| One very hot week (sometimes too hot actually!) |
| Hotel Sirenis Playa Turquesa (formerly Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa) |
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Pierre >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went to swim with the dolphins; well, actually, our 2 daughters went. My wife and I didn't have any interest in doing the swimming part so our daughters took our "20 minutes swim" coupons and went again for a total of 40 minutes. They had a blast. One of our daughter was selected to be thrown out of the water by 2 dolphins which made unbelievable memories. Glossy picture from the so-called "expert photograph" (a regular guy with a above average camera) is 10 pesos but not really worth it. We were right next to him while he was taking pictures and we barely see any difference when we compare our pictures with his. But even if we didn't swim with the dolphins, my wife and I were still allowed to go on the platform to have our picture taken with a dolphin between us.
There is a different show every evening at the theater. On our second evening, we sat behind two guys who had too much to drink and they really ruined it for everyone around them. Remember that seeing a live show is no different than seeing a movie: Shut up! It's even worse as the performers are there to see the lack of respect compared to a movie. One guy stood up and asked them to shut up to which the other reply "We have the right to speak". When the pissed spectator loudly yelled "You're a f-----g idiot", we thought "Ding! Round one", but no, he just left now that his show was completely ruined. The two drunk idiots kept taking. Please, people, if you're not there to see the show, just leave.
They cancel katamaran and pedalos reservations as soon as it's too windy, so better go make your reservations very early in the morning. Katamaran was quite boring anyway as they just go straight toward the ocean for 10 minutes then just come straight back. Pedalos were most pleasant for that.
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| Arrival |
| We were greeted at 20h30 with a cold towel and a drink they simply call the "Welcome Drink". My wife got hooked on these and didn't drink much else during out 7 days stay! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool with bar is the most popular but also has the most kids who play more with the plastic glasses than anything else (like others have said, where are the parents?!). The barman at pool is called Ivan and he's impossible to hate. Like I told him the last day I saw him, he's part of our best memories.
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| Other Comments |
General rules: You can tip everything, you can bargain any homemade stuff (my 16 years old single-handedly bargained a 30 pesos item for 22 pesos!) and there's rum in everything. Everybody expects a tip although they will not frown if you don't give any. The only "I really don't wanna work" face I've seen was from the cook on the beach.
Some people told us it was the raining period, some others said it wasn't so. Verdict: We had rain for a total of about 3 hours during our 7 days stay.
When it came time to leave, I found out the cashier had no canadian coins meaning no less that $5 bills. When I went to exchange my pesos for canadian money, I was offered $35 for my 37 pesos, which didn't make any sense. The cashier told me that if I could manage to find 1 more peso, he could give me $40 instead. This means the initial amount was somewhere in $39 but he had to round it down to $35. That's so bad!
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Buffet is the same everyday although slightly different between lunch and supper. It's not fine cuisine, but hey, you're in Cuba; you have to expect the food to be different.
Restaurants à-la-carte are not on the map provided by the reception and it wasn't obvious to find them on our own, so we had to call reception who did their best to explain it in this huge resort. By the way, the stuffed chicken at the Italian restaurant is just awesome!
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| Rooms |
Rooms are grouped in individual blocks of rooms making it harder to have connecting rooms. We were 3 groups of 2 people and our daughters had to stay in a separate block (at least close) which didn't make us a bit worried. We had room 504 which was better than the other 2 rooms (506 and 512) because it had an additional sofa, table, bar stand and 3 stools. The rooms wasn't physically bigger, but more places to sit which was useful for the 6 of us when we wanted to relax in an air conditioned room. The resort is huge, but it doesn't take long to learn its layout.
Beds are a bit too hard for me but still acceptable. The pillow is thin but wide (like 1'x3'), so you can easily fold it to make it the thickness you want. The fridge is filled daily with at least two 1500ml water bottles and 2 pops (flavor randomly vary). It seems we had a small problem with our shower as the water was only warm, but my brother-in-law said he had plenty. We didn't complain because it was enough to make it refreshing anyway.
I had to kill only 2 bugs in my room during my stay. You might want to bring tape to block the gap under the room door because it's quite big allowing most bugs to easily get it. My daughter (who's terrified of bugs) used a little flashlight we initially bought as a gift for room service. She couldn't leave without it in the evening because this is when crabs come out.
The curtains are not thick enough and light brightens the room at 7am.
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| this hotel is even not 2 stars worth |
| Hotel Cubanacan Brisas del Caribe |
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ulrich >
1 contribution(s) SWITZERLAND |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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the hotel is situated on a nice clean beach. Buildings are not in good conditions. The food is not good. For fruits the choice is limitaded or available if you pay some extra pesetas. The Management is incompetent, unskilled and unfriendly. Even you have to leave the hotel in the late afternoon, you must quite the room at 12 a.m. or you have to pay 25 $ extra. The responsible for Custumer relation, Mr. Romelio was not able to find a solution. We never had lived in such a bad managed hotel.
So, it is better to choice anther hotel. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| the hotel is far from the Varadero Center. So there are not many Possibilities for other activities. We made a Trip by car arround the island of cuba. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beach ist exellent, The pools not so clean because Cubans trunk and eat in the pools |
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| Other Comments |
| It is better to choice another hotel in Varadero. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The buffet was ok, the quality of the food very low, not so many fruits available, mostly for expl. there where Mangos available if you we spent some Pesos extra. A lot of Cuba Guests have drunken and eaten in the pool. |
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| Rooms |
| old fashioned rooms, bathroom more or less clean, |
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| Your Arrival |
| the arrival was correct an the bell bay very friendly |
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| Perfect |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Hicacos |
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Laura >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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April 11 to April 18/10 - beautiful resort, excellent service, great and friendly staff, all restaurants and buffet were excellent, cannot complain. Bars were quick and excellent. Travelled by Taxi to Havana one day - shared with another couple, worth every penny $220.00 Pesos. Arranged by Sunwing rep Manuella who was excellent. Also had a hour drive around Varadero in 1949 Convertible Cadillac - awesome! $32.00 Pesos also arranged by Manuella - Went to see the Bueno Vista Social Club (arranged by Manuella)
play at a concert hall 5 km. down the road, they play once a year and we struck it lucky, awesome and very very enjoyable and saw 2 of the original band members.
Loved Cuba, absolutely loved it, well worth the money. Beautiful beach and you can walk for miles, rooms were spacious, clean and kept orderly. Balcony on mostly every room, we over looked the green area towards the ocean. Ocean view was blocked by vegetation, but you can hear the waves. We stayed in a Premium suite, stocked fridge and bar daily :)
take a converter for your curl iron and battery charger etc. and a wash cloth, they don't supply this. Shampoo and bath gel and cream supplied. Hair dryer in bathroom along with magnifying mirror and iron and ironing board. Beds were very very comfortable. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Pool a busy place, but 3 on site, we tended to stay down at our quieter end. Ocean was rough, red flag everyday, but lovely, sand was clean. |
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| Other Comments |
| Use your rep to book your trips off site, they are there to guide you and get you the right guide, it is well worth to ask questions if you want to go places. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| fabulous - you won't be disappointed at any of them. We were not. |
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| Rooms |
| spacious and clean and everything working |
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| Your Arrival |
| quick and greeted with champagne. |
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| Fantastic Resort For Nearly Anyone |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
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Jim >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Beach activities were abundant with 4 Hobie-Cats available and 5 paddle boats. Several sail boards were there but only one was used. Two Lasers were on the beach, but neither were available for use. Plenty of snorkeling equipment available for use.
Resort Activities Staff always seemed busy with one thing or another going on; archery and shooting, dance lessons, Spanish lessons, Bocce Ball, beach and pool volley ball, etc.
Off resort, we only took the bus to Guardalavaca and didn't take part in anything else organized. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
I should mention first that this resort was built with thoughts of someone physically challenged in mind with elevators and ramps as required. Someone in a wheelchair or walker can access anywhere on the resort I went from the entrance, to any of the restaurants and all the way to the beach.
In a word, the beach is fantastic. Yes, you should wear water socks to go close to or in the water, but that is probably a necessary price for the coral providing the great snorkeling so close to the shore.
Personally, I found "towel wars" non-existent here. Plenty of room and loungers for everyone. One morning at ~ 9:30, I counted 80 loungers still stacked and by 11:00 AM, still some left.
We didn't use the pool, but it looked clean and well tended with plenty of space around for relaxing.
The grounds were very well trimmed and manicured, and in very good shape, maybe excellent, considering this was the very end of dry season. |
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| Other Comments |
Overall, a wonderful vacation spot, and one we will surely be returning to.
Only negatives I can speak of could have happened at any resort and were guest related; trash tossed around for gardeners to pick up, groups of inebriated guests being loud and abusive without regard for anyone (employee or otherwise) or the time of day (or night), and one of the worst was the adult couple walking up and down the buffet treating it like it was all "finger food", reaching in with their hands and sampling as they wanted. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The buffet was by far over and above any other of the 5 resorts we've stayed at in Cuba. Maybe somewhat repetitive, especially at breakfast, but very good food.
We ate at the Italian a la carte twice, and enjoyed both times.
We did not eat at the Cuban restaurant, and heard mixed reviews about it.
We ate once at Mar y Sol, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The beach bar was quick and very friendly. The pool bar was the same, with obviously a larger selection of drinks. While the Espresso was somewhat over-extracted, overall the coffee at the pool bar was very good. |
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| Rooms |
Rooms are very typical of Cuban resorts. Dated decor and furniture, with plaster or stucco walls and ceramic tile floors, and as usual, very clean. We didn't find the beds as hard as many others mention, and the thin pillows easily "plumped" by stuffing a spare blanket into the pillow case. This resort (or at least our block) had central air that was faultless.
We stayed in Block 5, The only complaint I have was it overlooks the pool bar and I was kept awake every night, and woken in the wee hours, except for one. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Booked through and flew via Air Transat. Welcomed at the airport by 3 Air Transat reps and check in was quick. (Note: They were very picky with checked luggage weight, but not concerned with carry-on size or weight.) Departure was just a couple of minutes late (only due to a quick deicing) and arrival at Holguin was early. Immigration was quick and painless, as was the late night bus trip to the resort. Check in was quick, with plenty of men to get us to our rooms with the luggage. |
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| Home Away from Home |
| Hotel Melia Cayo Santa Maria |
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kelsey >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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I'm 19 years old and i just returned from the Melia Cayo Santa Maria, in Santa Clara! My family and I went for a week and found it marevllous.
Our flight came in really early in the morning of our second day (i think it was around 3 am?). Air transat was picking up dropped flights from sky service....i hope thats not a normal flight time! Anyways, when we got to the airport in Santa Clara, it was time to go through customs and stuff. I mean it when i say, i would would rather go through the Customs in Cuba than the ones in Canada any day. Though it is a little bit on the slow side (a solid half an hour until we found our baggage) everyone was very pleasant and suprisingly good at communicating with us cranky Canadians.
I dont know where someone was getting 10 km from the airport, cause our bus ride was a solid 9 minutes or so. Shockingly, i can't complain about the bus ride. Im someone that gets car sick often but the ride to the airport was spectacular. You got a deep inside look at the town of Caibairien (sp?) which was a real eye opener into Cuban culture, as well as getting to learn the History of the infamous causeway as you ride on it. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
Generally after luncht we'd go and have a little siesta in our room for a couple of hours (the sun wears you out, ye know?). However there were some days when i just wasnt sleepy and would look for things to do instad. I didnt have to look far! I met a guy named Yoelkis, who was basically the resident sports guy! He showed me where the volleyball net was, started a gane of water polo, ping pong tables, archery, beach soccer, tai chi in the mornings, dance lessons , and MORE. Honestly, you are NEVER bored.
But if you are the kind that likes to chill in your room for a couple hours, be not afraid, you do get american/canadian channels. I must have watched ESPN and the Disney Channel every night before bed.
Also, there's buses to and from the market every two hours! Frequent and flexible! |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The beach is also marvellous. It's wide, first of all, and DEEP. i had friends stay at the Barcelo and few weeks earlier and they said their beach was HALF as deep as the Melia's was. The Man who worked on the beach....never got his name (we called him Dawn of the Chairs) was extremely friendly. He would offer to find you a Pilapila (cabana) as well as brush the sand off your chairs and lay your twoels out for you. It was unnecessary, but lovely none the less. The water was absolutely stunning as well. Beautiful turquoise and clear as crystal. The waves get pretty rough at night but there will always be a red flag if the staff thinks its unsafe to swim.
The pools are great too. Big enough so that you rarely run into someone, and alot safer than most because there's a ramp into the water instead of stairs, and it gets deeper GRADUALLY. There's also a killer swim up bar:) |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The breakfast buffet was also wonderful, there's a seperate fresh fruit buffet in the middle of the dining room that serves fruit, juice, smoothies and yogurt and stuff, where the buffet that serves the hot food was in the kitchen at the back of the room.
One of the cooks, his name is Daniel, soon became one of my favourite people ever. He was polite, had eloquent enlgish, and made the best french toast i have ever had.
For lunch we generally went to the Pool side restaurant. We could have gone to the buffet again, or the Beach retaurant, but the one on pool side served the BEST chicken sandwiches i have EVER had, along with all the cervexa you could ask for :) |
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| Rooms |
| Our room (all rooms, because they all look the same) was absolutely STUNNING. There were three beds: 2 doubles (Which felt more like queens) and a day bed. Luxurous curtains hung from the doorways, and the bathroom was huge. The toilet, badet, and tub were in a separate room off the side of the sink and linnen closet. The safe was digital and we had excellent water pressure. |
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| Your Arrival |
When we got to the hotel, we were greeted by VERY pleasant....bellboys i guess you'd call them. Since the flight me and my mother took was later than the one the rest of the family was on, we met them in the front lobby. The "Bellboys" (who i called the multitasking team) loaded our personal luggage onto the little car thing and took it to our room for us so that me and my mother could go have a dinrk with the family in the lobby bar.
The bar is 24 hrs thank god, and is a good center for entertainment. Every night, the activities coordinator (one of the most pleasant people i have ever met, and a downright cool guy) would organise a little show for who ever was in there for drinks. At one point there was a 4 piece saxophone band....thing. It was marevllous. There were also fashion shows, dancing, billiards, and more! Not to mention that bar tenders there were wonderful. |
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| Iberostar Laguna Azul - Fantastic Resort, Great Setup, Good Food! Wonderful Vacation! |
| Hotel Iberostar Laguna Azul |
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Line >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| We stayed at this beautiful resort April 20 to April 27th. It was a great vacation. The weather was excellent, we gained weight so that answers your question about the food, we are so tanned that our friends don't recongnize us and we are struggling to get back on track here in Canada, it's going way too fast for us! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| We didn't do much for activities. We did go in town at the market of course. They have so much to offer and so cheap. Please, never try to bargain with the price they offer you, it's cheap enough already as it is. You'll feel bad if you do so please don't. We also went for our pizza fix at Pizza Nova at the Plaza Americas(little mall). except that, well we rested, slept on the beach, walked the beautiful beaches of Varadero, made new friends, hate great food and drank beer all week. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The big activity pool was very busy and loud but if your in to that you will have fun. We spent most of our time at the beach and the quiet pool behind our building. Not enough shade at the quiet pool if you need it. we were up early to reserve shade but they don't have enough of it around the pools. At the beach they have plenty of shade so no worries for the beach. We did find that the beach has changed quit a bit. Lots of broken shells, sea weeds etc and it's not getting cleaned often. The Laguna Azul does have plenty of space in from of the palapas so you don't have everyone walking close to your chair but other resort were terrible for that. They were almost sitting in the water under their palapas, not good. The grounds are still very young so trees and flowers are very small but it will get there eventually. |
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| Other Comments |
| This resort is wonderful. We are returning guest of Iberostar and we are very happy with this chain of hotels. The price will certainly go up because it is a real fine 5 star resort and will only get better. We had great weather and our vacation was perfect. We left all of our leftover stuff to a girl that worked the lobby cleaning and scubbing ashtrays every night. She was about 5 months pregnant and worked every night we were there. She was just so happy with our little things we take for granted. We tipped all week cause the service was very good and it was laways appreciated but certainly not requested by them in any way. We saw approx 10 weddings on the resort and they were all a bit different from each other but still all very beautiful. Until next year! Adios! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| We tried 3 a la carte. gourment(del chef), Japonese, and the Romantico. They were all very very good. The beef tenderloin was amazing. No complaints on the food. The buffet had lots of choices and the service was excellent. I didn't really like the drinks too much. I noticed that they make many in advance and they were warm. I would always have to send the waitress back for a glass of ice cause the drink was warm. Warm pina colada's, not very good your your belly so be very careful. After I noticed the making of drinks in advance I stopped drinking them and by belly ache went away. I wasn't drinking too many of them but still got discomfort. The pool bar had slush machines so that was cold and refreshing but the lobby bar was a busy spot and I guess they tried to go fast on the drinks. We couldn't believe how fast the got our drink but came to find out that they were done in advance. Beer was safe and we had plenty. The ice cream shop was a real bonus also, yummy! |
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| Rooms |
| Our room wasn't ready when we got to the resort. We arrived around 11:00am so I wasn't surprised. It did take them way too long to give us our room, the service at the front desk was good and I know they tried their best for us but it was a busy day in the lobby. Once we did get our room we were very satisfied with it. King size bed, clean enough for our taste I guess, not perfect but it was decent. We had emailed the resort with a few choices of buildings and floors and we got what we had requested. I had said in my email that they were only preferences and not to stress it too much but they gave us what we had requested and we were very happy. Building 18, top floor facing the pool but I need to say that all the locations are good. This resort is so well set up it's crazy. It's a big enough resort but you feel right at home because the way the plan of the builgings was designed, loved it. They stocked the bar everyday. It was suppose to be every second day but we always tip well and leave a little note for more Cristal beer and we always got 2 or 3 everyday anyway for when the bars aren't open yet around 9:00 :) |
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| Your Arrival |
| We flew Air Transat Club Class and it was a wonderful experience. The service you get is just amazing really. We weren't use to that kind of service on our flights, always flew economic rates. Hum, I really enjoyed it. We took it at the airport, last minute because they had seats available and were trying to sell them so we got sucked in but we really enjoyed the experience. We were early arriving in Varadero and things all went very smooth. |
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| Perfect |
| Hotel Arenas Blancas |
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Anne >
1 contribution(s) DENMARK |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| I Love it! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Good |
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| Arrival |
| Very good |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Very good |
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| Other Comments |
| A very nice place! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Good |
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| Rooms |
| Good |
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| This place is not recommended for people with a disability |
| Hotel Gaviota Playa Pesquero |
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Denise from Montreal >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Oct, 2009
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Arrival: OCT/18/2009 TO NOV 1, 2009
Rooms:
Clean
Restaurants and Bars:
The Asiatic & Sea food are great. Buffet is good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Since it was low season the garden were not all done
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Did 3 the Holguin Tour, the Jeep & Catamaran good but not worth the money
Other Comments:
The only thing that made us not wanting to return is that it is a very big site we were told that there was caro that would take us where we wanted to go because my husban as an handicap well you would call for one & the would arrive half an hour later. We also went to get a whell chair 10 cuc a day & they are rusted * they squick. This place is not recommended for people with a disability |
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| Awesome !!! |
| Hotel NH Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort |
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Gordon >
1 contribution(s) United Kingdom |
| Sep, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| For a third world country we were very impressed , Hotel was clean , the food was good ( not as much choice as some other all inclusive hotels , but very good )the staff were friendly and polite . |
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| Other Comments |
| people need to give this place a break , it is good value for money |
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| This is a great resort to go to if you have any mobility problems!! |
| Hotel Melia Cayo Coco |
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Deb from Canada >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| We stayed here Feb 3-17th, this is our 3rd consecutive visit to this hotel, we felt very looked after here indeed!! and would certainly return again!!
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| ARRIVAL & ROOM |
We flew Skyservice, and were able to book the bulkhead with a doctors note due to my husbands knee problem, it made quite a difference in the amount of legroom! When we arrived we were given my requested ground floor room in the 8600 block, I found out the next day that we could have requested the garden view rooms in the 90’s I wrongly thought these were suite rooms as on the map they were pictured differently from the others, when I talked customer relations she wondered, as well ,why I had not requested one of these, anyway a BIG thank-you to the front desk staff who changed us to 9211, it made a huge difference!!
The standard rooms here are in blocks of 2 level structures with 4-8 rooms each, the grounds are meticulously maintained
We have yet to stay in one of the lagoon rooms as we prefer to stay closer to the beach, they are quite a bit of extra money and we are hardly in our room anyway so to us it was not worth it, but others have said its fantastic to watch the sunsets and to feed barracuda and various fish off your porch if you are on the ground floor!
I’ll just add as well that this is a great resort to go to if you have any mobility problems!! |
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| DAY AROUND |
| For $5.CC you can take the 45 min bus ride to Cayo Guillermo where as guests of the MCC you have full use of the facilities of both the Melia and the Sol Club as well you can use the facilities at the Sol Club Cayo Coco right next door, and the Tryp which is a 15 min walk down the beach , you could also take a taxi or horse and buggy to the Tryp but walking is cheaper and better exercise! The day around only applies until 5 p.m. but there are no other restrictions, you just tell the front desk staff where you are going and they give you a temporary bracelet |
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| DEPARTURE |
| Thankfully we booked the VIP lounge!! we were supposed to fly out by 1100 however we were still there at 5 p.m. due to the bad weather in Ottawa. While others had to put up with hard chairs and standing in line for food we were treated to nice couches and a full bar with grilled snacks then a complimentary lunch, all served to us!! Well worth the extra $25 C.C. Anyway due to the severe ice storm we were told we would not be flying out that day so we were loaded up along with our luggage and taken to the Sol Club which is next door to the MCC we were very efficiently registered, given our bracelets and a nice room, I can’t say enough about how well the resort staff coped with this unexpected influx of tired frustrated travelers!! We ended up having a great supper and last walk on the beach, then a short sleep until 0300 when we had to be in the lobby to be taken back to the airport, we were then fast tracked through the airport as we had already been checked in previously, so quite the adventure, but hey, we got to have bonus time in Cuba!! |
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| POOL |
| Beautiful, but shallow, no swim up bar but a few nice changes this year, there are now little shade huts around the pool all along the side where the gym and sauna are located, These are very pretty lit up at night, and must be great to lie under when the weather is hot!!
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| RESTAURANTS & ENTERTAINMENT |
BEACH GRILL: our favorite place to be!! Daily preparation of whole grilled red snapper ,shrimp or various meats of your choice right by the beach, as well you can order from the main menu, quite decent Spanish wines are served, loved having a glass of rose with my fish This turns into the Cuban restaurant at night, we went twice and quite enjoyed it
BUFFET: There are now more tables outside great for us as we prefer to sit there however this year for 4 days they brought the tables inside as it was just too cold!! also many people did not go the outdoor Cuban restaurant (beach grill by day) or the International again due to the weather, so the buffet was quite packed!! Food here quite good they are always grilling something different or will be carving ham, turkeys or fish, good salads made to order along with the usual buffet selections, several nights there were stacks of lobster tails!!
INTERNATIONAL: This is the one on the lagoon, I have seen many reports that people have been bothered by mosquitoes, but in the 3 years we have been going it has not been an issue, so Feb must be their off season!! Fabulous service and menu, with strolling classical musicians combined with the red sunsets over the lagoon make for a very memorable evening!!
ITALIAN: This is upstairs from the pool snack bar, beautiful view of the pool all lit up at night, menu fairly good here as well
You can now have romantic dinners on the hill overlooking the pool where the wedding gazebo is located, these have replaced dinners on top of the little tower by the billiard bar.
ENTERTAINMENT Shows every night at the open air theatre quite good but we did not watch many as were usually too tired as we are early risers, no disco here but you can go next door to the one at the Sol Club, it is only a few minutes walk, but again we have never been We were treated to some lovely classical music playing from the wedding gazebo overlooking the pool prior to the shows, we were disappointed that there were no longer any shows in the lobby , as last year we had fabulous singers after the main show was finished, however there was a pianist who played quite regularly in the lobby at night as well as during the day, there were a few new bands which toured to resort but we were glad to see the regulars Audaces de Hoy still there.
BARS:
BEACH: A little hut with several tables around it, great drinks, best Mojitos here along with almost any thing else, cold Cristal beer always available, great to go a few steps from your lounge chair to get a beverage
POOL: good bar here as well along with grilled sandwiches, thin crust pizza, hamburgers etc
LOBBY: quite enjoyable many tables and chairs, people would congregate here in the evening or through the day, good cappuccino here as well only thing missing is stools at the bar, you usually order your drinks from the strolling waiters
BILLIARD: This bar is located on the lagoon, it opens at 4 p.m. each day has a few tables inside as well as outside on the lagoon patio, there are 2 billiard tables here as well as a jukebox and video screen this is a great place to hang out after the show!! |
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| STAFF & SERVICE |
| Again, absolutely top notch!! management often approaching, asking if everything was o.k.,. all our waiters very attentive, but a special thank-you to our “regular” lunch time waiters Jesus and Manny who have looked after us at the beach grill for the second year in a row!!
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| WEATHER |
Not good!! Quite cool and windy, but with a few nice days our first week but absolutely terrible our 2nd week, overcast, cold and windy, beach was getting quite eroded, several beach huts uprooted and on their sides!!, most damage to the Sol Club beach beside the MCC. There was even a cabin cruiser that became caught on the reef just out from the hotel, it completely broke up due to the rough seas so the beach was littered with all the debris
We have been going to Cayo Coco for 10 years always around the same time (first 2 weeks in Feb) and have always had fabulous weather but this is the 2nd year in a row we had a week of disappointing weather, so if we go again in Feb it will be for the mid or last 2 weeks!! |
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| The best trip I've ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Hotel Blau Costa Verde |
| User Rating:
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Laura >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2002 | Leisure | With friend
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| I just returned from the best resort Blau Costa Verde. Flew Air Transat. Arrived April 28/10 and left at midnight on May 5/10. Flew first class definitely worth the extra 55.00. I am 24 years old and traveled with my mother this year. We had an amazing time. The hotel is beautiful with lots to do for any ages. The food was amazing. Some of it even tasted like home. They don't have ketchup very often so I would suggest bringing your own. The staff was so helpful and very friendly. Some things that they really need are sunscreen, deodorant, soap, shampoo and conditioner. The things we take for granted. So if you can take some of these essentials to give to the staff. Trust me they really appreciate it. The beach is awesome but make sure you take your water shoes because there is some corral. You can feed the fish right out of your hand. Barbara does hair and nails. She is awesome so make sure to book an appointment with her. And if you do go by the fitness center please tell Barbara, Deni and the nurse Joa that Laura from Nova Scotia sends big hugs and lots of love. I had a blast with them. I wish they had of played more Cuban music at the restaurants but that is my only complaint. The Cuban restaurant was my absolute favorite. The Italian was amazing too. If you go to the Cuban restaurant get a banana split for dessert. I swear it was better than dairy queen. We stayed in room 3307 had an amazing view of the mountains and water. Maid was great. Hot water everyday. Needless to say I hope to be returning to this resort very soon. I would recommend it to anyone. Please remember to keep an open mind when traveling anywhere in Cuba they do not have the same things that we have. They are the sweetest people. And please remember to tip. They depend so much on this. If anyone is traveling to this resort and you live in or around Halifax if you could contact me at lauraj212010@hotmail.com if you would be willing to take a letter down for me that would be so appreciated. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact me by email. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Beautiful. Well kept at all times. |
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| Other Comments |
| Worth every penny to go this beautiful resort. Hope to be going back next month for my birthday!!!! |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Food was very good at this resort. Cuban restaurant was the best. |
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| Rooms |
| Great for the amount of time you spend in them. The beds are a little bit in the hard side but take the cushion art off the wall and use that. Always clean. Great shower. No complaints at all. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Excellent very fast service |
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