Villa Bacuranao

The buffet was the part I liked least, with sausages and ham turning up in every dish. The rest was a very quiet and peaceful place, with a beautiful setting and a magnificent view.

My memory may be off, but I think this was my last night's dinner: vichyssoise or vegetable soup, lobster thermidor, peppercorn steak, then baked Alaska with a bottle of Moët Chandon. Back in February, 1976, I believe I stayed here when it was a Club Med location, which I think lasted just six months. I remember the cottages and beach, though not the pool being so big. The basic accommodation aside, the food really stood out. Lunch was a huge buffet every day, with roast beef, lobster, and more, while dinner was served at the table. It cost $520 in total, including airfare from Montreal.

The beach was warm and nice, and the juice is pretty much the only thing I still remember from my trip two years ago. The food was memorable, especially the juice, though there were flies everywhere in the restaurant. There was also a good restaurant stand that delivered to the house, and we became friends with the delivery person. Our first house had two beds, no blankets or sheets, and cracks all over, so we moved. The next one was a bit better: two beds with sheets but still no blankets, plus ants and cracks everywhere. At least it looked good from outside. The pool was sort of okay, though it looked like a clean swamp. A trip to Havana city was also kind of good, at 25 for a ticket. Pretty bad overall, though I guess houses in Cuba tend to be poor anyway. That's my horrible experience here.

The staff were amazing, and they're the main reason for my rating. Rooms were generally tidy, with housekeeping cleaning daily. At dinner you get one free drink, alcoholic or not, and the menu gives a basic description of the food. The bar claims to be open all the time, but the hours vary; the pool bar stays open until about 10 pm. The pool's cleanliness depends on the day. Sometimes it's exceptionally clean, other times less so, but they don't use too much chlorine. Several dogs and cats wander around unattended and may follow you if you feed them. They do their business wherever, and it rarely gets cleaned up. A DJ plays English music along with mostly Spanish music during the day. If there's a celebration, expect extremely loud music until 3 am. The receptionist can help with money exchange, though they charge about 6.5%. A grocery store outside has snacks and cheaper bottled alcohol than the hotel, which staff eventually point out. There are two restaurants nearby, one about four blocks away and another east along the highway. A nurse is on site, and there's a hospital about 2 km west of the hotel on the way to Havana. The closest ATM or ABM is about 4 km away in Alamar, and everything in this area is cash based.