Hotel El Colony, primarily as a base for scuba divers

By: cubaism Expert, Cuba Posted: 2010-04-10

Located in the southwest extreme of Isla de la Juventud, this beachfront hotel dates back to 1958, when it began life as a Hilton, with a casino. It had barely opened its doors when it was confiscated by the Castro government. Today it functions primarily as a base for scuba divers, although it still draws snowbirding package vacationers from cold climes. The coral-colored beach of fine sand is modestly attractive, although sea grasses push up in the shallow and spiny sea urchins are an even greater disincentive to wading or swimming. Fortunately, the hotel has a large pool in the unkempt grounds.

The spacious and sun-lit, but sparsely furnished lobby is enlivened by lime-green lounge chairs and has a small general store. Still, there's no escaping the fact that this two-story hotel is a tad run-down, despite a recent refurbishing of soft goods.

The 77 air-conditioned guest rooms and 24 bungalows have cool white tiles underfoot, but decor is lackluster and the mattresses are uncomfortable, although all have satellite TV plus telephones. By day, guests can partake of various watersports, and cars can be rented for forays further afield. The open-air Mojito Bar stands at the end of a pier and offers a more pleasant ambience than the desultory hotel bar. Otherwise nightlife is low-key, and the hotel is too far (about 45 kilometers) from Nueva Gerona to make a nocturnal sojourn a possibility. The mood is one of quietude and anyone expecting a lively vacation and/or salubrious environment will be relegated to looking glumly out to sea.