One Week of Sun, Sand and Fun at Selectum Family Resort Varadero

This year, we traded Edmonton’s long, stubborn winter for a week of sunshine, sand and warm ocean breezes. Our escape? A one‑week all-inclusive stay at Selectum Family Resort Varadero, one of the newer family‑friendly resort on Cuba’s famous Varadero Beach.

I booked our all‑inclusive vacation through Sunwing Vacations, and it was the deal that sealed it for us. I stumbled on an incredible Black Friday promotion, and at that price, how could we say no? Flights, transfers, resort, and meals all bundled together made the planning process easy and the whole trip pretty much stress‑free.

About the Resort

Selectum Family Resort Varadero is a newer, modern all-inclusive resort in Varadero designed specifically for families with children. The resort is located on Varadero West Beach, right where the main stretch of resorts begins. Its location made airport transfers convenient: we were among the first dropped off on arrival and one of the last picked up for the return trip.

The resort has plenty to offer with 567 rooms, three pools, seven restaurants, five bars, a kids’ club, a teens’ club, fitness facilities, a spa, and a private beach.

First Impressions & Check‑In

The resort layout is spacious but still easy to navigate, with clear zones for dining, pools, kids’ area, and the private beach, making it easy to get around even with little ones in tow. The overall vibe is bright, clean, and lively, with plenty of beautifully designed open‑air spaces. Although it’s a family‑focused resort, we actually saw more adult-only groups than families, yet it never felt chaotic or overwhelming.

Check‑in was the one part of our stay that missed the mark. We arrived right behind a large group, and with only two staff at the desk, it took close to an hour to get settled. The frustration on their end was noticeable, and it wasn’t exactly the warm welcome you hope for at the start of a week‑long stay. We also weren’t informed about the beach towel policy, which led to an unnecessary runaround the next morning, all over towels.

Family Activities & Entertainment

The resort had plenty of scheduled activities every day for the entire family so there were no shortages of things to do if you were looking for entertainment, though we prefer the pools and beach.

Kids Club & Daily Activities

The resort offers a supervised kids’ club with age-appropriate activities, games, crafts, and themed events throughout the day. There is also a teen’s club, but it appeared to be underused. During our stay, it was usually dark and quiet, likely because there were very few tweens or teens at the resort.

Jordan and Evelyn were happy to spend the week with us, and because of the language barrier, we did not end up using the clubs. They however made the most of that giant chess board.

Entertainment

There was no shortage in entertainment from afternoon karaoke to poolside DJ parties. The music kicked off around 11 a.m. and carried on well into the evening at the swim‑up bar. It was loud, sure, but not in a way that ruined the vibe. If anything, it added a fun background energy whether we were in the pool or relaxing on a beach lounger or cabana.

At night, the resort really came alive with shows, live music, and dancers. We caught one performance with a band and dancers, and it was upbeat, fun, and a great way to end the day.

Dining Options

Despite the cautionary warnings from friends and online reviews about bland Cuban food, we felt the opposite. For the most part, the food generally delivered and often surprised us.

Restaurants

La Ola, the main buffet, became our go‑to for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it never disappointed. They had a little bit of everything: seafood, pasta, beef, chicken, pork, a teppanyaki station that transforms into an omelette station in the morning, cold meats, salads, soups, breads and pastries, fresh fruit, cakes, ice cream, and plenty of kid‑friendly options. There was always something for everyone, even for picky eaters. Sure, the marina sauce could’ve used a bit more seasoning, but we never even needed the backup ketchup bottle we packed. Most dishes were full of flavour, especially the Japanese teriyaki fried rice and the Cuban take on curry chicken.

While the resort advertised three à la carte restaurants, not all were open each night. Only two operated at a time, and reservations had to be made in a meeting room that opened for a short window each morning. In the end, the only reservation we managed to secure was at Chiang, the Asian‑fusion option. The atmosphere felt a bit stuffy (and uncomfortably cold thanks to the frigid air conditioning), the service was slower and less friendly, the menu limited and not very kid‑friendly, and the food itself only mediocre. We all agreed the main buffet was far better.

The other à la carte options include Puntamare, which serves Italian cuisine; La Caleta, offering traditional Cuban dishes; and technically a fourth, Sky Blue, a premium top‑floor restaurant reserved for guests staying in the “Selectum area” (the resort’s higher‑tier room categories).

Bars & Snacks

With two bars positioned on opposite sides of the pool plus a beach bar, grabbing a drink was always easy. The lobby bar became our favourite simply because we spent most of our time in the pool closest to it. It was spacious, bright, and opened fully to the pool and main courtyard through large accordion-style patio windows.

There was plenty of comfortable seating, and although the drinks menu was accessed by scanning a QR code, the selection was great and the bartenders were happy to make almost anything including non‑alcoholic drinks and smoothies for the kiddos. Though it is a common issue reported by others in Cuba, we didn’t experience any shortages of Coca‑Cola or other products during our stay.

We grabbed a late lunch one afternoon at the poolside snack bar. The menu was understandably limited to sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs, but the food still took more than 25 minutes to arrive. We were also disappointed by how plainly the hamburgers were assembled and by the small handful of fries that came with each of our meals. And although both the resort’s website and Sunwing advertised 24/7 hours, the snack bar was only open for roughly 7 to 8 hours daily.

Pools & Beach Access

The pool areas were a huge hit with our family. There are three pools in total, including a shallow wading area for younger children. If you’re looking out from the lobby, the right side was always livelier with live music and activities throughout the day, while the left side rarely had more than a handful of people. Despite the resort being busy, we never had trouble finding loungers. The covered cabanas were tougher to snag and honestly, some of the cushion stains made us less eager to fight for them anyway.

The resort has direct beach access, which made it fairly easy to go back and forth between the pool and the ocean. I say “fairly” because the path runs around the outer edge of the pool area and behind the beach towel building tucked among the palm trees.

I will admit, Varadero Beach truly lived up to the hype—soft white sand, clear turquoise water, and plenty of room to spread out. Even now, I am still amazed by the colour and clarity of the water, and I can honestly say I have never seen a beach more beautiful! There was, however, a noticeable amount of trash left behind by inconsiderate guests, which took away some of its appeal. Beach chairs, loungers and umbrellas were also a little harder to get unless you went early in the morning or right after lunch.

Fair warning: the shoreline is quite rocky since there used to be a reef here. If you walk far enough in either direction though, you’ll find sandy spots where it is easier to get into the water. Bringing a good pair of water shoes is definitely worth it. At low tide, the kids loved finding sand crabs and moving them from one reef pool to another so they wouldn’t get stranded. And if you swim a little farther out, you’ll see schools of beautiful, multi‑coloured tropical fish.

The Deluxe Ocean View Room

Our Deluxe Ocean View Room was spacious and comfortable, with a 40" LCD TV, a small refrigerator, and plenty of shelving and drawer space in the closet. The room also came with a safety deposit box, iron and ironing board, two chairs, and a small coffee table. The air conditioning worked very well; however, it only functioned properly when the balcony doors were fully closed and aligned with the magnetic sensors at the top, something we realized on the third day.

The beds were a touch firm but still comfy enough for a good sleep. The one long pillow that stretched across the entire width of the double bed was… let’s just say, an interesting choice. I personally appreciated the headboard reading lamps, as I regularly read before bed.

The washroom was also quite spacious, featuring a separate toilet area (without a door), a rainfall shower, a well-functioning hair dryer, a weight scale (we laughed about this because who really wants to know how much weight they gained at an all-inclusive), and pleasantly scented shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. We did experience a drainage issue with the shower; although maintenance came twice to fix it, water consistently pooled on the shower floor and drained very slowly. While not the worst thing that can happen, it was annoying to be standing in pooled water at the end of each shower.

I loved the wide ocean-view balcony, which included two chairs and a table. Evelyn and I often spent early mornings there, enjoying the sound of the waves and the breeze.

Housekeeping did a great job keeping the room clean and stocked. We had new towels and a big bottle of water (sometimes two) waiting for us each day.

Tour Excursions

We booked a full‑day Havana city tour by coach through Sunwing’s in-destination excursion partner, NexusTours, at the hotel. The tour itself was fantastic — our guide was warm, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable. We learned so much about Havana’s layered history, stopped at several major landmarks, and enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local restaurant near Morro Castle.

But I did walk away feeling cheated. The Sunwing tour desk agent never disclosed that the tour would be charged in USD, and the way she presented the price clearly led me to believe I was paying in Canadian dollars. It wasn’t until I was home in Canada, looking over my credit card statement, that I realized what had happened. That omission wasn’t an honest mistake; it was misleading. Because of this experience, I wouldn’t book with them again.

Our Flight Experience

The flight to Cuba itself was uneventful, which is always a win when traveling as a family. We flew on an older WestJet aircraft with no seat‑back screens and no reclining seats, which isn’t ideal for a six‑hour flight, especially once my back and butt started complaining around the three‑hour mark. The kids, of course, handled it better than I did and dad slept the entire way.

The return trip home was a bit more challenging. Our flight was delayed by several hours, and we weren’t given much information at the airport about the reason for the delay beyond a vague “aircraft delay”. We later learned, after we were already home, that meal vouchers were supposedly offered, though no announcement was made and no one attempted to hand out any at the time.

To make matters worse, by the time the in‑flight food service reached our row (row 23), nearly everything was sold out. The kids ended up with the last two cup‑a‑noodles, Radwin got a small can of Pringles, and I made do with the complimentary pretzels. Not exactly the ideal way to end a long travel day.

Final Thoughts

Our week at Selectum Family Resort Varadero, for the most part, was exactly the kind of vacation we were hoping for—easy, relaxing, and genuinely fun for the whole family. To be honest, we’re pretty easy-going so a comfortable resort with beautiful beach access, solid dining options, and a welcoming atmosphere made for a truly great week.

If you’re looking for a family‑friendly all‑inclusive that won’t break the bank, this resort is absolutely worth considering. Even with the less-than-ideal trip home, we still came back refreshed, tanned, and already dreaming about our next warm‑weather escape.