Hotels Near Plaza Jose Marti in Cienfuegos

I loved the food. It was amazing. Also along side the food was the awesome music that really catched my attention at nights on the balcony. The live music of Mr. Juan Carlos and his orchestra made me have good nights at hotel Union. One of his songs that I love is Volare which is originally by Gypsy Kings but Mr. Juan Carlos sings it even better than Gypsy Kings. Listening to his live music along with beer and salty peanuts brought me alot of joy after nice dinner at the hotel on those lovely nights.

We arrived around midday for an overnight stay and Marlene in reception made a special effort to get our room cleaned so we could check in early. Had sandwiches and Cuba Libres in the bar, served by the beautiful and very friendly Yanet, who understood our English. After lunch Yainier showed us to our room, which was bigger than normal for Cuba, and definitely 5-star. Power outages are common in regional Cuba but the hotel has a generator which automatically starts up when the power goes off. A tour guide told us the power was out from 3pm to 3am that day/night so to have airconditioning was a bonus. The only negative was our dinner on the top floor. Nice restaurant with good views but most items on the menu were unavailable, obviously due to the food shortages in Cuba. Our meals were ordinary but breakfast the next morning was first class. One of the best we have had on our many hotel stays around the world. Great stay, but Marlene, Yanet and Yainier made it extra special.

The hotel is in the rooms and the rooms are very comfortable.

Bottom line: Exceptional all-inclusive value. Lower your expectations, then lower them again. Keep in mind how little you paid and go with the flow. Get to know the staff, tip generously, laugh at the mess ups...and you will do what I am doing now: recommend to others. This is best for people who want a laid-back pure beach vacation. Or maybe divers using the nearby dive location. Or seniors looking for an extended stay. If you want to party or experience Cuban culture, look elsewhere. THE GOOD: - a very short drive from the Cienfuegos airport -＞＞＞ Super cheap. Also super cheap. Did I mention: super cheap? - Everything works! In the renovated rooms, brand new tiling, air conditioning and CNN-TV...plus hot water. No problem with towels - The staff TRIES to help, though often with limited English - 24/7 booze (stick to the rum) and often snacks at the pool bar - Great coffee in the lobby 24/7 THE BAD: - very isolated location and since so many guests are so old, very difficult to book group tours. You may need to book a taxi for an excursion - Food is not good, even by low Cuban standards. Make sure you bring condiments and maybe even cans of salmon and tuna. There were always eggs and salad and rice and beans...but the meat was heavy on pork. I never saw fish and chicken only once. Vegetarians and non-pork eaters would have a hard time. PRO TIP: - Make sure you get (or switch) to a ground-floor room with a terrace - Everyone is an independent entrepreneur. Don't count on the front desk to fix your problems or exchange money - International roaming now works in Cuba. Make arrangements in advance with your home provider. Don't count on the hotel WIFI.