Blau Varadero Resort

I was at the hotel in January 2012 for my sisters wedding. I spent 8 days at the resort and enjoyed it. As for the wedding, they took care of everything,we all just showed up and enjoyed the day. We did have to ask for a special request that they were reluctant to do (a bottle of Campagne while the Bride and bridesmaids got ready) but in the end they were able to do this. The beach was great and the 24 hour sandwich bar kept everyone happy throughout the trip. The 24 hour bar allowed us to decorate for the 'dance' and even played our Ipods so we could listen to our music. The beach itself was beautiful. There were always chairs available and someone to help you. The beach is calmer and quieter than other countries (eg mexico) the cubans selling on the beach are not aggressive and there are not a ton of them on the beach. The rooms were large- i was on the wheel chair accessible level as the hotel was full so that might have been why, but no one with the wedding party complained about their rooms. I did end up getting a serious ear infection, the nurse at the hotel was great, she got a doctor there in 15 minutes and within 30 minutes they had the pharmacy deliver medication and did follow ups with me though out my stay. This is not included in your hotel stay, but the cost is minimal and the doctor fee is reimbursed in Canada as long as you get a receipt. I did hear some people complain about food, however i thought it was good. When going to Cuba you need to remember that they do not eat like a North American, and if that is what you are looking for why are you leaving home? Go with an open mind and just enjoy yourself, you will not go hungry! We booked a tour at the hotel with our tour group and everything went smoothly. Word of advise, do not take US cash, Canadian, Euro or Sterling are best, you cannot buy Cuban Covertible pesos outside of cuba, make sure to convert back what you do not spend as you cannot do this outside of Cuba. Also Debit cards do not work and any credit card that is tied to a US company was still not working at the time I was there (for Canadians this is most Canadian Banks Mastercards, Canadian Bank Visas are generally fine). Overall this hotel was very good and had lots of activities during the day, if you are looking to chill with a group of people and like to have drinks at the 24 hour beach bar or are a family traveling this is a great location as the hotel portion is quiet at night. if you want to go clubing this may not be the right place as you will need to take buses or cabs everywhere.