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HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Family Resort
Languages Spoken
French, Spanish
Property amenities
Free parking
Paid internet
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Pool
Free breakfast
Beach
Tennis court
Free airport transportation
Parking
Internet
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Table tennis
Nightclub / DJ
Airport transportation
Car hire
Business Centre with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Head massage
Massage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Gift shop
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
Butler service
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Minibar
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Telephone
Wardrobe / wardrobe
Clothes rack
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Location
Autopista Sur km 18 Parque Natural Punta Hicacos, Varadero 42200 Cuba
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Valentín Varadero El Patriarca appears to divide opinion among guests. While some appreciate the room sizes and the hotel's entertainment offerings, many express frustration with amenities and services not meeting the expectations of an all-inclusive resort. Issues with cleanliness, from spotless grounds to rooms in need of a thorough clean, are a common thread in reviews.
Furthermore, the atmosphere, although sometimes praised for its tranquility, can be affected by low occupancy. Despite occasional commendations for attentive staff, the overall value proposition is often criticized, with guests feeling that the experience does not justify the cost.
Atmosphere
Intimate
Rooms
Neglected
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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Detailed Reviews
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The resort is located in a very green area and is approx. 15 km from the center of Varadero. The sea is a stone's throw away, the structure is organized into villas divided into 2 floors, ground floor with mini garden, upper floor with small terrace. We had chosen the Alegance Deluxe formula which, with a supplement, allows you to have better services than the standard rooms (someone told us that they were not kept clean). Our room always spotless (a small tip to the maids helps to always have everything available). There were very few Italians there, especially Canadians and Russians. Beautiful beach, immediately high water (you can touch it but then you have to swim) although you can take very long walks on the beach. What needs improvement? Absolutely the food (regardless of embargo or not) paying what you pay and being an all inclusive they cannot always give you rice and/or spaghetti (overcooked) with chicken and/or pork and ocean fish (always cod) and always cooked the same way. You can't find shellfish there.... one dinner a week with an excellent lobster but only for those who have chosen the Alegance formula. Fruit tasteless and brought from who knows where (not from Cuba), unripe pineapples, tasteless papaya, never seen a banana..... excellent passion fruit (who likes it). However, little variety in general on all foods. At breakfast butter and jam (the minimum for a 5 star) never seen before, but many excellent desserts and croissants as well as a choice of savory things (cheeses, hams, etc.) for an international clientele. A special commendation goes to the Resort's Medical Service where (due to a wasp sting, be careful as it is in the middle of a nature reserve there are many insects and if you can better bring antihistamines from Italy) I had to be treated. Really good and expert staff, even though medicines are difficult to find. For the rest, sea, sea, sea and lots of relaxation but also good, non-invasive entertainment.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Portarsi sempre da casa un kit di pronto soccorso sanitario (antistaminici, aspirina, ecc.)...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hmmm…well, we made the best of it! Let’s start off positive…the beach was beautiful and the food/drink service was great! We just came back from Valentin El Patriarca on Sunday Dec 10. We went with another couple who had never been to Cuba. We wanted to go for an inexpensive trip to the beach before Christmas and mentioned to our friends to tame their expectations…Cuba is known for their amazing beaches and not for their food or 5 star resorts. We upgraded to Alegance. This is a must in our opinion. We had an adjoining room with our friends. They had nothing but problems with their room. No hot water for 7 days, patio door did not lock (room on ground level), their room keys did not work most times because the lock needed new batteries, the fridge was not restocked daily (we had to ask for bottled water every day), the sheets and towels were never changed, they had to go to the front desk every day because their internet would stop working. The Alegance ‘butler’ or consierge did the best they could to relay the information but nothing was ever fixed. They did comp our late checkout in the end. Our room: pillows like pancakes, no bottled water, patio door did not lock, towels and sheets were never changed but we had hot water! In both rooms we left $5 every day and a gift bag with things like toothbrushes and toothpaste, Tylenol, hair clips, crayons, etc. The food was the same in every restaurant. They are struggling with supply issues. Ask for a salad and most times you get cabbage with green tomatoes and sometimes oil and white or red wine vinegar. Bring your own sauces! We tipped upwards of $10 CAD for dinner, $5 for drinks, $20 consierge, etc. The bills you give need to crisp new or undismayed bills or their bank will not accept them. Beach and pool chairs: one of us needed to be out there by 7:30am or there were no chairs to be had. Bring bug spray. The sand fleas or flies are hungry! I am still struggling with bites all over days later…soooo itchy! No one else has this problem. Best drinks: Alegance pool bar…loved Roberto and piano bar with Gillian (sp?) We also loved all the ladies at Alegance restaurant. 5 Stars for them! So as far as ratings go…this is not a five star. Service 4*, rooms 2.5* (rooms 4311 and 4312), beach 3.5* (a little rocky at the Alegance beach), food 2*, drinks 3* ( white wine is horrible, red wine is pretty good…most bars/restaurants have an issue with inventory except Piano bar and Alegance bar). We did make the best of it and we are grateful that we have opportunities to travel and explore new places however we will not be back to this resort nor would we recommend it to our friends.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Javier Aguilar, Director General at Valentín Varadero El Patriarca
Responded 20 Dec 2023
Dear Lisa, we are trully sorry if you had some difficulties during your vacations in our hotel. You can be sure that your comment helps us in our daily work for the improvement of the services we offer to our clientele.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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We arrived with a large group in July 2023, the first thing that catches your eye is the large area of the hotel, many palm trees and plants, you can see that they are looked after, a very beautiful beach with snow-white sand! There is a bar on the pool and beach, the guys are trying very hard, the bartender Tony is always positive and smiling, in general the friendliness of the staff is very captivating, it’s clear that they are really happy. In the rooms themselves, not everything is perfect, there are minor drawbacks, but in general, if you are not in the habit of relaxing in premium hotels, it is quite acceptable. The food is not always varied, but there are premium products: shrimp, mussels, mango, avacado, which you won’t find in many expensive hotels, there is also always meat and fish, I would like to mention very tasty beer and coffee! In the evening, a bar opens where expensive alcohol is poured and very tasty cocktails are made. In general, reality exceeded expectations, nature, friendly staff do their job)
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Positive points: The landscaping at the resort is beautiful and always clean. The gardeners do their job well. The view of the beach is beautiful too and the resort is beautiful as a whole.
Negative points: Cuba are in shortage and it seems a lot at the buffet, the best thing I ate in a week are 4 eggs.. and again, I waited 1 hour in line because everyone jumped on that... The buffet does not have air conditioning, so the food stays warm for a long time. A toaster for everyone, everyone touches the bread to cut it themselves, it's not unusual for people to run to find a plate. The a la carte restaurants are a real joke.. They are the same things as the buffet, but which will take you to your table instead.. But we went to another 4 star resort and the conditions and the food was extremely better.. So for the El Patriarca, it sounded much more like a big max 3 stars...
For the room, the bed was by far the least comfortable I've had in my life. It looked like a fence with fabric on top. The pillows, like 2 inches thick, were as hard as a rock, I barely slept. Not to mention that the housekeeping was so backlogged, the sheets were never changed and it was quite certain that it was not clean when we arrived, because there was a blood stain on the sheet which did not move from the beginning to end despite the fact that I balled it up to be cleaned.. The room was not better, the shower was so disgusting that I constantly washed myself with my sandals without touching the walls and the window which was not never been washed so much that there was dirt.. The towels were not changed, as much for the shower as for the beach. We also ran out of toilet paper twice. I had to fight with the door to keep it locked on the way out every time. We only had one key and no phone in the room for reception despite it being a very long walk to the resort. Anyway, just getting to reception takes at least 15 minutes before being served , I don't imagine if everyone could call for problems equally..
The staff were very rarely welcoming, the pool snack bar always extremely slow, no air conditioning, often lacking food.
The waiting time to get anything was long every time, the bathrooms were often disgusting and non-functional (especially close to the beach). The beach was also zero cleaned, with a VERY limited number of chairs (around 1 chair for 5 people) and the pool was worse. For a 4 star resort, I am EXTREMELY disappointed. I feel like I was ripped off given the price paid. I wouldn't have paid more than $600 to go there given the conditions. At $1000 there are many more good choices that meet their ratings...
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Tellement de meilleurs choix pour le prix
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is NOT a 5 star as advertised maybe a 3 at the best. This is our first trip to Cuba so we went with an open mind. We have stayed at other Valentin resorts and loved them .They do not offer the amenities as advertised on their site no room service, no robes not a deal breaker but you are lucky if you get towels and toilet paper,and we purchased the upgrade to the elegance section too. This resort is rundown, loungers need to be replaced they are old breaking when you sit on them. The walkways are very poorly lit as maybe 1 out of 5 light fixtures are working and the rooms are not much better . The doors don't close properly you have to deadbolt them at night our patio door latch was broken too, bedding was stained and had some holes, patio curtains torn frayed and dirty overall room appearace missing paint broken door jams ,leaking faucets dingy and not overlly clean. Our toilet didnt work in our room for 8 hours one day and after reporting this to Blanca our concierge twice I finally went to the front desk and asked for the manager, she said she knew nothing about the problem,someone isn't doing their job. In the mean time I used the public bathrooms they were disgusting no toilet paper no hand soap or sanitizer the air dryers were either broken or missing off the walls and smelled strong of urine and were dirty too. The main Buffet I ate at the first night, and never came back. We came in late as our flight was delayed the food warmers are barely warm to touch and definitely not in the safe zone for food to be kept at for hours on end. I believe this as my head was in a Cuban toilet the next morning,not how I expected my holiday to start, once supper was gone I felt ok. We talked to some other guests and they said the food selection barely changed all week.Being part of the privelege package we had our own little restaurant to eat at our choices beef ,fish, chicken all were good ,cooked basic but tasty. Breakfasts choice of eggs,omelettes ,french toast fresh bread, cold meats, cold cereal and sliced cheese all good. There was salt pepper and ketchup as condiments which was fine with us very little fresh fruit or vegetables but we knew this as mostly everything is imported. We tried 2 a la cartes the gourmet and Caribean both ok . We had our own pool and bar which was nice but the drinks were terrible even the basic ones and little to no top shelf alcohol as they advertise lots of cuba rum though ha ha . The beaches are beautiful and so are the hard working staff ,we will come back to Cuba but not this resort nor will we recommend it to anyone.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:take small packages of toilet paper to use in public wash rooms. There are limited palapas so if...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Javier Aguilar, Director General at Valentín Varadero El Patriarca
Responded 3 Feb 2024
We are sorry to know that we didn´t meet your expectations during your vacations in our hotel. You can be sure that we work in a daily basis to improve the services that we offer to our clientele.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had an upgrade to the Alegance section. I recommend it to all it is very well organized. The rooms are spacious it is a little more intimate and quiet. It looks like little condos there are only eight rooms per block on two floors there were two couples and me solo we were in blocks 44, 45, 46 everyone was delighted. We arrived there, in the middle of the Blackout of the entire country on October 19 evening, the hotel had generators, it was only lacking air conditioning. Everything went back to normal on Monday evening, there were ceiling fans in the rooms so it was a little less worse. Alegance has a private pool with bar a restaurant only for this section that serves all three meals a day, but with reservations for dinner. The staff is super nice, and does everything possible to make your life easy. It is a very nice complex, very well maintained a little outside Varadero, but there is always the double decker bus to Varadero. spend the day there, which I did. The person to see in this section is Blanca.Harvis she fixes all the little problems you may have and even more, she is a charming person. For the first time in Varadero for many of us, it was a great experience thanks to this lady. I can’t comment on the buffet, I only went once and it was the snack. Bar open 24 hours is also great for dinner because it is stuck on the beach. We had some great shows in the Lobby because it’s low season, so I guess for that reason the theatre wasn’t used. We all enjoyed this place and for my part I will surely return
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DIRE EXPERIENCE. If you really want to enjoy your vacation days, I recommend that you do not book this hotel. It is generally sold as a 5-star all-inclusive hotel and absolutely does not comply with any of it. We understand the restrictions that the country may have in terms of supply, but we have been to other hotels in the country and we have not suffered this very impressive shortage. To begin with, when we arrive we find that the door lock does not open, after several attempts we managed to open it and after opening it, it no longer closes. The technician has to come. When we get into the room, the air conditioning does not work (considering the extreme temperatures outside). The technician comes again and fixes it, but tells us that we can not turn it off, since if we turn it off it will stop working. Nor does a ceiling fan work that has the room and still does not work throughout our stay, since the technician cannot fix it. As if that were not enough, there was a plague of cockroaches and ants in several areas of the room. We have also found mold in several rooms of the room such as air conditioning grilles and bathtub. Once all these setbacks have been overcome, we head to lunch at noon in the buffet. Our surprise is that the room in which it is located is in excessively high temperatures, which negatively affects the quality in which food is preserved and maintained. In this regard, we are told that the air conditioning has broken down in that room and that a priori it seems to be a greater evil, so it will continue like this for an indefinite time. If all this was not enough, during the night when we go to dinner, we are told that drink only includes water (the water is not bottled, it is tap, said by the workers, considering the unfavorable conditions in terms of health of it), wine and orange juice, but orange juice is no longer left. Of the five main courses to choose from, only broiled chicken remains. When they bring us the chicken we realize that both the chicken and the garnish that accompanies it are IDENTICAL to the food that at noon was in the buffet, besides being dry and not in the best condition. Along with the chicken we serve as a starter a tomato cream, which literally is to pour fried tomato from a canister. Horrible, worst service impossible and quality of food lousy. All this considering that we are staying in a premium area of the hotel, with services supposedly superior to other customers. Given this situation, we complained to the PR managers and their response was to offer us a dinner with lobster and 20 minutes of massages. Of course we refused, we did not want extra services but to guarantee minimum conditions of hygiene and health.
Dire experience, we would never return. Hopefully this review can be helpful for your vacation in Varadero.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We went for 16 days in February 2025. Best Cuban Resort we have ever stayed at. Positives: Amazing, helpful and friendly staff with special thanks to Christian and Veronica. Thomas made the best coffee. Rooms were spotless everyday, AC kept the room cold at night, Shower pressure great and hot. Grounds were beautiful and well laid out. Food variety, temperature and quality was excellent. We will definitely return to this resort as our new favourite for years to come. Thank you from Len and Joan from Paris.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I arrived at the hotel, they put the door handles on us and told us that the rooms were ready at 4, at that time when we went they were not ready yet, they were there at 4:40 in the afternoon, when we got to the room, there were 2 showers, One did not work, they told us that they would put water in the minibar and they didn't even put that in, instead of putting soft drinks and drinks like in other hotels, there is a coffee maker and they don't put coffee in, the room has an unpleasant smell of dust and on top of that, like I am allergic and it seems that the sheets have not been washed for a month I got hives on my skin, the next day when we go to complain they tell us that they do put coffee and 2 beers and a bottle of water but when we arrived they were not put in the room The service in general at the hotel works very poorly, we asked for the umbrella at the reception because it was raining a lot, 3 days have passed and they haven't put it in yet, in fact they changed only one sheet for us because they said there were no clean sheets, In the 4 days we were there, they changed our towels only once because we demanded it, if you don't ask for things they don't give them to you, the only good thing about the hotel besides the beach and the cleanliness of the pool is Mike's coffee and I ask, this Is it a 5 star hotel? I will not return to this hotel again, do not come, I do not recommend it. Go to another hotel.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:No vengan,muy caro y un pesimo servicio
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I just returned for the second time in 3 years from Valetin Patriarca and i want to warn future guests to expect abdolutely nothing for their money. The hotel does not even rate a 1 star rating for their lack of expected services compared ti a 4 star rating prior. Why? because the hotel manager Renier from Cuba has shut down most of the restaurants and bars because of a shortage of guests, primarily because tourists are reading poor reviews on Trip Advisor. only 57 during my stay. my room and many others had no air conditioning, no TV or phone. The buffet serves the same unapealing food over and over each and every day. Forget about seeing eggs, bacon or french fries. Many guests were complaing of an upset stomic and dierea. Food i can’t eat and would never feed my dog! When i visit my friends in Santa Marta, i can buy 3 dozen eggs at the market! Why can’t the manager? Complaining to the manager is a waste of time. i am not sure if he is completely stupid or just practing! He is rude and even expects guests to take their own luggage to their rooms because the bell boy’s golf cart service is not available. Why? because The carts do not work! For the guests who have difficulty walking, he is extremely disrespectful and non responsive. I can go on and on, but do yourself a favour and read the other reviews. As for me, i will be notifiying the Air Transat customer services and advising them of the hotel conditions and suggest they post a lower star rating on their website and/or dropping this hotel all together. As for the family in Spain who owns the Valetin chain, i strongly urge them to fire Renier ASAP because he is incapeable of managing the hotel or his staff. It’s obvious the hotel is losing money! It is time to act before your brand and reputation diminishes so low it will be impossible to recover. At worst, sell the hotel because i doubt you will ever achieve a 4 star rating once again. Eventually the only guests going to this resort will be cubans, just like during the pandemic period, and they pay in pesos! As for me, I have already notified management i will never return!
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Varadero area.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Varadero El Patriarca
LOCATION
CaribbeanCubaMatanzas ProvinceVaradero
NUMBER OF ROOMS
420
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