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> Destinations > Cuba > Trip Reports > Trip Report
We just returned from Cuba. We spent a week at the Superclub Breezes Varadero. The resort is very large with great grounds. The pictures in the brochures and on the website don't do justice to this resort.
We had an Oceanview Junior Suite. The rooms are a little dated (particularly the bathrooms) but overall the resort is kept up relatively well for a Cuban hotel. We had problems with our air conditioning and it was repaired within a few hours of our advising the housekeeping staff. As is typical throughout Cuba the hot water isn't consistent. During the course of a shower it would go from hot to cold and back again several times. The electricity is 220 volts so if you are using any Canadian appliances you must get a converter from the resort. The converters are huge transformers but they do the job.
There is a safe in each room. As well the rooms have a coffee maker and supplies. There are about 15 stations on Satellite TV. Our room had a CD player/Tape Deck/Radio in it. Many of the rooms have twin beds. We had requested a double bed but were initially given a room with twin beds. A simple request at the desk remedied this situation. I tried to tip the desk clerk $10 and she refused to accept the tip.
The central part of the resort is an ecological park with a tremendous variety of different trees which are all marked with their Latin names. It helps break up the buildings and gives a feeling of spaciousness. There are little lizards (much smaller than iguanas) running through the grounds of this resort. It wasn't unusual to count 20 or 30 of them on our way to breakfast.
Having stayed at other hotels in Cuba I can state that the buffet food at Breezes was relatively good. At each meal they had an individually prepared dish at the grill. The Friday evening meal was the best of the week. It was their Gala Night and they had Ham, Roast Leg of Lamb, and Duck a L'orange.
However, overall in comparison to food at a Canadian or American facility it was at best average in our opinion. In the afternoon we often skipped the lunch buffet and had a burger or hot dog from the beach grill. They also had fish and chicken at the Beach Grill.
Each week you are there you are entitled to a visit to each of three specialty restaurants. We didn't get a chance to get to "El Mojito" (the Cuban or Creole restaurant). "Los Bohios" (The Beach Grill restaurant) was average. "Martino's" is their Italian restaurant and the food and service was superb even when compared with a Canadian restaurant. Make sure you book your restaurants on arrival as they seem to open up a day of reservations at a time and they fill up quickly. If you wait a few days there may be no space available.
There are 6 bars scattered throughout the resort and they have premium foreign liquor as well as domestic Cuban liquor. The bartenders will mix whatever you desire. Each bar also had an espresso machine and they will make specialty coffees for you. After 11:00 p.m. the only bar which was open was the lobby bar which was quite a hike from any of the rooms.
The majority of people at the resort ranged in age from 30 to 60 although there were some younger or older. Most seemed to be couples. As advertised there was nobody under 16.
There was a disco nightly at the resort but it was not well attended and again it seemed mostly by couples.
The resort has bicycles which you can borrow without charge and ride around Varadero. These are particularly useful as bus fare is $2.00 (USD) for the short ride into town. Cab fare was $4.00 (USD). The resort is only about 3-4 miles north of the center of Varadero. Also Plaza Las Americas (Shopping Centre) and the Dupont Mansion are only about a 20 minute ride north of the resort.
There are daytime activities arranged by the entertainment staff at the resort. Oftentimes they don't publicize the particular events very well and you have to seek out a member of the entertainment staff to get the particulars. There are boards posted at several places throughout the resort which tell you about the days activities but even with this information asking still remained the best policy.
There is a Water sports Centre which provides Sailboat lessons (Hobie Cats and Sunfish), Scuba lessons and trips, and snorkeling trips. I'm not sure about the scuba trips but the snorkeling trips and Sailboat lessons are free. The snorkeling is about a 10 minute boat ride to a reef just north of the resort. Once there we snorkeled for about half an hour. There were an abundance of fish and an underwater disposable camera is a definite asset. We had booked sailing lessons on a Hobie Cat a couple of times but each day it got too windy for us to go. We found the staff at the Water sports center were more interested in selling their own trips rather than providing the services which the hotel provided. In addition they were the only staff at the resort we encountered who begged tips.
Behind the Water sports Centre there is a small shooting range which was open in the morning. These are not uncommon in Cuba and are like an arcade game with a BB gun.
There is a store on site which sells CDs, Rum, Cigars, Clothing and souvenirs. The prices were fair. The cigars were little more expensive then elsewhere however the rum I purchased was cheaper. We had to purchase some Aloe Vera gel and sunscreen and the price was exorbitant. This was true all through Cuba so make sure you bring some from home.
There is also a gymnasium which has a good selection of free weights, an old universal gym, a relatively modern stairmaster, rowing machine, and a pair of stationary bicycles. They have organized aerobics and stretching sessions during the day. There was also a sauna at the gym which was open during the day.
There are tennis courts and a basketball court which can be lit at night. The pool is huge and there are several hot tubs located through the resort. The hot tubs were a little much in 34 degree weather.
The beach is separated from the resort by vegetation. There is a row of palapas at the back of the beach. While there were ample beach chairs for guests, people tended to use their towels to "reserve" a chair under a palapa and by 9:00 a.m. all the palapas were taken. Fortunately not many people spent the entire day at the beach and if you were patient you could find a palapa within 20 minutes.
We didn't have to wear a bracelet for this resort which was nice. Your room key is your passport to the resort.
The resort advertises itself as Super All Inclusive and we found it met that claim. As indicated it is one of the older resorts and that shows up in some of the facilities. However we found the staff, with the exception of the water sports centre, to be very friendly and helpful.
Thanks to Jim for this trip report ...
March 2002
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