Description: IMPORTANT: To improve the quality service of Villa Cojimar Hotel, some renovation works will be done in several areas. During this period (September to December 2010) the Hotel will be closed. Receive our apologies for the inconveniences this situation could cause you.
Budget hotel on all inclusive basis. Most rooms have seaviews. Watersports activities available.
I travelled to Club Cojimar at the end of March as a solo traveler for the 1st time. I flew Sunwing, have done so for 5 trips and will continue to do so in the future.
I arrived at the resort around 1 in the afternoon. Of course our room wasn't ready (are they ever?). I have never understood why the resorts do this at this at the time the Cojimar was no more than 60% full - there had to be pepared rooms. And it was just myself and another traveler at the desk so it shouldn't have been too hard to come up with a couple of rooms. When I finally had my room I got changed and headed for the pool. Went to get my pool towel and was told no clean pool towels until tomorrow morning - not a great start to the trip!!!
I finally got my towel around 11 the next morning but through the week the towel shortage occurred again maybe 3 times. It was fairly amusing watching the cart drive up with the new towels and how fast the guests got in line to get fresh towels.
When I got back to my room around 4 pm I discovered it had not been made up. I called to the front desk and they said someone would be over to do the room. When I left for dinner no one had come. I went to the front desk after dinner and asked if I could just get fresh towels. I wasn't concerned about whether the bed was made or not - I've climbed into an unmade bed at home many times - but I did want fresh towels. Back in my room I waited 30 minutes and called to the front desk. Now I was told they had no clean room towels. I pointed out that since they had so many unused rooms there had to be clean towels in one of those rooms - 20 minutes later I had my towels.
After that day of excitement with towels my vacation calmed down. The Cojimar is defintely an older 3 star resort but once I got settled in and understood what to expect I had a very good vacation.
Your Arrival
As always the arrival at the Cayo Coco airport went very quickly. As always before you get through customs the bags from the plane are going around the carousel waiting to be picked up. With only 6 buses it is easy to be directed onto the proper bus. By the time we made 3 stops at other resorts it ended up taking about 45 minutes to get to the Cojimar.
Rooms
The room have 2 very old 3/4 beds. I could not imagine sharing the bed with another adult. I had a partial view of the water, unfortunately they are in the process of building cabins between the room I had and the water. Never had an issue with the water and for the 1st time at a resort in Cuba the TV had TSN - which was great for a Canadian hockey fan.
I was expecting soap & shampoo to be part of the service - soap was but not shampoo. There was a fridge in the room but no complimentary beverages.
Restaurants and Bars
I never bothered with the specialty restaurants just went to the buffet. I always found something to eat. Breakfast - they only had ham & cheese to add to your omelettes - no onions,tomatoes.greem peppers etc. They had them for dishes at dinner but not for breakfast. 1 morning they had no orange juice.
Dinner - on the grill a couple of nights they had roasts, but a couple of nights they were grilling up some sort of noodle dish - that was different!!! What I stuck with the most was the pasta where you choose what you want to include in your sauce - they had my onions,tomatoes and green peppers for that!!
For lunch I went to the grill by the pool - good hamburgers and fresh french fries.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
I spent my days in a hut back from the pools where I was able to for the most part stay out of the sun and was able to read and relax in peace. As someone wrote before the pool could use a paint job - but the water was fine!!! When the tide was out it seemed like you could walk for miles from the beach. The beach area was not crowded - there seemed to be lots of lounger chairs for everyone.
Other Comments
For me a very attractive feature of the Cojimar was the landscaping -there were many,many full sized trees for shade and lots of flowers and shrubs growing. I believe that plus how close you are to the beach helped keep the temperature much more comfortable.
After my 1st day & a half I didn't know if I would return to the Cojimar but by the end of the week I had changed my mind. Once I got used to what they did and didn't have i was quite pleased with my vacation. I would not, however, ever recommend it to my high maintenance friends. If I went back again I would make sure to pack my own beach towel, and a complete bag of washroom supplies and I would be set.
1 final note - the Cojimar does not provide any complimentary bottles of water. There was none for your room fridge and if you wanted water from the bar you got it in your travel mug or a plastic cup. If you wanted a bottle of water you had to go to one of the stores and buy one. Certainly not a big issue just a little surprising.
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Stayed 1 week from feb. 11 - 18, 2010. We went knowing it was a 3 star! Room was dated and a/c didnt work. We went to the front desk and it was fixed within an hour. Food at the buffet was good. A la cartes were excellent - steak at the cuban and pasta at the italian. We ate there 4 times. Lobster at the beach was awesome ( for 10 pesos). Fish, hamburgers and fries at the grill for lunch was great. Not much fresh fruit, though. Beach was very shallow. Pool needs a good scrubbing. Bugs were never a problem. Bartenders very friendly, except for the lady at the pool bar - not sure if she knows how to smile!! Dont go expecting gourmet food and 5 star rooms. We paid $600.00 all in each and got exactly what we paid for! We would definetly go again for that price.
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On a downhill slide...
Villa Cojimar
User Rating:
Miles >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Family
2 people found this review helpful
This was our 3rd annual 2 week stay at Villa Cojimar. You can see my 2 previous reviews for a lot of details and in the past I have really promoted this resort, not because the hotel itself is all that great, but it offered great value for a family vacation. It is only a 3 star so you must expect some issues, but this year was too troublesome.
Your Arrival
Front desk people don't really care about you, they just want people in / out. If you need something, demand it immediately, if they write your request down, it won't get done. They have no clue what is going on in their own resort. The 'Masseuse' was not at his usual place at the beach for the first 12 days we were there (massages at the beach being a highlight for my wife). We asked several times at the front desk and they said he was there at the beach! They appeared not to believe us (that he wasn't there) and made no effort to find out what was going on. He finally showed up and told us he was at another hotel for the last 2 weeks!
Rooms
For the 3rd straight year our assigned room was substandard and we had to demand a new room, which we got (#55). In the new room the TV did not work properly and the matresses were horribly uncomfortable. They need new beds for this resort but are not spending their money on the basics. Towels have holes in them and are stained etc.
Restaurants and Bars
The biggest problem for us this year was the buffet. Selection was much poorer that previous years. The 2nd week was very difficult eating the same food everday. Line ups for freshly cooked eggs, pasta, etc. were too long. Service seems to drop every year in the buffet. Find a good waiter/waitress and tip, then stick with them is you want your glass re-filled! Clean plates are sometimes hard to find, and food items were constantly running out with long waits for them to be refilled. As an example, french fries were brought out little by little so if you wanted any, you had to hover around the empty tray to grab them or they'd be gone in seconds. My wife and kids all got very sick this time, was it the food? We can't say for sure.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The main pool was the dirtiest we've seen in our trips. We were told it was to be overhauled in the off season and it needs it. The pathways are still terribly dangerous (uneven and poorly lit at night). Don't leave anything outside your room as many guests had towels, swimsuits, etc. stolen. We had 1 of 4 personal towels stolen along with 1 of 4 sets of beach shoes. Both stolen items were American movie themed items, the rest of our stuff left behind was 'plain'. The theory amongst guests was that a groundskeeper is grabbing items he can sell in town and putting them in a garbage bag to avoid suspicion in the early morning rounds. Of course 'security' was of no help. Don't count on the 'lifeguards' to save you if you are drowning in the pool. They only come by to have a quick dip when they get too hot from preying on young women. My wife had to rescue a small boy who's parents left him alone with his brother. He got in over his head and couldn't swim. We were very badly bitten by insects this year after escaping the last 2 years. Tiny black flying insects seemed to appear at dusk and you don't really notice them when they land on you and bite.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Some key entertainment staff have left and we missed them dearly. It's just not as much fun anymore.
Other Comments
On the positive side, they rebuilt the pier, and they added a play area at the Mini Club (swings and slide etc.). They are spending money on replacing the A/C units for the rooms. They are building new Villas by the beach that look great, but if they can't service the rooms they already have, how will they handle even more guests? The charm of Villa Cojimar has faded for us, I don't think we'll be back after this trip.
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Very nice white palm fringed beach
Villa Cojimar
User Rating:
Joe and Karen (Canuck130) >
5 contribution(s) Canada
Nov, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
2 people found this review helpful
Our Flight: We bought a package holiday to Villa Cojimar from Sunwing Vacations and flew with Sunwing Airlines. Our flight left Toronto on time at 6:30 a.m.. We were the first in line for takeoff. We landed in Cayo Coco well ahead of schedule. About three hours flying time I would say. It was our second flight with Sunwing and I would have to say that we were treated very very well and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. It was raining when we landed so they had a bus take us from the airplane to the terminal which was about 50 m away. They must think Canadians are softies or something LOL. However we moved quickly through customs and immigration and despite having our luggage searched we were on our bus and on our way to Cojimar in no time at all. The bus was comfortable and we were the third but not final drop for that coach. All in all about 40 minutes on the bus.
Check-In:
We were checked in very quickly at this hotel. Actually we were in our room before noon time. Great stuff. We were assigned a lovely one story bungalow (# 46) and on getting there with our luggage we were very pleased with the location and all of the amenities in the room.
The Property:
Club Villa Cojimar is a very nicely treed and landscaped spacious three-star property . In our section of the property the bungalows were situated well apart with lots of elbow room . There is quite a few palm trees on the property as well as lots of tropical bushes like oleander and bougainvillea and other flowering shrubs. The property is well kept. Our first impression of the property was quite positive.
Our Bungalow:
It was very centrally located on the west side of the property. Extremely nice room. It was spacious enough for the two of us. It had spartan furnishings which although the furnishings had seen better days were nevertheless very functional. We had two three-quarter beds. Two bedside tables. Two armchairs. A writing desk with a chest of drawers. There was a television (with approximately 10 stations, three or more English-language) at one end of the writing desk and underneath the television there was a small bar fridge (included in the price) . The bungalow also had a nice size closet containing a chest of drawers, ample clothes hanging space for two people, a safety deposit box which you could open with your room key. The safety deposit box was a good size and it was included in our package price. The bathroom was well appointed featuring a shower stall, marble vanity with sink, toilet and bidet. Lots of hot water at any time for a shower. There was also a hair dryer in the bathroom. There was no shortage of clean towels every day and housekeeping was excellent all week. Electricity was all 220 volts and I had no problem charging my camera batteries as my chargers were 220/110. The veranda which was furnished with two chairs and a table had a nice view of the ocean (which was about 100 m away).
The Beach And Catamaran:
Villa Cojimar's portion of Cayo Guillermo Beach is probably about 600 m in length. Very nice white palm fringed beach. We made great use of this beach. We would say the widest point of the beach is 15 m. There are sand areas just behind the beach and in front of the cottages where there are lots of palm tree shade and lots of lounges. The warm ocean which is quite a beautiful multishade blue color is quite shallow even out to 200 m in front of the Cojimar. We would say the beach was quite suitable for children. The beach was cleaned once a day by machine. There were two catamarans that you could make a reservation to take out for one 40 or 50 minute stint per day free as part of the all-inclusive. There was also peddle boats and sea kayaks as part of the all-inclusive. We had a couple of trips on the catamarans. These trips were not easy to arrange so I would advise anyone seeking a spin on them that you have to push the staff to get your free daily spin on the catamaran as they will try to put you off in favor of taking out guests that want to snorkel for a couple of hours and who consequently might make some kind of arrangement with them etc.. We managed to secure those trips as we are persistent and not easy to put off. A very nice sight also from the beach was the kite surfers who were out in force all week long. It was certainly a spectacle to behold with the myriad of colorful kites set against azure seas and palm fringed beaches and clear blue skies.
The Pool Area:
Two pools side-by-side. Very nice indeed. Two fairly good sized pools that were centrally located on the property. You had a wonderful view of the ocean from these pools. There was a fair amount of shade palapas and lots of lounges in the pool area. We certainly enjoyed our afternoons at the pool just lazing around and having a Mojito or two. We found the pools to be well maintained and were a very nice temperature for to cool off from the hot sun which beamed down all week. There was a bar and snack bar close by so that all of your food and beverage requirements were met for the day in the pool area. Drinks at the bar were all domestic liquors and beers. The snack bar served very nice grilled whole fish and they also served burgers, hot dogs, a small salad, some pasta or fries. We certainly enjoyed eating here on a couple of occasions during the week. Good quick friendly service in this area all week. The animation staff were quite busy here in this area entertaining folks with different games and contests. They did a great job all week long. A very nice bocce ball area close by. The bocce ball tournament had a first prize of one million pounds sterling. We don't know yet who won that LOL.
Food
Buffet: This mostly is where we ate all week long as there was no more availability at the one Italian/Cuban à la carte that was operating on our week . I believe they are in the process of building another restaurant close to the beach. However for a three-star hotel restaurant we found the buffet to be more than adequate for our culinary tastes. We were never hungry at any time during the week. There was enough choice for us at all times.
Breakfast. You had a fairly good choice for breakfast of eggs any style, bacon, home fries, beans, cold meats and cheeses, cereal, yogurt, orange drink, toast, bread rolls, coffee or tea. Some fruit also available. We usually favoured having the omelette with fillings of our choice. Very good. The lady short order cook serving on our week was really good and anticipated what you wanted by remembering your order from the day before and asking if it would be "the same again". A very nice personal service touch from a very attentive cook.
Lunch And Dinner. A meat selection usually of pork, chicken, fish, beef burgers done to your specifications by the short order cook. A hot table with pre-cooked selection of fish, chicken, pork and on a couple of occasions lamb stew and various other meat dishes. A limited vegetable selection of beans, french fries, rice, mashed potatoes, a green vegetable. A very limited salad section (red beets or shredded cabbage, oil, vinegar). Some sliced processed cheeses. A small variety of fresh fruit (pineapple, grapefruit, orange, bananas). There was also a dessert table with more than enough variety for us. There was ice cream served at lunch and dinner. We really enjoyed our ice cream. Wine and beer was served with both lunch and dinner if so desired.
The service at the buffet was somewhat spotty. One day you would have three waiters at your table and the next day it was difficult to get their attention. There didn't seem to be a cohesive policy about any particular waiter or waitress serving a particular table or set of tables. It seemed like every waiter/waitress for himself. On the overall though we managed to get fed and watered every day LOL.
Bars:
There are two bars operating at Cojimar at the present time. The bar in the pool area is open from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.. Here you can have a limited selection of domestic liquor, cocktails and of course the beer is cold and thirst quenching on a hot day whilst lazing at the pool. Service here is quick, efficient and friendly.
Lobby Bar: Our favorite bar was the lobby bar where I would have to say that we got the best service that you could get anywhere in Cuba. They have good indoor and outdoor seating at this bar. Here they served Cuban domestic liquor and beer brands. Excellent mixed cocktails as well. This bar was a great place to just sit and relax and have a quiet drink anytime earlier in the day. About 6 p.m. though, the place livened up and it was just a wonderful place to sit and people watch while having a Mojito or two before dinner. A really nice atmosphere at this bar. It was also fun here when the British flights were leaving or arriving as they did have a bon voyage or welcome party and the entertainment troupe were called upon to entertain the arriving or departing guests. We thought that was a very nice touch. It was also certainly a great place to relax after dinner and have a cappuccino with a tot of dark rum or brandy added before retiring to our room. The staff at this bar were an extremely hard-working lot.
Mosquitoes and Sand Fleas:
There was a major presence of these critters around dawn and dusk at all hotels on Cayo Guillermo or Cayo Coco for that matter. You certainly will have to wear protection with a high concentration of DEET to deter them. We had no problems ourselves as we did bring different types of bug protection and slather it on generously before heading for the lobby bar at 6 p.m.. That was the witching hour as far as mosquitoes and no-seeums were concerned. We did receive the odd mosquito bite during the day but it wasn't any kind of problem.
Cayo Guillermo Beach:
We did quite a lot of walking on this beautiful beach which is about three to 5 km long. We visited all of the other three hotels by way of the beach and had no problem looking at all of the facilities in those hotels. We did encounter security at every hotel but although we were wearing our yellow all-inclusive wristband from Cojimar they let us pass without question. It was quite interesting to see the difference in all of the hotels. Actually after having visited those hotels we were more than happy to be at Cojimar. We thought yes we had made the right choice for us.
The Hotel and Holiday in General:
After booking Villa Cojimar we had read so many bad reviews that we were very apprehensive about going but had no choice as our booking was nonrefundable. We certainly didn't have to worry on that score as we had nothing but good value and mostly good service and reasonably good food. For us this hotel was another great find and we wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. It is an excellent three-star hotel which I would recommend to anyone interested in going to a three-star hotel. The property really is quite spread out and never seems crowded. Of course the hotel was about half occupied on our stay so maybe that helped. There are about 210 rooms. There is a variety of two-story buildings and bungalows. The two-story buildings are mostly at the back of the property with the bungalows to the front of them all facing the ocean. I would say most of the bungalows have an ocean view of some kind or other. We found our bungalow to be very comfortable. The grounds of the hotel are lovely and well treed. At the moment they are constructing a new restaurant close to the beach. There is a construction area fenced off from the public. I have to say we found the the fence to be a kind of an ugly blight on the property. There was very little if any noise from the construction area. This construction didn't affect us anyway as we were on the west side and construction was on the east side. They are also working on upgrading and painting the insides of certain bungalows. The fitness center wasn't functioning while we were at Cojimar. It probably hasn't functioned for quite a while. Check-in and checkout at the lobby reception was quick and easy. Reception staff were courteous and helpful when their service was needed. Public toilet facilities were clean and well maintained. The Cadeca was open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Good friendly service from the cashier. We got about the same rate of exchange for our Canadian dollar as we would have at the airport Cadeca. There was three Internet computers in the lobby which you could use for a fee.
Check-Out And Flight Home:
Even though we had a late flight (9:45 p.m.) with Sunwing out of Cayo Coco we didn't opt for a late check out as they were only offering the room until 3 p.m. for a fee of 15 CUC. If it had been until 5 p.m. we would have opted for it, even for a larger fee. We checked out at noon time and stowed our luggage behind the reception where it was quite safe. We had a great afternoon at the pool and then at the lobby bar saying our goodbyes and chatting with other guests. At 5 p.m. we took advantage of a courtesy room to take a shower and freshen up. A nice perk from the hotel. Our bus left for the airport at 7 p.m. and we were quickly checked in and had seats of our choice on the aircraft. Our flight left in good time at about 9:45 p.m. back to Toronto. About 2 1/2 hours into our flight there was a medical emergency on board and I will have to say I take my hat off to the Sunwing cabin crew who acted so professionally and without panic in this situation. The crew called for a doctor or a medic. There was a fireman and a nurse present on the flight who responded to the call. They administered help to the individual and got him back on track. Kudos to those two individuals who were so professional in their demeanor and caring in their attitude and who stayed with this person talking and encouraging him until the plane landed 40 minutes early in Toronto. It was good to know that we were all in safe hands. There were emergency medical personnel awaiting for the individual at the gate when we arrived and the patient walked off with them under his own steam. What a great system we have. Through customs quickly and home safely by 2:30 p.m.. All in all a great holiday. We have put on the web up a few photos of the Villa Cojimar and area. They can be found at the link.
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