We found that even though we went all inclusive you had to tip well to get even a drink at the bar, just ignored you if they could not see money in your hand. Would not go again.

If it really was that bad/, id hold the money up, get the drink, say thanks, put the money back in my pocket and walk away. Cheeky beggars.

Unfortunately this 'demanding' of tips seems to be becoming all too common in many places, and all down to the irresponsible act of tipping in the first place, with the Americans being the biggest culprits. I will stick to my no tipping philosophy (both home and abroad) and at least feel comfortable in that I am not contributing to this bad practice, which many people in poorer countries are unhappy with as it eventually distorts the economy.

I have been extensively around Cuba, albeit not to a western inclusive hotel. I can speak Spanish some what, so have spoken with Cubans at these places. Cubans working in leisure already receive a very decent wage. They can earn their monthly government wage in a few days working as a waiter etc.

Tipping really isn't a thing outside of resorts. Maybe in a restaurant (for decent service like here) you would but for drinks no. You shouldn't be inclined to tip, many of these cubans are just greedy and want to buy a better phone etc. Unfortunately, especially American and Canadian tourists, see it as a given so fuel this quasi-begging which staff then come to accept.

Unfortunately this has bad reviews on trip advisor

Just come back from Cuba. Lovely place, great people. I spent 3 days in Havana, and 11 days in Varadero. Realistically it would have been better to have done 4 days in Havana and 6 days in Varadero. The hotels i stayed in were Iberostar Parque Central and the Blau Varadero. Just be aware it isn't a cheep place, and you will be very suprised/shocked at the lack of basic retail therapy including supermarkets. I also went through Thompson.

We found that even though we went all inclusive you had to tip well to get even a drink at the bar, just ignored you if they could not see money in your hand. Would not go again.

This must depend very much on the hotel. Generally we didn't wait to be waited on ie we went upto the bar. We tipped the staff on our last day we felt gave great service about £5 each. Total in tips about £30 to £40 in total. I know this my seem not a great deal however I felt I had paid to be all inclusive and shouldn't be expected to pay tips every time.

excellent!! cheers!!

Excellent, however as I renewed my wedding vows they upgraded our room free of charge. What I will say is ask for a room at the rear as from my understanding from speaking to other guest the front is still due refurbishment. My overall all rating for my stay would be 9.5 out of 10 for the hotel. What I will say is there isn't loads to do and like I said previously 7 days there would have been plenty unless you really like pool and beach life. You will only get WiFi in hotel lobbies and parks. These you buy a scratch card and cost approximately £1 to £2 an hour, and expect it to only work for 20 minutes lol! Unless you really need to use your phone I would recommend using a watch and good cheep digital camera while out and about. Also take loads of suntan lotion as it cost about 3 times the price and you can go red very quickly over there plus take some Jungle formula insect repellent.

Also just to warn you some of the excursions will involve a lot of coach travelling time so ask the rep about this and make sure it includes all the pick up and drop off times.