Hotel Iberostar Varadero

For our ten day vacation in October 2011, we chose the Iberostar Varadero as it was number one on Tripadvisor and Holidaycheck. How it got there remains a mystery. Perhaps some people have written a little too much through their rose-colored glasses, rating their holiday rather than the hotel, or perhaps they have less to compare it to or are simply less demanding. In a review site, however, it shouldn't be praised to the extent to which each hotel has this or that to offer hotel. At Iberostar Varadero, the service and hygiene was bad and the food was horrible. Of course the hotel offers many possibilities. It is located on a narrow, but beautiful beach section, and is one of the better ones in Cuba.

Food
It says in some evaluations that the food in Cuba would be generally unvaried and unseasoned. I have to disagree with this. For example, we ate very well in Havana. However, the food at most hotel was tasteless and not hygienically prepared, cooked 'to death' and caused many problems for my stomach. The reason for this in the Iberostar Varadero: sometimes wasted meals, especially meats and cheeses, which were not chilled in the display (which were used in sandwiches afterwards). We also saw the staff blowing their noses during the preparation of food and then cutting up fruit. It is, except for some minor points, the same every day. It is tasteless because it has been cooked for hours and is unseasoned. All non-alcoholic beverages had an extremely musty aftertaste- not very enjoyable! And when it rains, there are times that water drips through the ceiling onto the buffet. For guests from countries whose cuisine is notorious, however, there is no reason to not get drunk, talk loud and barge through in order to fill your plate to a stupid extent.

Service
Whoever didn't tip the waiter one CUC (1 American dollar) was ignored (not for every drink). As all of the bars were extremely busy in the evenings, it was hard to buy drinks- the 'all inclusive' is therefore relative. But this ignorance went for everyone- even the maids. We were also left numerous times at the reception, because "paying" guests who tipped the employees for information or good treatment were put before us. If you stay in the Iberostar Varadero, you can only expect bare minimum in terms of service. You should really take lots of tipping change with you, otherwise it's a long wait! Our flight back was cancelled and the only information that we got was a call to say that it had been moved and that more information was available at the reception. In terms of how, when and why, the procedure was non-existent! After, the reception was once again "busy", which it always was (probably to avoid the "problem": working!) and had urgently checked in a group of 30 people, one of the three workers told us that it wasn't her problem, but that of our travel company.

Hygiene
In addition to the flagrant lack of hygiene at the buffet, we noticed the Caribbean standards of cleanliness. We stayed in a junior suite, which was relatively clean and spacious. But there were also reports in the hotel about bedbugs.

Summary
The hotel is advertised a lot cheaper Great Britain and Russia, which attracts a lot of customers, whose interest mostly a single demand: to get drunk as quickly, as cheaply and as loudly as possible. For the undemanding gourmands and binge drinkers, it's ideal, in reference to the babbling Welsh, Scottish and Russian guests. Based on the previously mentioned downsides, it is not at all recommendable for those who are looking to relax and are expecting to pay too much for this!