My wife and I were at the IB Playa Alameda from Jan 15, to Jan 29. This was the first time we went to the Caribbean by ourselves.

We went with Sunwing and as always the flight was very good. Great service. The Sunwing rep at the resort, David, was also very good. Return from Varadero was also very good in that it was quick and we were able to get larger seats for ourselves for $45 total. The added bonus was that the flight was not full and we didn’t even have anyone sitting beside us. It’s nice that the airport in Varadero accepts Canadian money for everything except the departure tax.

Arrival was fairly quick, so much so that we were unable to convert any money before we got on the bus for the resort. Fortunately, we had some convertible pesos from our last trip to Cuba with which we could buy beer at the airport and tip the bus driver. At the resort we exchanged some money at the rate of 88 CUC for every $100 Cdn. A week or so later we got 95 CUC per hundred at a bank at the Plaza Americas beside the Melia.

We were the only 2 arriving at the Playa Alameda from Canada on Sunday morning so check-in was very quick and we were shuttled to our room by a stretch golf cart by 11:30 a.m.

The room was large with 2 twin beds rather than the 1 king I had requested. There is a walk in closet with only one drawer but plenty of hangers and shelves and a safe which is free of charge. The bathroom has a bathtub with showerhead as well as a separate shower stall. The water pressure was strong all of the time and there was always hot water (room 1404). There were about 6 towels, 2 facecloths and 2 housecoats. The TV had a few English language channels including CTV which sometimes had sound and sometimes didn’t. Our room was right across from the pool and was pretty conveniently located in close proximity to everything as we were about half way down the boulevard that goes from front (reception) to back (beach). The room was very quiet and the AC was very strong and not on a motion sensor. We did see a cockroach on the 13th day which we killed and another one on the last day which we couldn’t catch. They were rather large and I’m not sure why they were there as we didn’t keep food in the room. Anyway, not that big a deal as I’ve seen them in Toronto also.

We had 14 days of sunshine. In our 10 weeks in Cuba, always in January, we’ve seen approximately 10 to 20 minutes of rain total.

The resort was really well laid out and not very big. You could get around the entire place on a 10 minute walk. I liked the fact the entertainment area/disco was kept well to the front (i.e. sort of behind reception). We couldn’t hear anything with our patio door closed. The beach was nice. We never had trouble finding chairs at either the beach or the pool area. I read a review that said you have to bring water shoes if you don’t want the cut your feet in the water at the beach. Load of crap. There are some stones as you enter at certain spots but you can see them. There are vendors on the beach but they are not pushy, they just seem to keep walking up and down the beach amongst the 3 or 4 adjacent resorts all day long.

The food was a little bit of a let down. It wasn’t horrible and we never went hungry. It’s just that compared to our 4 visits to the Iberostar Daiquiri in Cayo Guillermo it didn’t seem as good. All the beef was pretty salty for my taste buds. The buffet stations appear to be fewer and smaller so there seems to be less selection. Breakfast also wasn’t as good as at the Daiquiri, in my opinion. The beach restaurant appeared to run out of hot dog buns on a couple of days even though they put out sausage. After 2 weeks the food did get repetitive but again, we were never left hungry. This is the first Iberostar I’ve been to where they didn’t have cards describing the food in the pans. One time I bit into a piece of fish which I actually thought was a pork chop. Surprise. It was good though. The breads and cheeses were very good. We only went to one a la carte (the gourmet one) and it was pretty good. One of my favourite things to eat was the chicken on a baguette at the pool bar/restaurant. The pool bar serves 24 hour drinks and food when all of the other places close.

The lobby bar is very nice, the service is very good and the drinks are the best on the resort. The coffee there is also the best.

We didn’t do any of the excursions and we only went into town once by taxi to the Plaza Americas. The taxi was fast and it was fun to be in a ’57 Ford Fairlane that had an immaculate interior. The cab driver came back and picked us up at a predetermined time. We had lunch at a pizza place there and it was very good. The chicken parmesan was better than most I’ve had in Canada. There is a bus you can take all day for 5 CUC but it was packed and has to stop very often. It would be an excursion in it’s own right.

We met a number of nice people over the 14 days particularly Joanne from Winnipeg and Brad and Kim from Saskatoon.

I tried to keep this brief as I don’t want to be repeating every single thing everyone else has already said. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

We would return to this resort.

Were there from Feb. 2 to 9. We were in building 13 third floor and could see part of the ocean. Was quiet, clean and very comfortable. The grounds were neat and tidy...never any garbage laying around. Hired a cabby to go into Havanah one day...do it, quite interesting. If you need something, look for Peppy on the beach, he can get you anything.The food was good, just not the selection you would have in Mexico. Didn't loose any wieght, that's for sure. All staff very friendly and helpful as well as the locals. If we were the type to go back to the same resort twice we would come back here, but there are too many nice resorts and different paradises to see.

I have to agree with Yahoo67 (post Jan 27th) in that I just don't see what some people are complaining about. Where did you think you were going? We were blown away with our room (Unit 15, 3rd Floor, overlooking the ocean). It is exactly what we had requested in an email a month before we departed. The size of the room, the washroom, the walk-in closet and the patio were perfect! The room was kept spotless and shiney daily by our friendly maid Ermis. And a tip inside the bar fridge every once in a while kept the cervazas readily stocked on a daily basis.

We found everybody extremely friendly and willing to help answer any questions we had. Sometimes it helps to spend a little time with the groundskeepers and others who make the place tick. Take the effort to bring along some extras to distribute (Dollar Store items go a long way). I can't think of anything that wouldn't be appreciated (clothing, toiletries, etc.).

The weather wasn't perfect, as we had a few days with cloud cover. But what the hell? It was a lot warmer than Thunder Bay! The food was what can be expected - just average. If you didn't like what was cooking on the grill, there were pleanty of options. And the bread was to die for!!! I enjoyed the lamb at the Medituranean a la carte. The Italian and Gourmet dinners were just s0-so for me. But the service was great.

We really enjoyed the Buena Vista Social Club show that was available down the road for 37 pesos/person. We also enjoyed the trip to Havana - comfortable bus trip with knowledgeable guide (Joe).

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this resort.

This is my 3rd visit to Cuba, We stayed the week of Jan.28 to Feb.4, first of all GREAT WEATHER, the whole week through, we were a group of 12, from ages 16 - 72, and we all had a blast.
The service is top notch, from the barmaids/men to the entertainment team and lobby desk, wonderful people who do their absolute best to make sure you are having a good time.
Beach was a bit narrow, but none the less beautiful with gorgeous turquoise water, and yes the sand is whiter closer to town, but the beauty of the grounds, color of the water and service make up for this.
We found the food at the buffet exceptional, with Italian cold cuts and all kinds of cheeses you can think of, the pasta bar was decent, and grilled meats cooked differently every night.
the pool bar is great for a quick lunch or anytime snack, hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, steak sandwiches...etc....and again great service!
The beach buffet is also decent, no complaints from any of us about the food, no one in our group was sick, nor was hungry.
the live band and shows at night were great, particularly the Michael Jackson show and the Las Vegas show were pretty darn good.
we weren't crazy about the specialty restaurants, but the steak tournedo at the Romantico was decent, and tender enough with a nice little gravy, and they have the BEST breads ever!
Drinks were Fantastic!! my favorite was Iced cappucino with kahlua and baileys...yummy.
our room was 1516, with a nice ocean view to the left, and the aircon was fantastic, as we like it to be cool for sleeping, we actually had to lower it, as it was too good.
we didn't do any excursions this time around except for the double decker bus to Varadero for 5 pesos for some shopping, nice ride and scenery.
Check in at this hotel was a breeze, had our room cards within minutes of arrival, and then driven to our room, again great service.
I don't know what I can really complain about, as we all loved it, and cannot wait to go back to this hotel!!

See you next year Iberostar Playa Alameda!!! thanks to all the great employees for making our trip memorable!