Hotel Iberostar Tainos

We stayed at the Iberostar Tainos for 7 days (3 April to 10 April 2024). Location: Very close to the beach, as it is a small resort and not far from the airport. Staff: From the front desk to the concierge, they were all friendly, polite, and aiming to help. Room: (Rating 1/5) Our room was #2211, located a 1-minute walk from the lobby. At first glance, the room looked nice, but upon closer inspection, it showed a lot of wear and tear, with numerous issues including dirty pillows. It has a safe (fee of $2.5 US per day), 1 TV, and an AC. All amenities are included (shampoo, etc.). Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, but the place with the best reception was the lobby. You receive 2 glass bottles of water which are refilled daily (no plastic bottles). Pros: 1-Quiet room. 2-Very close to the main pool and a 2-3 minute walk to the beach. Cons (issues and others): 1-Ventilation ceiling damaged (see pic). 2-The shower showed signs of old age, with some damage and was dirty (see pic). 3-Bed sheets were dirty; even a pillow had a blood stain on it (see pic). 4-One of the mattresses had visible damage (see pic). 5-The beds were uncomfortable and made sounds when you moved. 6-One of the lamps could be detached (see pics). 7-All the walls had some kind of damage or were dirty. 8-Balcony door has a screw as a lock (see pic). Housekeeping: Great service - there was always some towel art every day. Breakfast / Lunch / Supper: For breakfast, there was a buffet and live cooking stations (e.g., omelets). For lunch/supper, there was also a buffet with many live cooking stations, usually offering pork, fish, and pasta. The buffet overall was decent, and we dined twice at the À La Carte Restaurants. À La Carte Restaurants (2 in total) - Reservation is required: 1-Cuban - we were offered a cocktail. For starters, we had a soup (2.5/5), and we had a choice between spiny lobster, pork, or fish. We chose the spiny lobster (langouste) (3/5). The dessert was mediocre. The service was 3* (with 1 waitress attending the tables). Overall, a 3* experience. 2-Japanese (Live show) - we had chicken soup (1/5 - terrible), 2 vegetable sushi (2/5), fried rice with a choice of pork, fish, and/or spiny lobster (langouste). We chose pork and the spiny lobster (4/5 - very good for both), and for dessert, an ice cream flambé (4/5). The service was 4*. Overall, a 4* experience. Snack: The snack bar is located near the main pool. It was okay for burgers (one day there was a shortage of bread); there are some other items to choose from like pasta, salads, etc. Bars: There are 4 bars. The ones we tried were the Lobby bar, the bar next to the pool, the bar near the beach (George was usually the main person making drinks - very friendly), and the theater bar (which we didn't try). 75% of the drinks were mostly watered down and poor. The best drinks were at the Lobby bar, while the beer was refreshing at the beach bar. Activities on site: There are a lot of free activities to do:

We had the best experience at Lberostar Tainos!! The food was plentiful, the drinks where great, the entertainment was top notch and the staff were absolutely amazing!! They go above and beyond to make your experience amazing! We stayed in a bungalow and our room was perfect. Resort was very clean. Would absolutely recommend this resort to anyone visiting Varadero, Cuba!!

this was the first and last time in this hotel. this hotel is in need of renovation, the sheets were once white and are not being changed. Some towels are changed and some are not. The food is like everywhere in Cuba. But cockroaches are everywhere, in the central restaurant near the bar and in the bar. To my surprise, the coffee was like water. They do it slowly, I waited 4 minutes. For the first time in Cuba there is no Cuban rum. There is also no white or red wine, sometimes it appears in the central restaurant, but if you come later, drink beer. I saw champagne once in a bar in 8 days. The store on site has a very limited selection. The employees work very slowly and unprofessionally. Mosquitoes are like predators here. There is always wind on the beach, sand in your mouth, in your eyes, in your ears. The ocean is always waves and shallow. The Internet keeps disconnecting, you always need to reboot. There is no internet on the beach.

It was our sixteenth trip to Cuba and first time at Iberostar Tainos. We enjoyed ourselves a lot. The grounds of the resort are beautifully manicured, lots of different plants and trees. Everything is in 3- minute walking distance. The beach is great, lots of palapas, no need to run at 6am to get the sunshade. You can come at 9-9:30 and still find the spot. Our only advice to the management is to add 10-15 sunbeds. People who came by 10-10:30 had to lie on the beach towels directly on the sand which is really inconvenient for someone with mobility issues. The service was excellent, especially the reception team: very helpful and friendly. When for some reasons we couldn't get the room in the bungalow that we booked, Yamaris, the reception clerk, accommodated us in a wonderful room with a gorgeous sea view, and we also got some perks like free massages, safe, and late check-out. The food was mediocre and of little variety, but we were never hungry; coffee wasn't good as well. Anyway, you come to Cuba to enjoy the beach, the ocean, and the sun, and these were great. Some advice to our fellow travellers : bring tips in USD or CAD bills, do not give the staff Canadian coins. Also, due to the shortage of many things it is a good idea to bring some gifts for the staff, like clothing items, especially for kids. We definitely consider coming back to the Tainos.