The service was friendly and helpful and English was quite well understood. The Bungalow rooms were clean, spacious and well equiped with fridge and A/C. The beds were also very comfy and huge! There is a pool and a lovely tropical beach with palm trees and wonderful sunsets - great for romantics who are happy to do nothing but hold hands and gaze in wonder. There is nothing else around here tho, or on the Island - we went for diving which was good, but otherwise there is nothing. The food was not good - very limited choice and bland - which may be a reflection of the Cuban situation, but unfortunately what there was, was poorly prepared - overdone and appeared to have been prepared hours in advance of breakfast and evening meal times. Lunch in the pool bar a bit fresher as done to order.

Here's the deal - you have no choice but stay here if you want easy access to the diving at Punta Frances. It's not a great place, but it's not the end of the world either - definitely come here if you want good diving. We saw a huge manatee, tens of sharks, huge lobsters and lots of fish in 8 dives over four days.
The hotel is typically badly run, but is actually pretty good by Cuban standards. The main building is now unused to accommodate guests, instead there are just 20-30 modern rooms further down the beach where guests stay. These are excellent, modern rooms - much better than those in most Cuban hotels. Sadly only a few have sea views due to the silly way in which they're built. We asked to move to a seaview room and it was fine. There are bugs galore - bring spray for the evening - but it's fine. The beach is pretty but isn't somewhere good for swimming.
The diving site is located in the military zone, so you have to travel an hour or so by boat each way to get there. This is good sun tanning time, and there's a BEAUTIFUL beach where you get a good two hours' rest each day between dives.
The food at the hotel is definitely the low point. The staff are well meaning but lazy and unable to do much when you complain.
On balance, I've forgotten the bad food already, and just remember the great diving. So go, you're unlikely to regret it and it's definitely a bit of an adventure!

be sure to keep your feet and lower legs covered at night.the sand flies here can eat you alive.the bar was open to the elements with no air conditioning.food good what there was of it.dont be late for any of the meals.nearest village 42 kilometres.slightly isolated.went diving while there.we spent 4 days diving,very good..boat and equipment a little dated,bring your own.dive chamber broken down.hotel rooms excellent as are staff.

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.