Star Rating
We have been to other 4-star resort in Cuba. In our opinion, this is a 3.5 star resort. It was a low season when we visited the resort. The number of staff was greatly reduced. A lot of activities were cut or not available. The activities were not comparable to other 4 star resorts. There were 3 a la carte restaurants, but only one was opened each night. We booked the a la carte restaurants as soon as we arrived; we only managed to book 6pm slot at day 5 and day 6. All other slots were already fully booked. We were told that some guests didn't manage to book a la carte dinner. They have 6pm and 8pm slots. It is observed that they only served 7-8 tables, but there were 11-12 empty tables. When asked why there were so many empty tables, they told us that they will need more staff to serve if they open more tables.
The only thing that could make this resort becoming 4 star is that it has a really nice beach.
Room
We traveled with our 4 years old boy. We emailed the hotel to request a King size bed and an extra cot for our boy. We didn't receive any reply from the hotel. We didn't upgrade our room. To our surprise, the hotel actually prepared the king size bed and an extra cot for us. The room was spacious. With the king size bed, a cot, study desk, a fridge, TV, 2 small night tables, one big tea table, a sofa chair and a love chair, we still have plenty of usable room. We also have a balcony.
The AC is digital and we controlled our room temperature. There is satellite TV program, but they didn't broadcast the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals. The maid was good and friendly. We left a note to communicate with her and tipped her every day. We didn't see ant in the room, but did see a few ants in the bathroom. They didn't bother us at all.
The bell boys delivered our luggage to our room in 30 minutes. There were 2 big men delivering our 2 mid-size luggages. I tipped them one CUC, but they didn't leave. They were asking for a change so that they could split the money. I didn't have the change, we were tired & hungry after our flight delay and our boy was crying at the time. I gave them another CUC to make them disappear. Anyway, I regret my bad decision. Being said that, this is not enough to spoil our vacation and will not prevent us to tip for good service.
TIP: They only offer bath gel, shampoo and soap bar. There is no hair conditioner and lotion in the room. Bring your own if you think you will need them.
Food
The main buffet restaurant was closed when we were there. Yes. We agree the food is limited compared to other 4 star Cuba resort we visited before. However, we always find something to eat. They served different food every night.
Signs and maps
It was a bit frustrating at Day 1 as there were not a lot of signs and directions around the resort. It took us a while to find our room. We arrived around 3:30pm, and started looking for food around 5pm. The main buffet was closed for maintenance, but there is no sign saying it is closed. Finally, we did find something to eat at the snack bar. Again, there is no menu listed at the snack bar. You need to ask what kind of sandwiches was available. There was no sign of operating hours for the shop and bank. I guess it is their culture.
We saw a baby club there. But it was closed all the time. There was no sign of kid's activity posted.
There is a washroom at the restaurant near the beach. There was no sign of it until you walk thru the restaurant to the other end of it; it was perfectly hidden at the corner. Most people didn't know about it. I read a review about it but couldn't find it at Day 1 night but managed to locate it in Day 2 morning.
Shop
There is a shop at the resort. We bought a really nice beach bag. It was listed 7.5 CUC. When we paid, the cashier charged us for 9.5 CUC. I tried to show him the 7.5 CUC sign for the bag, but he said that was for another bag. There is no sign of 9.5 CUC at all. My wife really likes the bag. When we agreed to buy the bag at 9.5 CUC, he acted a bit strange then didn't want to issue us a receipt. He said the receipt only issued if we buy they cigars. It was a bit suspicious. I didn't like it, but we need a beach bag at the time. I decided to throw this behind my head and move on for our happy vacation.
The Beach
It is the most beautiful beach we have been so far. All three of us love it. We were like walking into a live picture.
Bank
There is a bank at the hotel. You can change your money there. The bank opens for 9am to 8pm. If you need to change money outside the hours, you can change the money at the front desk, with higher rate.
Tip: You can change some money at the bank next to the arrival hall, so that you could tip the bus driver and the tour guide on day 1.
Tip: We were advised to avoid changing money on Saturday and Sunday. The rate is higher on weekends.
Rain Season (aka Mosquitoes Season)
It was rain season when we arrived. There was unbelievable number of mosquitoes at BlueBay. We didn't think BlueBay did a good job in controlling the mosquitoes. We were using bug repellent but still were "chased" by mosquitoes. Our boy was bitten at least 2 dozen times each day. His left ear got infections from the bites. We met other guests from Sol Resort, they were bitten only 3 times in their entire week in Cayo Coco.
We brought bug repellent and after bite with us. We kept the bug repellent at our room, and were welcomed by a swamp of mosquitoes at our first night unprepared. We sometimes saw the hotel ground worker spreading smoke around the restaurant to control the mosquitoes.
Our family loves great outdoor and is a frequent camper in the summer. However, we found that the mosquitoes were a bit excessive. Anyway, we talked to an old lady. Her daughter's family was at BlueBay 2 weeks before us, but they didn't see mosquitoes.
Tip: Always bring your bug repellent with you at all time. The mosquitoes were everywhere, anytime.
Pillar Beach
We went to the Pillar Beach on our Day 5. It was a 50 minute double-decker bus ride to the beach. It was 5 CUC per person round trip. There was a restaurant and washroom on the beach. There was no fresh water shower on site. It cost 2 CUC for each long chair and 2 CUC for coconut water. There were a lot of fish near the water. We had some bread with us. It was fun to feed school of fish swimming around us in shallow water. We went back to Pillar Beach again on Day 6.
Espectacular Excursion
We went to the 75 CUC excursion to Ciego de Ávila. We went to a similar one when we visited Holguin a few year ago. We found the trip a bit boring and don't worth it. We won't recommend this one. However, our boy loves the steam train ride.
