Nowhere near 4*..
This hotel is actually closed. when we arrived in varadero by coach, we dropped off at a hotel that was under refurbishment. the driver was not aware of this and we were extremely lucky to see a security guard who directed us to their partner hotel which was a few minutes away.
upon check in, the staff were rude, unhelpful and did not offer an apology. instead, they pointed at their sign on the wall and explained how it was all a part of the same group anyway so there was no need to be upset.
following on from this, our rooms were not ready yet so we were told we could have lunch in the buffet restaurant.
when we finally got to our rooms, it was basic, clean and tidy with all the amenities. the balcony is of a decent size and there is ac too. however, for the week that we resided here, the shower was freezing cold every time. no matter what time of day, the water was so cold that we struggled to take a shower that was longer than a couple of minutes. the second issue was the lack of towels. we were given 3 hand sized towels and one to use as a shower mat for the floor. we asked every day for more towels but were told the had an issue with laundry and could not give us bigger towels. we had to go into town and buy towels from a tourist gift shop for the rest of the week.
in relation to the food and drinks: food was bland, no seasoning and constant queuing. for example, in an all inclusive resort during the breakfast sitting, there is one woman ( yes, one woman) who cooks all the eggs for every customer of the hotel. whether it is a fried egg or an omelette, nothing is made before hand so you were waiting around the station with at least 30 people in front of you. the woman fried around two eggs maximum or one ommlette and one fried egg at one time. there was more than enough capacity to make 8 eggs or so but she takes two orders at a time.
one morning, i waited in this line for 40 minutes for a fried egg.
the drinks: incredibly strong so you need to specifically ask for your taste that suits you. one disappointment is that the the pina colada and daiquiri's were pre made in what we call a "slushy" machine that whizzes around for the whole day. in cuba, you would expect they would make one fresh for you but sadly not. i would advise against ordering one in the evening as its completely watered down by then too.
there is a massage facility: carried out by a male, and so can only take one appointment at a time.
the entertain in the evenings changes every day and is quite diverse from a magic show to burlesque dancing.
as with any all inclusive resort, we felt a little confined so we rented scooters ( 5 minute walk from the hotel ) and went out to the town for dinner and drinks. this was the highlight of our day when we ventured out of the hotel.
final note: don't expect 4 stars or anything close. the food is awful so you find yourself having to either tolerate it or spend money going into town every day like we did.
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