We had a wonderful week at the Grand Aston Varadero. The resort is small, but very clean and modern with a lot to offer.

We stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View room and the view was perfect - I would recommend to anyone staying at this resort to upgrade to the Ocean View.

The entertainment was great. The poolside entertainment in the mornings and afternoons, the live music in the lobby in the evenings, and the nighttime shows on the theatre stage did not disappoint.

The food was good, we always found something to eat, and shortages were not a huge issue during our stay.

The Wi-Fi was good but only available while in the main building or rooms.

The beach was nice but not as good as in other parts of Varadero - that being said, we personally had no complaints.

The location of the resort was perfect - it is located only about 15 minutes from the airport, and about 10 minutes from downtown Varadero. We took advantage of this and hitched a couple rides in some classic cars into town for a couple of really fun nights out at The Beatles bar and The Havana Club. It wouldn't be a true trip to Varadero if you didn't take some time to explore the Downtown Varadero area.

Overall, our trip was fantastic, and the resort exceeded our expectations.

We stayed at the Manhattan at Times Square hotel in the Premium King Room. The location was perfect for those wanting to stay in the area of Times Square and Central Park, and the hotel itself was beautiful (note that we were assigned a room on one of the recently renovated floors). During our time in NYC, we visited the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Centre, rented bikes and rode through Central Park, visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, visited the Empire State Building and the 86th Floor Observatory, visited SUMMIT One Vanderbilt (one of the most notable experiences we had in NYC), spent a couple days exploring the city with the help of the Big Bus Tours Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, visited the famous Wall Street Bull, tried so many awesome foods and restaurants (including the famous Joe's Pizza and Ellen's Stardust Diner), and much much more.

Once you arrive in St. Lucia, you actually go to the Coconut Bay kiosk at the airport to get checked in and brought to the resort. Located 3 minutes from the airport – super convenient. Very beautiful, clean, and well-maintained resort. Every room is oceanview (except serenity). Super fun resort with so much to do day and night. Honorable mention to the Caribbean Carnival Night and the Silent Headphone Party. They even have live music every evening in the lobby. I would recommend this resort to anyone – families traveling with kids, adults (couples or friend trips - of any age), honeymooners at Serenity, etc. Note that this is not a resort for people who enjoy swimming at the beach. Because of the side of the island that Coconut Bay is located on, the water is very rough and there is a lot of seaweed. Another cool fun fact: Coconut Bay is located across from Maria Islands Nature Reserve – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Home to 80 plant species and 5 endemic reptile species, including the world’s rarest snake, the Kouwes Snake.

There is a quiet pool and there is a livelier pool with music and activities. Because of this, I think this resort would be appropriate for any couple – those who prefer to relax and those who like to party, and those who like both. The beach was beautiful. So clean and no seaweed whatsoever – definitely one of my favorite beaches in St. Lucia. The new section (Joli and Rondoval categories) is breathtaking.

What can I say other than “WOW”… This place is amazing. There is ALWAYS something going on throughout the day – different activities scheduled every 15 minutes ranging from yoga, to land sports, to water sports, to workouts, and more. This resort is truly for everyone. There are servers at every pool and on the beach. They have something called “red flag service”. You just stick up your red flag next to your chair and a server will come over, take your order, and bring you whatever food or drink you want, even towels. You don’t even have to get out of your chair if you do not want to. They have a very cool but different tipping etiquette as well – instead of tipping every server individually, they encourage you to leave your tips in the box at the front desk and they are dispersed to all employees equally. Another beautiful and clean beach with no seaweed, though the water does get pretty deep, pretty fast. There are 3 pools – a quiet pool, an activity pool (which is pretty small but still nice), and another quiet pool located at the wellness center. This is not a great resort for people with mobility issues as the resort is situated on the side of a hill– but they would manage. They did say that they have ways of getting you up and down the hills if you have mobility issues preventing you from making it up the hill by yourself comfortably. Every Friday night they do a Sunset Cruise which seems to be a guest (and employee) favorite.