Sol Palmeras Reviews

We returned to this hotel mainly because we knew the beach was lovely - still is - and the location is good. It had been 5 years since our first stay and things had changed for the worse. The reception is disorganised - you're never quite sure if the staff are ignoring you or serving someone else - they don't acknowledge you. The rooms (of which we had 3 during our stay) are basic and all decorated the same. Some have irons and ironing boards but some don't, some have shower gel - some don't. Our maid was ok but they do seem to spend most of their time folding your towels into swans etc and putting them on your bed - great unless you're already in the shower with soap in your eyes before you realise, then it becomes a bit of a pain! The food was a bit random, took a bit of getting used to - usually found something to eat. There were quite alot of people there with stomach upsets, alot had to go to the doctors - which is on site - this was costing them £100-130 for an injection to stop them being ill. My husband was still feeling a bit iffey a week after we returned home. The a la carte retaurants were ok but not half as good as they had been - the Cuban and the Chinese were probably the best. The Steak house had been fabtastic last time - best steak ever, but now you could have happily nailed it to the bottom of your shoe and got 12 months wear out of it! The trips were arranged by the Thomas Cook rep - all trips are run thru Cubanacan so it doesn't really matter who you book with you end up with the same trip. Some people seemed to get better trips but alot of that depended on your guide - particularly the overnight trip to Havana. This was the 3rd time we had been to Havana and it was only due to what we had learned on the first 2 times that we knew where to go and what to do. It's a fantastic place - nowhere like it but there were too many corners cut on the trip. The last time we went we had alot of stuff included like the rum museum and visit to the National Hotel etc etc. The overnight hotel was a bit dodgy - looked ok from the outside but there were some dubious looking business men there with very young female friends - in fact it made us appreciate Sol Palmeras a lot more after staying there. Tropicana was ok but they have now made it an indoor event with netting over the trees - this is not really the idea of the place and it lost alot of atmosphere because of this. Best thing was the stop on the way home - fantastic Pina Colada's with cinnamon over looking a gorge that seemed to go on for miles. The weather wasn't brilliant and I know I can't blame anyone for that - however - don't beleive anyone when they say you get an hour of tropical rain then it gets sunny again - we sat for 4 days in overcast cloudy weather and sitting under sun umbrellas sheltering from the rain which lasted all day. The rest of the time the weather was fine - take plenty of high factor suncream because you do burn - even in the cloudy weather. The catamaran trip was by far the best day we had - fantastic time. Snorkelling and lazing on a white beach, the food was very good - chicken and lobster with salad and fresh fruit. The hotel is currently undergoing refurbishment during 2010 - we weren't told about this in advance. 2 days into our holiday the lobby bar was closed which meant even bigger queues at the other end of reception to get a drink. most of the drinks during the day and evening were served in plastic beakers that held less than 1/2 a pint. Din't mind this in the day or round the pool but got a bit fed up in the evening - suggest if you do get a glass then hang on to it. The best cocktails were served in the bar just inside the door of the entertainments room. All in all the hotel was ok but hopefully will be much better once the refurb is complete, The rooms are a bit tired and need updating - they need to be more uniform so everyone gets the same in each room. We won't be returning to this hotel or even Cuba - if this had been the first time we had gone there we definately wouldn't have returned. Luckily we have had a couple of decent holidays in Cuba - if you are thinking of going then go before Castro dies - I'm sure it will all change then.

Friendly clean hotel. Plenty of activities if you want to participate. Loads of choices of food also a la carte restaurants. Thoroughly enjoyed stay.

We enjoyed the holiday very much though found the hotel to big and crowded which we never expected. Also being over 65 years of age we found that we could not find a place around the pool or in the grounds that we could escape the noise and activities. We went to the beach most days, also very crowded, though the loungers were very uncomfortabe. Maybe you should make older customers aware that this hotel can be very hectic. Apart from that the staff were very cheerful and sweet and our rooms were kept very clean.

you have to go to cuba with an open mind and remeber that it is sill a developing country - the people are fantastic but remember they are still on rations !! Our holiday started terribly with the snow delays at Gatwick and being treated disgustingly by Thomson/First CHoice. But that is another matter and a complaint is on its way to Thomson/First Choice and this review is supposed to be about the Hotel. Sol Palmeras was a lovely hotel and we were kindly allocated a bungalow in the grounds by the rep as a family of four - the standard hotel rooms are quite small apparently. The room was basic but very clean. THe main gripe we had was with the level of smoking in the foyer/lobby as we are not just not used to public smoking in UK anymore. The staff were wonderful and very friendly and helpful ( but dont forget to tip !!) The main buffet style restaurant La Panchita had a good variety of foods but some people did complain about cold plates and food ( what can you expect in a hot climate its what the cubans do) we found no problems. Ron Cocos beach bar was very handy on way to and from beach to get your rum punch and special burgers or toasties. The Al La Carte restaurants werent great but the O Sole Mio italian did do the best pizzas and the kids loved them. The beach was lovely and the hotel staff got people invloved in beach activities if you like that sort of thing. The pool was good - but did have some bugs and leaves floating around in it which made it all the more interesting !! We would definitely go back to this hotel.

In summary hotel is old shabby unclean and in serious need of modernisation. Food and drink were awful. Majority of staff were rude and aggressive for tips! Pool and surrounding area was dirty. I cannot believe that this is a 4 star establishment. The only complimentary thing about this hotel was the night entertainment as the shows were fabulous.

Arrived home and both of us were suffering from upset tummys and sickness for 4 weeks! Only saving grace was that we were not ill on holiday. Best thing was landing back at Manchester!

Very nice hotel, always clean and staff are always friendly. There is a waiter there called Elio who made us feel very welcome, ask for him if you are in th buffet. The chinese was brilliant. They did run out of red wine a couple of nights,in the bar but had plenty of other drinks available. There isn't much to do at nights other than drink as the show was poor.

My husband and I have just returned from thid hotel, we were in a party o 8 adults. The hotel itsel is situated right on the beach. The rooms may big a little dated but are well equiped for your needs. We read a few reports before going and there were a few negative ones. I really think you would need to be really fussy to find fault with this hotel. The buffet restaurant was always well stocked with a wide selection of different foods to cater for all. 2 of the waiters there (elio & Noel) were so friendly and helpful, a small tip goes a very very long way in cuba (something i really don't grudge when you see how hard they work for very little money) there is also a chinese wchich i would highly recommend, limited menue but the food was excellent as well as the service. the steakhouse it located by the pool, again excellent but if you don't want to be eaten by mosquito's then i would advise you go early (6.30/7pm) The staff were all very friendly at this hotel and I would recommend this holiday to couples, very good value for money

I would not class this hotel as 4star i would say 3 at the very most,its not a hotel for young children or people with walking difficulties as a lot of the floors and pathways are rised and uneven.ther was no food for children and for the whole 2weeks we where there the kids club was closed.most of the staff were helpfull and pleasent but the 24hour bar took ages unless you were a well known tipper.the beach was gorgeous unfortunatly the pool wasnt the cleanest could do with being cleaned more.i have been to cuba many times in different hotels and have always enjoyed it,this was not one of our best holidays.

Hotel too big for us, the pool not cleaned leaves and grease floating on the top, there are villas outside which belong to hotel so there were loads of people around. take plenty of money to tip otherwise you are kept waiting for drinks and waitresess take a fancy to your shoes or bag hoping you will give it to them not the friendliest of people except in the restaurant where usually they could not do enough for you. When i booked a trip even the rep told me how much I should tip the driver and escort and if you do not give enough they give it back telling you just that. Having said that go and see Havana before it all changes a lovely country

We spent 2 weeks at the Sol Palmeras at the start of May with another couple. We had a standard room which overlooked the pool area. Our maid Maria was excellent. The room was cleaned daily and towels changed as often as we liked and a large bottle of water replenished every day.

The buffet restaurant was good plenty of choice. The themed restaurants had to be booked and there was no limit as to the number of visits you made. We ate in the Chinese and the Italian restaurants both were nice. Our favourite of all was the steakhouse, and our waiter Raul was so helpful and friendly. For lunch you could also eat in the 'Fondue' bar or the beach bar where you could get burgers, hot dogs etc. The hotel has a number of bars. The staff at the pool bar are very friendly especially jamie and rene. Inside the hotel, there was the 24 hour bar and a cocktail bar. It often proved a bit more difficult to get served at these but a friendly waiter called Oswaldo would always pull us up a couple of chairs and bring us our drinks. Tipping a few pesos’ here and there certainly helps. Every night there is a show which either takes place inside, or on the outdoor stage, down the beach or by the pool. After this a lot of people retreat to the 'Fun Pub'. It’s not a bad night if you’re not quite ready for your bed!!

There are two decent size pools which are clean. There are plenty of sunbeds and towels just require a 10 peso deposit. Towels can be changed as often as you like. People have moaned about the pools being dirty but this isn't the case. A few leaves from the many trees around the pool area obviously end in the pools now and again but they are soon fished out. The gardens are well kept too and always being maintained. The highlight of the hotel though is the beach. White sand and lovely warm blue water. Kayaks, Pedalos and Hobby Cat are free to hire. Like the pool there are plenty of sunbeds. There is plenty to do around the hotel in the day. Crazy golf and tennis and the entertainment staff keep the pool goers occupied with Shooting, archery, games, keep fit and water polo. Jesus and Tony are really friendly and they will invite you to a Cuban party which includes a 4 course meal and is mainly for the Brits. This is a good laugh and a good way to meet some of the other guests.

We would definitely recommend this hotel, the staff and locals are so friendly and we'll certainly be going back to the Sol Palmeras sometime in the future.

I would like to say in answer to Sue and Clive's review I think it was for May 07 that I sincerely believe that you are the type to moan about anything and everything and have taken Cuba completely out of context.I suspect that if you won the lottery you would still find something to gripe about.

Cuba is a 3rd World country and all travellers should remember this when they travel there. We found the people to be most welcoming and friendly.You get back what you put in. We always greeted the staff with a good morning/afternoon or evening in Spanish as it's Spanish that is the language most widely spoken. It doesn't hurt to try and speak the native tongue.

Having been to cuba the year before we thought that we would go to the north of the island, we chose this hotel because my husband had stayed there when his son got married. I was very disappointed in the service there. It was as though they were doing us a favour by serving us. When you compared this to the south of the island there is no comparison.

Just back from our Honeymoon at the Sol Palmeras - an it was an amazing place - a really magical two week stay in paradise The hotel was wonderful, its a huge complex and is literally 3 seconds from the beach, its all inclosed and feels very safe and secure. So nice to walk around during the day. ROOMS Very large and very nicely decorated, always very clean as is the whole complex, you see someone cleaning day and night. The fridge and air con are very useful and work well, air con is a must and works really well as the heat can get amazingly hot in the day. Sometimes the cleaners would leave a towel scuplter os a swan or heart on the bed and to be honest it made our day mostly as they look great and you dont get that in other countries. I even left the maid an attempted swan and Superman S one myself one day for fun :) FOOD as its a communist country I was not expecting much and was pleasantly suprised by the food, I always had a gorgeous meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time All the restaurants where great and had huge meals in all of them, all the staff are great to speak to and really nice people. An I really did not mind tipping them here and there as they do work hard for it. The Steak House was our fav and lots of excellnt steaks, chicken and kebab foods where had by us throughout our stay. REP'S TRIPS Our rep was great, really helpful but not intrusive. Went on trips to Havana (very interesting), Swam with dolphins (Which was totally amazing and the DVD is a must) and did the boat trip where you get to drive your own Speed boat for about an hour and half, again it was beyond fun and did not stop laughing all day long. STAFF All the staff are there for you, nothing is too much trouble for anyone, they are a wonderful people and of course you sometimes get the odd sullen face but mostkly everyont is happy and smiles and greets you well. I left some t-shirts, toiletres and larger tips fro my fav staff on the last day as they deserve it and they earn so little you feel sorry for them. I would highly recommend this complex for anyone who wants a really nie layed back sunbathing Honeymoon holiday. It's paradise and you could not be more relaxed with such amazing weather as you get there. I really must thank all the staff of the Sol Palmeras for making mine and Kellies honeymoon such a wonderful experience, full of wonderful magical memories and happy moments. One last thing - Go to Sol Palmeras - YOU'LL LOVE IT!

Never have we been treated so well on holidays.From the time we arrived in the resort to the time we left we all felt like royalty,THE STAFF ARE ALL AMAZING.the reps from first choice are great and will do anything to make sure that everthing is ok.FOOD WAS ALL FRESH, HOT AND WELL PRESENTED. The ommelettes were cooked fresh with any choice of filling.steak chicken fish were all on the menu and always freshly cooked. the only down side are some of the rooms are in need of updating but am glad to say that this was underway when we were at the hotel and what a difference this made to the room.Can i just say that you have to remember the cuban maids have no access to cleaning products like we have back home so don,t expect things to be all shining and luxurious and you wont be dissapointed. The beach is just like talcum powder try and go down first thing in the morning then you will know that you are in paradise. all the staff are very friendly. make sure you take extra clothing ,toiletries etc so you cam leave for the maids when you leave because thay have no means of getting these items in cuba.

Take the trip to the dolphins well worth £54 per person. The trip to havana was good it also included a three course meal which was lovely and you get to see the real cuba whilst driving there. sunbeds around pool are always available and on the beach the same. entertainment was ok usual fun and games. all in all 100% would go back again without a doubt.always tip and the service you recieve is second to none.

Just got back from a 2 week holiday at the Sol Palmeras hotel in Varadero and its one of the best holidays me and my boyfriend have been on.

The flight with First Choice was Ok - what you'd expect for a charter long haul flight. Food Ok and the extra legroom with them is better - but the seats don't seem to be has wide, we weren't sure if this was due to the extra legroom!

I was quite worried about the hotel before we left because of some of the reviews I had read but I shouldn't have been the hotel itself was great. Very clean, food was fine - not culinary excellence but very edible and had something different nearly everyday in buffet. Meat and Fish cooked to order and plenty of veg and potatoes. Plus the desserts were nice too! We tried all the restaurants apart from the fondue one (a lot of people said it wasn't nice though!) But the ones we went in were great - Chinese, Creole were good, Steakhouse was excellent and the Italian ok. I think you need to go not expecting the earth and you will enjoy the food - if you expect the 4 star quality you get at home you will be disappointed but I think this is the case wherever you go whether its Europe or the other places in the Carribean.

The pool was lovely - always got a lounger although certain days were busier than others and earlier you went the better but isn't that always the case! The beach was beautiful but didn't go down there very often as personally I don't like all the sand that goes everywhere.

The hotel provided so many activities during the day - like pool volleyball, dancing lessons, Bongo lessons, archery - the list goes on! Always something to do or watch if you prefer!

At night the pool bar was where we went most. The two barmen in there were absolutely brilliant and made you feel welcome (we did tip them from the start but when you find out how much they earn compared to us it doesn't bother you at all!) and our glasses were never empty - in fact they would fill them before you'd even finished! The Fun Pub was a laugh - just cos of the cheesy music but again if you got to know the barman they would look after you! The shows at night were great and the entertainers very talented especially the singers! Every singer in cuba seemed to be very good! In fact you could easily do something different most evenings depending on what you felt like whether it was a few drinks, a show or a late night dancing to cheesy music.

We did a few trips and they were very good and well worth the money. We went on the Havana overnight which was well worth it cos you get to go to Tropicana which is a must. And the next day you see a lot more of the city instead of cramming it in all in one day. We went on the catamaran to Cayo Blanco which was lovely and relaxing and got a free sunset cruise for one evening. Have the lobster on the boat - we didn't but wish I had because it looked lovely. We also did a jeep safari and saw the countryside which was a nice break from the beach. Went to a ranch for lunch, got to swim in an underground lake and went for a tour in a cave!

All in all it was a great holiday - yes they do have a tipping culture but its the only way of making any extra money in this country and its worth a few pesos here and there. Also smiling and taking an interest in the staff will also guarantee you a good reception and ensure your looked after. They are very friendly people and I found more so than any other country I have been to. Yes there were a few annoying parts - the queuing to book restaurants and the bridges to the pool bar were so slippy! But soon forgetten about anyway. The food is fine and you will eat well everyday as long as you don't expect the earth (better than in Mexico is my opinion). The rooms are cleaned everyday and our maid left us a little note saying have a nice trip home on the last day (prob after a tip) but it was very sweet and made our day anyway! Beware the staff will take a big shine to your clothes especially football shirts - my boyfriend gave his England shirts to two of the staff but they did deserve them as they had treated us so nice for 2 weeks! If you have any toiletries left pass them onto the staff as sometimes they struggle to get hold of a lot of things like razors etc.

Would definitely recommend Cuba and this hotel - just don't expect UK quality when you get there and you'll love it!!