|
Breezes Varadero 01/05/03
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Breezes Varadero /“ December 20 /“ 27, 2002 We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Breezes Varadero, December 20 - 27. I intended this to be a short review but itís not /“ I guess because we enjoyed ourselves so much. Flight and Arrival - Both were fairly uneventful, save for a nasty, bumpy landing in Cuba. When the passengers cheer and clap upon landing you know that there were a few white knuckles in the crowd. We arrived at Breezes at 2am and received the room we requested (Gardenview Suite). We hit the 24 hour lobby bar right after check in and low and behold we discovered the other folks that had arrived on our flight and bus. After a few drinks and grilled cheese sandwiches we hit the sack. Our Room - We had a Gardenview suite, which was fine and basically what we expected. You will need a converter for the electricity in your room to use your own razor or hairdryer. The suites have a hairdryer in the room. We received a converter after two requests but it was no big deal. The room was a little worn but it was very comfortable. We had a big balcony that received late day sun. Great space for enjoying an afternoon mojito and cigar. My only complaint about the room was that there was no vanity in the bathroom for toiletries (so everything tended to spill out onto the living area coffee table) and the light in the bathroom was awful, very dark. We never had any issues with hot water - there was always plenty. Our maids were fantastic - very artistic with towels and flowers. We left little gifts for them such as nylons, pencils, soap etc. Grounds - The grounds are amazing at Breezes! There are no pictures that do this place justice. First of all, the place is huge! Lots of walkways and pathways and incredible vegetation and flowers. There are always gardeners working and the place is kept immaculate. I cannot say enough about how beautiful the grounds are kept! There are also two different areas with tennis courts and also a basketball court. Other amenities include an on-site store, big games room and a gym. Be warned, the on-site store does not sell full size cigars - you will have to go to Varadero to buy them - a bit of an inconvenience. Staff - All staff we encountered were excellent. We did tip a few staff at the end of the week that went above and beyond the call of duty but we never felt that you needed to tip to get good service. I brought a few extra items such as children's medicine and school supplies that I gave to a couple of people as well. Someone we know saw a maid leaving at the end of the day with a bagful of gifts they had received - if you choose to tip remember other staff that help you while you are there and not just the maids. Think of the gardeners, serving staff, cooks, maintenance and the front desk. They are deserving of your thanks as well. Restaurants - I know, I knowÖ..you want to know about the food. This seems to be an area of dispute in Cuba. Overall, the food was fine, with a few minor complaints. We certainly didn't starve but also didn't try everything either. We tend not to over-indulge for fear that it will haunt us later. We never felt sick on this vacation which was wonderful. We did run into a couple of people that weren't feeling so great, but remember folks, some of us are more or less sensitive to new places, new food, new water, etc. Here is the breakdown on the restaurants and meals from our perspective. Main Buffet Restaurant - The meals at the main restaurant ranged from mediocre to average to fantastic. Breakfast was the disappointing meal. It was the same very single day - no variation at all that I can remember. They do make omelets to order and waffles as well. There was a limited selection of fruit, cheese and bread. None of it was bad; it was just always the same. They also seemed to use a lot of leftovers at this meal. There were chafing dishes of chicken and fish that I'm sure were from the night before but I wasn't too sure. They also used leftover veggies in the scrambled eggs. They could really improve breakfast simply by adding some variety. They did have outstanding shakes in the morning of all flavours including pineapple, papaya, and melonÖyummmmm. Lunch was basic but decent. You could make sandwiches and they always had hot dishes and a variety of salads etc. Many people opted to visit the Beach Grill and have chicken, pizza, hot dogs or burgers instead of going to the buffet. Barbara at the Beach Grill is a great lady! We really liked the little pizzas and had them almost everyday. Dinner was usually excellent. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were fabulous. Lobster and other seafood such as calamari, mussels, shrimp and salmon were some of the options as well as leg of Veal, Roast Beef, Beef Wellington, pasta and it goes on. Gala night on Friday looked amazing and what I tasted was great. Our bus left at 8:30pm so we had to eat and run and didn't really get to enjoy it. They really do the place up nice on Friday nights. Desserts were always good so save room if you have a sweet tooth. There were always vegetable and vegetarian options available. Many of the vegetables were obviously frozen but I don't think that they have the easiest time importing some items, which may explain the limited variety of fruit and vegetables. Fruit included watermelon, honeydew, oranges, grapefruit, papaya and some pineapple. El Mojito (Cuban) - The food was decent and the service was good. The best thing about this restaurant was the entertainment. The band was great and we finished the night by joining a conga line that wound it's way through the restaurant. Lots of laughs and good tunes. We had a great evening. Martinos (Italian) - The food and service were both excellent. The atmosphere is very nice with a piano player setting the mood with a few elevator tunes. We highly recommend the salmon carpaccio appetizer and the beef tenderloin for the main course. We also heard that the fettuccine and lasagna were good choices. Beach Grill (BBQ) - We didn't eat at this restaurant although we heard it was good. The only complaint we heard was that it was very dark and people could hardly see their food to eat it! Food in Varadero - One day we went to Varadero for lunch and had amazing grilled chicken ($2 for º chicken $3.50 for ‡ , came with rice, fries and veggies. Our bill with 2 drinks came to $8.90) at El Rancho on the main street. I would highly recommend heading to town for lunch or dinner one day. Bars - We received good service at all bars we frequented - at one point or another it seemed that all 7 bars were operational. The bars by Martinos and El Mojito were open just prior to evening meals so you could have a pre-dinner cocktail. Drinks were plentiful. Frank at the Beach Bar makes the best mojitos. There was never a mint shortage at Breezes (apparently there are problems with this at other resorts). Service was quick and there was often serving staff at the pool bar. The bars were fully stocked although for some things (such as Grand Marnier or Baileys) you needed to go to the lobby bar or pool bar as they had the largest selection. Although we didn't partake in it ourselves, we saw a lot of champagne flowing, and not just at Christmas dinner. You can easily get champagne with any meal; all you had to do was ask for it. Pools and hot tubs - We never swam in the pool simply because we prefer to swim in the ocean. I noticed that the pool was cleaned every single morning and it was never dirty. Both the pool and all the hot tubs are open 24 hours a day. It was great for a late night dip in the hot tub before bed. The hot tub by the pool is the coolest with the beach grill hot tub and Duma Bar hot tubs being much higher in temperature. Entertainment and Activities - There was always something going on at Breezes. The evening shows were good and at least they included a lot of local Cuban flavour (music, dance). We went to another resort a couple of years ago in the DR and the evening shows there included way too much lip-syncing to musicals such as Cats. The entertainers are all talented dancers, singers and musicians and they work incredibly hard. There was never a lack of music and dancing at this place. We didnít attend all evening shows but we often just ate dinner and then stayed for awhile since they started at 9pm. We heard tons of Cuban music on this vacation, both at the resort, in town and on the one tour we took and we were thankful for a limited amount of other music. (ok perhaps there was some Eminem at the disco but hey, it was late and we were having fun). The pool was a hub of activities all day long and there was always beach volleyball everyday. The ocean was a bit rough when we were there so there seemed to be a very (extremely) limited amount of water sports happening. I'm not sure I can rank the water sports staff as highly as I would the other staff at this resort. They spent more time fixing their boat than doing anything with or for the guests. Overall, if you wanted to be involved, you would never be bored at this resort. Activity times are posted in various spots throughout the resort but the entertainment folks were very easy to find. It was also easy to avoid activities and just bake in the sun if that is your choice. Varadero - We ventured to Varadero a couple of times. It is a bustling town with lots of action. There are a ton of markets, but be warned they all sell exactly the same thing. There must be one huge factory in Cuba that makes all the same trinkets and then people buy them and sell them to tourists. There are a lot of restaurants and places to stop for a beer. There are a couple of cigar stores and a rum shop. Prices vary slightly but we never felt that we got ripped off. Getting around - Lots of transportation options! There is an open-top double decker bus that costs $2.00 that you can catch within walking distance of Breezes (just by the round-about). We took this bus all the way up and down the peninsula to check out the area, other resorts etc. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours. When you pay your $2 you get a receipt and it acts as a transfer for that day - you only pay once and can ride anytime that day. The only bad thing about this bus is that it passes by close to Breezes once per hour. If you miss it you're doomed. We walked back from town one afternoon and it took us 25 minutes. Other methods of transportation include horse & buggy, taxi and funny little two person taxicabs. All are comparable in price and get you to where you want to go. The resort also has bikes that we saw a lot of people use. The security guard will give you a lock when you leave the resort. Scooters are also available but I'm not sure about the charge. Tours - We only went on one tour to Havana and it was excellent. We did not take the extended day tour, which included the Tropicana show, and were glad. We heard the show was excellent but we were tired enough getting back to the hotel at 7pm, let alone at 1am in the morning. Havana is a must see! Other folks we met went on the Jolly Roger Catamaran Tour, the Jungle Tour, Swimming with Dolphins and the Cave Tour. All received excellent reviews and I don't think anyone was disappointed. Overall - We had a great vacation and we would definitely return to Breezes in the future. This is a very social resort with guests mixing and mingling and having a good time. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know people and we are still laughing that we had to travel 4,000 miles to hang out with a bunch of Canadians! Last notes of interest - You do not have to wear a wristband at Breezes (woo hoo!), your key is your pass to the resort. Don't search for cheap coffee anywhere - it is the same price no matter where you go, believe me, I looked everywhere. The coffee is excellent and worth bringing home. There are little lizards everywhere - let me know if you actually succeed in catching one - those little suckers are fast! If you don't like sweet "girl drink drunk" drinks then go for the Mojito or the Hemingway. The beer is also good. You can drink the tap water at this resort and I think at others in the area. It is heavily chlorinated.
Karen Meelker
| 
