“piccolo paradiso”

Ho soggiornato in questa struttura, anche se non completamente ristrutturato, ho gradito la spiaggia, gli spazi verdi e la piscina i prati sempre ben curati. Il ristorante è nelle norme internazionale, il bar offre una grande varietà di spremute di frutti tropicali. Dall'hotel è possibile organizza… Più

Ho soggiornato in questa struttura, anche se non completamente ristrutturato, ho gradito la spiaggia, gli spazi verdi e la piscina i prati sempre ben curati. Il ristorante è nelle norme internazionale, il bar offre una grande varietà di spremute di frutti tropicali. Dall'hotel è possibile organizzare escursioni. Buon soggiorno.

Meno

“5-Stars Despite a Number of Flaws”

After twenty years of annual travel to and within Venezuela, this was the best hotel facility we have ever visited. Hotel Cumanagoto truly rates 5-stars in Venezuela, which (as noted by other reviewers) equates to a 3-star to 4-star range compared to European or American standards. Highlights for… Più

After twenty years of annual travel to and within Venezuela, this was the best hotel facility we have ever visited. Hotel Cumanagoto truly rates 5-stars in Venezuela, which (as noted by other reviewers) equates to a 3-star to 4-star range compared to European or American standards. Highlights for us were the beautifully landscaped grounds and the immediate access to an open, clean beach. We traveled directly to Cumaná via the domestic airline, RAV/Ruta Airea Venezolana, an inexpensive, small but well run operation. After a 45 minute flight from Maquetia (Caracas), the hotel was only a 20 minute cab ride from Cumaná airport. Our early morning flight brought us to the hotel about 4 hours ahead of the 3:00 p.m. check in, but the bellhops held our bags and we were given immediate access to towels, the pool and the beach. Cumanagoto is a modern, full amenity resort and the main hotel buildings form a sheltered area on the beach side for the pool and outdoor dining facilities. The hotel lobby is a pleasant space to pass through, comfortable to hang out in, and conveniently open to the front drive for taxi access. Our room was a double with a view of the golf course from a small balcony equipped with a cafe table and two chairs (good for drying beachwear). While we might have preferred the ocean view, we realized the golf course side was more quiet. The bed was two twins pushed together, which though not a true king size, was fine by us, along with extra pillows. The furniture and finishes were in good, if not perfect, condition. Storage and closet space was generous. The bathroom was very good, with all fixtures present and functioning, including a deep tub shower with plenty of hot water at good pressure. Tap water was documented as filtered, but we drank the complimentary daily bottle of mineral water to be safe. We also made use of the mini-refrigerator hidden in the cabinetry. Daily maid service was reliable and effective. We enjoyed the hotel grounds, which are kept secure by a number of friendly and helpful guards. During the day, the many palm trees provide a lot of shade around the pool. Preferring the beach, we bypassed the main pool, ‘jacuzzi’ (nothing more than a small pool with a few extra jets), and kiddie pool for the beach gate. The hotel has installed permanent ‘toldos’ on the beach - thatched roof shade structures - and plastic lounge chairs are brought out to hotel guests by the beach staff. You can also grab a snooze in a hammock, if the kids will let you. We made limited use of the hotel’s beach food and drink services (expensive) and instead bought homemade empanadas, fruit, boiled eggs and sweet cakes from the passing vendors. We had fun purchasing beach jewelry from Carlos Guillermo, a jovial vendor who sets up near the Cumanagoto beach gate. After watching the sunset from the beach, we would later walk the grounds which are creatively lit at night. Hotel service was friendly and well-trained. The staff at the desk was alert and capable, but lacking in useful information and recommendations for activities and dining outside the hotel. We found the bellhops, security guards and beach staff much more helpful with practical information. Of course, it helps to speak Spanish, as we do. We never felt pressured for gratuities, but any that we offered were graciously accepted and clearly well-appreciated. Our daughter took advantage of the hotel gym located in its own pavilion off the main building. The second floor view of the grounds and the beach was refreshing, but she disappointedly reported that many of the exercise machines were broken. The hotel also offered water and pool side activities in the late morning and afternoon, including live music. Though we did not sit in the pool area, we were aware of the blasting volume of music all afternoon. Unfortunately, Venezuelans have become comfortable with constant, ear splitting noise that would turn away most others. Though the hotel is not centrally located to the city or a developed area, we took advantage of available taxis to visit the Castillo (castle) in Cumana (worth a half-hour tour with the local guide), and restaurants outside the hotel. You can catch a ‘lancha’ (private boat) from the beach in front of the hotel to visit various beaches in nearby Mochima national maritime park - you'll pay 1/3 less with the independent locals than with the hotel tour. The half hour boat ride can be a little rough, but you will find beaches with toldos and restaurants. (We were surprised, however, that beach food is now as expensive as mainland restaurants.) We also took the ‘tapaito’ (a vaporetto-like covered water bus) from Cumana to Araya across the bay. The ride was cheap and Playa Castillo in Araya was worth a day trip to also see the ruined Spanish fort there. Back to food, we found the Cumanagoto offerings expensive and disappointing. The pricey buffet dinner on Saturday evening was average and limited. The Tasca restaurant located off the lobby was intimate and of good quality, but with slow service and high prices. We took good advantage of the morning breakfast buffet in the outdoor Churuata restaurant. (We saw a few birds around, but such is al fresco dining.) The buffet was good, but not of the quality and completeness expected at a 5-star resort. As a result of our disappointment in the hotel dining, we searched outside for options. We would recommend the nearby restaurant ‘El Timonel’ for its excellent food, good prices and simple ambience, located just down the road at the ‘Casino Militar’. We also found dining options at the commercial mall in Cumana. We can cite several complaints and criticisms. The room at times had a less than fresh scent, probably due to moisture in the carpet from the dripping condensate from the A/C system. The A/C thermostat was not functioning - it was simply full on or off. The room safe was missing - nothing but a few protruding bolts. The wall switches controlled none of the lamps. Perhaps coincidence, we noticed that all of our mixed drinks were lacking in alcohol content. Despite Cumanagoto’s minor failings, we still rank the hotel as 5 Bolivarian stars. During our stay we often compared Cumanagoto with Hotel Punta Palma in Puerto la Cruz. Similar in size, character, and offerings, Cumanagoto wins for its true beachfront location, even though Punta Palma had the better cuisine. Oddly, Cumanagoto seemed to be lightly occupied, even during the Navidad/Año Nuevo high season week. We attribute this to its high prices, which must be exorbitant to Venezuelans in today’s economy. We guess that the lack of foreign tourist guests results from the lower profile of Cumaná versus Margarita Island or Puerto la Cruz. The result was an unusual, empty quiet at night rather than drinking, dancing and socializing (el Ambiente), which we missed. Nevertheless, this reviewer would recommend Cumanagoto and would definitely return in the future. A comment on currency exchange and prices: As recommended by others, we changed money at the informal rate of between 5-6 Bolivares Fuerte to the dollar, rather than the government’s official rate of 2.5 offered at the hotel. Unfortunately, we quickly realized that Venezuela’s worsening economy and growing inflation have left prices (for food and meals, in particular) the equivalent of the U.S. In the past, the dollar has always bought at least twice the value in VZ, but no longer. We found ourselves spending a minimum of $200-$250 U.S. per day for transportation, meals, and small purchases. [As of this posting in January 2010, the government has just devalued the Bolivar - the effect on travel costs is unknown.]

Meno

“Un soggiorno soddisfacente.”

L'hotel è OK per la posizione e le camere sono pulite e ordinate. Tutto il personale è gentile e desideroso di dare il miglior servizio di viaggiatore. Dopo una settimana il cibo era insipido e ripetitivo, ma era sicuro e sicuro. La piscina è molto vivace durante i fine settimana ma tutto tranquill… Più

L'hotel è OK per la posizione e le camere sono pulite e ordinate. Tutto il personale è gentile e desideroso di dare il miglior servizio di viaggiatore. Dopo una settimana il cibo era insipido e ripetitivo, ma era sicuro e sicuro. La piscina è molto vivace durante i fine settimana ma tutto tranquillo durante la settimana. I ristoranti sono per 1-2 notti solo e costoso. provate ad andare alla Marina per qualche pesce e grande italiano.

Meno

“Decent Hotel, Wrong Location”

By Venezuelan standards, a 5 star, by global standards, a 2-3 star. Runs 630 BsF per night (low season) for a double with breakfast. Decently laid out hotel with pool and beach access. Rooms are OK, although apparently they only have single beds, no king or queen beds. Pillows were an odd size, lon… Più

By Venezuelan standards, a 5 star, by global standards, a 2-3 star. Runs 630 BsF per night (low season) for a double with breakfast. Decently laid out hotel with pool and beach access. Rooms are OK, although apparently they only have single beds, no king or queen beds. Pillows were an odd size, long and thin. Bed covers were old, torn and burned by irons. Had a room for 3 guests, but only two bath towels. Toiletries ok, no wash cloth though. After about 8:00 AM, shower water becomes tepid.. Room was reasonably clean although carpet had a few spots. If you have a room with a connecting door to another room and the neighbors are noisy, you’ll hear every word they say (and presumably vice versa). Stayed here on a weekend end of June and the place was pretty dead, judging by the light that were on in the rooms, occupancy was not very high. Due to the price, the place is occupied mainly by older travelers, no 20-30 year olds to be seen. Beach was not very nice, water was brownish. After seeing all of the garbage in and around Cumana, our desire to swim at the beach evaporated. Check in staff was friendly and helpful (note, everyone staying in the room needs to provide ID, not only the principal bill payer). At breakfast the cook that makes the eggs appeared to be a bit annoyed when we didn’t select the pre cooked eggs. Eggs ‘al gusto’ still came out tasting burned and oily. Breakfast was fairly typical for Venezuela, cereal, yogurt, arepas, beans, shredded meat, over-cooked eggs, fruit and bread, IF you managed to get to it before the birds. Don’t leave your table unattended with food, the birds will enjoy (probably more than you) the food. Breakfast tables are not very sanitary as the birds are all over the tables since the staff does not pick up used plates promptly. Saw birds jumping all over the napkins and the staff person simply picked the napkins up, flicked off a few pieces of what I would hope was only dirt and put the napkins back on the table. If you manage to get out to the breakfast area around 7:45, you’ll see a progression of Iguanas emerge from each tree surrounding the breakfast area. Safety wise, this hotel would be shut down in the US or anywhere else where electrical standards are enforced. Saw plenty of exposed wiring simply wrapped with black electrical tape. Try not to use a credit card at the hotel, or anywhere in Venezuela for that matter. The room was approximately 630 BsF for a double, at the official exchange rate of 2.15 BsF to 1 USD (which is what you will get if using a foreign credit card) that’s approximately 300 USD. However, if you bring cash and exchange that cash at the airport, you can get anywhere from 5-6 BsF to the Dollar on the street (black market) and that same room will now cost you 120 USD (if you get 5 to 1).

Meno