We experienced an excellent vacation. The staff was friendly, food was good. The beach excellent. Management is exceptional. The rooms are very large and comfortable. Thank you we will return. Love Cuba
We had a wonderful week in Iberostar Selection Varadero,amazing staff all over,reception,bars,restaurants,guest services,even gardeners and security ,and also medical services,everybody attentive to our needs,we will come back for sure.
This resort was spectacular. There are reviews here saying this is more like a 3 star resort but we have stayed at a true 3 star resort in Cuba and the Iberostar completely surpasses the other resort in all aspects and for the standards of Cuba this is a 5 star resort. The staff were so friendly and helpful. Our favourite part of the resort was the Bar Las Dunas, specifically the bartenders Indira and Liesnel! Indira is the Mojito Queen! We drank a lot of mojitos on the resort from different bartenders and always had to go back to Indira she made the best most consistent ones there, even when we brought out our big Bubba mugs she was able to keep the mix the same. Liesnel would always mix your Cuba libres just how you want them. Another shoutout to Regla at the buffet who always had our coffee poured just perfectly when she saw us walking in the door. She knew when our last day was and had our table set up with flowers for us when we arrived for breakfast. The grounds were kept immaculate by a hard working team of grounds keepers. They were always out working on the gardens, lawn or giving the buildings a fresh coat of paint. The walkways (even those closest to the beach) were always kept free of sand and other dirt. The rooms were kept very clean. The beds were comfortable though more on the firm side. The beach along the resort was always kept clean with plenty of loungers and small palapas for shade for everyone. Just watch out for the sand fleas (I was the only one that got bitten from our group but they are incredibly itchy) - bring some anti-itch cream. We didn't spend much time by the pools but from what we experienced they were always clean and there seemed to be no trouble finding a lounger nearby. The food was good. At each meal there was always something available fresh off the grill and always plenty of food and selections. Some of the sides were lukewarm but there were microwaves available to warm your plate if you chose to. Don't pass up the burgers and sausage at the poolside and beach grills, they were delicious. We brought our own ketchup, hot sauce, peanut butter and spices but didn't need to use it very much. We tried out the Gourmet and Japanese restaurants and both were good, no complaints. The nightly entertainment was repetitive and could use a little bit of change up from night to night but it was still enjoyable. The security and attendants were wonderful. There is a secure luggage room to store your stuff on the last day. Check out is 1200 and we opted not to ask for delayed checkout so we kept our bags in this room. There is a little hospitality area with 2 private showers to clean up before heading to the airport as well. Would definitely recommend this resort to family and friends and would definitely go back ourselves. …
(Jan13th to 23th) -US/CAD Is the best currency -Great Food ( do not miss the Burger at the beach or pool) Let's get the "negative part out of the way. It is true that the resort would need a fresh coat of paint here and there. But they do their best to keep the place looking good by renovating throughout the day. That said, the room are really clean. And all around the property cleanliness is at best. And the personnel are hard at work from early in the morning to sunset. A big thank you to MERRKYS (our room maintenance personnel) and a big hello to MICHEL my new friend the gardener. Yes, there are fewer products and some menu changes depending on what is available. But let's keep in mind the economical situation in Cuba is different from the other part of the world and that the supply chain is minimal. But they make miracle whit the resource at hand. However, what they lack in quantity, they make up for in quality. The food is delicious! The drink are tasty. On a 10-day trip, we always find something to eat and drink. I would say that maybe 5 to 10 % of the last time we were there, is missing. The 3 restaurants ''a la carte'' are still popular. My all-time favourite is the ''Gourmet. And a BIG HELLO, to CARLOS s at the buffet for breakfast and dinner. He is still the happy man I met since my second trip, many many years ago. But the best aspect of the IBEROSTAR SELECTION VARADERO is the staff. It is true that after many years, the staff are family to me. Even after 3 years, we were greeted by Iris at reception, followed minutes after by YALEN and MYA in the lobby bar.Elizabeth, at the pool The animation teams are still the Best. Yes, there is the one and only ''CHOCOLATE'', which still has energy for 12 people. But, SUZANNA, DENNIS, and JD, are energetic. All day long at the pool or the beach to keep us entertain and in great physical shape. And this year I had the chance to meet YAYCELIN, that takes care of your kid at the ', ''kids Club''. Let's not forget the great work of INDRI and KENIYA, at the new addition ''The La Duna bar''. By the way, it is the best place to relax, whit a drink just in front of the beach. Event management (XAVIER, ALBERT ''Einstein'', OZ) is the most friendly that I have ever seen, And let not forget Anita, at public relations. A lovely lady to meet and talk to. Iberostar Selection Varadero is the most Wonderful resort to stay at in Varadero. And I guess that is why there are many returning guests. I cannot wait to go back in June. …
This is a wonderful resort and beach! We can’t say enough about Franklin who manages a staff that provides excellent service. Franklin himself showed us great kindness and gave us the gift of time. It was a pleasure to speak with him. In no particular order,we would like to thank Fleitas, Katy, Yailin, Olguita, Jorge, Ivan, Mayrelis, Aimee, Daniel, Liuba and Naylet. The service you provided was excellent! Devulius went above and beyond by adding flowers to our table for lunch. She gave us her wonderful smile and we were appreciative of her quality of service. The food at the buffet was plentiful and tasty. Excellent omelettes and meat/fish selections were varied and well presented. The chocolate ice cream is yummy as are the pastries. There are two nice pools but an even better beach with plenty of chairs. The gardens are beautiful and our room was kept clean and was comfortable. We had a nice balcony,but as non smokers, it was difficult to use with smokers on adjacent balconies.…
Stayed at this hotel last week and had an incredible time. Went with my 4 year old son and he absolutely loves the kids club. The women there are so patient and kind and did all sorts of activities with him. I felt so comfortable leaving him under their care and supervision. Food was great! Buffet included omelette station at breakfast with french toast, donuts, bacon and smoked salmon. Lunch included fish ceviche, razor clams, pork and chicken. Dinner included various forms of seafood including oysters in some days. Turkey was always available and chicken as well. The snack bar had great hamburgers and grilled chicken. Only complaint is lack of french fries and hot dogs but not a big deal. I prefer other varieties of foods instead. Beach was amazing and always had spots available. Pool was also great because it wasn't too busy and you could always find a spot. Wifi sucks in the rooms and only accessible in the lobby which is annoying. Overall, had a fantastic time and we will definitely be returning again. I should also mention that this was my 5th time in Cuba and I've stayed at Iberostar Laguna Azul, playa Alameda and this was by far the best out of the 3 resorts!…
All of the staff here were friendly. In particular two women in customer services who couldn't do enough and one woman in the Gourmet restaurant who was amazing. The Gourmet restaurant was very good. The food in the buffet was ok. Our room was spacious and very pleasant. The man that showed us to the room gave us a quick guide and explained things to us. Although the WiFi was restricted to the lobby area I managed to get a weak signal in our room. There was a cold spell when we stayed and I discovered that the hotel doesn't actually have any heating because it is a warm country. Due to the cold people didn't us the beach. It was easy to find and looked good.
Check in We got in late, around midnight, we were the only ones (two of us) to get off the bus and check in to the resort so it was quick and easy. Room We were in Block 10, which was great, it was close to the lobby, all of the rooms are set to one side of the resort so it was quick to the lobby, bar, pool and maybe a 2 minute walk to the beach. The room was fine if not a bit plain but we didn’t spend a lot of time in it anyways. It was clean, bright and had a huge bathroom with hot water which is always a bonus! There was no smell of mildew as other people said. The cleaners left fancy towels on the bed each day. Our room has newer style Canadian plugs, but some didn’t so bring a converter. I really like the glass water bottles that were refilled but I think having one by the bathroom sink would be nice so you remembered to use that rather than tap water. Con: the wifi did not work in the room at all, it did however work on the patio so that’s where I sat for a few minutes each morning Wifi The wifi worked well in the lobby and around the pool, it was spotty by the beach or the further away from the lobby you got. They also give it out in 7 hour chunks which actually worked out okay because it signed me out each time my phone locked so it wasn’t wasted. It was easy for them to load more at checkin and I got it updated twice during our week there. It was annoying hat you has to constantly sign in but I was on vacation so it kept me away from scrolling mindlessly! Bars/drinks The bars were good, they had lots of alcohol choices (minus tequila), Cuban cola and pop, fancy coffee machines at each one. I would suggest bringing your own cup to fill as the glasses are small, and ask for mucho rum or the drinks are weak (compared to what we usually make in Canada anyways) They didn’t have coconuts for pina coladas, which didn’t bother me and they had pineapple daiquiris and other frozen drinks or juices. The Coffee bar was great, we loved the fancy coffees that they could make Con: I would have liked a drink menu at the bars since ordering rum and coke or a mojito got boring but I didn’t know what they could make, having a specialty menu would be a nice touch. Food We never had an issue with the food. The buffet was fully stocked (eggs, bacon, croissants, fruit, pasta, pizza) every day for breakfast/lunch. Of course they have similar things each day but they always had something we hadn’t tried. For the complainers – no they don’t have chicken fingers and fries or ketchup or hotdogs. Broaden your horizon a bit and try something new. Everything was fresh, the buffet area was spotlessly clean. A la cartes were good as well, easy to get reservations. We ate at an a la carte for dinner 6 out of 7 nights and only had 2 dishes we didn’t like out of 6 meals, each 5 courses and 2 of us. Don’t listening to the negative reviews, we’ve been to many resorts and this was one on par, if not better than most. Cigar Bar GO SEE Ariel at the cigar bar, he was amazing and so were the cigars and higher end rum. We spent many evenings there before or after the shows. The cigars and that rum isn’t included in the all inclusive price but it was well worth it. Pool/Beach The pool is so big, the resort also wasn’t packed so we never had an issue getting pool chairs or the cabanas. The pool is not heated so it was refreshing on hot days. They had some activities by staff but not a lot, which was fine by me but it was a quieter resort and it’s not a huge party. I did appreciate that there wasn’t loud music blaring all day long The beach is so beautiful, you can walk a long ways in both directions as well as out into the surf, it’s very shallow a long way out. We did the sailing/snorkeling tour off the beach, it was quick and easy to book. Con: Towel process was a bit annoying. We went to the towel place in the morning and they said you have to go to the reception and leave a deposit, so we went back there did that, then you get a piece of paper and go back to the towel place and they give you towels. Then we went to return them at night and they said no, you just get new towels until you leave. Other resorts give you cards when you give the towels back, it’s just a bit annoying having to carry the towels back to the room or put them away for the evening. Vibe The vibe of the resort is kind of general, it’s not geared towards families or kids, retired folks, partiers etc, it was a little bit of everything. We really liked it and I would go back as a couple or as a group. They being said it’s probably not great for single people as it wasn’t super busy and there isn’t much night life. There is a disco but the music was hit or miss. Misc The hop on bus was conveniently to go to Varadero for the day, 5 bucks and you can come and go all day Money is easy to exchange at the resort, the rate is the same as everywhere else They had toilet paper everywhere at the resort…
I had an excellent vacation, staff were very friendly and helpful. The room. resort, washroom was very clean. The entertainment was nice. The pool was cold but the beach was fantastic. Costumer service was very helpful. She help us to find a privet taxi with an excellent guide (Luis). Food was great we had beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, variety of sea food. Lot of side dish and fruits. The cakes were the best. It is true the food are not spice but they provide salt, pepper, spicy oil and vinegar. They did not have french fries and hotdogs. Lots of to eat. We will definitely go back again.
This was our 3rd visit to this hotel, the last one being 2017. The food wasn’t as varied as it was then but we appreciate that it is not the hotel’s fault, most of the hotels are experiencing the same problem which is availability of certain foods but there was still plenty of food available. The hotel, staff, gardens & beach are all lovely. Restaurant staff were lovely especially Regla who always had our table ready & Cristian & Yunion who were always very attentive. I think by the end of 2 weeks .they all knew how to made an English cup of tea! Milayda who kept our room (Block 19 room no. 217) lovely & clean & always did lovely towel art. Fidel & Yada on restaurant reservation desk who were extremely helpful when we had a problem one day which unfortunately the Tui rep was not in the least bit interested in & they spoke to the Manager who sorted it out very quickly & we would like to thank him for all he did for us. Thank you also to Fidel who helped me out many times with the Wi-Fi. Iris on reception was always very helpful & cheerful. Also the lady who welcomed us to the restaurant every day with such a lovely smile, sorry I did not get her name. Last but not least are the gardeners who work so hard keeping the gardens tidy & are always very friendly & cheerful. We thoroughly enjoyed our twice daily walk along the beach which is very clean. The staff are always so appreciative of gifts such as toiletries, sweets, items for children, anything really even items of clothing. Definitely recommend this hotel. …
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