Sol Palmeras Reviews

We have just returned from three weeks in Cuba five of those days were in Havana staying at the Nationale de Cuba Hotel, this hotel is big and not that special, we found it to be a bit grubby and the food awful. The breakfast buffet was'nt too bad, but the food in the other restaurants was awful. We then went onto Veradero where we were for sixteen days, staying in the Sol Palmeras Hotel, this hotel was also a bit on the grubby side, the food in the main restaurant was AWFUL, really bad, but luckily they have a dine around scheme so we ate in the Steakhouse every night and that was really nice and we were well looked after by Raol, who was an amazing waiter really good.

The swimming pool area was'nt that appealing so we spent the whole time on the beach, this beach is lovely and could be made even more so with a clean up. The sun-beds have NO mattresses on them so it is important to take lilo's as the ones in the hotel were £18 and they ran out very quickly, we passed our lilo's onto another English couple when we left, if we would have had to spend the whole holiday just on those sun-beds we would have been in agony with our backs. Also not enough shade to be had anywhere, it's a very hot country so shade is a must. We were very surprised that Saga used this hotel as there were alot of children there and you could hear there shrieks everywhere. The staff were very laid back and really could'nt give a damn about you, some were good but most really did'nt care, hardly any smiles etc.

Take sterling cash as you will have alot of trouble trying to change sterling travellers cheques, and defintately DONT take dollars as the exchange is next to nothing. You cant buy alot in Cuba mostly tat, other than cigars and rum, not alot else to be honest.

The best trip to go on is the catamaran to swim with the dolphins in the ocean, that was amazing and made our holiday. Dont do the Havana day trip too much in one day. A trip to the Tropicana is a must but go to the one in Havana as that's the original and the others are copies of that one. Cost of about £35 to £40 each. The catamaran costs about £35 each and that included lunch (not very nice food though). Sorry if this sounds negative, we did have a lovely holiday but I certainly would'nt go back to stay in the Sol Palmeras Hotel with their staff who could'nt give a damn. The entertainment staff were no different and only seemed to like the Argentians who are there in their droves, and are a very rude race and very unpolite. They certainly dont know what it means to queue. They have a library there so no need to take loads of books there are plenty there to borrow. Internet costs £1.50 for 15 minutes and dont go over it even a minute or they will charge you more. Also get a reciept for your money when you change it because we found that not doing that they took alot more money, so make sure you ask for a receipt.

Saw a lot of weddings whilst we were there, the brides all looked fairly happy so they must have thought that it was alright. I thought the area where the marriages took place was litter strewn and ugly but then I was'nt getting married there!! Sue and Clive, Bristol, England. Dates there 6th May - 25th May 2007

Travelled with first choice ,upgraded to premier and where treated like royalty from the moment we checked in at the airport to the moment we departed the plane. hotel was a bit dated but was clean, most of the staff were cheerful but there was the occasional sullen faces.the gardens are beautiful and all the gardeners smile and say hola as you pass them. the chinese restaurant is a must to visit also the steak house where a good tip goes a long way to great service. I wasnt too keen on the italian but I suppose it was okay.the catamaran trip was superb and the island of cayo blanco was idylic but be warned, there was no water to flush the toilets while we were there.also a trip to Havana is a must but it is very disappointing to see such a magnificent place were the buildings are crumbling.weather was also great we had about five hours rain in the whole 14 days holiday .the flight home was also great but we were let down at
varadero airport when boarding the plane as it was a free for all and we had paid for the upgrade.

Overall we really enjoyed the holiday and met plenty of friendly people we will definatley return to this hotel sometime in the future.

We would recommend this hotel for anyone thinking of going. There are some tedious things to watch out for but feel this is the general trend of Cuba.

The private beach is fantastic and had trouble getting my little girl of it at the end of the day!

When you go anywhere to buy things just check roughly what the total price of the goods are as it seems common practice to overcharge. Got done every time bought something - very blantant!

Our Hotel was very clean and had no problemswith it, except you had to que for the speciality restaurants which was annoying. We were told hotel is full and this is a big hotel and there were plenty of sun lounges etc prior to 9.30 am but after that they went fairly quickly. Some days there didn't go until 11am but its luck of the draw - plenty of people coming and going which I suppose is a reason. Funny but we were told best time to go is March / April as the bugs don't really come out and are small (if that makes sense?) didn't get bitten once and had no bug spray on wherever we went - on boar / Havana etc So would recommend to go at this time of year. Catamran trip was good and so was Havana.

Food was good and plenty of choice but novelty wares of very quickly which I have always found wherever I go All inclusive.

Tips frenquently and the waiters find you! which is good in busy times.

Overal we all enjoyed it and would go back again but would like to try a different hotel.

P.S - buy a good snorkel and mask before you go as the watre is clear and plenty to see!

just returned from a brill 2 weeks at the sol palmeras.we went with first choice and cannot praise them highly enough.we upgraded to the premier plus and that was worth every penny.check in first, excellent service on the plane.as for the hotel my husband and i loved it.for all tea lovers the only advice i would give is take your own teabags and a travel kettle for your room as there are no tea or coffee facilities in room.and that is the only fault we could find.food was very good,staff were brill the beach was a dream.and what ever you do go to havana.

Just returned from the most fantastic two weeks in Cuba. First Choice made the flight as painless as possible, and Mario the Rep. in our hotel was fantastic, he calls everyday and nothing is too much trouble, if you need anything just ask.

At the Sol Palmeras nothing is too much trouble for any of the staff, but tipping does help. 1 Peso here and there goes a long way, your glass will never be empty with the waters in the bars or restaurants. Keep your small change, as you are all inclusive there isn't much opportunity to get change for tipping.

The buffet restaurant is great, there is loads of choice and the food is cooked with us in mind. We did use all the specaility restaurants, our favourite was the chinese, although they were all great, go in the afternoon to book as everybody seems to go after breakfast and there is a queue, there is no queue in the afternoon.

Use the towel service it is really handy, and the safety deposit boxes are free, just ask for your key at reception.

We did the 2 day trip to Havana, it was well worth it, the tropicana show is something to see and the two days is a good balance of old and new things. If your rep. tells you children can't go on the 2 day trip question it, there were loads of kids on our trip, and they got discounts as they couldn't go to the tropicana (0ver 16's only).
We booked with the first choice rep. (company Havantur) and on the second day the tour took us to Cuba's sealife centre where we had lunch watching an underwater dolphin show, this was a nice surprise and apparantly the other tour operators don't go there.

There is a diesel train which runs to the shopping centre, it is worth a visit, but we walked through the bungalows,it only took seven minutes and was a plesant walk.
The Tourist bus is worth a trip, a round trip costs 5 pesos and you can hop on and off as may times as you like. Don't expect too much from Varadero itself, there is very little to see or do when you get into town.

I can't think of anything bad to say about Cuba, apart from if you are looking for a holiday with lots of entertainment and lively nightlife it is probably not the place for you. It is a laid back country, with a relaxed pace of life, its a beach based holiday.

I hope I will be going back to Cuba again, and cannot recommend the Sol Palmeras enough.

We have been to Cuba three times ,each time in Sol Palmeras.We stayed in a villa set in beautiful grounds, but some walking distance from the main facilities. In the villas there are no coffee or tea facilities , we take our own (there was a fridge) The decor is tired, TV with lots of american channels, spanish and german. Air conditioning works very well but is noisy. The maid was brilliant and very helpful and did not have her hand out all the time.

Do take insect repellant and lots of it! when it rains the bugs come out in force and pack a punch...we were savaged and the maid kindly sprayed the villa.

Exchange rate seems to depend on what they decide to give you in the hotel...varies from 2 pesos to the pound to 1.6, when we asked them why the difference the reply was 'the rates have changed'...odd, as the Cuban peso is not an international currency. No receipts are given when you change money.

There is a dual currency in Cuba, £1.00 = 24 local cuban pesos. £1.00 =1.6 -2 tourist pesos.As a tourist you cannot use local pesos. Wherever you are taken in Cuba (on trips etc) you are only taken to places that accept tourist pesos...this makes it very expensive...

When the cubans are on holiday the prices are roughly half. E.g when the cubans were on holiday a beer costs 1 tourist peso, when they are not, it rises to 2 tourist pesos.

We have noticed a dramatic change in the cost of things in the last three years. We felt that the service and goods do not warrant the prices you are paying.Take more money than you think you are going to need.

Beware the supermarket in the Plaza de las Americanos, near the hotel Melia. Take a calculator with you as we have experienced numerous attempts to seriously overcharge (£15.00)despite having till reciepts and a manager watching.

There are four themed restaurants ,all ok, you do have to book these (can only be booked up to three days in advance) and it involves queing ,this is very tedious.

The beach is superb; lots of sunbeds, you pay for towels when you arrive and change them everyday.Keep your eye on them, as we had one stolen and it was a hassle to get our money back. No towel, no money!The swimming pool is clean and the grounds very well kept. There is a very good snack bar with great staff and a good beach bar.

We thought the food was very good, lots of fresh fruit every day and an amazing variety of food is available...try the bananas in rum!.Getting down early in the morning is a good idea as the coffee machines run out very quickly.We have travelled extensivly in Cuba and never been ill eating local food.

The staff are very friendly...tipping the waiters is usefull or you could wait forever! You probably will not find a seat; as there are not enough in the bar areas, also they do not turn the air conditioning on. So, its hot and there are no seats...miserable...we just went back to the villa! There is good live entertainment and the hotel is child friendly and accomodating.

Do go swimming with dolphins, it is amazing. If you can afford it, go on every trip,(bar the sugar cane one) as they are all excellent and you will see the real Cuba.

The Thomas Cook reps are superb and they organised air conditioned taxis to take us to Havana.

Havana is a super place and we have been there several times, on both organised trips and independently. We have had great fun, no problems at all! Havana is a wonderful city and much better value than the tourist resorts,the people are fantastic and there is so much to see.

We asked the taxi driver who drove us to Havana to take us to a paladar(a privatly run restaurant)they are brilliant! Three course meal with lobster and drinks, for the three of us for £65.00 in luxurious surroundings. Make sure the price is on the menu before you order,if it isn't check the price.It helps if you can speak some spanish.

We think Cuba is a superb place and the people are great. Go and see it, before the country and the philosophy changes out of all recognition.

Beautiful beach,good variety and quality food. Too large a hotel for our liking, but good holiday overall if you don't mind lots of people!
Definately reccommend a trip to Havana...brilliant.
Rooms tbut on the downside,the pool area is not the cleanest and the hotel staff are not the friendliest, which is not surprising considering the long hours they have to work!

Just arrived back from the most amazing holiday ever.

The First Choice flight was excellent the extra 3 inches legroom make a real difference, pity Cuba isn't nearer to home though as length of flight feels like forever coming home. Had no problems at Varadero airport just takes a little longer than usual because of visa scrutiny by passport control. Don't bother with a porter at airport as buses are directly outside airport. Transfer to hotel was very good on air con bus (thank heavens for that) and only took half hour.
Reception staff at hotel were very pleasant and efficient they even noticed from the passport that it was my husbands birthday on that day and a bottle of champagne and fruit were immediately sent to our room. Rooms were quite spacious, very clean and although a little dated had a fridge(bottled water provided in this daily), tv, hairdryer, toiletries and tissues. Our sheets were changed most days and towels every day. Our maid Noris was a wonderful person and made birds out of our towels. We felt that a kettle or coffee maker was lacking, as we had a bit of a walk to get to the nearest coffee machine.

The pool was lovely and the gardens beautiful. The pool bar was good with very friendly staff.
THE BEACH well what can I say about this except it was paradise with adequate sunloungers except 1 day when we struggled to find one but one of the beach staff went to the hotel pool and dragged 2 beds back to the beach for us, you can't get much better service than that. The sea is warm and crystal clear. There's a bar on the beach as part of all inclusive where you can also lunch on prawns, chicken, paella, fries, salad, fruit and ice cream, so you can stay there all day if you like (heaven) or a few strides from the beach is another bar where you can get burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches. We took a couple of plastic cups with screw on lids they were a godsend while on the beach.
The buffet restaurant was amazing they coped very well with the large volume of guests and the choice of food was never ending. You would have to be a hell of a fussy eater not to find something good.
The themed restaurants have to be booked 3 days in advance we only tried the italian and chinese, both were quite good.

Service in bars was excellent, we tipped barman at beginning and our glasses were never empty.
We went on 2 trips Havana which I'm glad I've seen but I wouldn't like to go back I'm not a city person anyway,don't have any jewellry on while here as we heard reports of tourists having chains snatched from round their necks we found the people here less friendly than Varadero. Our other trip was truly worth every penny it was a catamaran cruise to cayo blanca which included a swim with dolphins or sit on jetty and be kissed by one (If you want dolphins swim check you are booking the right cruise as there were 2 different ones). snorkelling and then on to the little paradise island with white satin sand for lunch of lobster, prawn . fish, chicken. all drinks are included on this trip both on board and beach restaurant. 2 hours lazing on beach then cruise back to varadero with salsa dancing on board. This is the best trip ever. There is also a double deck open top red bus which you can hop on outside hotel and for 5 pesos can hop on and off all day.

Our rep Mario is an amazing person with a wicked sense of humour and was at the hotel most days and nothing was too much trouble.
The entertainment at hotel was pretty good although we just prefer to watch the younger ones enjoy themselves, the evening entertainment was there if you wanted it, we were worn out with all the lazing on the beach we did (te hee) and we also met some wonderful people whose company we enjoyed so had our own entertainment.
All the staff we found very friendly and helpful and if you smile and say ola you'll be surprised how wide of a smile you get back.
This is the first time we have been on a beach orientated holiday and we have both said it is our best holiday ever. Try it you'll love it, we did and will definitely return in the not too distant future

We would certainly recomend Cuba for a holiday, we had a great time.

The hotel was very good, right on the beach with beach bar, we had a large comfortable room with fridge, safe, air con and a hairdryer, towels were available for use by pool and on beach for a refundable deposit.

There were 5 speciality resturants the Italian and the Steak House were our favourits. The food was much better than we expected, after reading some of your reviews. Meat, fish and omelets cooked to order, plenty of choice for salads, pasta, fresh fruit, desserts, cheeses etc, the only negative was the food was just warm and not hot, as we are used to, but this seemed to be the norm, as people from other hotels said the same. The drinks were never ending and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Havana is a must, we stayed overnight and then a full day into the country, we really enjoyed it. Cigars were cheaper at the airport than anywhere else and rum was cheaper in the local supermarket.

There was always something going on by the pool or on the beach and a different show every night. Some credit cards are accepted (Tescos for one) but with a 3% charge, the main thing you need money for are the trips and tipping, there's not much else to spend on. We would certainly recomend Cuba and we will definately going back.

We have just returned from a fortnight in Cuba and just wanted to say what a fantastic place it is to visit.
The hotel was lovely, rooms were spacious and always kept clean as was the pool and beach but could do with more comfortable sun loungers!
The food was very good in the main restauraunt with always plenty to choose from, only used the specialised restaurants a few times as you had to queue to book a table and we couldn't always be bothered.
The entertainment in the hotel was brilliant and the shows on a night were very good the dancers were fantastic.
The fun pub is quite funny if you don't expect too much from it, they will play your cd's if you ask them to as there's are quite limited.
A brilliant holiday would definatly go back.

Hi we have just come back from a lovely holiday in Cuba. Unfortunately we got caught up in hurricane Rita for a day, and had to stay in our hotel but the staff and entertainment team tried to keep us amused. The next day the weather was lovely and hot again until later in the day when it started to rain.

The general weather in Cuba is fantastic, very hot in the day and very humid at night. Thank goodness for air conditioning!!! So take plenty or high factor sun cream cos you will need it. Make sure you buy it at home or airport before you get there, its 3 times as expensive out there.

The hotel itself is very spacious clean and tidy, and the old gentleman keeps the garden lovely.

We made friends with two of the barstaff and they were great. We tipped them a couple of times during the first week and the second week they were very attentive, and it was only those two that made the best pina colada too.
The beach was fantastic and the sea was warmer than the swimming pools it was beautiful. Plenty of sunbeds but not really enough umbrellas to shade under.

The pools were really nice could of done with being cleaned better every day but still nice to cool off in. The main pool had to be emptied 4 days before we left due to a leak but we went to the beach so wasnt a problem for us.
Hotel food was quite nice always lots or variation. In the buffet resturant breakfast made me laugh they had sprouts, green beans carrots and other veg in the hot trays. Cant say i saw anyone have them for brekki. They also had everything from cereals, fresh pancakes to fresh sardine and omlettes so plenty of choice. Lunch and dinner had good choices too.

We had a superb meal in the Italian Resturant and the chinese was very nice too. The steak house only had one choice of steak and unfortunately it wasnt the greatest meal ive had. The cuban you could say was quite bland which surprised me.
Anyway changing onto the trips, we swam with dolphins it was a fantastic experience. The lake didnt look very clean but we still went in, wore life jackets so dont know how deep it was. Its a trip you must do, its worth the £50.
Went to Havana on day trip and found it quite boring if i was honest, it was more on the history of the old town, so we didnt see the up and coming new havana where the shops seem to be that other people told us about. As you can imagine its quite run down in places, but i wish i had seen more of the real out back of Cuba, but im sure its lovely.

If you plan to dive there just be aware that they are not PADI Certified diving schools and the reps cant recommend any of the diving schools out there because of the safety of the equipment. So please bare that in mind. I went on a snorkling trip organised from the people on the beach and that was good fun.

I went horse riding one afternoon and was shown pictures of healthy horses but when i got there the horses seemed very thin. I havent ridden a horse for years so didnt really have any experience and they just put you on a horse and thats it. No instruction and no riding hats either. It was an experience for me you could say. Unfortunately they dont treat animals the way we do here so the horses are shown no affection, i discovered this after i got off my horse and patted him on the neck. He lunged at me to bite me, luckerly he missed. Its such a shame they dont love animals like we do.

All i can say is make sure you go if you get the chance its a lovely place, the people do anything for a tip but wages are lousy. It is the safest Carribean island so go on go and explore it. Im hoping one day i will be going back to do just that.
Say hi to Rizdal and Maraina behind the bar for me when you get there.
HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY WE DID. xx

We flew to Havana with Virgin on their new twice-weekly scheduled service. Whilst long-haul tourist class flying is not our idea of fun,Virgin's 747s are infinitely better than the charters we've flown long-haul with previously. This was a definite plus point. Although we were warned to expect delays at the Airport, Immigation and Customs were surprisingly swift.

Our first stop was Havana where we spent three nights in the NH PARQUE CENTRAL. An excellent hotel and certainly one we would recommend. A genuine five star hotel. Havana itself really is a city of contrasts. 90% of the City doubles up nicely as the set for the film Escape from New York (remember Snake Plishkin!) - run-down would be an understatement. However, Old Havana really is architecturally splendid and quite stunning. We did the half-day City Tour which was good value and more importantly, helped orientate us around the main points of interest which we could then return to at our leisure.

Our biggest gripe was the food: if your'e expecting haute cuisine or even half-decent cuisine in Havana forget it. Even the hotel menu was weak (remember this was a five star hotel). On two out of three occasions there was no beef dishes available (Cuba has real problems with its diary/beef industry)which left some pretty serious gaps in the menu. Frankly, we would defy anyone to find a half-decent restaurant in Havana. What you have to remember is that everything in Cuba is effectively state controlled which not only restricts choice but also restricts what is available.

Only other gripe: propensity of the locals to try and rip you off. A Bank Clerk tried to short-change us by $100 CUCs when changing cash and subsquently claimed a mix-up in exchange rates (we had to do a lot of counting and re-counting in front of him to persuade him that we weren't arithmetical idiots); shopkeeper tried to charge us twice for two bottles of water(you pay, he returns with two warm bottles, you ask for cold bottles he returns with said bottles and then tries to charge you again - regular scam); and finally, the more usual scam of the inflated restaurant bill).

Top tip: bring hard currency (sterling) and avoid travellers cheques and dollars.

Following our short stay in Havana we spent 11 nights at the Sol Palmeras in Varadero. By the end of our stay we thought it should be re-named the Queue Palmeras because that's what you'll spend a lot of your time doing. Buffet dinners were the most frustrating with long queues for fish and meat dishes. As all inclusives go this place is strictly average. Food is average, service is average, rooms are average, facilities are average. However, whilst the Sol Palmeras is nothing to write home about it won't make your blood boil. Rather it will leave you feeling that there was just something lacking about the place. However, this we suspect is true of most of Varadero's hotels which seem to be all much of a muchness. In fact, if we had to choose again we would probably choose the cheapest of the Varadero brochured hotels because there seems to be nothing between them in terms of quality that would justify a price differential.

As for Varadero, nothing much to say about it. The town itself is small nothing really to see or do; it's purely and simply a beach resort. Beach is great but you'll have to get there early if you want to get some shade (its an early morning towels on the sunbeds at the Sol Palmeras).

Personally,if you're just looking for a great beach holiday in this part of the world go to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Beach is as good as Varadero's, hotels better and much more to do.

Enjoy!