What's Good: 1. Weather. 2. Sand on the beach + clear ocean. 3. Alcohol, but for us this is not an argument. 4. Coffee. 5. Complete silence in the evening (sleeping buildings far from concerts), sleep could be good, but mosquitoes (see below). What's wrong: 1. Food, everything is bad. Juices - chemistry with sugar, you can say no fruits, and vegetables too.
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What's Good:
1. Weather.
2. Sand on the beach + clear ocean.
3. Alcohol, but for us this is not an argument.
4. Coffee.
5. Complete silence in the evening (sleeping buildings far from concerts), sleep could be good, but mosquitoes (see below).
What's wrong:
1. Food, everything is bad. Juices - chemistry with sugar, you can say no fruits, and vegetables too. Basically no Luke. Yes, in general, a complete mess. EVERYTHING IS BAD.
2. Sun loungers - more or less, but we clean ourselves from sand in the morning.
3. Umbrellas on the beach - old, low, sometimes crooked.
4. Rooms are not 5 stars. Far. There is only water in the minibar.
5. A deposit of 15 euros for towels is somehow low. When we checked in, we were TOLD "15 euros for towels", they wrote "1875 pesos" on a piece of paper. We took 5 towels. As a result, when returning the deposit, it turned out that they were returning not euros, but pesos. If you divide 1875 by 75 euros, you get a rate of 25. You can only exchange back at the airport - at 30.049. The total difference is 1200 rubles for renting beach towels in a 5-star hotel! Of course, there was no euro in the exchanger, only dollars. In the process of exchanging currency, the exchange office employee tried to cheat us for 500 pesos (21 usd).
6. The need to wear uncomfortable bracelets on your arm is not a sign of 5 stars. We took them off, but several employees who apparently considered themselves kings of the hotel tried to demand that we wear them. At the checkout, it turned out that we "should" hand them over. So, the only thing we have to do is send your hotel and all of Cuba with it to hell.
7. Mosquitoes, the hotel doesn't care about repellents at all, we are all bitten.
8. Internet - they give out for 5 hours, you run like a fool at the reception to renew.
9. The dishes in the restaurant are washed by hand, often dirty. And the employees themselves are also not clean. They wear a bunch of masks and demand from everyone, and when they take plates (for example, for soup), they put their thumb directly into the plate. This makes them more comfortable to hold.
10. Employees deserve a separate point - complete boobies, after 30 seconds they forget everything. It's massive. They just have problems with their heads.
11. These boobies don't know what "check your actions" is, so the meat is undercooked, the scrambled eggs are undercooked, etc.
12. I don’t know what they have here in the country, but with trembling hands they put sliced almost transparent sausage on us, as if we are taking away their last chance for life. And some slow down and do everything as if specifically for us to leave.
13. Somewhere we forgot a children's cap and a good medical fabric mask. Always got forgotten at the reception, this is in normal countries. Right there - if we forgot something outside the room - this is apparently the property of the hotel staff. We didn't receive anything. Now let's take care of our stuff.
14. If we said that today it is not necessary to clean the room, then they will not bring us water. Dumb.
15. There are no bottles of water anywhere, for water you have to queue at the bars.
So, we will never go to Cuba again.
1. Weather.
2. Sand on the beach + clear ocean.
3. Alcohol, but for us this is not an argument.
4. Coffee.
5. Complete silence in the evening (sleeping buildings far from concerts), sleep could be good, but mosquitoes (see below).
What's wrong:
1. Food, everything is bad. Juices - chemistry with sugar, you can say no fruits, and vegetables too. Basically no Luke. Yes, in general, a complete mess. EVERYTHING IS BAD.
2. Sun loungers - more or less, but we clean ourselves from sand in the morning.
3. Umbrellas on the beach - old, low, sometimes crooked.
4. Rooms are not 5 stars. Far. There is only water in the minibar.
5. A deposit of 15 euros for towels is somehow low. When we checked in, we were TOLD "15 euros for towels", they wrote "1875 pesos" on a piece of paper. We took 5 towels. As a result, when returning the deposit, it turned out that they were returning not euros, but pesos. If you divide 1875 by 75 euros, you get a rate of 25. You can only exchange back at the airport - at 30.049. The total difference is 1200 rubles for renting beach towels in a 5-star hotel! Of course, there was no euro in the exchanger, only dollars. In the process of exchanging currency, the exchange office employee tried to cheat us for 500 pesos (21 usd).
6. The need to wear uncomfortable bracelets on your arm is not a sign of 5 stars. We took them off, but several employees who apparently considered themselves kings of the hotel tried to demand that we wear them. At the checkout, it turned out that we "should" hand them over. So, the only thing we have to do is send your hotel and all of Cuba with it to hell.
7. Mosquitoes, the hotel doesn't care about repellents at all, we are all bitten.
8. Internet - they give out for 5 hours, you run like a fool at the reception to renew.
9. The dishes in the restaurant are washed by hand, often dirty. And the employees themselves are also not clean. They wear a bunch of masks and demand from everyone, and when they take plates (for example, for soup), they put their thumb directly into the plate. This makes them more comfortable to hold.
10. Employees deserve a separate point - complete boobies, after 30 seconds they forget everything. It's massive. They just have problems with their heads.
11. These boobies don't know what "check your actions" is, so the meat is undercooked, the scrambled eggs are undercooked, etc.
12. I don’t know what they have here in the country, but with trembling hands they put sliced almost transparent sausage on us, as if we are taking away their last chance for life. And some slow down and do everything as if specifically for us to leave.
13. Somewhere we forgot a children's cap and a good medical fabric mask. Always got forgotten at the reception, this is in normal countries. Right there - if we forgot something outside the room - this is apparently the property of the hotel staff. We didn't receive anything. Now let's take care of our stuff.
14. If we said that today it is not necessary to clean the room, then they will not bring us water. Dumb.
15. There are no bottles of water anywhere, for water you have to queue at the bars.
So, we will never go to Cuba again.
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We were immediately struck by the area. Very clean, not a speck anywhere. We can say the ideal pools. Lots of plants ranging from palm trees to flowers. All greenery is well maintained. A pond with fish and turtles. There are shops on the territory and if you are too lazy to leave the hotel with souvenirs of rum, cigars, you can stock up on the spot.
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We were immediately struck by the area. Very clean, not a speck anywhere. We can say the ideal pools. Lots of plants ranging from palm trees to flowers. All greenery is well maintained. A pond with fish and turtles. There are shops on the territory and if you are too lazy to leave the hotel with souvenirs of rum, cigars, you can stock up on the spot. The internet is really a problem. Only on cards and catches only in the hotel lobby. True comfortable sofas to calmly plunge into the network. But we only sent a message to relatives a couple of times. It's enough for viber. During the day, good animation. Plays live music. There is billiards for amateurs. Number. Firstly, there is a safe, but they couldn’t put a small laptop in) But they didn’t hear about theft either, so they just left it in a suitcase. The closet is small. There is a bathtub in the bathroom. And there is a shower. Behind the partition is a bidet and a toilet. The TV is big but there was no point in turning it on) Coffee maker and a set for it. Removed normally everything that was supposed to be supplemented. Bedding changed every two days towels every day. The minibar is not rich in a couple of bottles of soda, plain water and beer. Don't forget to refill. Balcony with a couple of chairs and a table. Repair normal walls are not scuffed. In general, everything is ok. The beach is fabulous. We took a mask with us, there is nothing special to see. Small fish have seen a couple of stars, but to diversify the rest will come down. There are enough beds. The beach is regularly cleaned from the grass. You can ride a catamaran. Oh Well, about food and animation. Lots of different food including seafood. Great theme nights. Excellent selection of cocktails. Alcohol for every taste in abundance. Good animation during the day and wonderful concerts and mini shows in the evenings. So all conditions for recreation are here.
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Hotel class! Everyone liked it very much! First of all, I note the sea and the beach, the work of animators and excellent varied food! I won't write much about everything. There is a lot of space on the beach, though umbrellas made of leaves are somewhat close to each other. Loungers new modern in abundance.
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Hotel class! Everyone liked it very much! First of all, I note the sea and the beach, the work of animators and excellent varied food! I won't write much about everything. There is a lot of space on the beach, though umbrellas made of leaves are somewhat close to each other. Loungers new modern in abundance. The beach is clean, the grass is almost never removed when it does not lie on the water's edge, and if it does, it will be quite a bit. You can take a mask with you, although apart from small fish you won’t see anything special, well, a couple of times you came across starfish. Entrance is convenient with children ok. The view is gorgeous after all, the ocean) We rode a catamaran and took excursions) There are not very many water activities, but there are. Animation in the hotel class! Both standard and live music of local musicians and show programs, concerts. Of course disco. Drinks class in the morning for breakfast are always still squeezed juices. Lots of seafood and meat. They cook tasty to lick your fingers. Fruit is always fresh. But the choice of sweets seemed small to me. Excursions were taken at the hotel did not take risks with local firms. As for the room, in general, the cleaning is regular and quite good. Furniture, bathroom and everything else is fine. Not broken not killed. Normal room and we almost never stayed in it. Territory well-groomed. The greenery is looked after and there are small animals. The pools are clean. You can go as a family and young people will like it here too! In terms of price-quality, I put it perfectly and it’s quite possible to come here again!
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My boyfriend and I liked everything very much in Cuba, we were the first time, but we were definitely not mistaken with the hotel! I am not a very good swimmer and the beach suits me completely. Smooth entry into the water. There are no big waves. I recommend families with kids and people like me not to swim here) The beach is quite narrow in three rows there are sun loungers, usually the first row is already occupied by lunchtime, but I don’t see much difference a couple of meters closer or further from the water) The water is clear, you can even see occasionally swimming fish .
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My boyfriend and I liked everything very much in Cuba, we were the first time, but we were definitely not mistaken with the hotel! I am not a very good swimmer and the beach suits me completely. Smooth entry into the water. There are no big waves. I recommend families with kids and people like me not to swim here) The beach is quite narrow in three rows there are sun loungers, usually the first row is already occupied by lunchtime, but I don’t see much difference a couple of meters closer or further from the water) The water is clear, you can even see occasionally swimming fish . Diving with a mask, we saw one starfish. But there's not much to see. With food, too, everything is okay, a lot of sea food oysters, lobsters, shrimp, squid fish of several types. Meat is also a choice to eat and chicken and turkey. Large selection of side dishes. A lot of sweets. Exotic fruits passion fruit, guava, mango, pineapple. They cook deliciously, but between the main restaurant and the ala carte restaurants, they didn’t notice much difference in the quality of food; Russians are bad so the usual phrases but the staff is cheerful good-natured to our normal attitude. Alcohol quality cocktails made delicious and I also really liked fresh fruits for breakfast. In the evenings in the restaurant, the dress code and the man must be in pants and not in shorts. Restaurants neat utensils not chipped everything is clean service is good. Of course, the beach and the food are good, well, there are a lot of pleasant things in the first place, a chic, clean, very green area. The swimming pool, though, you can say for children, the deepest point is about a meter and a half, but I don’t need to go deeper) With one problem, there is no Internet, or rather, for a fee in the lobby. But cheerful animation especially in the evenings. The room is normal furniture plumbing electronics everything is OK I will not describe anything normal good room. We all loved it so much we are thinking of coming here next time.
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The first thing I want to write about is food and drink. Here is just a paradise for the stomach, and a delight for the soul. For those who like to throw a glass of another strong drink, just endless rivers of rum and all kinds of cocktails! The beach and the ocean are simply indescribable beauty. A large and very beautiful area with various pools and studded with palm trees wherever possible.
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The first thing I want to write about is food and drink. Here is just a paradise for the stomach, and a delight for the soul. For those who like to throw a glass of another strong drink, just endless rivers of rum and all kinds of cocktails! The beach and the ocean are simply indescribable beauty. A large and very beautiful area with various pools and studded with palm trees wherever possible. Water and sand create a unique symbiosis. The views on the beach are simply mesmerizing with their beauty, and the white sand creates an illusion of a snow-covered beach among the raging greenery that is unique in its beauty. The hotel consists of a complex of buildings no higher than the third floor. This location and buildings create additional comfort for the hotel, without causing an obsessive memory of the stone jungle of the city. When the hotel is fully occupied, there is no feeling of overcrowding and crowds. There is always the opportunity to be alone with nature and the virgin beauty of Cuban beaches. The hotel has its own night club and disco, so if you wish, you can not leave its territory. A market with all sorts of things, fruit stalls, and various beachwear comes to the hotel territory. Now about the most pleasant - food and drinks). Rum really flowed like a river here. All the time we just ate lobster, shrimp, crabs and even had octopuses. We also visited a la carte restaurants, but were not particularly impressed with anything. We had enough of the main and bars. Of course, I can not ignore alcohol and cocktails. High-quality rum or vermouth is poured into any cocktails, I have never seen yupi diluted with water, only natural freshly squeezed juices. The animation and evening entertainment programs are just fine. We just couldn't sit still. All day the animators entertained the guests with something. They played volleyball, taught Latin dances, held interesting competitions. In the evenings, incendiary discos were held in the rhythms of salsa and rumba, live music sounded, beautiful saxophone melodies played. I would like to describe the numbers themselves a bit. We were afraid of humidity and insects. We took a room on the second floor, not far from the lobby. . For the whole holiday, we did not meet with a single insect or cockroach). Mosquitoes did not bite us either in the room or on the street. Rooms are spacious, free mini bar refilled daily, coffee maker with all ingredients included, air conditioning and ceiling fan. We had no complaints about cleaning, there were enough towels, and the sheets were changed constantly. In general, the rest was a success, and we would come back here again with great pleasure.
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We flew from Kyiv via Moscow by Aeroflot. Five points for the airline. All at the highest level. For a day, we booked places where you can stretch your legs. Four places in the middle, they are automatically reserved for you on the return flight. But WARNING! The Cubans ripped off 100 euros from us for a VIP seat at the Airport, and not only from us, but also from other passengers.
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We flew from Kyiv via Moscow by Aeroflot. Five points for the airline. All at the highest level.
For a day, we booked places where you can stretch your legs. Four places in the middle, they are automatically reserved for you on the return flight. But WARNING! The Cubans ripped off 100 euros from us for a VIP seat at the Airport, and not only from us, but also from other passengers. People managed to file a complaint with the flight attendants and the airport returned the money to them, and we said it was too late, when the plane door was already closed, and according to the law we were already on Russian territory and we flew with the return of the money. Moreover, they have the right to take money for seats only for those that are two at the window, and on which we sat, the payment does not apply, as if there were passengers with babies, we would have been transplanted anyway. In these places, cradles for babies are fastened. So don't get yourself into trouble.
The hotel is really the best on the coast. Paradise is near, we went along the coast to it, there is a cool territory, well, actually, everything that is cool there. Familiar guys from our hotel moved to Paradise for a week, what was our amazement that behind the beautiful territory there are such shortcomings as: animation-0, old rooms, bullshit of our compatriots, etc. etc. Therefore, we did not regret that we chose this hotel. When choosing, we rely on reviews, so I try to write myself. The food is excellent, the choice is chic, at the expense of alcoholic drinks of choice and quantity, the Dominican Republic is probably in the first place, but you can always find something to your liking. Any cocktails, but from experience I would not advise drinking a strawberry-type cocktail, there is only paint, our stomachs hurt on the second day. For my taste, Kokoloko was the best, it's like Pinocoloda, only it tastes better with cream. At the expense of theft, I would have heard about other hotels, but we also had a case, we never found my husband's socks. We would not have rushed, but it was these socks (bright, sporty, new, with rubberized soles) that we bought before leaving, he even managed to put them on once, did not disdain, took them. And I didn’t find my own cream either. Eyebrow paint was pulled away from acquaintances, moreover, without an oxidizing agent. Well, of course, no one raised a storm, this is not such a big loss. At the same time, the cook was always left and even the nail polishes brought for presents. The rooms are good. Removed normally.
So, if you miss some little things, do not pay attention and do not spoil your vacation, forgive them, they live very poorly. You will see all this if you just get into the city itself in the outback.
The area is beautiful, the beach and water are beyond competition. The beach line is not wide, but there was enough space for everyone, since the foreigners were all by the pool. Such clear and clean water is still in Mexico on the Riviera May. If you have cameras for underwater shooting, then it will not hurt either. On the beach, you will be served cocktails, and you will enjoy the beauty of the ocean. I won’t repeat about restaurants, this and others wrote.
Tours. We took a yacht for four individual tour. 110 cookies each ($110). They didn't regret it. The trip included: visiting dolphins, swimming with a mask, lunch with lobsters. We liked VERY, namely communication with dolphins. The yacht is chic, new, with all its might carries you across the ocean. . . just like in a fairy tale.
We went to Havana, to the Caribbean Sea, to the waterfall. But these trips were organized for us by a familiar Cuban. So I can only say that I liked everything.
For a day, we booked places where you can stretch your legs. Four places in the middle, they are automatically reserved for you on the return flight. But WARNING! The Cubans ripped off 100 euros from us for a VIP seat at the Airport, and not only from us, but also from other passengers. People managed to file a complaint with the flight attendants and the airport returned the money to them, and we said it was too late, when the plane door was already closed, and according to the law we were already on Russian territory and we flew with the return of the money. Moreover, they have the right to take money for seats only for those that are two at the window, and on which we sat, the payment does not apply, as if there were passengers with babies, we would have been transplanted anyway. In these places, cradles for babies are fastened. So don't get yourself into trouble.
The hotel is really the best on the coast. Paradise is near, we went along the coast to it, there is a cool territory, well, actually, everything that is cool there. Familiar guys from our hotel moved to Paradise for a week, what was our amazement that behind the beautiful territory there are such shortcomings as: animation-0, old rooms, bullshit of our compatriots, etc. etc. Therefore, we did not regret that we chose this hotel. When choosing, we rely on reviews, so I try to write myself. The food is excellent, the choice is chic, at the expense of alcoholic drinks of choice and quantity, the Dominican Republic is probably in the first place, but you can always find something to your liking. Any cocktails, but from experience I would not advise drinking a strawberry-type cocktail, there is only paint, our stomachs hurt on the second day. For my taste, Kokoloko was the best, it's like Pinocoloda, only it tastes better with cream. At the expense of theft, I would have heard about other hotels, but we also had a case, we never found my husband's socks. We would not have rushed, but it was these socks (bright, sporty, new, with rubberized soles) that we bought before leaving, he even managed to put them on once, did not disdain, took them. And I didn’t find my own cream either. Eyebrow paint was pulled away from acquaintances, moreover, without an oxidizing agent. Well, of course, no one raised a storm, this is not such a big loss. At the same time, the cook was always left and even the nail polishes brought for presents. The rooms are good. Removed normally.
So, if you miss some little things, do not pay attention and do not spoil your vacation, forgive them, they live very poorly. You will see all this if you just get into the city itself in the outback.
The area is beautiful, the beach and water are beyond competition. The beach line is not wide, but there was enough space for everyone, since the foreigners were all by the pool. Such clear and clean water is still in Mexico on the Riviera May. If you have cameras for underwater shooting, then it will not hurt either. On the beach, you will be served cocktails, and you will enjoy the beauty of the ocean. I won’t repeat about restaurants, this and others wrote.
Tours. We took a yacht for four individual tour. 110 cookies each ($110). They didn't regret it. The trip included: visiting dolphins, swimming with a mask, lunch with lobsters. We liked VERY, namely communication with dolphins. The yacht is chic, new, with all its might carries you across the ocean. . . just like in a fairy tale.
We went to Havana, to the Caribbean Sea, to the waterfall. But these trips were organized for us by a familiar Cuban. So I can only say that I liked everything.
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We gathered in Cuba with a group of friends of 5 people, chose the Iberostar Varadero hotel, lived in a double and triple room. The hotel is relatively new, that is, in the full sense of the word, it is not new, but not 25 years old either. The rooms are in good condition, the renovation of the hotel is good.
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We gathered in Cuba with a group of friends of 5 people, chose the Iberostar Varadero hotel, lived in a double and triple room.
The hotel is relatively new, that is, in the full sense of the word, it is not new, but not 25 years old either. The rooms are in good condition, the renovation of the hotel is good. The rooms are large, on request they even brought an ironing board and an iron. The mini-bar is replenished, there is no need to remind about this a million times, since the service in Cuba is good, the Cubans are very nice people.
The food was very good, the main thing was that there was a choice of meat and the dishes were not repeated for lunch and dinner. A chic beach and a wonderful green area, outside of which, however, you can find a lot of adventures...
Thanks to the travel agency Unitours, in particular the manager Nastya, for the advice to go to Cuba in this hotel.
The hotel is relatively new, that is, in the full sense of the word, it is not new, but not 25 years old either. The rooms are in good condition, the renovation of the hotel is good. The rooms are large, on request they even brought an ironing board and an iron. The mini-bar is replenished, there is no need to remind about this a million times, since the service in Cuba is good, the Cubans are very nice people.
The food was very good, the main thing was that there was a choice of meat and the dishes were not repeated for lunch and dinner. A chic beach and a wonderful green area, outside of which, however, you can find a lot of adventures...
Thanks to the travel agency Unitours, in particular the manager Nastya, for the advice to go to Cuba in this hotel.
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Cuba, January 12-26.2012. Flight We flew with Aeroflot, because we had already heard about the “super service” of Transaero. Flight direct to Havana. Aircraft A-330, fresh, good, everything is fine. Departure is at about one o'clock in the afternoon, arrival in local time (the difference with Moscow in Cuba is 9 hours down) at 17-20.
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Cuba, January 12-26.2012. Flight We flew with Aeroflot, because we had already heard about the “super service” of Transaero. Flight direct to Havana. Aircraft A-330, fresh, good, everything is fine. Departure is at about one o'clock in the afternoon, arrival in local time (the difference with Moscow in Cuba is 9 hours down) at 17-20. We flew by business, the surcharge for business was $ 800 per person (round trip). By the way, if you go "head on" and order a business on the Aeroflot website, the ticket will be about 200.000 rubles. There is an operator "Solison", they have good prices for hotels, probably the best, but they have a surcharge for business - 160.000. Why is this happening? Because many operators (such as TEZ-tour, which we flew with) BUY blocks of seats in Aeroflot, and if they don’t sell the ticket, then the money burns out. And "Solison", for example, does not BUY, but RESERVES places, therefore, if they have free ones, they cancel the reservation without fines. Those who flew long-distance business flights do not need to describe the advantages of business. Whoever has not flown - do not huddle, because 13.5 hours in one direction and 11.5 in the other economy will immediately finish you off, and we arrived fresh. In addition, we should not forget that economy passengers and business passengers are different things. On the departure from Havana in duty-free, we saw such a "Tagil" that we were afraid that the plane would land somewhere in the States to drop them off. As for Transaero, (the guys with whom we went on excursions said) there, in general, drunken goblins cursed, thumped and fought all the way, the stewardesses did not have time to separate. Even in business, such shots flew to Transaero that it was a shame for them. And the Boeing that Transaero flies with should have left its own 20 years ago... Well, the last nuance: in the economy of Aeroflot they don’t sell booze on the plane and they don’t allow you to drink your own, but in business they calmly pour everything you ask for . But - it's still better not to overdo it, otherwise it will be difficult to transfer the 3-hour bus transfer to Varadero. Still, the weather, the climate, and the pressure are different... Airport - Currency - Transfer Upon arrival in Cuba, they do not stamp the passport, but put it on the immigration card. At first we thought that this was done in order not to “burn” the aging “daddies” in front of their wives, who fly to Cuba either alone or with silicone blondes. In fact, this is done for tourists, because there is the same theme as Israel and the Emirates: if you come to Cuba, you won’t get to the States with this passport. At the exit I met Tez-tour, we left there quite quickly. There is a caveat: the exchange rate in Cuba is approximately the same everywhere (they still have a scoop! ), so it’s better to change part of the money right away at the airport. Why? Because in the shop at the stop that the bus makes along the way, you can’t even buy water for dollars or euros, but you really wanted to drink....I had to get by with chewing gum))). Tez-tour did not bother to distribute even a bottle of water to the bus... By the way, it is very important! You need to take euros with you, because dollars in Cuba spread rot: when exchanging dollars, they take the so-called fine of about 18%, and the dollar to peso (or CUC, as they call it) exchange rate is approximately 0.87: i. e. , 0 . 87 pesos per dollar, while the euro to the peso is about 1.25 (1.25 pesos per 1 euro). The euro-to-dollar cross turns out to be 1.44, although in the world at that time it was about 1.3. Cool? The bus cuts to Varadero somewhere in 2.5-3 hours, taking into account check-in at all hotels. In principle, there is nothing special to describe. Transfer as a transfer. Only the driver turns on the air conditioner only for the time when he wants to. But even so they were tired, and therefore somehow it was not before. Mosquitoes - medicinesTake with you funds (any and more) from mosquitoes - they are EVERYWHERE in Cuba. Somewhere more, somewhere less, but they are, and it is unrealistic to buy funds there. We took both fumitox in sockets and a spray on the skin, but we were still bitten. Without them, we would have come home like a piece of meat…. And there are almost no medicines in local pharmacies, we took a standard first-aid kit with us, thank God, it was not useful... Tez-tour - Excursions In addition to the above-described "care" about bottles of water on the bus, there are some nuances. Firstly, excursions are really very expensive - from 150 to 250 euros per person. And there are few normal ones (that's why they were only in one place with them: they gathered in 2 places, but more on that below). Therefore, if you want to travel around Cuba, stock up on money! Secondly, the guides (at least the ones we got from Tez-tour) are NONE. What are we talking about? When we went to Cayo Largo, a local girl named Laura didn’t tell us ANYTHING at all, except for the trip program for the day and a warning that you don’t need to drink a lot, otherwise they won’t let you back into the helicopter. In our Russian group, 2 Spaniards somehow got mixed up, with whom she tried all the way, she probably told everything. And she put a bolt on us. GENERALLY. If anyone is reading this from Tez Tour, fire her to hell. Plus, she allowed herself to say that she did not have mutual understanding with the Russians, and along the way, she traveled with Russian groups only because she could somehow explain herself in Russian. Then, we checked out from the hotel ahead of time, because we took a 2-day prostitute to Havana (more on this below), and the tour guide at the hotel (they are on duty there every day) was WARNED about this. He seemed to write everything down and even thanked them for warning, but then, apparently, he didn’t tell anyone about it, because then on the plane the guys told us that they were looking for us at the hotel for a transfer for HALF AN HOUR! ! And then Tez-tour complains that tourists do not warn about early departure. Yes, change the guides, and everything will be fine !! ! In general, with the Tez-tour we only went to the islands of Cayo Largo, and we also wanted to go to Trinidad, but it didn’t grow together. What about Cayo Largo? We took a helicopter tour. The cost is approximately 200 euros per person. At 5-20 in the morning, a bus arrives (strange, but it was not late, although up to 40 minutes late is the norm for them), it takes you to the airport. Passports, registration, waiting room…. The MI-8 helicopter flew its own in a scoop, probably back in the 80s of the 20th century. They flew away only on the 2nd attempt: after the first takeoff, the helicopter was returned to the airport, like a couple of light bulbs lit up. But then, in a roundabout way, they found out that 2 days before that they had an accident, so now they are afraid of everything. Not surprising. 45 minutes of flight - and we are on the islands. Of course, from the photographs there - "Bounty", which we have been looking for for several years around the world. White sand, palm trees, and everything. In general, it is precisely because of this that it is worth flying there. Expensive photo session. First, they take them on a catamaran to the island of iguanas (poor animals overfed with bread), to swim in a couple of places, then to the island of the Siren, where, like, lunch (they didn’t eat it, because - shit, they ordered shrimp for some money) and time 3 hours for sunbathing -bathing. The beach is beautiful, but the sun loungers are mined with a fight (they dragged 200 meters along this white sand, which is like flour, and it’s even hard to walk on it), a little littered with rubbish bulls. The sea is warm, but we were warned about sharks and barracudas (directly - men can bite off something), so we swam like children near the shore. By the way, there you can still swim with dolphins for 90 cookies. We were not impressed at all (they swim in the lagoon near the restaurant, nothing), but then they told us that you can take an INDIVIDUAL excursion (to Varadero) to swim with dolphins specially, about 400 cookies for 4 people, where they are taken out to the open sea, and 2-3 dolphins for each. The people there were delighted. Then - back home. That's all. We can’t tell about Trinidad, because the helicopter still died (they had only 2 of them, one flies to Cayo Largo, the second to Trinidad), and we were told half a day before that the excursion was canceled. The money was returned without problems and quickly. In general, the local airline is called Aerogaviota (Aerogaviota), we called it Aerogovnota, which fully reflects its essence. By the way, you can also fly on excursions by plane, but, to be honest, when we saw the planes at the airport, we were glad that we were flying at least on such a helicopter. There, in reality, aircraft are 50 years old, no less. Screw, killed and ushatannye in the trash. RUSOO Many thanks to the guide named Ruso!!! ! With him we spent 3 cool days in Havana and Viñ ales (Pinar del Rio). We were advised by friends, and not only did we not regret it, but we were very pleased and grateful to him! This is a man who lives in Havana and conducts individual excursions around Cuba. You can travel with it not only to Havana, but also to Trinidad, Cayo Largo, and other places. He can organize both an excursion program (as we chose this time) and a nightlife with Cubans, cigars and discos. Ruso is half Russian, half Cuban, perfectly understands the Russian mentality and humor, knows what we Russians need. He picked us up from the hotel, gave us the most delicious pina colada on the road in a roadside bar, which we tried not only in Cuba, but in general....He settled in a private house, modestly, without show-offs, but very comfortable and clean, with a good attitude from the hostess (Dona Amalia, thanks to her for taking care of us !!! ). With him, we first looked at Havana - a general overview of Havana and old Havana, went to look at the lens of Leonardo da Vinci (which is not shown on bus tours), drank beer at a local brewery (awesome dark is brewed there according to Austrian technology, very similar to a German dunkel ), tried the local kvass, which is called malta, went to Hemingway's favorite bars, where mojitos and daiquiris are considered the best (cocktails are nothing supernatural, but the local flavor of the establishments is a dump of the head). After all the tastings, the historical program was no longer relevant to us, but he gently and unobtrusively drew our attention to all the local sights and told different stories. In the evening of the same day, we looked at the daily shot from a cannon in Havana, there is a whole ceremony. The next day we left with him for Viñ ales, in the west of Cuba towards Pinar del Rio. There is a very beautiful valley with hills the likes of which have not been seen anywhere else, caves of runaway slaves, just beautiful caves with stalactites and stalagmites, awesome views, a river in a cave along which we rode a boat, and an insanely delicious lunch in a private restaurant. In general, he likes to drag around private restaurants where they cook really exclusive things (you won’t find this without him or a local guide), and it’s very tasty! ! We were delighted, although we tried a lot in different countries. In the evening, Ruso organized a trip to the Tropicana for us, this Havana show, the only pre-revolutionary one that Fidel left. It goes 2 hours, and there is something to see. Dancing. Although there are enough of their own nuances (we could see it, because we were sitting next to the stage). On the day of departure, we went with Russo to the souvenir market, he also helped us with the choice of cigars, had lunch opposite the Capitol. Once again we want to thank him for his sincere, caring and responsible attitude towards strangers, unlike all locals (where everyone’s favorite word is “manyana”, i. e. tomorrow)! ! We highly recommend organizing your vacation in Cuba with his participation, preferably by calling him in advance from Russia (it will definitely be cheaper than in the Tez-tour). You can save yourself a lot of money and get a really unforgettable and exclusive experience, which we did not (because we already called him from a hotel in Cuba, losing money for 3 days for 3 people for a hotel). His phone number: +53.289 6.47Hotel According to reviews on the Internet before buying the tour, they deducted that there are only 2 normal hotels in Cuba: Iberostar Varadero and Paradisus Varadero. In general, as in other developing countries, it is impossible to save on hotels in Cuba. Paradisus Varadero was on the "foot", so Iberostar Varadero was chosen. Russian tourists in Cuba are in 2nd place, 1st by a margin is held by Canadians. There was a contingent in the hotel - either "pre-death" (elderly), or couples. Companies, especially young ones, are few. There were quite a lot of Russians, but also mostly couples or families. In general, we can say that we were lucky with the hotel, because on excursions people told us that horror was happening in other hotels: drunken young Canadians thump in black, fight, break windows, there are 20-30 people in line at the bar for a drink, in general, atas. Everything was quiet with us. In general, the hotel is well-made: the lobby, bars, restaurants, disco and shows are in one place, and the “sleeping areas” are in another, so if you want to relax, there will be no problems. First they settled in building 11 (this is away from the sea, and there are rooms with 3 beds), but we had a Junior Suite, so when we contacted the reception, we were moved quickly and without problems to building 17, closer to the sea. There are only junior suites. Still nearby in terms of location are successful buildings 16 and 18. There is no sea view anywhere, because from the buildings to the sea there are palm plantations, except for which nothing is visible from the windows. But it didn't bother me. The rooms are clean, tidy, there are no complaints about the hotel at all. Housekeeping puts different shapes out of towels every day, either swans, or baskets, or some other garbage. At first, the stink was a little tense, but it is everywhere in Cuba, so they sniffed it very quickly. But you don't have to rely on super-nutrition. Somewhere on 3.5 out of 5. Of course, not poison, but monotonous, seafood is VERY small and VERY rare. The complete absence of a children's diet table. But - for breakfast there were fresh juices. In addition to the main restaurants (if you are late), you can eat hamburgers (by the way, very tasty) and fruit in other hotel bars-restaurants. As for a-la-carte, it's better not to even try. We did not go to Japanese, because we were told in advance that there was nothing to do there. Were only in the Mediterranean, but it would be better if they were not there. It's good that we had a bite to eat at the main dinner in advance. I don’t even want to write what they brought us there. The cocktails in the bars are decent, but nothing special. And periodically (especially in the morning) a boy runs along the beach and brings everyone a drink (and cocktails too). Paella was prepared several times on the beach, to taste like in the main restaurant. It’s also nothing special, but the cooking process itself and the spectacle are worth it - interesting! We went to dinner several times outside the hotel. In general, there is not much of him in Cuba, again, the people were shocked that he was in our hotel at all. There were 2 options: either in the lobby on local computers next to the reception for 10 cookies per hour (consider that 1 cookie = 1 dollar), or Wi-Fi around the hotel for 20 cookies per day. At the same time, there is a feeling that 2 Cubans are launching the Internet on a pedal drive: very slow and weak. As one Canadian said - slow and expensive. Of course, you can still look at the mail, sort it out, but if you put the files on the jump, then you can go sunbathe and have lunch for 3 hours. Social networks sometimes start up with a creak, but not always (a lot of pictures). Skype is banned in Cuba at all - they could not decipher the codes. So for workaholics, you shouldn’t count on working... In general, the hotel is at a good and decent level, the staff “rustles”, everyone speaks English tolerably, once again - if there were any complaints, it was only about food.
Review from — vOtpusk.ru
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Cuba!!! ! Finally! How I have long dreamed of this trip! And it happened. The prices during this period - mid-December - were very reasonable, and we, taking advantage of the end of the year, finally took an unfinished vacation and waved for a chocolate tan and exotic impressions! After Havana, which I wrote about in a previous review, we went to Varadero.
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Cuba!!! ! Finally! How I have long dreamed of this trip! And it happened.
The prices during this period - mid-December - were very reasonable, and we, taking advantage of the end of the year, finally took an unfinished vacation and waved for a chocolate tan and exotic impressions!
After Havana, which I wrote about in a previous review, we went to Varadero.
On the way, 3 hours, or a little less, it turned out to be a long way. And it's good that we first lived in Havana, and only then to the resort - I would not have survived such a tiring excursion. Yes, and in Havana, of course - now I understand this - you have to live in order to take a walk and stare at it all ! ! Words cannot be conveyed. In Varadero, of course, everything is more or less touristy, there is no such exotic.
So, about the hotel. I chose it based on the reviews, they were all good.
I wanted the hotel to be on the sea, the territory was spacious and there was a lot of delicious food and animation. Such a stupid fun holiday. It turned out that this is the case in almost all hotels, but in ours - especially!
The room was given in one of the houses, on the 1st floor. Our number was 1701. Walk 5 minutes to the reception. The balcony overlooked a clearing with hammocks - cool idea! He went out, lay down and lay down reading a book, when the din and fuss were fed up.
The room is large, in yellow and blue tones, swans are twisted on the bed from towels. There is everything - a mini-bar, and an iron with a board, in general, everything. The beds are big. No complaints. Air conditioning worked, plumbing ok.
The beach is wonderful. But in the morning and in the evening. There are a lot of people during the day. Everyone was stuffed like herrings in a barrel. Full of merchants of all sorts, tired a little. Cool birds flew in, such as pelicans. So funny, trained or something, I did not understand the meaning of their demonstration to tourists. Maybe another money making thing. In Cuba, in general, everyone earns as they can. Everyone is offering something.
There were no problems with food. Just in excess. You can eat around the clock - even at night. But, to be honest, I don’t seem to be a gourmet, but somehow it wasn’t very tasty. They don't know how to cook well. But I leaned on fruits! As they say, they were the best for the hostess!
Lots of cocktails. I tried the entire menu and realized that of all the huge variety, I love mojitos the most. He drank it for the remaining three days. And I even learned how to do it and now I try it at home myself!
An unpleasant surprise was that everything in the SPA center was scheduled for a couple of weeks in advance. We didn't get in!
The shows here are great. Not third-rate animation, but just good such productions. A huge room for a show. We went every evening, and always different!
In general, we rested for five. Despite some shortcomings, I recommend!
The prices during this period - mid-December - were very reasonable, and we, taking advantage of the end of the year, finally took an unfinished vacation and waved for a chocolate tan and exotic impressions!
After Havana, which I wrote about in a previous review, we went to Varadero.
On the way, 3 hours, or a little less, it turned out to be a long way. And it's good that we first lived in Havana, and only then to the resort - I would not have survived such a tiring excursion. Yes, and in Havana, of course - now I understand this - you have to live in order to take a walk and stare at it all ! ! Words cannot be conveyed. In Varadero, of course, everything is more or less touristy, there is no such exotic.
So, about the hotel. I chose it based on the reviews, they were all good.
I wanted the hotel to be on the sea, the territory was spacious and there was a lot of delicious food and animation. Such a stupid fun holiday. It turned out that this is the case in almost all hotels, but in ours - especially!
The room was given in one of the houses, on the 1st floor. Our number was 1701. Walk 5 minutes to the reception. The balcony overlooked a clearing with hammocks - cool idea! He went out, lay down and lay down reading a book, when the din and fuss were fed up.
The room is large, in yellow and blue tones, swans are twisted on the bed from towels. There is everything - a mini-bar, and an iron with a board, in general, everything. The beds are big. No complaints. Air conditioning worked, plumbing ok.
The beach is wonderful. But in the morning and in the evening. There are a lot of people during the day. Everyone was stuffed like herrings in a barrel. Full of merchants of all sorts, tired a little. Cool birds flew in, such as pelicans. So funny, trained or something, I did not understand the meaning of their demonstration to tourists. Maybe another money making thing. In Cuba, in general, everyone earns as they can. Everyone is offering something.
There were no problems with food. Just in excess. You can eat around the clock - even at night. But, to be honest, I don’t seem to be a gourmet, but somehow it wasn’t very tasty. They don't know how to cook well. But I leaned on fruits! As they say, they were the best for the hostess!
Lots of cocktails. I tried the entire menu and realized that of all the huge variety, I love mojitos the most. He drank it for the remaining three days. And I even learned how to do it and now I try it at home myself!
An unpleasant surprise was that everything in the SPA center was scheduled for a couple of weeks in advance. We didn't get in!
The shows here are great. Not third-rate animation, but just good such productions. A huge room for a show. We went every evening, and always different!
In general, we rested for five. Despite some shortcomings, I recommend!
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I raved about Cuba for a whole year, because I really love the Caribbean. So. At first we flew Transaero to Havana, it was night, and there was no light in some quarters, I thought that this was the norm for them and at first it became creepy. We settled in the Grand Park Hotel in Havana. The windows of the hotel overlooked the Capitol, so we lived in the very center of old Havana.
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I raved about Cuba for a whole year, because I really love the Caribbean. So. At first we flew Transaero to Havana, it was night, and there was no light in some quarters, I thought that this was the norm for them and at first it became creepy. We settled in the Grand Park Hotel in Havana. The windows of the hotel overlooked the Capitol, so we lived in the very center of old Havana. The hotel is very good, I recommend it to those who want to spend a few days in the capital. After a few days in the capital, we went to Varadero to the Iberostar Varadero hotel. All buildings of the hotel are low: administrative one-story, and bedrooms - three-story, so as not to stand out from nature. The hotel area is quite large, but everything is close to each other, very green, lots of plants. There are two pools - one large common, with a bar right in it, and the other near building 20, small, but no one is there. There are a lot of people in the hotel and a good sunbed near the pool should be borrowed in the morning, and then only to the beach. About the beach - we were not very lucky with the weather, there were big waves and there was almost no beach, but in sunny weather the beach was quite roomy with white sand. On the beach, all the entertainment - animation, volleyball, you can ride a catamaran or a boat. The ocean is generally a fairy tale - turquoise and the bottom is clean, only sand. Very good with children, because not deep near the shore. The rooms are bright and renovated. Cleaned every day, everything is clean and tidy, friendly cleaners. The room has a minibar, but it only contains all sorts of sodas and local beer, by the way, very tasty. The food is varied, and most importantly, very, very tasty! It is immediately obvious that Cuba produces products as natural as possible. True, there was little fruit, not the season. Alcoholic drinks are varied, not diluted, cocktails are delicious. Animation - good, funny Cubans and Cubans, work out from morning until late at night, you will not get bored. There is a disco on the territory - the animators organized parties there, it was a lot of fun. In general, judging by the general impression of tourists and tour operators, this hotel is the best on Varadero, so you can safely go there. And Cuba itself is really a paradise, you have to travel around the island, you can rent a moped or car. A tourist bus runs along Vardero, you can ride to the city for souvenirs, you can just look at the beauty of the resort.
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