My fiancee and I just got back from Villa Lindamar and we had the time of our lives. We flew direct from Ottawa to Cayo Largo in 3.5 hours! The airport is super close to the resorts and quite efficient; we left at 6 a.m. and I was swimming in the sea by 4 pm (our flight from Ottawa was delayed by 3 hours due to extreme -30 cold; one of the airplane parts had frozen). We are super glad we chose Lindamar mainly because of the private cabins and the very small size of the resort which meant no waiting EVER for drinks, coffee, food, etc. Food was a little bit limited in selection but very good quality and freshness overall. I can't eat bread but my fiancee can and she loved the toast in the morning. I had a huge omelette every morning with fresh guava juice and coffee and I was quite happy. There is no shortage of fish and pork, I also had excellent roast beef one night and turkey another night. Lots of fresh vegetables but no lettuce or leafy greens but the tomatoes are amazing. Lots of pineapple and guava fruit, lots of sweet stuff like doughnuts and churros. When we arrived our room didn't have a functioning fridge and A/C but the manager immediately got us a new room in a matter of minutes so I was quite impressed by that. The grounds are extremely clean and well kept, beautiful flowers, plants and palm trees and bougainvilleas are all over and the cabins are very nice and clean inside. We did the "sunset lobster dinner cruise" which was excellent and quite long; the entire excursion was about 7 hours; again the boat crew were amazing and super friendly and genuine. The lobster was really good and the snorkeling was decent. The highlight of this trip though was Playa Sirena and Paraiso without a doubt. We also loved walking down the island to see a few abandoned resorts and some of the other regular resorts. Aside from bringing a lot of one dollar american bills for tipping, I brought some $1 toy cars I got at Giant Tiger that were a huge hit; you can also tip with canadian money and pharmaceutical products are always appreciated in this country such as tylenol, advil, cough drops, sanitary napkins, etc.
The beach isn't great at this hotel but there is a path that takes you to the beach in front of Starfish which is just next door and you can usually find a nice spot. The water was VERY rough this week overall so we went to Playa Sirena 3 days out of the 7 and we absolutely loved it there. I'm sure the beach near the hotel is better when the weather is calm and not so windy; regardless if you go to Sirena or Paraiso, just take the free shuttle from the hotel and you are on the most incredible beach you have ever seen within 15 minutes. Once you arrive at Sirena/Paraiso, you have access to washrooms, bar, buffet, souvenir store, etc. We had to keep asking for bottles of water which is not a big deal, the more you tip the more bottles you get. At any time you can get your bottles filled at any of the bars on the resort or along the coast at other resorts. Bring a few empty plastic sports bottles which will really make your life easier. Although quite windy overall, it was extremely hot and bring LOTS of very powerful sunscreen. It barely rained the entire week we were there, only at night. The sun is so hot it can fry an egg. This is Cuba so everything is somewhat limited but the friendly staff and incredible weather and beaches make it all worth it. I would certainly go back! Huge shout out to the general manager Rosmil he was fantastic as was Oscar and all the staff at the bars & buffet & maids. This resort is very chill and not a huge party vibe...just a great place to sit by the ocean, read, relax and let time slow down. Oh, one more thing....many people enjoyed seeing the turtles at the local turtle sanctuary as well as the crocodiles which are walking distance from Lindamar!
Conclusion: After having been to Jamaica, Mexico (3 times), Bahamas, Venezuela, Florida and Dominican Republic, I would say that Cuba is the best value overall and also the safest. Specifically here in Cayo Largo we never ever felt like our stuff was going to be stolen, and when you are relaxing on the beach the locals leave you alone and do not constantly try to sell you stuff like in other places which can really interfere with your relaxing time. The food is definitely limited in selection compared to other islands in the Carribbean but the amazing Cuban people, weather and beaches more than make up for that.
