Hotel Gran Caribe Cojimar Reviews

A holiday for couples or mates, It does beat the med.

We have just returned from two fabulous weeks from Gran Caribe Cojimar, We have had an an excellent holiday, The hotel was in an excellent location on a beautiful clean beach,The hotel may not be the most plush looking complex on the cayos but it was kept very clean & tidy. the rooms were very comfortable and the maid service was very good. The restaurant tried very hard to cater to us Brits and and there was always a choice of differant dishes ,I love fish and rice so I never went hungry although some other holiday makers claimed there was no choice of food (these people never seemed to look any further than the chips hot plate!!! ). The entertainment staff worked very hard to keep you entertained and if you wanted to join in there was competitions and games nearly all day and night ,concluding with some great salsa dancers most evenings, I took my fourteen year old daughter and her friend with us and I must say she is very hard to please, but she and her friend both agreed it was an amazing holiday and did not want to go home,As the complex is quite small they could do their own thing with out me having to worry about them as they were never too far away. In summarizing it is a great hotel complex for a fun but relaxing family holiday , where the adults can have a relaxing worry free time and the teenagers can also find enough to keep them safely entertained.

We had such a great time at this Hotel and although it is not the best hotel on this resort it was certainy the most entertaining and the staff were fantastic. Located in the best spot on the island right on the cleanest part of the beach with crystal clear water and very white sand. The food was not brilliant but the hotel made the best of what they had. If you consider Cuba is a sanctioned country with an embargo imposed on the island for over 40 years then you have to respect their effort, it was quite annoying to hear your typical common Brit who moaned about everything and just ate chips everyday (even though they had a bottom like the back of a bus) I just put this down to the fact it is probabley their once in a lifetime all they can ever afford on benefits saved over the past 5 years holiday, and were expecting 5 star and beyond... the truth is the Hotel had a great feel about it, there was a show every night and a disco (which was okay)throughout the day the entertainment staff held a series of competions which was fun, we won a few bottles of Rum between our group. We went horse riding ($30 =�£18 including lunch and free bar), paragliding and even went on the flying boat which was fun, aside from this we done various other trips away from the hotel. If you go here on holiday I recommend you do the speedboat and snorkling trip, if you like the idea of being James Bond for a few hours, driving your own speedboat this trip is for you this cost us $41, the rate is around 1.65 Cuban pesoe's to the �£. I would advise buying an underwater camera before you go, the cost about �£20 over there, but it is well worth it when you see the fish.

Just returned from 2 weeks stay at this hotel, and feel we had to place our comments on this website. The hotel grouds are very well tendered,and on arrival the hotel looks good. Cuban people are friendly and helpful. The beaches are stunning despite being unable to swim in the sea as it is shallow for miles! Evening entertainment is provided by dancers and rep entertainers and they do their best and work hard. Unfortunately you cannot attempt Archery as they have no ";bows";, Dart games were plastic and generally day entertainment was limited - but they do their best. A trip on Colourful Cuba is a must and the only best thing that happened in Cuba!!

In the main resturant food was diabolical - there was no variety in meals, and apart from banana's and melon no other fruit was available, and very little veg, just grilled food(safer you stand and watch them cook your fish, chicken, pork), mash,chips,rice(which was topped up when low and not replaced with new) - a great haven for bacteria- and other cuba food - which was sometimes cold. Unless you were ready for food at 7pm - you would have to wait for plates, cuttlery etc and food to be brought out if you got there 8.00pm and onwards. Coffee machines broke down and tables were rarely set for dinner. deserts were minimal - with 1 or 2 flavours of ice cream. All drink were served in plastic cups, glasses were limited and alarmingly they constantley run out of drink in evening around 9.00pm - not good enough for an all inclusive holiday.

Rooms were spacious with air con that worked (thank god) and T.V that continued to play movies (great when the storms arrived). We had a problem in our room with the toilet not flushing on a daily basis and continually made complaints about this. One morning our room was completely flooded. Some rooms look re-furbished but others are basic but clean. Mozzies are a nightmare for some.

Cuba is a poor country and we went knowing Cuba in not known for its cusine - but felt the food was not satisfactory, not good enough to class as an all inclusive holiday

We have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Villa Cojimar - Cayo Guillermo. Prior to booking through Direct Line (Thomas Cook) we did an awful lot of research on Cuba and in particular the various resorts / hotels etc. Villa Cojimar had mixed reviews, mostly fair to good, so we felt comfortable booking this hotel and we can honestly say we were not disappointed. This is the 1st time we have ever provided feedback so hope you find it useful.

Okay - so the hotel could do with a lick of paint, some of the towels have the odd hole in, but overall it's a great place to stay. I am not always the easiest person in the world to please, but the way to view it is you get what you pay for. If you keep this in mind then you won't be disappointed.

The staff are excellent, the pool is great and the beach - oh boy. You literally have the whole thing to yourself, and there are only a few people in the water.

Part of your package includes free water sports, which includes Kayaks, Windsurfing, snorkelling etc. There are loads for the kids - Archery, Tennis, Beach Volley Ball..and the staff are great in keeping them entertained. You also don't need to take Beach Towels as these are provided by the hotel.

At Villa Cojimar you have the best of both worlds - If you want peace and relaxation, you got it, if you want to do different activities, then you can.

During our stay we had a big thunderstorm, only lasted a day or so, and actually it was quite romantic - Carlo made me say that..there were however people complaining with the hotel, because it was raining...unbelievable. It is recommended however that you check the weather before you go as the summer is the rainy season.

Food - This is good, particularly round the pool bar during lunch as you can get whole grilled fish, burgers (very nice ones) etc. The buffet restaurant has a great selection, which includes a carvery, grilled fish, meat, chicken and prawns as well as vegetables. For breakfast you can get fried eggs, omelettes, pancakes and cereal. It can get a little monotonus but its only 2 weeks.

One recommendation is that you do not try the 2 restaurants on the complex as they are NOT GOOD. There is an Italian and a Cuban and honestly, you will be bitterly disappointed if you go. You are better off with the buffet.

Trips - Speedboats, fantastic, lets the men feel like they are James Bond as you get to drive your own. Do book this later in the day though as the current is not as strong for snorkelling.

Salsa Night - A very good night, which is lead by the Thomas Cook Rep for Cojimar - Alex. Everyone is up dancing and you will have a great time.

Havana - We had booked this as a day trip however the flight was Canx. There were people that went on the 2 day trip. I would say however that I am glad our trip was canx as the safety of the internal planes are not good - the day trips were canx twice due to ";delays"; with the plane - check out the following site which is warning against internal travel - http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/

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There have also been a few internal aircrashes. Not wanting to scare you but seriously, it's not worth taking the risk.

Dolphins - We didn't do this but there were a few people that we met who had, and they all had a fantastic time.

Do also try and do a trip to the local town of Moron. There is not much there but you get an opportunity to see the real Cuba, something you don't see on the resort as the only Cuban's are those who work on holiday there.

Important things to know if you have never been to Cuba -

Money - There are no Cash Machines so you will need to either take Stirling with you or Stirling Travellers Cheques - YOU CANNOT USE ANY AMERCIAN CARDS or Amex Travellers Cheques - Money can be exchanged at the hotel. You do however get a better rate if you use your Credit Card to get money - For cash the Hotel offered 1.64 CUC Vs £1 where on the Credit Card you get 1.97 CUC Vs £1.

To be honest though the only money you will spend is on Tips - 1 - 2 CUC is enough as the Cubans then have to exchange this for their local currency. Basically 9CUC coverts to 250 Cuban Pesos.

Mosquitoes - These are pretty bad, although the Hotel does spray the grounds twice a day, you will still get bitten to hell. Take Jungle strength and also have a Plugin and this should help.

To leave Cuba you need to pay 25CUC each so make sure you have this put to one side with your tickets.

The only bad experience we had, was on our last night as our safe was broken into and we had our money stolen as well as other items. They didn't take all the items in our safe, just 1 watch out of 3, as well as IPOD and other stuff. We have a suspicion of who it was as it was at 5pm and there were only 2 staff members who knew we were not at our hotel. THAT SAID - don't let this put you off as this can happen anywhere and it has no spoilt our experience of Cuba.

Summary - Cuba is fantastic. You get paradise but are not paying the earth to get it. The beaches are fabulous, the hotel is great and the people are fantastic. You are guaranteed to have a great time.

Like the Buckingham's before us we were lucky enough to get the beach front bungalows. The views were absolutely tremendous and the beaches were completely amazing. Location wise, we could not have hoped for anything better.

Now to the downside, the food was apalling. Our chldren are probably pretty fussy eaters at the best of times but the straw that broke the camels back came when my middle daughter came back to the table at evening meal time with a slice of bread and a banana. Myself, my mother-in-law and father-in-law were ill for almost the full two weeks with what I must assume as food poisoning. If you're getting your omlette cooked for you by Osraldo ( A really nice guy and always full of questions ) then get him to check the eggs first. We're pretty sure that we got a dose of salmonella and it took me about 3 weeks to get over it.

All things considered, the food was rubbish, the staff were great, the location was brilliant and if I was asked if I would go back to this place again then the answer would be no. Too many other places to visit.

If you can stomach dodgy food and like nice white sandy beaches then go and book up. You won't be disappointed (other than the food of course).

resort has nothing if you want quiet ok trips good but long journey to havana and dolphines speed boat ect good food poor entertainment poor rep crap hotel shabby staff of work hard shop prices high cigars much cheaper at airport on way home thought this would be fab holiday disappointed drink choice limited rum rum more rum told mini bar in room none a lot of guest were unhappy some used next hotel we were disappointed not what we expected the more you tip staff the better service you get so tip from the start of stay we would not go back pretty beach good weather poor flights poor accomadation expected better

eight in party none would would go back to this hotel

After reading previous reviews i was very concerned on arrival at this resort. It is basically surronded by swampland so be very prepared when you arrive in cayo coco to put on insect repellent. That was my first mistake! I ended up with 50 bites in my first night followed by a trip to the doctors!

The place does need updating but the bungalow i had was fine, right overlooking the beach it was beautiful.Breakfast in buffet restaurant you can get freshly cooked eggs in whatever fashion you like. Lunch can be eaten in restaurant or at grill bar which serves burgers, hotdogs, chips, rice and freshly griddled fish!(later on the grill then serves toasties, very nice!)Evening meal and be taken in the buffet restaurant or you can reserve the Pasta/Pizza (not a lot of choice there!) or the Cuban restaurant.(which i didnt try!)I would recommend that you tip your maid early in your stay you will find this is to your advantage as they will go out of their way and get you whatever you need!

The beach is lovely just becareful of the sand flies! You can walk along the pier and the water still wouldn't be up to your waist!
The evening entertainment is really good and staff go out of their way for you!
Speaking of staff, Ermes and Sergio that work on the pool bar every other day are fantastic they never forget your drink or make you wait too long!

Also Alex the rep who was fantastic in my hour of need, he offered me the help and assistance i thought i wouldn't (or havent received anywhere in the world)need but with two broken fingers i did really appreciate it!
Also thanks to Karen the air hostess, who without and really couldnt have coped on the 8 hour return flight!
TRIPS- Doplin deluxe- a must if you havent tried it before!
SPEEDBOATS- Brilliant,you'll feel like james bond!
CATAMARAN- Fantastic, and the food was supberb, especially the lobster and shrimps!
CIGAR EXPERIENCE- Not worth the money!

ENJOY! Wish i was back now and i only came home on the 9th June!

Well what can we say, we have just arrived back from a 2 week holiday, this was our 3rd time in the Caribean and had to be the worst.

We had fantastic flights and did both journeys in great time and the poilot was the best ever!

Unfortuntley this was our worst holiday yet, we arrived at the hotel and had a gutt feeling, we went to our room which was on the beach front which was great, the rooms where basic but clean and if you experiance any rain while you are out there be carefull as our room leaked!! we got eaten alive by the mozzy's but hey its not a holiday unless you have a bite or two!!!!

The food had to be the worst bit of the holiday, myself and my husband had very bad stomach's for almost 2 weeks, infact we have never been on a holiday All Inclusive before that we have lost weight on!!! The food really needs to improve and the cleanleness of the restautant needs improving?

Drinks....well you by a bottle of water from the shop and the bar's are happy to fill the bottles for you full of water as and when you want, but the shop on site had no fresh water bottle's to buy for 3 days!!! so if you had just arrived at the hotel you was in trouble.

The weather was fantastic mega hot! be warned the sun burns and alot of people had burnt on the first day including myself.

Over all we loved the beach and sea and most of the staff where great, however we wanted to come back after a first week as there was lots of little things that just made the holiday get worse e.g the pool was dirty, not enought sun beds so we had to get up at 6.30am to get a bed, drinks are in plastic cups, I found a few insects in my food! I had things stolen from outside my room and I can go on. I really feel this hotel needs re-rating as its more like a 2* and the brouche is selling you a false holiday.

For people that read these truth guides please take them seriously as I have never written a report before about any of my holidays but I really felt I need to with this one, as I really don't think this hotel will be on the marked long!!!

We won't we going back to Cuba in a huray.

cold food; drinks in plastic cups at every bar; ";entertainment"; dancers EVERY night just diff' costumes and theme; ";A LA CARTE"; restaurants were like cafes. we were ill for three days , we were lucky some guests were hospitalised. DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR UPGRADE TO THE IBEROSTAR next hotel up.

The hotel is a little dated and could do with some modernisation, the location is great right on a beautiful beach.
The staff are very fiendly and helpfull the maid makes all hearts and swans out of the towells and leaves flowers and a little cuban doll for christmas for us.
The food is ok generally a good choice we did not meet anyone who got ill. The gala dinner for christmas and new year was great Lobster etc and every kind of meat imaginable.
The speed boat trip is worth going on although the current was too strong and impossible to snorkel at the time we went.
There also semed to b a shortage of glasses in th bars so often had to drink out of plastic disposable which was annoying.
The night shows were avrage have seen allot better but they tried.

Overall it was a good holiday for the money we paid after all your not paying 5 Star money.

We only had one mis hap in the rooms you have electronic safes that open with the same key card that opens your door, on the last day we were getting ready to leave and noticed that money was stolen from our safe? however mobile phones,passports,mp3 players, wedding rings and digi camera was not touched only the £80.00 and $30 peso was gone.
We went to reception who called security who have a machine that plugs into your door and safe and reads every time the doors have been opened, it gave a print out and we established that another key had been issued on sunday evening and the monday morning whilst we was at breakfast this key was used to open our room and safe. Each key you have has to be signed for by yourself and because there was no signature from either of us the hotel gave us our money back. They were very quick at dealing with this and took the matter very seriously we could not fault in any way in which they dealt with this.
But these things unfortunatly happen what ever country your in.

if you are looking to go to this hotel please dont take it from us we booked a yr previous and tryed to change it 4 times but couldnt after i read the reviews i thought oh my god!!!!

well here we go 10 hrs on plane was ok no delays from gatwick,but the resort is ok nothing to see on the trip to the hotel wen we got there was a big shock wen we got our room which was room no 27 we had 5 bad days in that room which i complained about to spiros our rep and the hotel mananger we had mouldy walls and things were stolen out of our room we reported it but got nothing back we found out it was the secruity gaurds from other guests bcause the gaurds went round the back of ur rooms and was riting down wot u had in ur rooms,so after 5 days there we were moved to room no 70 we had MOULDY!!!! pillows and i mean mould im allergic to mould anyway so we came up in rashes on our necks and shoulders so after 3 days in there and only 3 days till xmas we were very peed off spiros did move us to the daiquiri which was a palace but we had 8 days of hell in the cojimar the food was stone cold bear in mind that food has to be above 60 degrees to avoid food poisining the pork was cold ,cold cauilflower if u wanted anymore u had to pay for it for an all inclusive thats terible we would never go back there again

we went on the 14 dec 05 and came back 29 dec 05 so this has just happened

TOUR OPERATOR - excellent flights and administration. Weve used Thomas Cook before and would recommend highly.

HOTEL - again, for a 3 star hotel this was excellent - very good. The food was good (although got a little monotonous as the fortnight wore on)and the evening entertainment was far superior to the 4 star entertainment we'd had when we stayed at another part of Cuba two years earlier.
The bungalow style rooms were clean, spacious and ours overlooked the beach.

RESORT - now the downside. This resort is basically situated in swampland! Nice to see a few pelicans but the mossies and sandflies were about all the time. Immune to mossie sprays and..some of us get eaten alive by them! A canadian lady suggested using calomine oil/cream as a preventative measure (rather than to cure the itching) but didn't have time to test this out).

The sea is too shallow to swim in - you can wade out for miles, amongst the sea weed, and not see a single fish so its really naff for snorkelling. For snorkelling you have to take a boat out to a small island and, when we wre there it was too windy. The beach is narrow and the locals do their best to keep it free from seaweed by 'sweeping it' morning and evening (they do their best to kill the sandflies and mossies too).

THE PEOPLE
If you don't mind all the above then its worth a trip just to meet the people -they are really, genuinely lovely.

Where do i start? What a FANTASTIC HONEYMOON!!!As we were travelling on the air conditioned bus towards our hotel we were a bit concerned as every other hotel on the way looked quite basic from the exterior. We arrived at the cojimar at about noon with our 3 year old son only to be greeted by a cool drink, looking directly over the large swimming pool towards the FABULOUS BEACH! We will never forget that wonderful view to start our honeymoon.As we waited for our keys with our drink we could not have asked for a better room! Directly on our own piece of the beach. Brilliantly air conditioned rooms ( this was over used so stopped working once - but was fixed by the staff straight away)All the staff were very efficient and ever so friendly - they loved our son too!

GOOD POINTS:
Views / beach / staff / culture / entertainment team worked very hard.
Kids club looked good - however we did not use it with our son
Food was nice but got quite repetative by day 10 / 11 as expected! Enough choice for our son aswell.
RECOMENDED TRIPS:
Colourfull Cuba - fantastic culture.Good for children too - train trip / boat trip / picnic in woods......
Dolphins
Speed boats - my husband was like a child!

BAD POINTS:
Bathroom could do with updating, but views more than made up for this!
Could have more variety of restaurants - this will be done in near future i think!
This resort will be developed as will most of Cuba, but go now to see it's wonderfull charm.
FANTASTIC HOLIDAY - FIRST TIME TO CARRIBEAN.What a wonderfull experience. Our son still talks about the holiday now -must have been FAB!

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!