Selectum Family Resort Varadero
Family-friendly resort in Cuba.
Amenities
Traveler Insights(112 discussions)
Selectum Family Resort Varadero is one of Cuba's newest all-inclusive openings, and its freshness is its most immediate selling point — modern rooms, pristine facilities, and an activity program that treats the Kids Club, Teens Club, and adult entertainment track as genuinely co-equal priorities rather than afterthoughts. The resort sits in Varadero, Cuba's largest and most developed beach resort zone, with Havana day trips, Bay of Pigs excursions, and Trinidad tours all bookable through the hotel's activities desk. The 20-minute airport transfer and enthusiastic, warm staff make arrival and first impressions reliably positive.
The practical realities of a Cuban all-inclusive apply here, and the beach situation is particularly worth flagging: rocky ocean entry is a consistent complaint, with guests noting that water shoes are effectively mandatory for both adults and children who want to actually enter the water. The buffet lines run long at peak times, food opinions are divided, and Wi-Fi operates on a paid hourly basis rather than freely. These are partly Cuba-wide infrastructure factors and partly growing pains of a new property still calibrating its operations. Air conditioning inconsistency has been flagged in a subset of rooms.
This resort makes strong sense for families with children of varied ages who want the structure of a well-programmed activity schedule in a fresh, modern facility — particularly parents who've done older Varadero properties and found them worn or tired. It's not the right call for beach-swimmers or travelers prioritizing food diversity and dining sophistication. Compared to established Varadero competitors like Melia Las Americas or Iberostar Selection Varadero, Selectum trades depth of culinary program for newness of facilities — a trade-off that makes sense for families over gourmands.
Pros
- +Brand-new construction means everything smells and looks fresh — no worn carpets, outdated fixtures, or tired common areas that plague older Cuban properties
- +Dedicated Kids Club and Teens Club with separate pools for different age groups — one of the more thoroughly thought-out family program setups in Varadero
- +Daily activity schedule is genuinely energetic — morning aqua fitness, dance lessons, and DJ-led pool sessions are praised by guests across age groups
- +Evening entertainment receives strong marks, with shows designed to engage both adults and families rather than padding time with perfunctory dance routines
- +Only 20 minutes from Varadero International Airport — minimal transfer time means more resort time, especially welcome when traveling with children
- +Rooms are spacious and modern by Cuban all-inclusive standards, with contemporary furnishings that match the resort's new construction quality
- +Staff friendliness gets consistently high marks, with multiple guests noting the team's genuine warmth and attentiveness to families with young children
- +Located in Varadero means access to Cuba's most developed beach resort corridor, with organized excursions to Havana, the Bay of Pigs, and Trinidad available through the hotel
Cons
- −The beach entry is dominated by rocks — swimming without water shoes is painful and impractical, with some guests reporting the ocean entry is essentially un-swimmable for children without protection
- −Being a new property, operational processes are still being worked out — some guests note staff are enthusiastic but occasionally disorganized in execution compared to well-established Cuban resorts
- −Buffet lines can get very long during peak meal periods — the dining infrastructure appears to still be calibrating for the resort's guest volume
- −Food quality gets mixed reviews, with some guests satisfied and others feeling the price-to-quality ratio doesn't hold up compared to other Varadero competitors
- −Air conditioning reliability has been flagged in some rooms — not universal, but enough of a pattern to be worth requesting a room check at check-in
- −Limited specialty dining variety beyond the main buffet — the dining program is still developing and hasn't reached the depth of longer-established Varadero resorts
- −As with all Cuban resorts, Wi-Fi is limited and sold by the hour rather than freely included — guests expecting seamless connectivity for the family will be disappointed
- −The property is large enough that wayfinding can be confusing initially, and some guests report difficulty locating specific facilities during their first day
Common Questions
Google Rating
Google Reviews
“Excellent New Year's Experience Our stay for New Year's was wonderful.The service was exceptional, with friendly and attentive staff. The cleanliness throughout the resort was impeccable and constant. The activities organized for the celebration were...”
“Fantastic resort!! Very nice staff, rooms, i just loved the food, entertainment, im not gonna say it has the best section of Varadero Beach but it is good as well, the water is cristal clear... i love sports so enjoyed working out at the nice GYM the...”
“I recently got back from a 7-day stay. We had a great stay at the resort overall! The food was ok, just very repetitive, however we liked the à la carte restaurants. One thing to note is that you’re only allowed to order one appetizer, entrée, and de...”