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Villa Covarrubias 01/31/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Club Covarrubias ñ Heaven on Earth!
Before this trip, I was a Cuba virgin ñ I had never traveled out of Canada/US and decided to wing it by picking an all inclusive resort solely on the experiences of other vacationers and what ëfeltí right for me. After scouring the net for about a week, and reading so much about Club Covarrubias, it sounded like the ideal spot for me ñ a single woman travelling alone for the first time, looking for a place to rest her weary body and soul. Making this decision falls into the category as some one of the best choices that Iíve made in my lifeÖ
The Arrival:
Upon arrival at the airport, I was escorted to my taxi and began the two hour journey to the hotel. It's long, bumpy but don't let that put you off - paradise is waiting at the end of the road! I was so exhausted from the flight and was able to take a long nap, waking up just as we were pulling up to the entrance of the hotel. Looking around, I was trying to figure out where the beach was hidden among the rolling hills, trees and bushes. I was immediately impressed by the spaciousness of the lobby ñ completely open air, beautiful cross breeze and friendly people waiting to greet me at the door.
I was also surprised by how friendly everybody was there! It was not unusual for members of the staff to walk by, smile, or wave and say ìHolaî. At first I felt a little strange, even a tad suspicious as being from a big city will do that to you, but I soon got into the swing of chatting with the workers who were really sincere in making sure that I was always being well taken care of.
The Room:
The room was absolutely immaculate! Clean clean clean! I was so happy to find a working fridge with a full bottle of water waiting for me! (Tip: if you are a muchie freak like I am, I put all my fruit and pudding cups in there ñ a nice refreshment after a hot day at the beach!). My room had a lovely porch and a nice view of the lunch hut and ocean. The bathroom and shower were huge (no bathtub, but it would be to hot to soak anyway!) but was very slippery when wet. Wear sandals or put down towels when you walk out.
The safe is a good $2/day investment. It wonít fit a laptop, but my camera body and 4 lenses fit in perfectly as well as my stash of cash and passport/tickets etc. Another tip ñ the hotel key/card will open the door and operate the power in your room, if you take it with you, or try to open the safe at night with it, youíll be left in the dark ñ so make sure that you have an extra card (Chapters, credit, debit or even a hospital card) to fill the slot and keep the air conditioning running while youíre out!
I read that it is always nice to leave a tip for the maid on the pillow (or like I did, leave some makeup or barrettes etc.) and was completely floored when I came back after a day at the beach to find the room, once again, immaculate and see this towel swan on my bed! Every day, it was a new work of art! I more than appreciated the extra effort for the towel origami and continued to leave little gifts for the maid until I left. I also brought a bag of stuff from the local dollar store to give to some of the people who I really liked appreciated when I left. If there are clothes that youíre not wearing anymore ñ you can leave those as well. I was horrified to hear that a pair of jeans cost $60US while an average doctorís salary is only $25/monthÖ
The Grounds:
I have read in previous posts that ëthe grounds and grass was yellow and were ìin desperate need of watering and were in ëpoor conditioní ñ well, Holguin is not a very humid place in January and it is THEIR WINTER!!!! For people who consider this an eye sore and factor this into their opinion about Cova ñ go to Costa Rica ñ NOT CUBA! The layout of the grounds was very intelligent ñ the main restaurant, pool, lobby, gift shop and main bar/stage were centrally located and easy to find. The cabins however took some getting used too as they all looked the same, but there are little posts in the grass and well lit paths which will direct you to your sections if you get lost in the evening (which I did on a few occasions, but thatís because of the rumÖ). The lunch area/hut was beautiful ñ on the extreme left of the main entrance and complex, overlooking the beach, airy and cool, it was like sitting under a deluxe beach hut - a great place to hide from the sun during the hottest times of the day. The main dining room is HUGE and you can always find a place to sit. Itís right near the pool, bar, stage, beach, reception desk ñ and is a very pleasant place to eat especially when the band comes in and plays Cuban love songs at each table at dinner time. The Disco, at the other extreme end of the beach, is a huge octagonal shaped Gazebo accessible by a long but solid dock which sits over the quiet inlet which winds behind it. Open only at night, it is the perfect place to unwind, dance, sip Mojitos, and have a great time. There is also a tennis/basket ball court, two rooms with pretty good gym equipment/machines and a little daycare centre which I didnít use but seemed pretty nice.
The Beach:
Ah! The beach!! I canít go on enough about the beach!! Even while speaking with some of the animation staff, they were the first to tell me that this part of Cuba had one of the nicest beaches. What I found to be the most unbelievable is that Club Covarrubias is the ONLY HOTEL ON THIS WHOLE STRIP!!! No matter how hard you squint, how powerful your binoculars are, you canít see another building, soul, entity for miles!! It was so nice not to expect to fight for a quiet spot, worry about having sand kicked in your face, or about the screaming kids who decided to sit just 3 feet away from you because that is the only spot left on your hotelís small shard of beach front property! To the extreme left of the beach, you can walk about a mile or so before you hit rocks, but if you are adventurous enough (and you bring really good sandals) you can make the adventure trek; the same applies to the right side as well. The Disco is pretty much the marker of the end of that side of the beach, but there is a little mini island that I saw many people walking on, and then having a view from the catamaran ñ that part too seemed to go on indefinitely. If you go on the hike, pack sunscreen and lots of water!!!
The ocean water was unbelievable. Clear as glass, and a blue turquoise that I have never seen in my life. It was relatively warm (remember, this is their winter ) but was occasionally breezy which made for some small waves. I was able to walk out almost 100 feet + before it started to get deep! No need for water shoes except if you walk right into the pockets (RARE!!) of sea grass which are pretty obvious to see and avoid; but they pretty much just float to the surface and hover closer to the shore. Yes, there were days that there was more ësea crudí on the beach, but that was dependant on the weather the night before. On the morning I left, the whole beach, as far as I could see, was calm and absolutely clear!! So donít be put off by those who talk about seaweed, itís at best, minimal if not incidental to nil.
The sand is almost a blinding white with a beautiful light pink hue from the grains of crushed coral. Itís the fine powdery type that does not heat up and scorch your feet if you walk barefoot! Near the thatched sun huts, itís dry, not full of cigarette buts, plastic cups and does not smell like dead fish! Walking along the edge of the shore is beautiful as well. Be sure to check out the tiny shells that wash up early in the mornings. I have a whole collection of micro conch shells that still fascinate me as to their intricate details and beauty. Ask Ramon to take you out on the Catamaran or go scuba diving if you can or dare!! It was my first time ever and I was petrified, but Big Alex and Tito were so amazing with teaching me the basics (first in the swimming pool), helping me and keeping me from flipping out in the water. I felt completely safe when I took my first dive way out into the ocean! Remember to bring an underwater camera and take pictures when it is bright and sunny. The same goes for the snorkelling ñ Unbelievable! It was really a dream come true!
The Food:
Despite the fact that I stuffed my suitcase with munchies and junk food (Chips, Pop Tarts, pudding cups etc.) I did not go hungry here! As fussy of an eater as I am (no seafood, ham, zucchini, broccoliÖ) I was able to eat and not get sick!! The pasta bar is the best (you can pick what you want to go into the pan with your pasta noodles) and they make it fresh for you. The salads are the ëcoldí variety consisting mostly of canned peas, carrots, and corn, but they have a pretty wide selection so you can mix and match. There was always lots of bread and butter to fill up on regardless. Lunches were great (I warmed up the pizza slices with a dab of spaghetti sauce on top) and the hotdogs were well cooked. Deserts were kind of bland so I stuck with the fresh fruit and the ice cream (does anybody know if that is ice-milk? Itís amazing!) Breakfasts were by far, my favourite! Get there early so you can get the best pick of all the French toasts and teeny tiny pancakes! The drinks are available at all times ñ I never had a craving for an early morning Mojito but was served really strong drinks (a few tips gets you well known with the bartenders and lots of ëextra rum!) until almost 3pm at the disco when Salvatore ìjust one more last callî was behind the bar!!
Entertainment:
Preparing myself for the worst, I was really quite surprised! The first night the staff put on ëStar nightí where they put on stellar mock/slapstick imitations of Pavarotti (flatulence sounds abound) and a hysterical Celine Dion ìTitanicî tribute, complete with stranded/shipwrecked people wandering about in a daze as Celine (Arletti) stood at the helm, belting out ëLove Will Go Onî as she was being pelted by ice-cubes and buckets of water mimicking the Titanicís dramatic watery demise. There was also a ëMiss Covarubbiasî pageant which was borderline obscene/ outrageous which involved some of the women in the audience as participants!!! I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair! The other nights were not as hysterical but just as entertaining - dance numbers and short skits about Cuban history and culture through song and movement and beautiful costumes. These kids really put a lot into the shows and itís actually worth sticking around after dinner to catch them in action!
The Animals/Bugs:
It was only when I got home that I noticed my bites! I heeded the warnings and took some heavy duty bug spray, but I was not eaten alive. As a general rule, these flying blood suckers are most hungry at sundown so just stay away from really grassy areas, stay inside from 4:30 to about 6:30pm and wear some airy long pants/skirts and a light jacket to cover up. I once encountered a huge crab crossing my path to the hotel and began a standoff that lasted 2 minutes. That was the LAST time I decided to walk through the grass as a shortcut to my hotel room at night !!! But the worst had to be the ANTS!!! Do not leave anything sweet out on your counters! I made that mistake my first night by leaving an empty cup of juice on my night table only to come back and see it covered in little red ants!! I stuffed anything and everything sweet I had in the fridge after that. It also helps if you keep the patio/front door closed at all times. I was just plain stupid my first night ñ wanting to hear the ocean from my bedroom, I left the sliding door wide open and regretted it later. After that one incident, there was only the odd 1 or 2 ants to be found for the rest of my 7 day stay. I was also very relieved to find out these critters only go after sweet stuff and not flesh or blood!! So remember ñ sweet stuff/garbage best goes into the bathroom garbage! Other than that, no jellyfish, no wild dogs, no lizards, and no gigantic spiders!
Overall summary:
Hearing through several tour agents that Club Covarrubias was ìonly a three star resortî, initially made me wince, but after staying there for a week, I came to the conclusion that this resort has probably been branded as such because of the distance from the airport to the hotel itself. But donít let that fool you!! If you are looking for a party ñall night ñ swinging ñ Cancun style ñ and having your every whim catered to, go to a Club Med, thatís what they are for! But if you want an amazing beautiful, memorable and restful fun vacation ñ Club Covarrubias is for you! The staff service is amazing, the people who work there are amazing, the BEACH IS AMAZING, and the people who I met that were vacationing there were amazing as well! This place just seemed to bring out the most pleasant side in everybody as I met and made so many wonderful new friends. At Club Covarrubias, you donít feel like just another number in a book of reservations, you feel like you really belong there; and isnít that what being on vacation is really all about?
If you have any questions or comments ñ please feel free to email me. I would be more than delighted help in any way that I can! If there there is anybody planning to go down within the next few weeks and lives in Canada, I would be go grateful if you would be able to take a small envelope with you for someone at the Club, and of course will pay whatever shipping costs required to get it to and from your address. Say ìHiî to Omar, Arletti, (tell them to check this site ñ they never got a chance to see these glowing reviews!!) and a big sweet hello to my guardian angels of the sea: Omar, Tito and Big Alex and tell them Iíll be back before this coming September!
Kathy Slamen (a new Cuban addict)
Montreal, Quebec
Kathy Slamen
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