Home away from home

Week of November 18-25 2016 I have been to Varadaro several times and now have finally found my home away from home. The staff at The Hotel Bella Costa is what makes this place so wonderful. Every turn in the hotel you are greeted with happiness and smiles. From the security in the front to the reception desk to the entertainment and bar staff...awesome people :) The hotel is aged but so clean. Jaclyn ( housekeeping) for room 324 was amazing - she made us feel so special every day and greeted [... read more] us with smiles.....She surprised us EVERYDAY with her beautiful talent of towel art. It’s the little things that I appreciate. The beach is beautiful and clean - the pool was a bit busy because of the afternoon actives in the pool area but it was so much fun. I meet so many wonderful and interesting people at this hotel. I love to hear the stories from the long time returning guests.....We took a private tour to Havana and it was so amazing...way better than by the tour bus that I had done a few years back with so many other guests..... I did hear that there was a catamaran trip that the crew stopped the trip just short of the dock and demanded $10.00 from each of the 85 guests...not cool!!! That not the Hotels fault but I felt so bad for the guest and they were warning us not to go!!! So please be careful if you decide to do this excursion. The buffet food was amazing for all the meals that I was there for but my breakfast was the best...I love the omelet lady - she was so funny and always remembered that I needed to have egg white :) I went for a couple of massages it was so cheap and it helped me to relax so much easier! Book when you get there....he books up fast! Souvenirs are cheaper with the vendor by pool area than in the market place in Varadaro... they have a wonderful artist in the lobby that is so talented and I am looking forward to giving my sketch to my special guy for Christmas...shhhh :) They also sell wonderful beautiful paintings in the evening ....there is so much wonderful talent at the Bella Costa. I do not want to give up all the details of my stay at the Bella Costa - you need to go and make your own memories there  Have a safe and wonderful trip!!

Beautiful stay

Hotel is very nice. Rooms are very clean the staff is friendly and amazing. The food is good we had a wonderful stay at the Bella Costa all of our requests were fulfilled upon request. Jacquelyn our maid was wonderful and always left little notes which we looked forward to reading every day along with all the little characters she would make with the towels always brought a smile to our faces. I am planning a personal return visit next year to the same hotel it is quaint and lovely

Fantastic, that's it fantastic

The suite was more than we ever expected, two floors, three bathrooms,seriously? The towel guy, the entertainment staff, the omelette girl, the pasta guy, the maid, our four kids had a fantastic time and are already saving for next year. Hotel Bella Costa :)

Good Hotel, Would Go Back

The food is just OK. You find what you like and stick with that for the week. Surprisingly though, we ate a lot lol! I think it had to do with the thought of "maybe I won't find something I like for the next meal so I have to fill up now" mentality. It could also be because we looked forward to the staff. The staff, like everyone says are AMAZING. The best staff I've experienced in my travels so far. They greeted us as soon as we walked through the door, welcomed us with a smile, they remembered [... read more] our likes/dislikes, saved us our favorite table with our favorite drinks already set, they catered to our every need and made us feel totally relaxed....exactly what we wanted to feel on our vacation. =) The hotel itself IS dated and the lobby - NEEDS AIR CONDITIONING OR AT LEAST SOME FANS BLOWING! With the main bar in the lobby and the only place for WIFI, we were sweating buckets just sitting in there! Please put fans!!! For those who read bad reviews about this hotel consider this: The rooms have A/C while other hotels didn't. The service is IMPECCABLE while in other hotels, guests had to find their own things, including cutlery! They didn't run out of alcohol while another hotel bar did! I am only reiterating the conversations I had with other travellers on the shuttle bus to the airport at the end of our trip. We compared hotel stays and experience and I have to say, I thought my experience at Bella Costa was so much better than theirs!

Nice resort

was a nice hotel ,the food was ok ,the staff was nice ,the beach was amazing the water was great. for the money that we paid we get a great vacation. I will recommend this resort for family with kids

Great place and staff beach pool everything

We had no issues at all with the Bria Costa we are repeat guest the only thing is they have a promote 5 visits the 6 th is one free week at the hotel this is no longer a promote now they said it was off cause the hotel has new owners . They cancelled that2 days before we got there. Just are luck!!

Wonderful resort

the welcome was joyful, rooms on 5th floor was very fresh smelling and clean every day, the food is excellent been cooked not too many spices, which you taste the freshness of the seafood or meat, pool cleaned every day, the beach side to die for, the staff very courteous relax completely

Great 1st Cuba experience

The Bella Costa Hotel was exactly what we were looking for. The food was good, the staff were great and the beach was AMAZING! The fact that you could step off the stairs and onto the beach was great. The pool was great and nightly entertainment.

Fantastic Resort

I recently stayed here with my husband, 2 kids and my parents. We had an amazing time. Food was great, entertainment was awesome and overall it is a fabulous resort. Cant wait for our next trip to Bella Costa!

Wonderful place

it was clean,the service was topnotch and every one was so friendly and helpful. The entertainment was good and you can always find something to eat even if you are a picky eater. i would highly recommend going there i will be going back.

Not great, not bad

The grounds are beautiful and mature and well maintained. The rooms are old and tired and in desperate need of renovation. The beds are the worst I've ever encountered . The beach is beautiful the staff were friendly and helpful and almost everything you need is right on the resort. The food was above average for Cuba. There are a la carte restaurants one Cuban one Italian and one Japanese. We only liked the Italian but that was our personal taste. Overall this resort was good value for the mone [... read more]y.

Great family resort

The beach was fantastic and not overly crowded. Food was decent. We stayed with our two young children in the villas which were lovely and quieter than the main hotel. Staff are friendly. The kids enjoyed the evening entertainment. Great value.

Best of the the "older/dated" resorts.

Everything was fine, friendly staff. Would have preferred better food options rather then sandwiches for the "late hours". Certain drinks were completely different when made by different bartenders, They need to be more consistent with the drinks. The entertainment staff was good, but could have definitely used more entertainers.

Bella Costa

First time in this hotel. Fourth time in VAradero. Came on March 6, 2016. Our room was garden view # 751, closed to the beach in two stories buildings. Hotel has the main building in the shape as three beam star.The resort has been built in 1993 and needed renovation. Cleaning service is average. Need to ask to refill water bottle in the room. There are wasn't big variety of the main dishes and fruits, only grapefruits, bananas, papaya. Buffet on the beach has better choices. There are not enoug [... read more]h umbrellas on the beach. The water part of the beach is great with nice white sand. Location of the hotel is perfect for golfers. Right across of the hotel is a nice golf course well maintained. This year was unusual low temperature 26-28C, perfect to get smooth tan and enjoy by walking along of the beach or explore Varadero town. I would rate this resort as 3(three) star hotel and it worths not more than $850 CAN.

We love you bella Costa! Xoxo

My review is: I recommend to any family with younger kids (3-14) to go. Enjoy the beach, games, shows, pool, hot tub, and above all get a villa suite. Absolute! Food was good. Staff was great. My 4 year old had a blast! For the price, I felt very happy with our choice. Very safe and made lots of new friends. Went late March. Whether was raining for a bit but overall warm and some real nice sunny days. Special thanks to Maria at trip central for all the work and help.

Bella Costa was awsome!

The staff are the best, very professional, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. The food was great. Not a bad meal all week. Italian a la carte featured home made pasta. Yummy! Easy to book tours and close to many attractions. The beach amazing!

Super Family Holiday!

Another wonderful stay in Cuba. This resort was older but had everything we needed for a super trip. We had garden view balconies so we could read and have a drink while the kids were still sleeping or while family members were getting ready. Beaches are beautiful. We spent the day there from 9- 4pm and then come up poolside for drinks and entertainment. My husband would go down between 6:30-7:00am to put our towels down to claim lounge chairs in the shade of the huts. Food was plentiful and del [... read more]icious. It always surprises me when people complain about Cuban food as being bland or repetitive. We have chicken 3 nights a week at home in Canada and my son eats Cinnamon toast crunch for breakfast everyday! You have choices of pork, fish, beef or chicken and many side dishes and cook to order items. We ate at all 3 restaurants and had no trouble getting reservations for the time slots we wanted. (Book early). The staff are always friendly and helpful. The one sticky point was trying to get change at the reception for tipping. Sometimes we got smaller bills at the bar. They have lounge entertainment after dinner and great shows in the evening at 9:30pm at the outdoor theatre. It's a great environment to be a part of. I want to go back. I'm already looking forward to my next March Break holiday. Cuba, here we come!

Very Pleasantly Surprised

The Hotel Bella Costa was a very pleasant surprise. I read many reviews before finally selecting this hotel and I am so glad I did. It is a smaller resort, but in my opinion, for Cuba, it was quite well kept. Yes the building is a little tired and in need of some renovating, but it was nowhere near as bad as some people’s reviews implied. We had room 626 in the main tower. It was a lovely, big room, with a huge corner balcony. The view was fantastic in three directions. No mould anywhere and n [... read more]o bugs, other than a couple of teeny, tiny ants. And if you left nothing sweet out to attract them, you really didn’t see them. Our maids were great. Hello to Yvette. They always did a good job of cleaning the room, always leaving fresh towels and lots of toilet paper. We always had a fresh two litre bottle of water to put in our fridge every day. The bedding was quite tired looking and could certainly use an upgrade but it was adequate and clean. The only thing negative I can say about the bathroom was that the shower head was very low flow and for anyone with long hair, it would take quite a while to rinse all the shampoo out. However, on the plus side, there was always hot water. The food was certainly different than what we’re used to but, that‘s not to say it was not good. They had an awesome selection, and yes there were things I did not care for, but lots of things were very good. I gained weight so that tells the tale! Breakfast was always very good, made to order omelettes or the omelette lady was only too happy to scramble or fry you some eggs however you liked. There was always French toast, pancakes, fresh fruits, lovely fresh breads, cheeses, sliced cold meats, cold cereal, yogurt, fresh squeezed juices and croquettes among many other things. Lunch in the Beach Grill was always good with a salad bar, including lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. They always had at least one soup selection at every meal. I’m told that the main buffet had the same type of food out for lunch. Pasta salad was one of my favourites, as were the ribs, chicken and the made to order pizzas. They always had a great selection of fresh breads and buns and cold meats and cheeses. For dessert, the pineapple orange ice cream was a favourite. The only drawback at the beach grill was the birds, but you just learned not to leave your table unattended once you had food or drink on it. (We actually found them rather entertaining.) We tried two of the Al A Cartes, the Cuban and the Italian and they were both fine. I was told by others that the Japanese restaurant was good too. The Jimmy’s Buffet for supper was good as well. They seemed to have different theme nights and there was always something good to eat. The service in all the restaurants was very good, with the waiters, bringing coffee, water and your choice of wine in a timely fashion. People complain that the food is bland and to make sure you take your own hot sauce. News flash – they had hot sauce, Salsa, ketchup and mustard, etc. at the buffet. The beach is to die for. The white sand is like flour. They kept it clean and it was freshly plowed nightly. There was only one day that we had to hunt for beach chairs, other than that, there were lots. The pools were lovely and clean with lots of chairs. I never had trouble getting a beach towel. I had to wait one day until the laundry came, but no big deal. The nightly shows are okay. They were mostly dancing, with a Magic Show one night. The dancers and costumes are top notch. They could certainly give “Dancing With The Stars” a run for their money. Unfortunately, we missed the water ballet, but I heard it was great. They always had live music at nights in the lobby bar and it was interesting to sit and have a drink and people-watch. The drinks were always good. We found all the staff to be very helpful. We had no problems of any kind and would recommend this resort to our friends. We would certainly go back again.

Great Beach

Structure: The hotel is dilapidated. As you arrive if you are a non-smoker you have to run the gauntlet as there are smokers dotted around sitting at tables as you make you way to the entrance to the hotel. When sitting in the lounge water drips onto you from the air-conditioning above. When looking up the ceiling I noticed it was encrusted with black algae/mould. Rooms: Two guests asking to change their rooms mentioned that their rooms also had mould. On the first day I was to have a garden vie [... read more]w room but was given one with no garden but overlooking a courtyard and the hotel's air conditioning plant and tradesmen service area, room 263. As a result I could not open my sliding door as the noise from the aircon was way too loud and my room vibrated as if I was still on the plane. My room was switched the next morning to room 229 but to a flood damaged area i.e. water leaked all over the passage way floors. In my room I could see where pipes had previously burst. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted down the vents into my bathroom and I am a non-smoker. My unit was at the end so I could hear both the hotel traffic and the traffic along the causeway. The wind blew for 5.5 days and my sliding door rattled continuously and very loudly sometimes like a thunder clap waking me on many occasions throughout the night. I think with an upgrade in the aircon, eliminating the water leakages and mould everywhere and having a handyman check out each room for repairs would go a long way to provide further comfort to guests. E.g. the cupboard doors didn’t close and kept swinging open so I had to position chairs up against them. The room cleaner only sweeps the floor and no surfaces are cleaned. In the entire week I had no change of towels. The bed in room 229 was king size. I don't think they had king size sheets for it so they used other sheets and put them on lengthwise. As a result the sheet only came up to my waist and in order to keep snug at night I had to use a bath towel and wear my hoodie to cover my shoulders. I was also unsure whether the comforter provided was washed after each guest as it did not look crisp and clean, so was afraid to use this to cover my shoulders. The pillows are long, narrow, hard bolster style pillows. The surfaces in the bathroom were never wiped down. The toilet was cleaned and the toilet paper replaced. Dining: I noticed in the Japanese restaurant I was only offered one glass of wine and this came halfway through my main course although I had requested it when I placed my food order. The following day on the beach I noticed a wine trade going on between a life guard and either locals or guests - unsure. Perhaps that is why they limit the wine one is offered in the restaurant? They did try hard with the food given their limited ingredients. Once they offered champagne and a flower to guests entering the buffet restaurant which was a nice touch. The fish in the beach snack bar restaurant is very good at lunch time. The whole fish in the Cuban restaurant is delicious. I was recommended to try the lamb special at the Cuban restaurant but when it arrived it was definitely beef although the manager and chef denied this. I do know the difference between the taste of beef and lamb so I sent it back. Tipping: With the exchange rate so poor with CUC=C$1.33, I wanted to have some CUC1’s in either coins or notes as I was travelling solo. There is a shortage of CUC1’s on the island and everyone is given CUC3’s for tipping. CUC3=C$4 which is fine if you are spending $30 plus dollars on a meal but to have to fork out C$4 every time you want a drink or eat breakfast is a financial drain. I only lined up once for an omelette and the chef took his time about cleaning his station first and three times he twiddled with an existing CUC3 note– evidently indicating to me that if I wanted quick service, I would have to fork out CUC3. I did not want to subject myself to this again so opted out of omelettes for breakfast. The first night at dinner the waitress came up to me after pouring me water which I had waited for forever, ditto a glass of wine, and said to me: “I have two babies.” I felt like telling her so did I LOL! That was a turnoff as this was the only communication she had with me and evidently my tip was all she was after. It would have been far more comfortable for me to have paid tips up front like we do on cruise ships and this takes care of the jockeying for constant compensation. The staff at the bars work very hard to please. Fitness: I attended water gym at 12:30 – there was no schedule of exercise activities as they said they were fixing the board but that water gym is every day at 12:30 and yoga/stretching on the beach every day at 10:30. The following day I ensured I was at the activity station at 10:30 for yoga. Nobody came. Finally at 10:45 the instructor appeared and when I greeted her with Hola and asked her if there was going to be yoga she tore a strip of me and said I should first ask how she was, etc. She gave no apology for being late and keeping us waiting and she had been the one the day before to tell us to be there at 10:30. The next couple of days at 12:30 there was no water gym it could have been held earlier or later but unless you happen to be around you could miss it. I do understand the concept of African time and Cuban time so it would be more helpful to give an approximate time rather to avoid inconveniencing other people. The pools and jacuzzi are lined in rubber and there are airpockets everywhere in the water and it kind of creepy and slippery to navigate. Transportation: To reach the hop on hop off bus is a good 20 minute unshaded walk and luckily I am very fit. Those guests who are not had to take tuk-tuks to reach the bus stop. In town the locals sit at the designated roofed bus stops for the hop on bus even though they are not taking that bus. As a result legitimate bus passengers have to wait in the blazing sun whilst the locals sit in the shade. It would be a good idea if their government would provide shade for everyone waiting for buses. Entertainment: The evening themed show is supposed to start at 8:30 pm but on the four occasions I attended briefly, they only had activities for the children on stage and eventually after sitting in the wind for 30 minutes with no adult show in sight, I went inside so sadly did not get to see the shows and have no idea when they started. There were very good musicians each evening in the lounge during the cocktail/dinner hour.

Good Resort

Rooms were clean, plenty of hot water and plumbing worked great. Housekeeping was polite and very helpful. Rooms had age related issues but quite bearable. Alacarte restaurants were great but the dinner buffet was terrible. Beach was fantastic!!!