Tourists narrate terrible experience at the Kawama hotel in Varadero

Sunwing Vacations Group, a Canadian travel agency and tour operator that offers the charms ofVaradero among its destinations, received strong criticism from tourists who commented on the websiteTripAdvisor the terrible accommodation conditions at the Kawama Hotel.

“Do not ever book this property and Sunwing must remove it from your list! I have never written a review anywhere and I have been to Cuba nine times! I had several problems with the property, including bugs, no hot water, broken tiles, and poor general maintenance,” one tourist complained.

This traveler's list of complaints went further. “There was no coffee and very little food, and the food was questionable at best. There was no cutlery, the plates were all chipped, no napkins or coffee. No bottled water. There are no beach towels or sun loungers. “There is no English entertainment at all.”

“I honestly don't know how the Sunwing representative didn't want to commit suicide after all the complaints. People queued daily and could barely have time for each and every one of them. It took me two days to manage with him to move rooms,” he added.

Another tourist vented his anger in the TripAdvisor comments. “This is the absolute worst place to stay. It is less than 1 star. The general condition of the building is deteriorated, but that was the least of the problems. Moldy rooms, doors that don't close, lack of hot water for days are just some of them.”

“Poor hygiene and pollution were the norm. I understand that Cuba is in a crisis in terms of food, but for an all-inclusive, I got very tired of cabbage, papaya, pineapple, bread and minimal meat. If you were at the restaurant an hour after it opened, you had a better chance of getting meat. For alcohol they only had rum, beer and champagne,” he noted.

Another visitor said she worked in the tourism sector and had experienced the worst service ever seen in Cuba. “There are no manners here, no smiles, no interest and, above all, no welcome!” he protested.

“Continuous lack of toilet paper in the reception bathrooms. There are no seat covers in the women's bathroom at reception! They gave us a room with windows and doors with shutters, which 1: impossible to open and 2: see outside. Also the air conditioning did not work. In bed: ONLY a sheet! But what is this? “Unacceptable!” he criticized.

Regarding gastronomy, the user pointed out that they offered “always the same thing, there is no choice, no pasta, only 'pieces' (?) of chicken and pork, and no soft drinks in the morning. The dishes are always soaked and the utensils dirty. The plastic tablecloths are dirty. The glasses are not clean. The coffee is T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.”

Despite changing rooms due to a broken air conditioning, the hair dryer did not work in the other room. “There is no glass to drink bottled water. An UNWRAPPED mini soap in a basket (not really hygienic). The towel racks are very rusty. The bathtub definitely needs to be replaced. The ceramic is stained. The windows are extremely dirty. A lot of dust accumulates under the curtains. There are only 2 hangers in the closet. There are not enough lights, only two lamps and if we want to plug in the cell phone, there is only one left!

“For the price we paid, we are very dissatisfied with this hotel,” the upset tourist concluded.

Except for the beach and the pool, most tourists who commented pointed out the same problems. Bad attention and rudeness from the front staff, terrible food (“like the prison scenes that show dinner time in third world countries”), and lack of cleanliness and hygiene in the rooms (“I saw huge red welts on the legs of some women, who were from bedbugs").

Last November, a Canadian tourist identified asDeanna Lang filed a lawsuit against the travel company Sunwing, based in Toronto, to recover the $8,000 he paid for a trip to the Cuban resort of Varadero.

The woman, who stayed with her mother and five children at the Memories Varadero Beach Resort, said the trip turned into a nightmare due to multiple problems at the hotel, including lack of food and cockroaches everywhere.

According to Lang's testimony, published in the mediaThe Free Press, the resort, operated by the Sunwing subsidiary, failed to live up to advertising promises.

The facility did not have enough food, water, toilet paper, or cutlery for guests. Additionally, the rooms and common areas of the complex had cockroaches. He also reported that thefts were reported during his stay.

In October it emerged that Cuba is the country withthe worst tourism recovery in the Caribbean after the pandemic, according to the latest report from the European consulting firm specialized in the airline industry and tourism, ForwardKeys.

Compared to 2019, the island occupies the last place, position number 28, in the ranking of Caribbean tourist destinations most recovered after the pandemic, among other things due to these difficulties described by travelers.

Hereport from ForwardKeys confirms that Cuba, once considered the jewel of the Caribbean, is disappearing from the region's tourist map. A recent article byBusiness Insider, also showed that travel agencies are removing Cuba promotional packages from their windows, opting instead for destinations such as Punta Cana or Cancun.