Sol Palmeras ****

Anónimo, CA, 2005-04-26
We were a party of 40 people some from England and some from Canada, we are English but live in Canada. This was a time for celebration we were getting married there.
We stayed from Feb 21st - 6th March and all I can say was that we all had a blast.
Yes the waiters are slow but what do you except you are in Cuba - chill out and ride with them.
Our Wedding co-ordinator was fantastic she organized everything, helped us with the flowers, the venue, the stag and hen nights, arranged for us to have a restaurant for ourselves for the reception - everything was amazing... We were quite a loud bunch and we didn't have any problems with the hotel, our bungalow was amazing - it is a bit from the hotel but that's nice you feel like you are really in paradise and it's nice to wake up in the morning and wander on down to breakfast.
The food was good - not gourmet but there was always something to eat - you wouldn't go hungry...
I would recommend this hotel to anyone - but you really have to go with the mind set that it is CUBA and yes they are more chilled - I think people that make a review on this website are sometimes to critical and expect the world when they go to these places.
p.s. if you go do not miss Havana - it's a must even if you go for an overnight stay - great place - safe and very cultural......
if anyone needs further info pls don't hesitate to contact us on ---

enjoy yourself - don't get hung up on little things you are only in this world once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anónimo, CA, 2005-04-24
A great hotel. Definitely a 4-star plus! Stayed 2 weeks. Fantastic beach and poolside area. Maid service excellent. We would definitely stay there again.

Anónimo, GB, 2005-04-18
Me and my wife have just returned from 10 days at the Sol Palmeras. the hotel does have some good points, but for me they were outweighed by the badpoints.
There is a lot of mixed reviews about this hotel and I think its based entirely and how full the hotel is when you stay there. The resort consists of the main hotel with about 400+ rooms. and about 200 Bungalows situated in the gardens. It seems as though the hotel could cope fine with the 400 rooms, but when the bungalows are full as well it just can't cope with the sheer volume of people.
Unfortunately we were there when the hotel was full.

We recieved a free upgrade to one of the bungalows, It was a nice clean, spacious Bungalow, right on the Beach (apart from some trees) in the beautifal peaceful gardens. The only problem with being in these gardens was the abundance of wildlife which used to venture into our bungalow when it rained, normally small flys, ants and the odd cockroach. The main problem for me though, was the 10 minute walk to the hotel itself (the bungalow was actually nearer the Melia Valedero.)
The hotel Itself was quite nice The lobby and pool were nice and clean, and the beach was fantastic (Go snorkeling by the rocks lots of tropical fish and the odd Barricuda.) There were lots of activities during the day Volleyball, shooting, Football etc. We don't have kids, but if you do they seem qute well catered for with their own pool and kids club.
I wasn't keen on the layout of the hotel. If you want a drink before 10pm then the two main bars basically open out into the lobby, (except the pool bar.) theres never any seats, lots of smoke and the noise of several hundred people just echoes around it. The service is also terrible. theres normally about 6 staff to serve everyone, and collect glasses. a 15 minute wait for a drink is possible.
At 10pm the cabaret opens for an hour. we're not great lovers of cabaret, but theres normally a seat and the service is quicker at the bar.
At 11pm the 'Fun Pub' opens, if you've stayed in a Sol-Melia hotel before they're all the same, Loud music and a good atmosphere. service a little slow but I expect that in a nightclub-type place.
A lot of the reviews about the hotel slate the food. overall we found the food quite good. (except for the food in the outside snack bars which was terrible, I've had better food from burgar bars outside football grounds.)
The buffet had a good choice and most food was good quality and hot. But timing was everything. If you went too early the restaraunt was rammed and you queued about 10 minutes for everything. too late and they ran out of things, eg Joints of meat, Potatoes. The drink service was terrible though, Waiters were supposed to serve you drinks, but they just seemed to ignore you. In the end we used to go and collect our own.
We found the Restaraunts exceptional, food was fantastic and the service first class. (We never tryed the Italian though) The only drawback with the restaraunts is the booking system, basically there's about 150 seats, and about 1200 guests. You have to get up at 9a.m and either ring from your room (normally engaged) or queue for 45 minutes in the lobby.
Service in the reception is the worse in any hotel I've stayed in, Theres normally about 2 staff on the desk. A half hour wait is the norm, and the organisation is awful. If you dare make a complaint you get your head bitten off by the 'Customer Service Manager.'
To sum up, the main problem with this hotel is the service. Everywhere's understaffed and There dosn't seem any organisation. Staff will just stand around talking rather than Helping you, because there dosn't seem to be any management to tell them off. But its like I said at the start, if the hotel wasn't as full the facilities wouldn't be as stretched and the staff wouldn't be as stressed.
If you managed to catch this hotel half empty, Or managed to book a cheap last minute deal you'd probably enjoy your stay here more.

Thanks for taking the time to read this ... Steve
One last thing if you're planning a wedding here I'd advice caution. We saw one wedding during our stay. the main problem is the chapel where they marry you is right next to the pool, and the ceremony is broadcast on speakers. This attracts a lot of attention from bathers who tend to mingle with your wedding guests in bikini's and speedos (one bloke was carrying a lilo) whilst taking photo's. your photos are then taken on the beach squeezed in between the sunbeds. (I'm sure I must be in the wedding Video on my sunbed).

Anónimo, IE, 2005-04-03
My husband, fifteen year old son and I have just returned from our holiday and it has been our most enjoyable holiday ever. No problems at all coming through passport control etc at airport contrary to all the things we read on reviews! We started with 3 days in Havana at the Sevilla hotel which was superb, like stepping back in time! Havana- fantastic. Then we transferred to the Sol Palmeras where the check-in was 'pain free' and straightforward. Aramando the Bellboy who's an absolute gentleman took us to our room and gave us loads of info about the hotel regarding restaurants, bars etc. We settled in quickly because the hotel was so comfortable and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent even for our son's limited diet! Yes you have to queue to book for the A La Carte restaurants but it's worth it because they're very good especially the Steakhouse and the Italian. The 24hr bar is excellent and you can also get a snack there. The pool area is beautiful, very clean and the gardens are constantly kept neat and in full bloom. There's a good pool bar, and a beach bar which serves very good food during the day. The beach is beautiful and the sea is warm and turquoise. All included is the Pedaloes, Canoes, Hobie Cats and you can learn Scuba diving at the pool. The Animacion team are fantastic and they really cover a wide range of activities for all ages. The Salsa lessons at 5pm are a must! We had a great time and met some very nice people. Take lots of toiletries, t-shirts etc for the staff, they'll appreciate them because they're so expensive in Cuba. Anyone who goes to the Sol Palmeras and has complaints about it is quite sad!

Anónimo, CA, 2005-03-27
The people at this resort could not have been more helpful, kind, friendly and appreciative. I was travelling with my 16 yr. old son, we love to travel and do everything there is to do when we arrive in a new place. We went on the Catamaran day trip, booked through the hotel, where my son met another 16 yr. old boy and became instant friends. they played beach volleyball, basketball, snorkled and danced and met up with many female friends. It was not difficult to book the a la carte dinners if you just used the phone from your room, it was not necessary to stand in line at 9:00 am, There were two men working on the beach to find chairs that were not broken, the sailing staff went out of their way to make sure boats were available (I am a sailor), the concierge desk arranged a private guide to take us to Havana, which was worth every penny, and felt safe...now we are friends with this person, I left 1 or more cuban pesos whenever I could as the staff are not paid very much and work very long hours, I left them at every meal, every day for the cleaning service, at the beach, sailing and they love Dentyne gum and Starbursts, I gave away mint toothpaste (they have to pay 5 pesos for just one tube) large bottles of shampoo etc. (I am in the cosmetic business so I enjoyed giving everyone gifts.) I find Cuban people very proud and do not want to take anything for just being friendly...I loved their music, and dancing and if you are kind and respectful they appreciate you visiting and sharing with them. It was a wonderful experience and I am already planning to go back. The front desk, the concierge, the entertainment staff, the beach staff...everyone knew us by name and we were only there for a week March 11-18th. Its a 3 hour flight from Toronto, plus the customs which is all to be expected one must be patient, the line up was actually just as long when we got home! I just didn't have the patience to wait for the standard all inclusive bus to take us to the hotel at the beginning of the trip so we just got in a cab and for $35.00 US dollars or I am sure they would have taken Canadian as this was better to change in the hotel anyway, we arrived in our hotel quickly with no lineups and were given a room. I found Cuba a wonderful destination and loved the turquoise water and clean white soft sand. Havana was most interesting (1 1/2 hours from Varadero). For a sun vacation it was great value and we have wonderful memories.