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Iberostar Daquiri 01/11/03
Reviewers Rating:  Great
Just returned from a week at the Iberostar Daquiri in Cayo Guillermo, Cuba. Had a great time overall, although the weather was a little disappointing. Demographics: We are two 20something Canadians who enjoy quiet and isolation. When we vacation, we look for a resort that can offer us a relaxing environment where we don't feel overrun with people. Our priorities when it comes to resorts are comfortable, clean rooms and having enough resources to go around for every guest (ie. we don't want to have to trip over people to get a chair on the beach, a seat at dinner etc.) We found that this resort was predominantly French Canadian. We flew with Signature vacations as did what seemed like most of the resort. There are two flights from Montreal a week and one from Toronto. Almost everyone, including staff and guests, spoke atleast some English. Ranging age groups from baby boomers to teens. Rooms: The resort is made up of about 10-15 villa type structures, each with 3 floors and beautiful balconies. We stayed in the Mantanzas villa and, as with most rooms it seems, had a partial view of the ocean. Overall, fairly basic and clean. All rooms have two double beds that can be pushed together. Full bathroom, TV, fridge in which they restock bottle water daily, balcony with chairs and table, in-room safe (extra charge of 3$USD per day) and a full sized closet with shelves for suitcases. Maid service was consistent and there wasn't a bug to be seen. My only complaints are that the hotel is a little old so there are signs of wear and tear in the rooms (most apparent in the bathroom), there were only two small pillows available for two people (never did try to ask for more so can't comment on that) and there is a musty smell that lingered throughout the entire week. I have a sneezing allergy to dust and mold and found myself getting congested whenever I laid down in the bed. Quicktip: We brought little daily gifts for our maid and she was very cordial, making little towel swans and whatnot, as well as writing us little notes of greeting and best departure wishes. Grounds: Absolutely beautiful grounds with lush vegetation and artistry! Many sculptures and little ponds stocked with fish and pink flamingos. Lots of little foot paths lined by beautiful green palm trees, laden with fresh coconuts. The lobby is an open air concept similar to all cuban resorts but is top notch in its use of decor. My boyfriend, with whom I traveled, was enthralled with the grounds and took over 100 pictures of his surroundings. Food: Out of the three 4 star Cuban All Inclusive resorts I have stayed at (we all know Cuban food is not always palatable to Canadians), this resort was the least favourable. At both of the other resorts we stayed at there was always the Cuban stables but they tried to mix it up with theme nights. This resort did not seem to do that and the food was basically the same throughout the whole week. Again, to clarify, enough to keep you stuffed (usual pasta, rice, fish etc.) but more repetitive then usual. Quicktip: As we are late risers, we usually missed the breakfast buffet. However, we found that at the beach restaurant, a little after 10am, they serve a small brunch of eggs, bread and bacon which was handy. Quicktip: I did find that there was more seafood then usual. Lots of rice pilafs with mussels and shrimp. We did not sample the a la carte restaurants. The waitresses/waiters at the restaurants varied in terms of service (some service oriented, some just counting the minutes until hometime). Beach: Very beautiful, although there were alot of jellyfish at this time of year (the small round kinds with the small stingers). You can walk out about 50 feet I think where it is very shallow and sandy. After that, there is a large patch of seaweed. Beyond that, more sand. We did see some small fish but I did not see any snorkeling areas where we ventured. Pool: Again, very beatiful although small. It is the same depth throughout (about 4 feet+) and is enjoyable although cold. There is a neat waterfall that you have to swim through to get to the pool bar although it makes it difficult to swim tips or cigars over without getting them wet. Quicktip: I enjoyed the Strawberry Daquiri, made with a sort of slushie mixture, the best. Excursions: We only went on one day trip and that was a day long catamaran excursion we booked through signature. It was 79$USD each and included ride on the boat, 2 snorkeling stops (TONS of jellyfish. Could be the season, or the area. Not sure but they were impossible to avoid there was so many. 2 folks got stung on the first stop but it wasn't that bad. A quick "ouch!", a little vinigar to stop the sting and they were good to go), 1 stop at a beautiful shallow pristine beach area (The beach itself was disgusting and dirty with plastic cups etc but the water was unbelievable. A blue I never thought possible...) and lunch (lobster, chicken, shrimp, rice, green beans. All cooked on board by a little chef). This trip also included a small open bar that had Cristal beer, rum, bottled water and some different kinds of soda. Well worth the money. We were lucky to book it on our only pristinely sunny day. As with all these day trips, most of us were beat at the end of it but happy. Quicktip: Bring lots of suntan lotion, a hat and some tylenol. As it is a long, hot day, many folks need some shady time by the end of it and the constant sun gives many people headaches. This is my second such trip and I've seen almost identical behaviour in everyone on both trips. Comments: One thing I'd like to comment on is the rudeness of one particular set of guests. Upon arrival and for the majority of our week, we found that by the crack of dawn, every chair at the pool and the majority of the ones at the beach were "reserved" by people's towels and sandals. In many cases, through observation and the hearing of conversations, many people would even go so far as to reserve a chair early in the morning and then go on an excursion, leaving their chairs unavailable for up to the entire day when they weren't even their to use them! This same group actually came up to me and tried to take my boyfriends chair while I was sitting there and he was gone less then 2 mins to get a drink at the bar! Strangely enough this rude habit completely stopped when one particular flight departed the resort on Thursday which is why we can confirm that it was just this one group. I really don't think that this resort lacks chairs. Just when you have an entire flightful of people "reserving" chairs for entire days at a time when they are off the resort, it causes problems. When they left, and were replaced by a different group, there were no problems at all. Just goes to show that it takes only one set of people to start a problem. I'm sure many folks started reserving chairs thinking that it was the only way to get one! I am happy to say that we did not stoop so low even under these circumstances. Manners go a long way when travelling. Overall: Personally, a 7.5-8 out of 10 I think. We got a GREAT price on this trip but may have been a little disappointed in the weather and behaviour of some guests if we had paid over 1000$ like many people do who don't book last minute. I know these are factors beyond the control of the resort, but factors of a vacation nonetheless. I would go back if we got a similar deal that we enjoyed this time but would not pay full resort pre-booked price. If you need clarification on any of the points I made or have different questions that I have not answered, please feel free to contact me at dee@onelittlecoconut.com Take care, Dee
Dee
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