This is not about our hotel experience it's about how rubbish Thomas cook were we ended up going to turkey in the end as we got no information at all as to the status of our hotel four days before departure we decided to Chang e our destination to side in turkey they wanted 100 pounds admin fee which I wouldn't pay but what has really upset me is the fact we have booked with Thomas cook for a trip to Benidorm for January we come back from turkey and the price has reduced dramatically we have been regular t cook customers we were complaint to Chang Euro market Cuba to turkey but no movement whatsoever on price no more Thomas cook for us

We read mixed reviews before going to the Sol Palmeras in Cuba so we weren't sure what to expect. We couldn't fault this hotel though. The beach was stunning and a one minute walk from our hotel room.

It was baking hot, but the coastal breeze meant it was cool enough to sunbathe. The grounds were lovely and the way the trees were planted meant you couldn't really see the hotel block.

The room was basic, but fine and the maids were very sweet. There were a few different restaurants to choose from (buffet, seafood, Chinese, Italian.)

There wasn't a lot of entertainment in the evening, but it was fine for what we wanted. We're quite sensitive to noise at night and there wasn't any here when we were trying to sleep.

We're a couple in our 30s who have travelled all over the world and to other Caribbean islands and we found this a very relaxing, nice hotel. We would definitely recommend it.

This hotel is not 4 star, at most a 3. When you walk into reception it is very dull and very uninviting. This hotel is in need of an update. Seating in bar areas is shabby and dirty. Hotel room was ok but glad we had not got any children as the plug socket was hanging off the wall.

Pool area was ok and the beach was beautiful. Food was awful, plenty of it, quantity but not quality. It was cold most of the time.

Good service was only given by staff when you gave them a tip. We have been to many hotels in the Caribbean and this is the worse hotel by far. As you will gather we will not be returning.

when we were goin through valerdero i just knew i would not like it.we had to wait ages for a room they tryed to put us in bungleos which were miles away from hotel so you would have to get the little train all the time to hotel,but we ended up stayin in hotel but we went as a family an we were miles away from each other.am fussy anyway but the smell of the food just made me sick but the chineese was the best.in the night the ale was so flat an i drank matine you would have 3 glasses the most then they were puttin the bottles away so then you would have to stay on the lager which was horrable.we to havanna thats was the best out of the holiday the show was brill you go to cuba you have got to go there.ow well it was an experiance ill stick to turkey an benidorm ha ha.

First impressions
The hotel looks a little run down but not too bad just needs modernising a little with new furniture and painting.

Rooms
Tidy with a big king size bed a 20" TV with about 20 channels but only about 4-5 english speaking. Bathroom was clean and tidy but the shower was not very powerful but ok and heated up quite well. The balcony we had had a poor view out onto a main road which wasnt too noisy as it was set back quite far. Only gripe we had with the room was we took a caribbean travel adaptor to find out that it wasnt compatible as the room had old style plug sockets which i think were the Spanish style. Rooms were cleaned daily to a good standard with nice touches that included towels being made into swans etc.

Food
Breakfast - Had a main grill with a cook that cooked different sausages and eggs to how you liked them, cereals, toast, fruit juice, tea coffee ect and other continental food available.
Lunch/dinner - The cook at the grill did Steaks/meat at lunch but if you went at the begining when it was busy the meat tended to be under cooked. Also the cook only uses one pair of tongues for raw and cooked meat.
Evening meals - 4 extra restaurants to choose from as well as the normal buffet. These need to be booked in advance and you can use them frequently. Italian, chinese, bbq and caribbean resaturants were the options available. This made a welcome change from the buffet everyday.
Beach bar - hamburgers, hotdogs, fish with chips salad fruit and ice cream available from 12 till 4
Snack bar - ham and cheese toasties which were very dry and not very nice.

Location - walking distance to a small shopping centre and golf course next to the hotel, beach was directly onto the back of the hotel with watersports available. taxi to main street/ flea market cost about

There have been a few negative comments about this hotel, and having only just arrived back, I have to disagree with some of them. The food did get a bit repetitive, but i don't think i have found a hotel in that doesn't. We got married at the hotel and all the staff were really helpfull and happy to help. We got upgraded on arrival, but our room wasn't that much different from the rest of our party except we got a lounge. Reserving the resteraunts early in the morning is advised as tables are snapped up quickly although the resteraunts are never full(you don't need to reserve for the buffet.

The 24 hour drinks bar actually shuts at 3am! but there isn't much to do later than that anyway. The hotel has its own beach with all the watersports including waterskiing and banana boat which are free. Varedero itself doesn't offer much.

The hotel staff are genuinley nice, and don't forget, there avaerage wage a month is about

An amazing stay!! It was our 2nd time at Sol Palmeras and it was all we remembered it to be!

The staff were all fantastic and the food for an all inc was good - Remember you are in Cuba and all the produce is local with no imports.

The food is sometimes a little repetative but there was always something for us!!! We will return!!!

We stayed at this hotel with our 15 year old son, he was extremely bored as there is nothing to do apart from sunbathe.

All the staff want is tips and you get preferential treatment if you go to get served anywhere and you have a note in your hand.

The food in the buffet isn't very nice you have to queue for meat to be cooked as you order it. I ordered chicken when it was cooked he turned over someones raw chicken with his tongs then picked up mine with the same tongs straight after.

The steakhouse and chinese resturants are nice but we gave them a tip at the beginning of each meal. The 24 hour snacks are not very nice sometimes the sandwichs were left uncovered.

The entertainment room were they do shows is quite large but set out strange with not a lot of chairs and they all face forward to the stage it would of been much better if they were set out normal with table and 4 or 6 chairs and more of them.

In your room they dont give you a lot of toilet paper somedays we had part rolls put in ours.

The cleaners put out notes on your bed wishing you a nice holiday and an envelope at the end of your holiday for their tip.

I have just arrived back at the weekend and this hotel is not what is advertised in the brochure. It was certainly not 4 star.

The room we were given had a pool view but smelled of dampness and was in great need of a lick of paint as parts of the wall were black with dampness.

The food in the buffet was inedible as it was not properly cooked therefore we did not eat much. The hotel show cooked nearly everything so as a queue built up they would quickly fry a piece of chicken or meat and give it too you raw. It was disgusting. We heard that members of the waiting staff had blown their noses on the serviettes and then polished up the cutlery with it! The 24 hour snack bar consisted of 3 plates of sandwiches left on the bar area with two panini machines to toast the sandwich yourself! You had the choice between fish paste, cheese or ham. I do not class this as a snack bar!

The Beach bar only gave out drinks or chips, fish and fruit so me and my partner had to eat chips when going to the beach. The pool bar providing burgers was also disgusting and the burgers were always pink in the middle. The woman who served the food was witnessed on many occasions going to the nearby toilet and not washing her hands then serving food to people. My partner has actually lost weight since arriving home from this hotel.

The cleanliness was not up to much either, the cleaning staff were never in any hurry to clean up, when you went for breakfast in the morning, there was broken glass on the floor which no one seem to clean up till later on when they felt like it.

The pool was never cleaned and I heard alot of people complaining about earache. You shared the pool with plastic cups, some type of bugs, straws, leaves, moths and flies. Disgusting!

If you spoke Spanish you received preferential treatment and would be served by the staff first no matter if they had skipped the queue.