Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa

Hotel Class: 4.5 out of 5 stars4.5 Stars - 3 Reviews and 695 Opinions

Calle Guardalavaca, Playa Yuraguanal, Rafael Freyre, Cuba, Caribbean

 

92%

of people enjoy staying here

4.0 our of 5 stars 698 Opinions

Excellent
 
245
Very Good
 
291
Average
 
115
Poor
 
24
Terrible
 
23

Our Members Say

  • Babzz profile photo
  • Reviews: 370

4 out of 5 starsUser Rating

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Beautiful Hotel; Excellent Location

This was a lovely hotel aesthetically: beautiful pools, buildings, and landscaping. From what we saw of some of the other hotels in the area, it looks like we chose well.

The service was generally good. Most of the staff were either average or really friendly, only a couple were rude or unhelpful. Note that we aren't big tippers, and money buys friendliness here so...it's your choice.

The food was pretty bad. We heard it all before coming, and it's true. We quickly learned what dishes we "liked" and mostly stuck with those.

We went to the Asian, Italian, and Cuban restaurants. The Asian was indoors and air-conditioned, but stank like a humid basement. The appetizer was delicious, but the rest of the meal was mediocre.

We really enjoyed (relatively) the Italian restaurant and recommend it.

The Cuban restaurant was mediocre. The soup actually tasted like popcorn butter. I couldn't eat it.

On a positive note, I didn't gain any weight!

The drinks were pretty good. No coconut milk for my pina coladas, but the bartenders at the Don Bartolo bar made pretty good ones using coconut rum and regular milk. Try the mojito, a traditional Cuban minty drink. The Cuban beer (Bucanero) served in most bars is good too.

We had a suite room (all that was available at the time of booking). Very nice, very BIG. Our bed was a king for sure, we had to yell at each other to be heard! Nice bathroom with seperate stalls for toilet and shower. Hairdryer, soap, shampoo, towels, comb, tissues, iron and board, umbrella, and safe all provided. Cable tv, mini-fridge with water, soda, beer.

Our room was #502 and was perfectly located between the pools and the beach, far away from the disco! Some of the rooms are in not so ideal locations, but in low season it's possible to switch rooms.

As it is low season, it was quite quiet on the resort, so I don't recommend it for anyone who wants to party at this time of the year. Instead, it is perfect for family, couples, and anyone who is interested in seeing the area.

Unique Quality: The hotel is in a remote area with no other hotels around it. Instead there are trails and pathways that can be explored and provide interesting wildlife viewing. There is an official Bioparque Rocazul a few kilometers down the main road as well, but we didn't visit. The town of Guardalavaca is close by and easily accessible by taxi, car, or moped, any of which can be booked at the hotel. We rented a moped for two days and explored the area.

  • Opinion of Price: N/A
  • Related to: Spa and Resort, Family Travel
Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: One of seven pools with pool bar in background

Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: One of seven pools with pool bar in background

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  • Anita_Porec profile photo
  • Reviews: 345

4 out of 5 starsUser Rating

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

wild beach

The hotel is very nice, probably the best looking in the whole Holguin area that's on the beach:)

7 pools, and many very nice restaurants....

The beach however is still a little wild and different from most resort beaches. it will take a bit of time to adjust .....

  • Opinion of Price: about average
Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: Gran Playa Turquesa

Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: Gran Playa Turquesa


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  • Annie0327 profile photo
  • Reviews: 2

5 out of 5 starsUser Rating

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Splendide 4 étoiles +

Un hôtel magnifique. Construit en 2003, cet hôtel a tout pour plaire. Nous étions plus de 1 000 personnes sur le site et cela ne paressait même pas. Le personnel de l'hôtel est chaleureux et toujours de bonne humeur.

Unique Quality: Le site est très vaste. Plusieurs voitures "de golf" circule sur le site afin de transporter les gens d'un endroit à l'autre. Nous avons rarement marché jusqu'à notre chambre ! Les piscines en cascades sont belles et très bien entretenues.

  • Opinion of Price: N/A
  • Related to: Romantic Travel and Honeymoons, Luxury Travel, Family Travel
Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: Holguin, Grand Playa Turquesa

Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Photo: Holguin, Grand Playa Turquesa


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More about Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa

One week an hour away from Holguin, Cuba

by jennos

"Let the vacation begin....Grand Playa Turquesa"

It was raining when I got to the Holguin airport but the next 6 days where awesome... Although I've seen better...this experience was very relaxing..

"Beach...."

Spend as much time on the beach as you can...I would leave the beach at around 6h. Stay away from the ends of the beach when it starts getting dark or in the very early morning (5-6) because there are sand fleas.

"Vegetation"

The vegetation is awesome....not much palm trees where I was but a lot of other trees....

Mon premier voyage...

by Annie0327

"WOW..."

Pour mon premier voyage dans le sud, nous sommes débarqués, mon chum et moi à Holguin, Cuba. Nous nous sommes fait dorloter à l'hôtel Grand Playa Turquesa. Un hôtel magnifique... Plusieurs bâtiments comme celui-ci loge les vacanciers. Le site est très vaste ce qui fait que même si l’hôtel accueille plus de 1000 personnes, cela ne parait pas !

"La vue de notre balcon était superbe."

Notre chambre ne possédait pas de frigidaire…mais la vue que nous avions sur l’Océan compensait largement !

"Balcon privé…"

Après avoir passé la journée à la plage, quoi de mieux que lire un bon livre… Notre balcon privé était un havre de tranquillité…

Photos

Grand Playa TurquesaGrand Playa Turquesa

Grand Playa TurquesaGrand Playa Turquesa

Riu TurquesaRiu Turquesa

Riu Turquesa RestaurantRiu Turquesa Restaurant

Forum Posts

GRAN PLAYA TURQUESA???

by clobster

Hi to those who may have stayed at this hotel...reviews are wondeful.I will be Heading there at the end of December.
I am curious though....as for currency...should I be bringing Cuban pesos, american dollars and Canadaian dollars...I have read so many mixed comments in regards to currency. And as for the hotel are there any towns near by? Anything outside of resort? Advice please.
Thank you for your replies in advance.

RE: GRAN PLAYA TURQUESA???

by Yimi

Hi there,
I've been to Turquesa a few times and have some good friends working there.
I love the pool.
For cash, Canadian cash is King -- the US $ has a punitive tax of 10% of so.
Credit cards also have a special fee of around 3% -- equal to the amount the credit card companies deduct from remittances to vendors. Don't bring coins.
The best way to exchange is at the banks in nearby Holguin -- avoid the airport and the hotel exchanges as they don't have the best rates. Even the banks will vary, so shop around -- most banks in Holguin are within a 5 block radius of Parque Centrale.
For more information on Holguin -- see www.devoted.to/holguin or www.greatrentals.com/cuba/2881.html -- I have not kept the sites up too much lately, but will have some good updates soon. You can Google for "greatrentals holguin" and my site comes up 1st.
The best way to travel back and forth would be to negotiate a long-term scooter rental -- if you are comfortable with this form of travel. Otherwise, try to form a group and rent a car for a few days. You can always stay at Casa Margit in town (for only $30 or so) if you have too much nightlife and don't want to drive back in the dark.
Casa de la Trova and El Nocturno are my favourite clubs in Holguin.

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Annie0327 profile photo

 Le site est très vaste. Plusieurs voitures "de golf" circule sur le site afin de transporter les gens d'un endroit à l'autre. Nous avons rarement marché jusqu'à notre chambre ! Les piscines en cascades sont belles et très bien entretenues. 

3 members live in Holguín

 

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Questions and Answers

debbiepridham profile photo

Q: taxi from airport "can anyone tell me what the easiest way to get a taxi for 6 people from the airport holguin to our hotel. we dont want to take the..."

gwened profile photo

A: "dont know the price never taken a taxi but Cubataxi should tell you or the hotel you are staying in. Cubataxi, +53 226 641 965 ; - Taxis OK, +53 226 545 68 ; -..."

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 Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa

We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:

Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Cuba
Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Hotel

Address: Calle Guardalavaca, Playa Yuraguanal, Rafael Freyre, Cuba, Caribbean