Cuba Wedding

teacherbride · 05-04-2008, 06:52 AM

Oops, I made a mistake. I meant Barcelo MARINA Palace. It's in Varadero.

I guess that's what happens after spending WAY too many hours browsing the forum.

DWbride09 · 05-06-2008, 09:05 AM

I stayed at the Barcelo Solymar and there were crazy mosquito reports about that place but I chose to ignore it.....don't!!!!! lol

If people complain about mosquitos its because there are mosquitos and tons of them AND they are immune to north american sprays. In fact I think they thrive on them. We called them mutant Cuban mosquitos.

I have learned since then that if a resort in Cuba has too much brush adorning it then there will be tons of mosquitos and they are annoying as hell. I now pay close attention to pictures of the resorts and reviews of mosquitos.

babyg · 05-07-2008, 04:50 PM

We are getting married in Cuba too. Our wedding is Dec 29 in Holguin - at Playa Costa Verde - which is just beside Playa Pesqureo. It is a little smaller than Pesqureo with only 480 bedrooms. It has less restaurants as well so it doesn't have the extra half a star that Pesqureo has. We are only going for one week so this is good for us. It has some great reviews.
Good luck with your planning.

bluenuit · 05-07-2008, 06:37 PM

We are getting married July 9th 2008 at Sirenis LaSalina, in Varadero.

Its a brand new reosrt, just opened July 2007, and its a 4 1/2 star. The pictures look so good!! I cant wait to go!!

Only about 2 more months and Im going insane waiting!! LOL

Congrats!

Amarillis · 05-12-2008, 01:12 PM

I am new to these boards but have done much research on the Varadero region. We are getting married on January 28, 2008 at the Barcelo Marina Palace - our departure date is the 24th.

Travel Agent is Megan Crouse - Megan's Brides by Oceans Travel - and I can't be happier with her service to date.

We have been to Cuba many times and absolutely love it there. The people, and the beaches are amazing. Hands down, the people there make up for the presence of mosquitos or food.

The food is quite good, plain - but we have never been sick there... Dominican Republic is another story - been three times - sick everytime.

Is any one else at the Barcelo Marina Palace?

teacherbride · 05-12-2008, 05:15 PM

I'm torn between Barcelo Marina Palace in Varadero and Playa Pesquero. Our date is really close to yours, we're looking at January 19th 2009, arriving at the resort on the 17th.

Both resorts look amazing, there are pros and cons to both resorts and wedding packages. What made you choose Barcelo Marina Palace??

Amarillis · 05-14-2008, 06:30 AM

The Barcelo is amazing - I posted a review on the boards.

It really is a great resort and in comparision to the ones we checked out was definately the best.

we saw:

1. Melia Las Antillas - which was our first pick - but they are going to be an adults only resort in 2009

2. Barcelo Marina Palace - 2nd pick and the one that we are going to

3. Sirenas La Salinas - originally our first pick... until we visited - not a good choice at all

4. Breezes Bella Costa - really it is more like a 3 than a 4 star... not quite what we were looking for - but affordable

We have stayed at:

Playa D'Oro - again, classified as a 4 star... nice for vacay, not good enuf for a wedding

Cuatro Palmas - not for a wedding. but an awesome time nonetheless - great for a cheap vacay where you can spend a ton of time down town

Barcelo Solymar - not a bad choice for a wedding but this place didn't have that pizazz that we were looking for - but would be an awesome choice for an adult crowd looking for a great party.

EricaG · 06-03-2008, 12:12 PM

I am not getting married in Cuba, but was at a wedding in Cuba a couple years ago. We went to the Iberostar Varadero and it was awesome!!!! It isn't a huge resort, but it is big enough. There were 32 of us there for the wedding, and we always met at the lobby bar to sit and visit. The buffet always had enough of a variety that there was something for everyone. I am not a seafood person, so I didn't go to the Seafood restaurant, but we went to the other 2. The Japaniese a la carte was sooo good. Most of the dishes had types of seafood, but there were chicken dishes too I believe. The show they put on while they cook the main dish is very good. The staff is very friendly and we got a lot of attention since the wedding group including our daughter who was almost 2 at the time and the mother of the bride who has MS and was driving her scooter around. If you go there, you must go to the swim up bar and ask for Fernando. If he is still there, ask for a Fernando. It is a drink that he made up himself, it is pink and blue and good! Here are some pics.

This was our room, you won't have a crib in it of course unless you request one.

Looking out at the ocean

Beach wedding location

My daughter walking down the sandy isle (with a little help, she wanted to play in the sand)

Pics on the beach afterwards

Japaniese restaurant

Looking from the lobby through to the pool

As for tours, the catamarran tour was great! The sunset cruise was nice! The Havana tour was rushed and it is mainly a driving tour with a few spots you get off the bus for a very quick look around. If I ever go back, I would do the overnight tour instead. About half the group went on the day tour and the other half went on the one that went longer to see the dancers.