we travelled end of August for 2 weeks with our family of 7 adults & 2 children, one IMPORTANT thing i would say is: MAKE SURE YOUR VISA CARDS ARE NOT WITH AMERICIAN BASED BANKS!! LIKE CAPITAL ONE, VIRGIN, MBNA, AS YOU CANT USE THEM OUT THERE, luckly my parents had a LLOYDS/TSB one, or we wouldnt of been able to book any trips on our ones...it was our first time in Cuba, we stayed at the Playa Pesquero,the hotel was clean the rooms were quite large, the facilities at this hotel are very good,the food in all restaurants was very good, even the buffet, the hotel staff was friendly & helpful they work so hard in such intense heat, we gave the gardeners the beer & cokes from the fridge everyday, they we so grateful, the guy who takes the drinks trolly round the pool everyday(Edwin) worked hard in the heat, we did a few trips, the Dolphins was an experience worth doing, the speedboats was awesome, the Catamaran was good day out, all worth the money.
the shows were good, they had excellent costumes, the disco was busy after 11pm, it was nice to sit in there as it was air-conditioned, it was very hot & humid especially at night..

make sure you take plenty of mosquito spray!!!!they bite everyone..

we have been to many of the Caribbean islands this was just as nice if not a little better,would definately come back in a few years time, would recommend this place & Hotel to others.

Sometimes when I read reviews I wonder if the people who write them actually went to the same places with such diverse reports.

My wife and I went to Hotel Play Pesquero from 8th July to 22nd July 2008. We paid for an upgraded room as the tour operator said it had old out of the normal rooms. This was rubbish as the hotel had only 50% occupancy, what the real truth is that the tour operator, Airtours, had not booked enough rooms for sale.

Right from the outset I should say that this is the third trip to Cuba and will not be the last. The reason we go back is the people, if you take some interest in their lives, history and culture you will find friends who are open and genuine. Anyone who treats them as just hotel workers will not get the best from their holiday.

Our room was superb as one of the outer ring roads near the French and Italian restaurants. Check in was a breeze, the hotel used one of the conference rooms to check us all in rather than a whole coach load of people queuing at the reception desk. We went straight from the check in to the bell boys who loaded our cases on an electric cart and straight to our room.

The weather was hot! 31 to 35 degrees every day with only two storms, one whilst we were on the beach one day that lasted a few hours and one huge storm whilst we were preparing to take off at the airport.

As regards the facilities, due to the low occupancy the creole restaurant was shut and towards the end of our holiday as more people left they also shut the grill restaurant for a few days. The food in all the restaurants was good and even the buffet was OK. For anyone who complains that they offered the same thing every day, wells that is what a buffet restaurant does.

As the hotel was only half full it was always easy to get a sunbed by the pool or on the beach in some shade. Some idiots did still get up early to put their towels out, I can never understand what goes through their minds but it

Hoodies, fake designer clobber and Elizabeth Duke at Argos have arrived in Cuba.

This resort is a place of contrasts and could be good indeed it is pretentious in some respects with the classical pianist and opera singer in the lobby bar and the food and ambience in The Romantico but unfortunately the price bracket is catering for the masses but attracting the dross.

These people sit 3 deep at the aqua bar from 10am onwards or else monopolise the pool steps with a beer in one hand and a fag in the other. Dressing for dinner involves adorning a clean hoody and some gems overheard include asking for a hot dog "well done" LOL and asking for sirloin steak in La Gondola when the menu consisted of lobster, veal and fish. Not to mention trying to have a conversation about politics with the bar staff but lacking the intelligence to recall Castro's name so referring to him as "that geezer, top dog" much to the bewilderment of the staff.

Evening wear is obligatory hoody or sweat pants and matching zip up top giving the effect you are off to train with Ricky Hatton. That is if they bothered to get dressed at all. In the beer garden they can be found still in swimwear and towel at 9 or 10pm swearing and belching in front of families.

I should have realised we were on to a non-starter when an undesirable family attending a wedding were allocated the row behind us on the plane. They were in and out of the toilet with nappies for their toddler. Funnily enough after one such visit the toilet was blocked and unusable with nappies. Then we were informed a further 2 toilets were blocked leaving 2 toilets for 258 passengers. We were advised should another toilet become blocked we would have to divert (to Florida?) for Health & Safety reasons costing First Choice thousands and a lengthy delay for us. Had this happened I would have personally throttled the ignorant muppets myself. You wouldn't put a nappy down the toilet at home why do it at 30,000 ft? Funnily enough Cuban customs didn't like the look of this lot either and they were detained for searching resulting in the transfer coach being delayed for an hour. No sorry or anything when they finally appeared.

Room - We had emailed requesting a quiet room and were allocated 5804 close to the Beer Garden. It was quite noisy but Omar, First Choice Rep was excellent and insisted we be moved even although the reception insisted there were no other rooms as 25% of the complex was closed. We moved to 3405 a 2nd floor superior room which was bright and airy with a seating area and separate vanity area with sink.

Food - Buffet was okay for breakfast. We had fried eggs, omelettes or toast. Pancakes were tasty and there was plenty of fruit. Very warm in here.
The Romantico - Best by far although too dark to read the menu! This restaurant does not lend itself to children with the food presentation and ambience and displays of stacked wine glasses. I agree they should not be allowed in after 8pm.
Don Pollo - Roast or fried or Southern Fried chicken with chips for lunch. Very tasty.
Sea Food - Tasty although service slow.
Trattoria - Hit or miss here although pizzas and salads good.
Beer Garden - Found the food a bit greasy here.
La Gondola - Thinks it is better than it is. Lobster was rubbery and overcooked.
Asian - Worst by a mile even the waitress doesn't recommend the ribs and the peanut chicken was very salty.
Ranchon Playa - OK for lunch you can get pizzas from the hut out the back although they are a bit tomato-ey.

Pool - Fully open again and plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas to go round.

Karaoke Bar - Think of the worst wedding reception you have ever been to. The kids disco is on until 9pm and then it is meant to be adults only. Nobody takes a blind bit of notice so we have little kids all dolled up still singing Barbie Girl at 11pm "you can touch my hair undress me everywhere". Totally inappropriate and paedo heaven. Other parents left their kids sleeping on couches in the lobby away from where they were getting bevvied. This is only weeks after Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal. Unreal.

The amount of obese people here is shocking and they seem to adopt the mentality of "It's free I better eat as much as I can". We saw very overweight kids having steak and chips or 2 pork chops and chips for breakfast. Maybe the hotel needs to take some responsibility here.


Weather - Very warm - rained once at lunchtime and twice in the evening for about half an hour. Worst day was the last Wednesday when it started bucketing at 3pm for a few hours. Everyone congregated in the lobby bar and when afternoon tea was served it was similar to the aid lorry arriving in Sudan. The cries of "got any kaaaay-ck" are still reverberating in my ears.

Trips - Did the speedboat which was good although a bit misleading. We thought we were being taken somewhere and would have fruit and drinks on arrival. In actual fact we went out to sea 3 times and had fruit on our return to the marina.
Went to Guardalavaca on the train but there is not much to do here. The beach is very nice and sandy but it was overcast the day we were there. There are a few shops selling the usual tat and coffee and cigars or you can go in a horse and cart which we did. Our guide was very keen to point out Cuba is a socialist state and not communist. Propaganda or what.

Everyone is out to make a quick buck here. We heard about bar staff buying a mobile phone for 100 pesos and persuading the owner to report it lost on their return to the UK.
The man on the portable drinks cart was selling bottles of brandy for

We stayed at the Playa Pesquero 3-17th June and had a fantastic holiday for a very good price after lots of shopping around.

We booked and flew with Thomas Cook and found that they were on time, their steward/stewardesses couldn

Just returned from our first trip to the Carribean.

Hotel is fantastic with water features and gardens all well kept.

Rooms were superb (we had a superior room) with excellent maid service and clean. Whole complex were low rise bungalows amidst great scenery.

Pool was huge with the swim up bar one end and a relaxed bar at the other. Great to swim in as very little chlorine and never a problem getting a bed as there were loads unused every day.

Every bar member and staff were fantastic and were frequented the bear garden on a regular basis.

Food was very good although the main buffet a bit repetetive after a week (should have booked more a la cartes)

Hotel was obviously remote but you know that when you book so dont moan later.

Only did the paradise trip which was superb.

Entertainment was typically foreign and not to our likeing but would not put us off returning again.

Made some very good friends which always helps
I dont understand the last report at all (must have been in a different hotel we think)
Canadians! yes i cant get on with em but they were no bother to anyone, anyway bearing in mind we drag along some unsavory peolple from a certain part of our country we cant complain.
If we didnt wish to explore other places we'd be booking up for next year.

Just got back and must admit very disappointed. The hotel is in a lovely location but does not live up yo its billing. The first night there we returned to our room to find my sons and my ipods were stolen from our room. So much for a safe country, this ruined our holiday from the start.

We found the food very repetitive sausages in breakfast were inedible although the omelettes were good. The Romantica restaurant is very good, but the rest are rubbish. The lobsters are like rubber, totally tasteless.

Kids club is very poor, the play equipment is in need of repair, still damaged from hurricane six years ago, my teenage son and his freinds hated the place, they were bored rigid.

Why travel 10 hours on a plane when you can gat far better in Turkey for a fraction of the cost. Finally the Canadians are very noisy and don't stop drinking from the moment they get up till they go to bed. The airport is diabolical and the farce of going to Varradero airport from Holguin is a nightmare. Don't go here, you have been warned

Well, what a place. We have come home totally relaxed and gutted to have left such an amazing place!! As you pull up outside the hotel on your bus bus, you are greeted by a very grand sort of Thai looking building, the whole of the lobby area is surrounded with water features which contains lovely fish, its just beautiful.

The rooms we had were lovely and spacious, quite a large balcony area, separate dressing area with sink which takes you into a pretty basic bathroom, but who goes for the bathrooms!!!! p.s all rooms have an iron and board.

The two buffet restaurants are lovely, one is smoking one is not, you can choose to sit separately above the water features which looked lovely, although we didn't do this, the food was really nice, something for everyone, also a bit of show type cooking, you can choose a piece of meat or fish or shrimps then choose from a selection of olive oils and bits and bobs to have cooked with meat or fish.
The al a cartes you can book 4 a week, they are well worth a visit, not so much the 24 hour one unless you love fish, the menus in the al a cartes are very limited but you get to see the menus before you choose which restaurants you want to eat in.

I do not eat fish so obviously cannot comment but the meat was amazingly cooked, very tasty.

The waiters especially in the lobby bar are fabulous, be sure to tip generously, the cannot do enough for you, the Cubans are very poor but are so happy and friendly.

We took the train that picks you up from outside the hotel and takes you to a market in the village of Guardalavaca, it is a very very small market but you can pick up some nice pieces, on the journey you get to see the way the Cubans who live in the country live, their houses are made from wood and banana tree leaves, they really have very little, all their food is supplied with ration books.

The kids all come to the gates and wave, please try and remember to take things with you to throw off the train to the kiddies, the are so happy when you do this and its fantastic to see them so happy, they want things like clothes, shampoos, shower gels, pens, colouring books and pencils, tennis balls, bouncy balls, any toiletries at all.

Cuba is such an amazingly beautiful place, the people are very friendly, the centre of Holguin was slightly intimidating lots of beggars but you can just walk past and they don't continue to bother you.

The hotel was great, I can't tell you how jealous i am of anyone going there, we would definitely go back, we love CUBA, relax and enjoy, its a very slow paced life, your going to love it.

When you are arrive you immediately notice the landscaping and lovely water gardens in the lobby. In the evenings I fell in love with the sound of an intriguing frog (I believe).

The rooms are clean, well equipped and air conditoning at your regulation. The chambermaids are quite artistic with towels and leave a suprise daily.

The never ending and winding pool is fabulous with a specific shallow area great for kids and a few feet from a Day-care setting. The sun (unlike Canada) is very warm as early at 9am! Therefore you can get an early start at the beach.

The ladies and gentlemen staff at the breakfast buffets are very friendly but at a different pace than we may be accustomed to.

There are a great selection of dinner restaurants to book ahead. The favorite was the "Romantico" for it was enclosed and there was a grand piano to set the mood. The food is excellent at this restaurant yet you will have plenty of time to chat between courses. The seafood restaurant by the beach with staff dressed as sailors is quaint, and the violin player will serenade you at the Italian Restaurant. Be sure to come prepared with bug repellent for those outdoor restaurants, and a very important note: they are more attracted to dark colors.

Plenty of diverse activites available at this hotel daily. There is an encouragement to sign up for some tours. Be sure to ask about travel type and duration. Some of these tours may actually be too long for small children. Dolphin and Ostrich tours were fabulous.

The staff are the epitome of the phrase, "Jack of all trades". You will see a tour host or even a waitress during the day with a part in the evening production on stage! Many fluent to converse in more than 2 languages. I was very impressed.

I was a little disappointed with the enforcement of non-smoking issues. Non smokers have a ligitimate concern here and it's no secret a major export is the Cuban Cigar. A little more emphasis should be placed on politely referring people smoking.... out of the non-smoking areas. I would also suggest a reminder at the evening shows. There are some children still up late at the entertainment and exposed to the second hand smoke of people perhaps not clearly informed or without conscious.

The shows are entertaining, but I did not expect a Hollywood production. I preferred the Pre-show band playing and singing ethnic and classic tunes. The Piano Player in the evening during coffee and the Opera singer were a higher caliber of entertainment. The disco is loud as it should be..yet not a current variety. The children's dance on the other hand is super. Very inviting, interactive and easy steps.

For a taste of home there's an ice-cream shop on the premises or the 24 hour beer garden.

You don't have to run but a brisk walk during the day is great along the paths around the hotel as it is one of the biggest in size.

We used this site before booking our holiday so wanted to share our experience of this hotel for others planning to visit in January.

First and foremost the weather, that's why most of us fly for 10 hours right..it was raining on the day we arrived and raining on the day we left, but between we had fabulous weather and it even got up to 35C on a couple of days.

We arrived early evening from Manchester and despite the rumours of delays and unbearable Cuban officialdom had a fairly smooth transition through passport control and onto the coaches.

The journey from the airport to the resort is when you realise how far away from normality and how fortunate you are, the coach driver negotiates past horse and oxen drawn carts, people on horseback and on bicycles, hoards of civilian and military Cubans alike line the potholed roads along the bus routes.

To the hotel...no matter how tired you are you cannot fail to be lifted by the sight of the lobby bar and reception area where a fairly speedy and friendly check in ends with golf type buggies taking you and your baggage to your designated block and room. (Take a small torch with you until you find your way around the pathways) The rooms are spacious and comfortable, maybe not the five star that some might be expecting but you have air con, hair dryer, TV, CD player etc etc and for what you receive in smiles and service certainly makes up for any initial over expectations.

The staff in this hotel are so friendly it takes very little time to get into chill out mode, they are expertly trained to understand that you are there to relax as well as knowing that you may give a peso tip of course but in saying that we never once felt pressured into giving a tip (which meant we usually did) in our experience Cubans are so much more polite and dignified than those across the water who are quick to expect your dollar.

Make the effort to go on the Holguin tour if you can, it opened my eyes yet left a bitter sweet taste of Cuban life, the rusting railways, the crumbling university, the appalling working conditions in the cigar factory and the constant police checks in the city squares may upset you but this is daily life for ordinary Cubans.

Playa Pesquero fantastic as it is is but a tourist wonderland designed to create wealth for the state and employment for those Cubans (who in their own words) are fortunate enough to live close enough to the bus route to work there.

Politics aside you will love this place, it is a paradise and has got everything you could wish for and more, the only downside may be the biting bugs but if you take plenty of repellent which contains 'Deet' and apply daily you should be ok. Another tip....change your towels before you go back to your room, some bugs hitch a ride in them (especially when on the beach) and will feed on you. use a high factor sun cream, it's hot hot hot.

Take your old football shirts for the bar staff, some make-up and other girlie things for the chambermaids and books and pens and toys for the kids outside of the resort, you are allowed to bring home 1 litre of spirit (the 7 year rum is superb) and 23 cigars but make sure your baggage isn't over 20K otherwise you WILL be charged any excess on the way home, Cuban scales are not calibrated like ours.

Overall this was a fantastic place for a holiday, go as soon as you can, the winds of change are a blowing.

We visited the Playa Pesquero hotel in Dec 2006 it was our fifth time which says a lot I think.

The hotel was as always spotless.

Food in a la carte restaurants was good if not better than the year before (book as soon as you get there for a la carte to avoid disappointment) we took our friends with us and they say they will go back.

All the staff always remember us and repeat visitors and really do fall over backwards to please you.

The beach is in the top three we have seen in the world and we have been to some very good places.

Although in a quiet location it is very easy to get to the nearby town.

It is the best hotel we have stayed in in Cuba and we have been to Cuba Nine times.