Our home away from home!!!

We love Club Amigo!!! Have been there 7 times. The staff are amazing and remember us each time. The improvements they are making are great and the food was delicious. Can't wait to go back. We are always welcomed back with a lobster dinner.

Great Time

all around very cleanly. the grounds looked well taken care of and it was very central to the market and horseback riding and so on. plenty of activities for the everyday adventurer and fairly quiet and quaint for the more relaxed. really enjoyed my stay here!

Not what I expected this trip

I have been to this hotel a few times in the past & was happy with the place until this trip.I spent a fair amount of money on this trip & the first night was to be a special night when I arrived. The first day they destroyed for me. My girlfriend met me at the airport & came to the resort from there with me. I had special plans for that night but the resort destroyed them for me by treating my girl friend like she was garbage & not allowing me to pay for her to stay with me. She is a good woman [... read more] & they treated her like she was something else. Because of the way they treated her & I , I ended up renting a room off the resort for her and I the first night. The next day I raised hell through our travel agent there & was able to go over some peoples heads & get my girlfriend on the resort with me. At a good cost of course. The swim up bar was not operating at times nor the snack bar beside it leaving one to have to go back to the lobby for drinks. After some trouble with the weather, the 24 hour bar was shut down. This left only the El benny bar beside it open only for some drinks and no where to go for snacks or food in between. They did not bother to set up anything else for the people. El Benny would serve beer only, then go all the way to the far side beside the swim up bar only to find out all you could get was a small sandwich, ham and cheese, & not good. There was to many things that we were supposed to get for the money we spent that was not there for us. As for the workers there & the rooms, they were pleasant as always. for the most part. I liked this hotel because of where it is located close to the beach & the area around it, but this time I was not happy with not only the way they treated me and my girl, but also the lack of serves that we as paying customers were supposed to receive to make our trip enjoyable. I was very disappointed with this trip. I did and will recommend this resort in the future if they change some of the ways they do things. If they ever treat me this way again, I will never recommend this resort again to any of my friends & I will do follow up reviews on line in the future. Ps: I am to be married to this girl in the near future & would have liked it to be special in this area I call home in Cuba.

Beautiful large resort

The grounds of the resort were nice, well maintained. The resort was huge. Many activities all over the resort. Staff were friendly and helpful. Buffet food was limited, not a lot of choices. A la carte restaurants were very good. Pools were clean. Rooms were a good size. Air conditioner had a difficult time keeping the room cool. Had bugs on the beds in the room. Animation team did a good job getting tourists involved in activities.

Gorgeous beach, nice resort! Will return!

This was my 6th trip to Cuba however first to Holguin, with that being said I travel without high expectations and was presently surprised by the resort. We traveled from August 5-12 and were a group of 4 women, ranging from 17-63. Only one person out of the group speaks Spanish but we all mingle with the locals. Hotel: The hotel itself is quite large and is divided into 4 sections, bungalows, villa, tropical and rooms. We stayed in building 3 which is in the villa section. Nightly shows are [... read more] held in the bungalow section and the second bank is also located there. The exchange is better there but only by 3 CUC. The main buildings of the hotel were very clean, and also held the store, buffet, and 1 of the a la carte restaurants. There is also a spa, beauty salon, internet access and massage rooms available. This is something that isn't that important but the resort has many hand made swing chairs from trees which I've never seen anywhere else on a Cuban resort but it was so enjoyable to just relax and they are very comfy, also available for sale in the market! Tip: shuttles are available around the resort and are nice for a little ride. Beach: This was probably the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. Sometimes it's a trade off between the white sand, garbage and clear waters however this beach was clean and had the most gorgeous white sand and clear waters! Behind the hotel there are a few beaches, some can get quite crowded and noisy but there are other smaller little hidden gems that are the best! However they close at 4 but you can still go if you wish to however beach chairs are locked up. Some gentlemen will offer you a chair for a few CUCs so if you really really want to be at the beach after 4, there's that option. Food: There is no AC in the buffet dining room which has to be our biggest complaint as it gets very hot from outside and the body heat from everyone else. It wasn't something I saw in any other reviews and I'm surprised because of how prominent it is. In addition there was also wait lines for dinner some nights closer to closing and people were very upset at that so if you can and wish to, attend dinner a little before 8 just encase. The food itself was okay, as you'd except from Cuba as everyone says however we aren't picky eaters and there was something for everyone's taste. Desserts were great and the fresh fruit in the morning and at lunch were incredible. There was never a shortage of anything and accommodations were present for those who are vegetarian, halal ect... The two a la carte dinners were okay, the choices were obviously more limited however the service was incredible. I would recommend Espalda over Benny's simply because of the food. Something we didn't do was buy a specialty lobster dinner, half for 10 CUC and a full for 20 CUC which I wish we would've because it really is an incredible deal for lobster. Friends we made definitely recommended it! There are more than enough bars and a drink I would recommend is the Cuban version of Baileys, add some ice and it tastes great however they sometimes run out of it as it's mostly there as a coffee additive. Service: I've always been a person who believes that the service makes a place and this was no different, like everywhere else there are people that are incredible, Denis, Juan Carlos in the market, ect.. ect.. however there are those that leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth, one woman in the shop that by accident added 2 CUC onto our bill for something we didn't buy, and a few gentlemen at the lobby bar, one night my daughter was going to get black tea for us (lobby bar is the only bar that has black tea, the snack bar in the villas section has pepermint and tila which is basically chamomile) at 10:30, lobby bar closes at 11 and when she went, the men refused to serve her the hot water and said they were closed. She didn't have her phone with her and didn't know what time it was but when she returned to the room and realized it was 10:35 or so she wasn't happy. Obviously that's not a big deal but it wasn't all that nice, this also wasn't the only incident with staff. Tip: always ask for a bill to keep track of spending and just to be sure. Another special person we thought was Felix, he was our guide on the Taino village tour but also our representative with us on the way back to the airport after the hotel. He spoke the entire time about the island, little anecdotes and some very funny jokes. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining and everyone learned a lot and saw special sites because of him. Shopping: Beside the main building is a large market where local Cubans come and sell things ranging from jewelry to clothing, artwork, hammocks and chair swings and little things like key chains. They rotate every day meaning there is always a new vendor with different things to sell and are all very friendly, open and willing to bargain. Room: As a group of 4 we had an adjoining room which I thought was incredible an personally have never seen that before, it was very convenient and our maid whose name I don't know unfortunately, was incredible! She kept everything very tidy, was funny and helped us with whatever we needed. One day my daughter was reading a book and left it open without marking her page and in order to make the bed, the maid moved the book but left it open on the page my daughter had last read which she thought was absolutely wonderful! Tip: villa section is the way to go Entertainment/Nightlife: Although I did not check out the local disco, friends we made on the trip said it was nice, good music, drinks needed to be bought however under crowded therefore a little boring when they went however they went on a weeknight which probably explains that. The nightly shows were absolutely incredible, as someone who has traveled much and seen many shows I was blown away at the local talent, there was everything you'd expect and more, including a man twirling around fire. Excursion: We booked with Hola Sun and were given a free excursion to the Taino village of aboriginal Cubans. I highly recommend booking the tour or simply attending if it comes in your package as it's an incredible experience, it's also just nice to be able to venture off the resort. The bus ride was half an hour and we were greeted with a traditional cocktail before being guided through huts and spoken to about the lives of the aboriginal Cubans, their traditions and culture. It was funny, entertaining and the dinner and free drink was very delicious as well. Something else to note was that our Hola Sun representative said there was not going to be anything available for sale on the excursion however there was very beautiful jewelry so bring money encase and also to tip! Airlines: Because we booked with Hola Sun, we flew from Toronto with Cubana airlines, at first we were a bit skeptical to be honest but the flight going was smooth, about 5 minutes of turbulence, the food was very good, coffee was nice to have and all the flight attendants were very nice. However the flight home was less enjoyable, we arrived early and the captain did a few acrobatic laps in the air which was both fun and at times, gave you that rollercoaster feeling in your stomach. One flight attendant made us wait over an hour for a declaration card and was very rude about it, food wasn't all that great either but again, coffee was nice! We would fly again with them. I'm open to any questions and if you're thinking of traveling here or with the airlines, just do it because I personally have never regretted going on a vacation and although there are some very very small things about the experience, and resort that aren't that great, there is so much that is incredible. Therefore you shouldn't write off this, or any other place because of a small bad thing. Enjoy your trip!

Horribly disappointed and unaware

We did not have high expectations for this trip, travelling on a budget, just wanted to have fun, but weren't we surprised when basically starved for 7 days because the food was not edible, I have been to other places in Cuba with no complaints, but this was horrible. The food, all people were local and belligerent and rude, dirty pools, beautiful beach but public for this time of year and full of drunk local people leaving chicken bones, beer cans, plastic bags and diapers all over the beach.  [... read more]3/4 of the resort was closed so one buffet and 2 a la carte restaurants, one restaurant was no air conditioning, we sweated like in a sauna... We did not get any warning from the agent about the low quality of this place, even after asking many questions, paying for a sea view but there was no balcony!!! Thanks for that!! Never again with this company, hard earned money gone to waste, thx Kevin the rep!

Stay somewhere else in Holguin or Guard

pool and disco and show were great. food was awful. no AC in kitchen. kitchen nowhere near large enough to accommodate the number of people. Had to wait along the stairs a bunch. Room outlets didnt work (whatever), construction and lots of noise by lobby (but handy). Booked the al a carte and ate what the snack bar had (fries and ham the usual) to avoid the kitchen as much as we could. Beach is public (fine by me), but really dirty with garbage and chicken bones. Plus side a few restau [... read more]rants so we could eat off resort (which you'll want to do) for $4CUC or so. Rational: frequent cuba traveler. Have stayed at many 2 stars just fine, but dont want to pay 3.5 star prices to do so. Wish I had paid the extra to stay at Brisas (close by, quiet beach) or somewhere else (we toured around a bit on a bike, everywhere else was less scary looking). Still can't complain about a Cuba vacation, but wouldn't recommend if more than about $650.

Club Amigo Guard - Stay elsewhere if you can

The pool was close to the beach (plus) but the beach was gross, very busy, but not in a cool 'happening' way. Just a lot of garbage and chicken bones. Convenient for ther market shopping and being able to eat off the resort though (which we needed). The disco and show we're great. The pool bar and pool was a nice refuge from the August heat and bonus you could see the ocean still. The kitchen was too small for the number of people they had, and we had to wait a lot on some stairs. There  [... read more]was also no AC in the kitchen at all, and the windows didn't open for the first few days (ugh). Add to this the food quality, and well, book the al a carte. The food was okay a few days, but generally poorer than I'm used to in Cuba (not looking for a lot here). The snack bar only has the typical ham burger and fries, which we lived off a lot. They were doing construction by our room (can't fault them at all), plus add the lobby noise and pool noise and it was a loud albeit convenient spot. You win some you lose some. None of the power outlets save for one European style hole in one outlet worked at all. I guess we had some kind of upgraded room to boot! Rational: frequent Cuba traveler. Have stayed in many a 2 star hotel just fine. This is a 2 star at 3.5 star prices. Wish I had paid the extra $$ and stayed at Brisas down the way or somewhere else. We did a tour of the other hotels nearby and they were in much better shape.

"You Get What You Pay For"

Our first impression upon arrival at Club Amigo was that the staff at front desk were not at all friendly, know very little about customer service, highly unorganized and very SLOW! The resort is not fancy but very large, rooms are very basic but clean, food was ok, a la carte restaurants were fine but don't expect gourmet meals. The grounds were kept clean, the beach is absolutely beautiful but its a public beach and this resort is open to the locals. We enjoyed our afternoon cappuc [... read more]cino's at Ashley's Café...amazing! This was a family vacation and we had a great time and great weather. Unfortunately we will not be going back to this resort any time soon.

Excellent resort

The hotel was excellent, the staff were very helpful and friendly. The food was good there was always fresh fruits available with every meal. It cathers to everyone needs both young and old. The added bonus was having the beach by the hotel. Lots of nightly entertainment.I would stay there again.

Good resort

The villa section is very good for a 3 star hotel. Rooms are very good, clean, with air conditner, fridge, tv. Beach is very nice, but a bit dirty after picnics by local people. Didn't like that they colect the beach chairs by 6:30 pm. Food was tolerable, but a lot of flies in the dining room flying and sitting all over the food and tables. That was a problem for me. In my opinion, the menu of la cart restaurant, included into tha package was worse than regular dinners. Snack bars provide so [... read more]me tastier food, like french fries, and without flies. Excursions were quite expensive.

Average resort

Dining room & everywhere smoking was allowed. We are not used to that in Canada. Toaster in dining room was far too slow guests just gave up on it. Sometimes there were boxed cereals but they were not made available to adults only children, in fact one of the staff told me off for taking a small bowl of mixed cereals from the "Children's table.I would like to say that the snacks on Airtransat. were a "ripoff" I will endeavour to avoid at all cost eating on the airline. Thank you for the opport [... read more]uinity to review.

Better to come when season is not over..

This was my second time at this resort. This time it was off season. Main differences: less people, large pool which was good for swimming - closed. Most barmen did not make cocktails with all ingredients. Snack bar had no ketchup, only something that looked and tasted like tomato juice in a ketchup bottle. Bar in the main lobby did not have even ice crushers this time. Staff was friendly and polite as always. Rooms are nice and clean. Beach is perfect. Gym has no air conditioner (same last year [... read more]). Food is OK, and almost everyday we could get fish. Not enough green so it is easy to gain weight if you are not careful. They have Wi-Fi now in the lobby area and price for internet is less compare to last year. Will try another place on my next trip especially when it is off season.

OK RESORT

SPEND ONE WEEK AT THIS RESORT: THE POOLS, BEACH GREAT ! ALL THE SERVICES WE GOT WAS EXCELLENT (THANKS TO EDDY (24 HR BAR) JOSE (24HR BAR), CARLOS (24 HR BAR) THE RESTURANT : ENA, JAMILA GREAT SERVICE:EXCEPT FOR THE "RECEPTION" (NEEDS TO BE REVAMP) SERVICE SUCKS AT THE RECEPTION DESK.

Disappointed

Will never go back! Not pleased at all The food was not good no salads and I am not a picky person no fruit.. to pick from ... Front desk was not helpful unless you offer them money ... Peter doesnt know what Paul doing at the front desk...

It was okay

The hotel itself is nice. However, there was a lot of miscommunication with the staff. When we had arrived, we had to pay an extra 50$ to upgrade to tropical because we had booked our trip for a standard room and they were closed when we got there. Also, our first room had bugs in it so we switched rooms. Staff at the front desk were not helpful at all. Any problems we had they would just shrug their shoulders and brush it under the rug. It was very frustrating. We did not visit the main beach o [... read more]ften as there are locals there (which we do not mind at all) but they were very pesky. Demanding clothes, alcoholic beverages etc... and they would not give up until they got what they wanted. Overall, the resort itself was nice but I would not visit again. Nightly entertainment was the same almost every night. Not sure if it is because April isn't a busy time to go or not.

Very nice for the price

Beach was great, everything very good for the price, food was good, excellent view. staff was helpful and the excusions off resort looked interesting.All together we experienced a good time and would return.

Great Value..

First, I have been almost around Cuba as I have been there about 15 times so think I can give a very honest review of any resort as I stayed from from in Casa's to many resorts from 2-4+ star there. This was my first to Club Amigo Guardalavaca and was very pleased with what I got for price. Lovely Beach, Clean Rooms, and always ate well as selection was always there for every diet if you look around. If they had it you could get it. Staff, Very pleasant with odd exception which is normal anywher [... read more]e. Will sure go back and miss it already. Be sure to use Tripcentral and they do a very good job at showing you best deals for all individuals needs.

Love Cuba

our first time to Cuba and love the resort and the locals. Workers and staff so very friendly. made some new friends for sure. will definitely be back.!!! have recommended to friends already and hope to come back this winter with our entire family

Mediocre resort

What I think about the hotel is that it was mediocre. The custom service was not on par. Waiting on the staff while they are chatting with each other is not professional. The facility was clean. The food was bearable. But if you have a specific diet ( vegan, no porc, etc) there is not much accommodation.