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Cuba Hotel & Villa Reviews

Hotel Playa Pesquero 04/18/2006
Reviewers Rating: Excellent
Hotel Playa Pesquero – Holguin Cuba, April 1 – 8, 2006
The Travelers:
All Canadian citizens: My parents (in their 60s) along with my partner (male, 32) and I (female, 31). My father is quite fit, and my mom is healthy but has a condition that makes it difficult for her to walk long distances. My partner and I are both fit and active.
The Context:
Wanted an affordable getaway in the sun with opportunity for adventure and to learn about and appreciate a different culture. We have traveled to various countries and regions: Canada, USA, Mexico, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Malta, England, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Italy, and more.
The Expectation:
Having traveled to two of the Caribbean’s more expensive destinations, we weren’t expecting to compare Cuban resources with that of the other countries we have visited. It is simply a different social system and a different kind of destination.
We paid $1100 CDN per person for our trip, all inclusive – far cheaper than any other holiday we have taken. Very cheap indeed for airfare, hotel, all food, drinks, and plenty of extra amenities.
When I consider how “good” a hotel is, I like to compare my experience to how much I’ve paid for that experience. It never fails to amaze me how many reviews I read that bash a resort for not being 5+ stars when you’ve paid $1100 per person. Without a doubt, for the price that you pay to go to this resort, it is absolutely top notch. For example, if you expect the experience at an Anse Chastenat in St. Lucia, Cap Juluca in Anguilla, or any myriad of expensive resorts in Bora Bora or other places in the South Pacific, why would you compare these places (at the absolute least a $5000 - $10 000 holiday) to your decided expenditure of $1100/person – all inclusive!? Bewildering!
Bottom line: for our price, we expected clean rooms and bathrooms, a decent beach and pool, and edible food (Although we typically don’t expect much of the food at all-inclusive resorts).
What we got, as I saw it:
Air transportation: This has nothing to do with the resort! ;) (Although Air Transat, in our experience, was efficient and the staff worked really hard. Sure there is no leg room, but were you really expecting any different?).
Rooms: Clean and spacious. Enough room for me to practice yoga – in the living area or on the balcony. Mini fridge has a nice 2-litre of water every day, which was much appreciated (you can also refill or replace during the day if you wish at any of the bars/restaurants). Also, cans of cola and beer. Yes the beer is small…. But my goodness, walk a few metres and obtain all the alcohol you wish…TV, CD player, etc. etc. Everything we “needed”. I didn’t find the bath tub slippery as others have noted. Plenty of soap, shampoo, towels, etc. Handy to know: There is no alarm clock in the room. Not a big deal, but you may want to bring a watch, cell phone, or other device just for a clock/alarm if you don’t want wake up calls for excursion days. I saw two bugs in our room throughout the entire week: one cricket and one cockroach. Just ONE though. I think he came in through a small crack under our door. Put a towel there to cover it if you are worried (he clearly wasn’t “from” within the room itself). This was so not an issue, I hate to mention it… especially since I have never been anywhere with such a hot climate and not seen some kind of new critter friend….There is a place holder for your key card that activates all electricity in the room, including air conditioning. I have read that a lot of people put a substitute card in the holder while out of the room in order to leave the air conditioning running… to each his own, but at least consider leaving the electricity off when you are out – the room cools very quickly when you are there, and like anywhere else, electricity is an expensive resource which we are privileged to have.
Eats: By the comments left in some of the other reviews, I’d think that I visited a totally different resort…Some context: my parents are seafood lovers, my partner will try just about anything, and I am vegan. This resort has plenty of options for everyone. And, considering the price and that everything was all-inclusive, the food was very good. My parents got a lot of seafood, and plenty of variety, my partner was very happy as he wanted to have a range of typical Cuban/Spanish foods available. Contrary to reports I read before going to this resort, while we were there, there was a delightful array of Cuban foods available: Paella, rice, beans, chorizo, tostadas, churros, plaintain stews, bean stews, and more. As for my being vegan: when I travel I realize that I may have to expand my fare to include cheese sometimes. Although the Cuban people tended to be surprised by my requests, they were always very happy to accommodate me with a cheeseless pizza in the Trattoria, or slight variations of the menu in some of the a la cartes. The buffets had plenty to choose from. If you do not find something you like at this resort, goodness knows what it is that you eat. Btw: Even on excursions the food was great, and they accommodated my diet no problem. I did eat cheese when “necessary” but for the most part didn’t eat much dairy at all. I read a snide remark in one review that indicated the breakfast and lunch buffets served leftovers from the night before. This comment sickened me. They did have some similar items from the evening buffets, including breaded chicken pieces and French fries, but this was clearly being wolfed down rather rampantly at every meal. Further, I think that the presence of these types of foods is due mostly to the curious and varied tastes of the vast majority of travelers. I didn’t see any of our Canadian children (or adults) complaining about the French fries…
Keep in mind: this is Cuba. They aren’t spoiled like we are in Canada with virtually any type of food we wish to have at any given minute. Much of their veggies are tinned. Some items they don’t have the same experience in preparing as we do in Canada (don’t forget, we are also spoiled in Canada with a huge variety of cultures that we’ve had the benefit of teaching us the “right” way to prepare their foods) – as a result, you may experience some bizarre preparations or combinations from our perspective. Example: in the Asian restaurant, my mushroom stew was made with pickled mushrooms. Threw me off, but it didn’t make me upset… I just ate a little extra at a buffet later on that night. Another example: the tapas bar served spring rolls on a bed of sauerkraut. Strange combo for what we’re used to, but I like both foods anyway. Whatever. Just don’t be so serious about your experience, and you’ll have fun. Is Wolfgang Puck preparing dinner? No. But it’s still good! Most of the a la cartes were not particularly veggie-friendly, but when available, they’d make substitutions – for example, it was easy at La Gondola to request a plate of pasta just with tomato sauce. Other a la cartes (ie: Romantico, Seafood) were almost totally unable to accommodate a vegetarian. Like many other reviewers, my family liked the Romantico best for very good food, presentation, and atmosphere. Oooh, I almost forgot – the coffee is delicious in Cuba. We like our coffee strong, and the coffee served both at the restaurants/buffets as well as the coffee bar in the lobby area are awesome indulgences.
Bars: What can I say? There are plenty of these…. Lobby, beer garden, beach, pool, etc. etc. We found more bars the day we left… They don’t skimp on the alcohol, and they are always happy to serve you up something special and yummy. We never had any issues with not being served – no matter where we were sitting or whether we were waiting at the bar. I couldn’t try the famed Mojito as the mint leaves required are out of season right now :(.
Grounds: Very big, but very well planned out. We lucked out with a building close to the buffets and pool. Even those that were farthest away really weren’t that far from much. Even my mother, who cannot walk as long distances as the rest of us, had no issue getting around. Perhaps if you are very old or have a disability, you may have more difficulty. Getting anywhere on the resort did not take us more than ten minutes.
The grounds are spotless, well maintained, and very pretty. The resort is thoughtfully planned out with all sorts of amenities: pools, gym, saunas, jacuzzis, restaurants spread out, a little jungle of hammocks, washrooms always nearby, etc. A very pleasant accommodation.
Staff: We had absolutely nothing but fabulous service. Always smiling faces, always happy to teach us a little Spanish, make us something a little special or different, always right there to do anything we could have needed or wanted. I almost felt ashamed at one point because I am not used to being served hand and foot. You will notice that there is plenty of staff in all areas, assisting to make your waits short, and your experience pleasant. Keep in mind that anyone in the service industry in your country of residence would appreciate a tip, so, do the same while in Cuba on vacation. One review I read recently complained about a lady handing out tissue paper in a public toilet (not on the resort) and that she expected 1 peso for her service which was a rip-off… You are never required to tip anywhere – you are not being ripped off. But consider, if you will, how little these people make, how privileged you are to be in their country vacationing and enjoying amenities most of them never see, and then decide for yourself if 1 measly peso is too much to offer for their services.
Excursions Offered: I’ll touch on this despite the fact that it is outside of the resort. From those on offer (which were many) we chose to go on the full day Catamaran snorkeling trip and the full day Taste of Cuba tour. Both trips were excellent (and far cheaper than excursions I’ve taken in other countries).
The catamaran trip (offered by Ocean Paradise) was a refreshing day out on the ocean. Our guide, Jose, was an excellent guide and dive master. He was in tune with where all the neat ocean life was, so we got to see some life that we hadn’t seen before – moray eels, and a very large puffer fish. Probably the best part of this tour was how conscientious this company was about the marine environment. Both Jose and the staff on the catamaran were very thoughtful. I noticed everyone taking extreme caution while deciding where to drop anchor in one of the snorkeling spots. Additionally, Jose taught us a lot about Cuba’s reefs, marine life, and also mentioned some of the practices that he will not engage in. For example, I witnessed a tour guide from another company collecting ~a lot~ of white sea urchins. Jose explained that some tour guides will collect sea urchins and crack them open on the spot to draw fish for the people snorkeling to see. He said that unfortunately, Cuba’s population of white sea urchins is being depleted, affecting the balance of the reef environment.
The Taste of Cuba tour was a delightful day spent touring the fishing village Gibera, the city of Holguin, and made stops at a cigar factory, museum, and had free time as well as lunch in a small restaurant. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn a bit more about Cuban life & culture, and mingle off the resort. One note about this tour, however, keep in mind that while it is exciting to buy product at the cigar factory, there is plenty to choose from at the resort, and from what my partner & I saw, some of the prices at the resort were better (we bought at both locations).
We also noticed that a swim with dolphins excursion is available in Holguin. While it would be exciting to be with dolphins, we did not do this trip. The people that care for the dolphins probably treat them very well and love them very much. Unfortunately, dolphins are complex animals that enjoy being in groups; they do not get to go home at the end of the day. The other reason we forewent this trip is because despite the love for the animals, it is often the case that with so many people touching the dolphins, some attempting to grab or touch them as they swim by, dolphins inadvertently get scratched and cut by fingernails, jewelry, etc. If you do decide to go on this trip please be mindful of your touch; remove any jewelry and consider trimming long fingernails.
Thanks for letting me share some of my alternative perspectives with you. I hope it is of value to you in planning your trip!
Have fun,
Stephanie

Stephanie

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