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| You see the facsimile of Che.. | ..Guevara all over Cuba. | On posters, on buildings | ..beside the road |
A fairly straight forward, but long at 6 hours, drive from Santa Clara Playa to Santa Clara town. The road as far as Camaguey required the inspirational navigational skills for signpostless roads that we had by now acquired. After Camaguey we followed the Careterra Central and Autopista to Santa Clara
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| Hotel Granjita was a few miles | outside Santa Clara. It lacked | any charm. The staff were sour | ..and the room like a pillbox |
We stayed at Hotel Granjita, a few miles outside Santa Clara, a town known for little other than a connection with Che Guevara. It was just a one night stop en route back to Havana. The hotel is used mainly by tour groups, and is really only suitable for groups as the organisation revolves round their needs.
The idea is good, thatched chalets in a holiday camp style, but does not come off. The thatch has long since disappeared from most of the hexagonal concrete chalets, leaving them looking like concrete pillboxes. Inside our room felt like a pillbox too. It was freezing cold inside. Outside the exterior lights did not work, which made going out at night a bit of an adventure.
The reception area was planned to be opposite the dining room, but has been abandoned many years ago, and that building fended in corrugated iron.
We went to the pool bar for a drink, but were put off by a dozen local youths drinking, making a lot of noise and all jumping in fully clothed. They were round the pool for nearly three hours which effectively put it off limits to us.
As it was a long way from town we decided to eat in - however as the hotel does not appear to cater for independent guests, they only offer a buffet, and refused to serve us anything a la carte - after our stay at an AI the days before arriving here, we had no inclination for a buffet again. So, as they did not want to cook a meal for us, we retired to our "room" and had a banana.
My overall feeling is hat there must be better in the area for a one night stop, and if you are part of a group staying longer, then my condolences.