First time we have stayed in all inclusive, and it was a pleasant surprise. Plenty of choice including salad and hot dishes, if you could not find what you wanted there was a chef on hand to cook omlette or pasta, excellent. I am very fussy but managed to put on several pounds over the two weeks.

Hotel very clean in bedrooms and we had maid service everyday with her making elephants and hearts out of the bed covers which was a nice touch. Some tiles missing from hallways and some areas could be uneven and dangersous when wet but I expected this bearing in mind they get battered by the weather.

Location of hotel was fine, next to beach, but all the hotels in this area are fairly remote as they are next to a main road but there is a massive contrast with the local facilities and the road on the way to the hotel showed you how poor these people are. There are great pools by the hotel, and we never had problems getting a sunbed.

Most staff were great, whether at breakfast or mealtime and some of the team also helped with the entertainment at night, which was mostly Spanish based dance productions but there was also a Broadway production including songs from Grease which was great to sing a long to. I tipped more as the holiday wnt on when I found out how little these people were earning, it did not seem to make a difference to how quickly you were served. My children, 19 and 16 got several e mails contacts from other kids at resort and we were made to feel especially welcome by a waiter and exchanged addreesses.

Hotel Room Check in took about 15 minutes, ask for your safe key and your card for the towels when you check in. The room was ready (arrived at the BCV at 2pm) and a reasonable size, the rooms are equipped with a hairdryer, TV and a fridge with 2 cans of beer and orange and a bottle of water this was not replenished at the end of the 2nd week all rooms were given a card to replenish the fridge if needed, the air conditioning had 3 settings and worked well.

Hotel Grounds The grounds were very tidy and cleaned everyday an quite spacious, the stage area and the pool were close together this was not a problem during our stay as the hotel was not full, the beach was a 5 minute walk away and had a beach hut were you got your towels and snorkel gear and a bar open from 10 to 17-30. Internet cost 3 CUC per half hour and was a decent speed, phone calls to Europe cost 4CUC

Restaurants The buffet was very good and had a good assortment of food and the staff were friendly and efficient, there are 2 a la carte restaurants Cuban and Italian the service was excellent as was the food they seem to concentrate on the quality of the food rather than the way the waiters are dressed, beach restaurant this is set back at the end of the beach and is open for drinks 10 to 17-30 and food is served 12-30 to 14-30 with a choice of 5 set meals, snacks are available from the poolside bar from 12 to13-00 and 16 to 17-00 in all the restaurants the staff were very friendly and could not do enough for you.

Bars There are 3 bars piano bar, pool side bar and beach bar the staff in all of these bars were excellent especially one who served us with mojitoes as soon as our glasses were empty all night without us having to order them now that is what I call service, on most nights we watched the show from the poolside bar, the beach bar is used for the disco from 23 to 02-00.

Animation/activities The animation staff worked hard throughout the day and night especially with the audience participation which was a good laugh, I preferred the live bands especially the one that did rock through the ages, they sounded a bit like santana we could have listed to them all night they had people dancing all round the complex. Throughout the day there were many actives dance lessons, Spanish lessons, shooting. waterpolo, beach volleyball. Pedal boats, canoes,sailing ,water skiing were available on the beach.

Tours We booked the Jeep tour through the hotel and I drove the jeep there was only 2 jeeps on the day we went this was a great day out which included jet skiing, snorkeling. ox and cart ride, horse riding, a visit to a the place were Christopher Columbus landed, and a meal in a restaurant on farm (this is the official image of how they want you to think the Cuban farmers live). We were lucky enough to meet a very friendly Taxi driver so we booked 3 days out with him, this worked out a lot cheaper than the official tours and gave us some idea of what the Cuban people are really like and how they live.

Staff All the staff at this resort are very friendly and a few words of Spanish go along way, we discreetly left gifts which were greatly appreciated.

Overall view We enjoyed our stay at the BCV and would not hesitate to go back. the only fault we could find was that area in front of the stage could be bigger especially if the hotel is full.

This resort is absolutely amazing!

Flew out of Toronto on Jan. 28/05 and returned on Feb. 04/05 for a one week stay at this wonderful resort.

Although it is rated as a 4 star, I would definitely rate it as a 5 star. I was a bit worried about going there considering there aren't many reviews about it - boy was I pleasantly surprised...

My husband and I went with family - so we were a group of six ranging in ages from 17 to 50. All of us had a wonderful time!

This was my husband and I's first trip to an all-inclusive resort and we didn't go there with any expectations - we had heard so many things about Cuba (good and bad) and figured we would go there with an open mind and enjoy our holidays.

We were very impressed with the resort itself, but what made the resort a 5 star is the people working there. We made so many friends and couldn't have asked for better service. We read a lot of reviews where people got annoyed because it took a little longer to get their drink orders/food - relax, you're on vacation! What's the hurry?! We just enjoyed the fact that we were in sunny Cuba and took it easy. So here is what we thought about Maritim Costa Verde...

Food: Three restaurants to choose from - Cuban, Italian and Buffet - plus a snack bar. All four served great food. Great selection at the buffet, always something different for breakfast lunch and dinner. Don't forget to try the bread - to die for!

Beach: Spectacular. The water is clear, the sand is fine and soft, and you can usually get lounge chairs without a problem - make sure to go there early just in case!

Service: Excellent. The staff at this resort is what makes it a 5 star. Everyone that we spoke to was great, always serving you with a smile. From the staff at the beach to the main desk, everyone was friendly, nice and courteous.

Resort: Beautiful. Grounds are well kept, everything is always clean. Rooms are clean, cleaning ladies left bed "art" every day. Remember not to leave any packages of open food/candy or empty glasses - this will result in little ants visiting your room...

Tours: We didn't book an actual excursion with the resort - we took a taxi and went to Holguin which is about an hour away - had a great time. Went to a bar called The Begonia and met wonderful people... two people from our group took mopeds and went on their own excursion - they also had a great time. We went to Guardelavaca to see their Market and bought a few things. We heard from other vacationers that this market wasn't open every day - so check before you go!

Activities: My sister and her friend participated in a few activities including sailing and horseback riding - they enjoyed both, especially the sailing. Two others from our group had massages - this is not the same type of massage you would get in Canada. It's more of an oil rub down. The masseur kept the bright lights on and was listening to a Cuban news station - very distracting... had I known what it was going to be like, I wouldn't have wasted my money. Mopeds were also fun - you can visit different towns and visit the "real" Cuba...

Currency: NO AMERICAN DOLLARS! US dollars are no longer accepted in Cuba. Therefore you need to use Convertible Pesos if you want to buy anything.

Electricity: Being from Canada and unsure of their voltage/electricity, we brought adapters. Not needed. There are two plugs you can use for battery chargers, hair dryers, etc.

Also, please remember to TIP! Make sure to bring change for tips - we noticed that a lot of people didn't tip the waiters/waitresses, staff at the beach that provides the lounge chairs, bartenders, etc - keep in mind that the average salary in Cuba is 10 Convertible Pesos a month. That's equivalent to $10USD. They rely on these tips to survive and feed their families. Just because it's an all-inclusive resort doesn't mean that you shouldn't tip for services received.

This hotel is very clean, and the maids clean your room every day and even leave towels in shapes of hearts and swans and things on your bed on a daily basis.
Hotel staff where very friendly and helpful.
The food is excellent with lots of different things to choose from for fussy people to more daring eaters including your main buffet, italian and cuban restaurants.
Entertainment is average but entertaining.
I would definatly visit this hotel again the service was excellent and couldnt fault it.

We spent Christmas here and it was our first visit to Cuba. I had done my homework before booking as Cuba has some bad reviews for food. The LTI thankfully lived up to it's reviews and we had great meals with no tummy upsets!. Our first impression as we approached in the coach was one of horror, it is orange and blue and looks old and dated. Once you step inside you breath a sigh of relief. We were welcomed with a cold drink and the bellboys quickly sorted the luggage. The beach is long and is lined with trees. The hotel offers water activities and towels for the beach and pool. Our room was fine and clean. The only down side is Playa Pesquero is in the middle of knowwhere, if you like to go out at night this is not the area for you. We were happy to be hotel based and day trips were available including dolphins. The staff were lovely and tips were welcomed. We took lots of toiletries etc for the staff. Do not just give to your maid or favourite waiter as they do ok. We found the girls who do the show cooking and the security men much more grateful as they usually miss out!

A nice clean hotel offering good food. I would return although we have just booked to return to Cuba in 2005 and are trying Varadero as it is busier and we want to go to Havana. Trips are available from Playa but you need to fly.