I arrived at Villa Cojimar on the 29th April for a 15 night stay. Upon arrival we were left to struggle with our bags along paths that weren't fit for people let alone suitcases. We finally arrived at our room (121) to find a number of problems. We eventually had to move rooms after the toilet overflowed on day 5, but only after a new problem had developed each day and none of the other problems had been seen to. This is despite numerous visits to reception and to our rep.

When we moved rooms to room 116, all seemed well to start with. Like our previous room this room was on the beach and had a lovely view. It was not a renovated room but the maids do a good job to keep them clean. We unforetunately had more problems which no one helped us with for the duration of our stay. We had an an nest with hundreds of ants that brought in loads of sand and dirt and other crap every day. We called reception who were less than helpful. After 2 days someone came to fill the crack that the ants seemed to be coming from but then they started coming out of the crack in the wall.

After waking up in the morning having been bitten to pieces we were convinced that the ants could bite, until we spotted the huge hole in the wall where the mozzies had been coming in and feasting on us as we slept. We reported this to reception, and they did nothing. We had to stuff the holw with pages from a magazine. Reception claimed our room was being sprayed daily but this was not true as the ant were still every where. I used my own insect repellent and sprayed around the nest entrances and this seemed to kill those in the nest, but there were still hundreds round the room. On our last day I awoke to find the bathroom floor covered in ants.

The food is incredibly repetetive and is always lukewark. The tablecloths in the resteraunt werent changed for over 3 days. We generally sat at the same table. One morning I spilt something and the stain remained there for a number of days until the tablecloths were changed. Food is served for 2 or 3 days and then it can be found in the pickle jars. E.g. One day they were freshly cooking strips of "beef meat?" on the griddle, the next day there was a beef meat dish in the buffet and the following day there was pickled beef meat. We were also treated to pickled bacon, not that it was actually bacon just bacon fat. All of the sauces are mixed with god knows what unless you get a freshly sealed bottle.

I found that you would be treated to a real glass at the lobby bar if you tipped, otherwise you just got plastic and were told there were no glasses if you asked for one. Drinks are very strong and there isnt much variety. The coke, lemonande and orange all taste awful and we had to buy canned drinks from the shop everyday. You also have to buy your bottled water from the shop and you arent provided with any on arrival although there is water available in the buffet resteraunt.

Many people aren't bothered by the mozzies but me and my friend really were attacked, both indoors and out. So I recommend you take loads of repellent.

We went with Thomas cook and we booked 6 trips. With the exception of fishing all of the day trips were brilliant. We asked when booking the trips if the fish were killed or thrown back. The rep laughed and assured us all of the fish were thrown back. This was far from the truth and we had to endure 4 hours of the most distressting sights of fish being killed and their blood being scrubbed from the deck. I highly recommend the dolphin trip but I think it would be better to do it as a day trip. We did the overnight trip and it was 8 hours drive there and 5 hours back with only about an hour and half at the dolphinarium. The hotel you stay at is also really bad. The resteraunts both have really bad fly problems and in the buffett resteraunt there were flies on all the food. In the a la carte resteraunt, they were spraying fly spray around us and there were dead flies every where. when we went to our room we opened the door and a bird flew out! The catarmaran and speedboat trips are really great as well.

Cayo guillermo is really beautiful but the villa cojimar is not. Unless you are prepared to tip more than you spendon anything else then you wont get the best experience at this hotel and even that isn't great. Enjoy the becah from another hotel.

Oh I must also add that within 1 hour of checking in we had our shoes stolen from the patio along with the woman 2 doors down. Reception were less than helpful and that was the last we saw of them. There were also a few other thefts whislt we were there, so always keep a close eye on your things.

Take along some chocolate, a box of cereal and some ketchup and you may be able to get away with not starving.

Good point fabulous view from beachside bungalow, from there on it all went downbank.
The food is at best bland at worst downright awfull little edibale food on ofer on many occassions, surly resteraunt manager, since returning yesterday I have visited my GP who has prescribed a course of anti biotics to counter the stomach problems I picked up nine days ago whilst on holiday.Mantyguests were experiencing the same issues.
Beware leaving any of your possesions out of site at any time, lots of oppurtunist theft on offer, security is basically a joke the room ajoining ours was almost broken in to, if the room had been unattended I have little doubt it would have been burgaled, the locks on the rear of the properties are flimsy and unsecure.
Tips are expected,members of staff spend plenty of time either trying to sell rum,cigars,coffee etc. or begging items of clothing etc from guests.
Local residents with the assistance of hotel staff are using the hotel facilities free of charge, I witnessed the security guards assisting local families with entry in the hotel complex as well as food and drink provided all day.
No way is this a three star Hotel ,do not be fooled by the price tag there are much better hotels in this resort.

As we were return guests we knew what to expect to me it is paradise. You do get a bit fed up of the food but thats with every all inc holidays you book. This year we had one of the old beach bungalows but i have no complaints - it was clean and comfortable what else do you want - my idea of a holiday is that you only use your room to shower, change and sleep. We will definately be going back next year hope we meet a great crowd like we did this year from Liverpool and Manchester.
Do get in touch with me if you want any info.
Glenys, Bethan , Will, Jill, Kate and Ben

I booked to go to Villa Cojimar after quickly looking at the reviews. Some were good and some not as much, but as it is after a 3*, I figured keeping my expectations low will allow me to enjoy the vacation anyway.

I am not fussy at all but this was my first vacation alone with 2 kids (5-9). As a single mom, I wanted a safe place, family oriented and I needed a place where I could relax! So bearing this in mind, this resort turned out to be A1 on my list!!

I flew Sunwing down. Service was great. Buses took us to our respective hotels without any delays and the Sunwing rep gave us a bit of info about the place.

I had emailed the hotel prior to arrival to ask for a room near all amenities. This seems to be useless. Upon arrival, they gave me a room far in a 2 story building and fortunately for me, it was already occupied. A gardener who was helping me with my luggage went back to get me another room. He told me to stay put with the kids. I asked him to check into getting something closer and he did! We got rm 63 (villa/bungalow), close to everything! A few steps from the pool, from the beach and from the restaurant. Villas seem to be renovated as opposed to rooms, from what I gathered from other guests. Villas and rooms are the same price, you just have to ask. Ocean view doesn't make it much better, except that you may have a view upon waking up in the morning and maybe somewhere to lounge in the afternoon. But for us, the room was for showering, changing and sleeping only anyway.

The food was bland as for anywhere you will go in Cuba. BUT it was still quite good. My kids never complained!! They had fresh pasta, grilled foods at the pool bar, great omelettes in the morning. It was better than expected! We ate at the buffet every day. People who tried the a la carte restaurants seemed to be pleased as well. We bought bottled water at the store and never drank water from the tap. We didn't get sick. Their food seemed to suit us just fine.

The staff is amazing!! Even if you don't tip, they are extremely helpful. Of course, it is nice to tip as they will be more than appreciative. I gave all the staff who helped me out something little at the beginning of our stay (gum, soap bar, lipstick, nail polish) and then a little goody bag (with soap, shampoo, shoe laces, comb, shavers, etc.) I sent with my kids at the end which made them so happy. I also gave the cleaning lady the kids' old running shoes and sandals for her kids. She was very happy. These people work very long hours and travel from far every day, and still keep a smile on their faces for us. They're great!

Entertainment was fabulous and the team was amazing. They organized day and evening activities for us without fail and they put on great shows in the evenings. Mini Club was great and although my kids preferred to stay with me, my daughter participated at the 9PM mini disco and loved it and I saw the girl taking great care of the kids who went to mini club during the day. It looked like a great babysitting service for the parents! (Maybe not for me, but could be for others).

The grounds and rooms were kept super clean and are still being renovated. The work did not get in our way at all! The gardens are beautiful and our room although basic in decor was spotless. The pool area was clean and lounge chairs were plenty. We got our spots under the shade early (9am) to spend the day there, but there were many more chairs around the pool, with some shade or under the sun. I read reviews about not enough towels, but I never had that problem. I saw a cart rolling in often with plenty of them at the Club House often. The only thing that disappointed me was that they didn't give me all the info upon checking in. I had my towels and had to go back to enquire about hotel towels the next day. It just required a hotel stub to pick them up and return at check-out. Some of the info was on the back of the resort map they gave us at reception, but the clerk didn't tell me it was there. With 2 kids, I didn't notice or take the time to look at the map more carefully from the get go. But this is Cuba... it often is the same elsewhere too. We didn't lose out on anything as a result, so that's fine.

The beach was nice, very shallow waters great for kids, but kids prefer the pool anyway. Some plants and algue in the water make it less interesting for them. The sand is like white flour and there are plenty of chairs there all the time. Most people sit at the pool. I heard a few comments about sand fleas at the beach although I never had any problems. Apparently they bite at the ankles.

I was prepared for mosquitoes and sprayed with kids' Off every evening, but the breeze kept them away from the amphiteatre. I never even saw one. Apparently there were some around the pool where some guests sat to watch the shows. I would guess they stay around water and bushes mostly.

The sun is extremely strong and you burn fast. Bring LOTS of sunscreen as you will be using it a lot. The store's bottles are quite expensive. With the nice breeze most days, you don't feel burning but you are red by the end of the day!

For money exchange, I did it at the airport in Varadero where we had a stop-over. Otherwise the hotel offers the services and it isn't much more expensive then elsewhere. Not worth looking for the stand upon arrival at the airport. I changed 1.13CAN for 1CUC and kept a few 1CUCs for tips once in a while.

We didn't try excursions although we heard the entertainment staff accompanied guests on some of them and they were great. A day trip to Moron was popular to see the real Cuba as well as a small trip to Pillar beach. Some people complained about fleas at Pillar. With my kids on a 1 week vacation, we decided to stay put.

I would recommend this resort for single moms! I felt safe and well. I came back fully relaxed and the beautiful tropical environment combined with the friendly service allowed me to forget work for a full week. Plus even though I had my eye on the kids at all times, I knew they couldn't go far and they were safe too. The staff got to know them as well and the kids liked them very much.

Their comment: "Can we live here???" I think that says it all!