Barceló Hotel Group - Reviews and experiences

Checked into Block E at Barceló Royal Beach; first night I saw rats, panicked, but staff sorted it fast — by morning it felt under control, relieved.

there were mosquitoes (yeah, more than I’d like) and we spent some time swatting and swapping tips on bug spray. My in-laws got a bunch of bites, so that was annoying and I kept checking with reception. At first, getting someone in charge (Alejandro? or so the desk said) felt slow, like they were stretched thin. But here’s the thing — despite that, pockets of the team really stepped up. A chef saw we were fed up with lines and literally made fresh plates for us away from the buffet crowd. Little gestures like that made the week enjoyable. Food overall was okay — not fancy, but when something tasted good, it was actually good, and there were surprises. Rooms were decent, not brand-new, but clean enough for what we needed while exploring Varadero. Would I go back? Maybe, with a few caveats: pack repellent and patience, and ask for quieter room locations up front. I’m glad we went though — family had fun, staff weren’t all bad, and the beach more than made up for the hiccups. So yeah, went in nervous, left thankful it wasn’t worse.

So, eh, I was staying at this place in Bulgaria and let me tell you, it was not cool. There were rats all over the place! They were in the walls, the rooms, and even the toilet! Yuck! It was super gross and just made me feel all grossed out the whole time.

My family went to Allegro Palma Real in Varadero, Cuba last June for a vacation, but it wasn't the greatest. We had a big problem with mosquitoes in both of our rooms. We tried for hours to get rid of them, but there were so many - over 80 in my room in just the first hour. One of the kids even got bitten and got Dengue fever, which we think happened at the hotel. We asked many times to talk to Alejandro, the director, but nothing changed during our whole week there. When I contacted Barceló Group's customer service, all they offered was a discount for another stay, instead of dealing with the serious health and management issues we brought up. It was a pretty disappointing experience, and it looks like the hotel is going downhill fast because the management and owners, like Barceló Hotel Group and the Cuban government, aren't putting in enough effort to keep it up.