Reviews of Iberostar Bella Costa Hotel, Varadero, Cuba

I dont know what the last person...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2005

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Ms KL Diaz

Comments:

I dont know what the last person is talking about! this is in a word, paradise. Beautiful, amazing food, place people, be. beautiful beaches and level of entertainment, not rowdy and private place. It was our honeymoon. Wow, loved it. Felt like a celeb.xxx.



Everything that you could wish for and wonderful staff. I lived in teh real Cuba and this was a treat for teh end of my time there. xxxx.

After 3 nights at a 5* Havana...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

TOUCHDOWN

Submitted By:

Mrs A Van Boesschoten

Comments:

After 3 nights at a 5* Havana hotel, Breezes Bella Costa was a huge disappointment - my first reaction was, I'm not staying here, I'm going home!! and I lay awake the first night planning my escape!!



The main problem is that the whole resort is worn-out, dreary and shabby - it needs to be totally renovated and refurbished. This is not what you expect from a hotel supposedly 4*. We are not professional whiners, this is the first time ever that I have felt compelled to complain in writing to the tour operator and indeed claim compensation.



Briefly, some of our complaints were: shabby furnishings in rooms, light bulbs missing/not working, blind hanging off its fitting, bath-to-shower fitting didn't work, a/c only worked on low, cracked windows in bathroom and balcony, no hot water (some of these were fixed by maintenance the next day).



The reception/bar area is in poor decorative state, grubby seating, worn-out in the bar with the stuffing poking through!! No a/c in reception or bar - very hot and unpleasant for a drink after dinner.



The pool was covered in slimy greenish film, no-one could use it until it was thoroughly cleaned. The hard landscaping in the garden/pool area is ugly and faded, badly repaired or not repaired at all - there are areas of broken tiling/paving (dangerous!), and the area between the garden and beach is crumbling and strewn with rubble in places.



The food overall was inconsistent in quality, sometimes poor. The restaurants are unattractive and soulless, and there are hygiene issues - in the open-air beach restaurant, small birds fly in and feed from the buffet, even perching in the dishes of food!! Surely a health hazard. Linen/towels were changed daily but were often stained - yuk!!



LUCKILY!! - we ended up having a good time despite, not because of, the hotel. We made friends with other guests, had a laugh - and of course, lots of lovely cocktails. The sea and beach were fantastic. It was low season and the hotel was only 20% occupied at most - so although there wasn't much "atmosphere", at least you could hand-pick your sunbed and shade, and make full use of pedalos, kayaks, etc.



At least the place was clean. The staff without exception were very nice, and did their best to make up for the many shortcomings of the hotel, and create "atmosphere" - some of the entertainment was very good.

This is one of the best hotels...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2004

Tour Operator:

Kuoni

Submitted By:

Mrs K L Oldfield

Comments:

This is one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. The location is superb, right on the beach, the sea is so warm and crystal clear it’s unbelievable!


The hotel staff are so helpful and pleasant, nothing was too much trouble. The rooms are spotless- cleaned every day, but the highlight was the food- it was excellent, so much choice and such good quality. Even a la carte restaurants to choose from which were free apart from paying $25 for lobster - which was worth every penny.


The only down side was Havana airport ---- allow plenty of time for departures as immigration takes forever!!!!