We travel to Cuba frequently over past 15 years. It truly is a place of white sand, sun and relaxation. Things have changed in Cuba over last decade so I will try to review each aspect.
Things To Know: Cuba is having a major supply chain issue. This means you need to expect shortages and bring things. My wife and I ALWAYS bring toilet paper, ketchup, salad dressing, bug repellent, after bite cream, cans of mini pop, drink flavouring packages, chips, chocolate bars, coffee whitener, pillows, and portable mini-kettle.
Main Hotel Lobby:
Most resorts are like this one. Valentin is one of the newer ones, about 10 years old. They all show signs of being 10 years old if you look for them. Lobby has the marble floors, Decor looks great. I see some reviews showing the problem areas and yes.. if you look for cracks or signs of repair you can find them but overall the structure looks good and at face value seems luxurious.
Rooms: Similar to most resort rooms in Cuba. 5 Star in tropical resorts is NOT comparable to 5 Star in North America in case you have never travelled south before. Reasonably spacious, king bed, TV, A/C, sliding door to go outside and shower with large shower head in bathroom. Things to know. You will find small issues if you seek them. ex: Our sliding door was missing handle on both sides meaning it was difficult to open, Toilets don't always flush, hairdryer required 2 service calls. Pillows in most southern resorts are flat so consider bringing pillows. We always buy 2 pillows before travelling, they are handy to get comfortable on flights, great to help sleeping and we leave them behind when we leave.
Pools: There are 2 main pool areas. The resort is not very full and everyone used the pool shown in the pictures. It has 3 connecting pools with Snack Shack and Swim up bar. There are activities each afternoon to watch and stay entertained. We never had an issue getting a lounge chair but of course that can happen at any resort or cruise. Layout of the 3 pools was great. Music on one side and quiet on the other.
The other main pool area is functional but vacant. I few people were at that pool pool each day and it is just for relaxing in the sun.
Restaurants: As with all resorts you book your 3 restaurants. We tried International, Cuban and Italian. They rotate the themed restaurants in 2 rooms. It is always nice to get dressed up and have service at the table. It is Cuba, so they do their best with the supplies they have and overall it is enjoyable. I'm not a foody and my guess is that foodies don't go to Cuba. You are never hungry in Cuba but you will experience some lack of choices. There is always plenty of chicken, fish, noodles, rice, vegetables, ice cream and bread. All cooked in various methods.
Entertainment: This is the 1st year Cuba is NOT offering nightly shows in their resort theatres. They had a DJ and a dance floor each evening which the younger people enjoyed. We never stay up past 9PM so not that big of a deal for us but disappointing for some. They was morning pool exercises, afternoon pool activities. 1953 Pink Ford Taxi is a must. If you are new to Cuba.. do the Catamaran day tour!!! And in truth.. any of the pay day tours with the tourism operators are fantastic! There is an hourly double decker bus from 9Am-4Pm that goes to the market (5 minutes away) for some shopping. We found french fries there at the local restaurant. Fries are rare in Cuba.
Buffet: The buffet now feels different then 10 years ago. Although huge, you can sense the lack of supplies here. Each table is filled with lots of food just not the variety that you might expect. There is always a noodle station, grilled chicken station, grilled fish station, omelet station (when available), dessert station, bread station, and vegetable station. you won't go hungry, rather the meals can become repetitive. Instead of 5 choices of each flavour it will be the same 1 choice of each flavour. (Bring some spices with you and salad dressing packages)
Beach: The best! Best beach we have ever seen in Cuba! White sands, areas with coral rocks and fish. (We bring snorkel masks buy you didn't need them to watch the tropical fish swim near you when walking next to rocks). Staff always located a chair for us. 3 bars on the long beach. Lunch served from 1-2pm (Hamburgers and hotdogs). Beach was the highlight of this trip. (Bring after-bite or repellant for any family members that are prone to getting bit. This is true of ANY beach on the planet.
Service: Service was very good. I do wonder if the shortages are taking a toll on the staff. They were very friendly, and smiled and yet "Distant" compared to pervious years. We love the people of Cuba and are aware of the hardships they face outside of the resorts. Remember that a $1 tip is equivalent to 1 day pay for them. We bring lots of US $1 and tip frequently. (Not required, just seems right).
Valentin shortages when we just visited:
Each day seemed to have some different shortages in various areas of the resort. We don't mind this as this is Cuba. Shortages on various days includes no wine, no toilet paper in public washrooms, no rum at various bars, no vodka at various bars, no eggs on some days, no beef on some days. We bring a small backpack with us everywhere we go with some essentials.
So if you are like us, we love hot weather, relaxing pools, A/C bedrooms, something new to find each day, good service, semi-luxury surrounding, white sand and are prepared to bring a few things in your luggage. We still recommend Cuba and we recommend Valentin Perla Blanc.
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