Let me start out by saying that my family and I (Husband and 2 kids ages 11, and 8) have travelled to Cuba five times now. We are used to the bland(ish) food, the poverty, the mosquitos etc etc. We go to Cuba with no unrealistic expectations. Despite the drawbacks, we have always found the people proud, hard-working, happy, and willing to chat and share their stories. Not so this time. This "five star" resort was a Three – at BEST. The grounds are amazing and the grounds-keepers were the cheeriest and most hard-working of the bunch. The beach is absolutely to die for. It truly is spectacular. It is nice and shallow for miles out, so if you are traveling with kids, it is PERFECT! Water is crystal clear. If you go, you can take a bun or bananas and feed the fish almost right out of your hand! It’s just one kind of little white fish though, the odd needle nose, and watch out, baracudas swim close to the shore! The beach is maintained nicely, but there is a lack of shades, and those there are all in a row along the back of the beach, side by side to your neighbour. No privacy. It’s like tanning in row housing. You also need to get up early to get shelter, and you WILL need shelter if you are there when it is very hot – no matter how much you like sun or heat! The room was clean. HOWEVER – the 2 double beds were not. We arrived to find a huge ‘king sized’ bed, and one single. Great for 2 perhaps, but where do we put a husband, and wife, and a boy aged 8 and a girl aged 11? We asked for a cot – but none were available. (??) Had I known this, I would not have gone to this resort. My main issue with this particular hotel was the bathroom areas, the staff, and the line-ups. The bathrooms were occasionally clean, but mostly DISGUSTING. Under-stocked, filthy, and the bathrooms by the pool were not cleaned or checked all day and STANK. Even in the lobby when we were leaving was gross. In one bathroom there was no soap, but 4 maids standing around outside chatting. I asked for more handsoap, and they looked at me like I was crazy and told me "no, manana". Really? I can wash my hands TOMORROW?? I know what you are thinking as we are the same… as, as long as there is sun and a pool and ok food, who cares? But trust me, after a week of dodging someone’s crap and piss on the floor, you start to get a bit disgusted and really, really want to wash your hands…thoroughly. Staff here were the rudest I have ever encountered in Cuba. Every year we gho, we take clothes, toys, shoes etc for the hotel staff. This year we had a hard time finding anyone we wanted to give stuff to! The lobby bartenders barely look at you. They ignored my kids completely for drinks. The wait staff stand around chatting, and even the hard-working ones aren’t exactly the best.
Overall? Great beach, lovely grounds. Crap staff. Needs some SERIOUS new management.
Room Number:
2035
Room Block:
20
Rooms:
clean – large enough.
Restaurants and Bars:
looooong line-ups for everything.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
One entire side of the resort was closed for the season. If you want a private pool, take a few beers over and enjoy a pool to yourself!