Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas Beach Resort & Spa

“Our honest experience”

Travelled as a group of 8, Jan 30 – Feb 6 and we had a mixed overall experience during our stay. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and for the most part the service was very good. The resort itself is lively, with constant music and entertainment. Bars were surprisingly well stocked with a g… more

Travelled as a group of 8, Jan 30 – Feb 6 and we had a mixed overall experience during our stay. The grounds are beautifully maintained, and for the most part the service was very good. The resort itself is lively, with constant music and entertainment. Bars were surprisingly well stocked with a good variety of cocktails. Unfortunately, the coffee and cappuccinos were disappointing compared to our previous trips to Cuba , watered down with an unpleasant aftertaste. We were also unlucky with the weather, as a cold front moved in during our stay. We arrived fully aware of the current shortages in Cuba and with very realistic expectations, assuming we would always be able to find something to eat, and for the most part, we did. There were fresh vegetables available daily, along with assorted meats, cheeses, bread and rolls, fish, some seafood, rice, pasta, beans and a limited selection of baked desserts. Potatoes were only available on day five of our stay. The mashed potatoes were cold, and people were lining up just to get hot French fries while they lasted, as most other food options were cold, bland, and lacked variety. The main issue was not the availability of food, but how it was prepared and served. Roughly 90% of the food was either flavorless, oversalted, or served lukewarm to completely cold. Food sitting in warmers was almost always cold by the time it reached the plate, even when a fresh tray had just come out of the kitchen. I truly hate wasting food, but many plates - ours included, were left mostly untouched, and it was clear this was common throughout the resort. During our stay, many guests became sick with food poisoning, which further raised serious concerns about food handling, temperature control, and overall safety. My kids ended up eating mostly bread with butter, some eggs, and fries during the last two days. Even pasta, which they normally love, went untouched. Based on many other reviews, food temperature and safety issues have been repeatedly mentioned. Management appears to read these reviews, but the problems remain unaddressed. While the beach itself is beautiful, the section closest to the lobby and main amenities is not swimmable due to rocks and seaweed. For proper swimming, you need to walk at least 10 minutes to the adults-only section or take a golf cart ride (if you’re lucky enough to find one). The pool, however, is clean and well maintained. The adults’ beach area does have a café with a pizzeria and full menu, and the food there is delicious - when it’s open. The same applies to the beach bar. Otherwise, you’re walking all the way back to the main lobby just to get a cold drink. The snack bar is supposed to be open 24 hours, but many times there was no cook on duty, and only drinks available. When the cook is there, the food was decent, panini sandwiches, hot dogs, fish, and occasionally fries. Our room was clean, fresh towels and water was restocked regularly, never ran out of hot water, and great water pressure. We highly recommend visiting Plaza La Estrella (about 20 min drive). We took a taxi ($25 CAD each way) and spent several hours enjoying the architecture, restaurants, bowling, nightclub, and cafés. Prices there are included as part of the resort, including beer, pop, and coffee. There is also a small playground nearby, making it great for families. Bonus: the best cappuccino we had all week was there. We also took a Jeep Safari tour, which was a highlight of the trip. The cost was $290 USD for 4 adults and 4 kids. Be sure to bring a driver’s license and know how to drive standard. Also, expect to bring gifts, families line up outside many entrances asking for money and supplies almost everywhere you go. Airport Experience was shockingly disappointing, as I have never experienced such hostility in any Cuban airport before. The number of checkpoints was excessive, and security was extremely invasive, short of removing bras and underwear, while traveling with two young children who had not slept in nearly 24 hours. On our return, our flight was delayed, leaving us in a fully packed airport with no air conditioning or air circulation. It was humid and absolutely unbearable for almost three hours. Regardless of economic circumstances, we felt like trapped animals in a cage. Security staff appeared to pick and choose what to confiscate, even when items were clearly allowed. The way people were spoken to was demeaning and disrespectful. What began as excitement, carefully packing gifts and hoping for a great vacation, quickly turned into wanting to leave the country the moment we entered the airport. On previous trips, we exchanged Cuban pesos at the resort. This time, they flat-out refused to exchange Canadian bills, and tipping is clearly expected in US currency. Prices everywhere are listed in USD. To put things into perspective, keychains that once cost 10 Cuban pesos now sell for $8 USD each, and the same applies to liquor and other souvenirs. We've been frequent travellers for over 16 years, and I fear that this will be our last trip to Cuba for several years, if at all.

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“Lack of hygiene was alarming”

The hotel is well located,the rooms are very spacious and the staff is nice We were located in building 3. The cleaning team was very attentive. Anything we needed it was immediately brought to us. They kept the room very clean. Unfortunately the room was to close to the reception and the music w… more

The hotel is well located,the rooms are very spacious and the staff is nice We were located in building 3. The cleaning team was very attentive. Anything we needed it was immediately brought to us. They kept the room very clean. Unfortunately the room was to close to the reception and the music was extremely loud and the DJ was just screaming,the audio was completely distorted so we asked to be moved. They put us in building 8 , totally different crew: not as clean,they would shout at each other constantly. The bedsheets were still dirty,same with towels. The food was ok. The problem we noticed right the way was the lack of hygiene: The chairs were old and always dirty with food. The glasses were full of finger prints, we had to scrape the food off the cutlery. The place mats haven't been washed for months. The napkins were cut in half. One of the waiters dropped a case of cutlery on that filthy floor and put it back on the case and started to set up the tables ,we got up and left. The À la carte restaurants are a waste of time. It's the exact same food as the buffet and everything is dirty. Unfortunately we did not have a good experience at this hotel. We've visited Cuba about 20 times,this hotel was one of the worst.

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