Like many other travellers, we were suppose to be staying at the Princesa del Mar resort when we originally booked. We were informed one day before leaving for Cuba that del Mar was overbooked so we had to scrambled to find another resort. We decided to go with Paradisus because of the overall rating on tripadvisor. We're very very glad we ended up here instead. We tried to get some sort of compensation like the 'Royal Service'. They said it was all booked up for weeks (which I high doubt) but gave us a free massage which was excellent. I hear that you have your own butler for the 'Royal Service' and he/she will have all your requests made for the day but if you want to pay $125 per day just for that, by all means.

Through out the week, we were hearing different stories from different guests that were affected like us who ended up staying at Paradisus instead. Everyone seemed to agree that this resort is a much better choice. Lobby is beautiful and open. I wish they have better choices in terms of cocktail drinks but I stuck with the good ones, mainly pina coladas. There is definitely no shortage of Havana Club. They even had a 15yr Havana rum which was very much like whiskey which you have to pay extra for.

There are plenty of activities to do on the resort. I did archery, yoga, dancing, used the gym. The staff are generally very friendly but slow. They really do work at "Cuban time". Funny enough, I even saw one of the staff member's watch and it was 30min later than the actual time. They don't always make the first move but if you make the effort, they turn out to be quite approachable. They have shows or games almost every night and of course a disco. I heard an overwhelming amount of Cuban music over the week I stayed and when we ask that they play some up-to-date American pop music, they sometimes refuse to do so.

Their beach is honestly one of the best beaches I've ever been compare to any other resorts. The sand is white and soft. A very long beach stretches from one side to the other. Water is pretty shallow even if you're out far into the sea but deep enough for swimming. There's definitely lots of beach chairs around so you never have to worry about finding a good spot for a nice tan. If you're not a beach person, you would love this beach. But there is a incredibly huge pool available if you decide to hang out there instead.

The rooms are generally very clean. You will sometimes see cracks on tiles and poor craftsmanship in the bathroom. But if you're not incredibly anal about those things, the rooms are quite pleasant. Although the beds are made for you everyday by the maids, I doubt the sheets are washed/cleaned. This is a particular problem for me because I have very sensitive skin. Prior to arrival, I read through some reviews here saying there isn't any hot water available. I find that completely false. The water pressure might not be strong but we always had hot water available in the shower. I did find the plumbing tends to be a problem because there is always a weird moldy smell in our bathroom.

My real problem with the resort is the food. We knew that the quality level in Cuba is not nearly as good as the other countries. But sometimes it really affects the overall experience. I personally got really sick one day from the food; fever, sore throat, whatever I was eating didn't agree with my stomach throughout the day. I had to stay in bed all day and night to recover. However, there were a few locations in the resort where the food was decent. The only good experience I had in terms of the a la carte restaurants would be the italian one Stella di Mare. You can actually get several courses in one meal. Quality is ok, not great, service is incredibly slow but I was just glad the food there is tolerable comparing to the other restaurants. For lunch, we always head down to the beach where the open grill/bbq would be. They have pretty tasty paella I must say and the grilled fish and pork were very tender and delicious as well.

I'm not sure if I would come back to this resort next time however if Varadero was my only choice, then definitely Paradisus is the one to go for.

My friend and I took a last-minute vacation in January. We had an exceptionally nice time at this lovely resort.

We arrived quite late and were greeted kindly and courteously and escorted to our room. Our room was clean and large and exceeded our expectations, however the next day we discovered we could upgrade to an oceanfront room, and we did so. It was just gorgeous. Yes, the water takes a little while to get hot, and we had to get the maintenance staff in a couple of times to flip the circuit breaker (until we figured out how to do it for ourselves) so the a/c would work -- but the service was so pleasant and accomodating we did not have any cause for complaint.

We were very pleased with the food -- past trips to Cuba had lowered our expectations, but the Paradisus significantly exceeded them. The buffet contained such a variety that it is hard to imagine that anyone could not be satisfied. Many of the vegetable concoctions (often at the ends of the buffet tables looking like garnishes) were creative and really delicious (stuffed peppers, artichokes, roasted potatoes, green tomatoes, etc.).

The meals we had in the a la carte restuarants were very good to excellent, with the exception of the Japanese, which was just okay. Way too much MSG. The service was courteous, pleasant, and professional in each.

The staff was without exception pleasant, and broke into downright friendliness at my bumbling attempts to communicate in Spanish.

The spa setting is spectacular, and we enjoyed the services very much.

I would definitely recommend this destination, and I hope to go back.

3 days of absolute heaven, hotel so well designed we sometimes felt there were only us there. the staff were friendly, helpfull. the grounds were immaculate and the food and drink magnificent. Plenty of good choice in all restaurants

I had a really great time there, It was very extremely clean.
There was a big change since 2008, that was the last time I was there.
Food has excellent quality, beach was really had big change and it was very clean.

Management was excellent and respectful, employees were very nice to us, and I really enjoyed staying there.

I really recommend it.