French (English and spanish will fallow).

Nous avons voyagé du 26 janvier au 2 février à cet hôtel. A notre arrivé nous avons eu une chambre dans un bungalow dont nous n’étions vraiment pas satisfait. Le lendemain matin j’ai demandé un changement de bungalow et le jour suivant c’était fait. Je dois avouer que tous les commentaires concernant le personnel, tant a la réception, au buffet, sur la plage, la piscine, les animateurs, la troupe….tout était vrai!!! Ils sont tout simplement superbes!!! Au buffet, Diana et Roxanna, deux serveuses très attentionnées et très gentilles. Pour le service à la piscine, Julio, trop sympa et ‘’pool guy’’ (celui qui nettoie la piscine) vraiment charmant. Les animateurs : Fernando et Julio et toutes les filles, toujours un beau sourire! Pedro, celui qui porte nos bagages, que de service!! Elvis, un des danseurs de la troupe…wow, très sympa! Il y en aurait tant a nommer mais j’oublie les noms!...Une des animatrices également qui danse comme Shakira et qui chante avec le groupe Melao Pa Ti qui également sont superbes! Vraiment de belles vacances! Les chambres? Spacieuse, propre, merci a Tamara qui était notre femme de chambre et Eleana (si je ne me trompe pas) qui était celle de ma belle sœur, chambres très propre!. Le buffet? Petit mais on y trouve son compte en tout temps sans oublier qu’il y a ce casse croute avant d’aller a la plage ou la bouffe était bonne aussi! Nous n’avons pas été malade, aucun d’entre nous!. Le petit frigidaire de la chambre rempli a tous les deux jours, nous on avait demandé que de l’eau et c’est ce qu’on a eu. L’animation : si vous trouvez votre séjour long au Tainos c’est que vous ne vouliez pas participer a rien….Ils sont la en tout temps et il y a plein d’activités du matin au soir pas le temps de s’ennuyer! Merci à tous, vraiment il y aurait tellement de choses a dire sur ce site que je n’arrêtais jamais!. Un des chanteurs, qui également joue du saxophone un soir avant le show, il était trop gentil et tellement bon au point ou j’avais des frissons sur tout le corps chaque fois qu’il ouvrait la bouche! Oh, aussi le band Sugar Caliente! Wow, wow, wow!! Que de polyvalence! Très bon chanteur aussi! C’est eux qui devraient rester après les shows pour faire danser les gens…ca marcherait mieux que la disco ou c’est toujours du genre techno et dont le DJ ne change pas assez le rythme…malgré que l’équipe a la régie était excellente aussi. Nous n’avons jamais eu la chance de rencontrer le propriétaire de l’endroit, mais chapeau! Super de beau site et bonne gestion du personnel et qualité exceptionnel au service a la clientèle!. J’oublie surement beaucoup, mais en un mot…Iberstar Tainos…on y retournera c’est garantie! Et cette fois j’apporterais plus de petits présents pour tous!.

We travelled from January 26th till February 2nd in this hotel. At first we had a room in a bungalow with which we were not really satisfied. The following morning I asked for a change of bungalow and the next day it was a done deal! I have to admit that all the comments concerning the staff, so much has the reception, in the buffet, on the beach, the swimming pool, the animators and the troop was true!!! They are simply magnificent!!! At the buffet, Diana and Roxanna, two very thoughtful and very kind waitresses. For the service at the swimming pool, Julio, too nice and “pool guy” (the one who cleans the swimming pool) really charming. The animators: Fernando and Julio and all the girls, always a beautiful smile! Pedro, the one who carries our luggage, What a service!!! Elvis, one of the dancers of the troop wow, very nice! There would be so much has to say but I forget names!.... One of the animators also who dances as Shakira and who sings with the group Melao Pa Ti who also was incredible!. Really beautiful holidays! Rooms?: Spacious, clean, thanks to Tamara who was our chambermaid and Eleana (if I do not make a mistake) who was the one of my sister in law. The Food?: Small but we find what we needed any time without forgetting that there is this snack bar before going to the beach where the food was good also! We were not sick, none of us!. The small fridge of the room is filled every other day, we had asked for water only and it is what we had. The animation: if you find your stay in Tainos to long it is because you do not want to participate .Animators are everywhere and there are lots of activities from morning till night no time to be bored! Thanks to all, really there would be so much things to say on this site it will be to long!. One of the singers, who also plays the saxophone one evening before the show, he was too kind and so good to the point I had goose bumps every time he starts singing! Oh, also the band Sugar Caliente! Wow, wow, wow!! So much versatility! Very good singer also! It is them who should stay after the shows to make people dance which might work better than disco where it is always techno kind of music and which the DJ does not change enough the rhythm yet the technical team for the show was excellent also. We never got to meet the owner of the place, but bravo! Great site and good management of the staff and the quality to the service for the client is excellent!. I surely forgot many things, but in brief … Iberostar Tainos we shall return to this is guaranteed! And this time I would bring more small presents for all!.
Viajamos del 26 de enero al 2 de febrero a este hotel. Al llegar tuvimos un cuarto en un bungalow por el cual no fuimos satisfechos. Al día siguiente por la mañana pedí un cambio y al otro dia fue hecho. ¡Debo reconocer que todos los comentarios que conciernen al personal, tanto la recepción, al buffet, a la playa, la piscina, los animadores, la tropa, todo era verdad! ¡! ¡! ¡ Simplemente son excellentes! ¡! ¡! Al buffet, Diana y Roxanna, dos camareras muy atentas y muy gentiles. Para el servicio a la piscina, Julio, demasiado agradable y " pool guy " (el que limpia la piscina) verdaderamente encantador. Los animadores: ¡Fernando y Julio y todas las chicas, siempre una bella sonrisa! ¡Pedro, aquel qué lleva nuestro equipaje, que servicio! ¡! ¡Elvis, uno de los bailarines de la tropa wow, muy agradable! ¡Habría tanto que nombrar pero olvido los nombres!.... Una de las animadoras también que baila como Shakira y que canta una canción con el grupo Melao Pa Ti que también son súper! ¡Verdaderamente muy bellas vacaciones! ¿Los cuartos¡ Espaciosa, limpia, gracias a Tamara qué era nuestra camarera y Ileana (si no me equivoco) que era la de mi cuñada. ¿La comida? ¡Lugar pequeño, pero siempre encontrábamos lo necesario y rico además! sin olvidar que hay este snack bar antes de llegar a la playa donde era bien rico también! ¡ No fuimos enfermo, ninguno de nosotros!. El pequeño frigorífico se llena cada dos días, nosotros habíamos pedido solamente agua y es lo que tuvimos. La animación: ¡si usted encuentra su estancia larga a Tainos es porque usted no quería participar en nada .Siempre están ahí, todo el tiempo y hay tantas actividades de la mañana a la noche no hay tiempo de aburrirse! ¡ Gracias a todos, verdaderamente habría tantas cosas que decir sobre este sitio que jamás dejaría de escribir!. Uno de los cantantes, que también toca el saxófono una tarde antes del show, era demasiado gentil y tan bueno al punto de darnos escalofríos cada vez que cantaba! (creo que era Yoyi el nombre…pero ya se me olvido). Oh, también el band Sugar Caliente! ¡ Wow, wow, wow! ¡! ¡ Que polivalencia! ¡ Cantante increíble también! (pero deberían de jugar más música latina que de Jazz antes de los show!….) Es ellos quienes deberían quedarse después de los shows para sacar a bailar a la gente esto funcionaria mucho más para la disco donde siempre la música tecno esta puesta… y el DJ no cambia los ritmos…, entonces la gente se aburren… a pesar, el equipo de técnicos era excelente también. ¡Jamás tuvimos la posibilidad de encontrar al propietario del lugar, Pero Bravo! ¡ Súper de bello sitio y buena gestión del personal y la calidad al servicio de la clientela era excelente! Olvido seguramente mucho pero en una palabra… ¡ Iberostar Tainos regresaremos allí es garantizado! ¡ Y esta vez llevare más regalitos para todos!.

My family of 5 (3 teenagers) holidayed at the Tainos during the Christmas holidays & had the most amazing time. Mainly due to the fabulous staff who made absolutely every effort to ensure this holiday was everything we wanted. The food was wonderful with a delicious variety & the restaurants on site went out of their way to produce excellent food. Having said this, the main dining-room staff were most attentive & the cooks were dedicated to producing fresh food of a high quality on a daily basis. A special mention must be given to the outstanding fresh fruit juices on offer every morning. Possibly the best i have ever had anywhere.
The rooms were beautifully clean & serviced to a high standard daily. We all loved the entertainment, & what the hotel had to offer. The location was possibly the best in Varradero as it was away from the bustle of the town, with such a magnificent beach - the best along the "strip". The local bus (fun trip) stopped outside the hotel on a very regular basis & went into town with a single, very reasonable payment allowing a hop-on-hop-off arrangement. The pleasure boat to the Islands departed a short stroll away & all the tour buses passed the front door if booked.
We met lovely folk on this trip as well which is always a bonus.
All in all a superb holiday with good value.

This was my first trip to Cuba. I have visited both the Dominican republic and Mexico so have some experience in travel. We had heard great things on Trip Advisor about this resort and put trust in the Iberostar reputation but were quite disappointed. Many reviewers on this site repeated say, "Good for Cuba" which requires some translation to those that have not been to the island before. This four star Cuban resort would be equivalent to a Mexican two star. Maybe that's just the way it is as many indicate but full disclosure should be made.

The good:
Hands down, this was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The sand was white and fine, the water was crystal clear and beautiful. It was the highlight of our trip spending 6 hours a day relaxing and enjoying this treasure. Cuban vendors do share the space with you but they were not pushy or intrusive.
The people of Cuba are tremendous. Everyone we met seemed genuinely interested in helping you.
The evening entertainment was fun. Great music and fantastic dancing. The entertainment staff work hard to put on a great show.
The resort grounds are beautifully kept. It was a pleasure strolling the pathways and taking in the landscaping.
The bar next to the pool was this resorts best kept secret. Each evening it would be empty. Most guests favored the noisy lobby bar for some reason. It was to our gain.

The bad:
Food. This was my biggest problem with the resort. Rice and meat. Meat and beans. Dried out unripened fruit. Sadly I was left enjoying bread and butter as a large portion of each meal (when I could find butter). I am a foodie. One of my favorite parts of a vacation is setting aside healthy eating habits and going hog wild on the resort buffets. With limited and repeditive food options I unfortunately did not gain a pound on vacation (I know some would think this is a great thing but those of you that appreciate food can share my pain). Again, some on this site will argue, "that's just Cuba, deal with it." I'm saying my expectations of a four star hotel anywhere in the world is much higher than this resort delivered. The Asian restaurant was a nice break, being better than the main buffet but still far below expectation. The Cuban restaurant was a total wash, wish I would have skipped. Food at the pool side restaurant was again boring and repeditive. Some days favorites like burgers and fries were available, many days they were not. Food service after hours (after 11pm) was a burger or hotdog served with minimal condiments and dried out fruit covered with fruit flies.
Ammenities were not at a four star level. Lack of food and drink service on the beach was a pain. Making the walk the bar shack 8 to 10 times a day was not a pleasure. I would have thankfully paid 1 to 2 Cuc per drink to save those steps. The closest food from the beach was the pool side restaurant, about a 5 minute walk. Due to cleanliness issues I preferred to eat lunch at the buffet (see ugly section).
Smoking guests are everywhere. Very difficult to avoid getting a face full of smoke at every opportunity. More non-smoking areas would be appreciated.
Drinks were very "boozy". Even when asking for just a little alcohol we would get way too much. Selection of available alcohol was also disappointing.

The ugly:
We were disappointed with the condition of the guest rooms. Worn out furniture, soap scum stained shower tiles, thread barren blankets. The room had a very musty odor that was thankfully minimized by a well functioning air conditioning unit. We were going to ask for a new room but after chatting with other guests we realized all rooms were in the same condition. Minibar was only restocked once in the week and bottles of water were only provided every other day. We had to resort to raiding the maid cart when she was cleaning other rooms to get more nessesities. Electrical systems are all 220V. We had been told that 110V north American plugs were available, but that was not accurate. Flowers used for towel art were full of insects which were transplanted onto our bed and onto clean towels. Hair conditioner was not provided by the hotel. It was available for purchase at the gift shop.
Birds in the poolside restaurant are a menace and health hazard. They have made nests on the roofline of the building and no one has bothered to move them. Unacceptable public health risk.

I could go on but this review is getting lengthy. Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions. My advice to the traveller looking for a high end vacation worthy of sharing with family and friends? Skip Tainos. Try a five star or another location.

Just back from a wonderful holiday in Cuba, been twice before but not to this hotel, can't praise it enough.The general manager is a hands on guy , you see him about the hotel often, asking if everything is OK. The staff are always happy and can't do enough for you, especially SANDY in the lobby bar he's always singing, I'd also like to mention Meylang, Beatriz,Orlando,Raimo,and if you have any kind of problem look for Ernesto he's brilliant. Don't know what the negative reviews are about, the food is good lots of choice, we stayed in the main hotel overlooking the pool, the rooms are very large compared to the bungalows, sheets were changed every other day and were of a good quality cotton. Just can't wait to return.