| Resort is small so any room will be close to the amenities. |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
User Rating:
|
|
David from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
|
|
| Flew to Breezes Jibacao which is about 1 hour from Varaderro airport and about 1 hour from Havana.
We flew with Sunwing which was on time and a good flight, one of the better chartered carriers.
|
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
There is a hiking tour a few times a week where you climb one of the hills that surround the resort, this is a decent hike where you will need running shoes as the climb is quite steep and will take you about 15 minutes. The view you get from the top of the hill is excellent as you can see all the resort and where the reef is located, be carefull as there are no safety barriers where you stand to take pictures and there is quite a drop. The hike back to the resort is on a more gradual path and is via a farm house where you get to interact with the locals.
We also rented a cab for the day to take us to Havana ($90) to see the sites there. We first stopped at the old fort which was very interesting and a great place to take pictures of Havana. The cab driver dropped us off in old Havana where we took some pictures and wandered around the stores. There is lots to see in Havana and I would recommend buying a map and highlighting the sites you would like to see as we did not see as much as we would have liked too.
|
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
Beach is very nice with some stones at the shore but there are places to enter the water where there are no stones.
Snorkelling here is excellent is you are willing to swim out about 100 metres where the coral is about 10 feet below the surface and then drops off to about 40-50 feet. I have snorkelled in other places like Cozumel and this was just as good and very convenient.
Pool is very nice and not usually very busy.
Grounds are well maintained with gardeners constantly attending to the gardens.
|
|
| Other Comments: |
Resort is small so any room will be close to the amenities.
Service was excellent.
I would highly recommend this resort and will definetly go back to it as I loved the snorkelling there and its close proximity to Havana.
|
|
| Restaurants and Bars: |
The buffet is smaller compared to othere resorts we have stayed at but the food is more than adequate with the usual omelette bar in the morning.
The pizza we had at the beach bar was good but that was all we had there one day as we had a late dinner.
The Cuban restaurant was good and the Italian was very good with the service at both being very proffessional.
You should never go hungry at this resort unless you are a very very fussy eater.
|
|
| Rooms: |
We stayed in block 13 which was right beside the pool.
The rooms are clean and well maintained.
There is a card you hand on the door for any items you may need fixed and these were deals with in a very timely manner.
This is an older hotel so you still require keys for the door and the safe, you also need to lock the door from the inside.
These rooms are not fancy but are more than sufficient.
|
|
|
|
|
| This is a beautiful hotel and beautiful people look after it. |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
| User Rating:
|
|
Marlene Maile from Whitby Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Nov 7/09 to Nov14/09
This is a beautiful hotel and beautiful people look after it. The Cuban people are very gracious to their guest, and act with great dignity toward others. I enjoyed myself so much, and would suggest to any single person to consider this hotel as their destination.
Rooms:
The rooms were spacious and nicely furnished.
Restaurants and Bars:v
I do not drink but from what I experienced I would say that they catered to every ones taste.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beaches were very pristine the pure white sand was so easy to walk on. I ran about 2miles on the beach each day and loved every minute of it.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
I took the excursion to Santa Clara on the Thursday and enjoyed the trip very much.We boarded a steam engine and went for a ride through the country side.
And then we saw the culture of the city, We aw one of the oldest churches in Cuba. Inside the alter was made of gold it was magnificent. Would recommend this trip to others.
Other Comments:
The Cuban people may appear not to have much of material value, But they lack for nothing. They have riches inside there hearts and that is what they express.
I would go back to this hotel in a heart beat and would encourage other to do so.
Love
Marlene Maile |
|
|
|
|
| No jellies in the ocean! |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
User Rating:
|
|
Nancy from Toronto >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Nov 2009
Rec'd envelope on shuttle bus at airport to hotel, included room key, hotel info...went directly to our rooms upon arrival! super organized!
Rooms:
Had superior room in block 4100, nice and close to the pool. Housekeeping in room not so great, ie towels left in tub for exchange were simply refolded and put back in counter, bed sheets never changed, floors never cleaned all week. But did not complain, not a big deal...stopped tipping in room after 3rd day though!
Restaurants and Bars:
All restaurants were very good, buffet for breakfast was pretty busy so I suggest you stagger your arrival each morning. A la cartes were very good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Very clean pool, beach was very nice, however, ocean was very rough in Nov....but still fun! very warm! white powder sand, lots of shade and chairs available all the time! No jellies in the ocean!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Sunset catamaran was very nice with lobster dinner, water bikes (jet skis) super fun, good value @ $60 for 2 people one jetski. Facility offering these activities was reasonably close to hotel....15 mins away. Nice!
Other Comments:
A large resort, ground very clean, staff were attentive, excellent value at $785 incl taxes through Sears Travel. Would recommend this resort! |
|
|
|
|
| The basics were right and we enjoyed being there |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
Bob from Montreal >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
|
|
Arrival:
PROS: The beach/pool was large and clean. The water quality is much better IMO than DR or Mexico. Good thing that this resort is large, because there were many families with young children and we had to move a few times. The room (more of a studio actually) was the best layout we ever had and very comfortable. The 15ft jacuzzi beside the pool was "violent" (I loved it!). The November climate in Holguin is almost ideal, night and day.
CONS: For some details, it is less luxurious in real that it pretends to be. Cubans cut occasionally corners (maintenance) in a way we don't see in more luxurious resorts, but not in an offending manner. Except the public toilets beside the reception were a shame, rather 2 stars level (the other ones we discovered a few days later on the theater side was ok). The food was generally good, but there were a few times that something was missing at the buffet (glasses, dishes, butter...). The table service was ordinary. The TV reception in the room was often mediocre. No village around, not much to visit.
All in all, it was a very good value, the basics were right and we enjoyed being there.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The only excursion we took was to visit Santiago de Cuba.
I preferred La Habana we saw years ago. I would pass on that excursion. |
|
|
|
|
| If you want fresh towels daily good luck! |
| Hotel Sol Río de Luna y Mares Resort |
| User Rating:
|
|
Mary Ann from Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009
|
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
| We didn't participate in any hotel activities due to our on and off tummy troubles. We did book 2 excursions during our stay. We took the Cuba Life tour and we both enjoyed it. We also booked the Ocean Paradise catamaran cruise and I enjoyed the 2 snorkelling stops. My husband stayed onboard the boat as he was not feeling well. Both tours lasted 6 or more hours. Take Gravol with you on any sea-faring excursions if you're prone to seasickness because the tour company probably will not have any to give you once you board the vessel. There is one hour of free horseback riding for guests of both the SRLM and the Paradisus. The stables are not marked with any signs. They are located directly across the street from the Luna lobby and are hidden by shrubs. You book your riding time at the stable with one of the men who looks after the horses. Take a few bananas with you to give your horse a treat after you return from your ride. They eat them just like apples, skin and!
all. Don't forget to tip the stable hand who takes you out on the trail. There is a billiards table and a pingpong table in the Mares lobby bar area. The pool table cloth is in desperate need of changing and the cue sticks have no chalk. We never took part in the mini golf, darts, or other free activities offered. There are horse & buggy rides that park just outside the entrance of the resort. Depending on who the driver is you'll be charged $15 or $20 CUC for a ride into Guardalavaca. They drop you off at the local flea market where you can buy souvenirs. |
|
| Arrival: |
6/11/2009 to 13/11/2009
Our overall experience at this resort was very good. The management seemed genuinely interested in our well-being and comfort. Any issues we had were dealt with promptly and courteously. There are only 3 computers in the internet cafe area and one had no mouse. It costs $4 CUC for 1/2 hour of usage and $6 for 1 hour. It's dial-up service so it's rather slow. I was unable to log in to my Facebook account from their computers. I got an error message saying it was an unsecure website. I was able to read and send emails through MSN Hotmail. There are no printers and I did not notice anyone trying to download pictures. The resort is an older property. It's a quiet, laid-back atmosphere. It's not a place to party hard and drink until there's no tomorrow. The guests are mostly in the 30 plus age group. It's in need of some upgrades regarding the bedding and perhaps a new coat of paint but the amenities are functional and seemed to be in working order. Cuba is on the!
brink of an energy crisis so we did have some power outages during our stay. Because of this energy shortage, the staff are probably instructed to turn off air-conditioners and refrigeration units alot. We found our A/C unit turned off every time we returned to our room after is was cleaned. There is not alot of shopping opportunities in this part of Cuba. Most of the tourist areas sell handicrafts and souvenirs and that's about it. The beach and the warm weather are about all this area has going for it. It was nice to see how the Cuban people live and the country itself, but we both suffered so badly with tummy issues related to the food we ate that we'll probably never travel to this country again. It's hard to enjoy your vacation when you are not feeling well. |
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
| The beach directly in front of SRLM is fine. When you walk east toward the 5-star Paradisus the beach becomes very rocky and much of it has been eroded from a previous hurricane. Be careful wear you step as I saw 2 hypodermic needles on the beach my first day there. They probably washed ashore from elsewhere. This resort is not very handicap-friendly as far as beach access is concerned. There are ramps to the beach but no boardwalks to be able to enjoy it. The Mares pool was busier than the Luna pool. Due to it being the low season all of the daytime activities happened on the Mares side of the resort. There is a swim-up bar in the Mares pool and lots of lounge chairs. There are no pool-side waiters so if you want refreshments you have to leave your lounge chair and walk to the 1492 Lobby bar for a beer or drink. The grounds seemed to be well-groomed during our stay. The many flowering shrubs were blooming and looked nice. November in Cuba is at the end of the r!
ainy season and we had on and off rain the first 2 days of our stay. Hurricane Ida, which passed west of Cuba, gave inclement weather and rough seas for a few days. There are over 50 steps leading down to the beach from the Mares pool. If you don't want to walk back up you can walk further up the beach to the Luna side and there are only 10 or 12 steps to climb but then you'll have a longer walk back through the resort to your room. Upon check-in you are given a paper for your beach towel usage. DO NOT lose this or forget to return your towels to the beach club house, otherwise you will have a charge added to your room upon check-out! You can get a fresh towel between 9am and 5pm daily if you like or keep the same towel all week and return it at the end of your stay. You must present this towel paper to the front desk upon check-out. |
|
| Other Comments: |
| You can hear the loudspeakers from the pool activities and nightly entertainment in the 1492 Lobby bar from your room. Most outside noise is over by 10:30 p.m. or so. From our room (#4004) we could not hear any music/noise from the nightly beach disco at the La Pinta. The washrooms in the lobby of SRLM (Mares side) have no working latches to keep the door closed and the stalls are very tiny. If you're a larger person you may find them claustrophobic. The money exchange is located in the Mares lobby just beyond all the tour guide desks. There are convenience stores in both Mares and Luna lobbies which sell essentials and souvenirs. The prices are good. One night during our stay we were pleasantly surprised to find that the manager was holding a special guest-appreciation dinner in the buffet. Others had a notice slipped under their door but somehow ours was missed. The food was served ala carte and the menu was wonderful. There was also a string quartet for our dining entertainment. The are only 2 elevators to get to the upper floors on the Mares side and one was not working. The elevator is tiny and runs very slowly. The numbers don't count the floors properly so when it stops you have to peak outside to see what floor you're on. There were only 2 bellhops on duty the night we arrived so we ended up taking our luggage to our room. I suppose we could have asked the desk to call one for use but one would think they would all be nearby knowing that a group of new arrivals were soon due in. |
|
| Restaurants and Bars: |
| Reservations for ala carte dining are taken in the Luna lobby after 8 a.m. We booked the Romantic (La Pinta on the beach,serving Mediterranean cuisine) which I enjoyed but my husband did not; and the French (on the Luna side of resort). My husband was not feeling well so did not dine with me. I started feeling unwell after I was seated, so I too did not enjoy my dinner there. The lobster bisque was so salty and the only item I could stomach in my main course was the rice. The chocolate mousse was horrible compared to others I've tasted in fine restaurants elsewhere. The Colon buffet was open on the Mares side (this resort was only at about 60% capacity during our stay in November) and the Luna buffet was closed. The Colon buffet was OK. There is lots to choose from but we both suffered terribly from cramps, bloating, and gas during our entire stay so the food was not enjoyable for us no matter where we ate. I ate at the beach bar (La Nina) one day for lunch and I h!
ated my choice. I had a shrimp sandwich with fries and water. The shrimp was again too salty for my liking. The fries were fine. |
|
| Rooms: |
| Standard rooms have 2 double beds pushed together to make a king bed. Hard, lumpy mattresses. Ground floor room had a terrible musty smell and there were large red ants crawling on the bathroom floor. Fourth floor room (#4004) had a fantastic view of ocean and pool area, no large ants but noticed several very tiny ants. Hot water was available on 6 of the 7 days we stayed. I'm told the hot water is heated by solar power so it's not as hot after dark. During our entire stay we noticed a fairly strong sewer smell in our room. We thought it was coming from the floor drain so kept it covered with a towel but still smelled sewer. Husband tried keeping drains closed in bidet, sink, and bathtub but could still smell a strong odor. Mini fridge is only stocked with one large bottle of natural spring water. If you want other beverages you have to ask at front desk and pay extra for them. If you want fresh towels daily good luck! I think we had the same towels all week. The maid was an absolute doll and hugged me twice and thanked me for the little treats I left for her. She kept the room very clean (except for changing used towels). |
|
|
|
|
| Grounds were lovely |
| Hotel Iberostar Daiquiri |
| User Rating:
|
|
Jolie >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Nov, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
|
|
| My husband and I just returned from a week at the Iberostar Daiquiri on Cayo Guillermo. It was our first trip to Cuba and we would go back in a heartbeat, as we fell in love with Cubans in general and the language, culture, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
| For a great family vacation go to Las Dunas |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
| User Rating:
|
|
Greg from Montreal >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Oct, 2009
|
|
Arrival: From October 18th to October 25th
I arrived with my family at Santa Clara Airport at 19h30 in the evening. We were greeted outside the terminal and were given an envelope with our room keys, a map of the resort, bracelets and everything else to complete our checkin. I found this well organized and no doubt it saved quiet a bit of time that we would have spent in line at the resort to checkin. Our bags were put on the bus and marked with the room number so we had no worries once we arrived about dragging bags around as they were delivered directly to our room. All in all very impressed with the organization for our arrival.
Rooms:
We had upgraded to superior rooms and had one for my wife and I and another for the kids, happily we discovered that they were beside each other as requested. The rooms were a good size and well prepared for our arrival, again we were very happy.
Restaurants and Bars:
As this was low season one of the buffets was closed but this did not create any problems due to low bookings for this week. The food was good for resort buffets with lots of selection and enough changes every day to make it interesting. We ate at the Italian and the Romantic restaurants and enjoyed them both, we actually went back to the Italian a second time because we all enjoyed it. The bars were al clean and service was friendly, if there is any negative comment it would be that in all bars that we tried except the lobby bar the drinks were a little weak, not a big deal for us as we were not drinking much but still an issue.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was one of the nicest I have visited, over 16 kms long and the sand was amazing along all of what we saw. The pool was large and the water was clean, there was a "pool boy" working at the pool all day every day. The grounds were kept clean and again it was not difficult to find people working at keeping them that way any day we were there.
|
|
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We only went on one tour, we asked about the full day Catamaran trip but were told only half days were available so we book that. They charged us 42 pesos for three of us and 24 pesos for one child. Advertized during the cruise was a visit to an old ship that went aground, snorkling and some free time on an undeveloped beach. What they did not tell us was that we would visit a facility out on the water that had dolphins in it, we had about 15-20 minutes of time with a dolphin and a trainer for the four of us, it was simply wonderful and by far better than a dolphin excursion I had paid $120.00 USD for in Mexico several years ago. The woman at the hotel said we would see dolphins but this was much more than that, if you visit this area make sure to do this trip, bargain bargain bargain and an amazing experience.
Other Comments:
Although we are not the most well traveled people around I have been to enough places to know that this was an excellent week at a wonderful resort with friendly, helpful and well organized staff. All week long we wondered why Cuba has such a poor reputation for food and in some reviews service. My wife and I went to a resort in the Mayan Riviera that cost almost double what we paid for 4 of us this time and the food was no better and apart from the room was no more impressive overall. If you are looking for a great family vacation go to Las Dunas, really had a great time. |
|
|
|
|
| Love love loved it! |
| Hotel Iberostar Daiquiri |
| User Rating:
|
|
Melanie from Ottawa >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Sep, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Sept 5-12
Love love loved it! A million times better than where we stayed in March (NH Eden Real, Punta Cana). We are in our mid-twenties, and don't have super high expectations. We had an AMAZING week, it was a super good deal, we decided to go and booked just a week prior, and it's not so so busy at this time of year. It was very hot and sunny every day, most nights it rained a bit.
Rooms:
Very basic, but clean. I emailed ahead to ask for a room close to the beach, upper floor with a king bed, and got two of the three, as there are no king beds at all. Our building was named Varadero, an amazing location (close to beach, pool and main building). No musty smell at all. I did bring a scented candle just in case, but didn't need to use it. Our a/c was a little weak, they did offer to switch us, but we just stayed, as we had already settled in.
Restaurants and Bars:
You don't travel to Cuba for 5* food, for us it was totally fine, always something to eat (and we don't eat fish or seafood), good burgers at the snack bar for lunch. Buffet was good, we tried the mexican and italian a la cartes which were very good. The beer was great and always cold, the red & white wines were very good. Amazing cafe con leches served at bars too, we looked forward to those every morning.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Nicest beach we've ever seen, amazing white sand, always able to find a spot under a palapa on the beach. Pool was great too. Ground were lush and lots of palm trees, gardeners come around to give you coconuts to eat or drink. Offer then a beer or a cold drink, as they work very hard in the sweltering heat, they will be very thankful. We brought insulated mugs for our drinks, saves you trips to the bar and keeps your beverages cold... the bartenders never minded serving you drinks in them.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Always lots to do, but only if you want to. Volleyball, bocce on the beach, archery, bingo, the usual. Some shows were very good, others were kind of cheesy. We did the boat adventure morning excursion, took a 5 minute bus ride to the marina nearby, and took 2 person motor boats to a channel for snorkeling and back. Very fun, recommend this for sure. Make sure to check out Killer darts in the lobby at 8pm - sooo much fun. Applauso!!
Other Comments:
Sometimes they ran out of towels, so i would suggest bringing your own just in case. But, we can't wait to go back, the beach, water and service were all amazing, we were pleasantly surprised. We will go back for sure. |
|
|
|
|
| Greeted with a smile!!!! |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Hicacos |
| User Rating:
|
|
Fran from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Sep, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Sept 26 - Oct 3, 2009
Arrival was awesome! Baggage taken to the room! Greeted with a smile!!!!
Rooms:
nice and clean, loved the towel art ... every morning we had something different! cant tell because that would ruin the surprise! we had a balcony room! was nice bc it was not to hot and of course it was NOT as noisy as the ground rooms were!
Restaurants and Bars:
this one is hard because the staff went beyond what u could imagine! there was a mix of food ... not to my liking ... we lived off the pizza and bread and butter .... there was something different most times. but i would have to say i was not to into the food. although to them it was good food - they did the best they could with what they had to work with. very bland ... a lot of the deserts were different shaped but the same taste. the restaurants i found were just as good as the buffet. i would def. eat at the grill for lunch ... FRIES!!!! and sandwiches! lol ... and the breakfast at the grill go early! actually if u were to go for breakfast lunch and dinner at the buffet go as soon as the doors open ... it is fresh and warm ... the food sits out for 4 hours! and there were lots of flies! but there were flies in all the restaurants ... did not matter where u ate! most people it never bothered! i always took the bread at the bottom!! they had one bar it was nice!
and air conditioned! loved the music!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
breath taking ... very very very clean! it was beautiful! lots of scenery!!!! speechless!!!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
we did the catamaran excursion with the dolphins and snorkeling ... and the private beach for lunch ... i would do it over again! it was amazing! and the crew were a blast! lots of drinks and music! u must do it! u will love it!
|
|
Other Comments:
overall - i would go again! because of the people and the staff! they were amazing! anything u needed u got! the staff were the best part about the trip! it was expensive in the stores! very expensive!
u can ask for water and pop they will give it to u for ur room! dont pay extra for the conceirge!
we got wine, and other drinks for free and were allowed to take to our rooms!
YES - bring bug spray!
bring medicine for your stomach.
bring sun screen
bring shampoo
bring presents for the maid! they love everything! and it helps them out!
tip as much as u can - even one dollar! it all counts!
remember they free poor!
bring tylenol!
the entertainment was awesome! they really show u their dancing etc.
make sure u see the beach games and participate in all activities! u win a prize!
dont listen to any negativity about this place - although the food was not the greatest i would still go back! it was a great time and vacation!
if u have to call canada no worries it is NOT expensive ... we made 4 or 5 call and it was $8.00 we did go to the american mall - very expensive! it was impossible to talk anyone down in price --- the lower i went the higher they went! lol ... all in all it was fun! had great weather and met some lovely people that i will stay in touch with! |
|
|
|
|
| Our room was a beachfront room. We loved it! |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Rose >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Sep, 2009
|
|
Arrival:
When we arrived we were given forms to fill out to be brought back to the desk. A bunch of us showed up at the same time so it took a little while to get fully checked in.
Rooms:
Our room was a beachfront room. We loved it! We enjoyed our balcony a lot as the ocean breeze was so nice. The room was larger than expected and as we were on the second floor...very tall ceiling! We did notice right away that out balcony door did not lock..but the luggage stand fit quite nicely on it side to lock the door, until it was fixed the next day.
The fridge is hiding in the tv stand and only had 2 bottles of water in it(no food)...very important...Those are the only 2 bottles you get, the fridge does not get refilled at all. We read the reviews before so we expected this. We brought 3 stainless steel water bottles as well as our insulated coffee mugs(which were quite useful to keep our icy drinks cool when on the beach!).
Restaurants and Bars:
We enjoyed all the restaurants. The food was great and we never went hungry! We were surprised at how some people did not follow dress code. Not cool people! The bar staff were amazing as long as you tipped them. Which we did as we had brought bigger mugs for them to mix our drinks in.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was great! Snorkeling is a must! But you do need to go far to see the best of it! If you just want to swim or wade in the water this beach may not be for you.
The pool didn't interest us(we came for the beach) It is shallow...but great for the person who wishes just to float around and relax.
The grounds were beautiful...we took many evening walks. They have many friendly stray kitties and dogs. We didn't mind them at all. They are all tame. They just want food and water.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We visited Mantanzas...we shared a cab it was a total of 60cuc. We were away for about 3hrs and the cab driver stays with you and waits as you sight see. Also stopped at The Bridge of Bacunayagua so we could take pictures from the look out.
We took the Havana day tour. But would not do again as we have found we are not tour people. We would take a cab next time....cheaper as well you can go to the places you want to see and stay as long as you like.
Other Comments:
To Pack
-water bottles...you can get drinking water from any of the bars.
-large insulated coffee mugs for drinks...if not you get tiny plastic cups.
-small gifts and extra money for tips
-very light clothes, fancy clothes for Matinos -walking shoes -sunscreen, hat, umbrella
-Toilet paper (we never ran out in the room but you will need if you go off the resort)
|
|
|
|
|
| Choose this resort if you love snorkeling and a quiet social life |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Alex from Toronto >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2009
|
|
Arrival: August 2009
- everything happened on time;
- we took off from the Toronto Airport at 7:05 AM, landed at the Varadero Airport at 10:30 AM and arrived at the resort in time to have lunch;
Rooms:
- air conditioning, toilet, sink, shower -- everything worked well;
- the king-size bed was comfortable and firm;
- the television had 5-6 English language channels, including CNN and HBO.
Restaurants and Bars:
- water was drinkable (the resort has its own water treatment plant);
- food was tasty and plentiful;
- the selection of fruit at the buffet restaurant was surprisingly limited;
- the best part of breakfast was omelets at the buffet restaurant;
- the best part of lunch was hamburgers and pizza at the Beach Bar;
- the best part of dinner was Martino's Italian "a la carte" restaurant;
- the best part of after-hours was socializing and drinking at the Piano Bar;
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
- all facilities were clean and well maintained;
- the beach had some stones in the sand and there were no sea shells at all;
- the bottom of the ocean off the beach is covered in stones and weeds;
- the resort felt safe (there were two armed guards at the front and three on the beach);
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
- Spanish and English are the main languages used at the resort;
- the disco at the resort was always empty at night;
- the overnight trip to Havana for 155 CUC per person was the best deal;
- during the trip we stayed at 5-star Melia Habana hotel;
- the Tropicana show was included in the trip and it was entertaining; |
|
Other Comments:
- "low season" meant nothing was crowded;
- "low season" meant there were only about 100 out of the potential 500 guests;
- "low season" meant only 6 out of 18 two-floor blocks of hotel rooms were being used;
- "super-inclusive" meant all drinks and food, without exceptions, were included;
- "adults only" meant no noisy kids running around;
- the breakdown of tourists was about 30% English-speaking Canadian, 30% French-speaking Canadian (mostly bilingual), 30% English-speaking British, 10% from other countries (USA, Germany, Denmark);
- I wish there were more people to socialize with, especially people from countries other than Canada;
- 1.00 Cuban convertible peso (CUC) = about $1.23 Canadian dollars (CAD);
- the front desk staff doing the currency exchange "kept the change" unless I specifically asked for my CUC coins;
- calling home was very expensive (1.90 CUC per minute to Canada, 2.30 CUC to USA) from the hotel room;
- Internet access was very expensive (4.00 CUC for 30 minutes) from 3 desktop computers in the Internet Cafe at the resort;
- Skype calls were impossible to make.
Recommendations:
- choose this resort if you love snorkeling and a quiet social life;
- choose a different resort in Varadero if you love the beach and swimming in the ocean, if you want to meet tourists from other hotels and locals on the beach, if you prefer to be close to various off-the-resort trips and activities;
- bring Canadian dollars (CAD) with you, not US dollars (USD), because the exchange rate to Cuban convertible peso (CUC) for CAD at the hotel is much better than for USD;
- bring a small battery-powered alarm clock for your room and a wrist watch, because there's no way to tell time at the resort;
- you can buy all the same souvenirs, cigars and rum everywhere, including at the airport duty-free shops just before departure;
- the goods at the duty-free shops at the airport are about 10% cheaper than at all the other shops;
- the cheapest bottle of alcohol is 1.80 CUC for 350 mL mickey of white rum (and twice that for dark rum);
- don't worry about your passport - Cuba does not stamp your passport, only the travel card upon arrival and the boarding pass upon departure;
- the currency exchange kiosk at the airport does not take CUC coins back upon departure, only CUC bills, so spend your CUC coins before you get to the airport or at the airport.
Email: alex_levitsky@hotmail.com |
|
|
|
|
| I squished him!! |
| Hotel Iberostar Daiquiri |
| User Rating:
|
|
Chris from Hamilton, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jul, 2009
|
|
Arrival: July 11th to 18th
Flights: We would take Sunwing any day of the week. Everything about the flight was fantastic. We were supposed to have a layover in Holguin on the way home, but that got switched so we actually got an extra 2 hours at the resort. We arrived home at the same time as we were originally supposed to. On the return flight we had one flight attendant who would have belonged on the resort in the animation team. Her name was Isabelle. She made me laugh for the entire flight home even though I was passing out because of fatigue!! I will be writing a comment to Sunwing to praise her. The food on the flight is airline food...so not wonderful...but...can't complain. I wasn't really hungry, so it didn't matter. They had some chocolate banana cake that was heavenly!! The champagne on the flight down to Cuba was a nice touch to toast a great vacation. We got wine (included) with dinner as well, which is nice so you don't have to dig for money!!
Check In/Check Out:
We arrived at the hotel around 8pm or 9pm. The only people checking in were those on our bus, say 10 groups. The wait was at most 10 minutes. Quick and easy!! We could have waited for someone to take our bags to the room, but we just started to wander. One of the hotel staff offered to point us in the right direction without the expectation of a tip, which was nice since we didn't have any CUC's at that point. There was no bank to convert money before getting on the bus. However, upon return to the airport to go home, we quickly found out that we could have found the bank in the departure side of the airport. I am not sure what the exchange was at the airport versus at the hotel. There is a bank beside the hotel, so it is a better rate than in the hotel itself.
Rooms:
Not the greatest, but for Cuba, very nice. We did NOT get a "non-smoking" room, but luckily, it didn't smell too bad (room #2157). We used a courtesy suite at the end of the trip before leaving which had a disgusting smell of smoke, so we're lucky we didn't get that room (room #3103). Our room was on the ground floor, and we could see the ocean from our window. That was kind of nice, even though we didn't spend much time in the room looking out the window!! There were a couple small issues with the room, but nothing major and we didn't even report it. Looking back at it, we probably should have so the things could have been fixed for the next people!! We had a cockroach one day. I squished him!!
|
|
Restaurants and Bars:
Being Cuba, I had very low expectations. The Iberostar exceeded every expectation I had of any resort. You could always find something that was fantastic to eat. I was very impressed with the food. We ate at all three a-la-cartes, with the Mexican being the best, followed by the Cuban, and then the Italian. Funny, because Italian is my favourite kind of food. The service was reasonable, not outstanding, but good. The thing I enjoyed the most was the "Lemonade Slush" they had because it is hot, and the slush is refreshing!! The slush machines didn't always work 100% so they would have to use a blender to make ice chips, but what can you expect in 30+ celsius weather!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The pool was good. It is kinda 3 pools split by two sets of staircases, one "activities" pool, one wading pool, and one pool with a swim up bar. Pretty good. Nice and clean and a perfect temperature. The beach was fantastic. A few days there was some seaweed on shore, and then some out a couple hundred feet, but we had no issues at all. The sand was gorgeous.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did many of the activities on the resort. All of which were fantastic. From beach volleyball to pool basketball, from archery to dance lessons, everything was a ton of fun. We actually spent a lot of time with one of the "Star Friends". Her name is Ledy. I would recommend to anyone travelling to this resort to find her and talk to her. She is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. She speaks excellent English, and is just a genuinely kind person. Tell her Chris and Jennifer "Number One" say hi!! All the activities we did, they had to differentiate Jenn from the other Jenn!! I will be writing Iberostar to provide positive feedback on Ledy, because she made our trip even more wonderful, just by being herself!! Our Sunwing rep, Carlos, was amazing. He helped us out in every way imaginable. We really appreciate all his hard work. We did the catamaran trip which included lunch, all the drinks, snorkelling, and a visit to Pillar Beach. It was fantastic. The lunch might have been the best meal on the trip. How can you go wrong with chicken, shrimp, and lobster!! It was $75 CUC's per person.
Other Comments:
All and all, our trip was fantastic. I was hesitant to go to Cuba, but after being there, I would go back in a heartbeat. I would visit Moron next time because I don't think that we really got the sense of what Cuba is really like. |
|
|
|
|
| Hotel was excellent value. |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
tony >
3 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Jun, 2009
|
|
Arrival: 30th June to 14th July 2009
Thomas Cook Airline the only fault with this holiday, because I refused to pay an upgrade and despite being one of the first to check in at Holquin, we were deliberately seated in seperate aisles, petty, spiteful and certainly unnecessary.
Rooms:
A little dated but clean and generally well maintained, perhaps the maid could do with cleaning a little more in the bathroom instead of wasting time making hearts and swans from the linen in the hope of getting a bigger tip.
Restaurants and Bars:
No complaints but the beach bar fish and the lunch time Pizzas in the Italian restaurant are the best food. A better chef would I think earn this hotel another star as the rest of the food was a bit mundane.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Excellent. 5 star
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Again excellent, the Caribean life tour was very interesting.
Other Comments:
Would certainly return as hotel was excellent value and other than the airline we thorougly enjoyed the holiday after all other airlines fly to Holquin. |
|
|
|
|
| But no, it wasn't perfect |
| Hotel Paradisus Río de Oro |
| User Rating:
|
|
Stevenbev from Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jun, 2009
|
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
| Okay this is the second area that fell flat for us. I rewrote this section a couple of times, as I am not quite sure how to put this. Bluntly? The animation staff/program sucked Is that a bit harsh? Let me try to quantify. Past visits the animation staff were visible, activities were scheduled, advertised and promoted throughout the day, at the very least you could go to the club house and clearly read the daily schedule of activities and feel free to speak to an animation member who could advise you or provide information on any of the activities/tours offered. In the past the animation staff would try and get to know all the guest, even if just a friendly hola in passing, asking how your day or trip has been going and seriously at least pretend to be interested. |
|
| Arrival: June 9th - June 16th |
Once again we booked our trip with Sunwing vacations and were not disappointed, professional, courteous service, smooth flight and on time, honestly we do feel Sunwing does offer the best charter service from Canada and will continue to use them for our charter vacation needs. For our flight to Holguin, we choose the Elite Plus upgrade ($40), this afforded us the extra luggage allowance needed (30kg), as well as priority check in at Pearson International and the Extra leg room seats (35" pitch). If you chose to book the Elite Plus, I do not recommend booking row two (2). Although you do receive the extra legroom without having to deal with the person in front of you slamming into your space, the actual seat width is narrower as the table trays are stored in the armrests, rendering them stationary, I have to admit, this was fairly uncomfortable.
Arrival at the Holguin airport was somewhat disconcerting, greeted by fully masked and gloved security/custom agents, heightened Swine Flu security protocol was in place and appreciated, however, you would honestly think they were protecting themselves against the Ebola virus.. I have to admit this was the easiest and fastest time we have ever had through customs in Holguin, no questions what so ever, it felt as though they wanted us out of the airport as fast as possible. As this was already a late night flight I was more then happy to grab my luggage and hop onto the bus as soon as possible. Honestly, it took us exactly 1hr and 37 minutes from the time we landed in Holguin to arrival at the PRDO, an all time record in my books. Arrival the PRDO was just as smooth.
As we arrived at the PRDO just after 10:00 pm and only had a small group of four (4) couples and a mother and daughter team arriving at this resort with us no big fanfare for our arrival. As soon as we jumped off the bus and ensured we had our luggage, the front desk staff greeted us immediately and asked us to have a seat in the lobby while they provided us with cool towels and champagne. The front desk staff took our paperwork and passports for check-in and came back within 10 minutes our room keys and welcome information in hand.
As repeaters, we were also presented with a lovely welcome back letter from management and roses, which reminded us why we love this resort so much. It's the little details that sets this place apart from other resorts we have been to, and why we keep coming back. |
|
| Bars: |
| Three main bars at this resort, the lobby, the swim-up in the pool and beach bar, to be honest this was one of our biggest disappointments. June is the beginning of the slow season, and many of the more senior staff were on holidays, plus June, is also the month where they bring in and start training the new staff. Although everybody tried hard, I can tell you, unless you were ordering wine, beer, lime slush with rum or a call drink, you were really not guaranteed to receive the drink you thought you were ordering. We are not big drinkers but I can honestly tell you, we never did have true success ordering anything other then wine or beer.. Inconsistent at best and downright awful at its worst(chocolate martini with olives anybody?). However, the resort did have enough mint for mojitos all week, even if the club soda was always flat and the mint leaves dirty. |
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
The PRDO is set amongst the most spectacular natural beauty I have seen in the Islands. As mentioned earlier, quite a bit of the vegetation has changed, still very tropical if not quite as lush, the gardeners here work so very hard and it shows. The Pool area is quite large for such a small resort, plenty of loungers although, still a little shy in the shade area.
As the resort was not at capacity, we rarely had a problem finding a chair with shade; however, the actual sun beds were saved before the birds woke up, as we now had a view of the pool, we could see people getting up and reserving the prime locations very, very early in the morning. We don't play these types of games, but yes, it is quite something to see adults saving sun-beds by laying down towels first thing in the morning and then spending most of their day at the beach. Very selfish behavior by the guests, which is a very difficult situation to control for the resort. |
|
| Beach: |
| What can I say about this beach? Playa Esmeralda is a phenomenal beach, small yes (you can walk the entire length in 20 minutes), but quite deep, white and soft. The PRDO section of the beach is quite rocky, and probably not a clean as it could be, but the snorkeling here is phenomenal. I am glad to see very little damage to the reef had occurred from Hurricane Ike, and I would hazard to say, the aquatic life not only survived but also has actually thrived since our last visit. If you are looking for the quintessential Caribbean beach experience, I would suggest you walk towards the Sol Luna Mares section of the beach, here you will find the soft deep white sand with a smooth entry, much more typical of the Caribbean beach dream.. |
|
| Entertainment/Shows: |
Well, if I were to be honest, and could choose one word to describe the entertainment, I would say it was dire. Now, not all of the entertainment was bad, actually most of the pre-show acts were phenomenal. We were treated to a glorious tenor opera singer from Holguin one night who was amazing, a stellar saxophonist, pianist, singers. All stellar performers and for the most part somewhat wasted on the resort crowd.
However, the PRDO dancers were awful, and I do mean awful. I have never seen a group of more uncoordinated entertainers in my life, honestly. We sat through five (5) shows hoping they would get better only be sadly mistaken, as the week progressed the shows became worse and worse. Badly choreographed dancing coupled with un-timed lip-synching was the best the PRDO had to offer for their nightly performance. I actually began to feel badly for these entertainers as I don't believe they ever had an audience more the 30 guests the whole week.After the evening show we would return to the room, the Fun Pub is no longer. Yes, there is a piano bar of sorts however, each time we visited, no music or bar was in operation, just an air-conditioned room. So, by 11:00 pm we were back in our rooms left to make up our own fun, however, without, the kids this was not to hard to do |
|
| Not this trip: |
First of all, it has been a couple of years since we have been back to the PRDO and only recognized two (2) of the previous animation members, so for us, the animation staff are new, keep in mind, our room was directly across from the clubhouse and we did spend the majority of our time around the pool, no excursions this trip. The only regularly scheduled activities were volleyball, water aerobics and yoga. As it was low season one member of the animation staff told me they did not schedule activities, not unless a group of people were interested, hard to get a group of people interested in something when none of the members actually advertised what activities were on offer. Funny the clubhouse had a sign, which advertised all sorts of activities, however, try finding out when and where the program was to take place, even offered pottery and candle making, when asked, the animation staff laughed at me. No pottery class, this is Cuba. When asked why the board advertised the activity if not available the staff, shrugged and replied Es Cuba.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all about it.
Anyway, throughout my stay, I would pass by animation members, who didn't even look up, never mind ask how things were going, when trying to get information about programs; I would get a blank stare and be invited to volleyball. I found the members to be very unfriendly, and extremely unprofessional. One time I tried to return beach towels only to be told to wait outside as a few Canadian girls pushed by with about a dozen beers in hand to give to the staffers. I couldn't tell you how many times I saw guests coming into the clubhouse with beers for the staff. I swear in one hour alone I saw this one group of Brits, supply at least four beers each to the 3 staff members at the clubhouse. In turn, whenever the animation staffs were around, you can believe they gravitated to the few groups of people who plied them with booze.
Instead of mingling with all the guests, the animation staff had a few favorites and spent their time socializing with their select few. I could go on and on, but lets leave it as we were NOT impressed and actually after being to 14 different resorts, I would say this is the most unprofessional animation staff we ever encountered.
Now on the other end of the scale, my husband and I booked three spa treatments. Wow, what an amazing place ! Words can't even begin to describe the peace and beauty of this spa, if going to the PRDO, please do yourself a favor and book at least one (1) treatment. The therapists alone are equal to if not better trained then any massage therapist I have visited here at home. Honestly, if anybody would like further information please feel free to contact me. I will say the staff here are exceptional, professionally trained, knowledgeable and over the top when it comes to ensuring your enjoyment. I miss them all already. |
|
| Other Comments: |
| We had a great time at our favorite resort, but no, it wasn't perfect, and to be honest, not at the same caliber as previous visits. I still believe the PRDO offers a great product and wonderful service for the money and we will be back again someday (if only to visit the spa again). However, what was once our little special place, seems to have lost some of its shine for us. The unprofessional animation staff, poor bar drinks, horrible evening shows and condition of the accommodations have dropped the star rating for us, where we once would have considered this a 5* plus resort in Cuba, I would probably only consider it a weak 4.5* resort. In summary, although the PRDO may still be the best AI resort you can find in Cuba, I do believe for the same money spent, you will find better quality resorts in both Mexico and the DR, biggest problem for us is that those resorts are in Mexico and the DR. Cuba still has our hearts and we will be back! |
|
| Restaurants and Bars: |
Umm, I will try and keep this section directly to the point. The Buffet (La Ceiba). This open-air buffet offered a large assortment of both North American and European cuisine. Along with the usual hotplate choices you will find cold cuts, cheeses, salads (sans lettuce), fruits, cereals, yogurts a variety of breads, they also had a fry station which will take care of eggs, bacon and sausages in the morning, and a variety of meat selection (beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, pork) for lunch and dinner. You can also choose to have your omelets and pressed sandwiches made for you in the morning, or fresh homemade pasta for the lunch or dinner. I should also mention they do have a person who will make the famous Cuban banana crapes, which is still my favorite dessert in Cuba.
A la Cartes (in order of preference)
El Patio: International Cuisine
The El Patio is still most definitely our favorite restaurant at the PRDO. Romantic and intimate, this restaurant offers a complete menu of international dishes, including Lobster and steak, a great wine selection and amazing service. Actually I believe next time we visit the PRDO we will try and ditch the other A la Cartes and try to at least book the El Patio twice.
Mediterraneo: Mediterranean Cuisine
The menu at the Mediterraneo was almost identical to that of the El Patio, however, we really didn't enjoy the atmosphere as much. Again the wine selection and service was wonderful, the meal enjoyable however fell a little flat in terms of atmosphere.
Tsuru: Japanese
A truly enjoyable evening as we were lucky to have great table mates from England and Scotland, however, the meal itself was far from authentic, the assistant waiter was not on top of service and the chef himself did not put on a very good show. This would have been our third time at this particular A la carte and to be honest, we have never really enjoyed this restaurant (and we love Teppanyaki ), a great way to make new friends, but I think in the future we will try and stick to restaurants that are more indigenous to this region.
El Bohao: Cuban
Due to the Repeaters dinner changing from Wednesday evening to Monday we once again missed out on our reservation for the El Bohio. The restaurant is open-air, and Cuban themed, people seemed to either love or hate it, I can't leave an opinion other the to say the trio of guitarist who played at this restaurant were amazing (we could hear them from the buffet). I believe for our next visit we will substitute the Japanese for the Cuban.
La Laguna: Pool Restaurant and the Santa Maria : Beach Restaurant
Both the pool and beach restaurants were open for lunch and provided a nice sit down menu, both had similar offerings available, hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, sandwiches, french fries, the pool restaurant also served an amazing four (4) cheese pizza, which we enjoyed just about every day. The Beach restaurant stopped serving lunch by 3:00 pm, while the Pool restaurant closed at 4:00 pm. 24 hour room service is available and I believe the menu is identical to the Pool menu. Just a brief mention of the Repeaters dinners.
What a spectacular evening, I mean really, probably the highlight of our trip. This was a sunset dinner which took place on the bottom tier of the beach restaurant, you are greeted with champagne, shown to a table which overlooks the beautiful Playa Esmeralda, a set four (4) course menu (which changed the week we were there), is presented by your own personal wait person and your choice of red or white wine is served . A serenade of music by both the trio of guitarists from the Cuban restaurant and by Osario via the sound system brought to the beach, helped to add an additional element of romance. A lovely, lovely evening had by all! |
|
| Rooms: |
Total check-in time took no longer then 15 relaxing minutes, and we were quite happy to see that we were once again given our regular room, 3418. In my opinion this room is in the best location for us, although, I have to admit, each time we go the room seems to fall deeper and deeper into disrepair. As reported the accommodations at the PRDO are in dire need of updating, although clean, we found the ripped curtains, uncomfortable bed, missing/broken bathroom tiles and caulking patchwork to be a little disappointing. This did not effect our vacation in the slightest however, not really acceptable for a 5* resort, even in Cuba.
One slight difference, improvement?
Our now clear view of the pool from our balcony. Thanks to Hurricane Ike and the clearing out of vegetation at this resort, we now have a view of the pool, in the past the foliage was so deep/dense around this block of rooms that we had no view what so ever. As for the Hurricane Damage around the rest of the resort? Well, I have to say if you have never been to this resort, you probably wouldn't even notice, however, we were personally shocked at the difference, and not necessarily in a bad way. The gardeners have worked so incredibly hard to clean up the mess Ike left behind, and in our opinion many garden areas have actually been improved. We have always personally found the area between the Cliffside path and Superior Junior suites to be very dark and dank, however, now, these suites do have a clear view of the ocean, maybe still too dark for my liking but certainly cleared out quite a bit.
We also found the vegetation around the pool and main path to be seriously thinned out, maybe removing some of the privacy these rooms had in the past, but the gardens that have been replanted or revived after Ike, are more manicured, clean and attractive. The other area I noticed an improvement was the beach. Previous visits I noticed much of the vegetation encroaching the beach area, however, I do believe Hurricane Ike took care of this, as the beach does appear much deeper |
|
|
|
|
| The entertainment here was of a consistantly high quality |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Jenn from NS >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
|
|
Travel:
We Travelled with Air Canada. All I can say is that I will take ANY and I do mean ANY means to avoid using Air Canada in the future. Travelling with this airline was a nightmare, from having 2 severly drunk person in the emergency exit row ( the aircrews only concern was that one of them was blocking the drink cart with their foot while they were passed out in their seat), to no meals, to no service reps in Holguin, to sending half the luggage on our return flight to Toronto. To say the experience sucked out loud would be a 'mild' understatment.
Arrival: April 25 - May 9, 2009
We arrived in the early evening. They served us wine and orange juice while we waited in line to check in which was a nice touch. The check in process was efficient and seamless.
Rooms
Our room was in the #1 block as requested but we were unable to get a room with 1 bed. While this was disappointing it was not so huge a deal that we were willing to pay the 26CUC a day for the VIP upgrade. The room was dated but clean. The beds are very hard as others have noted but we used the wall hangings over the beds as a mattress pad which solved the problem. There was never any shortage of hot water or water pressure. The air conditioner worked but was only able to just barely keep the room cool. Again not a deal breaker and acceptable by Cuban standards. The maid kept the room adequately clean and supplied the usual towel / blanket art.
Restaurants and Bars
The food at this resort was very very good, especially by Cuban standards. We were very impressed by the quality and selection, which was notable given the hotel was less than half full during our stay. We ate mostly at the buffet with occasion lunch forays to the snack bar or beach restaurant. Both A La Carte's were good with the Italian being our favourite. They even did a pool side dinner theatre event one night which was amazing. All in all the food at this resort far exceeded our expectations.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach is nice with fine sand and good snorkeling. The snorkeling is not as good as Jibacoa but perhaps that is an unfair comparision. The pool while small is nice. The grounds are quite nice and well kept.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We did the 'discovery' excursion which took us to a fishing village, mini zoo and the Gurardlavaca market. It was a nice half day tour and a bargain at 15CUC. Other than that we cycled a few times along the road to Holguin which was nice and gave us a chance to distribute gifts to some locals.
|
|
Other Comments
If one is looking for a quiet room be sure to request the #1 or #6 block as the other blocks overlook the pll / snack bar/ stage area which can be quite noisy. The staff at this resort are very friendly which really add to our vacation. The entertainment here was of a consistantly high quality and included a varied selection of local talent from water ballet to opera, local cuban bands, rock band, etc. If I were to return to the Holguin area I would most definately stay at this resort again.
|
|
|
|
|
| I immediately fell in love with its charm |
| Hotel GC Villa Coral Cayo Largo |
| User Rating:
|
|
Marlene >
9 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
|
|
This resort is a little pearl in the tiny island of Cayo Largo. I flew from Montreal to Cayo Largo on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. I had booked online with Yourtraveltickets from St Catherines, ON two weeks before departure and paid $1166 for two weeks All Inclusive at the 3* Gran Caribe. My flight on Air Cubana, a new airbus, was delayed 90 minutes as they were waiting for the plane to arrive from Cuba. This was the first time I have traveled with Cubana. The seating was comfortable; they distributed headsets prior to showing the movie. One ear was in Spanish and the other ear was in French for listening. There was no English option. The morning meal served at 10:30 am was a cold entrée consisting of fruit cup, apple Danish, bun and butter orange juice and coffee. There was no complimentary water, juice or soft drink service. All these were for sale only. The flight lasted 3 hours, 15 minutes. Our flight was combined with the Cayo Coco destination but we landed in Cayo Largo first.
We quickly went through Customs. We were the only plane on the tarmac at the time. ¾ of the passengers disembarked at Cayo Largo and only 2 of us were going to the Gran Caribe. There was one other passenger on the 40 pax bus with me. We arrived at the Reception Desk of Isla del Sur to check in. The Gran Caribe is a four-hotel complex. The Barcelo (which has just been transferred to become part of the Gran Caribe chain in May 2009) is to the left and the Pelicano is to the right, both only a short 20 minute walk away. Two of the four Gran Caribe sections are exclusively Italian Club sections (Isla del Sur and Villa Lindamar). The Villa Coral and Villa Soledad have Italian, Canadian and Cuban clientele.
The second week of my stay I moved to Villa Coral to be closer to my traveling companion who was assigned a room in that section. The Villa Coral room (4028) was on the first floor with a full ocean view and was just a few steps to the beach and the section closest to the Villa Soledad. This room did not have a tub or bidette or a hair dryer. I believe the Soledad rooms, although in a quieter part of the resort, because there is no pool or buffet there, are more updated. They were about to put a new red tin roof on my building as I was leaving. |
|
Entertainment was at 10 pm each night at the Isla del Sur but it was only in Italian. The entire resort complex of the four hotels was 95% Italian guests from Italy, and the remainder of the clientele were from Quebec and Cuba. I was the only Anglophone in the resort and my traveling companion was the only Maritimer. I think all of the English speaking only visitors to the island from Toronto tend to book at the Pelicano, Barcelo or Sol. The Gran Caribe is not sold out of the Toronto gateway, only Montreal.
The Villa Coral has a swim-up bar (Giovanni and Vladamir are excellent, fun bartenders) and there are two activity staff (shout out to Alex and Daeme), two great people who teach salsa, give Spanish lessons and provide various games activities. I even saw Alex babysitting an 8 year old boy one day while his parents went on an excursion. Pizza is served in the afternoon at the bar as a snack. Music is loud and often repetitive.
The beaches of Cayo Largo are renowned for their beauty. The Playa Paraiso and Playa Sirena are picture postcard perfect with powder soft sand which is not hot to walk on. The water is clear and aqua marine in colour and is either calm as glass or has very gentle waves perfect for laying on an air mattress. Walks along this beach towards Punta Mal Tiempo to the left or beyond Playa Sirena always produced interesting things to see like starfish, sting rays, birds, etc. There is nudism displayed on this island in various sections of all the beaches. There is a complementary shuttle train three times in the morning: 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 going to Paraiso and Sirena. It is an extremely bumpy ride but a lot of fun. Taxis are for hire and cost 2 CUCs per person and are faster than the road train. At Paraiso and Sirena there is a restaurant and bar to purchase food and drinks. The palappas and loungers are usually taken by the 8:30 arrivals but become available at 1:30 when the shuttle comes to pick up and return guests to their hotels. The last shuttle returns at 5:00 pm.
There is a gift shop located across from the main entrance of the Isla hotel. They sell rum, coffee, beach bags, swimsuits, snorkels and masks, towels, handicrafts, fragrances, cigars, crèmes. It is quite remarkable how well stocked it is. There is a little post office beside the store (tienda) which sells post cards, stamps and pens. Beside that is the car, scooter rental which is popular.
Jorge Felix is the Public Relations person and is always circulating throughout the resort, greeting guests, making a la carte arrangements for the Ranchon steak house on Tues and Thurs evening (seating for 30 people). If you have a problem, Jorge does his best to find resolution. |
|
I had the opportunity to visit each of the other hotels on Cayo Largo and in comparison, the Gran Caribe does show its age (it was the first hotel on the island) but it is kept very clean and in good repair. The Villa Coral buildings are painted in pretty pastel colours (blue, pink) that are pretty against the palm trees and various bushes that dot the resort.
The Italians were given an orange bracelet to wear. I was given one but told not to wear it, just show it at the Villa Coral for my first meal and then put it away. The Cubans that arrived throughout the week for 3 day stays wore pink bracelets.
The reps from TMR, Varaplaya and Cubana were present each day to book various excursions that people wanted to take. The Catamaran tour was very popular for $73 CUCs. It included snorkeling, visit to Iguana Island and a lobster dinner at sunset.The village was a $5CUC taxi ride away and houses the museum (a history of Cayo Largo and pictures of the hurricane damage from 2001), a store, a couple of restaurants, a bank, turtle sanctuary and marina. There are apartment complexes for staff in this village also. It takes about an hour to see everything in the village.
This was my first trip to Cayo Largo but I immediately fell in love with its charm, quietness, natural beauty and friendliness of the people. I will go back again next year and probably meet the same guests I befriended this year (shout out to Suzie, Sebastian, Andre and Diane, Joanne and Linne, all from the Montreal area.). I would recommend this resort for a totally relaxing vacation. It certainly helps to speak French, Spanish, or Italian here. Anglophones are definitely the minority population. I got to practice my French that I haven’t spoken since high school. It was a fabulous 2 weeks for me. I loved every minute. |
|
The main buffet in the Villa Coral had better than average food than what I was anticipating for a 3* in Cuba. Every breakfast provided a made to order omlette station, fresh fruite (watermelon, pineapple and the sweetest orange sections I’ve tasted all winter), fresh baked loaves of French bread and rolls, various cheeses, ham slices, jams and butter and a selection of breakfast cakes. The hot entrees included deep fried potato rolls, which were delicious, bacon, ham, pancakes (one morning only), boiled eggs and toast. There were two choices of cereal and milk, yogurt and buttermilk in jugs. There were also jugs of fruit juice (frozen concentrate, I think) of grapefruit, orange, mango and mixed fruit). Coffee and hot chocolate came from a machine but it was very good. There were sugar bowls and salt and pepper (white pepper) on the tables. The buffet walls were decorated with various paintings from the Leonardo de Vinci era. There was only an air conditioner directly above the salads and dessert tables. Breakfast was from 7:30 until 10:30 a.m.
Lunch was open from 1:30 until 3:30 and there were a variety of salad dishes as well as platters of cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce (on week #2). Oil and vinegar was the only salad dressing offered. We brought our own favourite from home. There were 5 hot entrée steam table dishes of chicken, pork, fish, pasta and soup. Red and White Argentinian wine was served on request. An alternate lunch option was available at the Villa Lindemar Ranchon beachfront restaurant which served chicken, fish, hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries. This became an a la carte on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings serving steak, pork, or fish.
Supper buffet opened at 7:30 until 10:30 p.m. Throughout my stay, there were always at least 5 choices of meat, 2 vegetables, soup, various salada similar to lunch and desserts consisted of crème caramel, cake, éclairs, fruit flans, ice cream and fresh fruit. No coffee was available at supper. We would walk next door to the 24-hour lobby bar at Isla del Sur for a delicious cappacino, expresso, and café Americano while sitting on the patio overlooking the entertainment stage and large freeform pool of the Isla hotel.
There is a 5-member house band (Cinquillo Pinero) that circulates in the dining room. One night they gave the half a dozen Canadians in attendance at the pool bar an impromptu concert from 8 to 11. It was a magical evening. You can view a video on You tube if you key in SUCU SUCU A ISLA DEL SUR
|
|
|
|
|
| Food was plentiful, lots of choices at the buffet |
| Hotel Hotetur Palma Real |
| User Rating:
|
|
Tamara >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
|
|
Arrival: May 7-17
We hired a cab after a few days in Havana. Lovely drive. Check-in was quick and easy.
Rooms:
Room was small, but clean and everything worked. Lots of hot water, plenty of towels ect. Maid left us some fantastic towel art every day! We used our little balcony alot!
Restaurants and Bars:
Food was plentiful, lots of choices at the buffet. Only meal we didn't enjoy was at the ala carte chinese restaurant. Wouldn't bother with that again! Burgers were great at the beach bar. Never had to wait long for a drink at any of the bars. The best daquari in the place is at the swim-up bar! Staff were friendly and the service was good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Lovely pools, nice and clean. Loved the swim-up bar. Grounds were nicely maintained and clean. There was always gardeners around working on the plants ect. Beach was wonderful. The short walk from the hotel was not an issue. Lots of shady spots, warm clear water. We went on the Hobicat and the peddle boats several times. Rarely had to wait long to use the boats.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Deep sea fishing one day. Didn't catch anything but had a wonderful day on a beautiful boat. Scuba diving with the Barracuda Dive Centre. Highly recommend if you can get Ivan as your dive master! He rocks!!
Other Comments:
We throughly enjoyed our stay and would definately return to the Palma Real. |
|
|
|
|
| We have made many friends in Cayo Largo |
| Hotel Sol Club Cayo Largo |
| User Rating:
|
|
Shirleyujest >
7 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April 16 - 23
Leaving Montreal, the Air Transat flight was great. Well, as great as it can be. We know we are going to be in paradise in a few short hours so we can put up with a non-eventful flight down. Arrrival at the airport was pretty quick and efficient. It's a small airport and we were a full plane. There were quite a few Customs booths open and going through Customs was "painless". Through the door (once past the Customs agent in the booth) we went through the "scanner". Easy. There is no money exchange booth here - it's on the other side where the departures are so we decided to wait til we got to the resort. Our luggage was waiting for us once through Customs, easy to find, and we walked through the door to find our Rep. Kim pointed us in the direction of our bus. We got on and waited for everyone else to get on. There were plenty of seats but last few "stragglers" on the bus didn't / couldn't sit down. The bus driver was getting a little impatient waiting for these tourists to get on - those that needed one more cigarette after their flight - so, as soon as they got on he closed the door and took off. The stragglers had to hang on for dear life. Although there were plenty of seats, some folks thought they would use the seats for their "carry on" luggage, therefore taking a seat away from a passenger.
|
|
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
There was some lounger saving at the pool in the mornings (we only know that because we had a pool view this time around) but it wasn't really necessary. There seemed to be loungers and shade at the pool whatever time of day we walked by. We saw a few topless women at the pool and there were very few children at this resort. Most of the children we did see were under 5. There is no kids club at this resort. The beach was out of this world! Wide sandy beach, calm warm waters (I think there was maybe one red flag day) two rows of palapas and plenty of loungers for the textile section as well as the clothing optional section. Never a need to save loungers and shade here. There was a fair amount of topless women on all the beaches and a lot of the textile folks mingled with the folks at the clothing optional beach. Needless to say, you WILL see topless and/or nudity so don't be surprised. The grounds of the resort are immaculately kept. They have drained the water feature pools and fountains and didn't seem to water as much as they used to. I'm thinking it's partly due to the mosquito's and partly due to the fact that the fountain pools really need a coat of paint.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We would walk the beach every day, one time heading to the east, past the Pelicano and the other resorts, towards the Barcelo. We didn't quite make it to the Barcelo - we would have to traverse either above ground or in the water. There was no beach accessibility. We saw the Barcelo in the distance and decided to head back. One day we took the train to Sirenas and walked to the right (west). We had complete access around the point to the Marina there and walked through the beach restaurant, craft store and bar. That was something we had never been able to do on our previous visits as there wasn't the accessibility via the beach. The other days we would just walk from the resort to Paraiso and sit at the bar, enjoying a beverage or two (maybe three). One time we took the train back to the resort but all the other trips we would walk back to the resort along the beach. It was completely accessible unlike some of our other visits when we had to walk over rocks and / or tree branches and stumps.
Other Comments:
The resort wasn't at capacity when we were there and they are really trying to promote Cuba, if not just Cayo Largo, to the Italian market. There was a large Italian group that arrived and stayed for a few days and the resort had all sorts of "off-site" activities arranged for them. We rarely saw them as they were kept very busy. This is not a destination for everyone. There is little to do and you don't get a real slice of Cuban life, if that's what you are looking for. If you are looking to get away from it all, experience a fabulous beach and just want to chill out, then this MAY be the place for you. The Cubans we came into contact with are exceptional! Warm and friendly and will do anything for you. We have made many friends in Cayo Largo and we can't wait to get back to see them all again. |
|
Check in:
In less than 10 minutes we were at the resort. There was lots going on in the lobby - no "special" check-in for MAS card holders. We have found this a hit or miss at this resort - this was our 5th visit here so it's like our "home away from home". At the front of the lobby was Abdel, handing out a fruity "Welcome" beverage. He immediately recognized us and there were warm hugs and greetings exchanged. We hadn't been to the Sol Cayo Largo in two years but throughout the week we experienced this from lots of the staff who remembered us and who we remembered. We were not to check in at the main desk, though, but to go to a table that was set up on the other side of the lobby. There were rows and rows of "packages" on the table with the visitors' names on them. I'm not sure in what order they were (either by room number or name of patron) but it was a bit unorganized to say the least. We found our "package" and were asked by the attendant if this was our first visit. We told him, "No, our 5th" . He wrote this info on a piece of paper and sent us on our way. Later in the week we got an invitation to attend a Mangers' Return Guest cocktail party. Unfortunately we didn't attend due to timing issues with us. We went to collect our luggage and the bellman told us they would deliver it - in 10 minutes. So we set about to find our room. 0224. We saw the bellman drive past our room with our luggage and we waiting 20 minutes for him to come but we gave up waiting. Apparently they are not given keys to the room so they couldn't leave our suitcases in the room unless we were there. We found our luggage back in the Lobby and it was delivered to us later.
Rooms:
Our room was exactly as the other rooms we have had in the past. Blue-washed walls decorated with suns, moons and stars and little squiggles. The bathroom is equipped with tub and shower, sink, toilet and bidet. The hairdryer has been updated to a more powerful one and there was no magnifying mirror in this suite. The room was clean and tidy and was kept this way all week for us. Housekeeping was superb!
Restaurants and Bars:
Sign up for the a la cartes takes place at the Activity Hut where you can also get your towels and an umbrella for the beach. There are two a la carte restaurants you need to make dinner reservations for and the pool restaurant is a la carte for lunch. The lobby bar is where you get your fresh cappuccino's and really is the "hub" of the resort, especially in the evenings. We would start our day with a couple of "happy cappuccino's" as the bartenders would call them (capp's with rum cream) as we walked up to the bar in the morning. This bar stays open 24 hours. There are some "top shelf" liquors for an extra charge and there was no Bailey's to be found but we still mananged to enjoy all the drinks they prepared for us. The BEST mojitos we've had, that's for sure. The Buffet offers the usual faire - and, if we timed it right, we would enjoy champagne and orange juice with our breakfast. We noticed less choice of fruits, veggies and cheeses throughout the week but there is always something for everyone at all the meals. You should never have to go away hungry unless you are the pickiest eater
|
|
|
|
|
| The breeziness was very pleasant |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
| User Rating:
|
|
Luke from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival
The flight with CanJet to Santa Clara was fine, and a local Transat Holidays (multilingual) agent was there to direct us to the correct bus for the hour-and-a-half trip to Melia Las Dunas. The guide on the bus was a student and his English a bit difficult to understand, but frankly he was a bit superfluous anyway as we all just wanted to get there and finish with the journey.
Check in at the hotel was quick and painless, which is just as well as it was nearly midnight by the time we were in our room and ready for bed.
Next morning, after the talk and introduction to the hotel and its facilities, we had to book (up to 4) a la carte dinner restaurants for the week, although we actually just booked one, preferring to use the buffets and snack bars the rest of the time. We also had to book our excursions (again we just booked the one, to Trinidad), and pick up our beach towels for the week from the pool area (they seemed to run out of clean towels for a while the next day, but we had no problem getting ours, and once you have them you can exchange them for clean ones as often as you like). We were there during the last week in March (the week after Toronto March Break). This is technically spring in Cuba, and the weather was hot and sunny, with about half a day of rain the whole week. It was pretty windy the whole week, though, and the waves were quite high until the very last day, so water sports (and some trips) were inadvisable. In the hotel itself, away from the wind on the beach, the breeziness was very pleasant, however. Evenings were of course cooler but still warm, and the nights pleasantly cool for sleeping (but not cold). And no mosquitoes!
Rooms
No complaints about the room - clean, nicely decorated, well-appointed, comfortable enough beds, easy-to-use security safe, minibar fridge stocked with the basics (minibar drinks are included in the package and restocked daily), good shower with plenty of hot water, little balcony, TV with an adequate selection of programs in several languages, even a hairdryer. No dodgy toilets, cockroaches, sewage smells or any of those other things you tend to read about in these reviews.
The rooms are in two-storey blocks with 24 rooms in each block (12 on each floor), with access from both ends. Some of the upper rooms probably have a sea view, I would think, depending on the direction they face and the part of the hotel they are located in. Ours looked out onto jungle and a gravel path.
Like most of these places, however, the walls are paper thin, and it is pot luck whether you get a noisy one or not. We had a party crowd in our block on one night, with lots of late-night drunken shouting and clip-clipping up and down stairs, and then another night with a very loud television. But these seemed to be isolated incidents, and in general it was pretty quiet.
|
|
The maid kept things pretty clean and tidy, and did the towel origami thing each day. She also left us a cute little welcome note (in English) on the first day. She did, however, insist on leaving the air conditioning on full blast each day, which was totally unnecessary, and we had to open all the windows to warm the place up each afternoon when we came in.
Restaurants and Bars
There are two main large buffet restaurants, where we ate pretty much every breakfast and dinner, plus another restaurant which has a lunch buffet. The main buffet restaurants are attached to each other, and frankly there is not much to choose between them, although there may be (very) minor differences between what they serve from day to day. The choice is fine for a week, but you'd get pretty sick of it after two weeks, I would think. As vegetarians, though, the buffets were by far our best option, and we never had any difficulty finding a table.
In addition to the expected salads, breads, cheeses (and cold meats), fruits and desserts, there were usually a selection of cooked vegetables, potatoes, pasta, pizza, eggs, etc, as well as the made-to-order omelette and crepe stations at breakfast and the made-to-order pasta station at dinner (as well as a meat/steak station which we did not investigate).
The (not made-to-order) hot food was not always hot and the ready-made pizzas, pasta, crepes, etc, were usually pretty tired and cardboardy. The cakes and desserts were very much variations on a theme and not particularly fascinating. Juices were canned (apart from the orange juice, I think), the cereal was often stale. The fruit was pretty much limited to pineapple, banana, papaya, melon, watermelon, orange and grape fruit, and it was not great quality at that, but it was edible. The cheeses were very bland and often variation so processed, but there are one or two which re OK (particularly one with little holes in it).
But having said all that, quite honestly, you don't go to Cuba for the food - you just need enough to keep you going, and it certainly had that. The croissants were pretty good, the flambeed bananas are recommended and it was nice to get Spanish-style churros and dipping sauces. As a veggie, I have eaten much worse.
There were also four or five a la carte restaurants (e.g. specializing in pizza, pasta, Cuban food, seafood as well as a so-called romantic one). From a quick look at the menus revealed a severely limited vegetarian selection so we just booked the pizza place for one evening, as much for a change of scenery as anything else. It was OK but certainly nothing special.
In addition to the buffets and the a la carte restaurants, there were several bars snack bars scattered around, open for lunch and for most of the afternoon, serving sandwiches, pizzas, burgers and hot dogs (no veggie ones), fries, even poutine. The Beer Garden bar is open all day and night and serves food all day, so you're definitely not going to starve.
There are also of course many bars to serve all that alcohol, including swim up bars and the 24-hour Beer Garden, and small bars on the boardwalks to the beach. The beer is a choice of the local Crystal and Bucanero (OK, served nice and cold) as well as Becks and something else imported which I have forgotten. The wine served is cheap Spanish plonk and not very exciting. And there is the usual array of spirits and cocktails (and a few non-alcoholic cocktails and slushies for the kids).
By far the best coffee, cappuccino and cocktails were served in the piano bar by the lobby, and we soon realized that it was better to get a cappuccino there rather than risk the cafe con leche in the restaurants (which was sometimes OK and sometimes not). |
|
The snorkelling/catamaran trip was not available, due again to the wind and the waves, although I'm not sure that we would have chosen it anyway (it doesn't involve the real Cuba either). The jeep trip looked a bit like something quite tame pretending to be something adventurous, and the prospect of driving in a convoy didn't appeal. We were tempted by the so-called jungle hiking trip until we realized that it was 4 hours in a bus to get there, and 4 hours back, with a much shorter time in between for hiking and swimming in rivers. There were shorter trips to Remedios and Santa Clara, but if we were doing city sight-seeing and markets, we thought we'd go for the best and booked the Sancti Spiritus/Trinidad trip.
And very good it was too. You get to see a bit of small town Cuba from the bus, get information on farming practices, etc, etc. There was a more or less enforced stop at a famous artisan's factory (actually nothing special, and a bit of wasted time in my opinion), and sangria in an converted colonial house. A quick walk around the provincial town of Sancti Spiritus and it's market (a food market for locals, not a tourist market. The lunch at a converted farmstead in a natural park just outside Trinidad (pretty basic food and conveyor belt service, but pretty surroundings by a river - it would have been nice to be able to spend more time there walking around).
Then on to colonial Trinidad (World Heritage Site), guided tour around a museum and free time to potter round the markets, have a drink in cafe, or just walk around and distribute any gifts for kids, etc. Lovely little town, with cobbled streets, brightly coloured colonial houses, 50-year old American cars in the streets, and only a small amount of people trying to foist knocked-off cigars on us.
Then back on the bus, and our guide George (presumably Jorge), who had already told us lots of interesting stuff about education, healthcare, prices, jobs, car licence plates, etc, opened up to questions about Cuban life. He was, I thought, very honest and open about the good and the bad, and clearly very proud of his country and its achievements, while recognizing its limitations, and he earned his tip. The trip picked up from the other hotels on Cayo Santa Maria, (Sol Cayo Santa Maria, Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria, Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Royal Hideaway Ensenachos) so we also got to chat to some other people. All in all, a good 12 hour trip, pretty well organized and well worth doing. |
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The lobby area is pleasant with plenty of seats and a nice place for an evening cocktail/coffee/game of cards. There is an information place, and the Transat Holidays people were also usually there to answer any other questions. The bank in the lobby often had a line-up for changing Canadian dollars to convertible pesos, but not always. It was open quite long hours, so just wait until the line dies down, or try later in the afternoon. Lots of 1 peso notes or coins are useful for tips, and bear in mind that you will need 25 pesos per person for exit tax at the airport when you leave. There are a couple of stores and, of course, an artesania market. Phones and internet are slow and expensive, but at least available.
The activity centre (sports and games area) was well used, but not overused, and you could usually get to play whatever you wanted (table tennis, air hockey, table soccer, pool, board games, etc) when you wanted it. There was always someone there to help, and there were also different activities going on at different times, including basic archery lessons, Spanish lessons, mini-tournaments, etc.
The activity centre also loaned out basketballs, tennis rackets and balls, etc, for use at the tennis courts over the other side of the hotel. the tennis courts were in good condition and one or more was usually available (despite it being shared with the Melia Cayo Santa Maria next door). You can take out bikes for free, and even scooters - there is nothing much to see, but it makes a nice change, and you can get to the other end of the beach or go birding at the causeway.
The gym near the tennis courts was also in good condition and reasonably well appointed (and cool!), with a weights room, treadmills, step machines, a rowing machine, stationary bikes, exercise mats, etc. It was rarely in use when we went there, and we never had a problem in getting onto anything. The spa (also by the tennis courts) seemed relatively expensive, comparable to Toronto prices, and we were not tempted, especially given that everything else was for free. The watersports centre on the beach was not operating for most of our stay due to the wind and high waves, but in theory they have sailboats, windsurfers, kayaks, pedallos, and more - all free.
I'm embarrassed to admit that we didn't bother with the shows (starting at 9.30pm) at all. From what I saw of the practices, it was the usual predictable (and necessarily amateurish) all-singing all-dancing affairs with enforced audience participation. Sorry, but been there, done that. There were various pre-show entertainments in and around the lobby, mainly revolving around salsa, of course (I was pretty sick of salsa by the end of the week, although even on the bus back to the airport some people were still calling for more).
Day trips worked out at around $100 per person, so we only booked one, but I think it's important to get out of the hotel at least once and to see a bit of the real Cuba (because the hotel is very definitely NOT the real Cuba). Bear in mind that there is no town around the hotel that you can walk to or even cycle to. We went off on bikes one morning and there is nothing but scrubby jungle and a handful of hotels on the whole island - no locals live there at all, and construction workers and hotel staff are bused in each day.
|
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The beach, as you will probably have gathered, is beautiful - clean, white sand, no rocks, beautiful turquoise sea, no jellyfish, no hookers or people pestering you. It is separated from the hotel by a natural area of vegetation crossed by three boardwalks. There are plenty of loungers and some palapas for shade (no natural shade). It was quite windy most of the time we were there and the waves can be a bit scary (but fun), although I am not sure how typical that is. You can walk for several kilometres up and down the beach from the hotel, past the three other hotels on the that part of the cayo and some totally undeveloped parts.
The pools are also nice, a little cold, but not enough to keep you out of them (just enough to keep them from being busy). There were enough sun-loungers and we never really had a problem finding shade when we wanted it. A minor problem with people leaving towels, but not too bad, and not as bad as many other places. There is an activity pool on one side of the hotel and a leisure pool on the other. We were on the quieter leisure pool side (although you can of course use either), which suited us fine. Actually, even the activity pool was not that active or noisy, although I believe they had some water sports events from time to time. It's certainly not a wet t-shirt contest/thumping disco kind of a place. There is a late night disco near the reception for those that need that kind of thing, although I can't comment on it. |
|
| Other Comments |
Between 90% and 100% of the guest were Canadian, and I would say that at least 70% of those were Quebecois. It was predominantly a middle-aged crowd - very few kids, teens or babies, and very few of the very old, mainly thirties to fifties. Not too many buff bodies, and not too much screaming and shouting.
A lot of the guests were big into drinking, carrying around their own large refillable mugs. However, considering the quantity of alcohol imbibed, they were reasonably well-behaved and there were only really a couple of occasions when I felt a bit embarrassed to be Canadian. Don't get me wrong, I like a drink too, but I just don't see the point in excess.
The staff were pleasant and courteous and attentive to a fault, and even the cooks and gardeners seemed to be trilingual. We tipped most meals and some drinks, but its certainly not mandatory (and I don't really think it makes any difference top the service you receive). We tipped a convertible peso at a time (it just seemed easiest) and it seemed to be well received (a convertible peso goes a long way for the locals).
We were there during the last week in March (the week after Toronto March Break). This is technically spring in Cuba, and the weather was hot and sunny, with about half a day of rain the whole week. It was pretty windy the whole week, though, and the waves were quite high until the very last day, so water sports (and some trips) were inadvisable. In the hotel itself, away from the wind on the beach, the breeziness was very pleasant, however. Evenings were of course cooler but still warm, and the nights pleasantly cool for sleeping (but not cold). And no mosquitoes!
|
|
|
|
|
| You won't find more friendlier staff |
| Hotel Sol Río de Luna y Mares Resort |
| User Rating:
|
|
Graham >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April
We flew Sunwing and our arrival went very well. Staff were very efficient and friendly.
Rooms:
We had requested 3 rooms together via email and via Sunwing and this was done. We stayed at the Mares side first floor. Rooms were spacious and clean and a very friendly room maid.
Restaurants and Bars:
There is a new french restaurant which enforces a dress code of long pants for men. I had to sit out this one as I didn't take any long pants (my own fault), but the other 4 said it was an excellent experience and their best meal during the stay. The dress code is NOT enforced at the other restaurants. We also ate at the Italian which was good. The Colon buffet on the Mares side was very good and a very good selection of food. The selection is even better than 2007. The staff were excellent.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
This is a 5 star beach and won't disappoint. The water lacks seaweed and just the nice aqua blue water with a very sandy bottom. The sandy beach area is very long and wide and lots of Cabanas and chairs plus many trees for shade if you prefer.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
One person took in the tour of Holguin(day trip) and was enjoyable. Be aware the costs of tours are in American dollars so be cautious of how you pay, ie conversion to Canadian dollars or pesos and exactly what is will cost in the end.
Other Comments:
This was our 3rd trip to Holguin and 2nd to Luna Mares. The devastation to trees and plants the from Hurricane last year was VERY evident comnpared to 2007, however, the hotel is doing their best to do what they can to bring it back and it is still a lovely resort. The Luna side was quite dead due to the end of the season. The Canadian dollar was only worth 70 cents while we were there. The horse&buggy ride to the market is now 15 pesos for a half hour (1 hour last time) and the bird sanctuary next door is 5 pesos not 2. We were told the rate increase is to help with the hurricane costs. There is constant management visible and interested in you and they are constantly maintaining quality control. This resort is by far a 4 star and great value for the cost. You won't find more friendlier staff. |
|
|
|
|
| Pleasant vacation with lots of sun, fun and relaxation. |
| Hotel Hotetur Palma Real |
| User Rating:
|
|
Michelle from New Brunswick >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April 2009
We arrived at 10:30 AM and had to wait for our rooms until 1:30 so we stowed our luggage, changed, grabbed a drink and jumped in the pool !
Rooms:
Rooms are adequate, not fancy. No fridge, which I missed. Several good TV channels. No screen on patio door so we kept it closed. Good shower pressure, lots of hot water.
Restaurants and Bars:
Food wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. There are lots of choices. Excellent food at the Barbacoa. No screens on the windows so birds are flying in and out but that is just the way it is...no big deal. We heard the a la cartes were horrible so we didnt' try them. The pizzeria was good. Excellent service in all areas, especially if you tip generously. The drinks are not fresh fruit like in Mexico, they are made from powdered mixes. No bottled water supplied, there is purified water on tap. This was our first trip south where we didn't even open our Pepto Bismol or Immodium !
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Pools were beautiful. The beach was the most beautiful I have ever seen! Lovely clear, turquoise water and white sand. Unfortunately the resort only has a very small section of the beach and the few palapas available are all crowded together. The beach club was disappointing. I found it very dirty on the grounds and didn't feel like getting any food or anything from it. We received some bites from beach fleas at the time. This was a first for us.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We very much enjoyed the location of the resort because we were able to walk downtown anytime. There is a lovely park nearby and lots of markets. The bank is right across the road, very convenient. We did the jeep safari excursion and really liked it. I'm not sure if any of the jeeps would pass inspection but we didn't break down, thankfully.( Some did )We had taken a suitcase full of stuff to give out and we gave it all out on the excursion. WE took clothing, baseball mitts, candy, school supplies, toys, etc. We got a chance to see lots of countryside and had a great time on the river and swimming in the cenote. Unfortunately the water was too rough for snorkeling so we missed that.
Other Comments:
In general, pleased with our trip. We met lots of nice people and we would go back. I loved the climate....very hot but always a breeze. Actually I wished for a sweater in the evenings. Pleasant vacation with lots of sun, fun and relaxation. |
|
|
|
|
| Catarmaran tour to Beach Blanco - loads of fun! |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Hicacos |
| User Rating:
|
|
April from Spruce Grove, Alberta >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April 13 - April 27
Arival was good. Airport was a little intimidating - noticed a fair bit of military & police presence. My husband and I went for a cigarette before collecting our luggage, and were not allowed back into the airport. Thank goodness my best friend and brother-in-law, did not follow us out, so they collected our luggage (phew!). Note - you can smoke in the airport. We took a Sandals van to the resort. Concierge greeted us, took us to their room, gave us champagne, cold wet towels, a bag of aftersun, lotion, and shampoo, and explained the resort to us. We were a little concerned about the heat and humidity, but we were used to it by the next morning.
Rooms:
Our room was very comfortable, clean, and spacious. Our main maid, turndown maid, and beverage stocker were all excellent. May I suggest bringing 2 or more bars of your own soap (somedays we would shower 3 times/day), the water is hard and the soap provided will not lather. Bring facecloths too! We found that the maids and fridge stocker were very appreciative of tips - small gifts and pesos. By the 2nd week, we always had a bottle of Chardonnay and at least 8 beer in our fridge, every day. May I suggest kids toys as gifts for the maids. We went to a mall, and discovered that toys are super expensive. (a $15 CAD toy costs about 95 CUC - about $110 CAD).
Restaurants and Bars:
We liked the service - alot! The food was good, considering that this is Cuba. So much selection, but after 2 weeks, I just really wanted to come home and BBQ a steak! I actually lost 5 lbs. on this vacation because I was forced to eat fairly healthy - lots of veggies and white fish! I loved how after the 3rd day, every staff member that had served us, totally remembered us! I found the service the best at the Italian restaurant, the beach bar, and at the buffet. We hung out alot at the lobby bar, it's so central, and a good place to kill time while waiting for a reservation. Loved the beach bar, the bartenders will always remember your drink order, and will sometimes start prepping it as soon as you walk in. Tip these people, they need it, and the service gets a little more outstanding.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Loved all of the above. Apparantly, it was Cuba's dry season, but there were so many beautiful and interesting trees, vines, flowers, etc. Lots of geckos, salamanders, and birds. The pools were very clean and a good temperature. The pool bar was a lot of fun (lookout - hot sun + many drinks = interesting times). My husband won a drinking contest at 10:30 in the morning at the pool bar - hilarious day. The beach was outrageously awesome. Every single day, when we walked the boardwalk to the beach, I was amazed at how blue & beautiful the ocean was. The beach is sooooo relaxing!
|
|
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We went to Varadero a couple of times, to the many markets, the convention center (mall), and to a few local restaurants. We took taxis each time. We took the Catarmaran tour to Beach Blanco - loads of fun! Highly recommend it. We took a private tour to Havana. We booked this through concierge at the hotel. I highy, highly recommend this way to travel to Havana. It was 240 CUC, for the 4 of us. Our guide (and driver), Misael, spoke very good english. He took us to the gov't buildings, the cemetary (breathtaking, no I'm not morbid - it's fascinating), then to his friend's house for lunch ( a house on the ocean - their kitchen is a family run restaurant - it was the best meal I think that I have ever had). Then Misael took us to Old Havana. He explained so much of the history to us. Then we walked into the "real" old Havana - the places where tourist do not dare venture on their own - what an experience!!!! Loved it, a bit saddening to see the poverty, but loved to see the culture. Warning we went to the parliament building and were completely bombarded by beggars. Also, prepare to pay for toilet paper in Havana. On the way back, Misael, drove us through the countryside. It was very cool to see this portion of Cuba. The ranches, the vegetable and fruit farms, the small farming communities, the rum factory, the many Canadian factories and processing plants, it was awesome.
Other Comments:
My best friend and brother-in-law got married at Sandals - it was perfect. Also I celebrated my 30th b-day and the staff were so gracious. It's only been 2 weeks since we left, but I am already itchin to book my next trip. I miss it so much, it was one of the best times I have ever had. |
|
|
|
|
| I personally had about 25 bites |
| Hotel Tryp Península |
| User Rating:
|
|
Jackie from Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April 10 - 17
Arrival was fine..late but no problems. No weloming drinks in the lobby :(
Rooms
Rooms were ready but were in the children's section. No children in our group of 10. Rooms were clean, but maids did not replenish much, we moved to another room in another section and it was much the same...seen 1 cockroach, no big deal...hard to get extra water from the maid, but toilet broke and was fixed asap.
Restaurants and Bars
We ate at 2 of the restaurants and they were very nice. Buffets were in my opinion not good, the buffet had a weird smell...bread was very good...Bars were fine but service no so great, pool bar bartender was not friendly AT ALL. I tipped him 5 pesos in the beginning and he did not awknowledge at all. I love the champagne here.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach great, water awesome, pool great, grounds very nice, love the flowers and all the plants.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Took the catamaran tour and swam with dolphins it was the highlight of my trip. Watched 2 shows and they were good. There was a Beach Party one night but was just dancing on the beach to regualr music...took bus to Varadaro to shop, very nice and safe.
Other Comments
There was a HUGH PROBLEM AT THIS RESORT WITH BUGS!!!Not sure if they were sand fleas, or what, but many of us badly eaten and seen MANY other people at the resort eaten alive, one girl in our group had to go doctor when she got home, her bites were inflamed and she had fever. I personally had about 25 bites which were like welts at first but they cleared up quickly after I returned home. Too bad because it really turned us off this resort. There was also ALOT of mosquitoes at the resort but the bites were not from them. But non the less, I love Cuba and the people and will definitly return but not to this resort.
|
|
|
|
|
| We will be back. Loved the place. |
| Hotel GC Villa Trópico (Cameleon Villa Jibacoa) |
| User Rating:
|
|
Kristen from Ottawa, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
|
|
Arrival: April 2009
Fast and efficient.
Rooms:
Super clean. Cleaning staff were awesome.
Restaurants and Bars:
Food was good. Definately won't starve. Loved the fish.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Very clean. The staff is always cleaning and picking up after visitors who seem to think its ok (it's not by the way) to throw stuff on the beach and on the grounds. All the grounds keepers were awesome and friendly.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
My husband did the walking tour and really liked it. We had our almost 2 year old daughter so no other trips for us but I heard they were great...
Other Comments:
We will be back. Loved the place. It is not for people that want to be dressed up constantly but if you want a place to relax with friendly staff and great drinks and pretty good food then it rocks....
kthunter@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
| I felt very safe and the people are great! |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Debbie from Timmins, On >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
We stayed at the Blau Costa Verde resort. You can drink beer on the busses.We went on the Jeep Tour,Eric was our guide and it was GREAT. First the jeep,then horses to go to a farmer's house for fresh coconuts and fresh made coffee the old fashion way,visit where Christopher Columbus landed,had dinner,then off on the speed boats. The Aboriginal people entertained us with a tribal ritual,then it was picture time.We had left the resort at 8am and returned about 6pm.
You can also take a cab in the early morn for about 90 peso's and he will take you anywhere you want to go and he's yours for the whole day!This way you get to see the real Cuba and Cuban people,not just what the government wants you to see.
We enjoyed the resort very much,workers were great! I don't consider myself picky when it comes to food,however I did not enjoy the buffet. The A La Cartes were great though and I went whenever possible and for VIP its easy. The hamburgers and fries at the snack bar were good until the last day I had one and found 2 bugs in between my burger and bun(glad it was the last day).
Lobster dinner was great. For lunch I went to the Italian a la carte for seafood pizza,it was very good.But I can not say this enough bring Imodium,if you don't you will be very very sorry.
Bring water shoes for the beach,as there is many rocks.Bring large cups(bubba's)this way for drinkers less trips to the bar!
Take the bus to Guardalavaca to shop at the market,everything is handmade and BEAUTIFUL,the prices are better then great and you can barter.
|
|
Bring clothes,most of the people seemed to have children ages 6 and up,so bring clothes sizes 6 and up. Clothes are very expensive as well as shoes for Cuban people,very hard for them to get,also toy's for children. They would be more happy to barter for clothes then for Cuban tourist peso's.Also shampoo's,soaps,toothbrushes and toothpaste,tapes,tarps(buck store has them)children's medicine.If you stay at one of the resorts by Blua if you go to the beach you can see a fishing village off to the left,Ike tore it apart and some locals still live there. 10-15 people per house(my kitchen is larger then their whole house)they are in need of clothes,shoes,tarps would be great for them.Very safe to walk across the river and visit with them,they are very nice happy people(they do not speak english so have a book for translation with you).They still have no hydro. You are very safe in Cuba and we were not scared to venture off on our own.When we went to the village it just happen to be the man of the houses' grand-daughter's birthday March 4th 2009 she was 3 years old,we had allot of stuff to give them but wish we had allot more.They are in great need of clothes(sizes 4 and up)for children and adults. Tarps would help them out tremendously. Try to bring clothes for you to wear that you don't want to bring back and then you can give them away and that will leave room in your baggage to go home. We were told that the people that work on the resort are considered rich,and of what I seen they are. Everyone seems to leave everything in their room when they leave so the maids tend to get everything and sell and barter to the other workers.When you go off the resort you will see many people in need of things. When we went on the Jeep tour the Jeep in front of us had prepared many zip lock bags full of paper,pens,crayons,toys,soaps and such to give out to the locals.They are happy to get anything,they do not ask for money,as the tourist peso's is worth nothing to them.If you like to tip you should bring rolls of Canadian loonies and use that, saves you on transferring that to Peso's.
I would for sure go back to Cuba,I felt very safe and the people are great! I would also stay again at the Blau Costa Verde! |
|
|
|
|
| A more relaxing, friendly and more human scale |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Murray and Elise from Montreal >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went out on the small Hobie catamaran with "Daniel" on our third day and it was great fun as it was pretty windy further out, and Daniel was pushing the boat along very quickly. Word to the wise, get down in line before 9:00am as the reservations go very quickly. Also, if you reserve for the end of the day, sometimes it will be too windy to go out and they shut it down until the next day. 2:00pm or 3:00pm is perfect.
The evening "spectacles" were also very good, which we have found in the past is not always the case, as they had a great troupe of dancers and singers.
I also went out on the "Ocean Paradise" excursion on the big catamaran on our last full day, and the bus leaves at 8:00 am and you get back around 3:30pm. It costs about 76 CUC and it includes bus transport to the marina, two snorkelling stops, and a lunch back on land at the end. Roy was our guide on the bus, and on the boat, very amusing guy. He was also the guide when you went snorkelling and he would swim down to the sea floor and dig up stuff that he would then feed to the fish. If you want to see fish, stay near Roy! Also think about wearing that life jacket, as you tend to get involved with looking at the sea floor, and the next thing you know you are a few hundred yards away from the boat and trying to swim back against the current and waves! Very safe operation though, as at the second more interesting reef they also have a second smaller motorboat with a lifeguard that will help you out if you need it. Both snorkelling areas are within outer reefs that filter out the stronger waves (and bigger fish?) and also you don't feel that you are out in the middle of the ocean. The boat ride was also great fun, although they never got the sails up............has anyone ever seen these big catamarans with their sails up? So if you are going for the "sailing" experience, you might need to look elsewhere. Around 1:30pm you arrive back at the marina and they take you by the same bus to one of their properties overlooking Guadavarca Beach (yes I know I probably spelled it wrong). Great view, ordinary food, with a choice of pasta, lobster, chicken or fish. All in all still worth the price? Yes. |
|
| Arrival: March 14 to March 21 |
| We made our arrangements with Air Canada Vacations for the first time, and everyone that we dealt with were very friendly and professional. The flight left and arrived exactly on time, (no delays due to malfunctioning coffee machines like other tour operators!) and although there were not any free meals, what was offered on the menu, while not very varied, was reasonably priced and definitely better than those free "breakfast burritos" offered with the other tour operators. Minor point maybe, but we also appreciated the monitors in the headrests and the free movies, as the flight can get a bit long without any distractions! The bus ride in a large air conditioned coach from the airport to the hotel took about an hour and a bit, and the first thing that you notice is what good shape the roads are in, (aside from a few gravel sections) as they are much better than the roads frpm the airport to Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana and with much fewer potholes than Montreal! Reception at the hotel was also fairly quick and the staff were very friendly and accomodating, which is another reason why we tend to prefer Cuba to the Dominican Republic. |
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The pool was a bit of a disappointment as it is very small and there is just the one. It is very clean though, and is in great shape. Saving grace is that it is very well located beside the snack bar and restaurants and its great to have a mid afternoon coffee or drink and look out over the pool. We weren't there to spend all day at the pool anyways! Interesting however, that even though there was only the one small pool, you could usually always find somehere to sit during the day, something which is next to impossible at any of the other much bigger resorts/pools as all the chairs tend to get "reserved" very early.
The beach was also on the small side, compared to the vast expanses of Bavaro Beach but very nice just the same, the white sand and turquoise waters are great! The beach is shared by two other resorts, but it is just big enough that it never seems to get crowded, (like Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana) and you don't feel obliged to take one of those grueling two hours walks. The palapas are few in number however, (thanks to the last storm) and everyone tries to get to the beach early in order to grab some shade from the few trees that remain standing.
The grounds of the hotel are very clean, and while not spectacular or lush, offer the opportunity for a very pleasant walk down to the beach. Say hello to the two resident cats just before you arrive down at the beach! |
|
| Other Comments |
| What you start to realize after the first few days here, is that while the Blau might not seem to have as much to offer as the other much bigger and fancier resorts elsewhere, it seems to have a more relaxing, friendly and more human scale which makes it a great place to vacation.
|
|
| Restaurants and Bars |
| While there were only two a la carte restaurants, Italian and Cuban, and as we only had two reservations to take, that didn't take anything away from the food experience as the buffet was surprisingly good. That also went for the snack bar at the pool and the ranchon down at the beach. There were also bars inside the main hotel, as well as the small "take out" bar at the beach. All the restauarant and bar staff were great, and again the food was also very good, especially for Cuba. One other great thing about this hotel is that are many places (outside and inside) where you can just sit and take a break, play cards, or have a drink or a snack. There were musicians playing at the buffet and the lobby bar every night and the atmosphere was great. |
|
| Rooms |
Our room was very basic but very clean, with two very firm but comfortable double beds and is what we come to expect after several times of staying in Cuba. One really nice feature however is the free in room safe, which is very easy to program with a numeric code on the small screen on the safe. Very modern! There were the usual problems when everyone seemed to shower at the same time, such as early morning and late afternoon, but hey its Cuba! you just have to adjust and go with the flow
The only complaint that we would have however for the hotel, was that our room was in building 5 and was located right above the restaurant and looked out over the 24 hour snack/bar. While this was great in the early evening as you were only steps away, if you didn't have ear plugs, you are not going to get any sleep at all. People typically used this bar area until about 4:30 in the morning and were very loud, so try if possible NOT to stay in buildings 4,5 or 6 unless you are in rooms facing away from the pool and bar areas.
We found it a bit strange that the hotel is laid out this way and have never seen it anywhere else. There are three wings (4,5,6) looking out over this very busy area. It is the first time that we have seen a hotel whereby about one quarter (at least) of the rooms would be affected by the noise level, and you would think that maybe they would close down this one bar around midnight, and have another one farther away that they could keep open. But again, you just have to adjust, as everything and everybody at this hotel are just great. |
|
|
|
|
| They have a VIP package, but suspect it is not of value |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Carl and Marj from Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
Arrival: March 20 - 27
Arrived at night, seemed seamless, as was departure. Airport washrooms not recommended....stinky.
Rooms
We were first given a musty smelling room on ground floor, unit 6, poor view. We We changed rooms (from ground floor, unit 6) the next day without a problem to building 5, 2nd floor. Rooms were dated, but clean. We enjoyed the activity of the balcony overlooking the 24 hour pool bar.But, noise does not bother us. Beds are hard, so we brought a foam shell...it worked
Restaurants and Bars
Buffet is OK. The pool bar is really good (staff is more than accomodating). Recommend early morning take out coffee at the pool bar. Italian restraurant spotty, but good. Noon thin crust Pizzas good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach is fine, and not too crowded. You can walk up to the other two resort beaches. Snorkeling is great. Activities and staff make it fun. Cigar sellers (you know the seconds, or third tpes) on the "out of bounds" walkway.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We shared a cab (six to a mini van) to the flea market....for the same fare as the bus/train thing. It worked well....driver waited for us while we shopped and had a beer on te beach.
Other Comments
While the 4 star rating is a "cuban 4 star",the friendly staff at this resort make it a true 4 star. Pool small. Pool side bar staff are excellent. Hotel managers are always on site....keeping things in order. A good family resort.Evening entertainement, and buffet entertainement is really good. We would visit here again. You cannot beat the staff, friendly and service with no hastles. Good for a relaxation trip....I suspect those seeking outside adventure may be dissapointed. They have a VIP package, but suspect it is not of value.
|
|
|
|
|
| We found the resort a very secure place |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
Lynda from St. Catharines, ON >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
Arrival: March 13 - 20
The airport is very small so finding your way around is easy. After we were processed through customs we were directed to our awaiting coach for transport to Playa Pesquero. We arrived at night so we did not see much of the scenery. The roads were not that great but the bus was comfortable and the tour guide was very nice. She spoke well and was easy to understand. She did point out many interesting spots which we did see on our way back to the airport.
Rooms
The lobby of the hotel is huge. Check-in was a breeze. The only confusion we had was directions to our rooms. Once we realised that the "buggies" (golf carts) would take you anywhere, getting to our room was easy. They just see the "caught in the headlights" look on your faces and they just stop and are glad to help out. The rooms are very clean and very spacious. The cleaning staff was great. A few CUC's (Cuban convertible pesos) and you are guaranteed clean each day. Water, beer and pop are replenished daily. Although we had some confusion the first day. Just asked at the front desk how to get them replenished and they were right on it. Somehow we got missed in the shuffle. No problem though.
Restaurants and Bars
The coffee is addicting!!!! The Cappucino bar in the main lobby will be a favourite stop for all. Remember to bring a thermos (ie: timmies mug) for the drink of the day. They will fill it up otherwise you are getting a small plastic cup. Food is great. We heard that the food in Cuba was less than desirable. Not the case here. You just have to realize that our version of the way to prepare something might differ from theirs. If you like black pepper bring your own, I don't recommend the white pepper. Also, if you like hot sauce on your eggs pack some. The Romantico restaurant was our last stop on Thursday, and I do believe we saved the best for last. Here you get Caribbean Lobster. To die for. Their lobster is of a stringy variety but still good. The meat is a bit different tasting, but still good. The buffets are great. Try the chicken restaurant in the pool area where there are a few shops. It is the best. Took us 3 days to get in, we were always missing the time. It closes at 3:00 and we spent too much time at the beach. The seafood restaurant on the beach is a great place to eat for lunch. You need reservations for dinner. If you arrive at night and the buffet is just about closing, do not fear, the all night Beer Gardens serves great appetizers. Was a nightly ritual. The buffet by the pool is not so crowded and you get great food there, both cold and hot.
|
|
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach was clean and is private. Lounge chairs plentiful. Not supposed to save lounge chairs but a few CUC's goes a long way. Plenty of cover and trees for all. Snorkeling was fun. Brought my own snorkel and goggles, used their fins. You won't see much of the coral etc. but there are some different kind of fish. You can snorkel right off the beach. Bring some bread or bananas to attract the fish. Loved the pool and swim up bar. The pool is large and if you want to swim or wade without kids you can. They were usually in the shallow end. Actually, never saw many kids except at meals.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We took the catamaran ride. The guide was knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did most on the resort. The nightly entertainment was good. Some nights were better than others but they did have a variety. Some even at the pool!!! Everyone was very talented. We took the 5 CUC "train ride" to Guadalavaca. It is an experience in itself. About 1 hr ride in a kiddie train. I kid you not. But it is a good way to see the living conditions and the country side. Guadalavca is small, just resorts. You can go to the market. The few hours there is more than ample time. Not much to do.
Other Comments
Although the resort is only about 6 years old there are patrons who have been there 8 or 9 times!!!!! That speaks volumes. I would go back.
We found the resort a very secure place. There are security guards everywhere. Remember to tip them on the last day. I had read some reviews before I went and was a little concerned. Not sure what some were expecting but saw none of the negative things I read about. After being there, I was wondering if they were at the same resort. I would recommend this place to anyone. The internet is 8CUC for 1 hour but more than enough time to get in, keep in touch. Don't change too much money, $250 Canadian at the hotel gave us $138 or so and that was more than enough. Remember exchange rates change all the time. |
|
| Photos: http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/eeeefarm/Caracol%20Santa%20Lucia%202009/ |
|
|
|
|
| Caracol is a wonderful little hotel |
| Hotel Club Amigo Caracol |
| User Rating:
|
|
eeeefarm from Ontario >
9 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
Tour Operator: Nolitours/ Air Transat.
General Comments:
Caracol is a small three star resort with only 150 rooms. This was my second visit.Last time I travelled with friends, this trip was made solo. I had enjoyed Caracol very much last year, but wasn't sure what to expect since the fall season of hurricanes. I was delighted to find the resort has actually improved! I had a wonderful week, and will definitely be returning next year.
Flight & Arrival:
Our flight was delayed out of Pearson due to a maintenance problem. Once this was resolved, we were on our way.....perhaps an hour late. Flight was otherwise uneventful. Service in Club Class was good. On arrival I had to report for a Customs secondary inspection, due to a Not Just Tourists humanitarian aid suitcase I was transporting, but after a brief inspection and a few questions I was on my way. My third NJT suitcase, and the first time anyone has wanted to look at it. The bus ride to Santa Lucia is about 90 minutes, which passed fairly quickly. On arrival, guests were informed the buffet restaurant had been kept open for them and were directed there prior to checking in. Since I was not hungry (due to the ample food in Club Class) I waited at the front desk and checked in almost immediately. |
|
| Activities: |
| The usual selection....Spanish lessons, dancing, beach volleyball, etc. I didn't bother. Sailing is another story. I love it, and with the exception of the first couple of days when it was extremely windy and red flags were flying, I went out every day. Because the wind was high most of the week, I had some very memorable sailing.....fast, wet, fun!! Snorkelling, as I have mentioned, is also very good, and possible even on windy days, since the reef keeps the wave action to a minimum. Kite boarders also find the lack of big waves attractive. There were several enjoying the wind, which made swimming and snorkelling a bit hazardous as you had to keep a look out for them. There are decent bicycles if you want to ride to Coco Beach or around Santa Lucia......or just down the road to the other hotels. It's always interesting to check out the local crafts for sale, which vary somewhat from resort to resort. There seem to be no issues with Security as far as visiting other resorts....I had no problem walking around Brisas to meet a friend. |
|
| Beach: |
| Santa Lucia beach is protected by a coral reef about a mile offshore. The water near the beach has a lot of sea grass, which is constantly washing in, making it a full time job to clean the beach. The resorts do their best, but there is usually some debris along the beach. That said, it is a very long beach with firm sand for walking. Because the sea grass can hide shells and bits of coral, footwear is a good idea. If you are barefoot, you need to pay attention. There are a few palapas for shade, and less trees since the hurricane, but I had no problem finding a chair.For swimming, water shoes will guard against coral and the occasional sea urchin. For snorkelling, the beach is very good! There is a patch of coral and rocks about 300 meters straight out in front of Caracol, and there are lots of fish to be seen there. I notice that people have been feeding them and they are becoming habituated to this, which is unfortunate. You may see lots of fish when you feed them, but you will miss out on the rare, interesting ones. Besides, it is not good for the fish or the environment. Please don't do it. |
|
| Bugs: |
| There weren't any! It was very windy much of the week, and a bit chilly in the evenings. That's probably the reason for the lack of insects. I did see a few ants in my washroom a couple of times. Nothing significant and not a problem. |
|
| Conclusion: |
| Caracol is a wonderful little hotel with terrific staff, decent food, excellent accommodation, and a very friendly atmosphere. What it lacks in 4 star amenities it makes up for with heart. It's definitely worth going back to....and I shall. |
|
| Evening entertainment: |
| There is a show every night, but I did not attend. |
|
| Grounds: |
| Well maintained, with gardeners busy from the early hours before it is too hot. |
|
| Internet: |
| Caracol has internet access this year, and although there is only one computer I found the service to be very good. It is available 24 hours, so you can always find a time to send an email, and it is economical, at only 6 CUC/hour. The speed is at least as good as my dial up at home. |
|
| Misc.: |
| There are taxis and horse & buggy taxis available to go to town or Coco Beach. Horseback riding is available as well. |
|
| Money: |
| A Cadeca on site for money exchange, just beside the front desk. |
|
| Pool: |
| Shade is at a premium here. It's available, but probably not enough to go around when the area is crowded. I didn't bother swimming here as I spend my time at the beach. The pool was cleaned every morning without fail. |
|
| Restaurants and Bars: |
| The food at the buffet restaurant has improved since last year. I found the selection and quality very good and especially noticed that the desserts were very tasty. There is a pasta bar at lunch and in the evening, and the usual omelets and eggs made to order at breakfast. The fresh fruit was wonderful, particularly the grapefruit. Several evenings there was a musical quartet entertaining at supper time. There are two a la carte restaurants, International and Cuban, but in reality they occupy the same physical space and operate at different hours. This close to the beach restaurant area is no longer used as a snack bar at lunch, which is unfortunate. It has a wonderful view, but suffers from exposure to the wind. As yet there are no screens to shield you, so dinner can be a bit breezy, to say the least! I found the food at the a la carte was much improved from last year. One quibble.....no wine available unless you want to buy a bottle. The buffet has very decent wine available at lunch and dinner. The snack bar on the path to the beach operates from late morning to mid afternoon. Burgers, hot dogs, fries, the usual snack bar fare. Also serves as the beach bar. The pool bar is being renovated and a small temporary one is in use at the moment. I don't believe the swim up bar is operational at this time, but should reopen soon. The lobby bar is 24 hours and great for morning coffee no matter how early you want it, unlike some four star resorts I could name. I also got a wonderful Spanish coffee there in the evening.....last year nobody knew how to make one! For some reason, beer is not available at the lobby bar. No big deal, but a little strange. Nolitours still has the "dine around" option with Mayanabo, next door. You may go once per week to sample their buffet. |
|
| Rooms: |
| I had a wonderful ocean view room in the same area as last year. The main difference was this year there were no sticky windows or balcony doors. Everything is new and worked well. The bed was a bit hard for my liking, a not unusual problem for me in Cuba. There is a sitting room as well as a bedroom. The small balcony opens off the sitting room on one side. On the other is a large window. It is best to draw the curtain when the sun hits this window, to keep things from getting too warm. In the sitting room there is a mini fridge. (not stocked). The television in the bedroom is mounted fairly high and is easy to see. The air conditioner is likewise mounted high, with a remote control. Very convenient to use. Water pressure is great, with ample hot water. Be careful, as the water truly is hot, due to the solar heaters on the roof. I love the layout of the units at Caracol. Only four rooms per unit, two up, two down. Very little noise transmission between them. Noise from outside is another matter, and the nearby disco can be an issue depending on where your room is located. I had no problems with noise except for a few late night revelers who slammed doors and talked loudly on a couple of occasions. For those who have been to Caracol before, I note that the room key is now the standard magnetic strip type, but the key to the safety box is still a physical key. They are now charging a steep (35 CUC!) returnable deposit for this key, as well as a rate of 6 CUC/week for the safety box. I expect they have had issues with people losing keys, which are likely difficult to replace. In any case, when you return your key you now have your airport tax in hand, plus a little extra for last minute expenses. |
|
| Staff: |
| Excellent staff at this resort. Friendly, helpful, and a lot of fun. |
|
| Tours: |
| There are several available. Camaguey is one destination. You can go for the whole day for 45 CUC including your lunch. You can also do the "last day" tour, which gives you a look at the city on your way to the airport and also includes lunch, priced at 29 CUC. Catamaran Playa Bonita for 55 CUC which includes snorkelling, lunch and a open bar. Also, for those who only wish to snorkel, the Coral tour is priced at 25 CUC and just takes you out to the reef. There is a lobster dinner at Coco Beach available for 25 CUC. There is deep sea fishing available as well. |
|
|
|
|
| Food was better at this resort than others. |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Marc from Sudbury, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
Arrival: March 13 - 18
Flight was terrible (there and back) the airline (Sunwing) delayed our flight in Toronto by 7 hrs (no compensation), damaged my luggage on the way there and now lost it on the way back (suppose to get it next day but it has been 3 days and still no luggage.
Rooms
Room was goo although the beds were a little hard (no big deal) and resort was GREAT. I really had a great stay. Everything was close enough to each other and the staff was excellent. WILL GO BACK.
Restaurants and Bars
Food was better at this resort than others. Lots of diversity and taste. Bars were very well staffed al though the coffee was not the best.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
GREAT
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
went to town of veradero and had a great time looking around. We went on the Catamaran bout trip to swim with the dolphines. First time doing this and will never forget the experience
Other Comments
I would highly recomend anyone looking to go to Veradero to stay at this resort, BUT DO NOT FLY SUNWING airlines |
|
|
|
|
| The staff is awsome! |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
User name ald1 from Ottawa >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Feb 8 - 15
Sunwing airline, we were to have a direct flight Ottawa - Holguin, however 1 week before departure we were advised that we would be making a quick stop to Montreal to pick some passengers. No big deal, for us. some passengers were pretty upset!
On arrival at Holguin airport, customs was very quick and we were through with our lugguage in less than 1/2 hour. We boarded our bus with beer in hand. They have some vendors who sell Cristal (very cold) cans for 1.15 CUC. We arrived to our hotel in less than 1 hour. Reception was quick and efficient, we had reserved the Superior room. Not sure if that made a difference at check in time!
Rooms
As mentioned earlier we booked the superior room. The price was 60.00 each for the week. It included a bottle of dark rum (26oz), robes(house coats), incense sticks, and ocean front. We were on the main floor in block Naranjo Agrio bldg room 3404. Rooms were very clean air conditioned and very large. We had a King size bed. the bathroom had all the little extras;Body wash, shampoo, toothbrush and paste with floss, bubble bath, nail files. it included a hair dryer. there was also a bidet located next to the tub and toilet. The sink is separate from the bath area.
the closet had a safe were you create your own PIN. (no charge!) It had a fridge that was stocked daily with 2 beer coke and water. we had a coffee maker but did not use it!
Restaurants and Bars
our superior room included a pre reserved spot to one of the restaurants. they had reserved the seafood for us. we tried the Italian, and the Asian. in our opinion they were good to average. the rest of the week we ate at the buffet or at the beer garden for dinner.
for lunch we ate at the chicken restaurant( I forget the name) the breaded chicken is awsome!
there is also a great coffee bar in the lobby!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
the grounds definietely need a a little Tender love and care as the resort is showing it's age. A little paint job and cleaning would definatly make it some good!
POOL: it's HUGE! we elected to stay near the pool bar as we like to watch people go crazy about 4 pm from sitting there from noon to closing. Some pretty good "action" one late afternoon after the dj put on some ACDC. we had a great laugh!
BEACH: Spectacular. by far the PP end of the beach is the best from all the 3 resorts located on the beach. Because of Huricane IKE they had a temporary bar set up away from the main blg. the building and facilities , I was told is schedualed to reopen in a couple of weeks.
|
|
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
My only outings were 3 dives with Blue World Diving Centre. the Boat picked us up at 9am every morning for a 2 minute boat ride to the dive Centre. I walked it the first morning and the walk takes about 15 minutes.
1st dive was the Taza Azul; this is great wall and cave dive. we were lucky to see 2 lion fish. the dive master is Michael. Nice guy with Gold capped teeth!
2nd dive was Pasquero Sponge; dive master Michael brought some baitfish (maqueral??) and broke it up as we swam. it attracted a school of Rusty parrotfish and one huge grouper as well as other smaller tropical fish. 3rd dive was the Grand Canyon; this was a great dive were there are multiple walls that run from more 100 feet to the surface at about 20 feet. we also went through some tunnels.
note that the coral is slowly coming back to life.
I did see one octopus while snorkling in front of the dive shop.
Other Comments
HUGE resort that needs some work. the staff is awsome! would I return. Probably not, as there are way too many other places to visit in the caribbean. We However had a great time and would still recomend it thanks for giving us the opportunity to write up a review Oh! we had the pleasure of being at the resort with our very own Lyndon Slewidge the official anthem singer for the Ottawa Senators. |
|
| Photos: http://travel.webshots.com/album/570323918nvQQYf |
|
|
|
|
| Surprised to see how many trees did survive the hurricane |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
Deb from Ottawa >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Feb 12-26
We thoroughly enjoyed this resort 2 years ago and could hardly wait to go back again, we went for 2 weeks Feb 12-26th Check in was super quick, we were in our room in under 20 min and unpacking!
Rooms
We had a standard room with a king bed that was more than adequate with excellent maid service, fridge stocked with pop, beer and water.
Restaurants and Bars
We enjoyed the Buffet for breakfast, excellent service, nothing lacking food wise, I often had the fresh fruit (especially the bananas and grapefruit), while my husband would get his eggs made to order, the little croissants are to die for!! they also serve breakfast at the Beer Garden, we tried it once, but we preferred the buffet where they were always filling your cup with fresh coffee
Restaurants:
As stated in other reviews there are many. We went to the Romantico,(fabulous), Grill and Seafood twice and the Italian once, all quite good While we were there the Beach Grill,(which is usually the Seafood at night) was still being repaired due to hurricane damage but it was due to open in a few days, but not before we left!! so the Seafood restaurant was still relocated at the Trattoria at night, during the day they served a variety of dishes, the pizzas are a little strange, one even had a fried egg on it
We were really looking forward to going to the Beer Garden again, however we were very surprised with the very reluctant service, the first time I was there for at least 15 min, and no one came to the table even though the place was half empty! I went to the bar to order a drink and when I ordered the food the waiter even rolled his eyes!! I have never encountered this before, anyway the food we did try was dry and very greasy, although I must say the pickled lobster was still quite good, we did try going back a few times to see if things changed, but they had not, but who knows maybe we just went on bad days? Although other return guests we spoke to had the same comment. On the other hand, everywhere else the service was excellent, especially at the Grill by the pool, your glass refilled before you could even ask, excellent choice from the hot and cold buffet, one day they even had oysters on the half shell!! Wine pretty decent, they serve Spanish at the buffets, and even have Rose, and at the restaurants they have good selection of Chilean as well.
|
|
I must say, we cancelled out on our 2nd trip to the Italian as we were really enjoying the buffet! what with the freshly prepared shrimp, fish, and salads, we preferred the smaller buffet rather than the large as you didn't have to go far for your food, although the flambe crepes and bananas at the large buffet are really addicting, as is the ice cream which is served at both.
Strangely enough while I was in line waiting for my freshly prepared shrimp to cook a young man beside me stated he was having trouble finding anything he liked to eat!! Good Grief
On Tuesdays at the little promenade, there would be a pig roast, which was served around 3:30, along with several salad selections, pretty yummy
As returning guests, we were invited to a special "gala" evening, it was held in the banquet room, beautiful table settings, excellent food, cigars for the men and roses for the ladies passed out at the end of the evening,!! Very impressive!
BEACH
We were actually surprised to see how many trees did survive the hurricane although their branches are greatly reduced from before, the one thing that we really loved about this beach was all the shade these trees had provided! but they seem to be recovering nicely!! we were also told all the palapas had been destroyed, but many of these have already been replaced, since we are beach people and early risers, we never had any trouble getting one of these, but if you did not get to the beach by at least 0800 all the shade huts were taken! as the resort was quite full while we were there.
We took our own snorkel gear, quite a few beautiful fish to see by the point Weather was great except for 2 days that were windy and coolish.
TRIPS
We only did one, took the little train (cost 5 cc) into Guardalavaca, it left at 0930 and returned at 1300, it was a lovely trip through the countryside, not much to see at the market so we took a beautiful walk along the ocean, passing the Club Amigo, Brisas and the Brisas Villas, which helped to pass the time.
Other Comments
I had read quite a bit about people getting bites in other reviews, we didn't have any 2 years ago but I did come prepared with benadryl lotion and tablets, and since by the second week my husbands lower legs were covered in itchy bumps this came in quite handy and was quite effective. Another good thing to take (just in case)is the "After Bite" stick you can buy at the drug store.
We never saw what was biting him! the staff said this was from tiny flies, strangely enough I had no bites, so go figure!! I can only surmise that some people must have some sort of allergic reaction to these? as only a few we spoke to were afflicted
Both my husband and I as well as others we had talked to were appalled at some of the thoughtless littering by other guests both on the beach and around the pool, people walking away leaving empty cups and straws beside their lounge chairs, and near the edge of the pool, often with garbage containers in sight!! we also saw empty glasses early in the morning left on benches, walkways, and around plants, obviously with no thought as to what could happen if these glasses happen to fall and break on the pavement and someone gets a bad cut as a result
I do wonder if the same people who complain about the dirty beach and pool are those that contribute to the problem in the first place!! then there are the cigarette butts people leave in the sand, why couldn't they put sand in the empty cup and put the butts in these, then take it to the garbage, how hard could that be Anyway staff are on the beach before the crack of dawn every morning raking up any debris and work very hard keeping this resort beautiful
I would not hesitate in recommending this resort, we are already looking forward to returning again next year!!
|
|
|
|
|
| All in all we had one of the best weeks at this resort |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Susan from Winnipeg, Manitoba >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Feb 21- Feb 28
We travelled on Sunwing. The flight was 12 hours delayed due to plane trouble. We ended up leaving at 7:30 pm instead of 7:30 am. But the service on the flight going and coming back was amazing. We had hot food, champagne and wine as well as a good movie and a good flight. The airport was fine and we got our baggage quickly. Check in was fast and the front desk staff are amazing.
Rooms
The rooms at the Bella Costa were great. There were 6 of us in the hotel section and 2 in the villa section and we were all satisfied. Our door broke one night and we needed to be let into the room by staff but the next day when we came back from Havana, the door was fixed and worked perfectly. We left little gifts for the maids everyday and we got towel designs and flowers everyday.
Restaurants and Bars
We went to the italian and japanese restaurants and they were great. Jimmy's buffet always had something to eat and the food was great. El Mirador's was great as well. The lobby bar was where we hung out most night but can get crowded. The pool bar is open until 1 am and is also a nice place to hang out at night.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach was amazing!!! White and soft sand. There were plenty of chairs to sit on the beach and by the pool. The pool was quite cold but not crowded at all. This resort is very safe. There was a lot of security around at all times of the day. My friend and I who were part of the group are 21 and 26 and we walked around until 1 or 2 am and felt completly safe at all times. Make sure to take sun block with you....if you don't you will fry! We burnt one day and we were very careful when we were there and were wearing SPF 45 and SPF 50.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We went to Havana and Matanzas. I recommend both of these tours. The Havana tour was a long day but a very good one. Matanzas was shorter but just as good if not better. The tour guides really make these tours. We also took a taxi to Downtown Varadero to the markets and that was a great afternoon as well.
Other Comments
All in all we had one of the best weeks at this resort. The staff was amazing. Make sure to take gifts such as makeup, nail polish, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, pencils, pens, erasers, crayons, jewelry, hair clips, hair ties, and even clothes. They appreciate these items more then money as they are very expensive to buy. When we left, we left our purfume, flip flops, my beach bag, our travel mugs, body scrubs, sun tan lotion and even some extra change for the maids and staff. Manuel, Niruka, Antonio, Alexis, Yunil, Yadira, Sergio, our maids Yadira and Yunika and all of the staff at this resort are hardworking and amazing people! We will be going back! |
|
|
|
|
| The rooms are clean and spacious |
| Hotel Tryp Península |
| User Rating:
|
|
Gail from Nova Scotia >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
|
|
Vacation Photos URL
pics in facebook profile Gail MCQuarrie
Arrival: Feb 7 to Feb 13
Our arrival at the airport was very smooth. Promptly shown where to get on a bus to hotel, chose to walk past the guy selling beer as we had just finished a double on the plane. Do your busmates a favor, its hot and all anxious to get from the airport and into the bus to the hotel. SO don't waste time at the bank teller. There is one in the hotel directly from the Central Bank and gives the same rate as at the bank. We never checked the rate at the airport but you can bet its no better than at the bank itself.
Rooms
The rooms are clean and spacious. We asked for 2nd floor close to pool and beach with a king size bed and that is exactly what we got. The maid service was tremendous. As we got through the week and closer to Valentines Day our beachtowels were daily created into hearts, very artistically done. The safe is free and you input your own password, just follow the simple instructions. The bathroom had a separate bath tub and shower yet still had a shower head to un hook and use in tub. Nice big clean tub. The alst day we were going to ahve our particular maid she left a note in english thanking us very much for the daily presents and wishing us a Happy Valentines Day. That was Thursday, not sure if that is routine or she only worked til Thursday's.
Restaurants and Bars
We primarily chose to eat at the main buffet although it was a jaunt from our Number 24 accomodations. Worked up an appetitie we said. We didn't go to any of the a la cartes but did eat at La Gondola and Laguna for luch and breakfast a couple days. Not as much variety at these smaller restaurants but still found edible food. The Gondola has the only palce we could get Pina Coladas made with slush consistantly. And they were good. Probably because the machine was in a the shade all the time unlike the pool bar. Plenty of food variety and since we both managed to gain weight I'd have to say plenty good to eat. It's not home with all the spices folks if you want that stay home. But there is a flavor to much of the food. Lots of pork, chicken, turkey and fish at all meals. The bars are god too. Several bartenders work the main lounge bar all day and late into the evening. And where most people hang out. ASk for extra rum and keep an eye on it or you'll end up with pretty much a straight drink. The bartenders all speak and understand enough English that your limited spanish is not necessary. The wait staff in the buffet we tipped a peso almost every meal although not required. Many of them speak very good English.
|
|
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach is beautiful with more chaise loungers then needed and several huts for shade. The water in the ocean was warmer than the pool the first few days. The bar staff at the beach is good and usually about three tenders. The poo, i big most kids stay in childrens pools, But my compliments to the parents who kept kids toned down when around anyway. One of my biggest fears is needing to put up with kids crying and screaming on my vacation. Not here.The grounds are kept meticulously clean, and groomed. We took sswiss army like knives fro some of the gardners and we might as well given them the world.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Tried to do snorkling on catamaran but was too windy first three days and they offered a trip to the Bay of Pigs to do it but we went to Havana and dind't want to spend two days on a bus as we both drive buses for a living. We drove rented scooters into Varadero one day broke down but the guy came to us with another as soon as bf showed up to get it. I must say I felt very safe waiting for him to return with all the police around it makes you feel safer than home. We took the double decker bus in to Varadero another day and took stuff to the church, ironically Father was from Moncton and asked about our sorry Mooseheads. We found the hotel daytime activities a little limited as far as entertainment was concerned. We like the idea of music around the pool all day it was there. They do have archery and pistal and rifle shooting all free, just a suggested tip he says. And music at the beach for some time. Nighttime entertainment in the main lobby was always well attended and appreciated.
Other Comments
We left a comment card filled out as left for us our final day and commented on the ouple of things (small) we thought could have been improved upon and in return got an e-mail from the manager a couple days later apologizing that our trip was not everything we expected and that they take these card sugegstions to heart to improve for future. If I went back to Varadero I would definitely go to this resort. I highly recommend it. We found the rooms. food, entertainment etc. to definitely be 4.5 stars. The place is ISO2001 accredited built in 2000. The small buildings for rooms are nice and can be close to the beach and pool but cannot be close to pool, beach and main buffet. It is a big property. Not advisable for people with walkers. Or I wouldn't want my mom going there for this reason. But having said that. The guys with glof carts did seem to be toting people around quite abit day and night, so maybe it just meant a phone call. Another suggestion would be to make sure you bathign suit and lotions are easily accessible to you while you may have to wait for your room. Makes life more pleasant that way.In a nutshell--go there it's beautiful
|
|
|
|
|
| Service was excellent |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
| User Rating:
|
|
Pauline from Ontario >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Jan 24 - Feb 7
On time
Rooms
big rooms very clean
Restaurants and Bars
good food, lots of restaurants. Lobby bar the best
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Nicest beach in Cuba
The grounds are fabulous, lots of gardeners
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Catamaran for the day, good lobster and shrimps, Santa Clara tour
Other Comments
This resort was super. Nice and big. Service was excellent. For those who want to relax. A little far to land. Enough to do on the resort. If anyone from Ontario going, it would be greatly appreciate to contact me. I would like to send baby stuff for cuban friends. pas_lynn@msn.com |
|
|
|
|
| Wow. You won't starve here. |
| Hotel Melia Las Dunas |
| User Rating:
|
|
Elizabeth from North Bay, ON >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: January 24 to February 8
Our arrival at the airport was uneventful. While waiting to board our bus to take us to our hotel we managed to buy a couple of cervesas for the 1 1/2 hr trip to the hotel. Because it was night we could not appreciate the scenery but the bus ride went by quite fast. Upon our arrival, the check in was surprisingly fast...less than 15 minutes to get all the information and baggage delivered to our rooms.
Rooms
The room was large and clean and was suitable for me and my sister with two separate twin beds.
Restaurants and Bars
Wow. You won't starve here. The Romantico was probably the best meal we had although I find all the hype to dine at the a la carte restaurants a little over-rated. The two buffet restaurants had everything you could imagine and sure to please any palate. The most common factor was that anytime a server took your order it took forever but once your order was placed the food came quick. The lobby bar is still my favourite place. All kinds of liquor, including my favourite, Disaronno.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Had a little bit of a problem getting chairs at both pools. One must have to get up at 5 to save a chair. No thanks, I can swim at a pool anyday so we opted for the beach which had pure white powdery sand, beautiful azure coloured ocean with crystal clear waters. Beach bars, snack bar, water sports including a free 1/2 hr catemeran ride. Just like in the brochure. My sister has been to Cuba five times now and thought this to be the most beautiful beach out of all the other areas in Cuba she visited. The grounds were lush with mature vegetation, and I never felt crowded as a result of the large resort.
|
|
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We signed up for the catemeran, the tour to Santa Clara and a deep sea fishing trip. The catemeran was awesome and had a great group of people on board. The captain and his grandson were great and the lobster lunch delivered to us was to die for. It was really good. Santa Clara tour was very informative and I now have a new appreciation for Cuba's politics and culture. I have come back and signed out some literature on Che and also signed up for Spanish lessons. I still have not come down from my high yet. Unfortunately our deep sea fishing was cancelled twice because of the rough seas and high winds. My sister and I wanted to do something nice for our Cuban hosts and opted to bring two locals with us as our treat. Unfortunately, Melia hotels do not allow staff to mingle with guests so that was unfortunate. It didn't work out anyways as a result of the cancellation.
Other Comments
The resort is secluded and staff are bused in every day for the 1 1/2 hour drive one way. They work very hard and are extremely pleasant. Please consider being nice to them and don't demand. I know as tourist we pay to visit these places but these people are very friendly and polite and work hard to work for peanuts. Also, don't tip them in Canadian coins. I must have lost over $30 in exchange because they would come to me to cash in their "tips". Overall, I have no complaints and highly recommend this resort to anyone. We did hear some complaints but I suppose you can't please everyone. I'm sure that even the 5 star hotel on the island had some guests complaining about something or other. My advice to those people...stay home! This resort had lush vegetation, clean rooms, beautiful beach to die for, excellent staff, beautiful lobby and lobby bar, good food (great at times), new friends, local and foreign, and I would give it a 10! |
|
|
|
|
| Food was great |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Wes from Calgary >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Rooms:
Rooms were very clean, a bit out dated and the beds were a little hard but I guess thats normal for Cuba, Very pleased with the cleanleness of the rooms. House keeping made the room up in diff. ways all week.
Restaurants and Bars:v
Food was great always a meal or snack at all times of day or night. Iam a very pickey eater and I had no prob. finding something I liked buffet was diff. every time/day
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was perfect,great snorkeling right of the beach, brought buns and bread from buffet to feed the fish they loved it they come right up to your hands to eat. spectacular sand and crystal clean waters....
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We went on the Holguin tour including tour of cigar factory mountain lunch and hour of free time in downtown Holguin. Very interesting and worth every penny, We also did the swimming with the dolphins now that is a must do... it also included a great peace of coral for an awesome snoreling adventure, very much worth the money.. |
|
|
|
|
| This was an incredible resort |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
|
|
Colin from Yorkton, Saskatchewan >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| There was a fairly good selection of excursions, but since we spent most days snorkelling, we did go on the catamaran. It was $120 CUC, but well worth it. Our guide was an older gentleman named Alfredo, and he was simply awesome. He would always go the extra mile to make you feel welcome and ensure that everyone on the boat was having a good time. It was a day long tour that took you to a dolphin swim site that I would say was much better than Dolphin Island in Punta Cana. You got more time with the dolphins, and you were able to interact with them more, and the dolphins themselves seemed very friendly. If you tip an employee there, they will take pics with your camera, and they did a great job. At the end of your swim, they will allow you to take a shot with one of the dolphins on the deck where the trainers are. A truly priceless photo if you love dolphins like I do. From there you go to another snorkelling site, which was also very good, but crowded. You'd see pretty much the same fish as you did back at the resort. To top off a very memorable day, you got a lobster dinner at a spot that overlooked the ocean. Before you boarded the bus, Alfredo took your order for dinner, and you had a choice between lobster & chicken. We also took a cab to the town of Guardalavaca which was about a 35km drive from the resort. There was a very nice beach, and the market there had a lot of unique Cuban souvenirs to choose from. The vendors there are not pushy at all, and unlike the Dominicans, they let you shop in peace and the prices were very reasonable. |
|
| Arrival: Jan 26 til Feb 2 |
| We booked through Sunwing. The flight there took just under 5 hours. You got free champagne and red wine with your meal. There was no hassles getting to your bus, but it took about 45 minutes from the Holguin Airport to where the Blau Costa Verde is. It's a good opportunity to view the Cuban countryside, and it's always very humbling when you see the locals homes & their way of life. There's also beer they sell you as you board the bus, but why pay for beer when you get it for free all week long at your resort :) Oh, and be prepared to tip the bus driver, take some loonies & toonies, I found this out the hard way as I had no choice but to tip $5. Our Sunwing rep was a lady named Miss Verne?? Bad with names, but she was very courteous, professional, and was always very open & honest in any question you would ask her. |
|
| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| If you compare this beach to Punta Cana's beaches, well to be honest, Punta Cana would get the edge. That's not to say this beach was terrible, but you do need aqua socks as the sands are mixed with crushed coral and there are a lot of rocks & pieces of coral that wash up on shore. You can take a paddleboat at your own leisure, or go sailing with a guide. However, since my wife & I are hard core snorkelers, this was a definite paradise!! The reef was conveniently located right there at the beach, and all you had to do was strap on your snorkeling gear and climb in through a ladder and away you go. You will see a lot of incredible fish such as different colored tangs, parrotfish, snappers, those yellow & black striped ones that I call "bee fish" there were even squids & angelfish on the shallower areas, but don't go too far by the point as there's a lot of black spiny sea urchins. We did see a few lionfish, and as cool as they are, use your common sense and do not approach them as they are poisonous if you get stung. There was even a small yellow stingray. I would say if you are a beach bum, this beach is OK, but if you're a snorkeller, this is perhaps one of the best spots in the entire Caribbean. The best part is, you don't have to pay big bucks to go out to an overcrowded coral reef. You can come & go as you please and stay as long as you want... I certainly did for 4 hours til my legs cramped up. I can honestly say that this snorkelling site alone was better than any I've seen in Cozumel, or the Dominican Republic. We would come back to this hotel just for the snorkelling experience. Every day I would take some bananas & bread (stuff it in a water bottle) and feed the fish... when they see you have food, I guarantee they will follow you all over the place :) The pool was nice & relaxing, never overcrowded, and as mentioned earlier, the pool bartender was great... always service with a smile. |
|
| Other Comments |
| Overall, this was an incredible resort, a very memorable experience for our first time to Cuba. Some people have said the food was terrible in past reviews, but not here, the food was excellent no matter which place you ate at. Some whine about rooms, well if you're going to base your vacation on your room alone, then stay home!! I can't say enough about the snorkelling though, it was far better than what I expected. My wife & I would definitely come back to this place. |
|
| Restaurants and Bars |
| The main restaurant was awesome. Food was excellent, and every day they would have different themes such as Mexican, or oriental, or Cuban. I also loved the pizzeria as well, it was an excellent alternative if you would rather eat lighter. Never tried the a la cartes, my wife & I aren't really into that fancy dining stuff. The main bar was great as well, and the night chef made the best burgers at the main bar and they were ready almost in the blink of an eye. The beach restaurant is also a good alternative to lighter meals. It's the perfect place to go if you're hanging at the beach and want a quick bite. The beach bar could use some improvement though, it wasn't terrible, the bartenders were friendly, but it just needs character. The best bartender was the one at the beach bar. At first if there's only a handful by the beach bar, there's no bartender, but when they see there's enough people there, they'll meet & exceed your expectations. The lounge bar was excellent as well, on most nights a group of us would hang out there, and this older lady in her late 30's early 40's (sorry I am bad with names) would wait on you hand & foot. |
|
| Rooms |
| Our room was great, we loved how it was painted in different shades of blue. We had an awesome chamber maid, keep tipping her and she'll go the extra mile. It was always nice & clean, and well kept. Only downside was the beds were a bit hard. It was also nice to have our fridge stocked up with beer & soft drinks & a big bottle of water. The 26 of Cubay rum as a welcoming gift was the best of all!! But that's exclusively through Sunwing. |
|
|
|
|
| We were treated like royalty |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
Rob from Calgary >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: January 9-16 2009
We landed and went through customs. It was scary because it was different but it turned out not so bad. I was questioned about my lost passport stamp that was on my replacement passport but that was about it. We boarded our bus and were off. The bus ride made a lot of people sick including us so my frame of mind was not all there when we arrived at the resort. I then left my carryon bag in the bus and it was lost for a day. It came back the next day, unopened and with a smiling person in tow as they delivered it to me.
Rooms:
Rooms where clean, air conditioned and large. There were PLENTY of towels and hand towels to use. They included everything from a oral cleaning kit (toothbrush and paste with floss) to body wash and even bubble bath. The fridge was stocked every day with 2 beers, 2 cokes and a big bottle of water. Robes where included as well so we can lounge on the balcony and drink coffee or whatever we had on hand. We had separate, pushed together beds though and would have liked one large bed. The Cleaning staff where wonderful and the stay there was without any negative moments.
Restaurants and Bars:
Food at the buffet was called an elegant cafeteria cuisine. I found it delightful because it was fresh and prepared well. Stay away from processed food like chicken puffs and cannelloni; they did not fit our palette at all. For breakfast, have bacon and eggs and for supper have pasta, I discovered it the last day was disappointed I did not get more. The Restaurants where okay, booking was a pain. I preferred the buffet because of the greater choice. People where known to be disappointed with the restaurants. The coffee at the coffee bar was great too. All you can eat icecream, and the beer garden provide those in between meal snacks. Enjoy yourself there though; the food is different but good. Keep an open mind, food handling practices are different than the 1st world country rules but they don't do anything to make you sick.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Clean and wonderful.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There are lots of activities to do. We did an island excursion (recommend this), a trip to Holguin to visit the city hall and meet the mayor then to a brewery to drink Buccaneero and eat, and we did a trip to Holguin to a cabaret show. All of which were wonderful things. Go there and open your mind to having a great time. Jump in and join something. Read the board posted at the front for all the fun times to be had.
Other Comments:
I loved this place. We were treated like royalty and will go back in a heartbeat. Anyone who complains about this place really has not immersed themselves in the culture and the life. Make friends there and just cut loose. Leave the blackberry/laptop at home. |
|
|
|
|
| We love to go to Playa Pesquero in Cuba |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
| User Rating:
|
|
Beverly from Beamsville, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival:
January 25 to February 1
This was the third time we came back to this resort (fourth time to Cuba). We found this resort to be an excellent place for our vacation. We love to visit Cuba.
Rooms:
The rooms are spacious and clean with a balcony to sit on. We stayed on the second floor because you had a good view of everything around.
Restaurants and Bars:
Cuban food is different than Canadian but the buffet restaurants and snack bars were fine. The a-la-carte restaurants were excellent. You order from the menu and we had fine dining. We went to 4 a-la-carte restaurants over the week.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach has white sand and clear blue ocean with lots of lounge chairs for everyone. It is well-kept. The pool is enormous. It isn't deep enough for diving but is a great place to cool off. You can sit at the swim up bar, which is a lot of fun. The grounds at Playa Pesquero are very clean, you always see someone going around and cleaning up. The people have worked hard, and are still working hard to clean up and repair from Hurricane Ike. There are always people caring for the gardens and shrubs.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There are many activities on the resort. If you have kids there are lots for them to do. I don't have young kids so I didn't look into that. I quite enjoyed the pool side Salsa lessons. There are lots of sports going on, in or out of the pool. Every night I enjoyed the live entertainment on stage. A couple of nights a week there was audience participation, which was a lot of fun (I joined in). The entertainment staff works hard (as all Cuban people do) to make the guests happy and entertained.
At night you could go dancing in the disco or just hang out with all your new friends in the Lobby Bar.
We took a horse and buggy to visit some people off the resort, as we did last year. We packed extra in our suitcases to bring to local people. They couldn't speak English but our buggy driver helped them out when needed. Just the appreciated look in their eyes that you came back and brought something that they could use was worth more than we could say. We were welcomed in their homes just as we were old friends. They remembered us from last year. They showed us the devestation that Hurricane Ike had left. Our one friend had lost not only her roof but her bedroom as well. With all that they are still smiling. They will rebuild.
We will be back to Playa Pesquero, Holguin, Cuba again some day.
See you there. |
|
| Other Comments |
We love to go to Playa Pesquero in Cuba. Some people complain about the size of the resort and you have to do some walking, no big deal. If you can't walk very far there are golf carts to give you a ride. What else do you have to do other than walk a bit (good exercise).
After going there 3 times you meet people that work there and they become your friends. After all the thousands of people that they meet, they still recognize your face. The Cuban people are hard workers and they do it with a smile on their face. They make you feel very welcome in Cuba.
|
|
|
|
|
| It felt like a big family |
| Hotel Islazul Don Lino |
| User Rating:
|
|
Jacqueline from Vancouver Island >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: January 9 - 15
Was wonderful, the bar only stays open until 10 and we arrived after midnight looking forward to relaxing with a beer and we were also hungry. The staff greeted us with open arms with a rum drink in hand then they are some guests sat and chatted with us and gave us some Cervasa and we had nice little snacks waiting for us in our room. I felt so welcome.
Rooms:
2 nice big rooms with a king bed in one and chairs and coffee table in another, certainly not a Radisson but quaint,clean, comfortable and cozy.
Restaurants and Bars:
The restaurant opens from 7:30 to 9:30 for breakfast, but you can get coffee earlier. Lunch 12:30- 2:30, Dinner 6:30 to 8:3o.. if you miss any of the meal times they have a snack bar that will give you sandwiches and fries They have a grill and will cook to order. I found the food very good, different than what we are used to, but very pallitable. The bread is fantastic. All the food is locally grown and organic.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
We went after the devistation of Ike so some cleanup was still needed. It had two common Bar areas one open with a thatched roof by the bar and pool, the other one was by reception and it also had a bar. The pool is a nice one but small, but there were only about 60 - 70 guests.. depending on the day, as some were coming and going all the time.. never had a problem getting a lounge on the beach or pool. The beach was white sand but windy.. but 10 minute walk away is another beautiful beach.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Thurs to Sunday they had a little band that played and we danced the salsa, we could participate in Salsa lessons and spanish lessons, horseback riding, beach volley ball. The bikes were distroyed so there were no bikes available and you had to go into Quartalvarca to get a skooter. The activities director hired a cab for 8 of us and took us to places that the Tour buses would not.. it was great, fun and informative. We also took a sun wing side trip to Sandiego for the day.
Other Comments:
I have never been to an all inclusive and from what I hear from people that have, say this is the most fun they have had, it was a tight knit little group of guests small # not a huge resort with thousands. so things were limited but we loved it and will definately go back, already planning for next year.. The Cuban People are incredible. Well educated, friendly. It felt like a big family. If a person likes the big hotels with 24 hour service, a disco and nightclub, then this is not what you want. I felt I was in Cuba not a resort. |
|
|
|
|
| Very roomy with King size beds |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Hicacos |
| User Rating:
|
|
Rob >
1 contribution(s) |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Jan 28th to Feb 4th
Air transat from Toronto was an excellent flight. We paid $35 extra to sit in Row 14 (extra leg room) Was well worth it. We got on our bus as soon as we arrived and were at The Sandals within 30 minutes. Check in was nice and fast. We were checked in to our room and at the bar within minutes.
Rooms:
The rooms were excellent. Very roomy with King size beds. The cleaning staff did a great job....seemed a little nicer when you left 5 pesos each day...The bath tub in huge......bring bubble bath and candals...
Restaurants and Bars:
The food was very good. We have always stayed at 4 star resorts...and everyone in our group noticed the great improvement in the food compared to other resorts. The al a carts were absoutely perfect.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was very nice and clean. The staff working around the beach was always there and very helpful. The pools were nice and clean. Look for Rangle around the pool bar, and ask him how to drink the fountain of youth.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The only tour we went on was to Havana. It was very good and informative. But I wouldn't recomend it. There was alot of wasted time and not enough free time when you get to Havana. I would suggest if you have 4 or 6 people to find an english speaking cab driver and try it like that. I heard after we went that you can find someone to take you for a full tour of Havana for $40 each as we paid $67 for the bus tour.....The city is well worth the visit.
Other Comments:
Although the first half of our week vacation...the weather was perfect, the last few days were cold rainy and windy.....The staff always made the best of it...worked hard and made us all feel great. We travelled in a group of 8......everyone one of us said in a heartbeat we would go back to the Sandals resort in Veradero. |
|
|
|
|
| The buffet had a wide variety of selections |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Barb from Ontario >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: January 1-8, 2009
We flew through Sunwing. Flight was delayed one half hour. Very good service on flight. We had champagne, wine with the meal, a movie (not very good). We were 2 adults and 2 adult children (22 and 25) We were celebrating my son turning 25 and me turning 50. They brought my son and I each champagne and a birthday card to our room. We booked the Cuban restaurant to celebrate and they brought a cake to our table with Happy Birthday and our names on it. The staff were quite attentive and eager to please.
Rooms:
I booked directly through Sunwing and requested the Villas and not a hotel room as I learned from reviews that the hotel rooms were dated and needed repair. They were right. However, when we checked into our hotel we were told that Sunwing does not have access to the Villas, only certain tour companies. All Sunwing guests are put in the hotel. This was very disappointing as I was told on three different occasions by a Sunwing rep that I would get a villa room. They did not inform me that they would not be able to honour my request. So all those booking through Sunwing, you will not by able to stay in the villas. The staff at the desk were very helpful though and apologetic, even though it was not their fault. We did get connecting rooms as requested.
Restaurants and Bars:
There are three restaurants, the Italian and Japanese were very good, and the Cuban was so-so. The buffet had a wide variety of selections. You will not go hungry, there is something for everyone. The breakfast buffet was excellent, we had omelettes made to order every day. The lunch buffet at the beach was also excellent. Pizza was very good and they also had fries and ice cream. I do not drink, but hubby and our two adult children enjoyed all bars.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was unbelievable. Very blue, clean water. It wasn't very wavy the week we were there, which I think is unusual. Plenty of palapas for everyone as well as beach chairs. Beach chairs were cloth and very comfortable. I noticed the hotel a few doors down had the hard plastic. I can't imagine laying on that every day. Water seemed cooler than Mexico or Dominican, but it could be the time of year. It was refreshing though, as it was in the 80'sF and sunny all week. We did not use the pool. We were told it was quite cold. There was plenty of children playing in it though. Later in the afternoon most of the activities were around the pool.
|
|
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We used the kayaks and caterman. A guide goes out with you on the caterman, so no need to worry about operating it. These activities were free, as well as the snorkel gear. We took the banana boat ride (5 people at a time) It comes by a couple times a day, most days. The cost was 5 pesos each. The evening shows were very entertaining. I thought they were very professional. I especially enjoyed the water ballet. Never seen that at any resorts I've stayed at. We went on the jeep safari. My 22 and 25 year old enjoyed it a lot. On the tour you stop at a farm, a cave for a fresh water swim, we snorkelled, had lunch at a ranch and went horseback riding and also did a boat cruise along a river. Well worth the 71 pesos. Big bang for your buck. We left a 8:30am and arrived back at our hotel at 7pm. The kids did the speed boat (45 pesos). It leaves every hour and you get picked up at the hotel. You stop at a zoo for about 10-15 min., which they said was nothing much to see. The whole tour from pick up to drop off at the hotel is about 3 hours. It was fun, but kind of a lot of money for 1.5 hours on the water.
Other Comments:
This was our firt time in Cuba and we would go back. We liked the hotel and it met all our expectations, except the fact we couldn't get the villas. I would go back to this hotel but my husband likes to try different ones. I must point out that the hotel was mostly Canadians and 80-90% french Canadians the week we were there and were told this is quite the norm for this hotel. There was not much english being spoken. There was a large group of young people in their 20's (about 50 in all) from Quebec. My 22 and 25 year old were quite pleased about that. About half spoke at least some english so my kids fit right in and had lots of fun with them all week. It was one of the best family vacations we had and we were sad to see it end. |
|
|
|
|
| The grounds very very lovely |
| Hotel Tryp Península |
| User Rating:
|
|
Tara from Saskatoon >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Jan 2 - 9
WestJet flights, doesn't get any better than that! On time, excellant service.
Rooms:
We requested a high floor room near the beach and that is exactly what we received, clean, & comfortable. My only complaint was a toilet that constantly ran, but we never asked to have it fixed and just got used to it. Left peso tips for the maid and and she always left more beer & water in our fridge.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet restaurant was good, always found something to eat. Learned to have the meat & eggs cooked longer at the made to order grills. Bread is awesome! Delicious icecream every night. Fruit was a bit scarce. Tried two a la carte restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed the food & the experience. You must book the a la cartes early, very limited availability.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The grounds very very lovely, never did swim at the pool, we enjoyed the beach much more. Didn't seem to be must shade at the pool and alway found shade at the beach. Plenty of beach loungers available, staff would position it wherever you wanted. Beach bar nearby for drinks. Only a couple of vendors on the beach and they let you come to them, they don't bother you.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We did the day trip to Havana, which was a great experience, however I don't think I would do it again if I returned to Cuba. Also did the jeep adventure tour and had a great time, you have your own 4-man jeep to drive on some pretty rough roads through the countryside near Varadero. I wish I had been better prepared with treats and toys for the many kids that rush out to meet the jeeps as they drive by! Evenings at the hotel were quiet, the show wasn't until 10pm and was usually mediocre. Wished I had taken a deck of cards along.
Other Comments:
This was my first trip to Cuba and I would definately return. I felt completely safe, the people are wonderful, and the beaches are beautiful. My only caution is to watch the money exchange, make sure you receive the correct amounts. At the Tryp the woman working at the exchange was the same person every day and she liked to skim a bit off for herself. It became quite the topic of conversation in the lineup, and everyone got a good laugh! Also very expensive to call home, 2.10 pesos per minute, we were charged double, although I believe it was an honest mistake. I would recommend this resort, it was a solid 4*. |
|
|
|
|
| Pina Colada was my favourite |
| Hotel GC Villa Trópico (Cameleon Villa Jibacoa) |
| User Rating:
|
|
Terrie from Whitby, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Jan. 28 - Feb. 4
Very informative briefing on the way to the resort. Once arrived check in was very quick. Arrived at night so it was very dark. When we woke up in the morning it was like we were in paradise!
Rooms:
Bungalo was very clean. Television in the room with several stations including HBO. No canadian stations. Maid would do towele art every day.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet meals, with lots of variety. Buns are excellent. Drinks are very good, several to choose from. Pina Colada was my favourite. My friend loved the spanish coffee. People enjoyed watching the bartender make the spanish coffees
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
2 pools, beaches are long better than the Breezes Resort next door. Always cleaned in the morning. Grounds are kept very neat and tidy.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Went on the paddle boats. Lots of people enjoy the snorkling. We took a guided tour to Havana, very informative guide.
Nightly entertainment was good. My favourite was the comedy night.
Other Comments:
Overall our trip was very good. This resort gets a 10 from me and plan to return. Very disppointed with Air Transat, meal was horrible both ways, also they tampered with my luggage in Cuba upon arrival back in Toronto. I recommend choosing another airline for your trip. If you require more info please feel free to contact me.
terrieberrie@hotmail.com |
|
|
|
|
| First class facility, great staff |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Lorne from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
|
|
Arrival: January 2009
Check in was simple and efficient. Even though we arrived at 12:30 pm our rooms were ready and a bellman took our bags to our room aand gave us the customary tour of the facilities.
Rooms:
Bright, airy, well stocked. Booked an ocean view room and the view was spectacular.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet was great by Cuban standards. Breakfasts were awesome (great bacon and baked goods). Ate most lunches at the beach bar (great burgers) although pasta bar at the buffet was a nice change. Dinners varied from night to night. The line-ups on seafood night reminded me of Boxing Day at Best Buy....but it was worth it. Always found something to eat.
Martino's is as good as any Italian restaurant in Toronto. Saved it for our last night....a nice way to finish the vacation.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Had only 3 red flag days (jellyfish galore), green the rest of the week. Beach is nice, with lots of shade. Water is crystal clear.
Spent one day at the pool for a change of pace (and a little less sand). Never busy, also lots of shade if you want.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Didn't make any of the shows. My wife did Aquafit and stretching classes a couple of times and really enjoyed them.
The hike up the hill is a must (but be prepared...the first part is a tough climb.
Did the Veradero Colonial Tour (very interesting) and the Jeep Safari (what a hoot). When we go back, want to spend a night in Old Havana....looks fascinating and really didn't/t haave enough time there.
Other Comments:
I now understand why there are so many repeat visitors to this resort. First class facility, great staff. We will definitely be back.
The only sour note was the abundance of smokers at the Veradero airport (despite the no smoking signs). These inconsiderate folks ruin it for everyone else. |
|
|
|
|
| Small resort, beautiful. I love it! |
| Hotel Brisas Sierra Mar & Los Galeones |
| User Rating:
|
|
Neil from Mid Western Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2008
|
|
Arrival: Dec 11 - 18, 2008
Flew Sunwing. Left 30 minutes late. Stopover in Manzanillo de Cuba for about 30 minutes. Arrived at SCU airport. Lots of immigration booths open. Luggage was already out by the time I got through immigration. Someone had written a couple of number on my luggage with a laundry marker, so I though I was going to be targeted for an inspection, but not the case.
Bus to resort left 1 hour after plane touched down. Warning, if you have a queasy stomach, take a gravol or two and don;t sit at the back of the bus. Bus ride was 2 hours, some of which was on newly black-topped asphalt, but most of which was on the same bumpy road.
Staff greeted us warmly with a cold punch drink.
Check in was quick. New for me was the bracelet. Last time down 4 yrs ago we didn't have to wear a bracelet. Also, we were charged 2 CUC/day for the room safe, which I think is new. Luggage was quickly ported to room.
Rooms:
King size bed. Standard sized room. There is a suite avialable at a cost of 20CUC/ day additional. Bathroom had shower only. Bath gel, shampoo and moisturizer provided and restocked throughout the week. Very clean. Maids left the ususal towel art daily.
Breathtaking view from balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea and Sierra Maestre mountains. Two comfortable recliner chairs and table on the balcony.
32 rooms in total at Los Galeones.
Restaurants and Bars:
Main restaurant is a la carte for all meals and opens at 7AM. At breakfast there is a selection of juices (not fresh to my disappointment) and sliced fruits, cereals and bread. Waitress will take your order for eggs any style. Great crispy bacon by the way. The adjacent bar is only a few steps from the restaurant and espresso, cafe con leche or cappuccino etc always good and available. There are tables outside the restaurant and it is nice to sit there early in the morning right beside the pool and enjoy a quiet java or two.
Main restaurant serves lunch at 12:30 - 2:30 and supper from 6 - 8:30. Each meal as I said earlier is a la carte. Always several choices of entrees from the kitchen. Chichen, beef, and pork as well as potatos, rice, fresh cooked veggies, and garden or Greek salads. Deserts usually included a variety of cakes and always included ice cream...mango my favorite.
I'd have to rate the food the best tasting and presented of any resort I have been to in Cuba. I must qualify that by saying that I have never been to a 5* resort.
Repeaters seafood dinner served. Entertainment every night. Truthfully, I've heard better singers. Instrumentally they were superb however.
|
|
The beach bar/restaurant is at the bottom of the dreaded steps. Most beverages avaialble including mojitos (all the time, never ran out of mint). There was always a BBQ lunch which included salad, grilled potatoes usually with garlic butter, chicken legs, melt in your mouth pork ribs and often fresh fish. The lifeguard would go out in the morning and spear a few fish and presto...fresh fish for the BBQ. There is a small seating area in front of the bar.
Washrooms were clean, but take a roll of TP down to the beach with you. Might want to take hand sanitizer too as no soap in the washrooms.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
When you go to the beach, because of the 296 stairs down and up, you only want to do it once per day, so I'd advise taking a back pack or similar luggage with you. Take everything you will need for the day..books, TB, medicines, sunscreen, etc.
Beach is smallish, but appropriate in size for the number of guests. Lots of sun beds, of the hard plastic variety. Lots of natural shade under the trees lining the beach. View of Caribbean and mountains very surreal.
Absolutely no Cubans on the beach except for staff. They often visit with their familes on their days off.
One pool, small but deep, circular in shape, located just steps from the main restaurant. Pool is surrounded on three other sides by guest rooms (which are townhouse style buildings). Hot tub overlooks mountains and Town of Chivirico and a small port. Never busy.
Grounds well kept.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Sunwing rep arrived in afternoon on second day. Many trips available but I wasn't up to doing anything but lie on the beach. You could go to Santiago for 1/2 day or full day or for baseball game.
Shuttle avaialble to Sierra Mar in morning, after lunch and in evening (if you wanted to see the show there).
Other Comments:
Virtually everyone who visits Los Galeones is a repeat visiter. Average age is definitely 50+.
Staff will remeber you. For example, I hadn't been there in 4 years, yet the head chef remembered that I had given his daughters a gift of green T-shirts a while back. He didn't remember how long it was, but he approached me to ask if I was the one who had done so.
On departure day, we had to leave the resort at 7AM. This wonderful resort opens their kitchen at 6AM so you can have a full breakfast before you leave.
A desireable feature of Los Galeones is the proximity to the town of Chivirico which is located at the bottom of the hill. Not much to do there for tourists, but there is a party on Saturday evenings.
I ventured into Chivirico to look for peso cigars and did locate an outlet. Beware though, once word gets out that a tourist is looking for cigars, everyone becomes your fren and knows someone etc. etc.
Unusual thing though is the absolute absence of matches or lighters. I couldn't find them anywhere in Chivirico. Other tourists at LG said the same. Even the store that sold cigarettes did not have any matches or lighters to sell.
Overall, I would rate Los Galeones the ultimate for those who want to do nothing and not be bothered by anyone. Good food, good booze (International brands like Disaronno, Martini & Rossi, Kahlua, imported Scotch, and others), good conversation with new friends. Small resort, beautiful. I love it!....I know I have broken the code of silence but I couldn't help myself....but BEWARE OF THE STAIRS. |
|
|
|
|
| Went on the Havana day tour |
| Hotel Breezes Jibacoa |
| User Rating:
|
|
Patti >
1 contribution(s) |
| Dec, 2008
|
|
Arrival: Dec - 08
Arrived by Sky service on Dec 13/08 Uneventful flight, on time.
Rooms:
Great large rooms, with everything you will need. Maids were great.
Restaurants and Bars:
Martino's restaurant was great didn't do the Cuban, Buffet, food quality and taste was good but the food was luke warm at best. This is my fourth time at this resort and never had this problem. Bars were great all of them.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
I don't do pools, but it was very clean, beach was fantastic expect red flag was up 4 out of 7 days.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Went on the Havana day tour, been on it before but traveling with people that had not been. Tour guide was good, and the restaurant we had lunch at was exceptional.
Other Comments:
As I said been in this resort 4 times, and was disappointed with the food being cold. This resort gives you a free holiday after your fifth time, but I will make sure that they get their hot plates upgraded or fixed before I would go again.
|
|
|
|
|
| DONT GO TO THAT HOTEL. |
| Hotel Hotetur Palma Real |
| User Rating:
|
|
teresa >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Dec, 2007
|
|
Arrival: Christmas 2007
we stade at the palma real over christmas & new year 2007 do not go to that hotel in 2007 the rep told us it was to be puld dowe in 2005 . it is alive with things that BITE YOU all of the time no one customer was happy in that hotel DONT GO TO THAT HOTEL
Rooms dirty
Restaurants and Bars
food bad
Beach/Pools/Grounds
ok
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
not
trishkelly@hotmail.com |
|
|
|
|
| It felt cosy and personal |
| Hotel Blau Colonial Cayo Coco |
| User Rating:
|
|
CatherineHuguesQuébec >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
|
|
| We were at the Blau Colonial Cayo Coco from dec. 10 to the 17 2006. Booked via our travel agent for a super saver room: one week for 815$ each, all taxes included. I used to think that the tour operator or the air carrier did not matter much… that they were just accessory to get you there. After flying with Sunwing, we got spoiled and I now realise that when it’s done well, it does matter. From now on, if the price difference is not that big, I would pay a bit more to fly Sunwing… their service was just outstanding! We were offered a warm face cloth to refresh ourselves, drinks were easily offered, food was a warm plate (2 choices, cannot remember what were the options, but both turned out good)… we were even given a complementary glass of champagne to start off our holyday (not on the way back to ease the pain of leaving however ;) ). There was also a bit more leg room, free headphones and a movie with choice of language … worth mentioning as that option was not available on a more recent fly with Cubana (there were no headphones available on the way back and on the way there, the movie was available only in Spanish or English… not much fun for the French speaking kids). Landing in Cayo Coco is a blessing, small airport, one plane at the time, not much waiting around and a very short bus ride to the hotel.
|
|
| Excursions |
| There are many excursions offered by the tour operators (jeep safari, 69 CUC; Moron spectacular, 75 CUC; Moron colourful, 65 CUC; Havana by plane, 195 CUC; Trinidad, 70 CUC; swim with the dolphins in Cienfuegos, 169 CUC; catamaran full day, 72 CUC; deep sea fishing, 250 CUC; jungle boat tour, 39 CUC) and others offered by Cubanacan (Ciego spectacular, 75 CUC; ½ day in Moron, 30 CUC; other catamaran + Pilar beach, 49 CUC; Baga nature Park, 25 CUC). We choosed to hire a cab to visit Moron on our own terms and did not regret it for one centavo (cost for the cab was 75 CUC split 3 ways + we offered him his lunch). We had the chance to go by a Dutch style village, 2 lakes, one crocodile farm, one sugar mill turned museum and the Moron train station that is spectacular… a trip back in time. We also ate in a restaurant in town that was really nice. The visit of the Baga nature park was also very interesting… and cheap! We ended up with a guide just for the two of us, saw a reconstruction of a farmer’s house, some traditional dancing, natives rituals, crocodiles, lizards, some kind of Cuban beaver, sea turtles (we got to feed them), and more! This tour not being advertised, the visit was very private. We also rented scooters for an afternoon and explored a bit of the surroundings. We went by a cave and ended up on the Flamenco beach which was a nice spot to just relax and enjoy a beer before we returned (20 CUC for 3 hours). We were too tired to make it to the shows but were told we did not miss much. We also have no idea what the disco is like… besides being roomy! We would return to this resort.
|
|
| Food |
| The food at this resort was more than adequate. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, pasta… always something to choose from. For those of you that are not big fish eater, be aware that the fish at the grill might be served with its head and tail still there. Doesn’t change the taste really but does come as a surprise. There were bananas flambées every night as well as fresh doughnuts made on the spot right outside in a stand by the buffet. Let’s just say this is not the hotel where we lost weight! We really enjoyed both the Cuban and the Italian à la carte… we skipped on the Sea food one as it is by the water and I was itching enough as it was!
|
|
| Scuba diving & snorkeling |
Scuba diving is provided by the Tryp resort next door…so they have you walk there by the beach… nice once you gear is already there… a bit tedious the first and last time. Due to the windy conditions the visibility was not the best. As for the equipment and dives instructor, it was decent. You always have to trust yourself first (I did see them offer beer during one surface interval, and one of the dive master bragged about going far beyond sporting limits…) but if you are responsible enough for yourself, they will provide you with a nice diving experience although not out of the ordinary.
There is not much snorkelling… Yes, if you go out, you will find living creatures but there are no reef to speak of in a swimming distance. |
|
| The resort |
The Blau Colonial was the first to be built on Cayo Coco in 1993, 13 years is quite old in the tropics… so there are sign of used. On the other hand, the vegetation is at full maturity. This complex is advertised as offering 458 rooms. Now I don’t know if that’s including all of the rooms or if it is just the ones available at this time. If you go exploring a bit, you will notice that basically half of the resort is fenced off for renovations. That does not affect at all the other side of the resort… the biggest inconvenient (if you want to call it that) is that there is no swim-up bar (it would be in the closed section) and the Cuban à la carte is relocated in the grill… If you look in the Caribesol / Holasun brochure, you will see a picture of the pool made to look like a stream by some of the rooms… don’t expect that … it’s now a work in progress! Our room was in the furthest building (#18) which suited us just fine. Very spacious, in the bathroom there is a divider so that one could be taking a bath / shower or using the toilet while the other was using the sink. Another nice touch was the mirrored door of the closet in the bathroom that could be turned to give you a back view of yourself when getting ready. Our room had to ¾ beds (a bit bigger than a twin but a bit smaller than a double). Having a Supersaver deal, we could not be switched to a room with a double bed. That room had not been renovated (some were in this section) so our bathtub was a bit chipped and the air conditioning was a bit noisy. Other than that, we could not have told. We had completed privacy, never heard the neighbours. The balcony was large enough and wrapped around the corner. We also had a nice ocean view.
The layout of the resort is its biggest assets in our eyes, it felt cosy and personal. It has the feeling of a small village with curvy streets, buildings with wooden staircases and balconies, different decorative touches on each building… very Spanish style. |
|
| Weather |
| The weather was very surprising. Upon our arrival there was a lot of wind… strong enough to slam doors! That translated in tremendous waves! We had a blast with that for the first tree days. There were no jelly fish to speak of this year (last year you could not count them as soon as you stepped in the water because they were too numerous). So we made the best of it and took that opportunity to open up all the windows in our room, go visit a national park right on Cayo Coco and took a cab to visit Moron… Opening up all the windows was a big mistake! Doing so, we allowed very small bugs to join us and I was eaten alive! Apparently, it is a small spider that we did not even see… but I can tell you they sure bit and are not repulsed by DEET (I was wearing the Watkins cream). These spiders are also at home in the parks as well as by the beach.
|
|
|
|
|
| On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by the dancers |
| Hotel Melia Cayo Coco |
| User Rating:
|
|
Emma 31 & 32 from Manchester, UK >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Oct, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
|
|
| Well, we have just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at Melia Cayo Coco. Here is the review of our holiday, I hope it doesn’t get too long.
|
|
| Animation team |
| Now then, the Animation team. FABULOUS! We had such fun with them all, they are so talented and are great fun. We enjoyed the Archery, Volleyball, Dancing Lessons etc. The shows performed by the dancers were really good, they are the best dancers I’ve seen anywhere. They put so much time and effort into the performances. We had a great evening at the beach party, where they tried to teach my husband & I to dance, bless them they have so much patience, we’ve both got two left feet. But we had a great night, joining in the games. This team are a credit to the Hotel, and we came away feeling like had made friends for life with many of them. They came see to see us off when it was time to go home, and they genuinely wanted us to come back again. Thanks guys! |
|
| Bars |
| We had exceptional service at all the bars at the Hotel. But we spent a lot of time in the billiard bar. Hello to Orlando, the best cocktail maker. Lots of drinks to choose from. The wine was nice, as was the champagne, and Orlando made us different cocktails all the time. He is a lovely man, so pleasant and really takes pride in his job. There were some international brands included, but you had to pay extra for the likes of Jack Daniels etc. |
|
| Beach |
| This is were we spent most of our time… The beach is quite narrow, but beautifully clean. The staff are out there every morning collecting any seaweed etc.. and they get the sunloungers out for you and clean them up. There are plenty of palapas, and we never had a problem finding shade. The sea was gorgeous… crystal clear in the first week and it was so warm it was like getting into a bath. There are lots of fish to see just 1metre from the shore, and they often ate bananas straight from our hand. There is a beach bar and a diving centre with watersports equipment all included of course. There are showers located on the edge of the beach for cleaning off sand etc. There was a nice breeze at the beach which was definitely needed as the temp in the first week was 35 degrees. The gardeners would bring coconuts down to the beach and serve them with a bit of rum (of course), they didn’t expect a tip for this but we did always give them a couple of pesos. |
|
| Check in |
| On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by the dancers and a glass of champagne, along with a cool flannel to freshen up. Check in was painless and prompt. The reception area is lovely and very well kept. Our first impression of the hotel was very good. |
|
| Excursions |
Speedboats –Via Thomas Cook Fabulous trip, only half a day. Situated just at the edge of Guillermo, we boarded the boats and went for a leisurely ride through the mangroves and then onto the location of the snorkelling. Here we saw many species of tropical fish, and spent about ½ hour feeding them. Then on the way back we let the boys drive, and thing got a little more speedy. Great Fun and good value for money. Just don’t drink too much the night before!!!
Pilar Beach – (On our own) We caught the local bus to Cayo Guillermo (5 pesos each return) and spent the morning at Melia Cayo Guillermo. We also popped up the beach to look at the Sol and then went back to MCG to have lunch in the beach grill. We had a lovely meal overlooking the beach. We then went back to reception and asked for a taxi to Pilar Beach (again 5 pesos each return). The driver took us the 10 minute ride to Pilar Beach and agreed a time to collect us. We walked over the sand dunes and through the little bar onto the breathtaking beach. WOW, what a gorgeous place this is. We went 100yards to the right and the beach was deserted apart from us. It was so idyllic, we spent a couple of hours on the beach and swimming in the crystal clear sea. The beach is true powder white sand, just like a picture postcard, unspoilt perfection. We had a drink in the bar before returning to meet the taxi who was already waiting for us 5 mins early.
So we then just spent ½ hour in the pool at MCG until the last bus arrived to take us back to Cayo Coco. It was a perfect day for very little cost. The Catamaran trip goes to Pilar Beach, but costs 89 pesos, and since my husband gets seasick doing it this way was ideal for us.
Dolphin Deluxe – We were picked up at 7.40am by great air conditioned coach. We travelled across the Causeway to Moron/Ciego De Avila where we stopped for breakfast (included). Then we travelled across country to Sancti Spiritus (hope that is spelt right) where we got 15 mins to have a look around the town and see the Colonial Buildings in the square, and have a quick look on the market. Then we went onto Trinidad, where we stopped to look at a local pottery then onto a restaurant for lunch (included). After this we travelled about 1 hour to Cienfuego where we went for a sail around the bay before going to the Hotel for the night. The Hotel is a 3 star, not the luxury of the Melia but clean and comfortable for one night.
The next day we were up for 7am to have breakfast and get to the Dolphinarium which is literally next door. Swimming with the Dolphins was an amazing experience that we will never forget. It made the long journey worthwhile. They are such gentle, intelligent creatures that clearly love the attention. We have some excellent pictures of us with the Dolphins, and they also did a show with 2 of them aswell as two sealions. It was very entertaining and we had a great time.
After a short return to the Hotel for lunch and shower, we were back on the coach to visit the Ernesto Che Guevara memorial and Musuem in Santa Clara. This was very interesting, and our guide taught us an awful lot about the history of cuba, the revolution, and the way of life for cubans living on the main island. We got back to the hotel at about 7pm, it was a long two days but well worth it.
|
|
| Flight |
We flew out of Manchester UK with Thomas Cook Airlines. We had paid extra for the Premier Class seats (always worth it). The flight was good, excellent service from the crew, good meals and a reasonable choice of films to watch. We enjoyed Champagne about 6 hours into the flight to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We arrived safely at Jardines Del Rey at approx 4.30pm local time. Collected our baggage without any problems, changed our money at the exchange booth in the baggage collection hall and got straight onto the air conditioned coach.
On the coach we were given a slip to fill in to speed up check in at the hotel, along with our welcome letter etc. We made the short journey to the hotel – only about 10 mins away. |
|
| Food |
There were 3 restaurants open during our stay. The Buffet, The Italian, and The International overlooking the lagoon.
We ate at all of them and can honestly say we always had great food. There was lots to choose from and the staff in the restaurants are very efficient. In the main buffet restaurant located next to the lobby, you could choose from prepared dishes, or pasta & meats/fish cooked to your liking in front of you. We never had a bad meal at this hotel.
The Italian was also good, particularly the Tomato Soup… delicious. The pizzas and pasta dishes were also very good.
We only ate in the International once, but again we could not fault the food or service we received.
There is also a snack bar located next to the pool, which serves sandwiches, pizza, fries etc. I think this is open 24 hours, but we only used it late afternoon for a snack.
There is also a beach grill, located just off the beach. We thoroughly enjoyed having our lunch here every day. You could choose from chicken, fish, pork, burgers, squid, tuna or just a salad. They were cooked fresh and brought to you by the chef. The waiters were excellent and there is a group of musicians who walk around and play/sing songs to everybody.
So all-in-all we thought the food was excellent, and always had plenty to choose from. I can’t believe anyone could find fault with it. Ok, so you probably won’t find a fillet steak like at home…. But you won’t find better fish dishes anywhere! |
|
| General stuff |
Mozzies were about during our stay, the Hotel did fumigate the grounds morning and night but it was necessary to wear repellent. I suffered a few bites in the first couple of days, but after ditching my perfume for Deet – I didn’t suffer much after that.
The Thomas Cook rep Maria was lovely, we didn’t really need her at all during our stay but if we had she was always close at hand.
We feel that the best part of the holiday and the success of this hotel, is the staff. Everybody, and I mean everybody are so lovely and helpful. Always got a Happy smile, and nothing is too much trouble. The management are always wandering around the hotel, speaking to guests and generally mucking in. You can tell that this hotel is very well managed. The waiters are quick to clear tables and top up your drink, the gardeners are lovely and will make hats and birds for you. They keep the Gardens spotless and never stop working to keep the hotel so beautiful. The Reception staff are pleasant and helpful… I could go on and on… They are all absolute stars, every single one of them!
Would we return to this hotel…. Absolutely! It’s probably going to be a few years away though, because we need to make massive improvements to the house now. But I would recommend it to anyone! |
|
| More excursions |
Train Excursion – This is organised by the animation team at the hotel. It is 10 pesos each and the train takes you to the Wild Boar Caves, which is also a nightclub one night a week. Then we went to see the sand dunes over looking the “Forbidden Beach”, then we walked across the bay of “Flamenco Beach” to the bar at the other side. Here we had a drink and a sandwich (included) and the animation team sang us songs. Unfortunately by the time we got to the bar there was a big Storm so we didn’t get chance to spend time on the beach. We then got back on the train and back to the hotel for lunchtime. It is a nice little trip to spend half a day seeing the immediate surroundings of Cayo Coco.
Sunset – well this isn’t so much an excursion than a stroll down the beach, but each weds we went down to the rock to the left of the Sol Cayo Coco with a couple of the animation team. They took a couple of bottles of champagne which we drank whilst we watched the sunset. Very romantic, and costs absolutely nothing! |
|
| Pool |
About 3 weeks before travelling to cuba we received a letter stating that the pool would be closed for the first 3 days of our holiday. We were initially quite disappointed about this, but decided that we would still have the gorgeous beach. However, on the night of our arrival we were thrilled to see that the work was complete and the pool was already being refilled. So it did not affect us at all. We spent most morning on the beach, and afternoons by the pool. The pool is very clean, and the surrounding areas are constantly being tidied up. It isn’t a very deep pool, so swimming and diving isn’t really possible. This didn’t bother us as we only casually drift around to cool down, whilst sipping a cocktail.
There are plenty of sunbeds, but only a few areas of shade by the pool. There was absolutely no sunbed reserving going on, so finding a bed at any time of day was not a problem. This may be because the hotel was only about ½ full, but it was nice to not have to rush around to get a bed. Some days one of the staff would come round and hand out cool flannels, ice-cream or champagne. Which we thought was a lovely touch. |
|
| Room |
| We were lucky enough to get a free upgrade to a Lagoon Room, we were in room 3311 which is a ground floor room. The room was extremely clean and spacious with all the facilities you could need. CD player, minibar, TV, Iron & Board, Umbrella, Cosmetic pack, Safe, coffee maker etc. It was a lovely quiet room with a large balcony with table, chairs and sunloungers. We saw some beautiful sunrises from our room and we were popular with the fish in the lagoon as we could feed them from our balcony. Our lovely maid Dayami did a great job of making up the room, and we always had swans, flowers etc.. She even wrote a Happy Birthday message for my husband, as she had seen all his birthday cards in the room. The resort appears to be quite large, but from our room it was only a 2 minute walk to anywhere on the complex. We were thrilled with the location of our room. |
|
|
|
|
| We were there for a friends wedding which went off without a hitch! |
| Hotel Sol Cayo Coco |
| User Rating:
|
|
Courtney05 >
1 contribution(s) |
| Dec, 2005 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
|
|
Hello All
I read this site a lot before we went so I thought I would add my own opinion!
From the minute we arrived we were surrounded by paradise! People at the airport were pretty friendly and as long as you kept a smile on your face they were more than welcoming! The airport ran smoothly and after about a 45 minutes everyone in our group was checked into the country and had bags in hand boarding the bus. Our tour guide was great on the way to our hotel. |
|
| Arrival |
| When we arrived our we checked in with ease and our bags were promptly taken to our rooms and we were escorted as well with our hand luggage. Our room was VERY clean, and the designs on the bed out of towels and blankets everyday were fantastic! We did have a minor glitch with or toilet being a little tempermental but I, being a women of the 21st century, fixed it myself and ended the problem (the flushing device was stuck). We requested our bar be stocked the first day we were there and everyday after it full of water, pop and beer!
|
|
| Conclusion |
We were there for a friends wedding which went off without a hitch! They did an amazing job of making their day so special with their great service and little added touches.
Well I can't wait to go back...
PS... I drank the water all week and had zero problems with getting sick |
|
| Excursions |
| We went on 2 excursions while we were there. The first was the Cuban spectacular, which took us on a sugar plantation tour and train ride, to Moron, and another city, cuban cigar factory.....the list goes on! You definately got your moneys worth! The second trip was a speed boat for 2 and snorkel trip...AWESOME! water was calm and crystal clear.... excellant for using my under water camera for pics of the cool fish. We also went on the bottomless boat ride and snokelled at the coral reef which was amazing... the water was a little rough so a couple people were seasick but for my first time snokelling i loved it! We rented scooters and took a tour of the island and found a restaurant Playa Prohibita....the biggest lobster I have ever seen....it was the best seafood of the week!
|
|
| Food |
| Now about the food, I have never ate so much! Everything was amazing! We loved the buffet restaurant as the selection was awesome! We ate at the Cuban traditional restaurant for their lunch buffet and a dinner and both times it was really good...excellant lobster. The italian restaurant wasn't too great but it was alright. The 24 hour snack and bar was FANTASTIC! They had the most amazing hamburgers and pizzas I have ever had! We ate there in between meals! The gift shop even kept a supply of Pringle chips for snacking on (which we depleted by the end of the week!) Overall I loved the food! the breads, cheese, seafood was to die for!
|
|
| Pool |
| The pool was heaven! We spent hours lounging around in it and playing hours of volleyball with other guests. While lounging by the pool we were greated by staff who came bearing ice water and yummy run drinks served in coconuts! Always lots of free lounge chairs in sunbathing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
