Hotel Barlovento, Varadero

I loved the beach, the pools were good, the staff helpful and friendly. My dislikes were how people I spoke to all said they asked for a better room me included. We all got the better room but should of never been put into rooms that old in the first place. The location of Barlovento was great. Very close to downtown, on the beachside of the main road.

my english isn't good... This hotel, i went in 2002.. It was an IBERIOSTAR Hotel.. Now,in 2011, it's an HOTELES C.. I'm very disappointed.. The restaurant "mexicain, Italian, Cubain" isn't open every night and to book in those restaurants, it is impossible.. The room isn't clean when we are arrived... The foods is awful.. don't eat fishes... it's smell bad.. TO ENJOY THIS HOTEL...

COULDNT HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER HONEYMOON. OKAY, SOME STAFF MAY BE A BIT SLOWER THAN EXPECTED, BUT THATS THE CUBAN WAY OF LIFE. LOVED IT A+++++.

i am sad to say the food was not very good both my partner and i got very ill and it was the food to blame. this is a great shame because 60% of having a great holiday is enjoying the local cuisine but a big thank you to the staff they were very kind

The beach - just great: clean, great water temperature, awesome color, good for swimming in the morning, a bit more waves in the afternoon. Unfortunately my towel got stolen on the beach. We had ONE really nice tasting buffet style meal, were there for 2 weeks and got really tired of the food by the end of it. Basically you get the same options for lunch and dinner and everything kind of tastes the same. Unfortunately the mexican and the cuban restaurants were not open every night. Enjoyed all our meals outside the hotel though. In our second week there were alot of cuban guests, apparently a present from the big uncle for doing a good job. Quiet a few of them were very messy, loud and stormed the buffet for any new plates that were put out. The maid was really friendly and very happy about anything you leave behind: meds, soaps, clothes, etc. These articles are hard to get and any Cuban is very happy if you give them any of the above. Value - was dissapointed to find out that the same trip cost alot less, when booked from the UK or Germany! All in all a great holiday, we will go back to Cuba.

Check in was 5 minutes, room was very clean and so was the rest of the hotel, they work really hard at keeping the place spotless, the front desk are the best I ever encountered, the grounds are beautiful, the pools are kept clean, and are maintained, the beach is beautiful, the food was good, the drinks were awesome, the bartenders are the best and make the best drinks, sometimes they add too much rum, I never stayed much in my room because the weather was over 30 celcius everyday, the staff at the hotel are number 1, and I will always remember everyone at the hotel, the Cubans are awesome people and are fun to party with, I give this hotel a number 5+++++++++ This hotel was well worth the money, I'm going back again for sure, its also right next to the town, everynight it was nice going for a walk to town and browse the market, prices are awesome for wood carvings and beach jewerley, all the workers at barlovento are very honest people, I never had to rent a safe, left my stuff on the beach unattended a few times, never had to worry about a thing, I love the BARLOVENTO

The beach is fantastic, the food much better than most people described, and we received incredible value for what we paid. We wondered what people who paid twice as much to go to a more expensive resort got? One great thing to do is to rent a car and visit some of the smaller towns near the resorts. We went to Matanzas, and had a great time visiting some of the less-touristed areas. It's easy to drive anywhere in Cuba, except for maybe in Havana. Go see Cuba in all of its original glorious socialism before it changes.

We went there as a group,with several of us having been to several area's of Cuba before.The extra 24 that were first timers in Cuba were shocked by the lobby bar attendants,unless you were female or had a wad of money in your hand,you were overlooked.Personally,my wife and I have been to Cuba 10 times,but never in any of the resorts,have been treated so rudely.The worst part is that when these others approached us we recomended Varadero.This particular club,Barlovento,in my opinion,is the only resort in Cuba that wouldn't serve Cristal beer,only Buchaneero.If it wasn't for the other bars in that hotel,it would have been a disaster,especially for the first timers.Varadero has now become similar to Cancun,very commercialized,which takes away the real Cubans identidy.The rooms were clean,as was the overall hotel,but the first impression of the lobby bar sets the tone,and we were there for 2 weeks.Overall,the dining room service was quite adequate,other bars decent,and the location good,as you could walk to the downtown ares or the market.I think that we,as well as our friends,will be either going back to Cayo Coco area,or maybe to Margareta Island next april.Thanks but no thanks to the Barlovento.

The staff were very friendly, The food was what you would expect from having to serve a full resort for the number of hours the buffet was open. Johnny was our waiter he was fabulous. We never had an empty glass or cup. The Mexican and Cuban resturants were great. Book early, go as many time as you are allowed. This was our 1st. trip to cuba and we would go again any time. We very much liked the Barlovento.

Planning our next trip even now. We've thought about going elsewhere, but we were made to feel so much at home, we'll even face the airline we have to use to get there. We went to the same tables in the buffet restaurant almost every day, and the waitresses were wonderful - remembered what we drank - remembered our names - say hi to Audelaine and Gretel when you go! They all greet each other with kisses on both cheeks each morning. Remember to bring face cloths and seafood sauce - they have everything else, well, except for maybe season salt. They do try to vary things in the buffet, but we have to remember they do not have access to all the spices that we are used to having, and they are creative within their means. Fresh juices and warm milk with honey, the best ice cream you've ever had . . . get your pina colada early in the afternoon (they tend to get a little watery later in the day - guess the machine doesn't keep it cold enough). We did find the female staff in the bar during the day more friendly than the male staff in the evenings Bring school supplies, tylenol, pens, pencils, candies (Werther's were a big hit), card games. We bought a suitcase full of kids' clothes (especially jeans)at a thrift store, gave away the clothes and even left the suitcase behind. They appreciate these things much more than money, simply because they couldn't find them to buy even if they had the cash. In most cases, they earn about $22.00 per month.