Villa
Covarrubias
- Cuba - All-inclusive - Regent Holidays - Air Transat from Toronto,
Canada
March
2000 - 2 adults + 2 teenage boys aged 15 & 17
Location
- 120kms
NE of Holguin airport.
2 hour bus ride via modern bus with AC.
Thru parts of Holguin & rurally thru cane fields & small
towns.
Both of our trips were in the dark, so we did not see much.
Several seemingly random police checkpoints - the driver stopped,
turned on the inner lights & we were waved thru.
After bypassing Puerto Padre (the closest town), the road
flattens & the last 45 minutes is monotonous flat cane fields. The
road is bad - maximum 60km/hr.
Discourages auto rentals and/or taxis.
The resort is in a gov't protected mangrove swamp, fronted by
beach.
A tidal river runs under the disco into the mangroves - you can
kayak up this in the morning but beware the jellyfish hatchery in the
first 'pond' - no one we talked to was stung.
Resort
- Only
14 months old (in 2000) everything in is in very good shape. Main
lobby with bar, dining room, pool with bar & entertainment area, 5 -
8 room villas, beach disco at one end of the beach. 122 rooms in a
deserted part of Cuba. You cannot drink the water but bottled
water is supplied.
Beach
- The
beach is a 4-5km white sand beach with the amazing blue/green multi-hued
sea that is the Caribbean. The hotel has groomed a 1/2km stretch and
they keep it immaculate. Approx 15m - 100m wide.
Shade is provided by the traditional palm thatched islands - but
beware - they disappear by 6:30 AM - reclining beach chairs by 7:30 AM.
You have to get up early and reserve with your beach towels.
The water is very shallow, you can walk out 1/2km at low tide -
1:00 PM approx. Some rock & coral in the water.
The water is cool to cold, not very comfortable for long swims.
Topless was OK but very few partook.
This
beach is certainly one of the best that we have seen (numerous people
said the same) & it was never crowded.
Due to the remote location there were no beach hawkers.
At the end of the hotel beach, a few Cubans camped daily in the
underbrush selling cigars but they were quite unobtrusive.
Weather
- Hot,
30 - 35 C dropping to mid 20s at night.
Very windy (crosswind from the east) for 4 days.
This was a pain but did not stop any activity.
We heard that the week before was very calm.
Bugs
- At
dawn & dusk mosquitoes can attack hungrily.
Especially when there is no wind.
The resort fogs for bugs at 7:00 PM & solves the problem.
This could be much worse in the rainy season May - Oct but
unconfirmed.
Accommodations
- Large
rooms with overgrown twin beds large enough for two medium people.
Sink area with no door but out of view around the corner & a
shower, toilet, bidet area with door.
No Kleenex, but toilet paper, soap, shampoo supplied.
Phone & TV with satellite CNN, movie channel, TV1 rock channel
& some Spanish programs - the Smurfs in Spanish!
Beach view from many units but not all.
The locks don't work on many units but we never felt threatened.
The hotel attitude was - This is Cuba, you are very safe.
They were right.
Food
- Typical
fair to bad all-inclusive buffet - fish, calamari, pork, turkey, beef,
cannelloni were revolved for dinner with pasta (they add sauce &
heat to order - this was a staple for many) - 2 rices (also a staple)
& little eaten veggies - cold salad stuff (no lettuce) - omnipresent
fruit table with limited selection.
We had French Fries twice & pizza twice & the people
mobbed the trays. Cakes & ice creams for dessert.
Wine & Tropicola, orange drink.
Lunch
was similar (often disguised leftovers).
Breakfast
was bacon, scrambled eggs, strange pancakes, French toast (no syrup),
Fruit Loops, buns, bread and/or toast.
Coffee, fruit juices (not necessarily real).
The
pool bar had burgers, hotdogs and ham & cheese cooked &
flattened on a sandwich grill from 10:30 AM- 10 PM approx.
Pretty
boring stuff after a couple of days, but as I said above, pretty
typical.
Drinks
- Rum
drinks, local crème de menthe & beer only.
One cash bar had vodkas etc.
3 bars including the disco which was open during the day.
Entertainment
- An
entertainment staff of young Cubans lived on site (they get free room
& board with 1 day off per week).
They were excellent.
They were genuinely friendly & around all day and night (even
in the disco til 2 AM etc).
Most speak multiple languages & supervised volleyball,
dancing, aerobics & provided most of the well-staged shows at night.
A salsa band played randomly at lunch, dinner & at night.
The disco kicks in at 11:00 PM til 2:00.
Demographics
- 45%
from Quebec, 35% from Ontario 20% from Italy.
Some 20s-30s but mostly 40 thru 60.
Not many singles, some families with kids (maybe 10%).
Excursions
- Trip
to Puerto Padre $ 35, Holguin $ 45, dolphin swim (all day) $ 89.
No one we talked to did any of these.
Jet
Skis
-
Available
for rent for $ 45 - 3 hour excursion. We did the excursion (as did
others we talked to & it was a highlight) Ralph (the German
operator) takes you to a fishing village Playa La Jibara (a sobering
experience) & thru the shallow Bahia de Malogueta. He stopped
for snorkeling on the reef on the way back. I lost my wedding band
there. High winds &
military maneuvers cancelled this excursion for two days.
The
People
- Albeit
our exposure to the Cuban people was limited to resort staff, airport
& the fishing village, they are the friendliest people we have met
in the Caribbean.
Everyone we talked to (including some 4 time Cuban visitors)
echoed the same sentiment.
A
Health Note
- Our
son developed an invisible itch on his legs, torso that prompted a visit
to the on-site doctor.
Over 48 hours, the doctor gave him 2 allergy shots & (when
that didn't work) 5 allergy tablets.
As far as we could understand it is an affliction from the sea
that affects some people - they called it Caribe (pronounced Careebay).
I later read that it was hatching sea urchin larvae. It eased on the third day of treatment.
Total medical costs - $ 5.95.
Shopping
- Limited
to on-site gift shop with very limited selection (but, they have cigars
at good prices). Duty free at airport has very sparse selection of
souvenirs (better cigars though - Trinidads at $ 336 for 24 - a steal
but I had to resist).
Air
Transat
- An
hour delay at Toronto (Co-pilot was a no-show & we had to wait for a
replacement).
Our departure from the resort was delayed from 4:00 PM until 9:30
PM which meant a 3:30 AM Holguin departure with 6:30 AM Toronto arrival
(Plane was a no-show & they needed a replacement).
At least we got to wait at the resort & not the airport.
A 'C minus' for Air Transat.
Conclusion
- I
would highly recommend Covarrubias for a quiet peaceful vacation for
couples.
The resort is very friendly & is aiming for repeat business
with people that appreciate what it has to offer.
Certainly not for the party crowd or those that want intensive
kids programs etc.
Highlights
-
Beach,
People, Rooms
Negatives
-
Wind,
Food, Getting There
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