Asphyxiation in Havana

Asphyxiation in Havana

If the dengue fever doesn't get you the cure sure will. A colder than normal winter kept people inside as the government officials randomly sprayed with little or no warning. Now the children are coughing and showing signs of lung damage. Read this:

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/03-06/asphyxiation-in-havana-havana-cuba.html


Tomas Estrada-Palma

5 Star Food Poisoning

5 Star Food Poisoning

Varadero Beach: Iberostar Varadero: "be careful of the food!!"
dddVancouver, vancouver  Jan 9, 2007
 

My experience with this property took place in: December, 2006 Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?  probably not My ratings for this hotel are:

Value Rooms Location Cleanliness Check in / front desk Service Business service I recommend this hotel for:  Older travelers

I do not recommend this hotel for:  Young singles, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Pet owners, Families with teenagers

I selected this hotel because ...  Beach / Sun

My age: 25-34 Traveling group: Spouse / significant other My visit was for: Romantic getaway My fiance and I stayed from Nov25 to Dec3. I tried to make the best of this vacation but it did not turn out as planned. This was supposed to be a romantic vacation (my fiance proposed to me here!!) We have been all over Mexico and it is way better than Cuba!!!
First lets start off with the food. My fiance got the worst food poisoning I have ever seen. He did not eat anything out of the ordinary. He was so violently ill I had to get medics to come to our room. We spent $100ccp (which is like $125 canadian!!!) and 2 days locked in our room. We could not even order room service because it was not available at the time. Also...bottled water was $4 canadian!!

If you are a young traveller this is not the place for you. There is not much of a night life and it is very expensive for things.
I did find the locals very nice though except for in havana. We where followed for 2 hours by a local trying to sell cigars and he was later arrested for following us yet we did not even report him!! (weird)...also many young women asked me to go to the store and buy them milk. She told me they would be arrested for taking money. I went to buy them food and milk and later saw her returning the goods for cash and paying the cashier for the service!! Was also pulled over by the police while driving and was not let go for an hour until I paid him $30 ccp. We are not too flashy but I guess they could tell we had $$....Do not wear jewellery or carry fancy cameras while in havana.

Many people have recommended me to cuba. But if you are a seasoned traveller and have been to 5***** resorts in Mexico this does not measure up at all. Especially in comparison to Cancun.

I would recommend saving your money and going to the Mayan Riviera or Dominican Republic.

But!!!!!!! The beaches where beautiful :)
This TripAdvisor Member: 
Liked: beach
Disliked: food
Tips/Secrets: bring some cigars home :)
____________________________________________

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Diarrhea For 5 Days and Counting!!!

Diarrhea For 5 Days
and Counting!!!

"'Spring water' yeah right!!! diarrhea for 5 days and counting!!!"
-Tourist

Just look at all these poor tourists' ruined vacations in Cuba:

Here


__________________________________________
They could have saved thousands of dollars by staying home and eating out of the garbage can. Were they hoping for Cuban diarrhea or something?

Tomas Estrada-Palma

British Government Issues Cuba Warning!

British Government Issues
Cuba Warning!

Look at the advice the British government is giving to tourists who wish to travel to Cuba. Seems rather dangerous and ominous! Tourist stabbed to death, dengue fever and an increased number of street robberies are just some of the warnings now being given to tourists still heading to Cuba. Look here:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=
1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618385839

Bon voyage!

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Canadians Crying Over The Luggage Tax

Canadians Crying
Over The Luggage Tax

Just look at these poor Canadians weeping over the "Luggage Tax" when entering Cuba. Aww! They've been shaken down by the border guards and now they want to protest. Lots of luck people in dealing with the tyrant regime. Read on:

http://debbiesreviews.proboards88.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Cuba&thread=1170042172&page=2#1170352994

Tomas Estrada-Palma

50 Cents a Day Service

50 Cents a Day Service

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Traveler rating:
Varadero Beach: Melia Varadero: "Worst hotel we have ever stayed in"
World_Hopper23, London UK Feb 27, 2007

My experience with this property took place in:
February, 2007

Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? no way!

My ratings for this hotel are:
Value 1
Rooms 2
Location 3
Cleanliness 2
Check in / front desk 1
Service 1
Business service

I recommend this hotel for:
I do not recommend this hotel for: Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Tourists

I selected this hotel because ... Beach / Sun
My age: 25-34
Traveling group: Spouse / significant other

My visit was for: Romantic getaway
London, UK

The staff made us feel very unwelcome from the minute we arrived. We had to always try get the attention of any staff member when we needed service which would usually be ignored or rudely approached and asked what we wanted. There was a 50/50 chance you would get what you asked for depending if they could be bothered at the time. We tried all sorts of techniques (being friendly, tipping, complaining) to try improve the level of service but nothing seemed to work. I was told off by the barman for not calling a vodka and orange by its correct name and then still gave me the incorrect drink which I asked for.Overall it seem like they couldn't be bothered with us and their job. Definitely will not be going back EVER!


This TripAdvisor Member:
Liked: Warm weather
Disliked: Hotel staff members.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.


(Next Unhappy Tourist)
Traveler rating: 3
Varadero Beach: Melia Varadero:
"Satisfactory, but not good enough for a return visit"
kr_perry Feb 19, 2007




My experience with this property took place in:
February, 2007

Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? probably not

My ratings for this hotel are:
Value 3
Rooms 3
Location 4
Cleanliness 3
Check in / front desk 2
Service 3

I selected this hotel because ... Beach / Sun, Golf
My age: 65+

Traveling group: Family (extended)

My visit was for: Quality time with family

Indifferent service at the front desk. Too much conversation amongst desk staff and not enough attention paid to clientele waiting to be served. Couldn't get reservations at some a la carte restaurants yet found them to be half empty. Maid service good and room was kept clean. Need some self-serve coffee urns in the buffet. Pool shack not open for towels until 9:00 when pool opens earlier. Unecessary confusion at the front desk regarding free golf included in trip price. These details were either not available to the staff or not correct. With the exception of the front desk, service staff were pleasant and helpful and our overall experience was satisfactory - but not good enough that we would return.


(Next Tourist Victim)
Varadero Beach: Melia Varadero: "Horrible Service, bad food"
MirianSt.John's, St.John's Feb 5, 2007

My experience with this property took place in:
February, 2007

Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? no way!

My ratings for this hotel are:
Value 1
Rooms 2
Location 1
Cleanliness 2
Check in / front desk 1
Service 2
Business service 2

I recommend this hotel for:
I do not recommend this hotel for: Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists

I selected this hotel because ... Beach / Sun, Great food / Wine, Other
My age: 35-49
Traveling group: Spouse / significant other

My visit was for: Romantic getaway
We stayed at Melia Varadero in Jan/07 and we had many problems with this hotel as follows:

1- We booked for Ocean view room and when we get there they gave us a garden view. When we returned to the front desk and we asked for a room with Ocean View (since we had paid) the staff laugh saying that it was an Ocean View and didn’t want to give us another room. After some arguments they switch us to another room. We’ve told afterwards that there was 400 Guests down in the Hotel. The Hotel was empty.

2- We went to the Buffet Restaurant at 1:00 (the time the restaurant is supposed to open) the door was opened, we came in and a man rudely said that the restaurant was closed walking through us forcing us to get out and then he shouted the door down. We were shocked.

3- In the Restaurant we asked to the Cook some lamb chops, the Cook chose the worst pieces. When we asked for better pieces the Cook just looked at us angry and ignored us and we had an argument with him. After this the whole staff ignored us and didn’t serve us anymore. And the other times we went there they were controlling what we were eating like counting how much we are eating, giving us the worse pieces and ignoring us.

4- They say in the website that there are 4 Bars, but we saw only 2. There was one day that started raining. The Bar in the swimming closed down and the other Bar inside didn’t open. We simply didn’t have any Bar available.

5- The Bars didn’t have good brands of any drinks only cheap brands.

6- When we paid with Credit Card nobody advise us that there was 11% overcharge.

7- Many of the staff didn’t give us good service. Sometimes very rude.

8- We found people too corrupt. If we want a good service we need to tip for every single service.

9- We went to use the Internet and there was anywhere saying that it is a paid service. We used the internet for 5 minutes and we were charged for 1 CUC.

10- We downgraded this hotel for 3 stars and too overprice.
11- The food is much less than we expected. Very bad and few variety. By some days we were fed up with the food.


http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147275-d268765-
r6846940-Melia_Varadero-Varadero_Beach_Cuba.html


(Next Victim)

Traveler rating:
Varadero Beach: Islazul Oasis Hotel: "Oasis Worst Hotel Ever"

RobinOttawa, Ottawa, Canada Jan 29, 2007

My experience with this property took place in:
January, 2007

Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? no way!

My ratings for this hotel are:
Value 1
Location 3
Check in / front desk 3
Service 3
Business service 3

I recommend this hotel for:
I do not recommend this hotel for: Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists

I selected this hotel because ... Beach / Sun

My age: 50-64

Traveling group: Spouse / significant other

My visit was for: Romantic getaway
We booked this hotel based on these reviews, but this place was horrible. The rooms stunk of mold, rooms were dirty, paint peeling off the walls, no hot water, and the food was disgusting. We had to change rooms twice, the first room had a huge puddle on the floor and the curtains were falling down. The second room was dirty and stunk.

We were booked for a week but left after one day. The Sunwing rep moved us into a great hotel down the street.
True this hotel is on the beach, but the pool closes at 6:30PM and the “all inclusive drinks and food” stops at 9:30PM. Then you pay full price.

My wife and I are not fussy and don’t expect North American standards when we travel to poor countries. We have been to many cheap resorts, twice to Cuba, this is the worst hotel ever.

This TripAdvisor Member:
Liked: Close to beach
Disliked: Dirty, Dirty, Dirty

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147275-d151647-r6712390-Islazul_Oasis_Hotel-Varadero_Beach_Cuba.html




_____________________________________
Very Sorry tourists but 50 cents a day is all the hotel workers earn in salary. Would you work very hard for 50 cents per day? Why not just blame bad service on the embargo like you have for all the other problems caused by your pal Raul?

Tomas Estrada-Palma

63 Hotel Guests Get Food Poisoned

63 Hotel Guests Get Food Poisoned

March 2007

We booked our vacation with Sell Off Vacations online 2 weeks before our trip, I thought we had got a good deal, until I spoke to people at the resort. I then realized that we had paid over $220/ ticket more than most people, a large amount considering I went with my wife and 2 kids. I could have saved over $800 if I had booked the week before. Never the less, we went on vacation to enjoy ourselves. The night we arrived, we got in just after midnight, after the 1 hour drive from the airport. The service at the hotel was okay, they checked us in as fast as they could, we got a really nice room that lead into the kids room, which we were happy about. Unfortunately our happiness ended there.

The Hotel
This is supposed to be a 4 star resort, I’ll rate it a 2 star, I have seen motels with better food and service. Apart from the pool and the main hangout area, there’s actually nothing to this hotel. I found myself and other guests been approached on a regular basis, by the staff, asking for handouts such as toothpaste, shirts, shorts, sneakers, sunglasses etc. Someone even asked my wife for my daughters $200 mp3 player.

On the 2nd day our suitcases were broken into, the locks were totally trashed, our camera, charger, cd’s, some clothing and shoes were taken, we made a complaint but nothing was done about it. 3 other guests had the same thing happen to them that same day, and more throughout the week. On our 3rd day, 63 people in the hotel, myself included fell violently ill, food poisoning of some sort some people thought it was the water, others the food. A few doctors were called in to help treat the affected people, others just took their chances. Once word got around that all this was going on, everyone just sort of wanted their vacation to be over.

I was not at all impressed with the entertainment, every night it seemed to be the same boring stuff over and over. For 4 days they played the same CD repeatedly from 2pm til 7pm everyday. Eventually someone complained bitterly about their performance, only then did we see an instant improvement in the entertainment.

In the hotel brochure they offer a kids club. What Kids Club?? There is nothing.
They offer all day entertainment, salsa lessons, beach volleyball, water polo etc, even that was non exsistant, so I paid $3400 for me and my family to go on vacation, and I got What??? A bed, louzy food, perthetic entertainment and my belongings stolen. I should have stayed home!!!



Bon Voyage Tourist Apartheid Supporters!

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Cockroaches, Biting Ants & Flies Oh My!

Cockroaches, Biting Ants & Flies Oh My!

Board Basis:  All Inclusive
Date of Holiday:  Jun 2006
Tour Operator:  Thomas Cook
Submitted By:  Mrs R Williams
Overall Rating:  1/10
Comments:  We recently returned to Cuba 3 times, having stayed in Varadero and Havana previously. We choose Cayo Coco from the brochure and having seen it on Thomas Cook TV being described as a Tropical Paradise and the best hotel in the Cayo's. Unfortunately it did not live up to the descriptions.

The accommodation was poor, room was damp, had giant cockroaches and biting ants. The bed linen left a lot to be desired and was only changed once, the night before we left.

The food was absolutely dire, repetitive, cold and bland. The cold starters, meats cheese etc was not covered and constantly covered in flies. What wasn't eaten the night before was served up for breakfast. There was no fresh produce only tinned fruit and frozen vegetables. The service was very poor, staff were dismissive of requests and on times rude. You had to tip first to receive any kind of quality service instead of tipping for good service. The hygiene of the swimming pool left a lot to be desired. Did not use it once. The resort was absolutely infested with mosquitoes.

We took 3 repellents and had to buy another 7 bottles. You couldn't sit out in the day or evenings to socialise at all as you would be bitten to death. You had to be completed covered in clothing from head to foot all day. The only place you were safe was on the beach. This is not a four star all inclusive resort. We would not recommend this place to anyone. We have stayed in other 4 star and 5 star resorts in Cuba which were absolutely amazing. This one is absolutely appalling. Everyone complained.

The flights were just as bad delayed over 9 hours outward bound and on return journey, Monarch air gave us a free pair of headphones which we had to return as an apology!
Please think twice before you visit this resort, you will be bitterly disappointed. Other parts of Cuba have much, much more to offer and the standard elsewhere is much better as are the staff. You have been warned!





Things don't appear to be getting better for you tourists.

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Fly Thomas Cook's Cockroach Coach

Fly Thomas Cook's Cockroach Coach

Club Amigo Atlantico Hotel Reviews
Add Your Holiday Review

Board Basis:  All Inclusive
Date of Holiday: Sep 2006
Tour Operator:  Thomas Cook
Submitted By:  Ms R Weighell
Overall Rating:  3/10

Comments:  Oh my god, where do I start? This resort has got to be the worse Thomas Cook holiday I've ever been on. The food in the buffet is cold and I had a cockroach come out of the cereal box, the food is never covered and you often find flies sitting on the food.

Also a lot of people including myself had there children’s shoes pinched. I was also offered some clothes off a stall in return for my sons clothes, apparently they can't get children’s clothes.

The grounds are lovely but it's so boring there.

Tonight's Special: Cockroach Cluster

Tonight's Special: Cockroach Cluster

Traveler rating:

Varadero Beach: Sol Cayo Santa Maria: "Beware of the cockroaches crawling on the walls in the 'Santa Maria' buffet"
Venus7, Milton  Oct 18, 2006

My experience with this property took place in:
August, 2006

Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?  no way!

I recommend this hotel for:  Great pool scene.

I do not recommend this hotel for:  Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I selected this hotel because ...  Beach / Sun, Great food / Wine

My age: 35-49


Traveling group: Spouse / significant other

My visit was for: Romantic getaway

This was our first trip together my spouse and I; with a rating of 4.5 star we expected to enjoy the resort however due to the services and cockroaches; I would not advise anyone to go to this location. I have travelled myself quite a lot over the years to Varadero, Holguin and recently Santa Clara "Melia Cayo Santa Maria" hotel. I have travelled to 3 star hotels and have never seen a cockroach in any dining room. I was totally disgusted and it really killed my appetite. They were not only found crawling on the walls in the restaurant but near the fruits and my spouse was just about to help himself to some cold cuts...they were crawling underneath the meats.

The "Santa Maria" buffet was not operating during lunch; the website stated that the Santa Maria was open for lunches as well. Be prepared to wait a few extra minutes for them to open up at dinnertime. They are usually opened later than the stated time on the internet. The beach bar was closed for 2 days so you can imagine under the hot sun how thirsty we were; we had to walk a long way to reach the pool bar for drinks.

The beach and water is absolutely gorgeous. That was the only pleasureable part of our trip.
This TripAdvisor Member: 

Liked: The beach
Disliked: the cockroaches in the buffet restaurant
Tips/Secrets: Watch out for the cockroaches in the buffet restaurant on the walls and near the foods.




Tomas Estrada-Palma

More Cuban Holiday Disappointment

More Cuban Holiday Disappointment

Hell Hole
By: Anonymous from Varadero
Date of Visit: June 2006 Add your comments about this review
View Comments (0)

To anyone choosing to book a holiday and stay at the SolSirenas think again I have never stayed in such a disgusting filthy hotel as this one with VERY unfriendly staff most of what is advertised we never even came across it eg. diving lessons where they were we still do not no. One pool looks as if it was having work done when that was due to start we dont no either. Rooms are terrible and smell and the lifts are so unrelialble it is safer to use the stairs incase you get stuck as I cannot imagine anyone rushing to get you out. I can only say if you are unfortunate to stay at this hell hole then only eat at the chinese restaraunt as its the only one on the complex that cooks properly. I could write a book on this what should of been holiday of a lifetime ive had better hols at one hundred pounds to this all I can say was that we were glad to get back home. And I thought I may just add the pool is in a disgusting filthy state that needs a scouring pad all apound the tide marks of the pool it was disgusting.

This reviewer did not enter property or destination rankings.
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Next Review ...
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Cuban Dissapointment
By: racecarace / racecarace from Edmonton, Alberta
Date of Visit: February 2005 Add your comments about this review
View Comments (1)

This is a bad hotel. It's sad that somehow this terrible hotel was built in such a beautiful area. You have some of the nicest beaches in the world surrounding this poorly build and poorly managed hotel. If you want a decent vacation and you've already booked here: camp out on the beach because if your anywhere near the hotel you're sure to have a crummy time. From the un-helpful staff who wouldn't let us change rooms even with bugs crawling out of the cracks in the floor. To the food which seemed to be cycled between the two buffets. This hotel is falling apart and not a vaction worth taking.
Months later, after complaining the hotel offered us two free nights if we ever stayed there again. Air transat hasn't been any much help either.

It wasn't much of a vacation and I don't want anyone else getting shammed like I did.
To read FULL REVIEW click here: Property and Destination Rankings






Well Cubanos - we tried to warn them but they thought we were just being mean.

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Horrible Havana Honeymoon

Horrible Havana Honeymoon

Read about this romantic journey to Cuba:

Board Basis:	All Inclusive
Date of Holiday:	Sep 2006
Tour Operator:	Maritime Travel
Submitted By:	Mrs J Lang
Overall Rating:	2/10
Comments:	I just returned from a week at the Princessa Del Mar Resort in Cuba, sadly it was our honeymoon. We were there from Sept 16-Sept 22nd. Thanks to Sandals, our honeymoon was ruined. Here is a brief list of complaints at this resort; -Our room on the main level stank of mildew, there was mould growing on the couch. Our towels were not cleaned on a regular basis, our floor was never cleaned even though there was obvious sand and dirt on it. -Your staff members were constantly looking for tips even though we though tipping should be included at an all inclusive. We were approached for tips from one of the landscapers, from the bellboy. etc. -We were invited to one Management dinner where beef was served and made us both sick. We found out there were other special dinners we were not being invited to (we found out from other guests), we were not even invited to the honeymoon dinner when we were on our honeymoon. They did nothing special at all for our honeymoon, not even a room upgrade when the resort was only 25% occupied?! We learned by meeting other couples at the resort that they too were not pleased with their experience there. -The staff made it seem like it was an effort to serve us, they were not willing to put extra ice in our drinks or make blender drinks that seemed to be a huge effort for them. -The staff did not understand English very well even though your client base at that resort must be 80-90% English speaking?? -The restaurants offered a very limited menu and the food quality was very poor, at one restaurant, out of 4 appetizer selections on the menu they only had one available. We often left our meals at these restaurants feeling like we only had appetizers the portions were so small. In addition to all of this, we were not warned about the huge infestation of sand flies at the resort. I returned home with numerous sand fly bites, a fever and upset stomach. All of this for a supposed 5 star resort?! I have been to your Beaches resort at the Turks and Cacios Islands and had a wonderful experience. Based on this experience and the fact we do not even feel like we have been on a honeymoon and we will tell everyone we know about our experience and we will never book another Sandals resort in the future. If we do not even receive a courteous response from your organization, we may go so far as to bring this experience to the attention of our local media so others do not have to endure the same dreadful experience on their honeymoon. Tomas Estrada-Palma

Canadians Sick of Cuba

Canadians Sick of Cuba

Read this Canadian's account of her Cuban holiday. The run around evidently doesn't stop after you leave Cuba. The runs lasted 2 weeks more for her after returning home.

Really vacationers! Forget about what your last trip to Cuba was like. This time if you go it will be a trip burned into your memory - if you make it back alive.

Tomas Estrada-Palma

World-class Medical Scare

World-class Medical Scare

And let me remind you happy vacationers...if you think the food is bad in Cuba then stay away from the "medical care." Read this:

Me and my partner booked this holiday purely because of the reviews that it had received in the travel agents magazine and also looking at websites reviews of the hotel itself. A 4 star hotel I thought to myself, well this is going to be a trip to remember if the standard is anything like is back at home. What an incorrect assumption to make.

Arrived in Cuba in the late afternoon, got though the airport ok, onto the coach and away to our hotel. An hour later we arrived, checked in and bags delivered to our room. By this time it was about 8pm and decided to get something to eat from room service, half an hour later a pizza and a Burger and chips arrived. Well to say that the pizza had even seen any heat was an understatement, the cheese was still un-melted on top and the burger was just wrong. We were staving so ate the food and fell asleep.

For the first couple of days the food was ok and you had something different almost every other day, but most of the meals involved rice , which tasted heavily of salt. Some of the different theme nights that they held in the buffet were really quite nice.

We got to the first weekend of our trip, and spent most of it just laying by the pool and chilling out. But on the Sunday my partner fell over and injured herself, just across from the medical office. I screamed for help and as my partner lay unconcious on the floor the nurse just looked at me and shrugged his shoudlers, what a help he was, if it wasn't for a Canadian couple that helped me I dred to think what could of happened. We ended going to a Cuban hospital, that took an hour to get. Got there and I have never seen anything like since or before, blood left on unclean table etc. It should of took us an hour to get back to the hotel, leaving the hospital at 9.30pm we arrived back at the hotel at 4am.

The weather rained for five days straight after that, what shocked me about this is that, if the Canadian couple hadn't of been there the so called Cuban nurse didn't have a clue how to treat her and also when in the medical room and for a couple of days after ,addministered drug through injection and oral form that we wern't told what there were so ended up not taking them. At the happened towards the end of the day, the staff were more interested with going home than staying with us to explain what was happening, this also included medical staff.

Apart from this very serious incident, that put a major blemish on our first holiday together, the rest of the trip was ok. The food grew more and more bland to the end of the trip. If you do go, make sure that you go to Havana its a very good trip, but a bit to much to fit into one day.

My only advice about visiting Cuba is to make sure that you check out the place that you stay, whey before you actually book or go.

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Another Thomas Cook Catastrophe

Another Thomas Cook Catastrophe Board Basis:	All Inclusive
Date of Holiday:	Jul 2006
Tour Operator:	Thomas Cook
Submitted By:	Miss L Meadows
Overall Rating:	4/10
Comments:	My boyfriend and I travelled to Cuba for the first time this year on a late deal which we booked 2 weeks before and I think unfortunately it will be the only time! Although the weather was amazing, Varadero beach was just beautiful and the views from our balcony where fantastic the hotel was just a bit VILE! Go to Cuba it’s beautiful but not to this hotel. Obviously this is only my opinion but read it with an open mind. First of all OUR ROOM, it was I bit smelly like it needed a good scrub with a bucket of bleach. The bedding was not always as clean and fresh as you would expect. The bathroom was clannish but needed some serious updating. The maid was very welcoming and was willing to help with our problems. Our balcony doors where bent so we needed 'The Hulk' to open them and when it rained a couple of nights the water came in all over the floor and through the ceiling! THE FOOD was hit and miss really. Some days it made you sick and some days it didn’t. 24hour it was not, between 9:30pm and 7:30am there was nothing except drinks. Boiled cabbage and meatballs for breakfast. Now come on...any normal person knows that’s just wrong! Lunch and dinner deep fried everything and lots of black beans with rice. One guy we spoke to during our time there said he’d found a cockroach in the dinning room and was taking it home with him to send to Thomas Cook...nice! Flies everywhere too! Through Thomas Cook we where told that we had use of the hotel next doors facilities, this was a lie. They separated 6 months previous. The lifts where a joke. Out of the 3 1 was out of order all 2 weeks and the other 2 worked sporadically, waiting up to 15 minutes a quite a few times. The only other way was metal fire exit stairs on the outside of the building, which I thought was a tad unsafe. The communal toilets where dirty, I had to ask reception one night if they could get someone to clean them as there were other people’s leftovers in all three of the cubicles. Revolting! Needless to say we used our own bathroom most of the time. The pool was a good size and the area around it was kept clean. The Club Puntarena, I feel was the most badly run and badly maintained hotel I’ve been to, it’s like Fawlty Towers but way less funny! Even my self catering 18/30`s apartments when I was young where better and I only paid a few hundred pounds for those! I really think it needs to be totally refurbished and employ all new, well trained and polite staff. It sounds like I’m just moan, moan, and moan but when you pay over a thousand pounds for your Caribbean holiday you expect something special.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa & Thomas Cook

Manny Fontenla-Novoa & Thomas Cook

Manny, Manny, Manny… Now you realize what a mess you’ve gotten your travel firm into by dealing with Raul’s illegal government. Cut your losses now. I know the Cubans want to ban you from ever setting foot in Cuba just as soon as they can get the opportunity. But if you were the first big corporation to pull out, admit you made a mistake investing in Cuba and even condemn the Raul Castro government it would go along way to mending fences with Cubans everywhere. What do you have to lose Manny? Forget about what you have already spent in Cuba. Raul never gives property back once he’s stolen it. You know that and now the tourists are heading elsewhere. Give us a call.

Tomas Estrada-Palma