My husband and I spent 9 days at this resort from March 21st. to March 30th. We had a junior suite that was was quite large, clean and bright. ( Rm. 1411, ground floor, pool view. ) Always stocked daily with water, pop, and beer. ( Except the day before we returned home, we were forgotten. ) The bed in our room was very hard, so my husband took the bed, and I the daybed.
The grounds and gardens of the hotel are very well kept. There are many garbage cans and ashtrays so there is no excuse for garbage or butts to be found anywhere, and there was always someone walking around picking up litter .
The food (as always in Cuba) is very repetitive, beans, rice, chicken, fish, pork,beef. A salad station, cheese station, Pasta station , but who can't find something to eat ? We only tried the Japanese Restaurant, it was fine, but I would tell anyone to give it a try.
Outside the buffet in the evening you will find a dog and sometimes a cat. Please be kind and give them a couple of morsels
It was windy everyday we were there but 1. Absolutely impossible to go into the ocean. I tried and found it too difficult to get out by myself because of the steep bank into the water. I would definitely not recommend this resort for children.
We found the area around the pool very loud. The entertainment staff try to keep everyone amused, but the music is very annoying after hours of pounding.
The pool was quite cold, but kept very clean. We saved our chairs in the morning before going to breakfast , there were plenty there, but after the morning rush, there were few to choose from. There were always men hauling chairs from the beach to the pool, and vice versa.
In our opinion, the staff as a whole make this resort special. They are very guest oriented. Always smiling, making you feel welcome, and ready to serve your needs. We gave many tips at this resort. We feel the same here as anywhere else. If the tip is deserved ..it is given. We give gardening gloves , fishing lures, to the gardeners.
( those who are in the back ground. )
We only attended a couple of the shows at night. They do the best with what they have to work with, but we were not impressed at all by what we saw.
The drive from the airport to the resort is torturous , after being on a plane for 4 1/2 hrs. , waiting at the airport 3 hrs. prior to takeoff and a 2 hr. drive to the resort, we could not get to our rooms fast enough ! Our bus drove by our resort to let guests off at other resorts . When we questioned this, we were told that they have a direct connection to their resort...well that's what it said on our tickets as well.
We only took one excursion. The speed boats and the snorkeling tour. The water was very rough, and to do either was difficult, but an adventure.
Our poor excuse for a dollar doesn't have much weight there, so do not expect a big exchange.
In closing, we will probably not return to this resort because of the long commute. Although they are talking about adding an airport on Santa Maria, then we will reconsider.
Please go and enjoy yourselves, we did even with the speed bumps.
