Любимая Куба! Dear Cuba!

¡ Hola amigos! /Hello friends! /I stayed at the Mercure Cuatro Palmas 4* from 02.07. to 12.07. 2013. I will say right away that this was my second trip to Cuba, the first was last year, but I lived in a different hotel, so involuntarily, everything that happened and surrounded me this time, I compared with what happened last year and, of course, hotels. To begin with, this hotel is located, one hundred percent, in the best location in Varadero. On the territory of the hotel itself there is a shop and retail shops, you don’t have to go far, everything you need, including souvenirs, can be bought right there and the price is optimal. There is no Internet. Rooms. As previously mentioned in the reviews, the hotel is divided into two parts: in the main building 4 *, next to the beach area, the Standard rooms (overlooking: the sea, the pool, the street, the garden), and the Classic rooms are on the second line , across the road, bungalow, economical complex in a separate area - las Palmas 3 *. I had a "Standard", settled quickly, the room was overlooking the street, they immediately said that the room was bad, and advised to pay extra. At first, I was upset, and then nothing, everything is fine, the music never bothered me, because it stopped after 2 o’clock, just for sleep. In the room: a bed, a wardrobe, a safe, a table, an armchair, bedside tables, a refrigerator, an air conditioner (I turned it on when I checked in and turned it off only when I left), a chic balcony. Cleaning daily, towels changed every day and built from them bizarre figures. According to our compatriots, some Classic numbers are not bad either. I never found the “ours” socket, but I had an adapter with me (you can also buy it in the hotel store - 5 cookies). Animation. I've never seen it, but it looks like it's bad. Ocean, beach. The ocean, of course, is indescribable, you just have to see it and flounder in it, in other words, I went to Cuba just for this. The beach is also not bad, clean, I just don’t like this kind of beaches, it is crowded with sunbeds and “mushrooms”, there is not enough space, infinity, serenity (such a beach was last time, at another hotel). They do a very good massage on the beach, and the price tag is not high. The tap with water, where you can wash off the sand, was simply lost somewhere & # 61514; , the sand was washed off already in the room. The pool is nice, and what's great is that you can splash there at night (they clean it in the morning). Beach towels are issued - 20 kuk. , then return. There is no bar on the beach, you have to go to it, I didn’t like it at all. And what catastrophically enough for me during the day was music, neither on the beach, nor by the pool, but you can’t hear it anywhere! , except perhaps only where the dancers rehearse. I like it when this amazing Cuban music accompanies you everywhere, and you can just enjoy it on a sunbed by the pool or on the beach to bask on it under the sun, with the sound of the ocean (this was the last time, in another hotel). Restaurant, food. Oh, that's a different story.... I am not picky, but, in my opinion, the food, to put it mildly, is simply not tasty, monotonous and there is no choice of dishes. Soup (this is what you can always save yourself with), for the entire period there was only one and one kind. Meat, seafood, as strange as it was, were completely tasteless (last time I couldn’t say that about food). Milk was real once, then all the days it was “dry” and terribly concentrated. Juices - I don’t know, but definitely not always real. Fruits are not ripe, with the exception of pineapples, but by the evening they were already sour. Coffee, like hot chocolate bags. But then like this, somewhere around the 5th day, and it was all eaten… . Then they began to go to dinner in a restaurant / hotel / (and you have to sign up for dinner), opposite the beach, where the food is acceptable, but the service takes a very long time. We also went for dinner, by appointment, to an Italian restaurant / hotel / in the zone - las Palmas 3 *, well, somehow not very good, but the pizza is not bad. Bars. There are three of them. Delicious cocktails only in the bar, near the beach (from 18h to 2h). Tips. Cubans love them, they prepare cocktails, coffee and tea, in a different way, let's say - better. I left 1 cookie and "Alenka" for the maid. Hotel surroundings. Nearby, which is important, there is a state exchange office (CADECA), the rate was 100 euros. -120 cookies. Key discos, all within walking distance. At night, next to the hotel, life just boils! All discos are cool, incendiary. I have not been to all of them, those that are nearby, but I visited 4 clubs during the salsa festival, I will say - it's just super, super! The nightclub La Comparsita (10 minutes walk) with an open bar is just awesome, here you can see true Cubans, and what they do, there are few Russians for some reason  . Not a bad club, across the road, Calle 62, incendiary, the girl sings well there, the Cubans also come off there. Tours. 1) You should definitely see Havana, you can do it in different ways, I had an individual one (I agreed on it back in Russia), you can get to Havana on your own like this: Varadero bus station - the last house on 36th street (Calle 36 y Autopista). Tickets are sold for Viazul buses (Biasul is a company serving foreign tourists throughout the country) - 20 CUC per person to Havana and back. Four flights per day. The bus is on the road for 2.5 hours, the official stops were: “Matanzas bus station” and another stop for 10 minutes. at the cafe with a toilet. Flight schedule: from Varadero to Havana: 8.00 - 11.35 - 15.30 - 18.00 - 21.30 (but need to be specified). 2) about. Cayo Largo, Caribbean Sea, the whitest sand, iguanas, beautiful sea, fish, albatrosses, etc. A useful and beautiful excursion, with a flight (the plane is small, but normal). If you take through an agency, then be sure to check if there will be a Russian-speaking guide (we didn’t have a Russian-speaking guide in the group, without knowing a foreign language, somehow not at all, I just looked around). 3) you can independently negotiate through the local population, such excursions are also not bad, and some are even better. What to buy. Personally, I went there, also with the goal of buying real Cuban rum (I took 9 bottles + 2 bottles with me, no one limited it, no problem) & # 61514; , coffee (2 kg. ). Rum: the most famous: Legendario (Legendario) 7l. : elixir - sweetish (with honey), and pure rum; Havana Club 7l. ; Caney 7L are considered the best. and Santiago de Cuba (Santiago de Cuba) 7l. ; Mulata (also not bad, it is added to cocktails). Coffee: Qubita (strong), Serano, Turchino, Molido are all good. Cigars: Montecristo, Romeo and Juliet, Guantanamera, Cohiba, Monterrey. Souvenirs: all kinds of products made of leather, wood, fruits. In general, the hotel seemed somehow uncomfortable to me. If it were not for my "nostalgia" for the last hotel, I probably would have liked this hotel. You can live cleanly, sympathetically, in the end, after all, we don’t eat at the hotel. I would like to say that nothing marred my stay in Cuba so much that I would not want to return there again. Cuba, this is my love - forever! I don’t even know if I’ll return / I’ll be back & # 61514; / I would go to this hotel - I don’t know. I liked the previous hotel more, but the location of this one. Guys, everyone who was during this period, with whom I spent this wonderful time - hello, and thank you for being there! Any questions, write to nikolaewa. alena2011@yandex. ru. Adió s amigos! /Bye, friends! /