Sirenis Tropical Varadero

“One of the Best in Varadero”

beautiful, well maintained, very friendly staff, good food (shortage of butter), Amazing beach, gated resort (very safe, no begging from locals). good drinks, not a big "party" scene, but lots of music and dancing during the day, Fresh Aloe grown in gardens for those sunburns, 5min walk from good... more

beautiful, well maintained, very friendly staff, good food (shortage of butter), Amazing beach, gated resort (very safe, no begging from locals). good drinks, not a big "party" scene, but lots of music and dancing during the day, Fresh Aloe grown in gardens for those sunburns, 5min walk from good fishing (bring a travel rod). For Canadians remember to tip with US 1$s or Canadian Bills, Cubans cant exchange loonies/toonies. *Dont forget to tip*

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“Cannot ask for a better vacation”

This is our third time coming, and planning on a fourth next Feb for 14 days next time as 7 days is not enough. Everyone is amazing and kind, Betty at the front desk is the most amazaing kind woman who has become a friend. The beaches and ocean is gorgeous, the pools fresh and clean. I cannot say... more

This is our third time coming, and planning on a fourth next Feb for 14 days next time as 7 days is not enough. Everyone is amazing and kind, Betty at the front desk is the most amazaing kind woman who has become a friend. The beaches and ocean is gorgeous, the pools fresh and clean. I cannot say enough good things. Yes there are shortages as the country has been hit very hard but we come for the sun the people relaxation and sunshine. You will not go hungry, there is always a great selection of food to choose from. I have a shellfish allergy and the staff always go above and beyond to ensure my food is safe. I truely am sad everytime i have to leave as sirenis and the people here have become family. Our house keeper Dariana was also so amazing. Until next time . Xxx Sarah and Kelly

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“So-so”

Check In We arrived at noon, and although our room wasn't ready immediately we were given wristbands right away so we could take full advantage of the resort upon arrival. We were able to change out of our plane clothes in a small luggage room. We finally got our room at 5:30pm. The hotel itself... more

Check In We arrived at noon, and although our room wasn't ready immediately we were given wristbands right away so we could take full advantage of the resort upon arrival. We were able to change out of our plane clothes in a small luggage room. We finally got our room at 5:30pm. The hotel itself was large and spread out, so we really got our steps in every day. The elevator wasn’t consistently reliable, so not the friendliest of places if you are mobility impaired. It didn’t seem to be a party place, and nights were very quiet. Guests seemed to be mostly Canadian and Russian. The Beach The beach was absolutely lovely. The best part about the hotel. There were lots of beach chairs in varying conditions and little thatched umbrellas for shade. Due to the shortage of towels, we never had problems finding a beach chairs in the shade. The beach was fairly clean despite other guests throwing cigarette butts in the sand. There wasn't a lot of plastic pollution which was a pleasant surprise. The hotel has only one single usable kayak that guests can use when the ocean is calm. We were told that the other kayak isn't seaworthy anymore. Internet The internet was definitely spotty throughout the resort and worked the best in our room. We often lost connectively and frequently had to keep trying to log in. We had to get a different Wi-Fi code on our second day which we thought was strange, but we didn't pay any extra for Wi-Fi. The room The room was clean, but very musty. We kept the fan going during our entire stay and with the extra airflow, my sinuses stayed clear. The downside of that was that one of our keys was needed to keep the electricity running continuously which meant that we only had one key between the two of us. The a/c did not work at all. It was at least cool enough outside that the room was a pleasant temperature at night as the fan brought in air from outside. During the day it was sometimes hotter inside the room than out. If I needed an afternoon nap, I just had it on the beach. There was one can of been in the fridge upon arrival. This was never restocked. Some days we were given 2 bottles of water. Some days we were not. The water pressure in the shower was good. Most days, the shower was warm, but never quite hot. Buffet Restaurant Cuba is going through an incredibly difficult time, and this is impacting the resorts as well. There was always a wide variety of food in the buffet restaurant. Some of it was great, some was average. The desserts were always good as was the bread when they had it. The grilled meat station was mostly not very good. The chicken was incredibly dry, and the beef so tough it was hard to eat. The pork, when they had it was consistently good. There was always some type of fresh fruit, but not a big variety. Sometimes it was papaya and cantaloupe. I saw guava and pineapple on a few occasions as well. All food was beautifully laid out. We could usually find hot sauce in the salad area. At breakfast the egg station was consistently good, always using fresh eggs. Sometimes the omelet fillings were a little strange like shaved carrots. Occasionally, they even had bacon to put inside! I also found that adding a couple slices of cheese to the top from the salad bar really helped. Salt and pepper were nowhere to be found. Spoons were surprisingly difficult to get. One morning, I requested a spoon four times before finally giving up and I ate my cereal with a fork. You always had to ask for one though. They were never just freely given or set on the table like the knife and fork. I don't know why. A la Carte restaurant The hotel advertises 3 a la carte restaurants. This is a half-truth. They do have 3 different menus used on a rotating basis: Cuban, Seafood & Italian. There is actually only one physical space used for the a la carte, which means that there was only 1 a la carte restaurant on any given day. The service was good, and the wine was better than in the buffet. We were lucky enough to try all three. You have to start lining up at 8:30. The booking person comes in around 9ish. The time kind of varied. Everything is written by hand on paper. Bars Each bar had its own speciality drinks. Some could do pina colada. Some could do margaritas. Juice was always powdered mix. My favourite drink was in the lobby bar. It was the iced Frappuccino with rum, it kind of tastes like Bailey's. Unfortunately, the lobby bar was enclosed, and the air inside was so full of mildew and mold that it felt hazardous to go inside. I really felt sorry for the staff who had to work in there. We never had issues with contaminated ice or food. Entertainment We didn't partake in any of the daytime activities but saw a couple of the evening shows. The Michael Jackson tribute was really good. The dancing was absolutely incredible and in perfect sync. Bring earplugs as the volume was almost painful. The Friday Show was also very good. Pools There are two pools in the resort. We didn't go in either one, preferring to play in the ocean waves instead. One of the pools had a swim up bar, but even though we walked past it many times, it was never once used as a bar. The actual bar was on the opposite side, facing the pool deck. What I wish I knew before going - Towels - Almost non-existent. The hotel hardly has any beach towels. We never did manage to acquire one. You can't even buy one. I looked in both Varadero and Havana. The only option we had, was to stand in the sun and air dry. Bring your own beach towel! - Condiments - Bring your own. Salt, pepper, ketchup, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, etc. A lot of the food was quite plain. - Reuseable Mug - I've never been to an all inclusive before, so I just didn't know to bring one for bar drinks. Otherwise, you are served in a tiny plastic cup, which not only is a pain, but creates a huge amount of plastic waste. - Currency - Don't change your money into pesos. Nobody wants it, and it's a good way to get scammed. Bring lots of American ones to give as tips. The staff can't use Canadian coins anywhere on the island. - Top sheet - Some countries use top sheets to go under blankets, and some just sleep directly under the blanket. The hotel only had a bottom sheet which was barely big enough to fit over the mattress. We asked for a top sheet several times, but we were never given one. If you prefer sleeping under a top sheet, bring your own. I know that a lot of my complaints are fairly minor, especially compared to what the local Cubans are facing. Gas, electricity, and food shortages are becoming more frequent than ever before. However, they all add up to create a holiday that isn't quite what you expected it to be. I'm glad I had a chance to see a bit of Cuba, but I don't know if I'll be back anytime soon.

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