Playa Pesquero Hotel Reviews

The holiday started off very good. Then went down hill! Rooms in need of repainting, furniture in lobby very poor(o.k for the dog to sleep on).Very dark in grounds and hotel area, low watt bulbs used. Beach not a lot of sand, not like the pictures you see! Pool area around beds dirty and muddy, never cleaned in the two weeks we were there. Low on supplies in bar and restaurant after first week. Trips very expensive! Didn't go anywhere. Tipping requried all the time (no better service) don't bother! ATTACKED by mosquitoes, over 200 bites on husband. Had to escape to our rooms after 16.00 hours. Met some lovely people, over all a good holiday. Will go back to Cuba but not this hotel.

me and my partner have just come back and i have to say this hotel is the best! it is so big, really pretty ponds and lobby area. if you go to cuba you have to go on the day trip to havana or you might aswell say you havent been to cuba at all, it is an eye opener. going to cuba was one big history lesson but not in a bad way as it was really interesting. the sun cruise was excellent aswell and you get to swim with dolphins that arent in captivity!! my partner dives and he said that was the best dive he has ever done, he went to 30metres which he hadnt done before so he was chuffed! *the only downfall is when you book the ala carte restaurants for example; italian,there was nothing on the menu relating to italian food, and we didnt find the seafood one that great either but our friends we met there liked it so dont knock it till you try it. the romantic restaurant is really nice but please DO NOT take your kids in there it spoils the atmosphere of the place and not everybody likes kids(sorry) there are babysitters that are very reliable though and at a fair price. the buffett has every food going we really liked it in there and the staff are constantly topping your drinks up especially with water as it is so humid. you will not see a wasp or any flying bugs in sight! only the odd mozzy because it is that hot. we heard that there were loads of cats hanging around but this isnt true, there are literally about 8 altogether and we only saw them twice in 2weeks. if you feed them then they believe it or not actually go away! the cuban ladies are really friendly and arent bothered wether they get a tip or not, but with the men its a different story, if you want a quick drink,water say, and you dont tip then they will ignore you,but dont worry bout it as they arent going to remember you out of the 1000 people staying so we didnt and were ok...if you go on a trip and need the loo there is a cuban woman givin you loo roll and they are SOOO RUDE they put there hand up and say 'GIVE ME MONEY' how rude we ent all rich! overall 10/10.

PLAYA PESQUERO!! We have just returned from here, and like others we agree there is not anything negative to say about this hotel. Staff were excellent, as were the food, rooms, facilities.....I could go forever! Whilst there we had our wedding and were made to feel like royalty for the day - all our needs were attended to and nothing was too much trouble.

The staff were fantastic and so accommodating. They loved our kids and took the time and trouble to talk to them. Having just read a negative review, who said that the staff were slow, I felt this was true but that was the beauty of coming to a Caribbean island! To relax, unwind and 'act' like the locals! They appreciate anything they receive so much and we took over pens, medicines, anything for the kids and we left shoes, clothes and all our toiletries there. We did however start to run out of baby wipes and were unable to buy any, so if you have babies I would take plenty of these!

We took 9 bottles of suncream with us, as there were 5 of us and we used all of it. As the kids playground and both pools are not shaded we were forever slapping on the sunscreen - if anything this is the only concern we had. We had to keep making sure that our kids, who are 6, 3 and 1, went in the pool for short periods of time so not to burn.

We met several people who have been here a number of times, which reflects what a great place it is. I would go back to this resort tomorrow. We went as a party of 20 and everyone agreed that it was an amazing resort. I can't wait to start saving and go back for an anniversary!

We went to playa Pesquero with first choice last week in jan first in feb 2008. We have have been to Maldives, mexico, Dom Rep, all over europe and apart from the maldives this was the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The room was massive, had every thing you could want, the pool was also massive it was like a big lake. The restaurants were also very good. we are already booked up to go back Jan 2009. The cubans are so freindly and such nice people and they go out of there way to help and please you.

If you are thinking of going to cuba go to this hotel.

We are just back from Cuba and we have to say it was one of the best hols we have ever been on. Hotel is really big with lots to do, 24 hr bar and snack bar. all staff are really friendly even the gardeners. we tipped the bar waiters and they made sure you were ok all night by getting you new drinks and cleaning table and emptying the ashtrays.

Pool is huge and lovely and relaxing to lie at and also there are pool games all day long and a kids club, not the coolest though as the heat was unbearable but we didnt complain thats what we wanted. had a few days rain as it was the rainy season but it was at 4 in the afternoon and that suited us fine as we only lay out until 3 as it was roasting. take plenty sun cream we went through lots. there are always plenty sun loungers at the poolside the only thing its hard to get is the shaded seats they are taken quite quickly because of the heat.
we didnt have any problems with mosquitos or insects, expected it to be really bad from the other reviews, but we didnt get bitten once, we did get cochroaches in our room twice but thats all but we did take repellent with us.

Food was good, great choice, you have to reserve the restaurants you want to go to by going in to a conference room at reception and the lady there does it over the computer and gives you a receipt with the date and time on it. some times there was a que for this which was the down side or go to the buffet which doesnt need a reservation and alot of choice.

We tried the karaoke disco a few nights, fully air conditioned and non smoking. was the coolest room in the whole hotel. Good music and open till 2.
The beach is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen so peaceful and the sand and sea is lovely, the water mathces the blue sky, and the water is warm. there is a man on the beach came over and asked us how many beds you needed and brought them to the exact spot you wanted. quite alot of crabs on the beach, we watched them digging holes. you can go on the pedallos and catemerrans for free on the beach aswell.

we did the dolphin trip, it was good worth the money, they are great, really clever. once you have swam with them you get out and go and watch a dolphin show, amazing and then a sea lion show, funny.

there is a full menu for cocktails which i lived off the whole fortnight, think i tried every cocktail on the list, they were all nice, my faves were varadero sunrise, mojito, bldy mary and screwdriver.
i have recommended this hotel to all my family and friends and we are thinking about going back next year with the family.

Playa Pesquero is a nice hotel- accom is fine and spacious, the staff are as warm and friendly as you can find anywhere, the bar facilities are fine and the beach /pools are just the ticket. One major flaw, however.
For a 5* hotel the food was absolutely appalling. I had spent the previous 6 months in Iraq and can honestly say that I was better fed over there.

Whilst the ";raw materials"; were of good quality the Cuban chefs need a kick in the posterior. The food at the buffet was often cold and whilst there was always plenty on offer it was the blandest selection of tasteless food I have ever come across. The a la carte restaurants were better - particularly thr Romantico and the Seafood but we ended up walking out of the Asian in disgust. I can only assume that the shef in the Asian learnt his trade from a book - a book about motorcycle maintenance or something coz what I had bore no resemblance to Chines, Japanese or Malaysian food. (It did vaguely resemble a Lancashire Hotpot)
Unfortunately this one aspect made an otherwise good holiday into an average one, which is a shame as the hotel and staff were lovely.

This is the second time we have been to this hotel, the first time in March 2006, and after experiencing the best holiday we had ever had we decided even before leaving the resort that we would return.
This time we went as a party of 11, with my brother and his fiancee having booked to get married there.
The flight with First Choice was very good, the screens in the back of the seats with a choice of films and games helped alleviate the boredom on the 10 hour flight, as did the larger size seats with more legroom than I'd experienced before. We landed in torrential rain, which continued for a number of hours.

We filled in a registration card on the tranfer coach (transfer was an hour)which helped speed up check in, and we were served a glass of rum punch on arrival.

Unfortunately there was quite a wait for a buggy to take us to our room as 3 coaches had arrived at the hotel at the same time and it was a bit of a free for all to get a buggy. As we'd been there before, we decided to walk to our rooms, and a porter had taken our cases away to deliver them direct to our rooms.

The room was very spacious, large wardrobe, comfortable sofa, chair and a table.
The sink is separate to the bathroom, which was useful. Powerful shower, and a bidet.
Towels changed daily, and sheets changed every day unless you put the card on the bed. Huge bed, although the only down side was it was two matresses put together this year.
Nice patio with a view of a wooded area with lots of birds to watch and listen to. It was also quite private, not being overlooked by other accomodation.
The fridge is stocked daily with a 1500ml bottle of water, 2 mini cans of lager and 2 mini colas. We would put a peso in the fridge with a note asking for more water as one bottle a day between two wasn't always enough. We often gave the lagers or cola to the hard working gardeners, who were so friendly. They would often pick a flower and give it to you (and you didn't get a sense of them doing it for reward, as in some other Caribbean islands). TV good, with enough English speaking channels. Hairdryer was adequate enough to dry my medium length hair satisfactorily.

The accomodation blocks are only two storey, so no waiting for lifts or long hikes up stairs. The room is cleaned every day, with hearts or swans made out of your fresh towels most days. The aircon is very welcome and efficient.
The whole place is laid out very well, there are lots of trees and flowers everywhere,and although this is a very big hotel, we never felt crowded. There are buggies that you can hitch a ride on (being electric, they are very quiet) and they operate all day and into the night, which can be handy if it's raining or you've had a few too many Pina Colada's!

The weather this time was changeable, it would be sunny in the morning, then cloud over in the afternoon, or vice versa. We had about 3 days of constant cloud and rain, though it's still very warm even when it rains, and really, there is enough to do if the weather is bad (spanish and cookery lessons, tennis, table tennis, pool, or lounge in the hot tubs) We still came back with good sun-tans. We were told by a Cuban that they had had several years of drought, but it had been raining for 6 months and they were very glad of it, naturally, so we may just have been unlucky.
There were a lot more mosquito's around this year, which I think was due to the wetter weather. We did get bitten a lot, but had taken no repellant as the year before had experienced no problems.

The pool is just wonderful, it's absolutely massive, and there never seems to be many people in it. It's not cold, and it goes from very shallow to chest height. There are always plenty of sun beds, and plenty of shade if needed.
As well as 2 bars - one swim up, and one at the other end of the pool, there is a man with a mobile bar, so you don't even have to walk anywhere.
The beach is beautiful, white sand and turquoise water that is even warmer than the pool. When you get to the beach the sunbed man will take your sun bed to the spot you've chosen.
There is a bar and a restaurant (menu style as opposed to buffet) on the beach also, as well as all the usual watersports - snorkelling, pedalos, catamaran etc (all incl).
The beach was the venue for my brother's wedding, and this was held a week after we arrived. We all had a superb day. The wedding was at 4pm, and the weather was fab. The bride got her hair and nails done (all incl), the groom had a massage (incl). The groom and best man were taken by horse and carriage to the beach, and then it returned for the bride. There was a 5 piece band that played soft Cuban music, as they scattered rose petals before the bride. Lots of people watched the whole thing from a discreet distance, and everythinhg felt very special. The champagne flowed from the moment the ceremony ended to well into the night.
We were taken back to the lobby for more champagne and photos, and then down to the seafood restaurant for the most amazing meal, with yet more champagne.
The staff at all times were attentive, yet discreet, and made you feel special, and were courteous beyond words. This applied to just about the whole hoiday, not just the wedding. My brother and his new wife were extremely happy with everything, and said this was their best holiday ever.

The food in this hotel is excellent, with just about every taste catered for. We ate in most of the a la cartes, but I would recommend booking within your first day or two as they are very popular. The service and food is impeccable in both the buffet and a la cartes. We ate at the Grill every lunchtime as this had such an excellent choice, and was close to the pool. We were there one lunchtime while it was my sister's birthday and we mentioned this to one of the waitresses while my sister was away from the table. The waitress came over a little while later with other staff and a bottle of champagne and sang happy birthday to her. It was impromptu and typical of the attentive service of this hotel.

All of our party went on trips - we went on ";speed boat adventure";, which was great apart from the weather, which was cloudy that day and the sea was choppy, so we couldn't visit the beach that was part of the itinerary. Our guide was entertaining and helpful.
Other members of the party went on the Holguin trip. This involved a trip to a cigar factory and a ride on a steam train and some free time in Holguin itself, which is a city. It was a real eye opener apparently in terms of the poverty Cuban's experience, but an enjoyable trip by their account.
Several also went on the ";swim with dolphin's"; trip, and all enjoyed that.

In the evening we usually relaxed after our meal in the lobby bar, which is a huge area in the main part of the hotel where most people go to drink and meet friends, or watch the entertainment. I'm ashamed to say I didn't watch any of the shows, so I can't really say what they were like, but they did seem quite popular, and I'm sure a nice change from just sitting and drinking, which is really all there is to do in the evening.
A few members of our party went to the disco once or twice. We did have good fun in there and they played some good dance music (Madonna, Beyonce, as well as the usual cheesy stuff), and some latin pop.
There is also a fabulous coffee bar in the lobby, where they serve all kinds of coffee - espresso, latte, cappucino etc. We made regular trips to this, particularly in the late afternoon, where they also served biscuits and cake, and around 5pm every day served slices of cooked ham, with olives and champagne (we were never hungry, but could never resist this).
I could go on and on about this hotel, but suffice to say we are about to book to go back next January - our 3rd time there, so I think that is all there is to say.

We have just returned from a short break at the Hotel Playa Pesquero and can quite honestly say we were disappointed with our choice of destination.
Having read glowing reviews about this hotel we thought we would have no problems with our choice. How wrong can you be!

When checking in after a long flight we had to shout above the noise of the lobby bar. Not a good first impression.
The Playa Pesquero is reputedly the largest hotel in Cuba. It is,in fact, the size of a small village spread over extensive gardens. Little golf carts patrol the grounds picking up guests and ferry them to the various restaurants.
We tried most of the a la carte restaurants during our stay but the food quality in all of them was poor and service slow. The Romantico (which was supposed to be the best) had, in fact, the worst service and staff attitude.
A tip: The Romantico and the adjoining Gondola restaurant share the same toilets. Try to avoid using them if you can as the evenings we were there, they were in a disgusting state and smelt vile. Other guests commented on them as well.

In fact, nearly all the toilets in the public areas were the same with the exception of the Beer Garden which were always spotless.

Playa Pesquero is described in the brochures as 'a quiet resort'. This is an understatement as it is not a resort at all. You are miles from anywhere and there is nothing to do outside the hotel if you don't book any trips.
The upside of this hotel are the gardens themselves which are well kept by a large team of gardeners. We also found in general that the staff were lovely and friendly and always ready for a laugh and a chat.
Following the advice of other reviews, we gave some of them little presents of toiletries, clothing and aspirin etc. and coloured pencils and books for the kids. Everything was very much appreciated no matter how small the gesture.

To sum up - Hotel Playa Pesquero does not warrant its 5 star rating especially if you've done a few long hauls before and stayed in other 5 star hotels. They need to address the negatives (like the toilets and improve the food quality) then perhaps they will warrant a better rating.
As it is at the moment, we would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

There is nothing about this Hotel that is not excellent

The food, the staff, the trips, we had one of the best holidays here, if you get the chance you must go on the Havana trip, it was just great.

We stayed at the playa pesquero hotel from mid november until december. We had a fantastic time through out despite there being a few days of rain.

Starting at the flight, I have to comment on how wonderful the first choice air staff were and how helpful they were with our toddler. They did anything they could to make the flight enjoyable with him and were on hand with anything.

The check in was really quick and simple, and it made my toddlers day when we were taken to our room's on the train. We travelled with my parents and we had rooms next door to each other which was good.

The hotels food is good throughout, one of our favourite places was the beer garden. They do beautiful snacks and the staff are wonderful. Our little boy loved the icecream across from the beer garden and everyday he made his little visits there.
All the staff are so friendly and were brilliant with our little boy.

The beach was beautiful, we sat in the same spot everyday and before we were even on the beach the deck chair guys already had them in our place which was alway a nice touch.

The pool is lovely, however the only downside is there isnt much shade at all.

We had a few days of bad rain but this didnt ruin anything for us just meant we did a bit more drinking and eating, when it was raining in the day we would sit by the stage with our drinks as this meant our little boy could happily run around, WE also made use of the disco because with the pool table etc it kept us all happy.

The staff really appreciate little treats and gifts and we took all different things. We left some for the maid but also once you get to know the staff they really appreciate it when you also give them gifts.

We did tip but this isnt necessary at all, we just did it because we enjoyed the service.

If you go you will have a really good time, we are already booked to go back in April.

Have fun

Had a wonderful two weeks at this resort, wasn't sure what to expect but was not disappointed. Its on an All Inclusive basis which makes for a very relaxing outlook. Breakfasts are excellent with oodles of choice, you can even have sprouts if desired! Evening buffet was a bit hit and miss, it tended to be the same every day with very slight variation and a lot of the meat and sauces we found to be very salty, as if being cooked in seawater, haha! Beach bar excellent (spot the resident lizard), poolside lunchtime buffet excellent, ice-cream is divine as is their coffee; good and strong! A tip for booking the restaurants: get in early...

The beach is beautiful with plenty of room/beds; the same with the pool. We opted for the beach most of the time as the sea is pleasantly clear and warm.

Had an amazing day with the dolphins, watch out for the 'girls', you're liable to get a shove up the bum! Trip to the cigar factory is a good day-out also, and the speedboat ride is well worth the money.

We saw some spectacular lightning flashes while we were there and a lot of heavy rain...but (I don't know about you) this didn't spoil anything for me. When the sun was out it was HOT. The people are the absolute friendliest i have ever met, they just want you to be comfortable and happy and will bend over backwards to ensure this is achieved. Enjoy!!

We stayed at the Playa Pesquero - what a hotel! 3 Teenagers were in our party - they had the time of their lives!

Plenty of restuarants, bars, Rooms very clean, Cubans served you with a smile, very friendly. Mossies - take plenty of repellant! Beach has sand fleas - beware but otherwise very nice. Boats are free - make use of these. Plenty of drinks day and night. Hotel complex is a village in itself - very safe for children - my young sons is 8 and he could visit different places in the resort and be very safe! We find to difficult for any to come back from here and not have an excellent time.

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Well, what can we say, it was very big hotel, lots of space, very clean, gardens are beautiful

ROOMS - very large, comfortable rooms, queen size beds, including settee and chair, table and flat screen tv, cd player, coffee maker, iron/ironing board, and free safe and fridge.
greet showers, very powerful and hot, bath inc. Lots of wardrobe space, with 2 dressing gowns included.
Rooms cleaned and changed daily, with lovely towel designs on bed daily.
Fridge topped up daily with water, coke, beer etc.
On arrival we had bouquet of flowers and champagne in room ( on honeymoon).

COMPLEX - Fantastic resort/hotel. if you didnt want to walk from room to beach or other part of complex then you can take the buggies or a buggie train.
Very large swimming pool, with a swim up bar. plenty of loungers, with free towels that you can change as often as you like during your stay.
Games area with pool, table tennis (6 tables) badminton, tennis courts (flood lit)(3) chess, draughts, other games.

BEACH - lovely sandy beach, with loungers, shadey spaces available under umbrellas and trees. Lovely clear blue water, free use of beach activities, incl. hire of pedloes snorkling and cateraman ( with experienced guide) plus life guards on beach.

FOOD - the buffet restaurant was good, a wide variety of food to suit everyone, including choose your fresh fish or meat or eggs and they will be cooked fresh and how you like them.
there is also a 24hr restaurant plus restaurants for the evenings, asian, italian, grill, fish, romantica ( which is highly recommended as it is inside and beautifully decorated with a pianist. you can book these restaurants each once in a wk.
You can order any drink you wish throughout your stay, 24hrs a day. including good brands like johnie walker, and champagne.

Entertainment - very good shows, colourful, lively, including a ballet, a singing group, carnaval evening, childrens show.
there is also a karaokee bar.

staff very friendly, and if all you do is smile at them including the gardeners and security, and say hello, you make them happy.

TOURS - would definately recommend swimming with the dolphins, and inside cuba is very interesting, going on a steam train ride, going to a cigar factory, and seeing life for the cubans.
The champions tour is also great, which is a jeep off roading(which you can drive yourself) horseback riding and driving your own speedboad for 30mins.
The only drawback from a couple of the tours when visiting the towns is you can get pestered from beggers asking for pesos, and eventhough we said no, they would still continue to pester us.
The other thing we didnt know when doing some of the trips, is when you want to take photos( for example when we visited a fort and a memorial, we had to pay a peso to take photos, i know its not much, but it would help to be told this beforehand.

Overall this has been avery enjoyable holiday, and would rate this hotel as one of the best we have ever stayed in. Definately worth the money when it is all inclusive, including champagne, lovely red and white wines and lots of spirits 24hrs a day.

We have been to Cuba for 3 years, and we love it, but this hotel stands out from the others, a fantastic hotel, the food is better than i have had in any hotel i have stayed and i have been to loads of different countries. The all-incluside is ideal with food been served 24 hours if you want it, the lobby bar provides champage 24 hours which i was impressed and good quality not cheap champagne!! the room is nice and clean with everything in it for you.
The staff are very friendly and are there to help you and assist you.

We will definately go back to this hotel the largest hotel in cuba and 5 *.