This blog's title means "Cuban-hearted woman" (very loosely translated!). I settled on this name because it had a nice ring to my unschooled ear and, more importantly, because I think the Cuban people seem to have so much
heart, and they're in my heart for that reason. In general, the people I've met in Cuba are quite consistently open-hearted and big-hearted in the way they relate to each other or to visitors in their beautiful land. A piece of my heart now resides in Cuba, with the warm, wonderful friends I've made there. This blog is not intended to be a guide to Cuba, just a forum for my eclectic bits of writing – poetry, opinion pieces and information gleaned from my personal experience and reading.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Marea del Portillo resort is getting a makeover!


My favorite little resort has been undergoing a lot of renovation work recently. I was very impressed with what I saw during my 2013 Yoga Posse trip. 

Here's a Trip Advisor review I wrote afterwards, along with some photos of work being done. There are more photos with my review on the Trip Advisor site.

New & improved features at Club Amigo Marea del Portillo

Sunrise from Farallón hotel room balcony.
I have been to Cuba’s Club Amigo Marea del Portillo 10 times but this is the first time I’ve stayed in the Farallón del Caribe hotel. Previously, I’ve chosen to stay in the Marea hotel or cabañas, mainly because I am lazy. When I tumble out of bed at sunrise for a morning swim in the ocean or yoga on the beach, I don’t really want to stumble down a big hill and back up again.  But, on this occasion, the Marea section was closed for renovations during the first half of my two-week visit. So, I “endured” the Farallón.

Towel origami.
I say “endured” because the Farallón hotel is actually quite lovely and I enjoyed it more than I expected! Yes, it is a bit of a hike to/from the beach, especially if your room is on the fourth floor, as mine was, but I elected to view it as part of my Cuban holiday fitness program. For anyone with mobility issues, the stairs and lack of an elevator will present a challenge; I would not recommend it for someone in a wheelchair. However, for everyone else, the incredible view from every well-appointed room is worth the extra exercise!

In addition to the glorious vistas afforded at the Farallón, this hotel has a larger dining room and buffet, a brand-new à la carte restaurant, a slightly bigger/better gift shop and a pool with a swim-up bar, as well as some other “superior” amenities. Nonetheless, I still prefer the beach-front Marea section of this small resort complex. But, to put it in perspective, if you have to walk from one hotel to the other, it will take about 6-7 minutes, on average. And, if your accommodation is in the Marea hotel or cabañas, you are welcome to dine, swim or whatever at the Farallón, and vice versa.

Most of the cabañas have been freshly painted.
 During the second week of my most recent trip, the Marea section was reopened, so I relocated to a cabaña and resorted to my usual slothful ways…strolling out my back door and lolling in the ocean before breakfast without working up a sweat. This trip provided the best of both worlds, in my opinion, and moving down the hill by golf cart was only a minor inconvenience. The resort provided patient, polite and strong men to assist all of us who were doing the hotel shuffle.

Some of the new garden features.
Besides lugging our luggage, the folks at Club Amigo Marea del Portillo have been doing a lot of heavy lifting with respect to renovations. However, they haven’t neglected lighter-weight nuances like nametags for all staff – those based at the Farallón as well as in the Marea area. This is a big boon for guests like me, who find names a struggle!

Stained glass & iron.
Beyond that small but significant touch, I observed many improvements and talked to an assortment of people (other repeat visitors, managers and support staff) to compile a list of completed and still-on-the-go projects. The most notable work has been done in the Marea dining room. This includes the installation of a new buffet with a better steam table, wrought iron accents throughout and stained glass panels surrounding the open-air dining section to provide protection from sun and rain. The outdoor grill has also been upgraded and fresh paint abounds.

Barbara is very proud of Marea's new dining room buffets.


 
Many of the cabañas and other parts of the facility have been repainted as well – the Marea stage and pool bar will be most noticeable to anyone who has visited before. Other noteworthy elements include more beach-front showers, extensions to the patios/landings of each beach-level room of the Marea hotel and a sidewalk along the road between the hotels – all still in progress while I was there Oct. 29-Nov. 13. The resort’s driveway has been repaved too, as well as much of the highway between Marea and Pilón, the nearest town one passes through when traveling to/from the airport in Manzanillo.

New beach shower.
Something new for the swingers!

Additionally, the Marea pool infrastructure (filters, pumps and whatnot) has been completely overhauled and the doors/locks on the cabañas are gradually being replaced so all will eventually have electronic card keys. There are also new coolers in the bars and overhead fans to keep the bartenders cooler, name plates to identify some of the indigenous flora and other natural elements, plenty of decorative plantings (those gardeners have been very busy!), a pair of free-standing swing-sets, a vastly improved bar and food service area on Cayo Blanco (the idyllic island with the white sandy beach everyone loves), a completely new à la carte dining room at the Farallón del Caribe and sundry thatched structures for shady activities, so to speak!

Cayo Blanco's new bar & food service area is a big improvement!

As well, genial general manager Diomedes noted that 90% of the resort complex now has flat-screen TVs. Including a third hotel called Punta Piedra, which is located several kilometers from the main resort (along the highway, about halfway to Pilón), the facility has 286 rooms – that’s a lot of new televisions! While chatting with Diomedes, I asked him what he felt were the best things about Club Amigo Marea del Portillo. His answers mirrored my own sentiments. First, he said, “the people” and, with only a moment’s reflection, he added that the combination of the mountains and the sea is unsurpassed.

I wholeheartedly agree. This resort is not new but it looks great, and it is truly a special place due to the beautiful natural setting and, more importantly, because of the warm, wonderful people on staff – whom you can now call them by name, thanks to those handy new nametags! 

Another beautiful day at Club Amigo Marea del Portillo & Farallón del Caribe, Cuba!

For more about what I've been up to lately, please visit my Cuba travel website:

Sunday, May 19, 2013

BEWARE: Marea del Portillo is highly addictive!

Here's the most recent review I wrote for TripAdvisor about my favorite little resort, Club Amigo Marea del Portillo, Cuba. If you haven't been there yet, perhaps you'll be able to join me one day!
~ Jenny
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I have just returned from another visit to one of my favorite places, Marea del Portillo, Cuba – another too-short two weeks’ holiday. I have been there before and reviewed Club Amigo Marea del Portillo before but, every time I go, I find there is something new to say about this small, charming resort. 

They always seem to be working on upgrading and improving the facilities here, thanks to a progressive management team. Now, thanks to increased governmental support, even more will likely be possible in the not-too-distant future. During my visit, the resort also hosted some important visitors from Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism. (Us ordinary flip-flop wearers could tell these other folks were special; they had really nice shoes on.) 

The subsequent buzz around the resort was palpable and positive. The general word was that the government intended to put more money into tourism along Cuba’s southern coast, enhancing existing facilities such as Club Amigo Marea del Portillo and potentially building additional resorts in the Granma region and further east, towards Santiago de Cuba.


Horseback Adventure Tour heads out!
As some readers will recall, Santiago de Cuba was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in late 2012. One resort was completely destroyed and several more were severely damaged, as well as many, many homes and other structures. Although reparations were quickly made, it certainly makes sense that the Cuban government would now target this area for a significant financial injection. Tourism is the country’s key economic driver and the spin-off effects of building and renovating resorts will have many benefits for people in the surrounding communities. 

Perhaps in a related vein – I am only guessing – road repairs have already begun near Pilón, the town just west of Marea del Portillo. This town is also rumored to be the potential site for a new resort but, of course, that could be years down the road, freshly paved or otherwise!

On the trail with caballero Chichi.
The accessibility of Club Amigo Marea del Portillo to nearby communities like Pilón and the villages of Marea del Portillo and Mota is one of the reasons I enjoy spending time at this resort. It is easy, as well as quite safe, to explore the surrounding area by foot or otherwise. You can go for a hike, ride a bike, have an adventure on horseback, enjoy a jaunt in a horse-drawn carriage or relax in a taxi – perhaps a vintage ‘50s model – as you take in the sights of the neighborhood or venture into the Sierra Maestra mountains. For the more adventurous types, scooter rentals are also available. For less adventurous vacationers, a pleasant stroll along the lovely beach may suffice.

Cool down ~ jump in & swim!
This resort has it all, even though it is relatively small. The nightly entertainment is top-notch and the daily excursions are always interesting – and they keep adding new options, which means even the repeat visitors will find it hard to say they’ve done it all! In my humble opinion, Club Amigo Marea del Portillo is well worth returning to again and again for a multitude of reasons, from the charm of the resort itself to the scenic beauty of the area, from the warmth of southern Cuba to the welcoming, hospitable people of the community. This is a perfectly wonderful place to relax but, be warned, it’s addictive! Before long, you may be like me, loving it so much you find that two weeks slip by in the blink of an eye.

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Washing the horses after a hard day's ride.