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LTI Varadero 02/11/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
BACKGROUND
My boyfriend and I were looking for a mid-winter getaway. We wanted to avoid the ìSpring Break/Girls Gone Wildî crowd and we were looking for a place that was relaxing and laid back. The LTI Varadero was exactly what we were looking for! We were there from February 1-8.
THE PLANNING
Before booking your Cuban vacation, do lots of research! I read every trip report could get my hands on and I printed out the ones with lots of advice and even highlighted any helpful hints. The best advice comes from people who have actually been to the resort youíre interested in. But keep in mind, travelling experiences are different for everyone. In addition to reading trip reports, I also combed through message boards. I would look in the archives to see if the answer to my questions already existed before I asked again.
THE BOOKING
I had some difficulties getting travel agents to take me seriously. I went to Flight Centre and Thomas Cook locations in Toronto. I talked to travel agents who were extremely pretentious and didnít want to help me because I wasnít able to spend $5000 on our trip.
Next, I looked at and called some of the online travel websites such as www.itravel2000.com, www.belairtravel.com and www.selloffvacations.com. Speaking to agents proved to be just as difficult as they just didnít sound interested in giving me advice or service. In the end, I chose the trip of my choice from www.selloffvacations.com. I called and booked with an agent. The process was very simple. The receipt came about a week later and we picked up our tickets at the airport on the day of our departure.
THE FLIGHT
We flew Air Cubana on the way down. The flight was delayed 5 hours so instead of leaving at 6:00 am, we left at 11:00 am from Toronto with a stop over in Holguin. Air Cubana service was very nice though they did charge for beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You did, however, receive a free beverage with your meal, a choice of chicken or pasta. The in-flight movie was ìDomestic Disturbanceî staring John Travolta. The headphones were complementary.
Coming back, we flew SkyService. What a nightmare! The departure times were constantly changing and then we were still ‡ hour late from departure. There was no leg room! Iím only 5í1 but I still felt very cramped! They served a meal that consisted of two tiny sandwiches (one with cous cous, the other with salmon). The in-flight movie was flickering on and off and they had to restart the system several times. They also charged $5 CAD for headphones!
ARRIVAL IN VARADERO
Upon arriving in Varadero, we passed through customs with no problems. Be sure to fill out your tourist card without any mistakes.
We were met outside the airport by our Conquest rep who directed us to an air- conditioned coach. Be wary about the guys who help you with your luggage. They will charge you $5 USD to move your luggage about 10 meters to the bus. Definitely a rip off!
Once the coach was full, two young girls introduced themselves as our tour guides. They gave us a few facts about Cuba as we headed towards our hotel. There were about 5-6 stops at other hotels before we finally reached LTI Varadero.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It was dark by the time we reached the LTI. We were immediately impressed by the clean and tastefully decorated lobby area. Check in was a breeze, though they do take your passports for verification purposes. They will deliver them to your room later but if not, you can always ask for them at the front desk a few hours later.
When we walked through the grounds the next morning, we were blown away by the cleanliness and the bright colours of LTI.
THE BRACELET
We were given plastic bracelets to wear around our arms to indicate that we were staying there. Not a huge problem except they trimmed the bracelets and the edges were sharp. I kept gouging myself in the face with my bracelet.
THE HOTEL ROOM
The rooms at LTI are divided by three story buildings. There are six rooms in each building. Our room had two beds, a balcony, huge bathroom and it faced the pool area. The room was air conditioned with a television that had about 10-15 channels including HBO, CNN, MTV and VH1. There is a small bar fridge that is replenished with water, beer and pop each day, but we had to fill out a request form. The room was very clean and inviting. The shower stall did leak quite a bit but after the second day, we started using the bathtub instead. Not a huge deal.
Our room was cleaned on a daily basis. However, on the first two days, the maid came around 4:00 pm and we were just getting back from the beach wanting to shower and nap. I think she probably thought we were shut-ins since we were in the room on both days when she arrived. Later in the week, she came earlier around 11:00 am. Iím pretty sure that our sheets were not changed very often because on day one, I accidentally tracked some sand into the bed and ended up sleeping in gritty sand for the rest of the week.
Since our room face the pool area, it would be a bit noisy in the late afternoon during our naps but that was okay. The worst noises came around 4:00 am every night when drunken jerks would be returning from the bar.
THE FOOD
The food at the LTI was great! In the buffet at breakfast, there were fresh juices, eggs any style, ham, cheese, and fresh fruit. At dinner, there were pastas, chicken, rice, salads and ice cream. There is nothing wrong with the food here. Itís all very fresh and tasty. We definitely didnít starve. On Wednesday night, the buffet offered lobster on the BBQ. Unfortunately, the lobsters turned out to be all stomach and guts. Not too appetizing but we had other things. The service at the buffet was pretty good as the staff members took our empty plates away very quickly and were always offering drink refills.
We ate at the two a la carte restaurants but because the bookings filled up very quickly, we ended up with very late reservations. At the Cuban restaurant, we ate around 9:30. We ordered the Surf and Turf and the Shrimps Al Mambo. The portions were very tiny and the Shrimps Al Mambo consisted of 5 shrimps placed on top of a small scoop of potatoes. For big eaters, consider ordering two entrees. The service at the Cuban restaurant was very good.
On the other hand at Don Alfredoís, the Italian restaurant, the service was quite slow. Our reservations were for 9:40 and we didnít actually leave the restaurant until 11:00. Since we were eating so late, I wasnít really hungry any more. The menu consisted of various pastas and some seafood. I would definitely skip this restaurant next time.
Apparently, there is secret area just behind the gift stores where they do a seafood BBQ on the patio. Reservations have to be made somewhere but Iím not sure where since we didnít find out about it until someone told us at the airport on the day of our departure. Look around and ask questions. Staff might be able to tip you off about this elusive eatery.
The pool bar was an excellent place to eat lunch. The menu offered pizzas, salads, burger and fries, and ice cream. The pizzas were rather dry as they lacked tomato sauce, but the seafood skewers were quite tasty. The service is also great.
Down by the beach, there was a stand for hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches and all the pork rinds you can eat. This was very convenient if when we didnít want to leave the sandy beach area. On some days, a fresh juice stand is open and we got fresh orange juice and fruit chunks.
About the dress code: For the buffet and the a la carte restaurant, they recommend long pants and non-beach wear. During the day, it would be acceptable to have breakfast or lunch in a nice pair of shorts and tee shirt. Even on the days that we werenít abiding by the dress code, the fashion police did not come in and drag us out kicking and scream. I even saw a girl who had breakfast in her pyjamas every morning- no shame.
THE BEACH
The beach directly in front of the resort was a bit rocky and shallow. We walked two minutes over to TRYPís beach, it was perfect. There was no one stopping us from using the other resortís beachfront. Since LTI and TRYP are the last two resorts on the strip, the beach areas are very isolated. We walked about 3-4 KM before we even hit the next resort. This is good because it offers some protection from beach hustlers trying to get us to by illegal cigars and such. LTI beach is very quiet, while dance music blares at TRYPís beach. There are plenty of beach chairs for all and lots of shady areas.
About jellyfish: They do wash up on shore but I didnít see any in the water. Donít poke them with a stick. They tend to splatter. I learned this the hard way and ended up with a sore arm for a few hours.
THE POOL
The pool at LTI is quiet shallow as mentioned in previous reviews. It was very clean but the bottom was completely smooth and felt a bit slimy at times. Our pool experiences were a bit marred by this family who allowed their children to swim completely in the nude. Now, swimming nude might be acceptable for young babies and toddlers but might I add that one of their children was an 11- year old girl. It was a bit obscene.
THE ENTERTAINMENT/NIGHTLIFE
Oh the nightlifeÖit was so amusing, for all the wrong reasons. The LTI has an awesome outdoor theatre with a huge stage. The first night, we were treated to an audience-fuelled round of musical chairs. Hmm, it stops being entertainment when the audience is the entertainment! During the week, we were treated to a rousing homage to Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals consisting of singers and dancers who lip-synced their way through the London recording of Phantom of the Opera and Cats. It was reminiscent of horrible grade eight air band competitions. Another night, a more traditional show was presented, which was a better.
The disco on site was really not that exciting. It reminded me of dances at weddings when all the ìadultsî get really drunk and think itís hilarious to start line dancing. The music was equally as horrible. The DJ loves his Latin-inspired club tunes, while throwing in some Gloria Gaynor disco flavour in the mix once in awhile.
The best part of the disco was when a drunken patron stumbled out screaming ìYes, Iím 31 and I still live with my parents. Thereís nothing wrong with that. Itís the smart way to goî to which a bystander responded, ìI would never let my son live at home for that longî.
Honestly, there wasnít much to do after dark so thank god for HBO.
Musicians and bands were abundant around LTI. They could be found playing in the buffet, restaurants, the beach and pool area. The bands were amazing but please refrain from making Ricky Martin or Shakira requests.
ACTIVITIES
During the day, there were always activities happening down at the pool including aqua aerobics, Spanish lessons, water polo, and dance lessons. On the beach, we used the sea kayaks and peddle boats. Unfortunately, we did not get to use any of the snorkel equipment because it was always in use. The animation staff was not intrusive at all. We usually preferred to lazy about instead of joining the beach volleyball games.
THE BARS
There are three different bars at the LTI. The lobby bar is open 24-hours and probably makes the best drinks. Banana daiquiris were a favourite. The traditional Cuban drink, mojito, was okay except they added a dash of Worshashire sauce. Off the resort, the mojito was made sans the sauce and it was much better.
At the pool bar, sometimes the bartenders would ìforgetî to put alcohol in the drinks. Still, on a quiet night, you could sit at the bar and order drink after drink without so much as blinking an eyelid.
The beach bar was only open during the day but it was very close to the beach. Great for grabbing a beer to go with your burger.
A note about bringing insulated mugs for your drinks: Taking the advice of past Cuba visitors, we bought our own insulated mugs for drinks. We only ended up using them twice. I felt like a greedy bastard for wanting more drink than everyone else and really, thereís only so much alcohol you can drink. The bartender at the beach bar had no problems filling up the mugs for us.
CLIENTEL
The resort was only about three quarters full. It was very comfortable because we would see people around mealtime at the buffet but the beach and pool area was never crowded. There were visitors from Germany, France and Canada. I would say the median age was probably around 45-55, mostly couples and families.
GOING TO HAVANA
We went on a day trip to Havana. There are a few Havana trips to choose from but we picked the ìHavana City Lights Tourî. It was a long, long day. We were picked up at the hotel around noon. After picking up a few more people from the various hotels, we were told that the bus was braking down and we would have to wait for a new bus. A new bus came and picked us up and we were on our way.
On the drive to Havana, we got to see a lot of the Cuban countryside. It was very different from the clean, lush grounds of our resort. On our arrival in Havana, the first stop was a tour of the Romeo and Julliet cigar factory. When we arrived, they wouldnít let us in. Our tour guide asked why but no reason was given. We got back on the bus and drove to downtown Havana where we did the walking tour. Our tour guide was not the best. He had a cane and was walking so slow. He spoke French, English and Spanish but the information he was giving seem very disjointed and didnít really relate to the places we were visiting. For example, at the government buildings, he suddenly launched into a whole speech about abortion in Cuba. Interesting topic but how does that relate to the government buildings we were looking at?
Next, we moved onto a tour of modern Havana and a stop at a flea market to buy souvenirs. This was around 6:00 pm and we were all tired and hungry. We drove up to the fortress for dinner (choice of pork or chicken) and then we watched the cannon ceremony, only it was so dark and crowded, I saw nothing and only heard the sound of the canon firing. It was planned to stay in Havana until midnight but after the canon ceremony, everyone wanted to go home. We made one last stop at a square downtown to listen to some music. It was probably the best part of the tour. We arrived back at the hotel around 12:30 am.
Just a few hints if you do decide to take this Havana City Lights tour:
… Bring food and water for the bus because you will not be eating until 8:00 pm! There are no stops for food. You wonít even be able to buy anything to eat during the tour!
… Donít bring small children or children in strollers. Havana is under a lot of construction right now and some of the streets are dug up with narrow walkways.
… Bring a sweater or warm clothes for the cannon ceremony. Itís outdoors and it might get chilly.
… Take the Colonial Havana tour instead. Itís day trip lasting about 6 hours and it doesnít drag your day out.
RIDING THE SCOOTERS
We rented a scooter to get to the mall. It costs $9/hour. The scooter was fun but keep in mind that helmets are not included. On our scooter, the horn was barely working, the speedometer was broken and there were no lights. Itís ride at your own risk.
DOUBLE DECKER TOUR BUS
This turned out to be a hell ride. The bus is so, so slow and it stops at every resort on the strip. Thatís fine if I hadnít already seen the resort on the way to LTI and on the way in and out of town to Havana. We rode the bus from LTI at the very end of the resort strip all the way into Varadero and back. We were gone for four hours!!! If you need to get off the resort at all, rent a scooter and see Varadero on your own terms. Donít ride the bus!
PHONE CARDS
Phone calls to Canada cost about $3 per minute so they recommend that we purchase a phone card. The resort does not sell the cards so we rode on the scooter to the mall to buy one. When we got back to the resort, we were told that we couldnít use the cards on the resort phones. Payphones will accept the phone cards and they are found in Varadero and in front of a couple other resorts. We ended up waiting to use the phone card at the airport on our way out but the payphone system was very complicated!!! If you buy the phone card, and you want to call Canada, you must dial 119 1 416 XXX XXXX. Donít forget to dial the 119!!! No where on the pay phone does it tell you that!
WHAT TO BUY
Cuba is not known for its great shopping. There is one mall close to the resort called Plaza Americas where you can buy postcards, little souvenirs, booze and cigars. Thereís not much else there. Leave your spending money at home because there really is very little to buy in Varadero.
FINAL WORDS
We had a great vacation overall. We would definitely return to the LTI Varadero and recommend it to people we know.
TravellerGal
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