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).
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Ocean View
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
Spanish
Location
Calle 64, Varadero Cuba
Occidental Arenas Blancas
1,611 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Occidental Arenas Blancas faces a mixed reception, with its prime location earning praise from most guests for beach and nightlife access. However, some travelers feel the value isn't quite there, citing high costs for the offerings.
Issues with room cleanliness and maintenance are frequently called out, alongside mixed experiences regarding staff service. While the live music contributes positively to the atmosphere, guests have noted shortcomings in amenities and the buffet's lack of variety, with noise, repetitive food, and a shortage of towels and hot water being common points of contention.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Neglected
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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My friend and I stayed at Arenas Blancas for one week. As Canadian university students, we went during reading week and we could not be happier with the location right on the beach as well as being steps away from the town of Varadero. The fish at the resort was declicious, if you are worried about the food in cuba stick to fish, fruit, pastas and bread! The snack bar on the beach was our favorite place to eat on a nice day. Our room had a few minors issues with the bathroom light and the pressure from the shower head. The cleaning could be improved in the bathtub, when we first arrived there was chipping around the drain. Other than that, we barely spent time in our room so those issues weren't too bothersome. The WIFI is only accessible in the lobby, so we just spent money on a data roaming plan. The resort is connected to another resort (Solymar), there are two big pools and multiple pool bars you can go to. If you are looking for a more party resort, then stay at Solymar. We went to Havana night Club just a five minute walk off the resort where we had a great time, 2 drinks included in the $10 cover fee and good music! Lastly, the workers at the hotel and the Cuban people were very friendly and accommodating (make sure to tip them for their good service) ! Overall, we both had a great week in Varadero and we will defnitiely be returning in the future!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 25, 2020
Dear AnnaP, Thank you for this heartwarming review of your stay with us, we look forward to your next visit.
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We first went to Arenas Blancas in 2006 with another couple and have returned there several times since, the last time in March 2018. We are booked for another two-week vacation there starting March 30 and are anxious to see our old friends and how things have improved (or not).
Like the last review, we have seen many changes over the years, particularly the joining with Barcelo Solymar, which was both good and bad. Our first experience in the Bunker (as mentioned by previous review) we saw pictures of may folks who had previously enjoyed Arenas Blancas on numerous occasions. On our first return visit, we were treated to a special dinner and a bottle of rum; however, when they joined with Solymar the management no longer recognized return visitors.
Many of the same staff have been there since our first visit; some have moved on, but the ones we have come to know recognize us and welcome us "home."
We have tried other spots, one in Cienfuegos and last year we went to Cayo Coco. We are going back home to Arenas Blancas, for our 7th vacation there. We are looking forward to seeing old friends and enjoying all that Arenas Blancas has to offer.
The location is ideal, short walk to Calle 62 (great pina coladas), the bus stops, and the Beatles Bar, as well as Josone Park. A tour of varadero on the double decker (hop on / hop off) bus is a must on our vacation. Horse and buggy rides and coco-cabs are super too.
Sun and Sand, hot weather and warm friends - here we come!
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Gerente at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Mar 9, 2020
Hola!! We greatly appreciate the time you spent to review your recent experience in our hotel, at Occidental we always strive to exceed guests' expectations and your comments will help our teams reaching that goal. Guest Services
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We rested in this hotel on the first of April 2024. 11 days. The ocean is beautiful! He makes up for everything! The hotel itself is located in the very center of Varadero, 50 steps from the cafe concentration, from my point of view, the best location. The hotel beach is not big. The big minus of the beach is that there are few umbrellas and sun loungers, you have to get up at 6 am to grab a sun lounger under an umbrella, it is simply impossible to be in the open sun. Wi-Fi works well throughout the entire territory, in one place it even works on the beach. The rooms are ordinary and spacious. Body towels were changed once in 11 days, face and beach towels were not changed. Twice they gave me 5 liters of water, then only a liter, once they gave me 1.5 liters, once they didn’t give me any at all. They rarely clean unless you leave a tip. With tips, they will do something every day, the question is what... The food is monotonous. There is always: meat - chicken, pork, beef, rice, legumes, cabbage salad, beets, eggplants (half-raw), carrots, overripe cucumbers, rarely tomatoes. The fruits were pineapples, guava and papaya. Eggs were intermittent, there was no bread, in the mornings only buns. Sweets include strange cakes, fruit porridges, baked buns (delicious). The coffee in the main restaurant is not tasty, in the lobby bar it is relatively normal. But the wait for coffee at the lobby bar is on average 40 minutes. A larger percentage of vacationers are Canadians; of course, they are treated better by the service staff than Russians. You have to tip everywhere, it's cheaper in pesos. Beer and rum were always there. The beer is ordinary, Havana rum is mostly poured neat, and cheap local rum is poured into cocktails.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Please note that there are 2 hotels here, the Occidental and the Barcelo. The Occidental is NOT a 4 stars hotel, its a 2.5 at the most. We can't say anything about the Barcelo because we didn't go, but it looks nice. For the Occidental, the toilet doesn't flush and the fridge didn't work, we told the front desk, they did fix the fridge. Lots of love is needed in this room, the walls need some paint, the bathtub is missing huge chunks of enamel, the drapes don't close, it's frickin stinky, the tv has so much snow, it feels like home! On the plus side, the service is great, we always had clean towels and some days even had swan towels on the bed ❤️. For vegans out there, you can find white rice, pasta and red sauce , black and white beans, salad, cukes and tomatoes, fruits. Eggs, omelettes, butter, and desserts available for vegetarians. We didn't die of hunger and where quite full. The beach is absolutely amazing! Please remember to bring gifts, what we take for granted at home is not in abundance here and is frickin expensive when it can be found eg: soap, shampoo, conditionner, deodorant, feminine hygiene, toothpaste, tooth brush, nylons, pens, paper, toilet paper! Be generous. We actually liked it here, next time we'll try the Barcelo.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 21, 2020
Dear Nancy, We are happy to see that you have enjoyed your stay as you have stated it. Most of our hotel you liked despite little details on the room. We wish you would gave us 4 stars as we are, considering you were so happy with our staff too. We hope to receive you back in the future. Regards
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We visited this resort with two other couples from Dec. 29th to Jan. 3, 2020, expecting to celebrate New Year´s eve with good music and enjoy a clear and wonderful Cuban ocean. From starters, there was not enough staff to expedite room assignments, and the line was very long. The room numbers had no logic, and we had a hard time trying to get to our room every time. The A/C did not work and the heat was almost 30C; the Safety Box did not work either and we could not leave the room until someone from the staff tried unsuccessfully to make it work. Finally, they gave us another room after some hours. When I made the reservation, I asked for an ocean view, however they told me that those rooms cost $10/day more (nothing is advertised on their web page). The buffet was ok, mostly with local rice and beans, chicken and pork. The staff who served wine, coffee or prepared omelettes were very kind. The hotel gave us a bag with goodies and masks for the New Year, and prepared a special meal made out of lobster and shrimps. Sounds good, however those were cold and had not sauce or flavor. It was also disappointing to listen Ragaetton for the celebration, instead of their lively and wonderful Cuban music. The musicians were far from the tables, and we could hardly see them. The music stopped at 01:00 a.m.!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:You have to get lucky!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Jan 5, 2020
Dear Eirob Z, We appreciate the time you took on leaving a review on Tripdavisor about our Resort. We are glad to hear that you had enjoyed most of our facilities and you had a great time. We will improve at the points you had mentioned you were unsatisfied and we apologize for any inconvenience this might caused you during your stay. We will be very happy to host you back in a close future. All the best
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We’ve been going to Varadero for the past 25 years and have tried so many resorts. Our home away from home for the past 5 years is now Arenas Blancas. We vacation there 2-3 times a year. We were there for 10 days Christmas time and are going back in March 2020. There is just a nice feel at the resort due to the friendly hardworking staff. At the reception: Randy,Elizabeth,Gisela,and Tatiana always greet you with a smile and are so helpful. Kelly, at customer service, is always there to listen and help you. Delicious coffees and drinks are prepared by the bar staff: Juan U., Odel, Joel,Juan 2, Boris, Elizabeth and many more. You can always find something good to eat in the dining room for lunch and supper. I find that the food is prepared for the European palette which appeals to us. Ibel, always with a smile, does an amazing job serving the long morning line ups, waiting for their favorite prepared egg choices. The servers greet you with a smile, remember you from the previous visit, come and say”hello” and make you feel welcomed. Arenas is situated on a beautiful wide stretch of beach with a bar and lunch area steps away. A rum, cigar, grocery store and the international clinic is a stone’s throw away from the hotel which is very convenient but I must say that the hotel shop has most anything you need with competitive prices. We continually see improvements at Arenas Blancas: the exterior painted, pool renovations, the wooden path to the beach was changed but needs repairs again, locks on bathroom doors changed, more beach chairs, nice Spanish wines, etc. There is always room for improvement: cleaner stainless steel elevator facades on every floor, the bedroom doors continuously slamming shut with a loud BANG which is very annoying when you are sleeping especially if you are on a busy floor, the patio doors that are so difficult to open and close, the invasion of ants in the bedrooms but with time we’re certain these problems will be taken care of by Mr. Gonzalo and management. Thank you to all for making our holidays and escape from the cold so pleasant and relaxing! See you soon! Rita and Ray
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:4th floor garden view less traffic and less noisy
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 11, 2020
Dear Rita and Ray, Thank you very much for your kind words about our resort. It is always a pleasure to meet you back every time you choose us for your holidays. We appreciate the time you took in mention all the people that made your vacation special, be sure we are going to transmit your congratulations to all of them. We are hoping to host you back in a close future and make of your next holidays the best memories again. All the best
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We had nothing but good things to say about this resort. We were welcomed and helped every step of our stay. Mabel at guest services, the concierge staff, housekeepers, servers, cooks and bartenders were all excellent. Mabel personally took to helping book massages and organized everything for us on the beach. Karen at guest services was fantastic helping us book meals and a private romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day on the beach. She even helped organize a private tour in Havana that exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds. Javier made us fresh, delicious omelettes every morning and brought so much joy to the area. He was delightful in getting to know us and being interested in our daily activities, and we got to know him in return. Thank you to Mario at the seafood restaurant for a memorable Valentine’s Day experience and the nice surprise at the end of our meal. The kitchen and serving staff worked very hard catering to such a large group of people and always had a smile on their faces. Any questions or concerns were remedied on the spot. Bartenders were fun and provided a variety of delicious drinks through our stay. We enjoyed the variety of feature coffees.
Upon waiting for our departure we asked and were guided to tour other locations on resort that we will surely bring our children to. The entertainment staff were wonderful playing a variety of games with the kids during the day in the pool area, and a dance party every night we know our girls would really love.
We hope to return in the future as the location was perfect to go into town and we always felt safe walking at any time of the day. Any concerns from other guests were remedied quickly. We are thankful for such a perfect, stress free vacation spot. Thank you to all the staff who making the effort to create a fantastic week.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Gerente at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 18, 2020
Hola! We would like to express our gratitude for the comments you made about your recent visit. They help us to understand how our guests experience their stay with us. It is always our goal to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and we are delighted to hear that your holiday at Occidental Arenas Blancas was an enjoyable one. We continuously strive to deliver high standards and to ensure that all our guests leave with beautiful vacation memories. Guest Services
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After 20 hrs journey from London to Varadero via Madrid I have arrived to the hotel around 1 am and found out that my booking for 3 nights was not in the system, the receptionist told me that due to the tropical storm the hotel was closed for check-in, however I have never been informed either my reservation was cancelled. After speaking to trip advisor UK and a long story around 5am they make me pay for a deposit and let me check in to the room, what a surprise no water in the room came down to reception and she told me one of the pipes was broken and the hotel has no water,my question is why I was not informed about the water situation??, I have requested to go to the pool becuase I wanted to sleep and I was refused becuase of H&safety. The rooms urgently needs refurbishment I am agreed with previous guest's comments I have attached pictures, the space is nice however you can smell humidity, there are ants everywhere, bathroom is in an awful conditions. I do not recommend this hotel for staying. Food is the almost same for luch and dinner with not many choices however the F&B team who serve is really kind and nice including the lobby bar team. The day of departure I requested 1hr late checkout and I was told that it was only possible if I pay extra fees for it, I was in chock becuase I thought the hotel was OK giving me this as compensation for the terrible experience but they have not done anything no apologies or whatsoever, I have then requested to speak to the customer service team to complain about what has happened I was even more disappointed and surprised when the Manager told me that she was not aware of nothing that has happened to me??, really??? That means communication between sale-reception-costumer service doest not exist on this Hotel, as we all know this team needs to work as solid rock to exceed guests expectations but it looks that they do not know how it's works at list I am saying that for my experience. As CEO of Cubaland UK travel agency who works partnership with all tour operators will ensure that none of my British clients will stay at this property.
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from JUAN MARQUES, Director General at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Dec 16, 2020
Dear Guest, Although we sincerely regret your disappointment with your stay in our Occidental Arenas Blancas, we would like to thank you for sharing your comments as it will help us to identify areas of concern and act immediately so as to enhance our future guests' experience among us.
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we have been here for 14 trips and have never had a bad experience at this resort. The staff are friendly and always willing to help you, the servers in lobby bar are fantastic big hgand to Elizibeth,Gleisys,Marialyn, and Carlos there work is fantastic.Then the pool bar has some super people as well the ones i refer to that we deal with are Any and Maurey. the servewrs and food in buffet are very gooy was very impressed with Yolanda, Pablo, George, Lissett all go out to be there for the people. Must also say front desk staff are always friendle and courtious, customer relations does much to help people as well special thanks goes to Dairis and room Manager is always a friendly man to talk to. Room staff are great our room is always cleand and done promptly and ar efriendly and courtious. We were there from Jan18 to Feb 1 2020 and will be returning for a 15th time
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:supreme ocean view are excellent view and location
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BarceloSmAb, Director de Relaciones Públicas at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Feb 8, 2020
Hola! We first would like to thank you for making our Occidental Arenas Blancas your preferred choice for your holidays in Cuba , it is always a pleasure to welcome back our most loyal guests year after year. Best Regards
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Absolute worst place I've ever stayed in Cuba, says 4 star but I'd say a 2, I've been to WAY better 3 stars. Check in took over an hour and a half, 2 full buses of people coming and only one desk worker. Ontop of that when checked in, building has 6 elevators only 1 single elevator functioning... The luggage help was amazing he kind, showed us around our room and turned on the air and everything for us. Breakfast buffet, is edible, I no Cuba isn't known for food, but also never had an issue eatting I'll always find something. This lunch buffet and dinner was not edible it was terrible actually cockroaches in the platters of food. Then we arrived on Monday, they said all on resorts restaurants were booked solid till Friday... so lots of eatting out. I found easily over 30 lizard in our room, idk how cause balcony door is closed but better lizards then bugs. Coffee maker in room, with mugs was great cause I brought coffee, maids took them after first use, never replaced I asked the front desk they told they don't give out mugs I have to buy from gift shop, confused I said what do you mean we had mugs yesterday? They told me I did not. I wasn't arguing but ok. Maids were great and friendly. But cleaning wasn't done, dead lizard stayed on our floor the whole week, and same with dead roach that was there when we checked in. For some reason if you left clothes on the floor they'd put them in the urinal... gross
Some staff are really nice other so rude. My son was sick I was bringing him food, a woman worker at the breakfast buffet, literally screamed in my face that i couldn't bring food to my room cause I'd take the plate home, so weird, but another man worker said it was fine and told me to go My son cut both his feet Atleast 10 different cuts from glass in the pool, pool need lots of work very dirty, the whole place is extremely run down, the pictures must have been from 10 years ago. Many people are switching to the resort next door apperently a lot cleaner and actual food. Our tables weren't switched same with bedding the maids claimed they don't have laundry soap to clean and do everything everyday which is fine I understand.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Juan Marqués, Director General at Occidental Arenas Blancas
Responded Mar 3, 2023
Dear guest, we would like to apologize to you on behalf of Barceló for all the inconveniences you had experienced. We ensure you that we will share your impressions with each head of department in order to avoid this kind of situation with futur guests. We hope you could give us the opportunity to show you our changes. Thank you for sharing your opinion.
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There are more places to choose from in the Varadero area.
LOCATION
CaribbeanCubaMatanzas ProvinceVaradero
NUMBER OF ROOMS
358
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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