Occidental Arenas Blancas

Excellent hotel for the conditions of the beautiful country of Cuba, good facilities, excellent service from the people who run the bars and buffet, but above all the entertainment team, which makes it a very entertaining stay. This time they surprised me with the beach party, which was an excellent time. I have been 6 times and always to the same Arenas Blancas hotel

The hotel itself is very average (even by Cuban standards), the food is normal (again by Cuban standards, don’t expect much, but you won’t go hungry), and the rum flows like a river. Several ala-card restaurants by appointment. The animation is practically invisible. On the shore there are catamarans and yachts for free. There are not enough umbrellas on the beach, sun loungers are occupied in the evening. Beach towels that are provided at the hotel are stolen, it’s better not to take them (or pay $30 later). Across the road from the hotel is the party heart of Varadero, where nightlife starts after 12 and continues until the morning. The number of rooms is a different story. The reservation was for a superior room. What “improved” means is not very clear. There was no refrigerator or kettle in the room, and the hairdryer refused to work during the second use. There was a TV without a remote control. There was an iron (whether it works or not, I didn’t check) and an ironing board. There is no wardrobe, there is a hanger with hangers. Safe. General air conditioning system. The bathroom has a bathtub, bidet, toilet (without seat!!!!). All the plumbing is well-worn. There is not enough light in the room. Mosquitoes fly in, take a fumigator with you. The soundproofing is terrible, you can hear all the sounds from the corridor. Cleaning: during the 6 nights we stayed, the floor was washed once, the towels were not changed even once, and even less so the bed linen. They came in, made the bed, picked up the trash and left. All. The bottom line is this: I will not return to this hotel and do not recommend it to anyone.

Very old house, furniture that has not been replaced in at least 20 years, indoor safe is broken, TV is broken, toilet 🚽 has no seat cushion, just a magnetic toilet, making it impossible for women to use it, I negotiated with the front desk many times, and only spoke for 10 minutes I sent someone to repair it, then went to the front desk, and pretended to be serious about registering, but still no repairs were done. The food was the same for three meals, the outdoor swimming pool was beautiful, and the beach 🏝️ was beautiful! The bus from Varadero back to Havana only leaves at 8:50 am and 4:30 pm! The bus stopped and went, and it took about 4 hours to cover the 70 kilometers.

The structure shows that it is starting to have years of work, with minimal maintenance in all areas. The service is good and the courtesy is the norm, the organization of the work less so. The meals are average with nothing exceptional. The room is discreet and very large, the beds are good but the bathroom requires little but essential maintenance. The beach is beautiful, the daily entertainment and all the places to drink or eat, as it is all inclusive.

As I understand it, Occidental Arenas Blancas and Barchelo Solymar are the same hotel. We booked a hotel in the first one, but at the reception they sent us to the second hotel. The room in the Barchelo Solymar bungalow is luxurious, the buffet is quite passable, but lacks variety. Dishes run out quickly, queues for meat/shrimp. Drinks include only mango and guava juices. The bars only have beer and rum, the only cocktails are daiquiri, rum and juice and that’s it. The buffet at Arenas Blancas is terrible, all the food is not tasty, there is practically no choice of drinks.