The only review you need to read. This was our second time here in 11 months. First trip: February 27- March 6 2023 Second trip: January 22-29 2024 Food 3/5 The food is Cuban food so don’t come with high expectations. I am a very picky eater and always found something to eat at each meal at the buffet. The main meat dishes here are pork. There was some chicken and fish but mainly it was pork. Last time we were here there was a pasta bar. On the trip we didn’t see any pasta until our fourth day. In the mornings there is an omelet bar and other egg variations, pork items, pancakes, French toast, donuts, fresh fruits and a smoothie bar. Lunch and dinner were similar in options. Rice, pork, pizza, beans, salad bar, breads and buns, dessert items and ice cream. They do have a snack bar that offers hot sandwiches, chicken and pork on bun. They have salt and pepper but no other spices or condiments to add to foods. Bring ketchup, hot sauce, salad dressings, jam and peanut butter. This is something we didn’t do on our first visit but did on our second and it made a huge difference. On our first trip there were restaurants you could make reservations at. There was an Italian restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, a Cuban restaurant, a restaurant called fusion (not sure what this one was because we never ate there) and a building that was under construction to be an Asian restaurant, and of course the buffet. This time around there was only the Mexican restaurant and Cuban restaurant. The soon to be Asian restaurant is now a gym and the area they had the Italian and fusion restaurant is under construction. Snack bar says it’s open until 11pm but that’s not the case. There’s no food available after 9pm when the buffet and snack bar closes so make sure to bring snacks. There are restaurants close by most of them all close around 9pm as well. On our first trip we only packed crackers and chips, this time around we brought chips, crackers, candies and granola bars. Next time I would probably pack bagels or something more filling for late night snacking, or you could make sandwiches at the buffet at dinner and bring back to the room and put in the fridge. I had read another recent review about someone complaining about cockroaches at the buffet, we didn’t see any. Rooms 2/5 On our first visit we had a room close to the lobby with a garden view and balcony. The room was a decent size and the bathroom had a bathtub and large vanity. Our room had 2 double beds that you can push together, beds were comfortable. There was a small older tv that worked but quality wasn’t great. On our second stay we had a room closer to the beach with a partial view of the ocean. Bathroom was smaller with a shower and a sink with no counter to put our things. This was a bit annoying at first but we just kept our things on the tv stand. Shower was hot and had good water pressure. 2 double beds that you can push together. These ones weren’t as comfy. On our first trip we were freezing cold at night. We had to leave the ac running so the room wouldn’t get humid and warm. We only had 1 bed sheet and ended up sleeping with our beach towels as blankets. This time we came prepared with throw blankets, a large bed sheet and pillows with pillow cases. This was a game changer. The beds are provided with one pillow per bed but I am a 2 pillow kind of girl. Our room did have blankets in the closet but we didn’t use them. We had a brand new flat screen tv. Lots of channel options and good screen quality. Ac worked great. Rooms have a fridge to keep drinks cold but ours froze everything we put inside, a safe to keep important things but ours didn’t work. There is also a hair dryer but no iron or coffee maker. Walls can be thin so you can hear your neighbours and some of the doors slam hard which you can also hear in your room. The entire trip our room was filled with mosquitos and we ended up covered in bites. In the bathroom there was a wooden slatted vent cover I want to call it. There was a constant dripping coming from behind this. It also let in a lot of noise from our neighbours. On the third day the hallway flooded because the maid let the mop sink in the cleaning closet running. We luckily didn’t end up with water in our room but I’m sure the people next to us did. We also noticed the smell of sewage coming from a room on the first floor under us and half way through our trip you could notice a brown liquid leaking from under the door. We did have an incident happen in our room, I won’t go into details but please use your safe. If it doesn’t work complain at the front desk for a new room or for someone to come and fix it. The management team was informed about the incident that happened and they handled it professionally. However I was told I would be updated after they did an investigation and I was not. There were public garbage cans outside of the rooms and they were left overflowing for most of our trip. Very much an eye sore. Beach and pools 3/5 The beach is beautiful but sand needs to be cleaned more. Lots of broken shells and garbage. On our first trip there were a ton of umbrellas with beach chairs, this time there was half the amount of umbrellas and less beach chairs. They have white and blue beach chairs that are comfortable but also had just white plastic ones that were really uncomfortable. If you come early you should be able to get a good spot on the beach. One thing that made me a little angry is that on this trip it was very windy for the first 3 days. A yellow flag was out to warn people to swim with caution, the waters were rough with lots of waves that were really high. On our last trip the life guards sat close to the water watching (on our last trip there were no yellow flags and hardly any waves). This time there was one life guard that sat at the very back of the beach under an umbrella on his phone the entire time. Not sure if they are under staffed and this life guard is tired but it just didn’t look good. For the second half of our trip there were 2 lifeguards but all the did was drink and smoke with the guests in the shade of the umbrellas. They also sold cigarettes and cigars out of their bags so if you’re looking they might be selling them for a cheaper price than the resorts store. The pools were nice and clean. There is a large pool close to the lobby, a second pool beside the main pool that is shallow and there are chairs for you to sit on and a third pool closer to the beach. Pools are usually not to busy with lots of chairs available. There are some cabanas to sit under that have shade but they are normally taken. When the weather warmed up the pools and beach were both very busy. Bars 4/5 They are 3 bar areas and a 4th under construction. The main bar is in the lobby and is open 24 hours, second bar is about half way through the resort beside the stage and snack bar, the third bar is close to the beach but was under construction and the fourth is at the beach. The beach bar closed at 6pm. They were stocked with alcohol but very limited. The rum was good but wasn’t the Havana club brand. Some of the bars had wine some didn’t. All had beer. Coffee was available at the lobby bar but half way through our trip the coffee machine broke. Most of the time coffee was available at the buffet but it was very weak and watered down. All the bars had lemonade and pop and some juices. Drinks are served in plastic cups or if you bring your own they will fill it up. They are very generous with alcohol in drinks so make sure to say you want less if you don’t like your drinks strong. Actives and club house 4/5 The entertainment team does a great job of coming up with activities to keep you busy. There is a screen in the lobby that has the daily schedule as well as the shows for the week. There is also a screen at the stage but sometimes the information is different than the screen in the lobby. If you play the games during the day you can win a bottle of rum. My husband won a bottle last visit and I won a bottle this visit. Before the show starts they announce the winners for the day and you get your bottle of rum. The nightly shows are supposed to start at 9pm but start time was actually 9:30pm. The club house located by the third pool has games that you can use. They had a pool table, ping pong table and shuffle board. This is also where you pick up your beach towels. They also have some board games like dominos and scrabble. The pool table is slightly broken which was kind of a pain but it’s still usable. Spa 0/5 The spa was under renovations both times we visited the resort. We were really hoping to book massages this trip but we were unable to. Location 5/5 The location of the resort is perfect. It is normally the first or second stop after the air port and close to last stop on the way back to the air port. Town is a short walk away. There are street markets you can visit, local restaurants and shops and a board walk to see the beach. We ended up walking almost the whole stretch the one day and it didn’t take long at all. There is a bus stop close to the front of the hotel if you want to ride the double decker bus which is $5 USD. Last visit you could pay cash this time it was only credit card. Many cabs sit outside the hotel to take you any where you want and prices are pretty good. There is 24 hour security at the beach as well as the front lobby. Sunwing excursions 4/5 I’m not sure if these are open to everyone or just Sunwing customers. The variety is fairly decent as well as pricing. The Sunwing rep is in the hotel every morning 9am-12pm. You book your excursions through him and make sure to do it in advance because they fill up quickly. We did the bus tour last year and it was amazing! This trip we didn’t book any. All prices for these are in USD and need to be paid by credit card. Some tips I’d like to pass along - bring Canadian or American money. They will exchange it at the lobby into Cuban money, you will want to do this for tipping. Start low with $50 and do more if you need it. We exchanged around $150 and that was more than enough. The local markets take USD or Cuban money. Don’t exchange to much because they won’t change it back here or at banks back home. - Bring lots of snacks not only for yourself but for the workers as well. Every morning we would leave treats and money for the house keepers. - Bring cat treats and wet cat food. There are a bunch of cats on the resort. They are so friendly and will love you if you bring them food. They enjoy meats from the buffet as well. - Bring things that will make you feel comfortable like bedding and pillows. - Make sure to check the weather before you come. I only brought a cardigan and the hoodie I worn on the air plane, I would have loved another sweater. - Bring any medications you may need because there is so place to buy them if you need them. We brought everything you could think of. Tylenol, Advil, allergy pills, polysporn and bandaids, gravol and cold medicine. You can also give these away on your last day to the workers, they will be very grateful! - I brought some bottles of vitamin water, these are great in the mornings when you’re hungover, gatoraid would be great too. - The locals and workers love gifts. Make little goodie bags with personal hygiene items. They also love any clothing. Have a bag of clothes you’re going to donate anyways, bring some and donate it here! - If you booked through Sunwing download their app before your trip. The app has a bunch of information you might need like flight info, how to contact the Sunwing rep and you can also book excursions through the app. Overall I would rate this resort 3/5. I’m sure once all the renovations are done and maybe updating the rooms a bit more would turn this hotel into a 4 or even 5 star resort. The employees we did have interactions with were very nice. The food this time around was just okay. Would I return to this resort? Honestly probably not unless some major changes happen. We found we were almost bored this time around. The excitement wasn’t there and maybe that was our fault for returning so close to our last trip.…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.