Jewel Runaway Bay Resort: Awesome Family-Friendly Resort

Loved our whole week at this resort. Travelled with 2 young children under 3, and a group of friends who also had kids 3 years old. Kids loved the waterpark (lots of slides plus a lazy river!) and the infinity/kids pool. Larger pool was nice too as it had both a shallow and deep end. We went during back to school week so it was not very busy at all. Staff was great. Very accommodating, very friendly. Good variety of food and restaurants. I liked that there were several a la carte restauran [... read more]ts, and that only ONE required a reservation! Buffet had different food every day as well, so never got tired of the food. All in all, this resort was really fantastic! I could go on for days.

Hotel Bella Costa: You get what you pay for...and I wouldnt personally pay more than $700 canadian dollars to go to this resort

Food was decent, beach was amazing. The hotel is run down and not well maintained. for example, the pool was awful. Water was too chlorinated and the pool liner was falling apart...the bottom of the boot was all hilly...the patio doors do not lock and access to doors from the outside are fairly easy. Every guest that we spoke to had the same issue with their patio doors. The TV and DVD player were p[provided in the room but neither one was functional. There was a mini fridge in the room which [... read more] was never stocked. and not functional either. Half the lamps and or light bulbs did not function. After complaining light bulbs were installed over the week and by the 4th or 5th day we were there we had the majority of the bulbs changed. The bathtub drain was clogged and we had to shower with water up to our ankles. The rooms had a moldy smell...The beds were hard and small. The air conditioner was extremely noisy and did not really cool down the room. At least the safe and door locks worked. We booked an ocean view room and paid extra for this but what we really got was a pool view and after complaining we were told that this was an ocean view. I stayed at this resort 20 years ago and had an ocean view room with the actual view of the ocean and not the pool. After complaining the front desk told us the hotel was booked and could not change our room. I have been travelling to Cuba for the past 20 years and have always enjoyed myself despite the lower quality of food and the lack of luxury that you may find with hotels in non-Cuba destinations. One reason is the staff at the hotels, who are usually friendly and provide good service. This was my first experience where the majority of the staff was rude to the guests. One issue could have been that there were many local Cubans staying at the hotel as guests. It was apparent that the staff was giving priority to the local Cubans as guests. The staff at the snack bar was rude to my daughter and her friend (both girls were 11 and 8 years old respectively). Trying to get a drink at the bar was frustrating. With the exception of one or two bartenders in lobby bar, the majority of the bartenders, waitresses purposely served the local Cuban guests and would leave the regular guests waiting as long as they could get away with it.. On one or two occasions, we noticed that the maids did not replace the towels in the room. They simply took the wet and dirty towels off the bathroom floor and hung them up to dry. Some friends that we met on vacation, who spoke Spanish, overheard the staff making fun of and insulting the guests for a variety of reasons not knowing that the guests spoke Spanish. There were many staff that realize their are issues with the hotel and, although they appeared to go out of their way, there appeared to be many more that really just didn't care. Although this is not the worst resort that I have been to in Cuba, it does rank low and I would suggest not going to this resort unless you can get a very good deal. Absent the rude staff, I would give this resort a 3.5 star....however, considering that the staff is a vital component to making your stay nice, I cannot justify such a high rating.

Hotel Bella Costa: A regular Cuban 4* Hotel

It was my 3rd time this summer that I went to enjoy a weekend a Bella Costa with friends and family. This is my general review; Hotel: Needs loving and renovating. The service is generally pleasant. We love the fact that locals and foreigners and co-vacationing together, we all have to learn from one another´s culture! Food: Generally OK not better not worst than any other 4*. We must say that the service in general needs to be revised and Buffet team needs to be coach. Understanding  [... read more]that the hotel sometimes gets really packed, but it remains unacceptable for an institute of CUSTOMER SERVICE that it regularly lacks glasses, plates and that we need to wait more than 10 minutes for a simple omelette or a pasta dish... THE SERVICE at THE BUFFET NEEDS TO BE THOROUGHLY REVISED. Beach: Beautiful and well kept, but we keep on wondering why there is NO BAR at the beach... Pool: The hotel should really invest into changing the lining. It is almost shameful to have a pool bottom in such bad state. It clashes with the rest of the nice ground and garden around. Really, this should be looked into as a top priority. We will definitely go back to Bella Costa, because we understand that we get what we pay for.

Hotel Bella Costa: Amazing Resort

All was great except the room was a bit moldy and we could smell it. The bathroom they could use a cleaning product or vinegar. The beach there was absolutely beautiful and the people there were so friendly.

Hotel Bella Costa: Not impressed

So the hotel room I paid for was an ocean view, I got a pool view instead. Everything in the room was malfunctioning- a.c , fridge, hair dryer, toilet was leaking water , sink was also sinking water. I didn't receive clean towels everyday or new water bottle in my room. The hotel staff made us not feel welcomed there! They were very rude and terrible at customer service! They would make all the foreign tourists wait until serving all the local customers. They were making fun, talking bad about [... read more] tourists in their language which I completely understand and speak also- They obviously didn't know that. Food was alright but always the same selection. Not very fresh One guy from a particular restaurant would pick his nose right before handing us our food! The beach was great but the pool wasn't very clean and would also close early for "maintenance "which didn't help much. The entertainment, was horrible !! Everything in Spanish , lots of Spanish music, the very little games played were also all played in Spanish with the locals. Tourists didn't feel very welcome. A few people I met from Canada also had the same opinion as me. They were very disappointed

Hotel Bella Costa: Very friendly hotel

The hotel is a nice place to go and the beach is very nice The staff is super and Especially The Pasta chef Sandro who does a mazing job He takes time to Acknowlege every one and makes your dinning experience good with his good pasta Is a family resort and everyone always has a nice time You meet some very nice guest at this hotel

Hotel Bella Costa: Bella Costa

Hi, we had a great time at this hotel, we upgraded to a villa style room for $15 extra per night and had the most amazing view of the ocean. We spent time feeding the cats and dogs, they basically starve until they are fed and in the summer months it's mostly Cubans at the hotels and they never feed the starving animals. The beach was great, my only complaint is that we didn't get to have the special dining, because every time i tried to make a reservation they were already booked! The music [... read more] was great.

Hotel Bella Costa: DO NOT STAY HERE

This resort is not a 4 star resort, maybe a 2. we did not know that this place was run by the Cubans, the locals take over this place, they are rude and ignorant, they bud in front of you, pile their plates with food leaving crumbs, and they don't replenish the food. They don't change the linen on the tables, never any clean plates or cutlery. There is hardly any air conditioning, resort is littered with plastic cups. The pool is a joke, the locals take over, plastic cups floating in the pool,  [... read more]lining is lifting and you can see mould. Lobby is not air conditioned,its so hot, it smells musty. the only nice thing about this place is the beach, thats it. The people that own this place should be ashamed of themselves, they take no pride in this place. Don't waste you hard earned money on this dump.

Hotel Bella Costa: Awful vacation

Hope reading this review will help others in selecting their next vacation. Airport transfer went well, $5 for 2 Beers. Check in at resort is at 3pm. This resort does not offer free wifi, wifi cards are sold $1.50 per 1 hour. This is a Cuban owned resort, A lot of locals visit this resort, with a higher percentage of locals visiting in July/August. Locals Cubans are rude, they do not stand in line, they bud to the front of line, they make themselves priority. Around the pool, in shaded areas, t [... read more]hey reserve entire tables and chairs although most of the day their families are in the pool. The pool is filled with chlorine to the point of you smelling the chlorine. The beach is wonderfull. The Hop on Hop Varadero beach tour bus off bus stop is about 30 minute walk from resort. Don't waste your hard earned money going here, go elsewhere!

Hotel Bella Costa: would not recommend this resort

my travel agent spoke highly of this resort, and we walked in with expectations: 1. the room looked old and needed serious renovation. the ceiling look like it was ready to crumble and fall. the light fixtures would occasionally function. the beds felt like stuffed hay. the blankets and pillow sheet were never replaced. I requested two towels because I had to attend dinner at a certain time, so we waited four hours til we received our towels. I had to call three times. very aggravating. 2. [... read more] the elevators were slow and need serious repairs on the air conditioning and ventilation. people were constantly complaining about how stuffy and hot it was inside the elevator 3. the main lobby and bar lounge was very uncomfortable because of no air condition. the weather outside was extremely hot during the day and evening. people again were complaining about the lack of air circulation and cool condition in the building. 4. the food was bland, no real flavour, and was basically the same meal in the morning and evening. the food service was slow and unorganized. 5. the beach, pool and bar area was the only exciting part of the resort and its outdoor activity, however, the area was mostly populated by families with kids, we were hoping a little peace and adult surrounding. we spent almost our whole trip outside the resort. overall, I would not recommend anyone this resort. scale 1-10, I give it a 4.5

Hotel Bella Costa: Amazing Experience at the Beach

We just got back from our vacation in Varadero at Hotel Bella Costa. There were 2 adults and 2 children- 17 and 7 years old. If you are not too picky with the hotel and you like the beach, then Hotel Bella Costa is for you. It's our second time in Varadero so we knew what to expect there. The hotel is in need of a complete renovation. There were lots of ants in the room. Then a major problem occurred, on our third day at the hotel, the ceiling in the bathroom started to leak immensely. We phoned [... read more] right away and Magaly (I think she is the reception manager) moved us to another room but on the opposite side of the hall. So from room 516 to room 509. It had a better garden view and a bit of the ocean view! The food was better than the previous hotel that we went to last year. We were actually surprised! We loved to eat lunch at El Mirador because of the amazing view, food and staff- especially Angelo who did an excellent service and made lunch time something to look forward to! We had breakfast at Jimmy's, it was ok. Be early because if not, you have to wait in line for at least 10 minutes for the omellette or if you want to toast your bread. If you want mango juice, you also have to be there early. Dinner at Jimmy's was good because of the pasta guy, we did not get his name, but he makes really good pasta! The Ala carte/restaurants was ok. We enjoyed the Cuban (El Mirador) dinner the most! The Japanese (Munasan) and Italian (Martino's) were ok. Alicia's snack bar makes amazing pizza! For our last day, we had to check out at 12 noon but we asked if we could extend our stay since we were going to get picked up at the hotel at 6pm because our flight was at 9pm. They did not agree but gave us a complimentary room, at no extra cost, so that we can still swim and do whatever we want at the hotel until we leave. That was a plus! We did not use the kids club because my 7-year-old just wanted to stay with us at the beach. But we saw it was open. We did not stay at the poolside because it was so busy and loud! We would like to thank Angelo (El Mirador), Magaly, Hanoi, Ruben and Alberto (lobby bar), Javier the guard and Pablo (the bell boy) for making our stay at Hotel Bella Costa memorable.

Hotel Bella Costa: Just okay

Remember this is Cuba. Known for friendly people and okay food. So all were friendly and helpful. But this resort is in need of an update. Pro-the beach!! Clean beautiful white sand. You can always get a chair at the pool or the beach. Lots of alcohol. Lots of food and this time, tons of fruit and veg. The front desk staff got things done-the power went out and the electrician was up in 10 minutes. The bar staff was overworked but fast and friendly. Coffee at the bar was fantastic Con- the po [... read more]ol though clean, the lining was lifting and buckling. The housekeeping staff were sporadic-more often than not, the bed was not made we had no towels or toilet paper. If you called down they never came through but if you went to the front desk, they fixed things. The air conditioner was weak. Lots of Cubans staying at the resort and lots of children having a great time. as I said just okay

Rooms on the Beach Negril: Amazing vacation at Rooms!

Quick and easy check-in, the room was good. Loved how everything is so close, quick walk to the beach or the reception. AC worked and we had hot water. Never ate the complementary breakfast. Just paid for the Rise n shine for $5. Great bacon, eggs, beans and toast for breakfast. Lots of great restaurants close by. Highly recommend Best in the west. Short walk from the hotel, but stay away from Woodstock. It's overpriced and not the best food. Shout out to Kelvin, the best bartender! C [... read more]an't wait to return!

Breezes Bahamas: Great people

The hotel was dated and our first room was awful! Supposed to be upgrade to deluxe garden view but all we had to look at was the back of the building with a hammock- no patio furniture for 3 of us - we were moved and spent the rest of the vacation trying to get a third chair for our patio. Th phone was a shell with no working parts and even though we asked for a working phone every day it never appeared! You need to send a rep to check it out - ask for room 104 and look at our deluxe garden vi [... read more]ew it will amaze you !! The beach was great - people amazing and food good- I have photos if you'd like to see them !

Breezes Bahamas: Great resort and great booking!

Miranda Mawdsley was a great travel agent and was very professional. She answered all of my questions and made sure that my needs were met. I would highly recommend her! The resort was also amazing and the location was great. Bahamas overall is such a beautiful place to go.

Breezes Bahamas: breezes bahamas

Friendliest staff ever. Hotel is a bit worn, we had booked a deluxe garden patio, and ended up with a room patio that looked out onto a brick wall, discarded old shoes, and a hammock, no other chairs or furniture. not sure how the three of us were to sit and enjoy the patio with one hammock. the staff did finally change our room to accommodate a proper patio with chairs. food was excellent. No information from westjet re transfers to and from the airport. When we approached the desk th [... read more]ey told us to try and remember the name of the company who transported us and call them.. Have never had this experience before. there has always been someone with signs at the airport, and a book with transfer info to the airport,, not this time.

Breezes Bahamas: Love this resort!

Echoing all positive comments about this resort. Great beach, food, staff, management, very friendly atmosphere.Yes, we are planning to come back soon and we are recommending this great resort. Thank you to all the staff for making our vacation specials-special thanks for Grethel waiters for being friendly and efficient. Also thank you Arthur -waiter very engaging and hard working, Thank you"G" our butler on the beach,Funky D entertainer you are great in connection people and you also sing very [... read more] well. Your new friends -Frank and Nadia!!!

Breezes Bahamas: Best Vacation Spot in Nassau, Bahamas

This is the best vacation spot on the island, and great value for Canadians. The food, drinks, location and the wonderful staff make this 3 star rated hotel a 5 star. Located on Cable Beach, best beach on the island, it is just a $1.25 jitney ride from Nassau and within walking distance to other attractions, ie. golf course, casino. Breezes brings travellers the tastes, sounds and the friendliness of the Bahamian people, which brings us back each year to this beautiful island. Your vacation [... read more] is what you make of it. All you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your stay Breezes Bahamas.

Breezes Bahamas: Amazing Beach

It was a Great resort, a little dated, but has a clean white sandy beach, with a good variety of food choices. It also has an attentive hardworking staff. They Could use a few more umbrellas around the pool for shade. A little hard to get a chair by the pool with one. It had a very safe and friendly atmosphere.

Hotel Bella Costa: Bella Costa not so Bella!

With the change in ownership from Breezes to Hotel, the place is not maintained like it once was and is looking rundown. You don't go to Cuba for the food but Bella Costa the food was actually pretty good. However both the quality is now poor and virtually no selection. The main dinning buffet restaurant is closed down and all meals are at the beach bar. The same food is recycled meal to meal. Our room was fine, the maid was awesome. always had fresh towels, linens and the room cleaned. Howev [... read more]er, service from the other staff was hit and miss. Definitely not the same. Of course the beach is awesome. Rumour is the place is up for sale; confirmed by executives types in a group examining the place. Bottom line, stay away and pick another resort.