Ocean Vista Azul

Our experience at the hotel was very good, but depending on what you are comparing the hotel to (and your expectations), it can be very good or ok. For the price, we thought the hotel was very good, but obviously has some downsides. Compared to other hotels in Cuba, I would consider this hotel as great. However, comparing this hotel to other 4.5 stars in Mexico or Punta Cana, I would have to give it a very poor rating. We went for the sun and came without any high expectations, and had an overall good time. We also upgraded to Privilege which is very expensive and only worth it if you care for higher quality alcohol. Privilege Alcohol Selection - GREAT (Don Julio, Grey Goose, etc etc etc...) Privilege À la carte restaurant - Good lunch menu (we loved the pumpkin soup), but otherwise, they had the same items as the buffet. FOOD - Overall the food was ok. you can always find something to eat, but nothing is ever satisfying. I basically ate fries, hot dogs and pizza during our stay (+pumpkin soup from privilege menu). I was sad that the fresh fruit did not taste good (maybe they were not in season). However, we loved the croissants in the morning (I think these were the best) when they were available. However, we did not like the lunch time. from 1-3pm. We found it very limited and would have preferred a lunch from 12-3:30pm. Also, the hotel advertises the 24h snacks, but we could never find any food when the restaurants were closed. We went to the beach snack place, but they never had any food. Also would have liked to see nachos offered at the buffet, beach or privilege section. ALCOHOL - mixed reviews. 1. Privilege lounge very good. 2. Lobby - good for non privilege guests. 3. Beach Bars - The alcohol selection at the beach bars were not good in my opinion. They should offer a variety at all locations, and they should add premium drinks for privilege guests at the beach bars as well. BEACH - Very nice beach. The cliffs gave the beach a charm, but made both beaches look small. Some people may expect to see a long stretch of beach, but it is not the case here. However, you can go for a walk down the other beaches (by walking over the cliffs). PS. There were always enough palapas and chairs available at the right side beach! No towel game here. The views were still amazing. POOLS - Main lobby pool is beautiful, clean and small. We preferred this one over the others due to the view, and being beside the privilege lounge (better alcohol selection). However, there is no shade in the afternoon (only in the morning). Amazing view of the sunset! Privilege Pool - Nice, but the alcohol selection was limited (even though it was privilege). Big main pool - The pool was ok, but most items around it were broken.... (50-60% of the chairs were broken, stairs were broken, and the bali beds were disgusting (moldy and ripped). Like... fix the chairs or get them replaced. We did not spend much time here because of that. However, we liked that they had a pool snack BBQ (hamburgers, hotdogs and fries). ROOMS - We loved our room and our maid did a great job. (Regla was our maid, and we loved her :)). Because the hotel is newer, the rooms are more modern and very nice. We stayed in room 1222 and really enjoyed the view and the location. WATER BOTTLES - This was a big joke. 1 Water Bottle per room per night is ridiculous. I drink 2L of water per day, so having to share 1.5 L of water with my fiancé was very annoying. I asked for extra water bottles and never received them (except once, our butler was able to sneak one for us). At the bar, they will pour you a glass of water from an unsealed bottle (just sketchy), but I didn't have any problems. I recommend that people bring extra Bubba cups to fill with water (one of my regrets). However, the Privilege Lounge did have mini water bottles sometimes (when they did not run out), and I was very grateful for that. Nonetheless, you shouldn't have to be in privilege to get water bottles. A lot of walking which we didn't mind, but not good for people with disabilities. They do have a lot of ground rooms and some with an elevator for other floors. The beaches were not the best for people with disabilities. Our favorite staff members were Dany and his partner (I think his name was timmy) at the Privilege Lounge. Dany made us the best drinks, provided great service (always with a smile), and delivered some drinks to us even though we were a bit far. The whole bar staff from the privilege lounge were great! Our butler - Juri was great too, even though he was very busy with many clients. I would recommend this resort to others who want to visit Cuba. I would come back here, but only if we upgrade to privilege.

The hotel was wonderful. We stayed in the Priviledge section of the hotel and the service was great! Maykel the bartender was very friendly. He anticipated and catered to our need. Ibisbel was very friendly and did the fitness class with my mom, who really enjoyed it and felt better! The food was very good and the drinks were very up to par. Will definitely come back. :)