A great base in Cuba – you won’t be bored. Two new air conditioned shuttles take you to old Havana punctually at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm to Havana, returning at 1:00 pm or at 6:00 pm, and if you want to stay a little longer, a taxi back to Blau is between 15 and 20 Cuban Convertible Pesos. Take a noon walk down the beach (eastward) and once you cross the bridge or wade across the warm shallow sandy creek, you will see Cuban’s enjoying the sea and the sun apparently from mid March onward. Stroll back through the town to get a taste of Cuban life, houses falling apart, old 1950 jalopies kept alive with a lot of TLC with nearly every owner a willing cabbie, a run down ration card food distribution centre, mangy dogs. Once back at Blau Arenal, dance lessons, Spanish lessons, exercise and aqua aerobics, and entertainment break up the day.
Good dishes at Blau Arenal include meat dishes in the steam tables like pork, chicken, and even rabbit in a nice sauce, tuna potato salad, baked tomatoes, cooked potatoes, fresh tomatoes, yogurt, pineapple-orange juice, omelettes, fresh oranges, bananas, pineapples, and grapefruit, bacon and eggs, espresso, or café con leche were fine. Beef, chicken, pork from the grill tends to be dry, bland, and chewy, as is the turkey, or grilled whole fish. Warmed up spaghetti can be a bland. Reserve a day ahead, and you can order a la carte in a separate detached restaurant. Reportedly the one-hour wait for food is worth it.
Being Cuba, things are not going to be perfect: the kayak and catamaran weren’t available, the TV had a bad picture and was stuck on maximum volume, the pillows are hard, the drinks aren’t always that great, and occasional ½ day shortages of beverages like beer, orange juice, club soda, or tonic water, and, but who cares! The rooms, great pool, and public areas are clean. The activity coordinators, cooks, bar tenders, cooks, receptionists and cleaning staff are courteous and friendly with just a couple of exceptions.
Day trips taken by others and enjoyed a lot were trips to Vinales (CUC 58), Swimming with dolphins in Varadero (CUC 115).

The Resort is a 3 star, maybe 2 and a half. Food is edible, you won't have to worry about double gym visits because you won't gain weight. Some of the staff are rude, especially some of the bar tenders. Some of the staff are excellent. Rooms were clean, but some of the guests said they had bed bug bites. The beach is lousy, dirty with broken glass and garbage. It's not right on the ocean, nor are the pictures you see in the travel brochures acurate, they are of other beach pictures somewhere in the vicinity. Don't order the lobster at the a-la-carte it's really salty, go down to the road before you get to the beach, cross the iron bridge and on the right there is a very nice restaurant which has great lobster and pizza at affordable prices. The free shuttle to Havana is a good feature, take the horse and buggy tour of old Havana and try the mojitos, not necessarily at Hemingways, it's overpriced. Two Brothers has the best mojitos I've ever had and they're reasonably priced. The Market has great buys, but after 3pm the prices go down as they don't want to pack up excess stuff. Don't go to the beach to the left of the resort unless your "same sex" as this is the case, lucky for my girlfriend and I we had a heads up prior to visiting the beach. The pool is clean, but wear sandals around it as I never seen it cleaned once. Toilet paper in the pool washrooms had a habit of running out so bring some from your room and for the trip to Havana as it's a luxury that we take for granted. If your looking for a cheap vacation last minute I wouldn't pay more than $1,100/person as it's not worth it. If you can get it for under a thousand and just want pool and sun and half decent food then this is for you, don't have 4 star expectations or you'll be dissapointed though.

20 February 2008

Got home from the Blau Arenal on the 17th. Fabulous time.

Keep in mind that this property offers the tourists Cuba with the sun, ocean, culture/Cuban people, a safe place to stay, plenty of food/drink/activity --- plus a free shuttle into Havana to experience the history, art, and architecture.

For under $1100. I was able to experience a major world city plus a major sun destination all at once. This would not be possible in New York, Las Vegas, Paris, Rome, etc. I must say however that as in all tourist areas and major cities, tipping and hand outs became tiresome. But then again, they have so much less than we do at home.

Cubans are a proud people. They are healthy (free medical system) and well educated (free education). They do not have the material things we have back home. But I saw a certain contentment in their eyes and smiles, with fewer expectations and therefore no 'entitlement syndrome'. Perhaps we are spoiled. In any case, it was refreshing not to be inundated with advertising, billboards, neon signs, chain restaurants etc.

The '50s Chevy cars etc. were priceless. They have been handed down through the generations with pride and the people somehow keep them going. This made me wonder why we have such a disposable society in North America.

It was always nice to return to the peacefulness of The Blau Arenal after a seemingly hectic day in Havana. Obviously, the countryside and towns revealed a more laid back life than Havana. People were accepting of us riding or walking through their towns and beaches as they carried on with their everyday lives. The crime rate is very low in Cuba.

Keep your expectations realistic. Go with an open mind. This is Cuba after all. This may be a 3rd world country but the people are healthy, clean, well educated and extremely proud. Mixing with the culture and people is paramount.

The Blau Arenal property is in some disrepair. We found things comfortable and clean for the most part. The staff was precious. Renovations will begin May to December. Hopefully, it will be more than just cosmetic. Structure and plumbing has to be addressed. I wonder if prices will rise once renovated.

This resort offers an airy open feel. This type of vacation is not for those who are looking for a five star high rise hotel overlooking the ocean with little else to do than to soak up the sun, eat/drink and catch up on R& R.

We walked for miles and miles. It was a healthy holiday all the way around. I found exactly what I was looking for ---- a sun destination, lots of activity with culture/history thrown in the mix. What a wonderful opportunity the Blau Club Arenal had to offer me.

We just arrived back from a blissful week at the Blau Arenal near Havana this morning. Ignore all other reviews with negative things to say, this hotel was great! It definitely needs some upgrading and repairs (it will be closed in March for just that reason), but we had absolutely no complaints.

We had a junior suite in the 200 block on the second level. The room was huge, well equipped, and the bathroom was in great condition and very large. The decor is dated, but the beds were comfortable and the room was clean.

The grounds of the hotel were beautiful and the pool is great. Ignore any poor reviews of the pool - it looked sparkling clean and fresh with an abundance of lounge chairs. The staff were incredibly friendly - say hi to Alex and Osmany in the dining room - they provided incredible service. The bartenders mixed wonderful drinks and we spent many afternoons lounging on the upper patio outside the lobby bar sipping Mojitos, Ron Collins, Cerveza, etc.

The beach is absolutely gorgeous. It stretches for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see. There were plenty of lounge chairs here too. While there aren't that many umbrellas, people seem to come and go from the beach, so we were always lucky to get one shortly after arriving at the beach. There are also plenty of palm trees, so if there isn't an umbrella, you can find shade under these. The water was blue-green and clear and the bottom is sandy. It truly was a beautiful beach.

You can walk down the beach or along the beach road into the town of Guanabo - about a 45 minute walk. This is a must. We had drinks at La Cocinita (great mojitos) on the main street and then had dinner at an Italian restaurant where ate amazing fire brick oven pizza for $5 CUCs. It was great to experience the local culture in a town outside of the big city.

The food at the resort was plentiful and good. Cuba is not known for gourmet cuisine, so if this is what you are looking for, go to Paris. Having said that, there was always plenty to eat - lots of fresh fish, pasta that they would prepare for you, omelettes in the morning, an abundance of fruit, lots of salad (there was little salad on my last trip to Cuba so this was great to see). We never went hungry and didn't once complain about the food. The pool bar also offers hamburgers, hotdogs, sandwiches and french fries if you'd like a break from the buffet. There is an a-la-carte restaurant that we did not try (we wish we had!!) but we did see inside and it is very nice. The menu looks superb. we will definitely check it out next time we go.

Shuttles to Havana twice a day on new, modern air conditioned buses. Only about a 25-30 minute ride. Proximity to the city is what we were after, so this hotel was perfect. Havana is a must see. The culture, the buildings, the history, the people are incredible. My favourite place was Plaza Vieja (Old Square) where we went to Taberna de la Muralle and had our own 3L beer tap right at the table. A live Cuban band played in the background and this truly was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

The resort caters more to couples and families. It is not a singles type of place, but I truly believe anyone looking for a relaxing vacation close to Havana would enjoy this hotel.

As I said, ignore negative reviews unless of course you are looking for a 5 star palatial hotel. The Blau Arenal was more than adequate in every way and we will definitely be visiting again! I wish we were still there, it was a truly wonderful vacation!