Cayo Levisa, Pinar del Rio. Cuba

Cayo Levisa
Hotel Cayo Levisa is located on and named after Cayo Levisa, a small paradise island off the north coast of the Pinar del Rio Province. Individual bungalows, with spacious but rather plain rooms are built in two rows parallel to the shore and strategically positioned so they all get an ocean view. Hotel Cayo Levisa is an excellent choice for scuba dive enthusiasts. Our short stay on Cayo Levisa turned out very nice. The home and landscape were worthy of the name. This is not necessarily bother to stay for weeks, unless you are fond of sunbathing only. Backpackers will enjoy the comfort of bungalows, well equipped and well located. Efforts have been made ​​not to damage amenities too, but for how long? Arrival: Reaching Cayo Levisa by boat. Good support on arrival. Keys can quickly and a welcome drink is offered. Rooms: The rooms inside are small bungalows, giving virtually all on the beach. The beds were ok, the bathroom also. When me and my friend asked the travel agent where can we find some nice hotel in Cuba, he suggested that we should stay at Cayo Levisa. We planned to stay only for a couple of days. Just as we arrived, we saw that the hotel is settled right on the beach and we were very enthusiastic about this hotel. On first sight, it looks amazing. The employees were very polite. They offered us a meal and they took us to our room. The hotel room was fantastic. I think the WEBsite should give more information of how to get to Las Palmas and the times for the Ferry. I really had to search to find this information. We should also be able to email direct to the resort office which we ciould not find on Website. We also reserved 2 Ocean Front cabins, but when we arrive they gave us one cabin on the beach and the other room was in a two story building not on the beach-in fact you couldn't see the beach. These rooms should be called motel type room and discounted. The island is lovely, small and not a lot to do other than swim and lie on the beach. our cabana was great, front line and at the end so very quiet.staff not very friendly - a surprise after all the happy friendly people we had met travelling round cuba.no complaints about the food, plenty of fruit and salads and fish cooked freshly for you.Good cocktails too!(you have to pay for drinks)A great place to relax for a day or two. Hotel Cayo Levisa, not luxury, but calm and friendly. Stayed there for 14 days. We have been to Cuba many times sins 2004, and have witnessed some changes in Cuba. Some places are not authentic Cuba anymore, but this is. Nature and beach is so unspoiled as possible when there are a hotel there. Maybe there should be more shadow on the beach ( have you started building new ones, Orlando?), for us white Europeans, but there is sunbeds and space enough for everyone. Rooms of different types, we had a room in second floor, and it was great, fairly clean Really nice place to spend one or two nights. Not longer. Beautiful beach and cabins by the sea. Perfect for couples (without children). Rooms OK. Food average (for Cuba). If you are not lucky with the weather there is nothing to do there as all activities are beach-sea related. Cayo Levisa A classic tropical island, palm fringed dazzling white sand beach washed by an improbably blue sea. About 300 metres offshore you can see the waves breaking on the coral reef.The setting for this hotel is hard to beat. We stayed in one of the newer duplex cabanas, one on the ground floor, comprising a bedroom, toilet/bathroom and a very small veranda Sadly the construction left a lot to be desired. The walls were made of thin plywood, so you could hear everything that was said/going on above and at the side of you.Also the finishes - tiles and paintwork, were sad. The dining area both inside and outside was adequate but with great views along the beach and out to sea. We were treated to a special BBQ and buffet on Christmas Eve. All the tables were set up in an area fringed by small fires and the tables nicely decorated. The food was excellent with a choice of turkey, pork, beef, fish and all the normal trimmings of rice, yucca, plantain.There was lots of local fruit available as desert.A trio of wandering singers serenaded the guests with beautiful Cuban songs. Afterwards there was a full on salsa session with the staff leading the way. Activities at the resort include sailing, diving, walking, learning salsa or just chillin. The staff were very friendly and helpful. And the chefs could do mean salsa (the dance not the sauce) Arrival Cayo Levisa: took morning ferry over at 10am - unable to check in earlier than 3pm although another Spanish -speaking family was checked in early and the hotel manager was less than friendly and welcoming! we also had to pay for our lunch even though we were leaving on our last day before lunch at 9am not a good start. Rooms Cayo Levisa: room had nice balcony and view - beds comfortable - hot water plentiful -cleaning was perfunctory and supplies meager eg toilet roll, bath mat provided second day, shampoo not replaced Restaurants and Bars Cayo Levisa: Contrary to our understanding of all- inclusive, only meals at buffet restaurant were included and no drinks, even non-alcoholic drinks(except at breakfast). beach restaurant geared to day trippers - food would have to be paid for if residents ate there -but beach bar staff friendly - house band great - buffet food was very mediocre - same soups, vegs and fruits every day - the chefs were fun and friendly at the grill - enjoyed the omelettes, fresh fish , pasta dishes and roasts. Beach/Pools/Grounds Cayo Levisa: Cayo Levisa has a lovely beach setting - very quiet -small resort although new accomodations being built - good for swimming - grounds lacked variety of flora. beach towels had to be rented - i have never been to a resort where this was the case! The beach could benefit from some regular clean- up of debris and a path cleared to the other side of the island where the sunset cruise goes also. Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel Cayo Levisa: Posted activities did not always happen eg dance night All the boating activities required further payment, so rentals of boats even pedal boats were not included and the equipment was rarely used. Staff spent alot of time sitting around and many could benefit from some customer service training. Other Comments: Cayo Levisa could be such a good experience but somehow its beautiful natural setting is not enough to make up for the lacklustre services and poor attitudes of many of the staff Cayo Levisa Really nice place to spend one or two nights. Not longer. Beautiful beach and cabins by the sea. Perfect for couples (without children). Rooms OK. Food average (for Cuba). If you are not lucky with the weather there is nothing to do there as all activities are beach-sea related. Cayo LevisaThe island is lovely, small and not a lot to do other than swim and lie on the beach. our cabana was great, front line and at the end so very quiet.staff not very friendly - a surprise after all the happy friendly people we had met travelling round cuba.no complaints about the food, plenty of fruit and salads and fish cooked freshly for you.Good cocktails too!(you have to pay for drinks)A