Playa Costa Verde, Holguin, Cuba

Girls earlier seen smoking

I, Melachi ibn Amillar, being a man of wealth and taste, did spend a couple of weeks at the Playa Costa Verde, an all-inclusive resort in Eastern Cuba. The room was of good size with safe, hairdrier, iron and fridge with daily water bottle. There was plenty of food of some variety though none of it would satisfy someone with gourmet pretensions. There were 3 free speciality restaurants which were OK. The service at all points was good and the staff were friendly and liked to talk. This meant that they tended not to be terribly fast. They were happy to receive tips of 1 or 2 pesos but did not press for them. I understand they share them with senior and back office staff. The tours were quite nice, though the tour to Santiago was probably too far for a day trip, particularly when the coach got stuck behind tractors on the way back.

Maggie (guide) with our ration book

The stage and nightclub were well appointed, and the stage performances better than one might expect of rural Cuba. The most beautiful dancer was Lily.  The guests were mainly Canadian, English and German. There were a few children but they were quite well behaved. There were few people in the nightclub or in the bar late, most being couples or families, though I did run into a bored Canadian sommelier. There were two cats, a black one by the pool bar and a tabby one by the buffet, neither very friendly nor hungry. The beach was beautiful, with included recliners and beach bar. Speaking of which, there is nothing in the area outside of the resorts and, so far as I could establish, no way to meet normal Cubans or local nightlife. The nearest town (Holguin) is an hour's drive away, and there is no public transport to mention. Though walk far enough down the beach and you may find a river guarded by Roberto, who may suggest you donate a peso for his baby. Points that might be fixed include the toilet working with a curious pressure system and either not at all or continuously from time to time. The animation team were rather less visible than in other resorts. I would say this is a good choice for an inexpensive quiet week's break. Unfortunately, I was there for two.