IBEROSTAR Varadero

I've been to this hotel 4 times now in 2011, 12, 19, and 25. And I still think my best stay here was in 2012. Many things have deteriorated even since my previous stay here in 2019. 1. Rooms. My room was very "tired". The sockets were trying to escape the walls, the conditioner was extremely loud, its protection net was covered with tons of dust, and after ten minutes of work it started dripping. The paint was peeling in places. My biggest disappointment about the room was the absence of a kettle and coffee kit. In all the previous visits I could enjoy a cup of morning tea, but this is gone now. I had to go to the lobby bar at 5 in the morning to get my tea and coffee. The bed and towels were clean, which is a plus. I absolutely loved the pillows. The floor was wiped daily, but only in the room itself. The balcony's floor was covered in someone's droppings and had not been cleaned in years, it seems. Also it was quite noisy around the room. For the cleaning ladies, it is absolutely normal to shout at each other from one floor to another. And an idea that guests may be trying to nap in their rooms in the afternoon never crosses their minds. Also, I had a couple of cases when some of them knocked on my door waking me up, I came to the door, opened it, and the lady would just say "never mind" and be gone. What was that, honestly? 2. The beach. As always, the beach is perfect. But it is the same along the entire peninsula, whatever the hotel. The ocean is warm, and clean, and also perfect. Although there is even less fish in there now as compared to the past years. If you are a snorkler, there is practically nothing to see. 3. The territory. Clean and nice. And the keepers are the friendliest staff, but a little more on that later. 4. The main restaurant. My greatest dissappointment this time. The assortment of food has reduced as compared to my previous visits. There is no more yogurt or fitness breads in the morning, during my entire stay I did not once eat paella, although during my previous visits it was always available during lunch and dinner. In the past, there were seafood days, now seafood is barely present. There are a lot of dishes of something brown and sluggish of unknown origin, I did not risk trying this stuff. There are no labels, so you have no idea what you are getting. Besides, the lines of people waiting for freshly fried fish or chicken block your access to the ready meals. Also, all drinks at lunch and dinner come through waiters, even water, juice, or coffee. And waiters may just ignore you. Several times I left the restaurant having already eaten and I still did not even get water. The fruit was great. The ice cream was not ice cream, but sorbet. Quick improvement tips: Put labels to your food. For me it is important, whether I am getting pork or beef, fried potatoes or bananas. Make a self-serving point for guests where they can get water, juice, coffee/tea without wating for waiters. If you want to control wine and beer, fine. But water, honestly! Use insecticides! When I see a cockroach on a cake, I cannot trust any food any more. Separate ready meals from the cooking stations. Then those who don't want to wait can easily access the food. Bring in some assortment back. Food is what people remember most. 5. Bars. All bars were absolutely amazing. Both the quality, and the people. That's where you could always find someone speaking English. For instance, in the restaurant some of the waiters did not understand even a phrase like "hot water". 6. Entertainment. I'd say there is none. There are no activities on the beach. Which may be a plus, really, because there is no loud music on the beach, you can relax. The evening shows are all practically the same, only the costumes change. You've seen one, you've seen them all. On the territory, there is nothing to do. In the past, I played table tennis, there were several tables outside with plenty of space to play. Now the only table is located in a tiny building with no space at all, you can only play if you are five and this is your first time. For kids, there is this water corner, but for adults there is nothing. 7. People. Your greatest treasure in the past were your people. They cared, they were friendly. Now, they are exhuasted and indifferent. Hardly anyone speaks English. 8. Money. This comment is not really about the hotel but about Cuba in general. You use dollars, but a tourist cannot change and break dollars (even in a bank). If you want small bills, you have to buy something. And if you don't need anything, you have to buy something you don't need. And the hotel doesn't inform you upfront that you can only get a towel with a credit card and pay for additional services with a credit card. I do not bring my bank cards to Cuba since they were useless in the past. So this was a surprise. Especially since I had already used 120 dollars worth of massage. The hotel had agreed to accept cash, but this still was an inconvenience. So, my prevailing emotion during this stay was irritation. I guess I've said my goodbye to Cuba and it's time to find another paradise.

We just got back Wednesday night we had a great trip there everything is good if you want french fries at the food truck tell them that you want french fries or you going to get the potato chip and found that at the last day everything is perfect there. It was our 5th time at this resort and is always our favorite.

Got back last night. Super safe, really clean, with great music and nightly shows. Food is good with burgers, fries, pizza and lots at the buffet. A few good restuarants and lots of cocktails everywhere. Truth is you go to this resort for the beach and the staff. Those 2 things will make your vacation an amazing experience. Miguel at the beach grill. Richard and Alex at the beds, Alec and team at the beach bar. Fermin and team at the lobby bar. The handsomest man in Cuba and his entire service team.. The entire staff, from registration to departure, we literally love everyone. Thank you to everyone and see you soon. Shawn, Amanda and the twins. Xo

awesome hotel, the food is incredible, the views the cocktails, the attention the rooms everything here is amazing i will come back again ❤️

The beach the beach the beach. That’s the only reason we’re there and it didn’t disappoint. The resort has an older design concept but everything was clean, freshly painted and new. Room was functional, good pressure, hot water, very clean, freshly painted, couldn’t ask for more. Buffet food was on the cold/room temperature side but more than enough to eat. Probably the most we’ve eaten in Cuba. Didn’t get a chance to go to any shows or enjoy the pool, it was beach 2x a day. The Gourmet a la carte was the best of the 3 we tried but the main course was not hot.