Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great time at the Blau Playa Costa Verde

We travelled to the Blau Playa Costa Verde over March Break week. This was our third trip to Cuba and it was definitely the best resort we have stayed at. We decided to treat ourselves and upgraded to the "plus" section which was probably a good idea. We did our research before we went and knew where we wanted to be located. We asked at the front desk, as soon as we arrived, and they were able to get us close to where we wanted to be. We were in block 28 on the third floor. We could see across t [... read more]he whole resort. The beach was more rocky than Varadero but the plus was the fact you could snorkel off the beach. Some of the coral is dead but there is a patch of live coral further out from the beach. The fish don't seem to care if the coral is alive or dead. They are always around. We took our own snorkelling gear so we were not restricted in how much time we could be out in the water. There is a hiking trail along a dead coral headland. We hiked this trail out to the headland and ended up on quite a wild beach. There were shells everywhere and breakers crashing on what looked like a sandbar off the beach. We also walked down the beach several times and found other trails on other resorts that we explored. All the staff were wonderful. They never missed an opportunity to greet us and help us with whatever questions we asked. The food was better than we have had previously in Cuba. Some of that had to do with the fact we had 4 a la carte dinners with our "plus" upgrade and an Easter dinner. Everyone of the dinners was great. The buffet was big enough and had a large variety of food so it didn't seem like you were eating the same food every day. We didn't spend much time around the pools because we preferred the beach. However, they were well maintained. We did two trips away from the resort. The first was one called "Cuban Life". We travelled into the mountains and visited a farm, a fishing village, an archeological site, a museum and the Guardalavaca market. Our second trip was called "Island Paradise". We went by bus to a marina, boarded a catamaran, travelled for about an hour and a half to a snorkelling site. We saw many of the same fish as we saw at the resort and some new ones. We moored at a beautiful beach and had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the beach and then went on a jeep safari where we saw all sorts of animals from Africa, India and China that roam the island freely. We returned back to port by boat and bused home. It was a long day but a wonderful experience. The evening entertainment was okay. We have seen much better shows at other resorts and more variety. Every evening the animators would collect up the young children in the resort and get them up on the stage doing a show. It was fun to see them. Many people at the resort used this time to get together to share drinks and to compare notes about day trips, meet new people and generally have a good time. It was nice to see so many people brought their own thermal cups for drinks. It helped to cut down on the number of throw away cups. If I had any suggestion for the Blau chain, I would like to see them include a thermal cup for every guest in the package cost. A place to write your name on the cup and/or a way to decorate each cup upon arrival would help them increase their commitment to the environment. If you go to Cuba, we highly recommend taking school supplies and basic toiletries such as soap, shampoos, toothpaste, toothbrushes and so on. Basic medications are also needed and clothing are in high demand. We took packages of things on day trips and gave them to people standing by the side of the road or in villages. Cubans are very grateful for anything that you give them.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Okay...great weather

The weather was great for our week in Holguin. This resort has some great a la carte restaurants and the VIP Bar was excellent. Service is great in all including the buffet......great variety too. The rooms are not what would call Plus quality. The were rundown ....tiles on ceiling falling down...leaking shower and plaster on walls falling off. Reception needs to exercise more professional customer service skills. We had an issue with missing items from our room. Our two year old granddaughter h [... read more]ad some shoes stolen from our room. We reported this to reception and were made to feel it was our fault for and no followup was done by them. Our daughter had to retreive the shoes by herself from the housekeeping staff. At no time were we offered any compensation for our inconvience. We had had a great vacation until this incident which ooccured on the last two days of our stay.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Great Value, Great Trip

This resort was fabulous. I had a great stay at the Blau Marina March 7 to 14 2016. Food was acceptable by Cuban standards, if you have been before you know what to expect. Staff at the lobby bar were outstanding, room was clean and everything worked properly (shower, sink, toilet etc). I would recommend this resort in a heartbeat. Lots of families when i was there as well as a good mix of young and old. Overall, good trip and well deserving of 4 stars.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: One of the best in Varadero

I have stayed in different resorts in Varadero and this is overall the best so far. It's a little far from town but the resort has everything you need in close proximity. I recommend this resort to anyone who is looking to relax and meet some new people. One of the perks of this resort is that tipping is very discreet and not necessary unlike many other places in Varadero. We did not venture much into the pool as one of the things about going to Cuba is to enjoy the beach. Due to the location of [... read more] this resort being at the end of the Varadero peninsula, the beaches feel very private to only resort members. For an extra 10 CUC per person per night you can enjoy the Cayo Libertad adventure which I highly recommend because you will be dining a la carte at the Peñon Restaurant. The food I would say was this resort's weak spot as the breakfast/lunch/diner buffet is tasteless (looks nice), with very few items that actually taste better than the rest. After a day of eating in the buffet we were bored of the lack of condiments and taste, luckily with your resort 2 a la carte diners are included and so take full advantage of this, we had 3 due to our honeymoon and we left the for the last days. The drinks are nice and you can tell the barkeeps what you want in your drink (I recommend 7 year Havana Club for any rum drinks), the coffee is great and you can add a bit of alcohol (bayleys). The service was also great, we found most of the staff were always in a cheerful mood and always willing to extend us a hand (if you are booked in a further room from reception use the drivers using the golf carts, they will take you anywhere and no tip required). Take advantage of the hotel animation (in house entertainment), we found ourselves in a nice routine for a few days of just having diner then enjoying the nightly entertainment and then hitting the resort's disco followed by some food at the Faro to regain our strengths. Also FYI the open top tour bus is 5 CUC per person for the entire day in case you want to see the town (make sure you grab the payment slip to jump into any other tour bus). Make sure you are aware of the currency exchange, we found the best rate of the entire week of our stay to be at the resort (I went to the town's bank and it was higher then went back to the resort to exchange). Also if you are looking to buy some alcohol for your return back almost all the prices are the same throughout Varadero and Cuba in general, so I suggest to buy either at the resort or the Airport. 23°08'51.2"N 81°15'35.5"W has a nice spot for carnival games and such, 23°08'32.6"N 81°15'59.9"W is a restaurant shack by the beach where mostly locals go to, the food and drinks there are amazingly cheap (both locations off of Autpista Sur) and don't forget to go to "El parquet de las 8000 taquillas" for shopping and artisan goods.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great resort

Very clean, friendly staff, great food. Beach seems to be in a sheltered cove, so it's calmer than you might expect. Pools sparkling and hardly used. A la cartes very good. Rooms very modern in the newer part.

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Great Resort

I'll start with the bad first: The food wasn't great. Apparently that's just Cuba though. I was always able to find something worth eating, but it was hit and miss. The a la carte restaurants were good though as well as the live stations at the buffets. Somethings were better than others, and the bread bar was actually pretty good. Half their stuff wasn't open. This is likely because I went during a slower time of year and just before March break. This wasn't all bad though because a lot of it [... read more] was redundant, like half the beach bars not being open isn't a big deal, those are just there to deal with higher occupancy. Some of the activities like the boats and archery at 11:00 weren't open though, which was disappointing. If those things are important to you it might be better to go a little later in the year than I did as it looked like they were in the process of setting that stuff up. Now the good: The style: I loved the old colonial style. Everything had a very open air feel to it, all the buildings were little 2-3 storey affairs. Very interesting feel to the place. The rooms themselves were spacious and well maintained for the most part. There were some imperfections here and there, but were well cleaned and looked after. There were plenty of great pools. The spread out nature of the hotel lends well to this as well as making it seem less busy than it was. I could walk out my door and go to that pool, or go to the salt water one near the center, or all the way to the other side of the resort and see that pool. All with their own nearby bars and snack huts. The beach was awesome. Big beautiful stretch of beach along the whole north side of the hotel. I was always able to find a chair and a spot, even with half the beach bars not open it was always easy to get a drink. Weather was great while I was there too so that helped a lot. This hotel seems to be actively improving itself. The whole time I was there workers were building, or repairing, or refurbishing things. I saw them building stage platforms for pool side performances, there was a closed boat dock beside my building they were working on, painting and repairing buildings, grounds keepers everywhere, even saw them bringing new mattresses into buildings. The work was never disruptive or in the way of my resort experience either. All in all a good resort. It calls itself a 4 star and I would agree.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Friendly staff!

We had stayed at Blau Marina Varadero Resort in February, and enjoyed our experience. The staff of the resort were always friendly and our room was cleaned daily. We had previously read reviews about people not getting clean towels and bedsheets, however we did not encounter this issue. The pool was always clean and the beaches were amazing. The main buffet on the resort was ok. There was sometimes a foul smell when you walked into the dining area, but despite this the food was ok and there was  [... read more]always plenty. We did really enjoy breakfast there as they had an omelets and a crepe station.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Nice Resort

The beach area is small and the ocean floor has many rocks. This area is good for snorkeling. The adult pool (when it is not full of children is very quiet and relaxing) We stayed on the quiet side of the resort which is the Plus Side. The A lacart Restaurants were very good. The staff were wonderul and the rooms were very clean.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Nice enough for the price

Beach - Amazing - never seen such clean sand in and out of the water! Always lots of chairs available at pool and at beach. No Jacuzzi except at gym where water is cold. Rooms clean but huge stains on chairs and sofa. Bedspread stained and sheets too although sheets seemed clean and were changed during the week. Staff generally very friendly except internet lady needs a new attitude. Food pretty much average for Cuba. Entertainment was average. Need more night entertainment options for sure. Ove [... read more]rall for the price I would go back again but definitely not a five star.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Nice beach.

Hotel location is beautiful, but resort need maintenance. Dinning is also an issue. Marina across from resort is the place where you can go for catamaran trips. There is a lot of attractions around the resort.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Nice place

very friendly staff and the grounds are well maintained. Ocean great but better washroom facilities would be highly recommended. Would definitely recommend the room upgrade if you are going to this resort.

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: We enjoyed our stay

Our family enjoyed our stay. Something for everyone. Beach and chair availability were good. Snorkeling & diving right off the shore. Resort was clean and well maintained, staff were warm and friendly

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: The resort provides everything that they advertise

The grounds, rooms and public areas are clean and well maintained. I usually find the music for the shows way too loud but we asked for a room away from the bandstand and it worked out. The five minute walk was worth it

Aston Costa Verde Beach Resort: Great Value - Very Few Disappointments

Blau Costa Verde was very clean and everything we requested was immediately provided. The beach is beautiful and you can snorkel close to the resort (don't forget to bring your own gear - and, water shoes). We enjoyed going for sailing trips almost every day (make sure you book early so you get a spot and do it soon after you arrive because the weather can create a road-block to getting out on the water). Definitely book on the 'plus side' if you want a quieter experience - and check out the VIP [... read more] lounge which is part of that package and includes a much classier bar than the main-stream one.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: 4stars after renovations

food was good,tasty. close to beach, quiet. staff very friendly. spa was nice. nice landscape and views! only problem was no beach towels 2 days, b c main laundry wash machine was broken. place need update! renovations! nice shows evry night! for a budget traveler is ok. no luxury! was10 years ago… overal was nice.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Needs some TLC

Food was good. Spanish AL a Cart was bad.. Food cold and not what we ordered from menu service very slow. Pool nice for kids. Grounds beautiful. Beds horrible. Sheets never chanced and had 2 single sheets on a king size bed. Public washrooms were dirty. Usually no toilet paper.

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Disappointed

Resort needs work, unable to get clean beach towels for 4 days there were none avaiable. As well had to hunt down maid and front desk for clean towels for the room. There was no soap, toiletpaper or paper towels in any of the publuc washrooms all week. Had to carry a roll of toilet paper and purell around with us! Food was OK don't waste you time going to restaurants buffet had better selection and we are not a buffet family. Egg cooker was a nice guy liked to fist pump everyone while cooking yo [... read more]ur breakfast but remember no soap in any washrooms! Beach was good, pool had empty cups and cigarette butts around the edge of pool. Staff were not friendly. Been to Cuba twice knew what to expected but this place needs help!

Blau Varadero: Still great!

This year we were a large group occupying a total of 5 rooms. No complaints at all. The staff is fantastic as usual, food is good and the hotel and grounds are prefect - not too big not too small. We look forward to the next visit!

Punta Peninsula Varadero: Upgrade recommended

When we arrived at the resort we were offered an upgrade for a premium room with a view, private small pool and beach with it's own restaurant meals included. Highly recommend this. However, If you are into lots of activity and partying I would recommend staying in main hotel.

Muthu Colonial Hotel: Hotel Colonial

Amazing place! Loved the week we spent there with friends. We all love to laugh and have fun and the staff made sure that it was possible. Cant wait to go back. Great service, and amazing beach. The staff went above and beyond to serve us.