Would you buy a car from someone who didn’t drive? At Weddings By Oceans, we are dedicated to offering you the best destination properties based on our personal experience. That’s why you can either find us in the office, air or some tropical location. In this post, Megan reviews Varadero, Cuba.
With the sweet flowery scented wind and it’s friendly, unique culture, Cuba is one of my favourite destinations to visit. We had the pleasure of staying in beautiful, exciting Varadero this time from October 23-27th and visited a total of 4 magnificent hotels while there.
Here are my impressions, some prices, wedding information and dates to consider for these Varadero hotels when choosing a destination wedding in Cuba:
1) Iberostar Varadero
This is one of our preferred Cuban resorts and it’s still going strong!
The property is as pristine as ever. The well appointed hotel rooms and junior suites are obviously maintained, the restaurants are clean and attractive, and the grounds are immaculate, as usual.
The beach was the only aspect that seemed to have changed since we last visited. It appears to be wider! Of course, we’re not complaining about that.
- Wedding package: CAD$1000.00. Travel Dates: Nov 01/2009 – Oct 31/2010
2) Iberostar Laguna Azul
Lookout Iberostar Varadero! The Iberostar Laguna Azul is the newest property to open on the peninsula and I’m predicting that it will quickly become Canadian’s preferred destination resort over the winter months.
Just opened on September 6th, 2009, this hotel combines beauty and service for the ultimate vacation experience.
A beachfront location only 30 minutes from the Varadero airport and 20 minutes from downtown, guests can choose from ample water & beach activities or simply lounge and soak up the sun. Dining is a treat at this property with a sprawling international buffet and 4 charming à la carte bistros including Asian, Caribbean and more.
Stay in comfort in any of the 814 luxurious junior suites (several interconnecting) filled with modern amenities. Since the property is new, the gardens are a little bare at the moment but we saw plenty of planting and palm trees. The Iberostar Laguna Azul will be very lush soon enough!
The wedding coordinator, Yahimara, is lovely. While there, she escorted us on our visit to look at the choice of wedding locations, a sneak peak at the beautiful spa and hair salon, followed by a delicious lunch at the beachside grill.
I’ve decided my new favourite land sport is the Spa!
- Wedding package info: please contact us and we’ll be happy to send you a .pdf with all the relevant package information.
3) Barcelo Marina Palace
Sandra in the Guest Relations/Wedding department and her team always aim to please, and our quick stop to inspect this property once again proved that their customer service has not waned. We were greeted with a welcome smile and invited to “make ourselves at home again”.
It’s always great to see the girls!
We inspected all areas of the property, including Cayo Libertad – an exclusive area of the complex sold as a separate resort. What a great location for an entire group who wants something a little more private!
Back at the Marina Palace, the beach was hopping! There were a few kite surfers and many people enjoying the shade of the palapas or playing in the waves.
The espresso at the lobby bar is still the best in Varadero!
This hotel is located just across the street from the Marina Gaviota, where the catamarans (big enough to hold 100 people), depart for the Cayo Blanco/Dolphin excursion. What a great group excursion this is! I highly recommend it. (FYI – I met Che Guevara’s son, Ernesto, at this marina last year.)
4) Sirenis La Salina
This is one of the newer properties, opened in 2008, located just a short distance from the new Iberostar Laguna Azul in the Punta Hicacos area, across from the Mangon Lagoon. It is 25 minutes from the Varadero airport.
Upon arriving in the main lobby, you instantly know you’ve chosen somewhere special. The property is very spacious, the grounds lush and it is a great choice for families! The entire area is spotless. We loved the main pool with the waterfall/grotto.
Children are a top priority here, with a wonderful playground, supervised kids program and nice pool for the kids.
- Kids Deal! Nov 01, 2009 – Oct 31, 2010
1st child (2-14 years) is free, except for Dec 31/09 when they pay the Gala supplement. The 2nd child (2-14 years) pays the children’s rate when sharing room with two adults.
We had a blast rediscovering Varadero, Cuba, and enjoyed visiting these hotels to bring you the news about them. Have you experienced any of these properties? We’d love to hear your reviews! Please share your stories in the comment section below.
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Barcelo Marina Palace looks like an amazing location. It looks like there is a lot of great wedding locations in Cuba, but how safe is it to go there. Maybe I am just out of the loop about Cuba. I would enjoy future posts to explain that Cuba is safe location for weddings outside of the US. I’m sure other blog readers are also interested. Beautiful blog.
Hey Maui Beach Weddings, thanks for your comments. The Barcelo Marina Palace is beautiful. And Cuba is one of the safest destinations you can visit. That is a perfect suggestion for future post topics – thank you! And for the compliment.
Well, this is certainly my first visit to your web site! I am a gaggle of volunteers and starting a whole new initiative inside of a community in the same specialized niche. Your website provided us valuable info to function on. You’ve done a marvellous job!