A Cuban doctor identified on social media as JAViart de Cuba posted a reel on Facebook where she describes what she calls the worst vacation of her life: she paid 315 dollars for an all-inclusive hotel in Varadero for herself, her husband, her daughter, and her six-month-old baby, and returned more exhausted than before she left.
"I'm a Cuban doctor, I live in Cuba, and after a whole year of working, we decided to treat ourselves," she explains in the video.
After six hours of travel, the family arrived excited at the island's most famous tourist destination, but what they found was far from a relaxing getaway.
The room, located on the sixth floor, had central air conditioning that "barely cooled" and lacked hot water. The all-inclusive food was meager and of low quality: plain rice, only two main dishes—fish and beef—no dessert, no salad, and no ice cream.
Beer and wine were available only once a day, during the nighttime show.
"We arrived with hope, though not very high expectations given the situation in the country, but we never imagined that this would be where the horror story began," the doctor recounted.
The most critical moment came when the National Electric System collapsed. The hotel was without power for more than 24 hours and its power generator could not keep the air conditioners running.
"Imagine that situation with a little girl and a baby of just six months," she said. "Honestly, I have never struggled so much in my life, not even when I was on a scholarship."
The only thing that was salvaged was the staff's willingness: "The only positive aspect I can highlight was the attention from the workers. They did everything within their power, but good service cannot solve issues of infrastructure and organization."
"I did not make this video to destroy anyone. I made it because when you pay $315 for a vacation, you expect to relax, not to come back more exhausted," concluded the doctor, whose reel has amassed over 477,000 views and nearly 18,000 reactions.
The testimony is not an isolated case. User Jitana Melanie reported in the Facebook group "Hotels in Varadero Cuba" her experience at Hotel Sol y Mar: "They advertise it as a four-star hotel, but it doesn’t even meet two stars. It wasn't cheap, and the rooms had no light and no water. Guests, including children, were sleeping in the lobby and on the floor."
Another user who visited the same establishment with 42 people found bathrooms with leaks, store-bought bread, shredded chicken, and sugar-free desserts.
In July, another Cuban tourist reported similar conditions after paying 150 dollars a night at a hotel in Varadero that also lost electricity and water when the SEN fell.
The structural context explains these experiences. Cuban tourism is experiencing its worst crisis in decades: Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz acknowledged on July 30 before the National Assembly that 73% of the hotel facilities in the country remain closed and that around 25,000 workers are on standby.
Between January and April 2026, Cuba received only 328,608 international tourists, a 55.8% decrease compared to the same period the previous year, with national hotel occupancy falling to 21.5%.
The 315 dollars spent by the doctor is equivalent to more than 20 months of base salary for a newly graduated doctor in Cuba, whose monthly remuneration is 7,045 Cuban pesos, around 10 to 13 dollars at the unofficial exchange rate.
Filed under: