We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.
We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Back to Villa Islazul El Bosque

Villa Islazul El Bosque – reviews, photos

Ave. Jorge Dimitrov esq. a 9na. | Reparto Pedro Díaz Coello, Holguin, Cuba
Hotel amenities
Villa Islazul El Bosque
Ranked #9 of 9 hotels in Holguin
2.5 of 5 stars 14 Reviews
3 January 2010 -
Markpaultaylor
 
 
Write a Review

14 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    1
    2
    3
    6
    2
Date Rating
oxford, UK
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
“The food was the worst part - but it's cuba..”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 January 2010
2
people found this review helpful

Hotel El Bosque is out of town, a ten min walk/1km from the Pernik. Pleasant setting in quiet leafy grounds. We stayed two nights prior to getting our plane home. Pool and kiddy pool were clean and pleasant when we went. Rooms clean. Our shower room was new and clean, my mother's next door needed redecorating, and she ended up using our (good) shower. Hers was cold and once it was on none of us could turn it off. We reported it to the receptionist, but an hour later, with the shower still gushing, we asked a maid who brought in the swimming pool attendant, who managed it. Food: There was one restaurant, and despite what it said on the menu, the only food was chicken steak, pork steak or spaghetti. We had the meat, and it arrived with half a handful of burned soggy fries. Worst food we had in cuba (and that's saying something). At lunch the next day at the swimming pool bar the fries were the same, so it wasn't a one-off error. The only lunch available (as in most cuban cafes) was ham/cheese sandwich and fries. Breakfast was ok, apart from the fly in the sugary fruit juice - the usual bread, fruit, ham, cheese, eggs and omlettes made to order. We went to the Pernik the following night for dinner and that was also bad.. but different. I will do another review for that. Frankly, we find better food and friendlier service at private houses (casa particulare) than we have in cuban hotels, and cheaper too. In this case you could probably find one more central too. Stay there, taxi to a hotel for the day to use their pool. It's what we did in santiago. And there might be more and better restaurants in the town centre. Maybe.

  • Stayed January 2010, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask eurilla about Villa Islazul El Bosque
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
London
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
34 helpful votes 34 helpful votes
“Poor hotel”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 January 2010
3
people found this review helpful

We stayed 3 nights at this hotel in a chalet and agree with pretty much everything that has been said in previous reviews.

The staff were pretty indifferent to customers. There wasno remote control as it was reportedly stolen by a previous customer. We were only told this on the 2nd night after being promised that it would be brought to our room.

The food was brought to our table by a waiter and was a little scant.

The swimmng pool was out of action and was a very unusual green colour. There were many members of staff there who just sat around looking at the pool doing nothing about its condition.

The hotel looks very nice. It is in a leafy area and the landscaping is quiet pleasant but the negatives outweigh the positives. It is also quiet a hike to the city centre.

The city is pleasant enough. There is a Cavern club with Beatles posters and statues of the Fab 4. We watched live music there. Not your tradtional Cuban music but a mix of British/American classics.

A trip to see Pancho the drinking donkey was fun.

The city was a good stopover before going to Guardalavaca.

We managed to get a private taxi from Holguin to Guardalavaca for 35 CUC. I was advise this was a very good deal.

  • Stayed September 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Markpaultaylor about Villa Islazul El Bosque
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Travellers are raving about these Holguin hotels

Blau Costa Verde Beach Resort
4 of 5 stars
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d266692?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_RavingAboutButton
Don Santiago
4.5 of 5 stars
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d554756?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_RavingAboutButton
Hotel Playa Costa Verde
4 of 5 stars
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d265931?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_RavingAboutButton
Riu Playa Turquesa
4 of 5 stars
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d292899?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_RavingAboutButton
Casa Particular
4.5 of 5 stars
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d594469?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_RavingAboutButton
London, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
44 reviews 44 reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
68 helpful votes 68 helpful votes
“Avoid at ALL cost, dangerous sockets, location not great”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 December 2009
2
people found this review helpful

Luckily we only stayed in this hotel for one night. The only good thing about this place is that the restaurant food is good and not expensive. The rest of the hotel, I am not sure it is to be desired.

The room that we were allocated was big and is facing a busy street. Although they have security guard near my room, I was never asked to show my room keys. The bathroom is basic but the cabinet there is too dirty. I did not even dare to use the glasses put in the cabinet. All the sockets in my room is loose and it looks very unsafe. Our room has 2 doors. One of the door cannot be locked properly. So we have to move the fridge to be in front of this door in order to ensure we would not be burgled.

The location of this hotel is 3-4km away from the town centre and there is nothing nearby except with another hotel and also some residential areas. So if you need to get around, you will need to pay about 3 cucs to get to the town centre.

There is a swimming pool there. However, I did not dare to swim in the pool as the water looks green but I can smell there is lots of chorine.

The receptionist there seems to speak good English and I do not have any issues with them at all.

I would avoid this place if at all feasible. During the dinner we observed some interesting guests.

  • Stayed December 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask EastmeetsWestAB about Villa Islazul El Bosque
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Montreal, Canada
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
62 helpful votes 62 helpful votes
“Probably not again”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 July 2009
5
people found this review helpful

the GOOD stuff - Well, I can't complain about the price! 20cuc for single and 30cuc for double, breakfast included. Hard to beat that!
The hotel has a pool, a restaurant, with a couple of bars on site. It is situated in a quiet area not far from Hotel Pernik. The hotel grounds are a fair size with semi-detached bungalows to stay in.

the BAD stuff - the hotel is quite a ways from the city center (4-5 cuc taxi) and airport (12-15 cuc). Other than the disco at Hotel Pernik, there ain't much going on around here at night. The rooms are a bit on the shabby side and mine featured a leaky ceiling and a door with a loose doorknob that looked like it had been forced open a few times. Security at this hotel didn't seem too re-assuring. Upon check-out, the lady at the desk tried to charge me for a nightly sleep-over with a Cuban girl which to my recollection never happened. I surely didn't drink that much. She showed me the young lady's ID foto and although I was quite impressed , I had to argue with her that I had never met this woman before and would definitely would have remembered such an encounter. She then started suggesting the girl stayed in my traveling companion's room to which I told her that it was an equally absurd assumption. Maybe this was the information she was given and not her fault but I was was quite happy to leave with my money intact.

For peace and quiet and no-frills at a bargain-basement price this could be the place for you.

  • Liked — price
  • Disliked — front-desk, location
  • Stayed June 2009, travelled with friends
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Check-in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
See 2 more reviews by CubanWaters for Holguin
Ask CubanWaters about Villa Islazul El Bosque
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Sarnia
2 reviews
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
“Update on cost”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 February 2009
2
people found this review helpful

I was last there in January. The big news is that I have received word from my friend, the manager there, that the cost of a double room has fallen to 30CUC and the cost of single per night to 20CUC, Both prices include breakfast...eggs, toast, the "mystery" meat, and whatever limited fruit and vegetables are on hand. However tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and small pineapple are now available although the post -Ike oranges are still small and green. But hey..go live as a Cuban for a few days as I do, and there is no room for complaints.

  • Stayed February 2009
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Candysita about Villa Islazul El Bosque
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Travellers who viewed Villa Islazul El Bosque also viewed

Hotel Pernik
2.5 of 5 stars 38 Reviews
Holguin, Holguin Province
Hotel Playa Pesquero
4.5 of 5 stars 2,741 Reviews
Holguin, Holguin Province
Paradisus Rio de Oro Resort & Spa
4.5 of 5 stars 1,998 Reviews
Holguin, Holguin Province
View all 9 hotels in Holguin, ranked by popularity »

Been to Villa Islazul El Bosque? Share your experiences!

Write a Review Add Photos Add Videos

Villa Islazul El Bosque Also Known As

  • Hotel Islazul El Bosque
Address: Ave. Jorge Dimitrov esq. a 9na. | Reparto Pedro Díaz Coello, Holguin, Cuba

Owners: What's your side of the story?

If you own or manage Villa Islazul El Bosque, register now for free tools to enhance your listing, attract new reviews, and respond to reviewers.

  • Manage your listing
Villa Islazul El Bosque
Show the lowest price for this hotel (from our partners)
We're sorry, we currently have no offers for this property.