Rating:
"The hotel was clean and very pleasant. It has a nice pool area and a great beach. The Chinese and Italian restaurants have good food. Our two rooms were missing soap, shampoo, kleenex, water, etc. upon arrival. The front desk staff was very slow and borderline unfriendly. Most of them didn't make any effort to serve customers promptly or in a friendly manner. Some of the wait staff in buffet restaurant and bars was very friendly, but maybe because we tipped them. The cleaning staff was very nice. Also, we lost our camera one day and it was turned in to customer service the next day, which was great. The food at the remainder of the a la carte restaurants and the buffet restaurant was ok. Lots of variety, but not the best quality. Having said that, we could always find something pretty good to eat. We had a nice time overall, but would not go back to this resort."
Reviewer: reviewer566
Date: Aug. 26, 2011

Rating:
"This was my first tropical vacation and just wanted to have a relaxing non-traditional Christmas on the beach. We arrived late at night on

the 19th of December. Walking into the hotel we were immediately assaulted by a strong odor of a musty, mildew and dirty water. This was

our first impression and we were a bit worried. The first night we stayed in the main hotel but were quite disappointed by the state of the

rooms. They had that same mildew smell and noticed dirty bathroom mirrors, wafer-thin pillows, tiny ants everywhere and just a general lack

of cleanliness but was so tired I decided to ignore it and remember I was here for the outdoors. We were woken early the next morning by

construction right outside our windows. The next day we complained to the front desk and the lady was very nice about moving us into the

bungalows which were very nice but had to pay a substantial fee to upgrade although my 2 friends did not have to pay which puzzled me - why

did I have to pay another $103 Pesos???
The next day we decided to eat the buffet which at first glance seemed to have a generous array of foods but after careful inspection there

seemed to be some strange items like uncleaned whole shrimp which looked good until you tried to figure out how to eat it ... I just threw

them aside frustrated as did almost everyone else and a lack of salad ingredients unless you like canned peas, corn, strange white cabbage

and spotty lettuce. The bread was very good.
We headed to the beach and found it to be quite beautiful with the turquoise water and almost white sand so we were pleasantly surprised

and excited about spending the day sunning and swimming. The water was great.
We tried on several occasions to book dinner at the various themed restaurants which are Italian, Chinese, Cuban and a steakhouse. The

Cuban and and the steakhouse were easy to book but the other 2 not so much in fact we were never able to get a reservation for the Chinese

after several attempts so we just decided to show up and see if they would let us in. They did and it was half full. The food was ok but

they use spaghetti instead of Chinese noodles and no real Chinese vegetables (a bit too picky here) but we were just happy to avoid the

buffet and eat some tasty food for a change. The Italian restaurant was very good too. A word of warning ... avoid the steakhouse and the

Cuban restaurant as I am still having trouble forgetting the horrible meat that I couldn't even cut and made me quite sick during the

night. I am still having some issues with my stomach.
My big issue with the hotel service is the constant tipping or you get poor service and sometimes bad attitude ... was this not all

inclusive? I tipped the maid about 30 pesos over the course of the week and got extra toilet paper, water and she made swans and sailboats

out of the towels but would have preferred a better cleaning. She was sweet though and gave her a big hug before leaving.
As for activities you really had to find what you enjoyed the most. We really liked renting the scooters and heading into Veradero town to

find the local markets and restaurants where we thought we could enjoy some good, cheap, authentic local eats. Little did I know they

switch the local's menu for the tourist menu when they see you coming but understandably so considering these people have little money. I

made friends with one of the locals and gave him a stipend to set us up with a genuine local food experience and it turned out to be worth

it bigtime! It cost us 20 pesos for 3 courses of incredible vegetables, lobster, shrimp and drinks overlooking a beautiful beach. The

second experience was not so great as we ended up spending 45 pesos for lunch for 3 and when we asked for the real menu several times they

just ignored us. This is no reflection of anything at the hotel but a tip if you want to experience true Cuban local cuisine.
We had several beautiful days on the beach but were always worried about what to do for dinner when they wouldn't let us reserve one of the

2 good restaurants. I avoided the buffet for breakfast, usually buying a bag of raisons and nuts from the store. If you want great pizza

take the Choo train to Plaza America where there are plenty of insanely overpriced shops but interesting to visit. Also try to echange your

money before you get to Cuba because the Hotel exchange rates are disturbing and bring your passport if you plan on exchanging at the

actual Banco. The exchange rate in the real world this day is 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.99442 Cuban Pesos as of 12/27/2010 whereas the hotel

rate that week was a whopping 1.12 to 1.15 and they should at least be par.
Some good times were had but I don't think I would ever go back to that resort and even questionning returning to Cuba if things remane

status quo. Don't believe the all-inclusive hype unless you want terrible service by not tipping ... it is expected and required. Be very

careful if using the toll phones in the hotel lobbly where the rates are posted but they will gouge you and 3 calls of only a few minutes

ate up 60 pesos quickly. Prices for everything change constantly, for example, 3 hours on the scooters was 15 pesos one day and 17 the next

and make sure you calculate everything when you buy stuff from the hotel shops because they will blatently try to rip you off and the first

time they charged us taxes on items but found out there are no taxes. All the dishonestly and money grubbing left a very bitter taste in my

mouth and if they stopped to realize that good service and honesty (not to mention cleanliness) would bring me and many others back in a

heartbeat but I guess a quick buck is more important than building a good customer base. I'm truly saddened by that. I also question all

the rave reviews of this place by so many people which is why I chose this resort. Be very very careful of these reviews and ask people who

have actually gone there.

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer so just post a response and I'll get back to you.

"
Reviewer: CapitalMan
Date: Dec. 27, 2010

Rating:
"I went to this hotel with my mother in september.i really have to say that the food was quite good, i have been to a couple of resorts and this was by far the best. its a four star hotel so you cant expect too much. i really enjoyed the water activities and there is a band that plays in the upper floor where the bar is while you drink and chat. the poor is nice but the beach is just absolutely beautiful!!!! i saw one jelly fish on the beach all week. The beach is clean and taken care of. always a lawn chair available, and if you did have one someone would spot you and get you one. the staff were really nice. "
Reviewer: melissa
Date: Apr. 04, 2010

Rating:
"This resort is a nigthmare.Many reviews complain about the odour from smoke but really it's mildew that is the overpowering smell in the rooms. We had to change rooms four times.Our first room was a bungalow suite. We were driven out to it and as we drove, the worse and worse the site became. There was garbage, discarded bottles, plastic bags and old shoes left along the various buildings. When we arrived at our bungalow, I asked the bellboy to first show it to us before bringing in the luggage. How ironic that at an all inclusive the bungalow has a kitchenette, but that,s fine compared to the broken cupboard doors hanging on broken hinges and mildew on the walls, etc. and the king size bed is two twin beds moved together. We refused the room and were then taken to "the honeymoon" bungalow. On first inspection it seemed okay until we moved the curtain to open the window, a huge bug scurried away and the window was separated from the wall by about an inch. If that was bad enough, the toilet and shower, though attached to the bungalow by a glass door, actually are outside with only slanted boards for a roof-sun shade. To flush the toilet you had to flush atleast six time to get the flush working. (This happens in each of the four rooms we were given") The shower was next to the toilet and the drain is totally plugged with dirt. And guess what; it did rain that night; what a honeymoon this would be!)
We went back to the lobby to request yet another room change (already the cost has increased by $150), they put us in the Presidential Suite which over looks the ocean. GREAT! By the time we got into the room it was already dark so we couldn't see the view but we did hear the "roar of the ocean surf" which in the morning turned out to be the constant sound from the hotel laundry; and this is a constant sound around the resort, even at the beach. it sounds like a train passing through. Again we request a room change but this time I asked housekeeping to first show us some empty rooms. We found a true king size bed in room 3072, only to discover two days later that the red welts on our skin is bedbug bites. What a trip! This room is also really smelly from mildew and diesel(God knows where the diesel smell was coming from). The water pressure for a shower is almost nonexistent. The minifridge in the room is only stocked with one bottle of water, there is no room service,so if you want a drink in your room you either carry it up or go to the supermakret to buy the beer, etc. And if you like coffee, forget it! There is no coffee machine in the room and the coffee in the restaurants is instant from an instant machine that gives coffee, hot water or hot chocolate. We discovered that the only way to get coffee was to go to the 24 hr. lobby bar and get a capoccino and ask them to add milk. If your a Tim Horton's lover, this is your only choice for a simulated taste of coffee and solution.
The food is pitiful and the presentation is even worse because the fresh fruit and vegetables are filled with fruit flies. And the fresh meat grill, tucked in at the back of the buffet restaurant is something you want to stay away from; they mix raw liver, raw veal and raw pork with raw chicken all on the same large tray and the cook uses the same fork to spear any of the four meats. We all know how bad it is for food poisoning to mix raw meats esp. raw chicken with other foods.We tried every day to make a reservation at one of the a la carte restaurants but that was almost impossible because the "system is not working" . The lady making reservations took down our name and room number and told us to come back at 2:00p.m to see if we got a spot and to pick up our reservation tickets. Well-I don,t want to carry a watch to the beach to keep track of time. We are their for a break, and I don't understand why we should have to come all the way back from the beach to the lobby to see if we got our reservation. At one point she guaranteed that we were booked for the steak house on Wed. but when we got there at 8:30pm the attendant wouldn't let us in (though the restaurant only had three tables occupied) because our room number was not on his sheet. What was worse was that most of the employees were eating and socalizing but turning us away. Neither my husband nor I are fussy eaters as long as the food is not fast food, artifical food overdosed with chemicals for flavour so we were really happy when we finally scored a meal other than the drastically overcrowded, understaffed , and uncleaned tables in the buffet. It was the Italian. We love Italian. but this is horrible. The tomato soup was so strong (acidic) it was utterly unedible. I ordered the lazanga (filled with red kidney beans) as the main course but it was so salty I couldn't eat it. We left and went back to the buffet for the same old, same old selection of foods. When my husband and I sat at a table for four they avoided serving us or any other couples who did like wise. The serving staff also do not like to clean the tables and set new service for the constant crowd of guests. It,s terrible and extremely noisy and very warm. Not a pleasant way to dine.
What,s good! The beach is stellar and that's what saved our vacation. But even here the service is below a one. The many loungers(but no chairs) are either dirty with sticky dried juice or broken. They are the typical white all plastic, and at 5:30pm the beach patrol come to stack them for the night by literally throwing them atleast 6 feet to land on top of each other.(You can image the racket that makes), so they pretty much get the guests on the beach to leave by 5:45 when there's atleast another 1.5hrs. of excellent beach time not to mention watching the sunset on this outstanding beach. They make so much noise that it makes staying on the beach a test of your patience vs. theirs. This resort had many elderly guests who sadly packed up their beach bags and left for their rooms. It was so upsetting. This happened every day for the 7 days we were at this resort; without fail they start at 5:30pm. The beach is never cleaned. Lots of garbage around, but the beach staff love to play beach volleyball and beach soccer. Although the beach is free of motor craft, twice daily a two-man, reverse propeller, lawn mower motor driven, flying rubber dingy with parasailing wings literally flies in and makes its very loud landing exactly where guests are in the water, sending them running out off the water. The guards on the beach meet in a huddle with their hands behind their backs, discuss the contraption but don't do anything about it. One man gets out of this flying rubber dingy, carries an envelop, to the attended in the hut for beach music, arobics, etc. stays a bit, then goes back to the man made flying contraption, pulls the lawn mower motor cord, they start the motor and very loudly take off. What a disturbing situation. And beach towels. Well! the attend works fr. 8:30-10:00,goes for a break, then comes back from 11-12 then is closed from 12-1 pm then closes again fr. 2-3 and closes for the day at 6pm. This is when I just about lost it! Oh yes! You have to put down a deposit of $10 per towel, they give you a towel voucher which you give to the attended. When you check out, you have to have returned the towels to the attended who will return your voucher which your return to the "check out staff" at the front lobby. If you don't have your voucher, and the attended is on her break or closed for the day at 6pm, you check out without your towel refund even if you try to give the "" towels. They take the towels back but they won't refund your deposit because it's not with the voucher! Can you believe this resort! So you can be short $10 per towel. What another disturbing situation.
If you're a female English speaking(Canadian) guest, don't expect very good service from the bartender nor the serving staff. They literally ignore you until you either go to them and demand service or boldly declare that you were there before the guest he is about to serve. The staff also make a point of point at your table, while talking and laughing. They literally avoid coming to serve the table. For the first couple of incidents I felt really paranoid, but we observed that they acted this way toward other guests. But it was so upsetting that at one lunch I left crying because it was just so unbearably frustrating. We did go to complain to "Guest Satisfaction" but the person there said that since we were leaving on Sat. & it was already Thurs. afternoon there wasn't really anything he could do.
What an all around terrible experience, and what continues to remind us of this expensive disaster is that we now have to deal with luggage that is contaminated with bedbugs, the horribly itchy bites and the possiblity that bedbugs stay dormant for up to three years even if we leave them outside in minus 15 Winnipeg temperatures. Pest control services will add to the expense of the sorry vacation. There's lots more wrong with this resort, but I hope you get the picture. 5 star
water, sand and sunsets but the conditions aren't worth it! Stay very far away from Sol Palmeras! "
Reviewer: anonymous2570
Date: Apr. 05, 2009

Rating:
"We just came back from our little vacation to Varadero, this time we stayed at The Sol Palmeras Hotel, because we went with a group of friends from Vancouver that reviewed OK. We can say that generally is a good place, very friendly atmosphere, lots of activities, lots of food to choose from, excellent beach, very friendly people, nobody bother you if you want to relax, excellent security with out noticing, I will definitely go again, the only thing that we were not happy in our group is the smoking, this time there were too many European tourist and they smoke like chimney, so if you are a non smoker you have to make sure you don't seat near them at some events, the bedroom in our case was smoke free. So, we were happy to choose this Hotel for our vacation and we RECOMMEND A+++++ "
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Dec. 04, 2008

Rating:
"Good location, service and food, beautiful gardens, excellent beach BUT If you DO NOT smoke this hotel is NOT for you or your children."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Dec. 01, 2008

Rating:
"We moved 3 times in this hotel. The 1st room was too smoky. The air condition in the 2nd room didn't work, so we stayed in the bungalow which was away from the main building. There were little bugs in the bathroom counter, and the floor was flooded every time after the shower, because the shower curtain was too short. The fridge in these rooms were empty, no soft drinks, beer or glasses, just one 1.5L bottle of water. So, we had to move to another room whioh is better. Forget about having a cup of tea or coffee with desert, not even in the a la carte restaurants. They are only available for breakfast or in the lobby bar, and you are not allowed to take food out of the restaurants."
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Dec. 21, 2007

Rating:
"Hotel rooms in main hotel are good, however, the bungalows are not clean and need major repairs. We were in one that was falling apart, air conditioning rattling on wall (enough to keep you awake), Bathroom door was missing pieces and so there was no privacy, shower not working, amoung many other gross complaints - too many to list. Food in Buffett was not good at all. Not many choices, however - a la carte restaurants were fabulous with great service. The beach was overall good compared to other hotels. There was lots of beach chairs and the staff was very helpful. "
Reviewer: Anonymous [via Escapes.ca]
Date: Dec. 02, 2007