For what we paid, it was great! The food was acceptable, but heavy on the salt! Can't say it was kosher food, as pork is plentiful in cuba. The shuttle bus to Havana is the real reason you will stay at this hotel. We would wake up, have breakfast, jump on the shuttle bus, then come back for 1pm on the return shuttle bus, have lunch and then go back on the 2.30 shuttle bus and then come back at 6.30 on the return shuttle bus and then eat dinner and then, if we wanted , go on the 9.30 pm shuttle bus and take a taxi (15$) back whenever we wanted. If you didn't take the 9.30 shuttle, the entire day with food was free!

The staff were really nice... but some of them want to sell you puro's (cuban cigars). When you are in havana, you will get plenty of opportunity to buy black market cigars...varying in quality and price. 25 for 25$ is probably a good deal. though not sure. But if you leave with more than 23 cuban cigars and you don't have a receipt, and they don't have an official seal, they can confiscate them at the airport.

As written in other reviews, this hotel is not really for people who just want to sit on the beach and pool and never leave the resort. Don't get me wrong, the beach is beautiful! This hotel is great for those who want to be close to Havana and dont want to stay in a casa particular, because the cost of food and a bed will be way more than this hotel....

Havana is very safe. People are friendly. The ones who come and talk to you want to invite you for a drink...and then they present you with the bill....since it is impossible for them to pay. If you want to invite some strangers and talk about their life, it's safe, just be prepared to pay the bill.

If you're visiting Cuba to spend all your time at the resort, then the Atlantico hotel is probably not a good choice- though the beach is beautiful, there isn't much else to do. No night-life to speak of. You'd be better off spending a bit more money on another hotel (in another province).

If, on the other hand, your goal is to see the city of Havana (which is what I wanted) then the Atlantico is a great choice. I had a fantastic time. The hotel is 25km outside the city (about 10-20 CUC per cab ride, depending on your negotiating skills and the type of cab you flag), which makes it easy to get in and out of the city. Sometimes I would spend all day exploring Old Havana, come back to the hotel for dinner and a shower, and then head back to the city for the night-life (La Casa de la Musica is a great Havana disco).

For the price, this hotel rocks. Beautiful public beach (better that it's public- it's livelier), good food, excellent service. By Cuban standards, the food was exceptional (just OK by Western standards, but hey, you have to expect that): crispy pizza every day, fresh fish, chicken or pork, rice dishes, potatoes, fried plantains, bread and rolls, tons of fresh fruit (mangos are unbelievable) and several dessert items (cakes and danishes). You can't ask for much better than that in Cuba. I was never hungry, and was very glad I got the all-inclusive option.

The staff were exceptional: very friendly, and went out of their way to help me with the language and with travel advice. They made my visit so much more comfortable. Havana can be intimidating; it was nice that I felt at ease at the hotel.

A couple complaints: it's really true that this hotel is popular among Italians. I don't know why, but it's true: of the hundred or so guests that were there during my vacation, I found only one that spoke English. So just be aware of this.

Also, I was under the impression that there was a shuttle running to Havana every day. Not so: the shuttle only ran Friday, Saturday and Wednesday. This makes a big difference, as there is nothing more expensive in Cuba than transport. This was the only really disappointing element of the trip, because I was sure I had been promised a daily shuttle.

Also, I thought that a room safe was included in the price, but I was charged 2 CUC/day. But nevermind, I'm pretty sure I got hustled:) Work those kinds of expenses into your budget before you visit Havana.

In sum: this hotel suited my purposes perfectly. It is very well-priced, the food was good, the staff were excellent, the beaches were pristine, and the proximity to Havana made it a breeze to absorb all the history, culture, and troubled politics of Cuba's capital city. I booked through Selloffvacations.com, and my package-provider was Hola Sun (the service was fine, they went out of their way to reconfirm my departure flight. But be aware that there is a shuttle running to the hotel from the airport when you arrive- I wasn't aware of this and took a 30 CUC cab-ride. There is also a shuttle that takes you from the hotel to the airport when you depart).

I had a great experience, and I encourage anyone aspiring to find the rhythm of Havana to use the Atlantico as your base of operations. I will definately go back.

We booked at this hotel to have access to both the beach and Havana. 20 minute drive to Havana $10 CUC cab fare. The beach was FABULOUS! White sand and hardly anybody on it. The tide was bit dangerous by noon, so swimming is a bit limited. There was no night entertainment, which was fine by us. This is a good place to relax. The coffee is to die for. Perhaps this explains why this hotel caters to mostly Italians, or it's the other way around. Chicken or egg? Never a line up at the bar, and THE BEST Mojitos, I've had.

Just spent a great week at this hotel. However, I didn't know that the hotel caters mostly to Italian tourists. This made it more difficult to meet people, which was something I was looking for as I was travelling alone. However, the staff was super friendly and spoke good English.

There was a bus that went to Old Havana everyday that left at 9:30am, 2:30pm and 6:30pm for 3CUC each way. Otherwise, cab rides were fairly pricy, about $15-20CUC each way. But only about 20min cab ride from Havana.

I had a room facing the ocean which was really nice. Nothing fancy, but thought the rooms were very comfortable and clean.

The food was not too bad. I loved when they had seafood on the menu, and they were some of the best meals I had in Cuba. Loved the prawns and calamari! They also always have couple pasta options which were nothing special but always seemed like a decent meal.

I thought the beach was quite nice. Although keep in mind that it is a public beach so you'll have all sorts of people strolling by. This is a plus as I don't like the really touristy feel, but it did make me more cautious about leaving my stuff around the beach. The water was beautiful, temperature was perfect in my opinion but I am a Canadian. My Cuban friends would disagree and would think you're crazy for going in the water in December.

The girl who wrote the previous review is correct about the little to none entertainment. There wasn't enough people at the hotel for a lot of activities, although I did play some beach volleyball and took a dance lesson. Not a lot to do in the evenings so I went into Havana a few times. But apparently sometimes the entertainment guys take you out to the nearby dance clubs.

All in all, a great place to stay for the beach, clean rooms and friendly staff and the hotel is just a short trip away from the big city.