A Cuban content creator, identified as Karla, posted a reel on Instagram this Saturday, where she shares her disappointing experience at the Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort.
This famous five-star hotel offers an all-inclusive option in Varadero and charges around 125 dollars per night. However, Karla gave it a rating of three out of ten.
The video generated hundreds of comments in just a few hours, with opinions divided between those who supported the criticism and those who defended the establishment.
Karla was straightforward in her review: “We visited the Grand Aston and the experience was terrible. A five-star hotel in Cuba costing $125 a night, where the only thing on the menu was chicken with rice and cabbage, nothing more.”
The complaints focused on the food and the service. "The bread had weevils, and nothing made with flour was edible," said the creator, who also noted that "the staff was not willing to work at the buffet table."
The only comfort was at breakfast. Karla remarked sarcastically, “At least there was egg, fortunately.”
Not everything was negative in her assessment. The creator acknowledged that the hotel looked visually appealing, that the pool was clean and spacious, and that the evening entertainment was enjoyable: "There were really very talented people," she said.
Nevertheless, his verdict was decisive: "I really wouldn't come back even if they paid me."
The comments on the video reflected similar experiences. One user claimed to have encountered Karla at the hotel during the same days: "I agree, I was there on the same days as you, I saw you at the hotel and everything was really terrible."
Another commentator shared that they went to the Grand Aston for their honeymoon and birthday but ended up leaving the next day: "The service was terrible, they don't offer anything. I went to the Hotel Internacional de Varadero for the same price and it was much better."
A resident of Varadero added an even darker perspective: "I’m from Varadero and yes, everyone is like that or worse."
The Grand Aston Varadero Beach Resort, inaugurated in December 2023 and owned by Archipelago International under the Indonesian Aston brand, was ranked as the number one hotel in Varadero at the time of its opening. It features 531 rooms and five specialized restaurants.
However, this is not the first time the establishment has generated controversy. In November 2024, a Cuban couple spent 600 dollars during a five-day stay at the same hotel with equally questionable results.
Karla's experience is not an isolated case. Other hotels in Varadero have accumulated similar complaints about scarce food and poor service, from Barceló Solymar to Kawama, where tourists recounted deplorable experiences involving mold, bedbugs, and food of very low quality.
The pattern repeats in an unprecedented tourism crisis. Cuba closed 2025 with a hotel occupancy of 18.9%, the worst rate in its recent history, and barely 1.81 million visitors, the lowest number since 2002.
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