Costa Morena

GREAT STAFF, GREAT PEOPLE, BUT TERRIBLE RESTAURANT SERVICE: POOR CHOICES, FLIES ALL OVER THE FOOD, DISGUSTING BREKFASTS AND LACK OF HIGIENE IN THE RESTAURANTS, I DODN'T WANT TO IMAGINE HOW'S THE FOOD PREP. WE GOT SICK WITH SOME CROQUETTES! [Details]

I had a good stay in general. The staff is very friendly. The hotel however seems to need some renovation and the lighting should improve in common areas mainly.More animation by the natural pebble pool would be a good idea, e.g. a bar, grill. [Details]

Nice Quiet little place if you want to get away from everything [Details]

Staff make this place a great place, the rules however don't make sense. Not staff's fault. The pool bar closes at 6pm Sharp! You can get beer at the dinner area bar. Then the lobby bar starts serving beer at 10 pm.
Also DO NOT try to exit through a centrally located gate. This gate is only for staff and people who make deals with security. Even if you are old and unable to walk. I witnessed a 70 y/o man not allowed to pass through to get on horse and buggy. This man had to walk all the way to the front of the resort an up a steep hill to get to the horse. The horse could not get down this hill to pick him up. Just some small examples of how some of the rules at this place take away from the pleasant experiences I had. [Details]

It is a nice hotel with friendly staff.
But it seemed that they did not have enough food prepared for our guests during lunch and dinner. We had to ask for more food every time. [Details]

not safe for kids, no activities ,service must be constantly sought simple things like supplying the coffee station seems beyond them,you need the patience of a saint.I still love cuba and the natural terrain is spectacular [Details]

This was our fifth time in Cuba. Some folks at this hotel keep returning year after year. It wasn't the "dive" some reviewers claim. [Details]

This was my 15th trip to Cuba. The hotel was built in the 80' and is a bit outdated compared to most of the other hotels. The site is ok with no bling-bling, the pool is rectangular, the room was very standard, not really any landscaping. As for the food once again very ordinary but what was available was ok.

The hotel being small, the staff recognize you and are very friendly. There's always a bar open somewhere.

There are no sandy beachs anywhere close to the hotel but the site is very good for snorkeling, otherwise the other access to salt water is the natural pool which is what makes this hotel different.

The hotel is close to nothing, the city of Santiago is about 30km away but the taxi ride takes over 45 minutes and costs about 30$. There is always the public bus that takes about 1.5 hours but costs pennys and is a more Cuban experience.

The hotel guests are mostly seniors and a lot of them stay for 3 months at a time. This is part of the reason why the nightlife, even if pushed by staff, dosen't really get off the ground. [Details]

nice view and nicely built but everything else is down hill from there on [Details]

I read a lot of the posted reviews before selecting this holiday. While there is some validity to the complaints that I read, they had no affect on my ability to enjoy this vacation.

I found that the food was comparable to the 3.5 star hotel I stayed in in Varadero. While there was some lack of variety it was still quite sufficient for me.

My room was large and clean with a personal safe, mini fridge and television with a couple of American stations.

it is true that there are local prostitutes lurking nearby the disco at night as well as a few hanging around the resort with male guests. However, they are easy to avoid and certainly no bother to the general resort population.

If you are someone who needs sand beaches, this is probably not for you, but I found the grounds to be absolutely stunning with a full ocean view visible from anywhere on the grounds as well as an amazing natural pool for snorkeling.

I would certainly recommend this location. [Details]

Very good for price
Can,t beat the weather 29 to 31 every day [Details]

Lovely time. It's hard to be critical of a place that is still rebounding from Hurricane Sandy. Staff are very friendly and accommodating, clean fresh room, food was quite good, despite my earlier experiences in the region. Happy to notice there were no mosquitoes or annoying gnats - probably a function of lots of swallows and lizards around. Good to see some nature surviving around the place instead of some sterile resort that has regularly been 'fogged'. Not ideal for the twenty-somethings - they'll be tripping into Santiago every nite looking for more 'action' - a 45 min. trip both ways. This place is for you if you're 'of a certain age' and can 'roll' with minor inconveniences. [Details]

The hotel is very basic and simple. It is about an hour from Santiago. The hotel room itself is clean and safe. The food was alright which means they must have made improvements since last year judging from previous reviews. The hotel has some tours which make the week fun. There is an aquarium with dolphins nearby, as well as a prehistoric valley and there is a cactus garden down the street. Other than that, don't expect high action at this place. It is more of a quiet, relaxing getaway. Not much of a beach either for swimming, but good for snorkeling. The only huge complaint that I have about this place, is the lack of hot water in the bathroom. It is lukewarm at best. [Details]

I spent a week at Costa Morena and it is truly a 2 1/2 star hotel.The room was clean but only had hot water one day.The other days the water was "cool".The pool is nice, small with little shade.There is no beach but the natural pool is a great place to enjoy the ocean.The food was very repetative and very little to choose from.You had to look for cuttlery in the dining room and the service there was hit and miss.Once again, the locals come in on the weekend and pig out and take tons of food and put it in their bags and they litter with no respect for the environment.The staff for the most part were very helpful although a couple of bar tenders were useless.If you don't expect too much, the hotel is a quiet and relaxing location.The weather was perfect. [Details]

No hot water for first two days then warm to tepid water. First check in room had a lot of problems. Front desk said they were full; however the person that checked us in gave him a key and got a better room. I do not agree with the behaviour of some male single guests that aquire the services of Cuban females as their escorts for the week. Sexual exploitation is very obvious and is an insult to all Canadian visitors. With very little cost or effort the hotel could upgrade their surroundings and make it more pleasant. Also found it very strange that we could not get any local currency at the front desk. The staff were helpful and helped us when needed. Hotel is nice for a relaxed vacation but lacks basic amenities. Don't know if I would recommend this hotel to my friends. [Details]

Hot weather, very relaxing if that is all you want. Bring lots of books. [Details]

Small hotel/resort that has the most wonderful staff!! We will return again.....and again!! [Details]

Overall impression is very good [Details]

I was there from the 10th to the 17th Feb. 2013. There was massive damage to the waterfront area and there still is a lot of clean-up to be done. The entertainment building is in ruins and dangerously cl;ose to those walking through Morena. The staff, still friendly and doing their dutiesare trying to make the best of a bad situation. Air conditioning and plumbing are still intact or repaired.The grounds crew are replanting all the flora and fauna ripped out by Sandy also. The weather continues to be perfect and there are lots of returning clients. [Details]

I was transferred to Brisas Sierra Mar as Costa Morena was over booked. The road you read about from the airport to the hotel is twice as bad as any review ever written,OMG!
The hotel is a true 3 1/2 star in a beautiful setting. The pool and beach are nice. The room was clean and spacious. There was no hot wtaer ALL week, even though the problem was brought to managment's attention on day 1. There was warm water a couple times. There were numerous power failures but they said they were looking for a "short". The food was good overall. If stairs are a problem, DO NOT go here. I would go back. [Details]

Being the first guest on Dec 21 after Hurricane Sandy hit in October, unfortunately the hotel was unprepared for our arrival. I'll start with Pros-Incredible weather, not a drop of rain, beautiful EVERYDAY of our weeklong stay-greeted in lobby for check in with drinks-95% of staff were excellent, doing their best to take care of the few guests there-Pool is gorgeous and umbrellas were being put up by the end of our visit-Mojitos A-1 and blender replaced by end of visit-room was clean and spacious, ocean-facing, constant sound of the ocean-snorkeling in natural pool was fantastic-bring your own equipment and gloves too. Jeep excursion to Big Rock awesome. Damage on the City tour was incredible to see. Now the Cons-at arrival no CUCs to exchange money-no umbrellas,chairs/ shade down by natural pool or at pool when we arrived. BRING WATER SHOES as the water is littered with debris from Sandy and of course sea urchins and coral. BRING bug repellent - mosquitos!!! We were given lots of can food, lukewarm coffee, few choices, but we ate and drank just fine! They seemed to be improving everyday. It is Cuba as we all know. Disco was closed but may be reopened by now. Our tv was only fuzz. Now for the amenities destroyed by Sandy - Games Room - Bar/grill/snorkelling structure by natural pool - many trees - stone walls - Will post pics-get it cheap if you intend on going or at least do your research and know what to expect - we did not and feel deceived by Hola Sun. Pics advertising this resort STILL show standing Pool bar/grill and games rooms. Hopefully they have made more repairs by now, Cuban speed! LOL Love Cuba and will return soon for my Fifth visit. [Details]

This hotel met my expectations. The first room had a broken window so they moved us without waiting for our request. The air conditioner did not work too well and water pressure was low but we were living in luxury compared to the locals. The food was good and plentiful. Staff was always friendly and ready to serve. If the hotel was perfect, we would not have the joy of experiencing their country. [Details]

Hotel stood up to the hurricain, but the rebuiding crew did not. It looked like a disaster zone, and a construction site at the same time. food was good, fresh vegetables everyday
our ogranic food could be put to shame. [Details]

I only spent one night at this resort and was then transferred to a neighboring resort a few miles down the road. Both resorts are in an absolutely beautiful park with hills on one side and the practically deserted beach on the other. The hotel itself was clean and pleasant and the staff friendly. (There were only about 30 tourists in a resort with maybe three hundred rooms.) The only problem was the food which was poor even by Cuban standards. [Details]

We were pleasantly surprised by the overall resort. All rooms face the sea which was a nice surprise. We read the reviews of the place and we knew what to expect, so the only thing that was unpleasant was the obvious "chicas". [Details]

The hotel maintenance is terrible; pardon me it does not exist!
the room service perform very basic cleaning, no one is performing maintenance for this hotel. The staff education and awareness of food contanimation is very limited, they all assume every human consume pork. I have been coming to cuba for 12 years and I have give up that any change could happen in any area. I will be considering other destinations, but not Cuba. [Details]

Hotel rooms are basic, twin beds. The view from the balcony was the ocean, the view out your front door, the mountains. First time my kids went, took some adjusting, but they had a great trip. We fed Iguanas, snorkled in the natural pool, and say many animals and wildlife (from wandering goats to bat eating mosquitos. It was life changing for my kids of 12 and 14, who had only ever gone to the states or in Canada. A good reminder of how lucky we are. People were freindly,food was plentiful, hearty and filling. A huge property to wander on, and remote. If you want quiet and picturesque, this is the place. [Details]

We had a nice time at this resort, right on the Caribbean Sea. While the food was very repetitive and unimaginative, the snacks at the pool bar were good.
As we did not spend very much time in our room, we found it more than adequate for our stay. The bathroom was very clean and well supplied with towels. We asked and received extra pillows with no problems.
The staff were friendly and never obstrusive or asking for anything from us. There are some young Cuban women with older men but they are generally discrete.
Overall, we liked the place. We spent many an hour enjoying the crystal clean swimming pool. This hotel is not fancy or luxurious but we knew this from reading other reviews. It was fine for a pleasant, relaxing vacation. The best part was spending time snorkelling, swimming, relaxing and chatting with new friends by the beautiful Caribbean Sea. [Details]

The hotel was dirty, the beach was discusting,full of dead crabs, nothing to eat or drink after 10pm, food was below average,when we arrived you could hear the crickets singer, no greeting nothing, no hot water, no shower on the wall, the bathroom if that's what you call it was really bad, we would never go back to this hotel, or recommend it to anyone, thank god the travel agent moved us, but for a cost, but Los Corales was like night and day, but after the move did'nt even see our travel rep again, so had no idea what was available, to us, so all in all pretty bad. [Details]

Costa Morena is a 2* destination that is good value for the money. While the hotel food was limited in variety it was quite tasty. Personally, I find AI food less than exceptable so this was a pleasant surprise indeed. All the rooms had balconies or terraces facing the ocean so it was possible to go to sleep with the sound of the ocean waves. There is no beach but that was fine with me. It should also be noted that this resort is quite secluded. If you are looking for a simple, relaxing place with good value then this might be the place. If you are looking for a 5* experience then pay for a 5* hotel. [Details]