I visited Cuba for a week with my brother. We booked five days at the Hotel El Colony for diving, through a Canadian agent (wowcuba.com). What an adventure!

We took the 6:00 flight from Havana to Nueva Gerona. The agent from Cubatours was late meeting us at the terminal, we just squeaked onto the flight. First tip: book your flight early, it fills up. The one hour trip from the airport to the hotel was enjoyable, not least because we were in a 50s-era sedan.

The hotel itself is unremarkable. We were in the La Canada bungalow, it was spacious and offered a spectacular view. And as Canadians, we were delighted with the choice. It had a working A/C, toilet and shower, privacy, and the TV had a few English channels.

What else do you need? We were on the "American Plan," which includes three meals. I have no idea where to eat if you don't eat at the hotel, so that suited us. The food is unremarkable at best, but not as bad as some things I have read about the big resorts. The lunch was served on the dive boat, and was probably the best meal every day.

The diving itself was spectacular. Unlike another reviewer, we saw a huge number of fish. It could be a site selection thing, after a few days of fish, fish, fish, we asked for some action and the divemaster took us to "Reino Magico," a drop from 55 feet to 130 feet through a tube out onto the wall.

On our last day we did "Blue Hole," featuring another tunnel down to 140 feet, below the recommended limits for recreational diving. I think you should take a computer if the dive master says anything about deep wall diving.

Of course, the dive master had been happily showing us morays, huge crabs, lobsters, nurse sharks, rays, and other marine life on fifty foot dives until we requested a little more excitement, so it is clearly a case of asking for what you want and knowing your own comfort level.

That being said, the dive profile featured a nice, gradual ascent through the shallows, and by the time we were ready for the safety stop, my computer no longer was flashing the mandatory deco sign. This speaks well for their dive planning.

The dive masters had us in very small groups, a real treat compared to places where a dozen or more divers crowd each other out to see anything. They also grouped us by what we wanted, I know that they did a shallower profile in the other group when we did the deep dives.

Other divers at the hotel complained of boredom, so my overall advice is to politely tell the crew what you want to do and what you want to see. And if you can afford it, it doesn't hurt to tip: we tipped them CUC$10 a day (between the two of us), which is a lot of money in Cuba. But c'mon, can you afford a venti no-foam vanilla latte with an extra shot? I thought so.

Speaking of tips, you may want to inquire about a third dive. The official plan is two dives, one morning and one afternoon. A second morning dive may be available for cash on the boat. Ask discreetly, as they may "forget" to give the hotel their cut on the action.

If you do the extra dive, keep your eye on the surface interval, the crew happily put us back in the water on less than an hour's rest. I prefer a more conservative rest, especially after a 140 foot immersion. That being said, the extra dive was shallow and fun, and there was a very long interval to the afternoon dive.

We took our own gear down. I was trying out a new wing, and my brother rented gear from our local shop. The gear down there was serviceable, so it is no problem to rent from them and save a lot of packing.

They suggested we leave our personal BCDs, wet suits, and fins at the marina but take our computers and regs with us. This was convenient, and we didn't lose anything.

Others have mentioned the spectacular beach at the marine reserve. You can visit it for relaxing or snorkeling on the boat, and I think this would be great for a mixed group, like a family, where some are diving and some are not.

They have baby turtles that they are raising to help restock the sea turtle population, that would be interesting for children.

Overall, this was excellent diving and a reasonable hotel. My advice is to ask for what you want from the dive masters and know your limits. They will put you in the appropriate group and take you to the appropriate place for you to enjoy yourself... you just have to ask.

For being Cuba, this hotel is adeqate. My very helpful local travel agent Lazaro at the Cuban connection (-------) was great at finding good rates in Havana and Isle of Youth for me, last minute. I highly reccommend them. Please understand that Cuba is developing and that you can't expect the same comforts there as you can in your own country.

It was a challenge to get to the Isle of Youth last minute. My travel agent managed to find a flight for me and I could go to Isla Juventud to dive. The transportation between the airport and the hotel took a little over an hour and the driver was there to greet me as I arrived.

The hotel is a colossal and impersonal building and you get the feeling that it was indeed intended as a vacation colony 30 years ago. It has an empty feel to it and I recommend that you stay in the bungalows instead of at the actual hotel. The bungalows are quite spacious and comfortable. The bed is great, the shower is great (important for a diver) and there's a tv with a few American channels. You have to walk a few minutes to get to the dining room in the hotel to get breakfast and dinner.

The food is ok, not great but you survive on it for a week. If I go back I'll bring some protein shakes and bars to have some additional nutrition. I especially disliked the breakfast with stale bread and nothing much to eat.

There isn't really much to do at the hotel itself so unless you are a serious and keen diver, I don't think you should go there at all. Yes it is practically on the beach, but as there are massive amounts of blood thirsty sandflies, you can't stay on the beach. The sandflies are particularly bothersome around sunset - so you need to avoid the outdoors as the sun sets which is a shame since it was absolutely beautiful every night I was there!

I went diving every day while I was there and the diving is good, but you need to know what you are doing as they aren't extremely occupied with following the international rules for diving. They go very deep on the first dive, you need to be self sufficient and know your limits as a diver.

The trip to the National park where the diving is, takes about 1,5 hours each way. This makes a full day trip starting at 9 o' clock in the morning. You get back at around 6pm, just in time for dinner.

I loved the trip, and I especially loved the surface interval at the beach between the dives. The lunch on board the boat is surprisingly good. The boat is somewhat dirty and smelly, again, don't expect what you are used to at other places in the world.

The divemaster will let you go very deep, but please don't as the nearest decompression chamber is hours away. The underwater topography was great with massive walls, tubes, overhangs, small caves and loads of chimneys. The reef itself was nice, but there wasn't much fish life there. I never saw a shark or a turtle during my week of diving there.

All in all I had a great time, but I knew what to expect and I know my limits as I am a professional diver - please dive safely while in Cuba!!

It's not easy to get to, but once you arrive you are in for a treat. 16 double bungalows impecibaly furnished and spotless. All are on the beach with the most mgnificent sunsets in all of the Carribean.
Decent food and great staff.
If you like snorkling or Scuba this is the last best place in the whole caribean.