Sol Palmeras

Varadero, Cuba

Superior Room
Junior Suite
El Marino
Standard Room
1-Bedroom Bungalow
Bar La Plaza
La Panchita
Superior Room
Junior Suite
El Marino
Standard Room
1-Bedroom Bungalow
Bar La Plaza
La Panchita

The hotel

One of Varadero’s most family centric hangouts, Sol Palmeras keeps every member of your party happy. It’s got all the tropical scenery you’ve come to the Caribbean for – with a boast-worthy spot on one of Cuba’s most famous beaches. It’s got the lagoon pools, with their palm and palapas accessories, and a mini-pool in the family zone for young guests. It’s got poolside rooms near the action and bungalows near the beach for those after a more remote retreat. And its list of children’s attractions is as long as your sun-bronzed arm – from mini-discos to a bouncy castle, mini-golf, and computer games.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Families
  • Honeymoon
  • Kids Club
  • Children's Pool
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Evening Entertainment
  • Wheelchair access
  • Games Room
  • Beachfront location
  • Tennis
  • Bicycle Rental

Where is it

On Varadero Beach. Downtown Varadero, with its shops, bars, restaurants and nightlife, is a 10-minute taxi ride away. Transfer time from Havana Airport: 2 hours 30 minutes.

Hotel information

408 rooms on 4 floors in the main building with 4 lifts and 200 additional Bungalows and Suites. All with balcony/terrace, air-conditioning, satellite TV, telephone, mini-fridge, safe and hairdryer. Standard Rooms in the main building with pool or garden views, 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child in an extra bed.

All Inclusive of: all meals, snacks and drinks (except premium brands and some selected drinks*) and all activities unless otherwise stated.

Please note: in Cuban all inclusive hotels, 'premium brands' can mean local premium brands rather than international ones, as Cuba has an embargo on US goods.

Superior Rooms are located in the main building, with partial sea, pool or garden views, with 1 king-size or twin beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.

Junior Suites are located on the 3rd and 4th floor, with pool or garden views, terrace, a separate living room with sofa bed, fridge, coffee maker and iron. They have either twin beds or 1 king-size bed with an extra double sofa bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Suites are larger, offer more privacy and are located on the corners of the building. They have a separate living room with a sofa bed and a terrace with panoramic views. Sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

1-Bedroom Bungalows are located in separate units scattered around the tropical gardens. They have a terrace, living room with a sofa-bed and a separate bedroom with twin beds. Sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Bungalow Suites are designed for adults-only, and have views of the gardens. They have a terrace, living room, outside shower, separate bedroom with dressing room, and 1 king-size bed. Sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Please note: Bungalows are spread throughout the gardens and may be a short distance from the main hotel area and swimming pool.

6 main restaurants: O Sole Mio Italian (à la carte dinner), La Panchita (breakfast, lunch and dinner, buffet with show cooking), La Fajita (à la carte lunch and dinner, Mexican), Steak House (à la carte, lunch and dinner), Oshin (à la carte dinner, Asian), El Marino (à la carte grill and seafood, lunch and dinner), Snack Bar. 24-hour lobby/cafeteria. 5 bars including pool bar (open until 12:00pm) and fun pub (open until 2:00am). 3 snack bars (10:00am-5:00pm and 11:30pm-6:30am). Lobby bar serving pastries (10:00am-12:00pm). Reservations required at à la carte restaurants. Guests are entitled to two visits per week to à la carte restaurants, however if there is availability, further reservations are permitted.

Daytime activities and live shows in the evening. Dancing lessons.

3 outdoor swimming pools (including children's pool), kids' club (5-13 years, 10:30am-5:00pm, and mini-disco), supervised games room for children only (3:00pm-7:00pm and 8:00pm-11:00pm), gym with 2 saunas, mini-golf, 2 tennis courts, bicycle hire, archery and shooting. Massage*. Non-motorised water sports including catamarans (supervised), kayaks and windsurfing. Scuba intro in the pool Mon-Sat.

Babysitting service available on request*. WiFi available in lobby*. Hairdresser*. Souvenir shop on site.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

* Denotes local charge.

Dress code: applies for dinner.

Please note: child ages at this property are 2-11 years. 

Please note: lobby and lobby bars are non-smoking. Air-conditioned restaurants are non-smoking and smoking is not allowed inside the rooms and Bungalows.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (4120)
  • Very good (3130)
  • Average (1062)
  • Poor (398)
  • Terrible (235)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Anniversary Trip

Jul 13, 2020 Sunshinekissed Leduc, Canada

It has been a few months since we have come back and I usually don’t do any reviews super quick so here are the positives and negatives. Overall we had an amazing time and will likely be back to Cuba very soon. Food: I will start by saying we didn’t go to Cuba for the food but was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Food was plentiful but… Read more
It has been a few months since we have come back and I usually don’t do any reviews super quick so here are the positives and negatives. Overall we had an amazing time and will likely be back to Cuba very soon. Food: I will start by saying we didn’t go to Cuba for the food but was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Food was plentiful but very repetitive. Highly recommend the grilling stations in the buffet. We tried all the restaurants in the resort and enjoyed them all. Service: This is probably where I had my biggest issue. We seemed to have awful service, may of been just luck of the draw but I was disappointed. We went whole meals without being offered a drink or receiving what we ordered. Only way my husband got served at the bar was when he was standing with a $20 CAD bill in his hand. We were patient so that was not the issue. We experienced people who spoke Spanish got catered to and not English speakers. Pool: We didn’t really hang around the pool much as i didn’t enjoy the smoking. And most of the chairs were in the blazing sun. We tried a few times but just preferred the beach. Beach: Can not say enough about the beach, probably the best we saw. Chairs were plentiful and we always had great seating!! Room: We (ie: my husband) were convinced to upgrade to a bungalow. It was well worth the money. We were a bit far from the main building but steps from the beach so we liked that. Room was cleaned daily. Entertainment: I know there was a team that did it but we never saw anything compared to other resorts. They did do shows but never announced times or what they were. We went once as we were reading signage on the wall but it wasn’t the show advertised. Lobby bar had singers but it was so crowded so we usually just pasted through as we couldn’t find seats. Like I said we LOVED the beach and will return to Cuba. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Our Second Home Was Even More Amazing

Apr 2, 2020 Joy G Ottawa, Canada

We were welcomed like family the moment we entered the lobby late in the evening of March 15th. We knew that many people had cancelled their vacations because of COVID 19, but at that time, there was no travel advisory for Cuba and we knew that we would be safe amongst our many Cuban friends in the resort. We had registered with the Canadian… Read more
We were welcomed like family the moment we entered the lobby late in the evening of March 15th. We knew that many people had cancelled their vacations because of COVID 19, but at that time, there was no travel advisory for Cuba and we knew that we would be safe amongst our many Cuban friends in the resort. We had registered with the Canadian Government Travel Website for Canadians Abroad and knew that the health protocol in the hotel was the same as in Canada. The resort was by no means full and, day by day, there were less guests, but, despite the fact that the future was uncertain for our Cuban hosts, the service and friendship was outstanding. Normally in my reviews I name individual people who have been exceptional in each visit, but this time I want to thank everyone in the resort who fed us, served us, entertained us and made us feel safe and at home. You are all exceptional and we love you even more. Stay home and be safe, all of you. It is sad to know the your resort is closed for now, but we will return as soon as it is possible. Special thanks to Senor Tomeu Alcina. You are a gentleman and an amazing Director General. We know the enormous daily stress you were under. We wish you and your family well, both in Cuba and in Spain. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Amazing experience - will definitely be back

Mar 29, 2020 RandRTraveller Oakville, Canada

We visited the Sol Palmeras right before the travel industry was hit by this unprecedented world epidemic. The resort offers an amazing experience for families and groups. Standouts are the staff, from the wait staff to the housekeepers to bartenders. Everyone went out of their way to serve. The lobby is such a great place to gather (the… Read more
We visited the Sol Palmeras right before the travel industry was hit by this unprecedented world epidemic. The resort offers an amazing experience for families and groups. Standouts are the staff, from the wait staff to the housekeepers to bartenders. Everyone went out of their way to serve. The lobby is such a great place to gather (the lobby bar and mojito bar offer great cocktails). Get your coffee (cappachino) in the morning from the lobby bar. The juice bar offers fresh juices, amazing fresh brewed iced tea and flavoured water. The beach is amazing and where we spent most days. You can make dinner reservations in the lobby at 4 or 5 restaurants. The food is not gourmet but lots of options and you figure out what works for you. Guest rooms aren’t super modern but I had the best sleeps and rooms are well maintained and super clean. Make sure to tip and bring small gifts for the staff and you will get amazing service and conversation. Highly recommend doing a day trip to Havana - what a historic, beautiful, metropolitan experience. We did bus tour but next time would rent a beautiful old classics taxi and do custom trip. This was a stressful time as many resorts were starting to close do to the Coronovirus and all staff managed with a smile and care. Wishing a speedy return to travel and we will be back Sol Palmeras. I now understand why people return year after year. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Gorgeous beach, wonderful staff!

Mar 27, 2020 jennib916 Ottawa, Canada

This was our 10th visit to Cuba and first to Sol Palmeras. We were very happy with our choice and felt that everything met our expectations. The beach is one of the best in Varadero - very long and deep with plenty of sun chairs, palapas and soft white sand. We visited the resorts on either side and although look nice, beach area looked… Read more
This was our 10th visit to Cuba and first to Sol Palmeras. We were very happy with our choice and felt that everything met our expectations. The beach is one of the best in Varadero - very long and deep with plenty of sun chairs, palapas and soft white sand. We visited the resorts on either side and although look nice, beach area looked terrible. It was a nice walk, via the beach, to Plaza Las Americas. The food was excellent by Cuban standards - we ate at 3 a la cartes and enjoyed them all! (Chinese, International and Italian). Beach grill was yummy! The staff was wonderful and efficient everywhere (except the breakfast buffet at Latino restaurant could use some improvement). Special mention to Leonardo who makes the best Rum Punch! Our maid (room 2003) was exceptional - sorry I forget her name. The pool area was awesome, again with plenty of sunchairs and options for sun and shade. The pool and surrounding area was spotless, pool bar was great, with wonderful and friendly staff. No swim-up option which we appreciated ;). The rooms certainly show their age but were clean and the beds were very comfortable. The rooms are not a priority for us, but may not be the case for others... We were there just as the Covid crisis was hitting and the resort was preparing to shut down as tourists were no longer being allowed in - the staff never hesitated with a smile and a positive word for us. Kudos to all of them for their hard work amidst the impending crisis. We look very forward to returning as soon as we can. Wishing all of you the best in these hard times. Stay safe, xo Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Gorgeous Beach

Mar 26, 2020 Singletraveler99 Melfort, Canada

We returned in January for another 5 week holiday. I have been at this resort more then 12 times. I had read that some changes had been made and were shocked when we walked onto the beach. It had been reconstructed with more sand from the ocean and had new palapas since our last trip in 2019. It is huge and gorgeous with lots of room for the… Read more
We returned in January for another 5 week holiday. I have been at this resort more then 12 times. I had read that some changes had been made and were shocked when we walked onto the beach. It had been reconstructed with more sand from the ocean and had new palapas since our last trip in 2019. It is huge and gorgeous with lots of room for the lounges. The resort has 5 a la cartes which at times only 3 were open due to the resort not being full of guests. Our favorite is the Chinese. The buffet seating area is large and at times becomes very noisy. There are two grills where you can get your omelet made in the morning or other food prepared at night. There is a variety of food choices, beef, pork, chicken and fish to name some at the island. The only complaint I have is in the morning and sometime in the evening the food is not hot but barely warm. Complaining to the cooks did not bring any satisfactory results. The servers are very good at picking up the dirty dishes and refilling your wine glass. Thank you to Asaer, Jacqueline, Maylynn and Nivia for looking after us. The maids do an excellent job of cleaning our room and always have. The lobby has 2 bars of which only one was open this time due to the resort not being full of guests. Again thank you to the workers at the bar that was open namely Rene, Yamile, Ernesto and Alex for the good service. Also thank you to Omar and Fidel at the latino and Noel at the TexMex a la cartes for their good service. The only negative things I have about this resort is at the beach there is a volley ball court where a guy is constantly blowing a whistle when a game is being played. This whistle blowing aggravates many on the beach who are trying to read a book or have a afternoon nap. The "only" people who should have a whistle and do are the Life Guards that walk the beach watching for swimmers in distress. I realize that this is a family resort but "some" families need to take some training on how to look after their children. At the beach the children scream at each other and are crying while mom and dad do nothing. In the lobby bar area they let the children run around and again do nothing to stop the kids. In the evening the music being played next to the lobby bar is so loud that when ordering a drink from the bar the bartenders have a difficult time to hear you. Also when having a drink with friends one can't have a conversation because of the loud music. This doesn't happen every night so why is it not being controlled? Thanks to Alicia, Gonzalo and Felix at the reception for their service. We can't wait to return for another holiday. Read less