TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I have traveled to this resort time and time again year after year and I will keep coming back! From the time leaving Toronto on a Sunwing flight to arriving in Varadero with no delays I always have a gr...eat experience. This time I booked just the flight in and was picked up at the airport by taxi and arrived at the resort with no problems. My 10-day stay was booked by The Resort and I paid for my accommodations when I arrived. I arrived at the resort and was welcomed with open arms like always and treated like family!!! And of course with a drink in hand to start my vacation. There was plenty of food as always from breakfast, lunch and dinner and anything in between. And of course a la carte was available also. Dinks were bottomless. My love of the beach will forever be in my heart. From sunrise to sunset it's always beautiful to see and experience the beach and meet new people. And of course I can't forget to mention the great coffee bar that is in a quiet place on the resort, tables set up to enjoy an evening specialty coffee made by no other than Mabel!!! My room is always comfortable and clean. Maid service is always ??. From the time I arrive until the moment I leave. I would like to say thank you to all the workers at Los Cactus for always welcoming me back time and time again ?? From the reception area Luis, Tanya, Nelia, Mirka, Miguel the porter. The cooks, the waiters and waitresses, bartenders (Risiris, Mercedes and many more) And if ever a problem needs to be resolved Paolo and Lizbeth are there to resolve the problem immediately!!!! Thank you again It's never good bye It's always we will see you soon ??????

We spent another wonderful week at Los Cactus All Inclusive this March and, once again, it felt like our home away from home with the warm hospitality and beautiful surroundings. As repeat guests, it truly... feels like our home away from home. Ask any repeater and they will say the same. When we arrived, Tania, the beautiful lady at the front desk, GM Lizbeth and Paolo made us feel like family, remembering our names and our preferences. The staff are the heart of this resort – from the moment we arrive, our bellhop Miguel, our bartenders Mariyels, Elena, Leysi, Risiris, Teresa, Mercedes, Chave, Nelia, Yunia, our servers, Alexis and Abel and of course, Nicolas the always-smiling gatekeeper, went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed. A special shout-out to Mabel (who makes the best Spanish coffees!), and to Yanelys, Vladimir and Alfredo, the best servers at the a la carte restaurants. We missed Ieslin and Pedro this year. They are both so kind. I'm sure I am missing a few names, and if they are reading this, I apologize. Entertainment is top-notch thanks to Jovani and the energetic entertainment team – Canadian Day, Cuban Day, foam party, theme nights (including a lively Super Bowl weekend) kept the fun going. The night entertainment is always fun and doesn't go past 11, so for those who go to bed early, it is peaceful. The beach is always stunning. The water crystal clear. I did find that these past couple of years, some Varadero guests are not always so careful. I walk the length of the beach in the morning from our resort down to the end and have found many pieces of broken glass and other garbage. There are many receptacles at every resort, so I don't know why people feel the need to litter. I always bring newspaper bags with me for this reason. Don't forget to spray your legs with bug spray - those sand fleas and no-seeums have no mercy. The maintenance workers keep the grounds and the pool in great shape. The resort has undergone some repairs and it is nice to see they are upgrading here and there. Food was good and we always found something good to eat. The Beach Grill made lovely sandwiches and the food is delicious at the à la cartes of Mojito's and Martino’s. The rooms were beautiful, clean, and spacious – the room keepers do an amazing job and leave a fresh bottle of water every day. If you need something, all you have to do is ask. We never had any issues with electricity or hot water. While we did notice some of the 'new guests' being a bit loud, it didn’t take away from the overall amazing atmosphere. We have been here over 20 times and have noticed some little changes, but because the staff and people of Varadero that treat us like family, keep us coming back. We also love seeing the repeat guests as they have become friends when we meet up at Los Cactus. This time around we took a trip to town in the double decker bus and stopped in at El Rancho for lunch. It's right across from Josone Park. We had a lovely meal there and they had good entertainment. Sangria restaurant also makes a delicious pizza. We are always thinking about Los Cactus and Varadero and we are already looking forward to our next visit – Los Cactus, thank you for treating us like family!

Had the best vacation here. People and service are great. Second to none. Always found great tasting food. Eggs every morning. Can’t say anything bad about this resort or its staff. Beach is incredible as ...well. We’ll definitely be back again.

I'm a single female who traveled solo. Flight: i know this is not part of resort review but wanted to say that while Sunwing was on time for once, the plane is very squishy. no room, I barely fit in the se...at, don't know what bigger people do. It was claustrophobic and of course the person in front reclined their chair. I had to just close my eyes the whole way and not think. It was very uncomfortable. No TV to see flight status or any other entertainment. You have to pay for snacks. Only a drink is free. Bus ride to hotel, no issues.  Hotel and Food: First of all everyone is SO nice, friendly and helpful! Best thing about this place. So it's difficult to write an honest review because I know they try.  But I will give my experience. The resort is smaller and I didn't have to wait for any elevators. I was close to the beach, buffet and pool, this was handy. The internet / wifi is disappointing though. Even when connected I couldn't do everything, always getting slow connection messages. You can check email and other basics. I was told I should be able to connect from my balcony but no, was not able to. Maybe closer rooms. Not at the beach either. Only in the lobby or by the pool / restaurant area. The last resort I stayed at in Varadero the wifi was everywhere and I didn't have any trouble from a 10th floor room.  The first few days were very quiet, which I prefer but later I found out that was the calm before the storm.  A huge wedding party (I found out 4 weddings) came on Wednesday Apr 23 - a bit more on that disaster in a bit. Before I left on this trip I read that they can cater to special diets. I wrote to the hotel directly to say I am vegetarian and if there would be some choices for me but I got no reply. I tried a different  email but still no reply. But when I checked in a nice lady introduced me to public relations lady who was very nice and spoke English well (Elisabeth). She took me to the buffet restaurant and I met some chefs etc. There were a few choices. Lunch is best for that. At dinner there was not much so even though they knew they had a guest who doesn't eat meat they still did not do anything different than any other time. And how can I ask for something special to be made just for me in that moment? You can't. The pasta is very plain with watered down tomato sauce and tasteless cheese curds. Elisabeth had said she would give me a paper to present to say I am vegetarian but I didn't get that. I did find white rice and black beans almost every day. She did NOT warn me on the huge crowd that was coming. On Wednesday at lunch they all hoarded in at the same time, hundreds of them, and formed long lineups - it really was unacceptable. It was like they never saw food before, hoarding and finishing the food brought out in less than a minute. Literally very selfish behaviour. I only take what I can eat and no more. At dinner, I was not going to wait an hour to get food so I had minimal to eat. This resort is not set up to handle this many people. The ice cream hoarding was really the most unbelievable,  plates of overloaded scoops and one table just had 2 people that I saw. ...virtually no other desserts before this group and they were not good anyway. I did see a huge cake for this group but couldn't get any. If you are vegan or vegetarian be aware serving spoons are shared across all food. I would not come if you are strict vegan. I skipped breakfast. On 2nd day of this crowd nonsense I complained and they gave me tickets for lunch and dinner at the a la carte restaurant which was very nice. I had my best meals there and the service/people were terrific. I drink diet coke at home but they only have Sprite or Fanta for pop EXCEPT for this group I saw coke / cola for first time.  My Room: is older style but a suite with a main area that has 2 double beds and a bedroom with a third bed, a sitting area, desk and very small empty fridge. Big bottle of water provided daily. Nice Balcony with view of trees, mostly and small corner of the ocean to the right. The french doors kept opening up though, the lock on top to keep it closed was not working. I let them know on last day.  The bathroom has two small windows above the tub and they were open and not closeable from inside. Because of this the counter and sink was full of tiny ants. Could not put anything  on the counter. Went back to reception (in tired state from day of travelling and night of no sleep) and same nice lady sent a couple men and they were able to close the windows from outside. Later a maid came and cleaned up the bathroom which I appreciated but I still saw the ants every day, it will take time. There were only two bath towels and you can't even call it that, they are very small but in the last 2 days, the maid provided real sized ones (without me asking). I did ask for a face towel and got one next day. Just for your FYI, they supplied my room with shampoo and shower gel, 2 small round soaps. No conditioner or body lotion. There is a hair dryer but I didn't try it out. The plugs at this resort are the same as Canada, 110V. Which I found interesting, all the other resorts I've been to it was 220V. Beach/pool: Always found a hut or some shade. First few days were windy and beach was too wavy, yellow flag. Third day had green flag but still a bit wavy. Beautiful colour and the beaches in Cuba are the best, clear and usually calm. This is the #1 reason I go.The first beach towel was great, big but when I went to exchange it after a couple days they only had small ones, I would not call them beach towels. I took mine back. I was able to get a big one again later on.I didn't go in the pool, because it had no steps. Just ladders which I don't like. It's too bad because it is clean and most of the time no one in there! hmmm i wonder why.  But the small dirty pool does have steps, go figure. How can a big pool not have stairs and a handle? When there are people at the pool, it gets loud and they provide music and entertainment, not for me. If you leave tips they do serve you better, that is a noticed fact and tips are expected as a rule for service in Cuba. They rely on this. On the last day from the bus tour guide I found out Canadian money is actually preferred over US, which was the opposite of what I thought. But the smallest bill is $5 (I would not leave coins), and for being single I cannot give $5 out to everyone, I'd be broke. So I will still bring $1 US bills for tipping at meals, etc.

Hotel Los Cactus is fabulous due to the beach and the staff. Also great is the fact that it is an adults only haven set in low buildings. Yes, to it all. My only suggestion for improvement is to engage ...the Cuban culture through music. I would think that the customers (who appear to be a mature crowd) would crave to hear Afro-Cuban, Brazilian or Latin Jazz. Cuban boasts wonderful musicians and music. Let's hear it!!! We do not go to hear North American Rap especially. We want to get away from that, and escape into the Latin world.