. Next time I’ll be sure to book a hotel much further away from down town and or go to one of the places I’ve already been. Like I said the staff is very rude and so many locals on the resort had us feeling very much out of place and not wanted there. On our last day my sister had bugs in her coffee.. small little roaches HORRIBLE ! The only reason why I’d come back is for the view. The hotel and staff and visitors disgusting !…
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Traveled
Room Tip: Ask for a room in 4401 and up
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1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from YENI SANABRIA, Director General at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Mar 15, 2022
Although we sincerely regret reading that your stay at our Barceló Arenas Blancas fell short of your expectations, we are grateful for the time you spent to share this feedback of your overall holiday experience among us as we certainly believe that there is always room for improvement and your constructive feedback is very much appreciated.
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Considering the price (if you change pesos at a good rate) cant complain too much for the meals (repetive, mostly cold and tough meats). The room I got was old but nice; the bed and the pillows were very confortable, the view was also very nice (room 4410). Regarding the stff I can say that the waiting staff were generally nice and helpul specially Maira and the 5 others, the short lady in th elobby bar was also very nice and attentive; however the frontilne and security staff were never willing to help and almost all rude. To finish I enjoyed the daily shows from the dancers all very talented and Denisse so beautiful
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Date of stay: February 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Helpful
Response from YENI SANABRIA, Director General at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Mar 15, 2022
We greatly appreciate the time you spent to share your recent holiday experience at our BarcelóArenas Balncas hotel and we thank you for your kind recommendation to Tripadvisor’s readers .
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the weather was incredible,sunshine all week long,the mattress was really bad but thank god ana teresita (public relation) was there coz after i complain about it,she found me a better room and a good mattress,thanks ana teresita for your good service,she is a really nice lady.the beach is incredible...long and wide and clean.for the food...its cuba but you always find something to eat.my maid was great too but i forgot her name,juan carlos (luggage) and felix (doormen) are really nice people.i will go back again
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: always ask for room far from the elevator ,less noise
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Helpful
Response from JUAN MARQUES, General Manager at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 4, 2022
Dear client: First and foremost we would like to thank you for the praising review you shared following your recent visit to our hotel and are delighted to read that we were able to match your expectations.
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Had an amazing 2 weeks at Arenas Blanco. Staff was amazing Moses, Alex,Idolkys,Janet,Layne,Lerys,at beach restaurant. Eliarys Kirenia andyalanis front desk. Yara and Allina buffet. Lily a sweet girl from entertainment at pool bar all were amazing made my stay memorable
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Traveled
Helpful
Response from JUAN MARQUES, General Manager at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Dec 10, 2021
Dear client: Thank you for reviewing your recent stay in our Occidental Arenas Blancas hotel and for referencing so many of our team members by name, as we are now able to reach out to them individually and let them know how they made such a positive impact on your stay.
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FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Barcelo Arenas Blancas
LOCATION
CaribbeanCubaMatanzas ProvinceVaradero
NUMBER OF ROOMS
358
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Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about Occidental Arenas Blancas
Which popular attractions are close to Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Nearby attractions include Mi Casa Beatles (0.3 miles), Calle 62 (0.2 miles), and Taller de Cerámica Artística (0.3 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Conveniently located restaurants include La Gruta El Vino, Waco's Club, and Varadero 60.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness center during their stay.
Does Occidental Arenas Blancas have airport transportation?
Yes, Occidental Arenas Blancas offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are there any historical sites close to Occidental Arenas Blancas?
Many travelers enjoy visiting Cueva de Ambrosio (5.9 miles).
Does Occidental Arenas Blancas have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.
Is Occidental Arenas Blancas accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and reduced mobility rooms. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.