Arrived April 11. Wonderful. We went for a week with 6 others for a wedding. We were matron and best man.
The people are amazing. Lovely resort though it caters more to the older crowd. I LOVED the food. I don't eat seafood (shamefully) so I wasn't privvy to taste the wilder side but everyone else was really pleased. I had steak at both a la cartes. WHOLLY SHAMOLLY! Don't tell
the hubby but they were both in the top 5 steaks I've ever eaten.
Loved the live entertainment. Always a good time. Big Mike and Little
Mike are a father/son dynamic duo that will keep you laughing 'til it
hurts. Joel at the beach bar is a total cad. While you're there, don't forget to leave your plaque! Many of the visitors have had these done to leave their mark in paradise.
I slaved all week to get as much funny munny for the auction but we didn't make enough to win out on the big bottle of rum- which went for 1,000,000 funny money dollars. Hope it was good stuff! I took dance lessons every day- twice, sometimes even 3 times but I just couldn't seem to get my body to coordinate. The instructors were very patient! haha
We took an excursion on a catamaran. VERY FUN. We went snorkelling on
one of the reefs and went to an island for lunch- which was quite good. Again, I don't eat seafood so I opted for the chicken. The seafood still has it's eyes on it so be prepared for that. I had a really hard time being stared at by my husbands chow. shiver. He was very pleased.
After the island lunch, we went for a swim with the dolphins. The dolphins swim in around you so you can touch them and then start some tricks. Before you get out of the water they take a pic of you with the dolphins giving you a kiss. I opted to stay in the water and take a ride with the dolphins. FUN FUN FUN. Tip: put on a shirt or glue your bikini on. You'll thank me. They take a picture of you when you're rolling back into the dock...You'll thank me. After the dolphins we returned to the catamaran where a nice snack waited. Then it was back to the resort. The Captain even let my husband drive
the catamaran on the way back. He's still holding braggin rights for it.
We had fabulous weather all day. I guess it rained all that day at the resort but we didn't see a drop. YAY! The layout is good and the activities are fun. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. This was our first time to Cuba but the bride and groom's second. They enjoyed their first stay that they decided to return to the same resort for their wedding. That's says quite a bit, I thnk.
Now for some tips.
Take Canadian $$$ to Cuba and change your money over when you get there. You can do this at the airport or the hotel. They'll tell you which is better exchange when you get there.
Noting cash- their version of all inclusive wasn't what I was expecting. Now this is NOT a complaint by any means, just a tip. You can budget better than we did if you know this ahead of time. ;P) $1 CAD is $.79 in CUC.
What does this mean at the hotel...? Things like water have to be purchased but they just about anything if you've forgotten or lost something on the way so there's no worry. If you don't have an ocean view room, there is no mini bar and no bottled water. You can drink theirs but I chose not to. You can buy it for $1 something. Why risk it?
Shopping - Merchants don't come to the resort so you'll need to take an excursion, scooter, bus or cab for your shopping fix. They do have live entertainment and fashion shows where you can purchase some things but not in the same way you'd get attacked by the merchants. (Flashback to another vacation, sorry.)
Right!
Our check out was awful. DO NOT leave your towel unattended for a single second, no matter where you are. In a kafluffle at the lobby at check-out, someone stole ours- 10$ each. We lost one of our room keys to the tune of a $50 replacement fee. Apparently this was included in the orientation, which we were too lazy to go too. *Side
note - Please go to the orientations at the resorts. If you've already been there, you can book your dinners and trips, get reacquainted with staff and even help the newcomers. If you're a newcomer you'll learn little things like the astonishing price of a key if you lose it. Needless to say it made for a very unpleasant check out. The receptionist was the rudest I've ever experienced in my life. Unbelievable. Check in was slick and quick so we were very surprised. Meh...I could have gone to the orientation...I can't comment much on the workings of the wedding but it was absolutely ridiculously goregous. I could write another 3-4 pages on that alone so if it's something you're interested in doing then you would be delighted with their package. Sara was the one coordinating the event. You will never meet a kinder, sweeter more genuine person than her. Words cannot describe her. Truly a blessing and a testament to customer service.
So... there it is. My advice. Not much else I can think of. We had a really great time, saw a ton of wonderful things and met even more awesome people.
So here are some pics... enjoy.

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