Just got back from two weeks in Cuba and stayed 12 nights at the Iberostar. It was a nice hotel with a friendly atmosphere and compared well with some we have stayed at in Mexico. The sea water was clear and clean and the beach, although narrow, was great for children as the water graduates very slowly. The beach is cleaned in the mornings but the tractor only manges to do a couple of turns and does not always get to where the sun beds are so sometimes you need to watch out for odd bits of rubbish left behind. Get up early to get a bed on the beach though! There are not too may umbrellas down there and its worth an early rise by one of the family to get your spot, especially if you like somewhere quiet as they tend to have lound music around the beach bar area and activities, i.e. dancing on the sand. Good fun but we didnt join in and were happy to watch from afar!
The pool is busy, again lots of young families and loud music. All good humoured and the kids and families seem to love it there. The star friends are pleasant and we were never bothered by them apart from being asked to shoot an arrow or throw a hoop as they can tell the guests who want to join in with those who just prefer to be left alone to enjoy the lovely facilities around the hotel. So, dont worry if you have read that the star friends hassle you, there were six of us and we did not experience it at all. In fact, they were nice kids in general just trying to do their job.
The rooms are nice and big. We changed ours on the second day to a sea view as my husband and I had been put on ground floor at the back and I was worried about mosquitos as there is water around the back of the building where the shrubbery is and I usually come up with massive bites that can ruin a holiday if you are unlucky. Rebecca at reception was helpful and when we got a better located room we changed easily. They were very helpful. Blocks 16 and 17 are nice if you can get them.
During the second week the mosquitos came out in full force so take a good spray with you and make sure you dont forget to apply it in the evening. I saw some people who had loads of bites but we had a few I think it was down to good spraying with the mosquito repellant. They are also out in the early morning before 9 am so if you are heading out with the beach towels wrap up against them even if you think its hot - thats when you get bitten when you dont expect it!
The food was good on the whole. Lovely mango, pineapple etc at most meals with a good selection of fish and meat. Lots of salad, rice and fries if you wanted them. The large loaves are also nice if you like bread. Its easy to put on a few pounds, believe me! Burgers were good down by the beach at around 12 noon when they were just cooking for early lunch. Waitresses and waiters were friendly and tried to give an efficient service. We tipped them a little every day and the service was excellent once they got to know us. They earn very little and are grateful for whatever we can give them. I took small presents for them but wished i had taken more - next time I will. They have ration cards for necessities so its hard for families in general. However, they repaid us with good humour, smiles and excellent service in the main dining room. We left all our hair shampoo, shower gel etc there for the staff when we left. They cant buy good quality products. The girls also liked nice hair clips, tights etc. so if you take a few extras with you they make nice presents (the girls wear tights in the restaurants when they work).
The Japanese restaurant is fun and we also liked the Mediteranean one. We did not go to the Cuban restaurant in the end because it was outside, there were flies around attracted by the food and mosquittos so we sat down but then decided to give it a miss and went inside to the main restaurant. Again, no porblem with us wanting to change. You just need to be sure you do whats best for you. Everyone is different.
The drinks are good quality if you ask for specific makes of gin etc but the cocktails are good in general.
I cant really comment on the shows as we did not go to them but families with young children were having fun. As there were six of us we preferred to have a late dinner and then a drink in the bar following lazy days on the beach.
The grounds were kept lovely and clean and the gardeners were constantly tending the flower beds.
Would I go back - probably - but not next year. We spent the first couple of days in Havana before arriving at Varadero and then really did not leave the hotel much except to visit varadaro town flea market. I did miss not being able to go out for a wander at night like you can in Playa del Carmen in Mexico with the girls for a bit of local shopping but on the whole I think this hotel was better than most in other parts of the Carib. So if you are looking for a lazy two weeks, with nice staff, large sunny rooms, ample food and a clear blue sea then I am sure you wont be disappointed.
Enjoy!

Just returned from the Iberostar Varadero Beach resort....I have travelled many times to the carribbean and have never felt more comfortable and safe. The staff at this resort were exceptional. I have never met so many nice people. Beaches were incredible, rooms were immaculate, food was good, not a huge selection but certainly not enough to complain about. This is the first time that have been to a resort where I enjoyed the shows. Only downfall that I have is that the week went way too fast. I would definately reccommend this hotel to familes and singles, and I will definately return to this resort, in fact I can't wait!!!

Special thanks to all staff, expecially Juan Carlos (lobby bar), Julio (beach), Charlie and Julio at the pool bar, Roly and many others....Thanks for the memories! See u next year!

I visited the Iberostar Varadero in the first week of July with my family and my sister's family. We all thought it was an a great hotel and had a wonderful holiday. We were impressed with all the hotel offered. The beach was beautiful, lots of space and very good service. The pool was wonderfull, also never a problem getting a good spot to stay for the day and the ice cream in the afternoon just made the kids day. The water in the pool was very clean, the pool bar had great service and the staff were friendly. Our room was lovely, we had a suite and I would recomend this for the location of the room and the extra space. The hotel is beautiful and the coffee in the lobby bar the best I have had. All in all just a great expereince.

On advice from our daughter who stayed in Varadero last year and from reviews on Trip Advisor, we booked a 2 week stay from 20th June. The hotel and grounds are excellent. All the hotel staff from the gardeners to the entertainment staff work so hard to make your holiday one to remember. We took small gifts of toothpaste, soap, coloured pencils, and cosmetics, they were gratefully received.
We gave small tips to the Bar staff and found that the service was excellent.
Never met our maid but our room was always kept clean and the decorations made with the towels were always a pleasant surprise when we returned.

We found the food in all the restaurants (Especially the Japanese) very good, my wife who is a very picky eater never had any problems.

One word of warning if you do the overnight trip to Havana be prepared to do without food, the standard of the food outside the hotel is dreadful. The hotel in Havana was basic but the restaurant was appalling. We later found that ours was one of the better hotels used.