Playa Alameda

OK, so where else can you go for a week in the cold winter month of December to get treated like royalty,A be wined and dined all you can eat, andA be able to enjoy a beachA in 30+ degree weather? For us this year, it was Playa Alameda in Varadero, Cuba.

So here?_Ts my brief review of this resort. Our tour operator was Sunquest. The flight once again was with SkyService Airlines. The flightA to CubaA was as scary as always. Seats are too small,A no inflight entertainment, terrible food…A but our expectation was not high. Thank God the flight was only 3 hours long.

The Cuban customs are as always, VERY SLOW. But the Sunquest team was well prepared this year, and we were in our hotel within 40 minutes after leaving the airport.A The staff at the hotel are friendly as most Cubans are. Checking-in was a breeze, no hassle at all. Our room was close to the pool and to the main building.A Our room wasA nicely decorated and was spacious.A We had a walk-in closit, a hugeA bathroom with both a stand-up shower, and a tub. Not bad at all!

Playa Alameda is a 4.5 star resort. Although you really should not go to Cuba for the foo,A but I have to say there was always plenty to eat if you are the food kidn of person. This resort has one main buffetA that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has a 24hr snack bar right by the pool that serves pizza, bugers, dogs and sandwiches around the clock. With a few seconds walks to the other side of the pool is aA small garden bar called the beer garden, simply because all they serve isA beer. This place also serves hot sandwiches. For the kids (or adults), there is an ice-cream bar that serves ice-cream all day long. There is also a bar at the beach for the folks that want to enjoy a drink by the beach.A Last not least,A there are three ala-carte restaurants that serve Italian, International, and seafood.A Not bad huh?A

Basically the hotel managementA try very hard for you not toA go hungry. But I gotta tell you, although there is plenty of food in Cuba, they really don’t know how to cook the stuff.A We were not picky. We knew the food would be eitherA overcooked,A salty, plain, or too greasy.A For example, you get serves a whole lobster, but it has absolutely no taster. What a shame!A Poor guys work very hard to please you. Let me give you another example,A the Christmas gala dinner was an 8 course meal. Yup, 8 courses, but I called it 8 disasters. I have toA give credit to theA wine.A It wasA excellent.

The lobby bar is not that big. It was the right size though. There are bars everywhere around the resort, and every bar serves a great coffee. I just love the coffee in Cuba. Nothing beats a good strong espresso and a Sigolo II Cohiba. The entertainment was alsoA great. Lots of efforts and different bands/groups every night. And after evening shows, the disco was the place to go.A The animation team worked hard to entertain the people not only throughout the day, but in the evenings as well.

The pool area was fantastic. The poolA was 50cm, 7-cm, 1, and up to 1.2 meters deep. It was missing a pool bar, but there is bar right besides the pool. The hotel had lots of other facilities like a hair salon, a Gym, Jacuzzi, pharmacy, gift shop, cigar shop, etc.

Overall, Playa Alameda is a great place to go on vacation. It is big, offers lotsA to do, it has beautiful surroundings and is within 30 mins to Varadero town. We rented mopeds and had a day trip to the town.

Would I go back there? Probably in the next few years, but for now I’d like to try other places next year. Would I recommend this place to others? Oh yes, without a doubt. This is a great place to go. Just remember, you don’t go to Cuba for food, you go there for its weather, ambience, people,A music, and of-course the rum.

Tags: Travel

Category: Lifestyle