I hope this review helps.
We stayed at the Iberostar Daquiri from March 5 until March 19 of this year. It cost a little more than we usually budget for, but we thought a 4-star resort would offer more. Now we don’t believe it was worth the extra cost. In our opinion it is only a 3 to 3 1/2-star.
The resort itself was clean and well taken care of. We stayed in the last building to the north, Pinar del Rio, in room 5150. It was considered Ocean view, but our view was obstructed by a building and a large, wide tree. It didn’t bother us too much, because we don’t spend much time in our room and we were close to the beach. One problem with ocean view: When the wind blew from the East, which was often, we couldn't sit on our patio.
The room was basic with a King-size bed, which was comfortable. The toilet worked and so did the shower. We never had an issue with the bathroom and we didn’t run out of hot water. The fridge leaked water when we moved into the room, but that was fixed within a short time. The Air Conditioner had only 2 settings: On or Off.
One beef we have: They wanted $28.00 for the safe. Since we never take much money or valuables on vacations, we didn’t take the safe.
Our maid, Ary, did a great job with cleaning and she changed our towels when needed. The fridge was always stocked with a new water bottle.
Beach towels: We didn’t get any until the next day and we had to go to Guest Services to get them. Exchanging beach towels was a bit of a problem. We exchanged ours only once.
The Beach: Iberostar Daquiri has a long stretch of beach. It is also quite wide, but the beach is not as nice as the beach at other resorts in Cuba. Lots of seaweed along the shore, especially after a storm. There are plenty of palapas, not the round ones but the rectangular ones. They don’t give much shade, because they are not covered with palm leaves. The roof is constructed from poles and the rays of the sun come through between the cracks.
I’m not sure if it is the location of Guillermo, but it seemed to us it was windier there than in Cayo Coco. Already the presence of a place that rents out wind surfing equipment makes us suspect that we are correct. We had stormy weather the first five days and we couldn’t stay at the beach. Because of the high winds, everyone went to the pool. It was nearly impossible to get a spot by the pool. The wind surfers though had a great time.
Food: The food was okay, but there were issues. Long lineups at the food stations where they prepare the food. The chicken was always overcooked which made it dry. I had pork chops three times. The first couple of times they were not bad, but the third time I could not eat them, because they were so tough. The beef was also tough. There was lettuce every day, but for the last week there was no descent salad dressing, only vinegar. Probably not a big deal to some people, but too me it was, because I like to eat lettuce every day—with salad dressing. They had shrimp all the time, but they were always overcooked and difficult to peel. No lobster.
The fish was excellent; many varieties to choose from, but you had to wait in line. French Fries were great. Other potatoes were hard. Great soups which is important to a soup lover like me.
Breakfast was good with eggs cooked different ways, pancakes, cereal, etc. Always yogurt, and the buns and bread were good. Cold cuts were fine; many different kinds of cheeses, but no jam.
The Cuban a la cart: Big disappointment. They offered the same stuff you get in the buffet only less. We had the lamb stew or maybe I should say the ‘lamb bones’. The little bit of meat that clung to the bones was so tough to make it impossible to eat. Little choice of salads and no choice of desert. Also, beware of the fact that they try to sell you the wine. It comes in bottles and is prohibitively expensive. Take the house wine or drink beer instead.
The Mexican a la cart: Better, but again, basically they serve whatever the buffet serves. We had pasta with small shrimp infused in whiskey. Okay but nothing special. My wife got an upset stomach after eating there.
We never tried the Italian one because of the negative reviews.
One thing that disturbed us were the filthy cushions in the dining rooms.
Service was fine, except the big tippers got the hugs and the closer attention. We noticed that tipping was rampant. People tipped the servers, they tipped every time they got a drink from the bar, and they even tipped the cooks. I only tip after I receive good service and good food not before.
Entertainment: The entertainment was first class; much better than in other resorts. Those dancers were so talented. They had a different show every night. Unfortunately, they are probably underappreciated.
The only problems were the noisy people at the bar which is behind the last row of seats. Why they bother going to the show is beyond me. Talking loud during the show displays disrespect for the performers and disturbs the guests who are there to enjoy the show.
Other observations: The CUC, the Cuban Convertible Peso, is in my opinion a scam from the Cuban government. It isn't worth anything on the world market, but in Cuba it was pretty much on par with the Euro. How they arrive at that I have no idea. It cost $1.40 Canadian Dollars for one CUC, which makes no sense, since the Canadian economy is so much better that the Cuban economy. In a way, the vendors lose out, because prices are way out of line. A T-shirt, for example, costs between 11 CUC and 20 CUC, which makes it approximately 28.00 Canadian Dollars, and the quality isn't there. We don't buy much in Cuba because of that, but it doesn't keep us from visiting Cuba. It is still a wonderful vacation destination.
We probably won't go back again to this resort because of the winds and the condition of the beach.
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