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Explore Cuba |
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| Breezes Bella Costa |
Breezes Bella Costa: Hotel Reviews |
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By Trip Type... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 44 reviews |
| Excellent |
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16 |
| Very good |
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19 |
| Average |
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8 |
| Poor |
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0 |
| Terrible |
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1 |
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| Family |
4 |
| With Group |
1 |
| With Spouse/Partner |
1 |
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| Not all it is cracked up to be. |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
User Rating:
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Linda >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| Bella Costa is an old hotel that needs to be refurbished. Taken over by Breezes approx. 3 yrs. ago. Staff are excellant, very pleasant and helpful. Friends found cockroaches and ants in their room, but we did not. Had a water leak on our section of the floor. Pool was fine, lots of chairs. Weather was so so, some days very windy couldn't used beach as it was too cold. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Trip from Toronto to Cuba was a long process as is with every trip. Arrival was fine, bus trip from airport to hotel not very long, but had to stop off at different hotels, that's expected. Greated by friendly front desk staff. Drinks awaiting your arrival. |
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| Rooms |
| Room not ready when we got there, had to wait couple of hours. Rooms cleaned every day. Our room overlooked the pool, ocean and stage. Entertainment ended at approx. 11 PM so don't try to sleep before that.Safe in the room. Towels not bath size, but adequate. No face cloths. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
Jimmy's restaurant good. Great staff, very helpful, you ask and they try to accomodate you. Specialty restaurant's not all they are cracked up to be. Italian restaurant presented you with a menu, but didn't have everything available. Head waiter rude. Japanese rest. not bad. Fish was good. Lobster on Thursday nights at Jimmy's. Beach rest. not bad, good french fries, pizza. Birds flying around all the time.
If you decided to tip you will get great service. Seems they pay more attention to those with money. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Nice. Took the long walk into Varadaro by the beach, 4 1/2 klms. one way. Clean. Life guards good at posting flags water conditions and jelly fish. Lots of lounges and sunshade. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Approx. 4 -5 games per day. Winner gets bottle. Took excursion into Havana. Not bad but because is was on a Monday some of the attractions were not open. Tour of castle limited to one area. Tour guide nice and informative. Lunch provided on tour, wasn't bad. Kids begging all the time. When you say no they will continue to ask for money. Just walk away. |
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| Other Comments |
| I haven't decided if I would ever to return to Cuba. Once was enough. If you go outside the resort and need to use the facilities take some kleenex with you as they don't have any or they will ask for money for some. Shopping is not great, just junk at the markets, same everywhere. Wood carvings very nice, but do not think they would last in Canada because of the temperature here. Would likely crack and dry out. Vendors will bargin. We also took a taxi (old car) into town and it was a nightmare. Not all taxis as bad as the one we had. Took a taxi back to hotel from town and used the newer vehicle. Cost in the area of $5.00 p. Lots of places to drink in town, didn't try any food. |
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| 3 Star Rating is being very generous |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Debbie >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
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| This was both my husband's and my first trip to Cuba and will be our last. I won't speak for the friends we went with but know for a fact one has made it very clear, she would only return if she won a trip to Cuba! Sunwings representation of this resort is grossly exagerated as the resort needs a major overhall. The price per person was $1490 is way overpriced for this resort. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Our arrival was uneventful. We didn't spend a lot of time going through customs and was pleased there weren't any men trying to grab our bags from us on the way to the bus. The ride to the hotel made the usual stops at the various resorts and the tour guide was informative and pleasant. I was appauled at the litter lining the highways and surprised nothing being done to have it cleaned up. We were greeted with a cool drink in the hotel lobby and check in was quick although our rooms weren't ready when we arrived. The hotel lobby bar was opened. We quickly found out the bar staff don't seem to have any training in mixing drinks, way too strong and most were left on the counter as we were unable to drink them.. what a waste of good alchol. They were also very limited in the number of drinks available. Beer and wine ended up being the preferred beverages. Word of advice, if you enjoy martinis bring some green olives as there were none. |
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| Rooms |
| Rooms are very dated, washroom sink taps were filthy even after daily cleaning and should be replaced immediately, sinks actually move, mirror all chipped and hair dryer was absolutely useless. Beds, if you want to call them that, were way below standard,very hard and uncomfortable. Chairs in the room were falling apart and my husband actually fell through one. We also had to put up with the smell of oil or diesel almost everynight and had to keep balcony door closed. Hard to get and stay asleep due to the nightclub music going on til the wee hours of the morning by that I mean 3 or 4 in the morning. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Japanese place was good, very friendly staff and we enjoyed the experience. Italian wasn't bad either and staff as well were friendly. Shouldn't forget to mention that 4 out of the 7 of us were sick for a couple of days and still not sure what to chalk it up to? The buffet selection is very limited, lots of flies and birds sharing the fair. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Pool area small and not for those looking for a quiet time. Pool was cold and not many taking leasurly swims. The beach was quite nice but due to weather and windy conditions didn't get to spend alot of time there. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
We went to Havana and although it is a beautiful old city the Cuaban's are letting it fall down around them. It is probably one of the dirtiest cities I have visited with garbage all over the streets and stray dogs lying on sidewalks and near tourist attractions.
Golf was the saving grace for our group. Great golf course, challenging and a spectacular view. Would recommend it to all golfers. |
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| Other Comments |
| Buyer beware. |
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| Nice place |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Paul >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| This was my 6th trip to Varadeo and the first at the Bella Costa. Great all round. Food was good compared to other places I have stayed. Stay in a bungelow if you can. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Excellent porter Josha |
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| Rooms |
| Good, |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Italian the best resturant , Japansee good, Cuban not the best. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Great |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| Night entertainment fairly good. |
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| Other Comments |
| Will return without question |
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| Great Experience |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Vicki >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Business | Family
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| I travelled with my 15 year old daughter. This was my third time to Cuba and although it was not the most beautiful resort I have stayed at, I have to say it was the best in alot of respects. It's a little run down ...could use a face lift, but was very clean |
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| Your Arrival |
We arrived on Saturday January 30 for a one week stay. We flew Sunwing and had a wonderful flight. Getting our luggage was very quick and we were ready to roll on the bus in about 20 minutes. Though it states that it is only 35 minutes from the airport it took over an hour because of all the stops the bus made to drop other guests off at different resorts.
Check in was quick and our room was ready when we got there (12:00 noon) |
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| Rooms |
| The room was quite spacious and clean. The room itself and the bathroom were tired looking(needs some updating), but was adequate. Lots of closet space but not many drawers. Our cable kept cutting out when we had HBO on but no big deal. You get one bottle of water the day you arrive and then have to keep filling it up at the bar because they do not give you any more after that. Our maid was wonderful and made beautiful displays with our towels and fresh flowers an our beds. We left her 2 pesos a day and she left us a nice note each day telling us how happy our tip made her and how grateful she was. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The food at this resort was very good. Jimmy's buffet had a large assortment to choose from and the food was fresh and delicious. We ate at all of the a-la-cartes and they were all awesome. My favourite was the Cuban restaurant. The beach grill was great for lunch as well. It had a nice buffet and a station where you could get freshly made pizza almost all day. The pizza was excellent, although you had to wait quite a while in line during the lunch hours Jimmy's buffet has a lobster night every Thursday. Get there right at 6:30 though or you will be waiting in a big line. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool was small but adequate. water was a bit cold as well but once you got in it was very refreshing. The beach was beautiful with lots of chairs and cabanas available, so you didn't have to be there at the crack of dawn to get one. Lots of chairs around the pool as well. They were never all occupied |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| There were activities and games during the day and the staff were very good at getting a lot of people to participate. They had entertainment every night at 9:30. Typical cuban show with dancers and music but we saw one of the best magic shows I have ever seen. |
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| Other Comments |
| I would definitely recommend this resort, especially for families with kids of all ages. It was fully booked when we were there but never seemed overcrowded. Great vacation. |
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| Room was very spacious. |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Catherine from Toronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2009
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We booked with Nolitours (July 9-16 2009). Excellent travel company. Complimentary rum and tobacco upon arrival.
Check in was a breeze! The reception were very nice. If you have an option to stay at a villa, book it! I originally asked for ocean view and they were very accommodating in the way that they'll check for you. Nolitours hooked us up because they have their own villa section of this resort. The people at the hotel area however said that their rooms were very nice.
Room was very spacious. The bldgs are 15 years old so they do show some age. However, the maids do a great job in cleaning the rooms. Tip well and they will definitely show their appreciation.
Beach - Very clean. Water not as clear in the Caribbean Sea however the water temp was very warm. Rent the kayaks and paddle boats, they are fun.
Pool - 24hrs! What can I say! Some of the guests however were leaving their garbage paper cups leaving the cleaners to fix the mess. *tsk tsk*
Grounds - Very spacious. You will never run out of benches. There's a tennis court, pool tables, gigantic chess, ping pong etc.
Location - Very nice location however not centred in "downtown" Varadero. If you are feeling comfortable, take a scooter down. You'll have LOTS of fun!
Food - Fresh fruits, meats nicely season, variety of breads, breakfast was very good, pay close attention to their lobster or seafood night, pasta was VERY good, if you like it spicy, ask for the jalapeno peppers. Just try to avoid the dairy products or deli meats if you are scared of getting the travellers bug.
Overall: Very beautiful place for the price you pay. I would rate this as a 4.5 star. Workers were very friendly and nice. Accommodating. Very safe! Remember, you have to go to your trip in a POSITIVE attitude. Or else you wont enjoy it at wherever you stay. |
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| This resort is lovely |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Helen from Wainfleet >
2 contribution(s) |
| Dec, 2009 | Leisure | Family
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| This resort has a hotel section and villas. I had booked with Nolitours which has exculsives on the villas. I travelled with my 73 year old mother and we stayed in the Villas on the first floor. Check in is fast and they explain everything to you then but do read the pamphelt that is included in package as it gives you more information regarding hours of bars and what the hours of restraunts are and where you can find food at any time. |
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| Rooms: |
Villas are in a central location close to pool, bars, hot tubs and all restraunts. Our room was huge, we had a wrap around balcony that started at the seperate sitting room, this room had a love seat and chair, coffee table a cupboard that stored the mini bar which was stocked every day with water, juice, pop and beer. There was also a tv in this room.
Bathroom has seperate sink area. Lots of hot water and great water presure. Safe was in one of two closets, was included in room. The maid did a wonderful job of cleaning it every day. I have stopped bring small gifts for the resort staff as they have all received about 100 flashlights, 1000 toothbrushes and cheap crap from dollar store. We gave her CUC everyday instead they can decside what they want instead of me. I don't give waitress here in Canada a pair of pantyhoses. the staff know what they need the CUC for, so let them make the same choose.
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
there is yes here is the name Jimmy Buffet (buffet), and three alcartes Ialian, Japanese and Cuban.I went to the Cuban (which is the beach restaurant during the day)and Japanese, I must confess right off I love Cuba and the food, the Cuban alCarte was good, the Japanese was ok. Did not try the Italian. The morning buffet at Jimmy's had a great variety of food, they have machine that gives you fresh squeezed orange juice i thought If i could only get that machine in my luggage it would of come home with me. Fresh made eggs at the grill any way you want them, wonderful bread. The down fall of morning buffet only one toaster. Fresh fruit, cheeses buns and sweets if you could not find something to eat there you are a really picky eater.
Lunch at the beach restaurant was very good, much smaller buffet and fresh home made pizza, you have to try to the pizza if you like thin crust. I liked how they solved the bird problem for this out door restaurant, netting over the buffet table. it works. There is also a bar here. During the day ther ususally was a Cuban band playing while you ate.
Dinner Jimmy Buffet- Always a great choose of foods, mostly hot, tasty, looked great and I did not starve but once again when you have over a 100 chooses to put on your plate you can not complain at all. Thursday night is lobster night - they were tastey and you could eat all you want. get to buffet early as it is the only time i had seen a line up to get into.
Bars -- there is the main lobby bar which is 24 hour bar and has premium brands, while there a bottle of Jim Beam and Canadian Club showed up can not say if they are there all the time but they were there for at least a night that I know of. Millwood, Campari, JB scotch, khlahua and others. Just ask as the shelves don't always tell the full story.
Lobby bar, Pool bar, bar by the Japanese restraunt (behind the Villas) and hot tubs, beach bar in the beach (cuban) restaurant. All fast service just use your manners. Try the banana drink on menu. Crystal beer on tap at all bars. I brought my double stainless steeled wall 12oz mug with me and it was the perfect size.
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
beach - where do I start it is huge, beautiful, lots of shade when you want it, clean, the ocean.
pool there is a seperate little kids pool fenced off with loungers for the parents. the pool is about 3 1/2 at the deepest point. It is cleaned every morning. My dispointment here is I had wished that the pool would just stay open one hour later, still hot and humid when it closes.
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
| activity staff at resort really entertaining, lots of activities around pool and around beach. Night time entertainment the people are talented to tell you the truth I did not see to much of it. I was always someplace else and only catch part of the show. |
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| Other Comments: |
At the start of this review I told you I was with my 73 year mother. The entertainment staff, bartenders and our maid were so gracious to her. this was my moms first trip to Cuba (she is a DR junky) she has told she would go back to Cuba anytime. This resort has a few flaws, they tried to make this resort wheelchair friendly, they put in ramps on most stair cases, they fail miserbly here they would be way to steep for a manual wheelchair, I could not find a ramp for my mom to walk up to get to the buffet. It is 15 stairs up and down to the buffet. This is only a concern if you have a mobilty issue.
This resort is lovely, the food, bar service, villas, resort staff, the beach would make me go back to this resort, I would not bring my mom again but only due to the mobility issue,she enjoyed herself I would have to find another resort who really is equipped for those with a mobility issue. She can still walk, stairs are just getting tougher for her. I really enjoyed myself, went to Callie 62 when i could, went to the lovely Havahna, double decker bus tour of Varadero and walked miles. Next resort will be just a little closer to town when I go again. I would stay at this resort again
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| Staff were all very helpful and most spoke excellent to good enough english |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Duane from Manitoba >
1 contribution(s) |
| Dec, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Arrived at 11:00PM and took about 1 hour to clear customs and get to the resort. Really not bad at all. |
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| Rooms: |
| Very clean rooms, stayed in the villas offerred by my tour provider. Furnishings were dated but functional. Two TV's but only one worked, only a minor inconvenience. 220 volt outlets, take a converter. Lots of hot water and no power outages. Maid service was excellent, consider a small tip such as nylons or other hard to get embargo items, it will be appreciated. Villas were excellent since they are away from the noise of the main pool area, quiet and very close to the beach. |
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| Restaurants and Bars: |
| Restaurants were clean, service was good. Main buffet room is large and noisy, needs an update. One negative of the buffet, one entire wall are glass windows that look on to the main pool area and need a good scrubbing, a little unpleasant to look through streaky dirty outside windows when your eating. Food was OK, but not great. Very little variety from day to day and far too bland for me. Bars were well staffed and drinks were good. Take an insulated mug for cold drinks and ask for lots of ice or your drink may not be cold or stay cold for long. The three other restaurants, Martino's (pasta and sea food) and Musani (Japanse, sushi) and the beach open air restaurant were all good. The best was Martino's, book it ASAP. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds: |
| Beach is great, best we've ever seen. Water was warm and crystal clear. Pools were good, a little cool. Hot tubs were not hot, only luke warm. Grounds were very clean. Watch for some uneven footpaths and surfaces. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
Stage shows each night at the hotel, nothing special, about the same as any other resort stage show. Took one sort of private tour to Havana. We booked a cab company and driver that took us to Old Havana, Revolution Square and the Capital building downtown. Old Havana was the best by far. Quite interesting. Hired a local guide that approached us, paid 5 CUC's person person, 5 of us in the group, for an almost 2 hour walking tour of the area. Guide spoke excellent english and was quite knowledgeable. Revolution Square and the Capital Building were waste of time. Revolution square is just that a square with not much else, interesting if your a politics/history buff. Capital building was closed, so we only saw the exterior.
Market area of Varadero was OK, worth an hour or so...walk off the flea market area a few interesting small places to see.
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| Other Comments: |
| Over all the hotel was quite good. We were told it was built in the mid 90's and is starting to show it's age. However, the staff were all very helpful and most spoke excellent to good enough english. Grounds very clean as were the rooms. Never been to Cuba before, the food was OK but, very bland compared to other places in the Caribbean. One major good point, the hotel and all places we went, appeared to be very safe and clean. Can't say that for other holidays were have been on. |
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| The people are very friendly and their English is very good |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Joan from Halifax >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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Arrival: April 20th - May 4th
Travelled on Air Transit and had a very good flight. Arrived at the resort around 11:30am and were able to check into our room within an hour.
Rooms:
Rooms were clean and we did not see any bugs. We stayed there last year and had little bugs in the bathroom. We took raid this year but did not have to use it. The maids were very friendly and always had swans or some kind of design on the bed from the towels. I brought little gifts for the maids.(Things for their hair)
Restaurants and Bars:
Food was good, however in the Italian Restaurant they use a lot of salt.The mashed potatoes tasted like the ocean it was so salty. In the buffet there was always lots to choose from so you will never go hungry. The Japanese was ok, but I am not fond of Japanese food. The bar in the front lobby was great.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach was wonderful, and always lots of chairs. Be careful leaving your towel to hold your chair as my friends towel was stolen. She had to go to the front desk and the manager gave her a replacement card, but my friend was insistent that she was not paying for a new towel. The pool was also good. Nice and clean.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We have been in Cuba many times (8) so we did not go on any tours this time. We did golf every second day and the golf course was great. The greens were really slow so it was hard to get used to them.
Other Comments:
Overall, Cuba is a great place to go. The people are very friendly and their English is very good. I will probably be back again next year. This is a great Resort especially if you are a golfer as the green fees are part of the package. |
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| This was a dream vacation |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Anne from Ottawa >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2009
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When: April 24 - May 3
Family - husband, wife and daughter.
Amazing Family Resort! I love this place!
This was our first time to Cuba. I loved this resort. I am planning to go back again next year. We stayed in the villas, so I cannot comment on the rooms in the main building. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable and had 2 balconies both with views of the ocean, truly amazing. We found that when we left a peso or two for the maids each day, they did incredible towel art on your beds! Everyone is so friendly and helpful and also appreciative of anything extra that you give them whether it be pesos or perfume, shampoo, etc. We bought extra stuff to give them and they loved it. Especially hard to get is shaving cream so next time we will bring more little cans to give away. They really like baseball caps too. Please note that Canadian money is useless to them so don't even think about tipping them with it.
The location is purely heaven on earth. Gorgeous beach and ocean. I cannot imagine anything better then these turquoise waters - anything else would be a let down.
The resort has a lovely pool, lots of cabana loungers for everybody, and great, well kept gardens. The food is so good at the buffet that next time I will not eat at the other restaurants on site as I preferred the incredible buffet. Lots of variety for everybody, the fruit especially is so delicious and fresh, lots of cheese, chicken, pork and fish...not so much beef though. The custom- made individual pizzas everyday by the beach are unbelievable. The fresh fruit juice in the morning is incredible.
Lots of activities to keep you laughing and amused. Our family appreciated the fact that there is no topless bathing allowed either at the resort or on their beach, so it is a great resort geared for families. It was perfect for our family and there were lots of young families with little children there. This is not a "swinging singles pick up club" kind of place, but there are other hotels on the strip that are more geared to that sort of thing if you are looking for that element.
If you are a shop-a-holic, there is not much to buy in Varadero other than rum and cigars. We did not go there to shop so that suited us just fine. The local Cubans sell little trinkets on the beach, like shell necklaces etc that are quite cute and cheap. They do not bother the tourists, they just set up their stuff for you to browse.
My husband did the day trips which he really enjoyed like going to Havana. I preferred just to relax by the water.
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The only negative thing to speak of is not the resort itself but the tourists at the resort leaving their drinking trash around the grounds, pool and beach for the Cubans to pick up after them. I was embarrassed and disgusted. The Cubans work so hard, 14 hours a day with only one day off, the last thing they need to do is pick up plastic cups from tourists too lazy to put them in in the bins. The beach would be littered at the end of each day.....a disgusting shame. Yet every morning it is spotless because they work all night to clean it up. If you go, be considerate and pick up after yourself.
Another frustrating thing is Havana airport. On the way home, the whole computer system crashed leaving us delayed an extra 2 hours...but there are no seats in the tiny airport so we had to stand or sit on the floor...not fun. Apparently the delays are very regular so go being prepared to be delayed. At least we now know what to expect when we return.
Aside from the inconsiderate tourists and Havana airport, this was a dream vacation. |
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| Food was better at this resort than others. |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Marc from Sudbury, Ontario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2009
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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 |
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| We golfed 5 of the 7 days |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
| User Rating:
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Steve >
12 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: February 3 - February 11
Four of us left last minute, we had 5 days to prepare and left from Halifax via Montreal to Varadero with Air Canada Vacations. The flights were good, except having to stay in Montreal airport overnight(scheduled). We didn't want to pay for a hotel room for 4 hours. The flights were on time and comfortable. Arrival at the hotel was quick and room keys dispensed easily as there were only the four of us checking in.
Rooms
Our rooms assigned were in the main building looking at ocean and Tuxpan next door.Rooms are dated and need some sprucing up. Everything was clean and comfortable, even with the low beds. Shower has hot and always lots of pressure. We were not next door to the couple we came with so we asked if we could switch and the front desk said come back next day and they would accommodate us. They did and the rooms were next door and less windy in another wing of the 3 legged main building. House keeping went to great length to do up our towels and blankets in great designs each day. It was well appreciated and tip left each day on the bed. The minibar had a bottle of water each day and the room had a safe and key which we weren't charged extra for.
Restaurants and Bars
Jimmy's buffet always had a good variety and something for everyone. The desserts were good along with the ice cream. Fresh salad and fruit everyday was excellent. Service was very good and met some great waiter staff.
Lobby bar was busy most times and smokey as well. only the front side of the bar was open and didn't see the back half open. At times it could have been to limit the wait. I am a rum and water drinker and that seemed tough to explain and get consistently right.
The beach bar had great service and turned into the Cuban a la carte at night. Weather was cold the night we were there and we didn't stay long.
The Italian was very nice as well as the Japanese. Food was good at both but disappointed some menu items were not available when we were there. Service very good and professional.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Beach had great body surfing waves but no snorkeling on the beach. Red or yellow flag everyday.Pool did not have anyone in it as it was very cold. The grounds were well kept but near the beach the walkways need touch ups as cement needs work and yellow step lines should be repainted for safety.
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Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We didn't go on any tours. We golfed 5 of the 7 days as golf was all-inclusive, except for a $55 CUC charge for the golf cart, we took our own clubs. We made our tee times from Halifax and most days were out on time or even early one day.
We took the double decker bus in Varadero one day and even had a ride in an older yellow bus, likely a personal bus and paid the drive $2cuc each to go into Varadero.
Other Comments
The weather was cool for 3 days of the seven, the golf workers had parkas, gloves and bandanas around their faces while we golfed in shorts and long sleeved shirts.
Quite funny at times. The holes by the water were extremely windy.
After last round we had a nice Cristal each at the 19th and enjoyed the view immensely looking back towards the resorts |
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| We upgraded to an oceanview room |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
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Leticia from Vancouver, BC >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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Arrival: February 27 - March 7
We flew with Sunwing and had no complaints, everything went smoothly as far as the flight and pick up from the airport was concerned. We were the only people from our flight booked at the Bella Costa so check in was quick, we arrived at the resort at 8am and our room was not ready, but reception said we could check out the resort and our room would be ready in one hour. We came back an hour and a half later and our room was ready!
Rooms
We loved our room! We upgraded to an oceanview room and were glad that we did! Very nice, clean room with a balcony and an oceanview. We had room 386 which was on the 4th floor overlooking the ocean and pool area. The beds were extremely comfortable! We had a grea night sleep every night we were there!
Restaurants and Bars
The food was great! We always found something we liked at the buffet, the pizza at the beach grill was outstanding! We had one every day! We're craving that pizza now that we're back home!! All the a la cartes were great but we liked the Cuban one the best, the steak was delicious!
We spent used the pool bar during the day and lounged at the lobby bar during the evenings. We really liked the atmosphere in the lobby bar and the live music was always great!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach was amazing!! Crystal clear water and lots of white sand! Always found lounge chairs, even if you don't see any you just have to ask a hotel employee and they will bring you some. Didn't use the pool (why would you when you have such a beautiful beach at your disposal!!) although we saw lots of people lounging by the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
They had nightly entertainment at the resort, it was pretty much the same every night so after watching it twice we were not too interested in seeing it again but it's nice to have something to watch while you're enjoying a drink!!
Other Comments
All in all we really enjoyed our stay at this resort and would definitely go back and recommend it to our friends!! |
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| All in all we had one of the best weeks at this resort |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
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Susan from Winnipeg, Manitoba >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2009
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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! |
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| The buffet had a wide variety of selections |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
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Barb from Ontario >
2 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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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.
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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. |
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| We prefer a more International crowd |
| Hotel Breezes Bella Costa |
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Nancy from Ontario >
3 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009
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Arrival: Jan 12 - 19
Travelled Sun Wing out of London, ON. No problems except poor flight times this year...only get 6 full days.
Rooms:
Room was clean but the bed was terribly uncomfortable. Room 337.
Restaurants and Bars:
The Mirador Outdoor Eatery is one of the main reasons for choosing this resort again this winter. It is located right out on the beach, tile floor, covered ceiling, offers breakfast, smorg lunch and individual pizzas from 12 to 5 every day. The main beach bar is located here and the restaurant staff is very friendly and efficient. Since we are travelling with a toddler we can use the buggy here, be in the shade when we eat, and basically can stay on the beach for the entire day without so many trips to the room. We found the food in the main dining area and Mirador to be just fine, always something you might like.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The hotel itself is getting dated...an "aging Princess" so to speak. We were first here in 1994 before the "all inclusive" trend. But, the grounds are well maintained and things are generally satisfactory.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We are beach people so do not participate in the pool activities. However, I do know that Yacmel,is well liked and offers a fun pool side program.
Be aware that the night entertainment is right in front of hotel rooms and is loud until 11 and then people hang around until much later. So, check out the location of your room before you have the luggage sent up if this might be a bother to you.
Other Comments:
Again this year there were problems with the elevator. Only 1 of 3 functioning...had to access the staff elevator many times. This resort is not for people with mobility problems...many steps up to the main buffet dining room and elevator problems.
Changing from the Iberostar to the Breezes chain has meant that 90% of the clientelle is from Canada. We prefer a more International crowd...so just an FYI in case you are interested as to who you will be sharing your vacation with. The Bella Costa is good value for the money because of its beach location and the outdoor Mirador. It has suited our purposes fine the last 2 years with a child in tow, but personally I would not want to be on a couple holiday with my husband of 35 years...a younger crowd/family oriented/noisy/etc. |
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| Old Reviews - Breezes Bella Costa |
| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Cheryl
Ontario
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| December 2008 |
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Arrival: Dec 2- 9 /08
Skyservice - on time - uneventful - very small seats
Rooms:
We were on the 2nd floor over the 24 hours bars - not a good thing - very noisy - we requested a different room and were moved to 5th floor overlooking pool. Rooms are clean but they need updating. Staff are very helpful
Restaurants and Bars:
We went to all the a la cartes and buffet - food was actually very good for Cuban standards.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Grounds very clean - pool very cold - beach wonderful
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Played golf several days - course is nice
Other Comments:
Like the short flight time to Cuba |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
erieangle
Niagara
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| December 2008 |
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Your Arrival:
Fly with Sunwing...uneventful,on time flight,movies sucked, food was good.Used the prefered sunwing elite package.Good value for your money.
Rooms:
First we were in a room that over looked the service area. Asked to be moved. No problem. Got a room overlooking the golf course.
Restaurants and Bars:
You don't go to Cuba for the food.But you can always find something to eat.Breakfast is the best meal they serve. Note... bring your own favouite seasonings like katchup, jam, peanutbutter, hot sauce, stuff like that.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was not as sandy as it was last year.The recent hurricanes left their mark on the beach leaving exposed rocks.Just had to walk a little down the beach to get beautiful sandy beach. Pool is to shallow but nice and clean. Grounds are kept up and look nice. Not too many palm trees were taken out with the bad weather they experience this year.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Went and played golf that was are only off resort activity. The golf course was great. We did do the double decker bus into town to shop at the markets, can't go wrong for 5CUC for all day per person.
Other Comments:
Enjoyed the time we spent here. But i will not return to this resort. Just too many different resorts to go to that are better. That being said if you could get a really great deal to go to Bella Costa i would go. Not my first choice or second or third. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Shari
Brantford, Canada
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| October 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
Arrived October 21, 2008 via Sunwing, our flights were delayed due to some people coming from Vancouver who we had to wait for, it was a bit frustrating to have to wait the extra hour or so because we just wanted to get to Cuba!!, but we made good time once we were going so all was good. Our return flight however was ridiculous as we were 5 hours late coming back. We left our hotel at 9:15am for the airport, and we didn’t leave Varadero (not that I wanted to leave!! It was so beautiful) until just after 5pm and we still had to fly to Manzanillo before we even started to go back towards Toronto.
Rooms
We stayed in the Villa’s, they were really nice, but the hotel will need to do some renovating! Our first room had a leak, but the view of the ocean and the pool was too beautiful to leave, and since we weren’t planning on staying much in our rooms, we sucked it up. That was until we returned from playing in the ocean one day to find our roof caved in! They moved us to another Villa, and this had an even better view of the ocean and the garden, however, still had a drip from the roof when It rained.
Restaurants
I loved the restaurants personally! Yes, the odd time you may get a croissant that is as hard as a rock, but all in all the food was great. The best, is the personally made pasta’s/pizza’s and omelets!! You get three A la Carte’s with your stay, the Cuban was yummy, but the Japanese was fabulous!! I was not so impressed with the Italian, but my constant flow of vino blanco made up for it!!
Bars
We went twice to either La Bumba or La Rumba!! (Have a guy who speaks Spanish say these names to you! It’s damn sexy!) Whichever one was in walking distance from the hotel! The first night we went over with the Entertainers of the hotel and the second time with a bunch of people we had met. I Loved it!! the music was great, I don’t think I stopped dancing my whole vacation!! Man can Cuban’s dance!!
Beach and Pools
The Beach was unreal!! Exactly what you would see in a brochure!! The water was so clear & calm a couple of days you could see everything!! I had read a few reviews before I went and heard to beware of Jelly fish that are around quite a bit, however, I did not see one!! The pool was nice, not very deep though, and It would be a lot nicer if there was a swim up bar!!!!
Grounds
Wow!! Does that explain it!? The workers there take such great care of everything. The plants are absolutely beautiful and everything is so well maintained.
Activities and Entertainment
Loved it!!! There was always something to do, and my vacation would not have been complete without the “Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha, Toma Toma”! lol!! You’ll understand when you go!! I did win the 26’r from bingo on my last day!!
Tours
We never went on any tours this time, but we’ll be back!
Departure and Check Out
Aside from that drama with our plane being so late, everything was fine. They were going to give us a wake up call, but somehow we woke up early on our own. We just chilled downstairs with some friends we met until our cab arrived.
Conclusion
The atmosphere at Bella Costa was everything I could have asked for!! We met so many amazing people, both the guests and the people who worked there!! I would definitely recommend it and will definitely be back!! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Teresa V
Smithville ON
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| October 2008 |
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Arrival & Flight
Our flight was with Sky Services and anyone who has flown with them before knows that the planes are very limited on space. Really have nothing bad to say, we arrived early and had no problems with our luggage. Upon leaving the airport building we were greeted by our tour rep and told which bus would take us to our resort. I think it was about a 20min bus ride to the resort and upon checking we were told that out room wouldn't be ready until about an hour later. We left our luggage in the lobby and wondered around for a bit.
Rooms
We had asked for a room in one of the villas and this is what we got. Our room was very large and really consisted of two rooms. Upon entering you are in a little sitting room which has a TV, the mini bar fridge, a small sofa and chair as well as a coffee table. Off to the one side is a set of patio of doors that lead to our wrap around balcony. We were on the ground floor in room 768. The second room is where our beds were, I think they may have been 3/4 beds but not sure. In this room you also have a TV and a DVD player. Really the only thing they could improve on was the closet space which was very small. Typical bathroom for Cuba. The water pressure was great but the temp did going up and down a lot when showering. There is also another set of patio doors in the bedroom and we looked at the pool area.
Restaurants
We ate at the buffet for breakfast and supper, there was always lots to chose from but everyone needs to remember that they are in Cuba and that the food is different from ours however they do try. For lunch we always at the restaurant by the beach. The pizza was great!! We tried the Japanese restaurant and found this to be very good as well. The staff at all the restaurants were very friendly and we always tipped one or two peso.
Bars
We mainly used the pool bar and it was fine. There is a bar in the lobby and a bar at the restaurant by the beach.
Beach & Pool
The beach was great and this is where we were everyday!!! Lots of loungers and for the most part it was never really that busy. We walked by the pool everyday but didn't go in it.
Grounds
Always saw lots of gardeners working to keep the resort clean.
Activities & Entertainment
The only activity we did was sit in our loungers so can't really comment about them. We did see a couple of the shows and they were Ok again you have to remember your in Cuba!
Tours
We did none.
Departure & Check out
Check out was quick and easy. Again our flight was ahead our schedule and we had no problems.
Conclusion
We would stay at this resort again if we were able to get it for the price we paid this time. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Barb - family of two adults and two grown kids(17 and 21)
Canada
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| September 2008 |
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Arrival and Flight
Skyservice 3085 – Aug 24- Aug 31 2008. Everything was on time, expect the golf clubs never made the plane.
Rooms - good size, fairly clean (we found one cockroach) but in need of renovations, definitely helps to have a balcony for clothes drying. Palm trees block the view of the ocean but its still very nice. During Hurricane Gustov, our kids room had water dripping from the ceiling even though we were on the 3rd floor of a seven room unit.
Restaurants – we ate at the Buffet, the Cuban outdoor restaurant and the Italian – the al a carte restaurants were much nicer than the buffet, providing you picked the right meal. Overall the food was okay – not great and certainly not to Canadian standards. You could find something to eat (we ate pizza’s every day for lunch and eggs for breakfast) For Dinner’s we tried more variety but very limited foods we found acceptable
Bars - very good selection of drinks and good service, lots of interesting people
Beach and Pools - Beach was exceptional, sandy for miles and miles, no rocks or seaweed for most part, lots of waves and 85 degree temperature. Pool was find but no deep end, only went up to waist so it was not great for swimming lengths.
Grounds - well kept and clean
Activities and Entertainment - only so so, the shows were fairly amateur relying on guests to make up the entertainment, either couples or singles asked to compete and do activities. Beach Vollyball was well attended.
Tours - went to Havana, long bus trip, very interesting to see a city is such disrepair, lots of culture
Departure and Check Out
Skyservice mishandled bags and broke luggage. A passenger decided not to fly and they had to remove their bags, in the process they threw everyone’s bags all around and delayed everyone for over 40 minutes. They lost our golf clubs on the arrival and took two days to get them to us.
Conclusion
Overall, Cuba, especially Varadero is a fantastic vacation spot with lovely people. Met some great people, mostly from Canada, some from UK, Germany, France etc. We would go again but to a higher quality hotel. The Bella Costa is an acceptable hotel but not one I would stay at again. They need to upgrade the food, accommodations and entertainment. If you can get it for a good price its got a lovely beach. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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We flew out on July 3 for one week. Weather was great. One day we had a thunderstorm for about 2-3 hours.
Arrival and Flight
Flew Skyservice. Flight was on time, food not the greatest.
Arrived in Varadero, no problems. We landed on time, were thru customs, got our luggage and on the bus in about 15 minutes
Rooms
We received one of the suites. Excellent. Main floor for the family and two separate rooms with their own washroom and showers.
Water is fine to drink from the taps here but we still got our bottled water daily.
Restaurants
We ate at the Italian and Cuban restaurants. Both were very good.
Breakfast is standard fare. Lunch at Mirador was good. They had great pizza, good salads and burgers.
You don’t go to Cuba for the food.
Bars
no problems at all. They always had mint for the Mojitos. Beer is always cold. We brought travel mugs for our drinks.
Beach and Pools
Pool is shallow, great for little kids. Beach is excellent. Unfortunately some of us tourists are pigs and tend to pollute it by not cleaning up after ourselves. I don’t know how many times I picked up beer cans and those cheap plastic cups.
Activities and Entertainment
The entertainment crew always had something on the go and people participated.
We went in the off season. The hotel was maybe half full. Not a lot of stuff offered at the beach. Only the banana boat showed up. Not a problem. We were there to relax
Departure and Check Out
Flight left on time, no problems checking out. Don’t forget to set aside 25 pesos per person to get out. Must be cash. Arrived in TO on time and we were thru customs and out of the airport in 15 minutes.
Conclusion
Excellent resort. Breezes Bella Costa is a great resort. For comparison Tryp Cayo Coco has better food and a nicer beach. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Heidi
Nova Scotia
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| May 2008 |
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My sister and I visited Superclub Breezes Bella Costa May 4-May 11/08...We flew Sunwing from Halifax and it was an excellent fligt with great service and food...
Rooms: There were not issues with our bus to the resort or check in and our room was ready even though we arrived before noon... our room was clean and spacious... however my one and probably only complaint was our air conditioning wasnt the best...we had technicitions in twice and come to find out its central air conditioning and thats as coolest it was going to get... however the most we talked to others we found out their rooms were quite cool but by that time it was half way through the week and we didnt feel like packing up and moving...
Food and Drink: You will never go without...there was unlimited amounts of food...if you picky then dont go...Remember you are in cuba so things are cooked different...Breakfast was my favorite...and by far the best meal...the beach grill was great for lunch and the pizza there is a must...the pool bar and lobby bar were the best...the bar in the beach grill was ok depending on wht you order...everyone gets a large bottle of water the first day in your room, if you tip your made well she will give you another... Tip your bartender every so often and you will be the first to get served everytime after that...
Entertainment: The nightly shows werent that great or approprite for children...but remember you didnt go to Cuba for a nightly show... There was always stuff going on all day...bingo everyday at 5pm and the winner gets a 40 of rum...step areobics, water areobic, dance lessons, mini golf, daily volleyball games etc...
Serivce: TOP NOTCH... We did not meet one un friendly employee... Everyone was so willing to help you or wait on you regardless if you tipped or not...the pizza guy was just thrilled to see us everyday at lunch...
Beach and Pool: Beach just beautiful and always a place to get some sun...the pool lovely...at first we though it was small but then realized it was never packed and there was always room for everyone...also you didnt have to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve a chair...
Building: yes its a bit out dated but are you going to cuba to stare at the building?
Lovely time, would go back again... the resort wasnt huge so everything was quite close... we would definitly fly ing sunwing again as well the flight was just lovely... |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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Well where to start! At the beginning I guess. This was a family vacation, we were 9 in total, 2 grand parents, 4 parents and 3 teens. The bus ride from the airport gave us a chance to see housing and businesses along the way, with full comentary about the sightings.
Check-in was fast and efficient. Of course because we arrived early in the day, approx 12 noon our rooms weren't all ready - so we just put all the luggage in the one's that were and took off to explore our vacation site. Pablo took care of our luggage quickly and efficiently and even brought us drinks while we waited in line.
Rooms are very clean and although I'd read about paint coming off walls and tubs - I didn't notice any in our room. As far as I know all rooms are equipped with safe - and there is no charge - but if you lose your key it's 20 or 25 pesos.
The first day we tried to get to see everything and where everything was. The resort staff is super friendly and with all smiles always ready to answer any questions or concerns we had.
Bring lots of sunscreen no matter how little you normally burn. Put it on often - every hour to hour and 1/2 - you'll enjoy everyday that way.
The beach was great - we had a lot of fun in the waves and looking for sea shells. We'd get two huts close together and spend most of the day there.
The pool is also very nice and very very clean. And everything is well situated that you don't have to walk endlessly to get from one thing to another. First Aid staff at the pool all week was Ricardo - very nice and probably saved me a trip to the ER b/c of sun/heat stroke.
Never had to wait for too long at either the pool or beach bar. We brought insulated mugs so we didn't have to use the little plastic cups (ecological too) and that way the drinks were sand free and cold. The bar in the lobby in the evening was a little longer wait - but we'd order 2 drinks to keep ahead of the game.
Some feedback about the food - If you can't find something to eat - than you're too picky! Everyday the buffets were varied. Breakfast you can always get pancakes, waffles, omlettes or eggs any way you want them - if you like 'em well cooked just speak up and you'll get what you want. At the beach buffet - pizza anyway you want it - everyday. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads of all kinds. Experiment - that's what vacation is all about! If you don't like it - don't ask for it next meal. You have to expect that it's not Canada and food is not prepared the same as here.
Water - to drink - you get one 1L bottle in room - but if you take it to the bar or buffet you can refill it for free - or you can always buy or really tip your housekeeper and ask her for one.
Always activities around the pool and beach area - fun to participate in. From stretching, step arobics, water polo, volley ball. And at the pool bar at 5pm every night they had a bingo where you could win a bottle of Rum. - Can't go wrong!
Well we just loved it and would absolutely go back to this resort in future. Hi to Lourdes (Housekeeper), Raoul (Gardner), Rene (Bar), Pablo (Luggage), Ricardo (First Aid), Nelson (Animation), Suzy (Hair-braids), Ruben and Jose and many more - you certainly made our vacation complete.
It's always good to tip your housekeeper, bar tender (not at every visit) and other staff, like the gardners. They are so appreciative of anything you can bring them. We tend to take for granted all that we have - so if you have clothing that you no longer care for and is still good - they appreciate that also.
Well I could go on.... but please do try this one - it's a gem. :) |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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I just came back from the Superclubs Breezes Bella Costa from April 20th to the 27th and I wish I was still there! It was such a great trip I miss it already!
I flew with a group of 16 with Sunwing vacations and was pleasantly surprised by the quality, seeing how it was a charted flight. The meals both ways were excellent (for airplane food) and there was complimentary wine and champagne! The seats were a little cramped but they were leather!
We arrived rather late but were checking in quickly..very efficient staff!
The hotel is old, there is no doubt, but it is super clean...the rooms were cleaned throughouly each day and our maid Lourdes left us notes and created elaborate swans with the towels and blankets each day!
The beach is phenomenal! Aqua colour ocean, crystal clear! Sand is like white sugar...and the waves were very fun! On the beach there was also a lunch buffet, which was rare in the area apparently..I spoke with others on the return flight and they complained that their resort lacked this feature. The pizza at the beach buffet is really good...made in front of you!
Speaking of food..the food was really good at this resort. I heard so many bad things about food in Cuba but I really did not find bad at all. There were certainly a lot of things i did not like, but if you go hungry it is your own fault because there is such a variety every day. We ate at the Italian a la carte and the staff were so sweet. The atmosphere was nice and the table was set just so.
All in all I had an amazing time..the only things that were bad were the slow elevators..and that is not that bad. The decor is a little tacky but get over it, you are in a third world communist country! I felt that the hotel was lovely..the main thing is cleanliness. This resort is perfect for anyone who is a beach bum and enjoys a lot of food! Each night there was a show, but it was a little racey for small kids (Tropicana dancers with thongs)..but the dancing was incredible. The party scene was not overly intense, very low key...but we did go to a nearby club for a couple of nights..La Rumba..but it is 10 peso for cover and drinks are not included!
I would definitely return! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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ARRIVAL:
Used Sunwing Vacations, nice flight, good meal. Arrival went very well, clearing customs at the Cuban airport was easy, they hardly seemed to even care about people's luggage. We got on the bus and easily checked-in. The bartender sent drinks over for people waiting in line. The room was nice and clean, good shower, hair dryer and refrigerator. We did not get a balcony, but still had a great view from the room, beautiful sunrises over the ocean. Cash was easily exchanged at the front desk, staff were always polite and helpful. No party noise, but some wind noise for two days that were very windy.
RESTAURANTS:
We always ate at the buffets, either the main buffet or the beach buffet. Cannot understand any complaints about the food, there was always plenty of good food to eat and a large variety, the desserts were especially good. They had theme nights a few times, with different food on those nights. They could use some instructure on properly preparing sushi, but they always had pork, chicken, beef and fish available at dinner, even lobster one night. Wine and coffee service was excellent and for dinner there was usually live entertainment from a Cuban trio. For kids there was pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers as well as ice cream sundays. People I talked to enjoyed the food. Cubans like tipping, which is understandable given their low incomes, I spent at least $10 a day on tips.
BARS:
Bars pretty good, not always consistent in the preparation of drinks. We had large thermus mugs that they happily filled for us.
Fabulous beach! White powder sand. Clear, aqua ocean, waves varied depending on offshore storms, some days low, other days great for body surfing. We had no problem finding lounge chairs at the beach any time of day.
TOURS:
Took the Jeep tour and the Havana tour both were great, although if you have back or neck problems, do not take the jeep tour as the back roads can be very bumpy.
WARNINGS:
Always, always ask for the cost of taxis, horse carriages etc. in advance. If you do you will end up paying only 10 pesos for up to four people to go into Veradero, if you do not you will be told at the end of the ride that you owe 10 pesos per person and if the ride was long, it could be 20 pesos per person, the Cubans have no problem taking advantage of you if they get the chance.
There is a Cuban scam going on at the airport, you pay 10 pesos for every kilogram over the 20 kilo luggage limit. And the scales have been adjusted to make you pay. So if you leave Canada with luggage weighing 20 kilos and have given away some items, but buy nothing, you may find that at the Cuban airport your luggage weighs 25 kilos and you owe them 50 pesos. So make sure your luggage is underweight unless you wish to pay money to leave Cuba.
Conclusion, had a great time, few problems and would go to the same hotel again next time. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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| We just got back from our trip to Varedero Feb 15th, 2008. We stayed at Breezes Bella Costa. It's a lovely location, right next to an excellent golf course and the beach was fantastic. However the hotel is getting a bit old & tired (especially the beds). The food at the main buffet was just passable - the Japanese restaurant was pretty sad; a misguided interpretation if ever there was one (Miso soup = chicken soup, sushi = soggy rice, tempura = ???). In general though we enjoyed the place, the people were lovely (with 1 or 2 exceptions) as was the view from our balcony. If you go, bring a thermos/cup if you have one to avoid wasting all the tiny plastic cups you'll be served (you'll also appreciate not having to make as many trips to the bar). |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Susan
Toronto
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| February 2008 |
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ARRIVAL:
My best friend and I travel to an all inclusive each year. We've done this for over ten years, leaving work, husbands and kids behind for our "annual get away". Air Transat flight evening of Feb.2/08 on time. Arrival fine, no delays, transit bus via Nolitours ready and good time to resort.
Some confusion with check in - took us to main lobby check in, but then re-boarded us on bus and took us to another check in area. Took some time to get the luggage sorted out (had been unloaded at first location), but it all worked out.
ROOMS:
We booked relatively last minute, with "run of the house", i.e. we'd take what they gave us for room. Most delighted to be put on second floor in a villa, with a suite, 2 balconies and large bedroom. Rooms are dated, as we've come to expect in Cuba, but were kept very clean. The lights in our little living room suite area didn't work, but all others did. Shower and toilet worked well. Hot water was always available. Hair dryer was good. We had views of both ocean and pool. One night was very noisy due to drunks at pool area bar. Otherwise not bad.
RESTAURANTS:
Worst food I've ever had at an all inclusive. Ever. At beginning of week, we referred to it as institutional. By end of week, we were calling it "prison chow". Poor selection, often cold, sketchy items (as in "do you know what this tissue is we're eating because I'm not sure..."), sometimes poorly cooked. The restaurant service was, however, generally good. We ate at the buffet for breakfast and dinner, and at the outside buffet overlooking the ocean for lunch. Tried the Cuban specialty restaurant once - they were out of several menu items (what a surprise), and the small amount of food was cold and very basic - we sadly wandered over to buffet afterwards to see if there was anything else to eat, (much to our disappointment, knowing what we were in for). Tipping appears to be expected - we tipped for the service, certainly not for the food.
BARS:
Bars pretty good. Lobby bar the best. The bars serve great cappuccinos, which I suggest taking to breakfast in the buffet where truly terrible coffee is served. Pool bar is noisy, but fun. Tipping results in better service.
BEACH AND POOLS:
Fabulous beach! White powder sand. Clear, aqua ocean, with low, soft waves. We walked the beach twice daily for at least an hour each time and only saw a small part of it. Always loungers available in the "Nolitours" separate beach section (a nice surprise!), with plenty of shaded areas if desired. The beach was the saving grace of this trip. Didn't use the pool, although it looked okay.
GROUNDS:
Same dated appearance as the rooms and rest of hotel, but perfectly fine.
ACTIVITIES:
Didn't participate. Seemed to be many activities for those interested.
Internet access available for 5 pesos/half hour. Worked.
TOURS:
Took no tours. Other guests we spoke with really enjoyed the Havana tour.
CONCLUSION:
Great beach, good service, fair accommodations, absolutely terrible food. Not unhappy to have gone, but would neither go back nor recommend it to a friend.
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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My husband and I both loved this resort. The food was great lots of variety and lots of seafood. The beach was awesome and the water was blue! Yes the hotel could use a bit of updating but overall I found it to be a clean resort.
The only bad thing I have to say is the tourist themselves. Most of them were from ******* and quite loud and rude. very impatient people!!! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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Just returned (Jan. 28, 08). Breezes accomodation was very good. Meals excellent, including both the buffet and the specialty restaurants. Great beach.
Only issues: not good at letting guests know what is available and when. Also the entertainment is only fair and extremely loud. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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We just got back from this resort on Jan.18 2008.
The trip was with Sunwing Vacations; the flight was 1 hour late leaving Ottawa but did make good time going there.
We were in formed when we arrived that our hotel did not have room for us that night so we were going to stay at Breezes Varadero over night.
The next day we sent to Bella Costa. The check in was fast and rooms were a good size very clean and every thing worked. We were also up graded to a room with a balcony. The resort is large and well run and is very clean. The beach is very nice, and big.
The food has improved greatly over the last 4 years and is good tasty and a big selection. The Japanese and Italian restaurants are very good, but the Cuban is so-so.
The reviews that say that it’s not clean or the food is not good are in my option not a true refection of this resort.
The flight back was 7 hours late in departing for various reasons depending who told you.
We would go back to this resort in the future it is a great vacation. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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We travelled for the first time to Cuba with all of our kids 3 boys of drinking age and our 10 year old daughter.
We flew Sunwing which we will never due again as they pack you in like cattle. The inflight service was great and included a meal.
Upon arrival at the resort check in was fairly quick.
Our rooms were clean the bathroom very dated with paint coming off the bathtub as well all electrical outlets were 220 V. so blowdryer and iron were out of the question.
Food was adequate you can always find something to eat. Make sure you eat lots at dinner or take something to your room for later as there is no late night buffet. The older boys were disappointed in this.
The beach was beautiful make sure you get out early and place towel on lounge chair as they go quickly. Pool is small but very clean.
Bar service was ok but if you tip often it is great and you will get fast service and better drinks.
The hotel is in need of a makeover it is very dated and rundown.
All in all we loved our Cuba vacation and are planning to return to Varadero this winter but we are going to try a different resort. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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Arrival -
Flight was through Sunwing. Love flying sunwing. arrival was on time. Had reserved seats. Good food and movie.
Rooms -
We were in room #445. Basic room two twin beds with balcony.Requested a king size, but did not get it. We over looked the golf course, nice view.
Restaurants -
The restaurants were extremly crowded. Being over the holidays the entire hotel was very busy. Bella Costa was actually over booked for the holidays. WHAT FUN!!!!!
Bars -
the beach bar was the best. Also had the best food besides breakfast in the main dinning room.
Beach and Pools -
The pool was only OK. Too shallow. But the beach was amazing. I can't say enough about the beach it was just sooo beautiful.
Conclusion -
I would never travel to this resort on another major holiday. But off season it should be a very nice resort. They offen over book this hotel in holiday season (Chistmas and New Years) We were in this resort for two days and we were offered a chance to go to their sister resort. Two resorts down, Breezes Varadero. We took the opportuntity to go the the other resort. It was the best thing we did. This resort was great. Please read this review on Breezes Varadero. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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This is a great site and before I headed to cuba, I read a lot of reviews from the others and they turned out to be very helpful. We (a group of 6 girls) stayed in this resort from Nov 17-23 and had a wonderful time, we are planning to go back again next year, most likely stay in this same resort………
The flight:
We booked through SunQuest, the agents there are mostly helpful but if there were issues they tended to put you on hold for a long time (like 30min)…minor issues. We took SkyService, the original departure time was 5:45pm on Nov 16 but the day before the departure, I got a call from Sunquest telling me that due to some technical issues with the plane, our flight is delayed and the new departure is 7:35pm… ok, I am glad that informed us on time. Anyways, when we arrived in the airport, we found out that the plane is further delayed, at the end, we did not leave Toronto until 9pm and when we arrived in Varadero Cuba, it was 1am…
The airport there is so tiny compared to Pearson Airport.. We picked up our luggage and then rushed to exchange some Convertible Cuban Peso (CCP) (exit the main hall and turn left), our Sunquest representative was already waiting outside for us… the exchange rate for cuban peso against Canadian is about 0.9 (the cuban peso worth more than CAD), so for $200 CAD you can only get about 180 CCP. Count the money carefully before heading out since two of the friends got the wrong amount ( one is 6 bucks and the other is 8 bucks short).
We got on the tour bus, it is pretty clean and comfortable, about 30min ride took us to the resort area ( too bad it is all dark outside, you can’t see anything), we were almost the last ones to drop off since Belle Costa situated at the end of the long stripe, but all these resorts are so close to each other, so it is not a big problem. We went during the low season, so it was just the 6 of us staying in that resort… it was about 2:30am when we checked into the resort.. the girl in the counter was helpful and very quick… and a man just helped us loaded our luggage into our room. Before I headed to cuba, I read a lot of reviews saying you have to deposit 2 peso per day for the safe and 20 peso for the towels… well, maybe it was low season, they did not ask for any deposits for the safe and towels (they give u a separate towel card on top of your door card), which works out fine for us. The girls kept our passport for the night and said that we can pick it up in the morning.. When I lied down on the bed, it was 3am.. I found the room to be a bit cold for me and the air condition is making a bit of a noise (not very loud), so I just turned it off… somehow during the night, I can hear sounds outside of the window like the sound of the waves, did not give it too much thought…
I woke up at 9am (there is no time zone difference between Cuba and Canada), the first thing I did was running to the window, open the covers and right in front of me is the beautiful Caribbean sea. My room overlook the pool and the sea, the view is just unbelievable… the weather is nice too, sun was shining…. I called up the other girl and since we were too hungry, we decided to grab something to eat first. We had breakfast in the buffet, the omelette is very good.. and we can all find something we like, bacon, sausages….
After breakfast, we decided to explore the resort. The first person we bumped into is this nice and charming lady (forgot her name… ) in the towel exchange house.. she is soo nice, she welcomed us and asked for our names and guess what, in the rest of the stay, she managed to remember us each by name (there are 6 of us).. amazing isn’t it?
The resort
It is very big, with the main building and some villas sounding it, it has 4 restaurants ( buffet, cuban, Japanese, Italian), a pool bar (not swim up), a nice ,clean pool (we liked the ocean too much so we never swum in the pool), a tennis court, two Jacuzzi…. We stayed in the main building and it is about 1-2min walk to the beach. The resort looks kinda old and need some re-finishing, but overall it is very good. There are shops in the main floor and there is another bar there too. The rooms are nice and clean, the maids clean it everyday, how did I know.. well we usually did not make our beds and put the towels everywhere before we headed out, but when we returned , the room is always nice and clean… they made those nice art shape using the towels too.. I always left some small gifts to the maid and she appreciated it by writing me thank you notes.
The food
Before we headed to cuba, I knew the food there is pretty bland but well, we are not going there for the food, so mentally I prepared myself by not having a high expectation. I personally have no problem with the food though, I always found something to eat and some of the dishes are pretty yummy (the chicken noodle soup is my favourite) . Nobody got sick because of eating the food… However, after a few days, you found the dishes to be the same and especially towards the end of the trip, you kinda get tired of the dishes… but overall, I have absolutely no complain against the food. One note though, we checked out all the La Carte Restaurants and our conclusions is, stick with the buffet restaurant… (you make your reservation during breakfast in the buffet restaurant, there is a lady sitting in the corner), the Italian one, the portion is small, I am not a big eater but I found that I was still hungry after that.. the dessert, they said it’s tiramisu but I don’t think it is (I had tiramisu a couple of times in Toronto so I know how they taste), it is more like a dark forest cake to me…
The Japanese restaurant is a big joke, we ordered the soup (you can choose either the soup or the temperu), strictly speaking it is not soup, it is more like soy source plus tofu… I took a sip and I almost threw up.. so the appetiser is very disappointing, we put hope on the main dish.. well, the beef is soo chewy and hard to chew, it took some effort to swallow it… It is low season so not all the restaurants are open at the same time, for example, if the Italian and Japanese restaurants are open, then the buffet restaurant will not be open….
We stick with the buffet restaurant for the rest of the trip.
The people
All are very nice and helpful. The gardener (we called him papa, he said we are like his daughters) gave us flowers whenever he saw us. The entertainers are trying very hard to keep us happy and active. One of them took us out clubbing the first night we were there, and when we were lying on the beach, they always got us involved in the activities / games, it was a lot of fun hanging around with them. By the way, they all understand English, especially the entertainers, they are pretty darn good. We don’t tip all the time and we notice tipping or no tipping, the service is almost the same. They are all trying hard to make you have a good time there and they do appreciate it if you give them a few peso (3 or 5 peso). Another funny thing I notice is, there obviously were not that many Chinese (5 of us are Chinese and one is Filipino) doing this kind of tour, a lot of them seemed pretty exciting too see so many Asian girls. This guy in the resort actually told me that he has never ever seen so many Asian girls in this resort before.. A lot of the tourists we bumped into during the trip are from Canada (mostly from Toronto), Europe, a few from Russia, so far none from USA… Canadians are very welcome in Cuba….
The trips/activities
We did not stay in the resort everyday, we actually joined two day trips, one is the Catamaran and the other is Historic Havana and we also checked out the Plaza America mall and the Varadero market and the Tropicana Varadero show. The Catamaran trip is pretty cool, we took a cruise ship to a small island called Cayo Blanco, almost forgot to mention, we stopped for a bit and we snorkel and swim in the sea for about 1 hour, we did not see any fish though.. The island Cayo Blanco is pretty cool, we had lobster lunch in the island, I still think the beach in our resort is better than the one in Cayo Blanco. We took pictures and played a bit in the beach then we had to leave. We watched the dolphin show, we were glad that we did not sign up for this “swimming with the dolphin which costs you an extra 10 peso, since the water is pretty dirty, it is like a pond with not a swimming pool.. the total length of the show is less than 30min..
The day trip to Havana is good too, the tour bus that took us there has a lot of leg room compare to the room in Skyservice (that is my only other complaint for the trip, the leg room is very small in the Skyservice plane, consider the fact that I am an Asian girl but I still think the room is very cramped and small, we can not move basically, so I don’t know how the big guys can handle it, the service is pretty bad too, they occupy the place where it was intended for passengers to put their carry on luggage with their own boxes of towels and put the passengers luggage 4 blocks away from their seats , usually it should be the block right on top of your seat). We had a tour guy that speaks very good English. The bus stopped half way to pick up passengers from another Breeze resort (Jacobe ) that is stand alone and isolated from the rest of the resorts. We spent the morning touring around old Havana, there are quite a number of beggars that asked us for money but if you ignored them, they will not bother you again. We had lunch in a restaurant, the food is pretty good and they have a live band that play music for you, but they limit you one drink per person, if you exceed that, you have to pay for it yourself. We were given 1 hour to shop in the flee market in Havana… we went to the Varadero market and Plaza America mall to check out the gifts before so after comparison, we found out that the gifts in the Havana flee market are the best bargain. We bought a lot of gifts in the market, again 1 hour is way too little time to shop, and we were running and rushing back to the tour bus at the end… When we got back to the resort, it was like 7pm already… It took 2.5 hours one way to get to Havana.
The Tropicana show Varadero is a huge disappointment. There are 3 options in the Havana trip, one is seeing the Tropicana Havana show after the historic trip, but it’s pretty pricy. So we chose to go for the Tropicana Varadero Show since the tour representative said it was almost the same thing. Tropicana Havana is famous internationally and Tropicana Varadero is famous nationally. Well the Tropicana Varadero turned out to be a big disappointment, the show was held in an open area, mind you, it was still chilly at night (like around 18-20 degree) and especially when you are wearing a dress, it is cold… When the show started, this mid-aged bald guy was on the stage singing in Spanish for 15min.. he disappeared, the stage was empty and silent for 10min and then finally it was the show… I think they had technical difficulty that night but they never communicated this message to the viewers… and they were talking in Spanish all the time… WE all think the show we had in the resort (they have shows in the resort every night starting at 10pm, dancing, singing, acting, very professional and entertaining) is a lot better in terms of quality… this whatsoever Tropicana show is famous just because they have more people and their clothes look better and all you can see is a whole bunch of people dressing nicely walking around the stage and these two old couples singing in the background…. For 49 peso per person, this show is a rip off…Oh you have to pay to go to the washroom too..
This review is way too long, in the end, this is what I will suggest for those travelling to Cuba for the first time, always have an open mind and remember that you get what you pay for. If you treat others with respect and for sure you will be treated with respect too. One last note, buy all your gifts in the Havana flee market, the rum, you can get it in the resort or plaza America or the airport, all the same price. The cigar, make sure you get it in the airport, it’s a LOT cheaper in the airport. Good luck and have fun! Viva Cuba!! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Deanna (tvdeanna)
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| November 2007 |
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I just got back from the Bella Costa (stayed November 15-22, 2007)
Hotel: The hotel was a little dated, but our room was clean. The pool and beach were great, and the other ammenities were just fine. We did notice them spraying bug spray(pretty much fumigating) in the shop that sold cigars, so we chose to buy them somewhere else. There was only one elevator that worked, but you are on vacation, so the extra wait didn't bother us.
Staff: AMAZING! The bartenders at the Lobby Bar were awesome (especially Vladmir and Manuel!) The animation staff were really good too, and always remembered you, so that was nice.
Lourenza, the towel lady at the pool also stands out in my mind.
Food: Hit and miss. You can't really screw up breakfast, we never had a problem with that. We rarely ate lunch at the hotel, but the pizzas were good. The italian a la carte was good, the the japanese was ok. The last night we were there it was Mexican night at the buffet, and it was pretty good. I do have to say, that our best meals were at restaurants in town. (sorry, I can't remember the names)
Tours: We did the Catamaran and the Jeep Tour. Both of them cost us around $100 CDN, and were worth every penny.
Overall: We would go back to Cuba without a second thought! I would visit the Bella Costa again, but if I could get a better deal somewhere else, I would be up for trying a different hotel. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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October 24-31. Families with teenagers.
Flight was with Sunwing and was excellent. New plane that included leg room, hot meal and a movie. Staff were excellent and everything went smoothly.
Check in at Bella Costa was smooth and friendly. Room was clean and pretty big for a standard room. Because of off season we were upgraded to a room with a balcony. Fridge only had water in it, but wasn't a problem for us. If we had asked to bring up soda or alcohol it was no problem. Housekeeping was efficient and lovely decorations with towels daily. Housekeeper wrote daily note which was very personalized. Very nice.
Beach and pool were awesome. Pool was small, but no problems getting chairs, drinks and fun. Great for families.
Food was average Cuba food. Pastas, rice dishes, fruits.. breads were homemade and awesome, meat were cheap cuts but good all the same. Not a lot of variety throughout the week, but no one went hungry or disappointed. Drinks were good, nice variety and top shelf liquors in the lobby bar.
Public washrooms need some maintenance and TOILET PAPER..this was my only complaint..bring toilet paper from your room in your bag at all times!
Night life consisted of a show at 10 pm which was pretty amateur, but the people were awesome. Others waited for a nightly bus to take them to the local discos which left many hung over in the morning. lol.
The staff were amazing. Always friendly and ready to chat with you. Take the carriage ride into town for shopping, what an education! We also did the Catamaran Cayo Blanco. Unable to snorkel at the coral reef because the sand was stirred up, but had pics taken with dolphins, seafood lunch at an island and a wonderful boat ride.
The Bella Costa is in need of some professional maintenance, but I don't know if it is available in Cuba. Just a bit worn out..but clean and situated on a beautiful beach. Great for families and singles. Would go again. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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My family and I holidayed at the Bellla Costa the last week of June. We had a fabulous holiday. We travelled with my 17 month old granddaughter. Everyone went out of their way to help and make the trip more enjoyable. Westjet was very good at making sure there was a seat available for the baby and I was given a seat across the aisle. The staff at the hotel was exceptional. They were very friendly and went out of their way to help whenever we arrived for a meal. One kind waiter even went to another restaurant in search of a banana for the baby.
I do not understand all the complaining about cleanliness and the food. We stayed in the villas and they were great rooms. There does need to be some upkeep done as the humidity takes its toll on woodwork. But the rooms were clean and I never had any unwelcome visitors. We enjoyed the food. There were some things I hesitated to try but I was in a different country. I would hate to go on a holiday and only eat what I eat at home. How boring!
I would definately recommend this hotel for a family vacation. The pool was great and the beach and ocean amazing. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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Instead of enjoying my final day I spent the day arguing, complaining and going insane seeing what was happening.
Upon our arrival the bell boy opend the room and tried to kill a bug , we did not realize at this point it was a HUGE cockoroche. A few minutes later my wife was screaming there was another in the bathroom. I then went down to the lobby to question the infestation problem wanting to know if it was local to this hotel or to all of varadero. I was told " THIS IS CUBA " !! I then told him if I saw another I would take a picutre and bring it down for him to see it. Sure enough AS SOON as I entered the room there was another.
I was in Caya Coca last year and the year prior I was in The Domenican republic, I was born the the Azores islands and am well aware when there is POOR hygeine. My son suffers from a poor imunane system so hygene is VITAL to him.
The front desk called the bell boy via hand held radio to question wheather he indeed say a cockoroche in the room, being Portuguse I was able to understand clearly the converstation. I was told some one would be coming up to disinfect the room. A few minutes later a nice lady came into the room with a large can of bug spray ………. she sprayed the corners, behind shelves and the closest. She did an EXCELLENT JOB !
The lady then leaves and asks if we want to keep the can ?? A few minutes later my wife and I are sitting in the room looking at each other WE ARE SITTING IN A ROOM THAT WAS JUST SPRAYED WITH PESTISIDE AND ARE EXPECTED TO SLEEP HERE THE NIGHT ?? I went down to front desk again and was FURIOUS ……….
The next day we spoke with the sun wing rep. and explained what happened and asked to be changed to another hotel then went to get some thing to eat. After having breakfeast we decided to make the best of it as it would be too much trouble to repack AGAIN move my self, wife, mother, daughter and son.
From here on in everything was fine, everyting OUT SIDE of the hotel. DO YOU REALIZE THEY DO NOT HAVE TOILET SEATS in the lobby ??? And no this is NOT cuba thank you……
Our last day was the final nightmare. I was told I HAD to leave the room at noon…………. this was our LAST day the day we had been waiting for and the day to really appreciate. Instead I spent the day arguing, fuming and writing a letter of complaint. I asked the sun wing rep and the Manager at front desk to read and signe my complaint letter, they did read it but declined to signe any thing.
I never agreed to be kicked out of the room at noon. Our bus was arriving at 6pm. what were we suppose to do fo the whole day ?? How would 5 people bath, changed ? What was I to do with my 70 year old mother who walks with a cane ? How was I suppose to wake my son who has epelipsy and previously had a bad night ? He needed to sleep to recopourate ! I explained all of this to front desk but they wanted nothing to do with it , they demanded we be out of our rooms by noon.
I compelty refused saying it was impossible………………. I was then told arrangements would be made to put the FIVE of us in one room ( A COURTESY ROOM). So now we had to pack, get my mom ready and FORCE my son to wake up. When then went to the " COURTES ROOM " unpacked AGAIN and TRIED to relax for the remainder of the day.
Before going to The Breezes Bella Costa I had read the reviews on trip adviser and read about there being no toiled seats in the lobby ? Knowing people are strange I disregarded this. I ALSO read a message from some one who had beeb there " TWO WEEKS " prior to us and complaing about BLOOD soaked pillows ??
What are the odds WE WALKED IN TO THE " COURTESY ROOM " LIFTED THE BLANKETS AND WERE HORRIFIED / SICKEND TO SEE A BLOOD SOAKED PILLOW !!!
I have pictures to prove and VERIFY all of the above !
I appauled that sun wing would give this resort a GOLD rating ? What happened to the advertised 24 hour drinks ? I can read as far as six months back that there are NO 24 hour drinks. The rating and advertising on sun wings site needs to be updated and SOON ! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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We just got back from a week at the Breezes Bella Costa in Varadero Cuba. We had a wonderful time! I will start my review by saying that it is incomprehensible that anyone could have a negative opinion about this hotel.
The staff is very kind and polite, the food was fantastic. Like the odd mosquito, the only annoyance was having to listen to the incessant belly-aching of my fellow Canadians. Wake up and quit believing that your miserable existence is sooo important. Don’t take yourself so seriously (no one else does). Be grateful that you have the ability and the means travel and see the world and, most importantly, quit talking down to others who cannot. Canadians can be polite but they sure are not kind.
The hotel is a 4 star. That being said it is neither the Waldorf Astoria nor the Ritz. If that is what you are used to, and expect, then yes you are in for a surprise.
We were in one of the bungalows beside the pool which got a bit noisy as some people decided that drinking by the pool at 3am was a good thing. (roll eyes here). There are children at the resort as well as a kiddy activity centre.
FOOD:
The food is good quality and it is tasty. I have read and heard so many people say that the food is bad?????
They try to vary the selection every night. I saw lobster, fish, pasta, steak, stews, vegetables, omelettes, soups, salads as well as ice cream, fruit (good papaya) cakes, tarts, squares etc, etc. If you cannot find something to your liking, than YOU are the one with the problem. One (drunk) fellow Canadian commented on the bus ride back to the airport (so everyone could hear) “the food sucked”. He quickly followed that comment by “…when I get back the first thing I’m doing is ordering lasagna from Pizza Pizza…”
With that statement, he told the world his level of culinary prowess.
ROOMS:
I can only comment on the bungalows we stayed in as we did not see the other rooms. We (2 couples) had a bungalow with a common room and (up the spiral
stairs) 2 bed rooms, toilets in each and each room had 2 beds. The beds were soft and yes the pillows were flat but I did not lose sleep over it (no pun intended). You can always ask for an extra pillow. The rooms had a hair drier, air conditioning and a small fridge. 2 night tables 2 chairs, TV, (with English, French and Spanish language channels. CNN etc) coffee table and an armoire were also in the room. It was clean but not spotless. (Again did not loose sleep over it). The shower had a lot of pressure and instantaneous hot water. When standing in the shower you can look out the
(opening) window at the pool. I liked that a lot. The common room downstairs had a TV, a coffee table, a wrap-around balcony (4 chairs on balcony) a sofa, 2 chairs, a dinner table for four.
BEACH:
Beach is world class. I would venture to say it is one of the top 10 beaches in the world and I have seen a lot of beaches. One world of caution, if there is a cold front blowing, there is a good chance that there will be Jelly fish. These are the Portuguese Man-O-War and are very venomous. I personally had to assist 3 different children in getting first aid. Watch when you are in the water. If there are any you can clearly see them. They look like a blue plastic bubble floating on the water. Stay well away as the tentacles are very long.
ACTIVITES:
The animation team does a great job around the pool and the beach. They have games, aquacise etc.
We rented mopeds (scooters) on 2 different occasions and had a wonderful time. If you have never been on a motorbike, then I would not recommend it.
WALKS and SHOPPING:
Can you walk to Varadero??? YES!! It will take you about 25 to 30 min. One option is to walk there and cab it back. There is a side walk all the way to Varadero.
An excellent Beach walk to do is to go towards the Dupont mansion just north of the hotel. Do this with your walking shoes in hand (I had flip-flops and they worked fine, and bring your camera) Walk until you reach the rocks.
There you will see a natural opening that allows you to go up on the top of the rocks (any reasonably fit person can do this). Follow the shore parallel to the gulf course until you reach the Dupont “Xanadu” Mansion. There is a nice beach on the other side and the shoping mall called “Plaza Americas”.
The mall has clothes, food, alcohol, tobacco etc. This was the place we saw the cheapest RUM. The cheapest tobacco was at the airport. Buy your Cigars at the airport! For that matter buy your RUM their too! I repeat, buy your cigars and rum at the airport after you pass customs!!
TOURS:
We did a daytrip to Havana. We paid $40 per person in a small group of 8. I prefer this to the large buses of 50 people where you never can hear the guide. Ask around (or google the web) as there are many options for Havana tours. The only down side was the belly-aching by a few (Canadians) people in the group. They “looked” like adults but whined like children. They wanted to cut the tour short. Look, you are going on a day trip, you will be in Havana, you will see buildings that need a coat of paint, you will see some broken down cars….etc. If this is too much out side of your comfort envelope, if this is way beyond your limited universe, than stay by the pool with your Tim Hortons mug and talk hockey but don’t ruin it for others.
I was never hounded or bothered by anyone, no one asked me for my hat as I have read in so many reviews. There are people who will draw your caricature and ask for a donation, you give “what you wan”. Others are ladies that are dressed in traditional dresses, holding great bunches of pretty flowers and what you to have a picture taken with them. Same goes for older gentlemen dressed in their Sunday best with Bowler hats and smoking cigars. Others simply want to change Loonies and Toonies (1 and 2 dollar Canadian coins) to Pesos. Folks, if you are going to tip people in Cuba please do so in Cuban money. Your Canadian change has value only in Canada and cannot be changed by the Cuban people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Furthermore, if someone comes up to you please, at least LISTEN to what the person is saying. It is just respect for fellow man!!!!!!! I see tourists brushing off people without even hearing the first syllable!!......Nice.
CONCLUSION:
We would stay in the Bella Costa again and as a matter of fact we are
already planning our next trip. Bring sunscreen, a thermal mug and ear-plugs
to block out the early morning parade of drunks. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Allan & Louise
Kingston, Nova Scotia
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| April 2007 |
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FLIGHT:
Our “Sunwing” flight (both ways) departed pretty much on time. We booked our trip through “Sell Off Vacations” and our flight times changed twice. We were not notified of this right away and only found out by accident through acquaintances who had booked through another agency. The plane was cramped but the food was quite good!
CHECK-IN & ROOMS:
Checking in was painless and moved along at a fairly good pace considering the large amount of people. The staff was courteous and explained everything in detail. By the time we and the other two couples we were traveling with got to the counter our rooms had been given away due to overbooking and we were immediately upgraded to Junior Suites at no extra cost. The suites were great – large sitting room with TV, large bedroom with king size bed and TV, full bathroom and a wonderful stained glass window in the bedroom looking out to a private balcony. Our friends had a double Junior Suite with large sitting room and 2 large bedrooms on the second floor. They had a large wraparound balcony with ocean view (ours was a garden view) and at first we were a little disappointed that we had no ocean view but “their balcony was our balcony” and besides, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the rooms anyway! The maid service was excellent – we left little gifts for her on a daily basis and in turn, we were treated very well. Maintenance was great too. We had trouble with our toilet one day and after only mentioning it once, it had been fixed and was working beautifully by the time we went back to our room to prepare for supper.
RESORT:
The resort was large and roomy. We never felt boxed in or cramped at any time. With thousands of people tracking beach sand in and out, we were amazed at how clean they actually kept everything. The lobby area was spacious and airy. We never saw beggars anywhere in the resort or lobby area. The lighting was a little dim at night and the lobby furniture was a bit worn but we didn’t pay money to sit in the lobby! We took in a little of the evening entertainment. Cubans love their music and dance! Thought it bordered on “manic” at some points! But it was fun!
RESTAURANTS:
The common buffet restaurant was very large and we found it quite noisy with so many people dining at the same time. There was always plenty of food and if you couldn’t find something you liked, it might be time to hang up your passport and stop traveling! You have to remember you are in a different country and you may not find that perfect cheeseburger or Timmy’s double double! Try something new – you may be surprised! There were 3 ‘a-la-carte’ restaurants. We booked the Cuban Restaurant two nights. It was a much quieter atmosphere and not as hectic. The food was very good and the wine glasses were continually filled. We booked the International Restaurant one evening. We didn’t find it as “friendly” as the Cuban and we think we would stick to the Cuban on subsequent trips. We didn’t try the Italian restaurant. Note: We were very impressed with Miguel in the buffet restaurant – He served us two nights in a row and remembered exactly who had red wine and who had white wine from the night before!!
DAY TRIPS:
The 3 guys took the half day Jeep Safari trip. We toured the back woods of Cuba and had a great tour guide. We learned a lot of history and gained an appreciation for a local farm family who existed on practically nothing at all. The horseback ride was a bit lame but ended none too soon for our buddy Stan. Stan walked funny until we got some rum into him! We had a great discussion with a local music group (being musically inclined ourselves) and had time for photos with these musicians. Did some of that “male bonding” while the girls enjoyed the day at the beach!
The “Havana” day trip was fantastic. “Old” Havana was awe-inspiring and showed great old architecture. “New” Havana was more up to date and the endless array of antique cars that are used for daily driving was mind boggling. It was definitely worth the trip. One can’t visit Cuba without visiting Havana. (Remember to carry Kleenex packs with you as there is usually a bathroom attendant at the door waiting to sell you toilet paper!)
MOPEDS:
This was my only real complaint with the entire trip. The mopeds have approximately 1 litre of gas in them when you rent them. We were told this when we rented them but we still ran out of gas. The mopeds should have full tanks when rented and be returned with a full tank. It’s no fun to head out and you are instantly wondering where the garage is. The cost for rentals is very reasonable but you must provide proof of a motorcycle license before renting. No motorcycle license, no moped.
CONCLUSION:
Even though it was quite windy every day, the wind was warm and did not affect our beach time! The sun shone every day (one rain shower while we were having supper one evening). We saw no jellyfish whatsoever! The beach was beautiful and we had a great time in the waves! We felt like kids again! As this was our first trip to Cuba we have nothing to compare the resort to but I think our traveling companions (who had been to Cuba before) would agree that we had nothing to complain about. We were treated like VIP’s from the very beginning. We went to Cuba for sun, surf and R & R – that is exactly what we got. It was a trip that was good for the soul.
In conclusion – we were 3 couples traveling together; the airline seated us together; the resort gave us rooms together; the restaurants seated us together. It was a fantastic trip. Super beach, lots of beach loungers, lots of rum – the Breezes Bella Costa has our vote. We will definitely be going back – hopefully with Pete & Bonnie, Stan & Dee!! |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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We flew Air Transat and I enjoyed the flight to Cuba, especially since the flight attendant gave me free drinks!
FLIGHT
We flew Air Transat and I enjoyed the 3 or 4 hour flight to Cuba, especially since the flight attendant gave me free drinks The seats are very small! Luckily I was seated beside the emergency exit, so I could actually stretch my legs out. Despite living in Halifax, we drove 2.5 hrs to Moncton since the tickets cost $225 less this way. Departure from Moncton was on time. Coming home, though, there was a delay. We waited over an hour when the pilot finally announces we had been waiting for a passenger who had just arrived in Cuba that morning and been denied entry by Customs, he had to hop back on the plane and go back to Canada! Wonder what that was all about?
ROOM
We had an upper floor villa room with a wrap-around balcony and 2 bedrooms upstairs. Each room had large beds, one room had 2 beds - one for each of the 15 year old boys, and the other room had 3 beds, one for me, one for my cousin, and one for her 10 year old son.
The people at the reception desk were very friendly but did not have a very strong grasp of the English language. Fortunately, I am capable of speaking passable Spanish, and was able to translate when we needed to have the room sprayed for tiny ants in the bathroom, (they sent someone immediately to resolve the problem) or when we needed an iron to prepare our clothes, or any other minor catastrophe.
It was a fantastic second floor, pool and beach-view villa room with a balcony, king-size beds and a separate sitting room. It had a bathroom downstairs and each bedroom had a full bathroom (including bidet), and 3 satellite TVs (one in each bedroom and one in the sitting room). It was fairly clean. There was a mini-fridge in each bedroom (not stocked) that came in handy for bottled water.
Overall it was a good resort. Some things that I suggest: ask Animation/Entertainment staff to wear nametags. I found myself embarrassed at having to repeatedly ask their names ( faulty memory due to excess rum consumption?)
Another suggestion would be having the fridge filled with water, pop and juice. But reception pointed out they don’t encourage much food or drink be kept or consumed in the room, to prevent attracting insects. However, you are only given one large bottle of water and it is your responsibility to refill it throughout the week. If you lose your water bottle, you needed to contact the maid as they are the only ones who have access to the water bottles, irons, towels or anything housekeeping related. Front desk cannot get anything once maids leave in afternoon.
It was a very spacious suite with a sitting area with table and chairs .There was a hairdryer. Remember if you treat your maid well, she will go out of her way to ensure you have a good stay. I also gave her kids clothes, which she greatly appreciated. Don’t forget the basics, toothpaste, hygiene products, soap, shampoo etc. Bring a travel mug for convenience. You can get the bartenders to make your drink in your own mug, instead of being served in tiny plastic cups. But be prepared to part with your mug – many locals approach asking if they can have it, because they can’t buy them in Cuba. I promised mine to a young girl on my first day there, and she hounded me until my 2nd last day, when I passed it over willingly.
FOOD / RESTAURANTS
The main buffet restaurant is inside the hotel, just steps from the pool and it resembles a cafeteria. It’s very brightly decorated and lots of charm to match. I liked especially the bands that would come to play music for you while you ate, and the waiters always ensured my wine glass was full and the kids had pop or water. They were not at all pushy for tips. The buffet food was acceptable… We always managed to find something to eat. The kids were more picky than the adults, but I considered it to have plenty of quasi-Canadian fare. Mornings I survived on watermelon, pineapple, omelets, fresh sliced bread, and lunchtime I usually picked at a lot of different things if I couldn’t find one main dish I enjoyed. We went to à la carte restaurants 4 times, thus only had the buffet at night a few times.
The beachside buffet/bar was great too, as an option to eat outdoors. Careful of the various levels, the first time I went there for supper, coming back from taking pictures of the sunset, I missed the step up and fell in front of everyone. At first I was mortified, but as I witnessed many others doing the same thing throughout the week, I realized I am not the only klutz from Canada!
Despite other peoples’ reviews, there ARE indeed 24-hour snacks available. The main buffet closed the glass doors every night between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. but you cold still walk in through those doors (many people did, I noticed the first night) and pick from fruit and many other things on the buffet, and if you found a cook around, you could request he cook up a few hamburgers or something easy on the grill. I found the service so wonderful, they only want to please. One morning after turning in fairly early, I awoke at 4am dying of thirst, so I went to the cafeteria/buffet and helped myself to plenty of juice and water.
Pool Bar “Las Brisas” – 10:00am – 10:00pm
Lobby Bar “La Fuente” – 10:00am – 1:00am
Snacks in the Buffet – 10:30pm – 6:30am then closed until breakfast at 7am
INDOOR Buffet: Breakfast is served from 7am – 10am, Lunch 1 -3pm and Supper 6:30 to 10pm
“El Mirador” Outdoor Buffet/ Beachside restaurant/Bar hours: Drinks served 10am to 6pm; Continental Breakfast 10am to 12 noon; Lunch 12:30pm to 4pm and it was only by reservation in the evening for supper/dinner whatever you prefer to call it.
“La Parilla” is the International restaurant located inside the hotel. Reservation required, you have to line up before noon near the entrance to the restaurant to hope for a seat. We ate there once and it was quite nice, highlight being that the nearby ladies room actually had toilet seats and tissue paper!!!
The best was supposed to be the Italian Restaurant, “Don Alfredo” but I had 2 tasteless meals. Can’t say I was impressed… You were offered the chance to buy lobster tails and scampi for $25 pesos, but being from the Maritimes, I can tell you that it did NOT look appetizing, especially with the flies buzzing around the plate. Needless to say, I passed on that opportunity.
DRINKS
I am not usually much of a drinker, but with an open bar, who can resist something cool in the sun near the pool?!! My favorite: Strawberry Daiquiris. I also tried Mojitos ( only when fresh mint is available) and cerveza, of course. Plenty of red and white wine served everywhere, poolside, buffet, lobby bar, at the entertainment show bar at night. In Canada, I drink a lot of Kahlua, Baileys and so on. So while in Cuba, I tried several different cream liqueurs, and found that the bar in the lobby usually only had a bottle or 2 per evening – they ran out early every night!
BARS
Beachside buffet/bar: It’s outside but covered. There were lots of seats available and the view was lovely. Too bad they closed every evening for use as an a la carte restaurant.
Pool bar: My favorite spot to hang out! It is only open until 10pm, and then more people seem to hang out in the lobby bar anyway. A few nights at 4am, we had a group of drunk young people by the pool, partying loudly beneath our window, but I didn’t have the heart to ask them to keep it down. They were there to have fun too!
Lobby bar: Located, as it indicates by name, in the lobby of the main building, open until 1:00 a.m. It’s a horseshoe-shaped room with about 10 booth-type tables, and stools at the bar. Needs more tables. Smoking is allowed, but windows are open to allow some of the smoke to dissipate. Service could be slow, but remember, they are on Cuban time! I found if I gave a generous tip at the beginning of the evening, I had no trouble catching my bartender’s eyes to get another drink!
BEACH/POOL
The beach is beautiful and clear. After storms at night though, there were lots of jellyfish washed up on the shore the following days. I met a little boy who had been stung by a clear jellyfish, and he was afraid to go back in the water at the beach. There were lots of available chairs at the beach and poolside BUT I did get up early every morning to reserve a chair with my towel. On the few days I did not do this because I had excursions in the morning, by afternoon, it was impossible to find even 2 chairs together at the pool, let alone 5 chairs for our whole group.
ACTIVITIES
Don’t be alarmed if people honk as they pass you. It’s their custom to alert drivers when they’re about to pass; honking is not an aggressive or angry reaction like we’re used to in Canada. Bring a waterproof camera if you want to get shots of swimming in the cave.
JEEP SAFARI ADVENTURE - $60 CUC – for half a day. Normally people go for a full day, but we had heard that the full day is rather long, and you get to do all the same activities if you buy the half day tour (except for the lunch, of course). We drive a Standard transmission jeep ourselves for about 1 ½ hour through the back roads and country. We stopped for pictures in the banana plantations, then went to a place for a washroom break and drink, then got back in the jeeps to go to a ranch. We then hopped in speedboats and went down the river for a 45 minute drive. Did a little 10 minute horseback ride, held a baby crocodile & tree rodent (called a hojilla) and had a snake wrapped around me, also rode a bull (very tame. Once we were done, we returned via speedboat and then got back into the jeeps and drive to a cave for swimming. We visited the cave for about 20 minutes, had a swim and them headed back to return the jeeps. Throughout the driving we not only saw the back country, but we saw a bit of the town as well. I found it very safe and there was no way you could get lost. There were only 2 jeeps in our group, since it was an afternoon only excursion. I was sitting along with the tour guide at the front, and he was friendly and willing to answer any questions. Along the way, there were some children looking for stuff, but they were very calm, not like they expected anything, but very appreciative if they did receive something. We threw one little boy a baseball, and his expression looked like something had just fallen out of Heaven!
STAFF
I loved the entertainment staff ( animacion) because they went out of their way to make sure people had fun! The gardeners deserve good tips, they are the ones doing backbreaking labour in the hot sun, to keep the grounds looking good. The gardeners also use a lot of physical exertion to cut open fresh coconuts for us to drink. They bring flowers to the ladies. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
G.M.
Nova Scotia, Canada
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| April 2007 |
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Date Visited:
Last week of March, 2007
Flight:
Flew Sunwing Vacations, it was an uneventful flight to our resort. The only complaint I have with the Sunwing is they are obviously running old planes. The seat cushions were very uncomfortable.
Check-In:
We arrived at the check-in counter about 3:00 PM there were approx 30-40 persons checking in ahead of us. It only took about 30 minutes to clear the Check-In counter. The staff was friendly, professional and helpful.
Resort:
The thing to remember about this resort is you probably did not pay top dollar to stay here! This resort is all about compromises. This is a middle of the scale resort. If your looking for a good 5-Star resort then you better pay up because this is definitely no better than a 4-Star.
Check-In/Lobby Area:
The problem with this area is that “first impressions are lasting impressions”. These areas are not as attractive as other resorts I have stayed. The furniture is badly worn in the Lounge and the Check-In area is very dark and uninviting.
Rooms:
We were assigned a room on the 3rd floor over looking the entrance side of the resort. It was very noisy in the mornings with vehicles coming and going. We did not experience much late night noise except with a couple of nights when people were returning to their rooms late. The view from our balcony was good, it over looked the golf course and the bay, the sun rises were always worth getting up early for.
The room was clean and well made up each day. The electrical system was always a challenge. We never knew which circuit would work on any given day and the air conditioning did not work. We did not bother to complain about this and did not ask to be moved to another room (remember compromise). There was always plenty of hot water and the pressure was very good.
Restaurants:
We ate in all of the restaurants during our stay. All of the food I ate was good. The Buffet restaurant was a bit like a cafeteria with not a lot of décor. The buffet area was not very efficient. There were a lot of waiting in lines, an example of this was you had to stand in line to get pre cooked boiled eggs because the Omelet Grill was at the end of the line. You could push your way through but this was not always convenient. The biggest complaint I have about the buffets in this resort was nothing is labeled.
In all of the restaurants we received acceptable service.
Resort Comparisons:
This was our first vacation experience in Cuba. We previously stayed at the Super Clubs Breezes in Punta Cana (2003/2004/2005). This resort is rated 5-Star or at least it was when we stayed there.
For the money I would stay at Bella Costa again before going back to the one in Punta Cana. The Bella Costa resort is only about half the size of the Punta Cana resort but was still a better value. At the time we paid approx $400.00 each more for the resort in Punta Cana.
The beaches were nicer in Punta Cana. I however enjoyed our short trips into the town of Varadero and found the Cuban’s left you alone and did not continuously hassle you like they do in the DR.
Recommended Day Trip
We rented mopeds and went to the town of Cardenas. This town is well worth the trip. You should allow yourselves at least 3-4 hours rental time. It’s a town that is best described as “a town lost in time”. It seems to be out of the “tourist trap” loop.
In Conclusion:
I would definitely consider returning back to Bella Costa. This resort is good value for the money we paid. If you are looking for a resort with the finest meals, rooms, and other qualities this is not the resort for you. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
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| Well we didnt really know what to expect from Breezes Bella Costa Cuba but it surely wasent this. When we first walked in we saw the lobby lounge furniture was so worned out they were ripping.The pool table carpet was also ripped ect.This resort is definitely not a 4 star. (maybe a 2 star)The food was not very good and cold but that was to be expected.The beach is not bad but dirty ,full of garbage straws and plastic cups.The resort is also very dirty, the table cloth were always stained from the breakfast,they never change them.The entertainment at night really sucked and I cant beleive they let begger in the resort lobby to bug you for pesos.I also want to mention the exchange on your money is 1.31 canadian for one of there pesos, so you dont get much for your money. My wife and I went on a catamaran tour for 85 pesos each payed for on the visa, the cost at the end was 225.00 canadian,quite pricy. The personel at the resort are very friendly. Would I recomend the Breezes Bella Costa to my friends (NO). Jake and Lynn Ontario Canada PS: If you go off the property on a tour bring some pesos you'll need it to go to the washroom .
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Colin & Jennifer
Ontario, Canada
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| February 2007 |
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My wife and I, both 33 years old, stayed at Breezes Bella Costa from February 13th to 20th. It was a Sunwing package and we booked through our very helpful travel agent at CAA.
FLIGHT
Departure from Toronto was about 30-45 minutes late. Coming home everything was on schedule and the meals both ways were very good. The seats are tight! If you’re bigger than a small teenager, you’ll be uncomfortable. If you’re a 200-pound man, you’ll be in trouble… request an aisle seat.
ROOM
We requested an upper floor villa room with a balcony and a king-size bed, but when we arrived we were given a ground floor room with 2 twin beds. It was a nice room, but not what we’d asked for. The woman at the reception desk was very friendly and quick to resolve our problem.
In the end we settled in room #760. It was a fantastic second floor, garden-view villa room with a balcony, king-size bed and a separate sitting room. It had a full bathroom (including bidet), a separate vanity area, and 2 satellite TVs (one in the bedroom and one in the sitting room). It was clean and bug-free.
There was a mini-fridge in the sitting room (not stocked) that came in handy for bottled water.
There are no 3rd floor villa rooms, but some of the 2nd floor rooms have an upstairs! (This would explain why the villas are 3 storeys tall.) We noticed a few of these rooms as we passed by during housekeeping hours. I regret not writing down the actual room numbers.
BUFFET
The main buffet restaurant is inside the hotel and it resembles a cafeteria. It’s very bright with lots of tables but zero charm.
The beachside buffet/bar, on the other hand, was awesome. Lots of seats, an amazing view and only steps from the water. They serve breakfast and lunch but close in the late afternoon.
The buffet food was acceptable… We always managed to find something to eat.
Despite what you might read, there are no 24-hour snacks. The main buffet closed every night between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. and there was no food available again until breakfast.
DRINKS
Lots of options: Wine, beer, margaritas, daiquiris, mojitos, and my personal favourite… Cuba Libres.
BARS
Beachside buffet/bar: Easily the highlight of the resort. It’s outside but covered. There were lots of seats available and the view was postcard material. The only problem: It was closed every evening so it could be used as an a la carte restaurant.
Pool bar: A nice setting, sun and shade seats, a good view of the beach, pool and daytime activities put on by the animation staff. The only problem: It closes at 10:00 p.m.
Lobby bar: Located in the main building, open until 1:00 a.m. It’s a horseshoe-shaped room with maybe 10 booth-type tables, and stools at the bar. Smoking is allowed. It was crowded and the service was slow during the evening. It was definitely the most “happening” place on the resort but an outdoor option would have been better.
BEACH/POOL
The beach is beautiful. Blue water, white sand, no seaweed. There was a storm one night though, and there were hundreds of jellyfish washed up on the shore the following day. There were lots of available chairs at the beach and poolside. No need to fight for space or reserve a chair with your towel.
ACTIVITIES
Scooters: The price varies depending on how long you rent them. It’s a nice ride to Varadero and back and you can do it without using the highway. Bella Costa is the last of a stretch of resorts on a side road parallel to the highway and connected to town. Don’t be alarmed if people honk as they pass you. It’s their custom to alert drivers when they’re about to pass; honking is not an aggressive or angry reaction like we’re used to in Canada.
Snorkelling: $15 CUC per person. One guide and up to 4 people per catamaran. They sail or row you out to a good spot and throw bread in the water to help attract the fish. It was very cool. But watch out for jellyfish. I nearly jumped on top of one and our guide (Miguel) got stung on his arm. Bring a disposable, waterproof camera.
Water tower: Located beside the Meson del Quijote on the road to Varadero. A local man (name withheld) offered to walk us to the top and show us the view. More or less a tip scam because the door was open and we were free to walk up on your own, but in the end I was glad he came with us. Many of the platforms had huge rust holes and were covered with wood or cardboard… meaning it was a dangerous climb. But our ‘fren’ seemed to know where to step and where not to step. The view from the top was great, but getting up there was definitely a safety hazard. Cheating death was a rush, but I can’t recommend the excursion. If you fell through a platform near the top of the tower, you’d be seriously hurt or worse.
Plaza Americas: Over-priced tourist junk. But there’s a bank there if you need a credit card cash advance (be sure to bring your passport).
Havana: A must do. And rather than paying for the organized and likely boring bus tour, we took a government taxi. The cab driver’s name was Daniel and he was referred to us by an acquaintance. We weren’t interested in the typical stuff… we’re not the museum-going or statue-gazing types. We just wanted to spend an afternoon there, take some pictures, drink a few cervezas on a patio, etc. Daniel was an encyclopaedia of information. The 2-hour drive to Havana flew by as he told us about the history, industry and lifestyle of the areas we drove through. He took us on a walking tour of Old Havana and sat with us for a drink (we had beers, he drank cola) and some live music on a shaded patio. It was cool getting to know him and learning about his family and what it was like growing up in Varadero. We paid $150 CUC round trip, plus tip. (Considering that a taxi tour will consume most of the driver’s day, and that you’re saving a considerable amount of money over the bus tour while getting personal attention, the tip should be generous.)
STAFF
Nearly everyone working at Bella Costa was friendly. Sure, they’re on Cuban time, so you might wait a bit longer than you expect to get that drink or pay for that postcard… but that might be a good thing. The team at the reception desk should get high marks for hospitality. And our housekeeper was also very nice.
CONCLUSION
We had a great time. Highlights would be our villa room, the beachside buffet/bar, the staff, nearby activities and proximity to Varadero. Low points would be the food and outdoor bars that close way too early. We’ll definitely return to Varadero someday and I could safely recommend this resort to a friend. Of the resorts near town, Bella Costa seemed to be one of the best options. |
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| SuperClubs Breezes Bella Costa |
Jen
Ontario, Canada
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| February 2007 |
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Breezes Bella Costa – formerly Iberostar Bella Costa
Date of trip – Jan 27 - Feb. 3, 2007 – great weather 87 degrees
HOTEL
Overall it was a good resort. There were some things that I thought would be included, for example, having the fridge filled with water, pop and beer. However, you are only given one large bottle of water and it is your responsibility to refill it throughout the week. Friends that we were staying with had their bottle thrown away by their maid and they talked to the front desk about it. The front desk could care less and said that they needed to contact their maid as they are the only ones who have access to the water bottles. Not a big deal, but something you should be aware of. My husband was disappointed that there was no coffee maker in the room.
Pool Bar – 10:00am – 10:00pm
Lobby Bar – 10:00am – 1:00am
Snacks in the Buffet – 10:30pm – 6:30am
Breakfast is served from 7am – 10am. A fairly good selection of food. Sometimes we did find that you might not be able to find plates, glasses or cutlery. So we found if we went before 8am this was not an issue.
Lunch is available from 1pm – 3pm in the beach restaurant. Again, very good selection of food.
Dinner – you have a choice of 3 a-la-cartes – reservation times: 6:30, 7:00, 8:30 or 9:00PM. By the looks of it they only fill 15 persons per seating. The Italian restaurant is the best a-la-carte choice. The International buffet (6:30pm – 9:00pm) had a good selection too.
Pool – 7:00am – 7:00pm
Gym – 8:30am – 7:00pm
ROOM
When we checked in they asked us if we were on our honeymoon. Apparently this was the best room in the hotel. I did email them ahead of time and requested an upper floor overlooking the ocean. We had a junior suite (#753) that was close to the pool and beach. Our balcony overlooked the beach. It was a very spacious suite. Two washrooms, a sitting area, 2 TV’s, king size bed, table and chairs in the bedroom, hairdryer. It was very clean. I think they must have refinished the floor as it appeared new. Remember if you treat your maid well, she will go out of her way to ensure you have a good stay. Don’t forget the basics, toothpaste, hygiene products, soap, shampoo etc. I also took down some of my kids old soccer uniforms which she greatly appreciated.
BEACH
Absolutely gorgeous. It was great not having a resort on the one side as we had plenty of room to find a place to relax. I did find the area by the beach bar busier, but if you went down closer to the DuPont Mansion, you would have no problem finding a lounge. Bring a travel mug for convenience.
EXCURSIONS
JEEP SAFARI ADVENTURE - $73 CUC – well worth the money. We drive a jeep ourselves for about 1 ½ hour through the back roads and country. We stopped for a washroom break and drink. Got back in the jeeps to go to a ranch. Did a little 10 minute horseback ride, held a baby crocodile & tree rat and my husband rode a bull (not to worry, very tame). Lunch was provide with one drink. (very good food) We then hopped in speedboats and went down the river for a 45 minute drive. It was great, but seriously just be cautious of others when driving. One guy didn’t know what he was doing and thought he could race everyone (we were suppose to be single file) and did donuts and nearly hit us (very close call). Another crew was so close to each other in the water, that we thought they would hit each other. Once we were done with the boats we had another break and then got back into the jeeps and drive to a cave for swimming. We visited the cave for about 20 minutes, had a swim and them headed back to return the jeeps. Throughout the driving we not only saw the back country, but we saw a bit of the town as well. I found it very safe and there was no way you could get lost. There were about 7 jeeps in our group along with the tour guide at the front and back. Along the way, there were some children looking for stuff. I was kicking myself for not knowing this ahead of time as I would have brought stuff along. They were very calm, not like they expected anything, but very appreciative if they did receive something.
HAVANA TRIP – Before I left Canada I had emailed Jorge (jorgeguide2004@yahoo.es) to arrange a day trip. This was so worth the money. I am sure we got a better experience than what you would on a tour bus. There were four of us that traveled together. Jorge arranged for the taxi which picked us up at 8:30am. We met our guide, Martha at 10:30am in Havana. Martha is an excellent tour guide. Just a sweet, personable, very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We had her for 5 hours to take us around. She walked us through the Museum of Revolution and the Capitolio. I talked to people who did the bus tour and they just walked by these buildings. One thing with having your own tour guide is that she did what we wanted to do and she looked after us. The staff at the Capitolio were going to overcharge us for admission. The cost of admission is $3CUC without a camera and $5CUC with a camera. So she saved us a few $’s there. She took us through a residential street so I could hand out some toys to the children. There were a few beggars, but nothing that made me feel threatened. She showed us the store were the Cubans receive government assistance. The Cubans only receive enough food to last them 15 days into the month. They only receive toiletry items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste) once every three months. That is why it is so important to bring these items down with you. Our guide took us to La Bodeguita Del Medio for the best Mojito we have ever had. Again, I think she saved us money because we gave her the money to purchase the drinks. I am sure tourists paid more. We went to a restaurant for lunch which was very good. We ended the day at the market. Which by the way, we were told that the best time to do the market is after 4pm as the vendors will negotiate on prices as the market closes at 6pm.
HORESBACK RIDING - $15CUC for 1 hour. They bring the horses to the resort and you go out front of the hotels and go to the end of the beach for a picture opportunity.
TAXI/COCO TAXI/HORSE CARRAGE/VARADERO TOURIST BUS – Before getting in the taxi, coco taxi or horse carriage, please ensure you agree on a price. Be specific if you want return trip and also includes all persons that you are traveling with. I saw one family of 4 get off after their horse carriage ride and all were in shock when the driver said “each”. Our tour rep told us the rule of thumb for the Coco Taxi was 1CUC for every KM. The Varadero double decker bus was well worth the money - $5CUC for the day. My husband and I went into Varadero to deliver a medical bag (more about that later) and then visited the market (great prices by the way). We went back to the resort for lunch and then hopped back on the bus in the afternoon to go to the Plaza America mall (good prices for liquor). We shopped there for a bit and then continued on the bus to the other end of the Pensula (1 hour) and saw other resorts and scenery.
EXCHANGING MONEY
I changed the majority of my money at the airport without any issues. You were automatically given a receipt. I changed $60 at the front desk at the hotel and was short changed $2. My own fault as I did not request a receipt. The second time I went to exchange $40 (with my calculator), I witness the staff ripping off the 2 people ahead of me $2 each. When I showed my calculator and asked them the rate, I got the correct amount the second time around . . . hmmm
NOTJUST TOURIST – I had read other reviews about this organization and decided to sign up and take down a donation of medical supplies to Cuba. I arranged to pick the bag up in Toronto which was filled with lots of medical supplies. I called my airline ahead of time to ensure that they would allow me to bring on this piece of humanitarian aid for free. No problem – they package the bags so they do not exceed the 10kg allowance for humanitarian aid. Honestly we were questioned a customs and it was quite entertaining. They called the airport doctor from her office and they asked if my husband was very sick. Once we showed them the letter (in Spanish) from NOT JUST TOURISTS (www.njttoronto.ca), the doctor gave a big smile and thanked us for brining this much needed medication down to Cuba. On our 2nd day in Varadero, we delivered the medical supplies to the clinic which was very easy to find. The doctor at that clinic was very appreciative.
My apologies for the long review, however I hope it was helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me powlz_canada@yahoo.ca |
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