Cuba #2

The food in Cuba is uninspired. This is the second resort I've been to and the food hasn't improved, despite the increase in the "Star Rating", which means little more in reality than how many services are available. I wouldn't be surprised if all the hospitality people came from the same school -- Phil likens it to the "Canadian Tire model". You go to any Canadian Tire in any city and the stuff is exactly the same. The layouts may change, but the quality of the items do not improve, even between the richest and poorest neighbourhoods. Suffice to say, the food tastes "flat". There's nothing else I can put my finger on. It's all good, but there's simply nothing striking about it. To help out, I've brought along some of my favourite Japanese pepper spice. Thin bottle -- you can get it at any Sushi restaurant that has sundries available for sale.

Coffee at the lobby bar is good, but each cup is made from their espresso machine. There is no cream, only UHT milk, and it's often steamed. If you go to the buffet restaurant, you get a whole pot of coffee, and a small pot of milk for your table. This is a real treat if you're eating alone.

This is the first time (I've noticed) that you can get tequila in Cuba. Remember that this isn't Mexico, and rum is the official drink here. What's more amazing is that you can get things like Canadian Club, and some really good premium stuff too (for more money, of course). Rumour has it, the El Senador also has Clamato juice too.