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SuperClub Breezes Varadero 10/17/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
I just returned from Breezes Varadero on Saturday October 12, 2002 and had a wonderful time. I booked a Gardenview Suite and the room was beautiful. Luckily my room was right by the pool, buffet restaurant and pool bar so I was in the perfect location and it was also a minute from the lobby! The room was very spacious, clean and well kept. I found out that I had one of the rooms with newly renovated bathrooms so the bathroom had nice marble counters, etc. The bathroom also had a hair dryer which is very handy. Also in the room was an iron and ironing board along with a coffee maker and packages of coffee and tea, along with a menu for Continental Breakfast which is delivered by room service (I didnít use this service so I donít know how it was). In the bedroom area were 2 double beds, safety deposit box in the closet (the safety deposit box is complimentary and you are provided with 2 keys) and a CD player. I also had a nice glass table with a loveseat and a smaller writing table and chair. It was nice to come into the room after the maid had cleaned it and see what creative towel object she left on the bed ñ swans, hearts, swans with flowers, etc. The air conditioning worked very well but did not extend to the separate living room in the suite (this room was not air conditioned but I only used it to store my suitcase and some clothes in the closet). The suites had outlets for both 110 volts and 220 volts so adapters werenít necessary. The balcony was very spacious and had a round table and 2 chairs and offered a lovely view of the garden. The resort itself is quite large and I must admit that I did get lost on my first night! There are many bars that offer a large range of drinks and the lobby bar was my favourite in the morning. The lobby bar is right beside the piano bar and offered snacks in the early morning hours (pastries, cookies, etc.), late at night (pizza, sandwiches, onion rings, calamari, etc.) and of course was the place to go for a coffee, cappuccino or espresso at any time of the day or night. This is also the 24 hour bar. The piano bar itself, which opens around 10:00 p.m. was quite nice and offered a relaxing atmosphere. Although there wasnít an actual ìbarî in the piano bar, the bar staff from the lobby bar came in frequently to take drink orders and would bring them to you. The food was good as there was something for everyone and at lunch you could also go to the beach grill for hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, chicken . . . Monday night was seafood night and I had some wonderful grilled lobster and most of my meals were eaten in the buffet. I did get an opportunity to eat at La Mojito where I had lobster and shrimp. This is the Cuban a-la-carte restaurant and also served beef, chicken and other fish entrees on the menu. Friends that I met at the resort also ate at Martinoís (the Italian restaurant) and said the food was fabulous. The only complaint I heard about Los Bohios (the Grill) was that since youíre eating outside, you get quite hot during your meal but the food supposedly was good. The Gala Evening on Friday was really nice and was a great ending to a wonderful vacation! The menu consisted of shrimp, pork, duck, chicken, Paella, rice, vegetables . . . and the restaurant was decorated with nice cloth tablecloths and each chair was covered so it gave it an elegant feel. The bar and restaurant staff was excellent! They were so attentive that your wine glass or drink would be refilled before you even finished it! I must comment that the white wine in the restaurant was excellent. Unfortunately I didnít get the name of it but it was from Spain. The animation staff were as lively as ever and had a wide variety of different activities to keep you constantly busy and the nightly shows were good too. I was surprised at the number of single people at the resort (myself being one of them) which I believe is due to the fact that some tour operators waived the single supplement in October, and the majority of people were between 25 years old and 35 years old with a few younger or older. I only went to the disco on the property one night and there were a good number of people there. My favourite club was La Rumba which is a mere $2.00 taxi ride from the hotel. The cover charge there is $10.00 which includes an open bar and at any given time, the club was packed. The music there was a wide mix of different types of music and I was surprised that they didnít play a lot of Spanish/Cuban music. The shopping in Varadero Centre was fun and the vendors had no problem bartering with you! The Las Americas Shopping Centre is about 5 minutes away (by taxi) but the prices there were very expensive (example, a childrenís t-shirt was US$17.00). I also took the tour to Havana which included the Tropicana Show. Although it was a long day (you are picked up at the hotel at 8:00 a.m. and donít return until 2:00 a.m.) it was a lot of fun. Havana is 2 hours from Varadero but you make washroom stops along the way. Havana is a very historical city and the Revolution Square is very interesting to see. We made stops at some of the cultural sights, a cigar store (excellent prices for cigars but more expensive than the resort for rum) as well as the hotel where Ernest Hemingway used to stay and in the afternoon at his favourite bar. A word of caution though is that the drinks in that bar cost US$6.00 which I thought was a bit expensive. Lunch and dinner are included in the tour, you are given an hour on your own to shop in the flea market and then you are taken to a hotel to shower and change into your clothes for the Tropicana Show. We arrived at this hotel around 5:30 p.m. where rooms were allocated based on either 3 or 4 people sharing a room to shower and change. This hotel is also where we had a nice buffet dinner before heading to the Tropicana at 9:00 p.m. The Tropicana Show is spectacular and included a snack as well as 1 bottle of rum and 4 cans of coke for each 4 people and any rum left over you can take with you. The show started at 10:00 p.m. and finished at midnight. Overall, I give this vacation an 8 out of 10 and will definitely return to this hotel in the future!
Jacqueline
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