Fifth trip to Cuba and not the last...but never again to the Playas D'este until they update big time. These hotels haven't been upgraded since the 1970's and that may be the last time our room was cleaned as well. We had no water in the shower, bugs crawling around, filthy windows that still had the X duct tape on them, pool with no water with a tumble down broken fence around it, located beside a derilict parking lot accross the road and back a ways from the beach, hopeless restaurant, no entertainment and just plain depressing. There was no internet, vehicle rentals, bicycles or any other things like that...funny these are all tools for getting out of there!!!or I may not have noticed. We booked out to Varedero for 5 nights where there are at least lifeforms around after 7pm and as always spent 4 nights in Havana. I can put up with alot but this place takes a prize for "Gulag". One excellent thing was that there was a bus to Havana at 9:30 in the morning and we were on it.

Stayed in #23 for 4 nights - farther from the beach (still a short walk). Nothing leaked in the rain. Our very own (small) pool, lounge chairs and walled garden setting. Villa was scrupulously clean with 2 big bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and huge windows everywhere - a decent condo
by any standards. Kitchen lacked utensils, plates and local fresh food
was hard to find (maybe we weren't intrepid enough - the restaurants weren't far). Cable TV was out - not the hotels fault judging by the cable dangling in the field across the street. Overall a great stay.

Booked five nights through a website for about 120 usd a night for a two bedroom villa. We ended up staying only two nights...

Check-in was slow. Even though there weren´t any other guests at the reception, it took them about 40 minutes to get us into the house. I had requested villa number 44 because I heard it had excellent views. We drove up (about 400 meters from beach, 200 from reception, store and diner), and was greeted by our own security guard (on duty from noon to midnight)! Good start! Got into the house, which had just had a fumi-something (getting rid of bugs...). It smelled kinda strange, but we were still happy.

The view was fantastic from the large terrace, the private pool was nice enough (chipped foundation, but what the heck...), and there were a few dirty sun loungers and a shower by it. The house had a living room with simple sofas, a dining room, a bar with stools, microwave and rice boiler (??), kitchen with gas stove, double sink, combi fridge with well-sized freezer... Pots, hardware, glasses and china was adequate, nothing more (we lacked a fork and three glases, and I could have used the slicing knife to scratch my behind, but it´s Cuba. We got the fork and glasses). Two good-sized bedrooms with old and noisy ac, wardrobe, safe box, and clean, modern, comfortable bathrooms (bathrooms where the highlight of the house). There was a car space with roof under the terrace.

We spent the afternoon on the lovely beach. It certainly is a very nice beach!

The problems started the first evening. We had gotten groceries in Galleria Paseo in Vedado (Havana), and this was probably a good idea. But there was no gas for the stove. I looked out the window, and saw the small copper (?) pipe going into the thin air... No gas. I called reception, and was greeted with the typical Cuban apathy-minded service attitude... Fortunately, we had bread, ham and cheese to stay fed...

It started raining in the afternoon, and the floors of half of the dining room and one of the bedrooms were wet. Not so nice.

Next morning, still no gas. We went back to the beach (stopped by reception to ask for gas) in the morning, and returned around 1 pm because of threatening clouds. We noticed a card board box in the driveway, and there were half a dozen broken beer bottles just below the terrace, between the house and pool. Not so nice, and kind of creepy.
The housekeeper was there, and she was terrific!! I told her about the missing gas, the rain, the broken bottles etc... I also went down to reception to tell them the same thing. I said I was upset, and that this was not good (no es bueno, este, or something in my poor Spanish). I also informed them we were leaving the next day because of all the problems. The terrific maid seemed to get things moving though. She made a few calls, and an hour later, we had gas! I guess it all depends on who you meet. It rained for hours that afternoon and evening, and all rooms had water in them. One of the bedrooms where the only room not entirely floor covered in water... We left the next day (this day we had no water (only on the floors...)), and I hope to get a refund for the three nights I payed for, but did not use. We´ll see...