Playa Giron Hotel, Zapata Swamp Cuba. 3 stars,

“You made it to one of the worst places in Cuba ”
This is form my experience one of the worst places in Cuba. They have tons of cabins; most of them are deactivated; no water, no power, or whatever. But some of the cabins are still rented, mostly to Canadians who seem to like the place. It is an all inclusive facility. One has to see the food they offer there; even Cubans do not touch it; it is just beyond any description. The pool is so far OK; the beach in front of the hotel is beyond description. A shabby concrete wall protects it from the waves; instead of sand, you are on mud and the "sea" between the hotel and the concrete wall is never deeper than 1.5 meters, 6 foot. Therefore, swimming is almost not possible. Never mind, the water is so dirty, you will not want to swim anyway. Stay far away from that hotel! Go to one of the numerous independent, private houses. There are many of them in Giron, most of them are really nice, have a garden, serve you food and will pamper you.

“Can you value "Cheap" ”
The staff here were very helpful and they tried hard to entertain and offer good service - far better service than some 4/5* Hotels in Cuba - but overall I would have rather stayed in a Casa, and wouldn't darken its doors if all inclusive at 25 CUC's. Food dire - struggled to find anything edible Drinks - plentiful but poor standard Room - squalid We still managed to enjoy ourselves.... due to the fact we stayed 1 night, and were out all day.

“What a strange place ”
I can honestly say that I have never stayed in a place quite like this hotel. It is an all inclusive holiday "resort" but you get what you pay for - and it is cheap place to stay. Food is basic but plentiful and the free cocktails were just drinkable (stick to spirits and soft drinks). It was all happening around the pool (loud pumping music, all the sun lounges were filled with people, there were stray dogs) but the rest of the place felt totally abandoned. The bungalow villas are very basic but clean - there is air con and hot water. Service was patchy - reception staff were friendly and helpful but the waiting staff gave the impression that that they would rather be doing something else. There are good beaches nearby and the local museum is effectively curated.

“find another resort! ”
This hotel cannot be recommended ? and the price is too high. We came and the check in took a while as there was only one receptionist and too many guests. We were given a paper which stated the information regarding thoe hotel and area ? however it was in the native language and they didn?t have a copy in English. As everywhere in Cuba there are stray dogs, but it was annoying that there was (large) stray dogs walking around the area. The view to the water is not nice due to these wave blockers. The room was totally simple and seemed like it was made out of clay, Too many insects etc in the rooms. During our stay we experienced meeting everything from cockroaches, crabs and large geccos/lizards. We didn?t want to use time at the resorts, because we didn?t feel like we could relax due to the stray dogs and just in general it wasn?t this ?sanctuary? we wanted. We found out BY OUR SELFES that a bus came each morning and went to this other beach which was REALLY great. Thus bus costs 3 tourist pesos (both ways( and was really worth it. Here you could still drink everything you wanted without paying anything. The positive things about this place was that they actually upgraded us to larger bungalows, where the house was better isolated and thus not that many insects/animals.

“You get what you pay for”
Well, consider this hotel an all inclusive 2.5 star hotel, we paid 30 $ per person, for a clean room,all you can drink and all you can eat (per day).Now playa giron itself is a nice cosy village, where I actually went for a hair cut and a shave (done by the village's barber). The beach is nice and clean, but has this huge concrete wall to protect from the ocean (and it's damn ugly). We went during low season throughout a 3 week tour of cuba my girlfriend and I were doing. The buffet was fine, it actually had some of the best pork I've ever had in my life, the drinks were ok, beer is beer, and rhu in cuba is always good...and I don't think they had wine. We stayed there for two days, it's about a 30 minute drive from playa larga (fantastic), and a 20 minute drive to some awesome snorkeling sites, some free. All in all, I had, the experience was great, I celebrated my birthday there, and had a blast. Out of 150 guest, I'd say 90 % were cubans, which made it even more fun.I would recommend this hotel to anyone, who isn't expecting a luxury resort...clean, low priced and close to snorkeling and diving sites....what else do you need....

“Worth the money and neighbourhood... ”
Well, on the first sight this hotel might seem as an abandoned recreational resort... but for the other side... it is, indeed! :) Nevertheless, there were a few small details for which I would come back again. First? The service. Well, you know.. this is not a 5* luxurious resort and if you travelled around Cuba you probably know that almost each member of the hotel staff (I mean 2 - 3* hotels) is working only for the tips and they'd rather be the sidewalk cleaners than work in the hotel. In this hotel.. it was different. Staff is very communicative, friendly not so pushy for any tip and what more, they're keep smiling. I stayed here just two nights, but it was truly special to see some smiling faces (instead of bored and cunning faces in La Habana or Varadero). Second? The neighbourhood is amazing. snorkeling, corals, fish, underwater life... just great!!! My tip for you is to go approx. 10 minutes drive north to Playa Larga and in between those two cities you will find amazing shore, corals and peace on earth... :)

“Divers secret ”
I have stayed here several times, the food isn't Michelin star, but that?s not what you are paying for and there is always something you can have. It?s all inclusive, so you can eat and drink as much as you like . There are two pools, a large one close to the restaurant with a smaller located in a quiet spot close by. It?s the diving that brings me back its great and very inexpensive 20 CUC a dive (approx. £15, Including all the kit, if you need it). All the dives are guided and the Dive masters are very good and if you haven't dived for a while, this is the place for you (but not if you are expecting Luxury). The diving is that good people are bused there from as far away as Varadero. I just hope the secret stays safe for a while longer.

Very nice beaches around
The main attractions here are scuba diving in the open sea and in saltwater-flooded caves linked to the system of lakes on the Zapata Peninsula, in southern Matanzas Province. Dives are made directly from the coast