My wife and I stayed at the Sol Pelicano last month. It was our fourth trip to Cayo Largo and our first visit to the Pelicano. We flew out of Montreal on Air Canada. Very pleasant flight. Cayo Largo airport went well, half hour to forty-five minutes total time from touchdown to shuttle. We were interviewed again. Four for four. Almost made it to the door this time.

Check in was very quick. We were given an sea front room on the 3rd floor of the Magnolia building. Rooms were a little smaller than the Sol or Barcelo but still very nice.

Beach had been washed away but if you walked east or west the beach was better. We like Paraiso beach so we did not spend any time in front of the Pelicano. Sirena and Paraiso beach were beautiful. We took the small train a couple of times and on three occasions we took the bus which was faster and less bumpy. Both free. We got off at pParaiso and walked to a quiet spot between Paraiso and Sirena.

Everyday we would walk to the restaurant at Sirena for lunch. Grilled garlic shrimp and a cold Cristal everyday for less than 20 CUCs. The bartender Angelo is real nice and our friend Salvador was working , he is the best. He showed us pictures of his daughter. We brought them a few baseball hats which they really appreciate.

We walked back to Paraiso late in the afternoon everyday to catch the shuttle back to the the Pelicano. Guillermo is the bartender at the Paraiso beach bar. He always saw to it that we had a cold drink while we waited. He got a couple of hats too.

One day the shuttle was running a little late and a bus came for the beach workers. As we sat in the beach bar watching the workers get on the bus I saw Guillermo pointing us out to the bus driver, an older man with gray hair. He called us over and told us he to get on the bus. He got a hat too. Later in the week when we were going back to the airport he took care of us again. Very nice guy.

We spent our late afternoons by the pool. Good food and cold beer at the pool bar. Ricardo, Dino and Guillermo are the bartenders. We had a lot of fun with them the whole week. Good thing we brought lots of hats.

We went on two excursions during the week. The first one was the snorkeling trip which was very good. Beer and lunch were provided. The 2nd was the sunset cruise that was also very good.

There were some very nice people around the pool. We were traveling with a French Canadian group but we meet some very nice English speaking Canadians and Italians there.

The food at the buffet restaurant was very good at breakfast and dinner. The pasta was excellent. Mario was our waiter. Try to sit in Mario's section , you won't be sorry.

We tried the specialty restaurant one night and it was good. The beach restaurant was also good the time we tried it.

All week we were hearing that the Pelican was closing until November at the end of the month. It did not affect the level of service nor were there any shortages.

The weather was beautiful all week. A few puffy clouds went by during our stay and that was it, not a drop of rain.

Triple room - ages 36-50 (2 single, 1 married-females)

FLIGHT
WestJet - excellent flight, comfortable, great food, no delays. No problems with extra weight incoming or outgoing. Bring your headset or pay $3 to watch satellite TV - credit card swipe $5 for PPview

CUSTOMS
Everyone that had a portable DVD player were hauled over to be checked. I would suggest having that device in your carry-on. Checked luggage was pulled aside and seemed to be much more of a hassle. They didn't take any of the DVD players that I saw, just seemed to be a red flag.

CHECK-IN
VIP check-in was easy and quick. The regular line-up was long & looked like it took forever.

ROOM
Everything was ready when we arrived - triple room - We were in the 4900 block area (ocean view-2nd floor) - No water problems - Bottled water provided daily.
Hair dryer provided in room - we also had a fridge, not sure if all rooms had one.

BAR SERVICE
Slow at times at the lobby bar .... one 'not so friendly' bartender who was miserable to everyone. Ice in drinks, no problems.

CROWD MIX
Very few English speaking guests - many from Italy & Quebec

FOOD
Buffet - pretty much the same as every Cuban buffet. Enough variety that you won't go hungry. One BIG letdown at this resort was that they didn't have the fresh orange juice machine that Cuba is well known for. A LA Carte Restaurants - Very good. Lobster tail @ Ranchon was Excellent, well worth the $20 CUC.

BEACHES
Absolutely beautiful ! Other resort beaches in the area were quite rocky. Get on the beach bus or take a $5 cab to the Paradise Beach on the other side (10 min ride). The bus leaves & returns at a few diff. times during the day-I believe it's $1. We did the cab and arranged for him to pick us up at a certain time ... worked well for us.

SCOOTERS
Are available but not too much to see on the island and sand covers most of the roads so it's quite slippery - friends had a couple wipe outs on the scooters.

BUG SPRAY
Don't leave home without it !! Ranchon in the evening was a feeding frenzy at peak mosquito times (7-9). I have some nasty bites to prove it !

DRESS CODE ON THE BEACH
Anything goes, but complete nudity seemed to be the trend during the week of our stay. If you're taking your children, keep this in mind

DISCO
The disco starts up at 11:00 in the lobby bar, after the entertainment is finished on the outdoor stage. It lasts about 1-1/2 hrs., then a bus is available ($2 return trip) that takes you to a Cuban disco called Iguana. The bus returns at 2:30 - We went once, it was fun. Many Cuban workers attend from all resorts. There is another disco at Marina but we didn't make it there.

CHECK-OUT
The info. indicates that you must check-out of your room at 7:15 a.m. - we were later than that, without a problem. The bus situation going to the airport was disorganized. There wasn't a big bus so it took approx. 3 smaller busses to get everyone there. We stood in line at the airport for about 1/2 hour (until it actually opened).

MONEY EXCHANGE
A few problems changing money at the hotel as they kept running out of money. (We didn't want to endure the line-up at that airport exchange). It was difficult getting small change at the hotel for tipping. If you plan on changing your money back to Cdn. before leaving you have to do it at the bank in the airport BEFORE clearing customs. The duty-free shop on the other side will take Cdn. money. Vodka is $3 CUC ! (make sure the bottle is sealed - many were not)

CIGARS
I didn't compare prices at the hotel but I can tell you the selection at the hotel was MUCH better and seemed to be more legit. The airport cigars were not stored properly and when I picked out a box from behind the glass the man went into the back room and came out with what I wanted .... the wooden box was inside a cardboard box - the cardboard box had been opened. I asked about it and was told.....'it's ok, it's ok !' I checked the wooden box inside & it was totally sealed but still wonder what was up with that ... I'm sure it was some kind of scam (not being a cigar smoker). I peeked into the storage room where the man went and there wasn't any proper cigar storage back there either. No problems having liquor in your carry-on

HOTEL CLOSURE RUMOUR?
All staff that I spoke to were aware of it and told by their management that they would close in May for 6 months. Some believed it would happen, some didn't. I will post any updates in the forum as I hear them from my 'frien' at the hotel.

WATERSPORTS
There wasn't any ! (a let-down for me). The water was quite rough during our week but once you got past the first couple of big waves you were good to go! (timing is everything)

DAYTRIP TO HAVANA
We didn't go but friends did. They said a day wasn't enough time, the tour guide was cranky and rushed them through the sites. They wished they had planned it on their own and stayed overnight.

CROCODILES
If you look to the right of the resort you will see a cement tower. There's a man who lives there and looks after a beautiful garden. He has 2 crocodiles living on his property in a swamp. Apparently they're 'friendly' HA ! It was a bit intimidating standing next to the pair without any fences. We walked over with one of the entertainment workers one morning ... the male croc. is HUGE and female is smaller. Others had seen them at feeding time (whole chickens) ... maybe that's why they're not so interested in human snacks : ] Don't forget to give the Croc. man a couple of pesos before you leave.
There's also a turtle area on the island which we didn't get to - a bus will take you.

I chose Sol Pelicano mainly to see Cayo Largo with its lovely white sand beach and Sol Pelicano just happened to be the best deal at the time. Previously we had been to Cayo Guillermo and almost went there again except for the desire to see something different.

We flew WestJet with Nolitours and had a great flight.

At Cayo Largo Acuna airport we went through customs quickly and then stopped to change money while at the airport. In retrospect, this was not the best idea as many of the other passengers went directly to the hotel and we lost our place in the order of arrival. Waiting in line to change money took longer than both customs and baggage retrieval.

At the front desk of Sol Pelicano there are two lines of people waiting at the front desk. The line on the left is for the cashier and the one on the right is to check-in. There was nothing to indicate what the lines were for, and after waiting for fifteen minutes in the left line we were told to go join the other line to check-in. We observed that we were not alone in our ignorance not being mind-readers and a number of guests waited in the wrong line besides us. A simple sign would have sufficed to get us in the appropriate line and saved a good deal of frustration for nothing.

Our Room: Our first room was on the bottom floor and after being in the room for only ten minutes we realized we'd have to get out due to the noise of chairs being moved constantly in the room above us. There's no way we would have slept with that racket. After going to the front desk twice to request another room, we finally got a top floor room with no one above us. Our new room was not musty either which was a bonus. The room was basic clean and comfortable. We had no problems with the beds - two single beds together. I liked the safe in the closet which opened using the room key. The safe was included at no extra cost, as it should be. A liter and a half bottle of water was delivered to the room daily. There is a small fridge in the room. The air-conditioning worked very well and was quiet. One annoyance regarding our room was the noise the double balcony doors made when the wind whipped up. They rattled every time the wind blew with any intensity and woke me up. The TV had a few English channels, but not enough in my opinion.

Pool: The main pool has salt water which is not a problem. The pool was never crowded and was the cleanest pool I have ever seen at a resort. The pool guy should be tipped more often. There is no swim-up bar. (There is a children's pool which I know little about not having children on the trip.)

Beach: The beach consists of a narrow strip of very nice white sand. Water too rough for snorkeling and not for weak swimmers.

Palapa Hogs: After walking along the beach in the sun, it is essential after a while to find shade. Shade is at a premium mainly due to palapa hogs reserving palapas and then leaving the beach. Not only does palapa hogging create a shortage, it deprives other guests of much needed shade when the only thing under the umbrella is a towel. We found many palapas reserved with no one near them when others needed the shade. This selfish behavior is common and not confined to Sol Pelicano. If only the palapa hogs realized that if they didn't reserve palapas there would be enough for everyone.

Side trip: As my wife can't swim, I went on the catamaran, snorkeling trip by myself. This is a break from the resort and we went to an island with lots of iguanas where the critters can be photographed easily. We went to a natural sea pool which was shallow enough to walk around in. For lunch we had lobster. At a third destination we had to get out of the water quickly due to a storm brewing and dark sky's. It cost around $90Cdn after all the converting.

Food: Lots to eat and no one will go hungry. Pasta cooked to taste available with sauce and toppings. Lots of olives and pickled onion always available. The fish was excellent in the specialty restaurants, but avoid the beef unless you want to give your jaws and teeth a workout.

Staff: Generally friendly and accommodating. Dining room staff try to hustle guests to their section for tips. You just have to decide where you want to sit and not be intimidated by them. Bar staff overworked and understaffed - they do a great job and deserve tips.

Italians: Lots of Italians at Sol Pelicano. I didn't have a problem with any of them. (Not many English speakers at this resort.)

Conclusion: We had a good holiday for the price we paid. If you want sand and surf with very little to do then go to Sol Pelicano.

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Pelicano in Cayo Largo on January 20-27 2007.

We had read alot of reviews but only after we booked our trip. I was a little worried since there are some reviews we read that was not so flattering.

For the most part we had a wonderful time. We found our rooms to be clean. The pool was quite refreshing ( we had never swam in a salt water pool...interesting!) The food was excellent. If you like Italian food, this is the resort to go to!

One thing we did not like....the resort is mainly *******. There were six Canadian english speaking couples staying at the resort and we all kinda cuddled together. The ******** people can be very pushy and rude. If you can ignore them, you will be fine. Most of the shows were in ********* and most of the people working at the resort know ********** English is not a language they know well. We found we were speaking in simple, broken down english with hand gestures to get our point across. Even the one excursion that we took was in Italian. It was amazing so do go out on it if you can!

The beach is not too good. It has been washed away. That was a little dissapointing but there are other beaches to visit. The mosquitos are kinda bad...bring your bug spray.

Most of the people working at the resorts are friendly and even with the language barrier...they do try to help as much as possible. The pool bar staff were our personal favourite as well as our waiter in the dining hall.

Please remember to bring extra money for tipping. We noticed that the Italian people were not tipping and us Canadians that were tipping got better service.

It was a pretty good trip with not many complaints!

It doesn't matter where you get the appetizer, as long as you go home to eat.

We stayed at the Sol Pelicano in Cayo Largo January 13th-20th, 2007. We really enjoyed our stay and would return there without hesitation. We read many reviews, most good, some not bad and some not so good. Here is our experience and hopefully it will help you decide.

The Sol Pelicano is only about 10 minutes from the airport which is fantastic. You're there in no time. They had a small band and dancers to entertain and they were excellent. Check in was smoooth and quick. From the time we left the airport until we were in our room was only about 30-40 minutes. The rooms are very nice and very clean. The air conditioner needs to be set on high and at about 22 Deg C. to keep you room comfy. No problems with the rooms at all. The beach at the Sol Pelicano was the best in the area although we've heard it was much nicer before the hurricnae in 2001. Crystal clear and warm water, good wave action for body surfing and sand as white and clean as can be.

The pools were also clean with lots of activities daily (aquasize, dancing, entertainment etc.)

The only beef I had with the beach and pools is that people (inconsiderate people) would throw their towels or belongings on the lounger chairs early in the morning and not be around to use them. For hours and hours these would not be used and it was very inconsiderate. But we always managed to find a chair somewhere although sometimes we had to wait for a while.

The food was good. I've always heard negative things about the food in Cuba butguess what...you're in a different country and some of the food is cooked differently. The only thing I did not care for was the bacon......so I didn't eat it after the first time. The rest of the food, no complaints. The fruit and juice was as fresh as fresh can be uhmmmmmm.

The drinks at the bar were good too, speedy service by all the waiters and waitresses. We tipped them a peso or two or three almost always and they were so happy and appreciative of that. (They only make a peso per day) !

We were told by friends that the workers really appreciate the tips and little goodies. My wife bought tons of things at the dollar store and we left them for the maids, gardeners, pool staff etc. They loved them. Our gardener (peso per day) we left him 10 pesos, a baseball cap and my nearly new running shoes. He was so thrilled that words could not describe the happiness on his face.

We went to the entertainment every night and it was fantastic. The dancers (peso per day) were amazing !!

All in all, I would definitely go back there again. The weather here is also reportedly the best in Cuba !!!

If you have any questions I'd be happy to try to answer them roger.clement21@gmail.com

Have a great time at Sol Pelicano !!!

My husband and I visited Cayo Largo and stayed at the Sol Pelicano in February 2006.We really enjoyed our stay on Cayo Largo,it's un-touched beauty is so refreshing compaired to the all too familar tourist trap locations with people everywhere! This is a very small island with very little in the way of "attractions". Unless of course you enjoy as we do, secluded beaches,crystal clear turquois water and the ruggedness of an island with no real inhabitants except for a few kittens. Everyone who works there lives there temporarily and returns to the main land once approx. every month to enjoy their days off and family life. There is a very small village with a few shops and very few resorts on the island. If you like relaxation,quiet and beautiful beaches it's great. If you like tons of people,shopping and a manicured setting, don't go.
The people are very friendly,gracious and are very appreciative of anything you give them in tips or little gifts.

The Barcelo is a fancier resort than the Pelicano BUT it has no beach! So you had better like the pool or be prepared to venture elsewhere to enjoy the beach. There are steps off the hillside down into the water but they drop literally into the water, no sand and only a rocky hillside.I believe this was due to the hurricane,maybe one day this will change again.The Sol Pelicano and Sol Cayo Largo are much more spread out and have more private spots to sit and relax on the grounds. The Pelicano has the best beach of the three hotels.
As you stroll the beaches on ethier end you will notice many naturists. I am not just talking topless ethier.

Had a 1-week vacation to Sol Pelicano from Dec 11 – 18.

Flight
We had all liquid packed in Ziploc bags so no problem at all. The plane was full. Lunch was good. Had Harvey burgers on our way there and Subway sandwich on the way back.

Weather
Our vacation was totally ruined by the bad weather. It was extremely windy and was raining all the time. We only had 2 days of sun, and among those 2 days, it was partly cloudy and had little bit of rain in the morning.

Room
As this was our vacation to celebrate our first anniversary, the manager gave us Room 5006 which has 2 balconies facing the ocean. Room was clean but make sure you close all windows and turn on the a/c before you go out for dinner so it’ll kill most of the bugs.

Restaurants
There is one buffet restaurant where you’ll have all your breakfast and dinner there. Service was good but depends where you sit. (There was a family of cats sitting under the bush at the front entrance. People tried to steal bread to feed them but I think they love the tuna salad and ham.) The pool bar is called ZunZun and you can have lunch there. They serve cheeseburgers, hotdogs, fries, etc. The beach bar is also open for lunches and drinks. You can order fish, chicken, beef and they’ll cook it for you. A lot of flies there but that didn’t bother us. Most food was covered by the screen and we just assume the flies eat better food that ones back home… The snack bar next to lobby bar serves pizzas for lunch. La Yana is the only a la carte restaurant. We ate there on our anniversary day. The food there was quite similar to what you can find from the buffet restaurant.

Food
Breakfast – you can get custom made omelets (you can scoop as much cheese, canned mushrooms, ham, onions, peas, as you want) or simply ask Vlaramir to fry you a sunny side up egg. Lots of bread and pastries. The toaster was not hot enough so most people had to re-toast. They also have pancakes, a little bit of cold cuts and cheese. Fresh fruit such as orange, papaya, pineapple and grapefruit are always available. Do not have coffee at the buffet as they have a funny taste. Go to lobby bar for coffee. If you happen to see Anita, she makes the best coffee.

Lunch – we tried the Pelicano pizza once and it was very good. Only problem was too many bugs in that area. We had most of our lunches at the beach bar. They have Tabasco and Worchestershire sauce if you prefer more spicy taste. There’s live band during lunch time at the beach bar and they’re very talented. We also had lunch at the pool bar. Their cheeseburger was very good.

Dinner – again, that’s the only restaurant that serves dinner. Servers are the same people who serve breakfast. David is our favourite server. The made to order pasta was yummy. You can get olives and other vegetables from the salad bar and ask the chef to add it to your pasta. They try to make different food every day but it still seem quite repetitive. I wouldn’t blame on the hotel cuz this is a secluded island and they really depend on what they get shipped from the mainland. The live band would play there during dinner time. Please be kind and give them applause.

Beach
The beach at the resort was very narrow and the wave was very strong with lots of seaweeds. We couldn’t snorkel because of the wave and unclear water. Took the train to Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso. It costs 2 CUC per person. Wave was still strong at Sirena. We prefer Paraiso as the water was a bit more calm and shallow. We took our huge Bubba filled up with drinks with us as the drinks there are not part of all-inclusive.

Activities
They have aqua aerobics and some sports at the pool. At night, they have dance lessons at the lobby bar. The animation team did a great job. Even if you don’t dance, you can still sit and watch people having fun. The atmosphere was great. We rented a scooter one day and a jeep for another day. Watch out of the key for the scooters. The key fell out when we passed by the sandy part of the road; luckily I found it on the sand on our way back. The jeeps are manual but very easy to work with since there’s only one road and not much traffic. There is a tower close to the hotel. The lady there will show you the alligator and iguanas. We also visited the seaturtle farm at the marine. The admission is 1 CUC. You’ll see a huge seaturtle there and her name is Maria. We also took pictures with the baby seaturtles.

Excursion
The book says our rep would be there from 4pm – 5:15pm every day but this is always the time we missed. We didn’t know that if the rep was not at the desk, we could go into her office to book excursion. So we booked on the 5th day for the Catamaran but then it was cancelled because of pouring rain in the morning.

Souvenirs
They didn’t have a lot of selections of cigars so we only bought a few. Then we found out that the price at the airport was better. Price for rum is about the same as the airport. For coffee, they only had Cubita. We didn’t spend much for souvenirs as they only have very limited. From the beach to the resort, you’ll find hand craft made with stones by the gardeners. We bought a small turtle craft which costs 4 CUC.

Airport
Our flight was at 11:40am but the shuttle bus picked us up at 8:45. You can consider taking a taxi to the airport since it’s only 2 minutes from the hotel. Once you pass the customs, you’re basically stuck in the airport (indoor) for over 2 hours. Watch out for the people who ask you to exchange Canadian Dollars. One woman approached us with two $5 bills. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts so we thought she was a tourist trying to get some pesos to tip. Later we found her coming out of the currency exchange office in her uniform.

Our visit to Sol Pelicano, Cayo Largo began on Dec 4, 2006 and sadly ended Dec 11, 2006. Considering all the help I've received from the wonderfull site I feel obligated to offer some comments.

We were fortunate to book Air Transat Club Class and found it worth the extra dollars. The extra luggage was the main reason.

Included in our luggage was two suitcases supplied by Not Just Tourists, Ottawa. They contained badly needed medical supplies for Cubans. The presence of a variety of drugs caught the attention of the Customs officials and resulted in a thorough inspection of all our suitcases. I can say that all the officials involved we very professional and very apologetic for the delay. I would not hesitate to do it again, or to recommend that others do it if they get the opportunity.

It is advertised as a 3 to 3.5 star Cuban resort, and it is. The buildings are older but well maintained. The rooms are basic, but serve the purpose. Water, hot and cold, was plentiful all week with only one interruption for about one hour on Thursday.

Food is a concern of a lot of travelers. The a la carte could be described as a 5 star effort in a 3 star resort. The buffet did a very adequate job throughout the week. Yes, at times the odd tray was not hot. A few minutes later a fresh supply was just fine. The recommendation I would make is that guests should take a tour of the buffet at each meal. Not only the food varied from day to day, but some of the food stations changed almost daily.

Italians were in the majority, followed closely by french Canadians and finally english Canadians. We saw no evidence of favoritism. In fact the staff seem to respond equally to all. Nor did we see any fistfights. Everyone got along just fine

Cayo Largo's greatest asset is it's beaches. In our opinion the Pelicano beach was the best of the hotels. Plan to walk both east and west and remember three things. Firstly, take water shoes of some kind to get around a few rocky areas that you will encounter. Second, remember that whatever distance you walk in one direction, it will be the same distance back. The sun is hot and there are no bars along the way. Finally, be prepared to encounter lots of skin along the way. The naturists love to walk beaches. In fact if you offended by nudity, go elsewhere, as it is common at the hotel beach as well. There were only a couple of individuals who could have been a little more discreet.

In the few places that we have visited, getting to know the staff has been the best part of the trip. Cuba especially. The Doctor Roberto, who talked about the three years in Uganda working with the very poor. The porter Jorge, who played 11 years in the Cuban National Baseball League and who runs a league for kids when he is home 10 days a month. The waiter, Gonzalo who was a teacher in his home province and taught many of the people he now works with, including Yanny. Take the time to talk to these people, you will find them educated, intelligent and interesting.

One final comment about the staff. When selecting gifts, bring items that you would not be embarrassed to give to you family or friends. Keep the trinkets from the dollar store for the people you don't like.

The only complaint we have are the complainers. They are easy to find, they are usually standing beside me in line. Those that can't seem to find perfection where ever go, should stay at home. Let the rest of us enjoy our holiday.

Cayo Largo with its sparkling turquoise waters and unblemished white sand beaches is situated on the eastern end of the Canarreos archipelago where the weather usually remains quite warm and sunny all of the winter season, it is one of our favorite sun destinations. It is located about 63 km south of the Cuban mainland. Cayo Largo beaches posess a certain physical beauty and pristine quality that, in the last decade or so has become very popular with Canadians and Europeans. But for me and my wife Cayo Largo is much more than the sum of those parts, it is in fact a beautiful state of mind for us. This year visiting there between November 20-27 2006 we enjoyed the weather and the beaches more than ever.

Our flight with Air Transat at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, November 20 was on time . It was a direct flight to Cayo Largo and took approximately three hours and 30 minutes. We had a window seat so we enjoyed some of the scenery as we crossed the Cuban mainland and had a great view of Cayo Largo with a circling approach to the runway. Our landing was a tiny bit wobbly because of the wind. Our way through customs and immigration was uneventful and we were soon on our way to the Pelicano where we were to stay the week.

Check-in at the Pelicano was quite smooth and before long we had a nice room on the western side of the hotel. We had requested a different building through our travel agent but seemingly it wasn't available to us. More about that later. We then dropped our luggage in our room, got our bathing suits on and by 12 noon we were headed for the Ranchon by the beach and our first Ron Collins.

Lunch at the Ranchon. The view from this Ranchon as we had our Ron Collins was spectacular with nothing between us and the sugary white sand beach and a sea the shade of aquamarine that I thought had existed only in Crayola boxes. It’s as if we had been just plunked into a travel brochure or a Corona commercial. Is this a dream I asked my wife. She pinched my arm and I knew it wasn't.That said, I would say the food at the Ranchon on the first day was mediocre with little variety but by the rest of the week it improved tremendously and there was a very good variety of salads with an equally good variety of chicken, pork, beef and fish which you could accompany with brown rice, white rice, french fries or on one occasion some potato wedges. They had paella there too almost every day. The beef was as I like it "rare". If you didn't like the meat rare the chef would put it on the grill for you for a few moments and voilà you had beef well done. A nice idea. The staff at this Ranchon are outstanding and most go out of their way to make your stay a pleasant one.

La Yana a la carte restuarant. We were fortunate that evening to be able to make reservations at the La Yana a la carte. The meal was excellent and the service was very good. We both had the soup to begin with which was excellent. We had fish for our main course. We passed on the pasta course. We both had the excellent Cuban ice cream for dessert. The wine and conversation flowed nicely. Even though the a la carte restaurants are not our style, at this particular restaurant we had a very good meal and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The Lobby Bar. We capped off our first evening with a nice brandy at The Lobby Bar "El Catey". This bar can get quite busy just before the dinner hour which starts at 7 PM. It is also quite busy after 9 PM for after dinner drinks and of course the entertainment show next door. The service at the bar is quite good for the amount of staff that is on duty. You can get some international drinks (we had two brands of Scotch whiskey over the week. Mostly though it is Rum-based drinks, Cuban domestic liqueurs, brandies or beer. They also serve coffee European-style. In the morning there is pastries for a before breakfast snack. This bar is open 24 hours a day. Unfortunately though this year I think that the hotel management has decided to cut back on staff as much as possible. It leaves a small amount of staff to do a large amount of work and double duty. At this bar the staff managed to do this admirably and do so with a smile. On a few occasions it looked like there were more managers than staff LOL. We usually don't wait for the evening entertainment show as we are early to bed early to rise people. It's been a long day with the early morning flight etc. etc. so off to bed.

Our Room. Tuesday we wake up bright and early in our sky blue room,we throw of the covers and make our way over to open the balcony doors and in floods that morning Caribbean sunshine (that we so badly need after a dismal September October in Toronto) onto our white tile floor room. The room is decorated simply but tastefully, white ceiling with blue walls, the furniture is light-colored pine . The furniture consists of two single beds, two night tables, blanket box, one chest of drawers. We have also a nice little fridge for our bottled water (of which we receive a 1.5 l bottle) every day and of course there is a television set with about nine or 10 channels available on it. There are several small pastel paintings of Caribbean scenes on the wall. The room is bright and pleasant. There is a good-sized bathroom with a shower stall and toilet. The washbasin vanity is separate which is very handy. On the wall by the washbasin vanity there is a hairdryer with a 110 volt plug. There is also a 220 volt plug next to it. These plugs are just great for charging your camera battery, to boil a small tea kettle for tea or maybe a coffeemaker (that you bring with you, these are not supplied) etc. etc.. There is a small closet opposite the vanity with room for two suitcases and maybe 20 hangers for your clothes. Also in the closet is a safe to keep your valuables. The safe is part of your all-inclusive.The safe is opened with the room key.There is also a small set of shelves in the closet. The room and room facilities are quite large enough for two people. We brought our own coffeemaker and enjoyed our coffee on the balcony early every morning.

Buffet Restaurant. Now on to breakfast which we have at the International Buffet Restaurant "Entre Mares" every day. Breakfast here is quite simple. You can choose from having an omelet made there right on the spot at the grill. Also at the grill you can have fried eggs done any style. This particular week this chef at the grill was amazingly good and fast and the cooking was done with a smile. Also there is the buffet style breakfast if that is your choice with a good variety of breads, fruit, toast, small pancakes, cold meats, sausages and bacon and scrambled eggs. There is several varieties of sausage meat. One in particular I liked was the black pudding. Now I'll just be a little picky and say that the first two mornings they had the same problems as they have had over the last two years with cold scrambled eggs sausage etc. etc.. These warming tables need fixing. But I can say by the third day things were a little better. Still this was one of those minor annoyances that will not make or break our day. No use getting flustered for we must reserve our strength for the walk on the beach and later lunch at the Ranchon. Life is tough.

The Beaches. After breakfast we packed our camera gear and headed for Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso. We were fortunate enough to get seats on the nine o'clock shuttle. This year the charge is 2 CUC's per-person return. Arriving at the beach is always an eye-popping experience. This beach or beaches are just marvelous, white sand and turquoise water as far as you can see!. As we like to walk we won't spend the day here but make our way back by way of Playa Paraiso and Punta Mal Tiempo beach to the Pelicano. This is a 2 hour walk and is deadly on the hamstrings. After this walk (and a few Ron Collins) I wobbled for a couple of days LOL. It's the first time since 1992 that I've ever been able to walk back the whole beach without stepping up off the beach onto the rocks which usually occurs at several points. It was just marvelous. On other occasions during the week we had the great pleasure of walking the beach past Lindamar and Coral and Isla del Sur beaches to the Barcelo. This beach is perfect all the way from Sol Pelicano to the radio tower east of Barcelo. Barcelo now has one of the best beaches on the island (at least this week). The management must have prayed a lot over the last two years LOL. The beach in front of the Pelicano was very good also. The beach in front of the Sol Club was a little narrower than the Pelicano but still pretty good.

The Pizzeria. We got back just in time for lunch. We had a very nice cool glass of rum on the rocks at The lobby bar. Today we decided to have pizza at the new pizza bar that is located right next to the lobby bar. It was wonderful thin-crusted pizza with lots of cheese. We had just cheese, tomato sauce and mushrooms on ours. Very good indeed. They have quite a good menu and choices for your pizza. A great addition for the lunchtime. This establishment is open from about 12:30 PM to 3 PM. This is definitely a good addition at the Pelicano. More choice for lunch. The service here is fast and efficient and done with a smile.

The Zun-Zun bar and snack bar. For lunch on another day we visited the Zun-Zun bar and snack bar that is close by the pool. You have about five choices here from hamburgers to cheeseburgers to grilled cheese and Ham sandwiches etc.. My favorite is the medallions of pork with some peppers on a toasted bun with some fries on the side. Excellent. A nice cold beer with that goes down a treat. They also serve rum based cocktails of any kind and I did see a couple of international drinks, nothing to speak of. As like the rest of the resort the staff here are very good. This bar also serves as the pool bar.

Our evening meal for every night except our first night was The International Buffet Restaurant. There was always some variety for everyone. There is the grill where you pick your own piece of chicken or pork or sometimes shrimp and they are grilled on the spot. Then there is usually a roasted loin of pork, maybe a turkey or maybe leg of lamb that the chef carves for you. This week they had lamb, turkey, a very good beef roast, fish. On one occasion I think it was Wednesday night they had lovely big pieces of fresh lobster in butter sauce you could accompany that with a very nice big slice of roast beef for surf and turf. There is also a pasta station in another part of the dining room and of course there was soup of a different kind every night. I always enjoy the soup to begin my meal. And then to finish all of these courses off there is always some great Cuban ice cream. The service in this restaurant is excellent and we were never wanting for water or wine service at our table.

The Buildings and water services. These certainly are showing their age in spots but the rooms are generally neat and clean. This week in our own room there was no hot water for the whole week. Cold showers at my age are something I don't need and are actually detrimental. LOL. Some guests in other rooms had varying degrees of water temperature.We did survive but I think it was unprofessional of the hotel not to have sent around a note of apology. By the end of the week no note was forthcoming so I assumed they didn't care much.. I think management and public relations need a bit of a shake at the top levels here. Even though the Pelicano is always our choice for a hotel in Cayo Largo I do truly believe that it is not a 3 1/2 star (as in the brochures) but just only a 3 star. For a picky person who is coming to Cayo Largo for the first time the Sol Club would be a better choice. At least there they had hot water.

The grounds. The vegetation is getting better and better at the Pelicano after being devastated by hurricane Michelle. It is getting quite lush now (for what is really a desert island) and the gardening staff are doing an amazingly good job with very little tools to work with. Having been in the gardening business myself I truly take my hat off to the garden staff. Also they are friendly, warm and caring individuals and on many occasions had a small bouquet of flowers for my wife and I to take back to the room. A wonderful gesture by the gardening staff.

The pools. As always they were immaculately clean and well kept. The water seemed cool going in, but I guess that is the idea. When you are in the pool it is refreshing. There was no shortage whatsoever of lounges around the pool at any time during the week. Actually there was lounges to spare all week. Lots of shade under the palapas. There is also a wonderful children's pool next to the Kids Club. I liked going in there because it was warm and shallow and was mostly deserted and quiet on this week. A nice place for an afternoon nap after a good lunch.

Our flight back. Our flight back to Toronto via Camaguey was on time (actually it arrived in Toronto early). From Cayo Largo to Camaguey is about 40 minutes .We did not have to de-plane there and it took only about 45 minutes to 1-hour to load the Camaguey passengers and we were on our way quickly. They served beef sandwiches for our meal. The flight was uneventful. I did get some good photographs on our takeoff from Cayo Largo.

Dear travelers,
Just arrived back from Sol Pelicano after 7 days (Aug.5-12). – Air Transat Holidays was the operator.

Let’s not put hate or passion on a review. Concrete facts and pictures are more valuable.
I will try to be concise.
This was our 3rd trip in Cuba. Last year, 2 times, Cayo Coco – El Senador and Cayo Guillermo – Melia.

Sol Pelicano? Disappointed. Why?

A. PERSONNEL
1. Secluded island and secluded staff. Personnel being sure they would work for 20 days, they do not pay to much attention for tourists’ complaints nor needs (working for 20 days in Cayo Largo and going back home for next 10 days). The tips do not have the same effect as in Main Island. The serving speed does not increase, services and goods quality remain the same (you have no chance to complain to management – manager is missing all time, public relation representative does not know to speak English, Transat agent – Isabelle does not involve herself to much and did not respond back to our request) - Not too much can be changed because everything is transported by plane and the supplies are not to many.
2. Strange flags installed daily on the beach – is Sol Pelicano doing politics?
3. A few faces not very attractive and more aggressive than normal( closer to wrestling fighters’ faces , not to much confidence to put to many questions) – see waiters working on “Zun -Zun” pool bar)
4. Pool cleaning workers still cleaning the pool at noon time – no respect for tourists using the pool.
5. We were feeling poor beggars asking for a cold beer or a coffee – especially at beach restaurant – (they are demanding the tips through their attitude) more than 100 CUC used for tipping on 7 days sejour).

B. FOOD
Buffet-restaurant (air conditioned)
1. Only a few fresh items: meat, cucumbers, bred, 2-3 kind of fruits
2. Most of the food is canned and conserved food. (All food is transported by plane from Main Island).
3. Variety? Have a look into the pictures attached. The worst cook met in Cuba until this time (I remember the cook from El Senador-Cayo Coco: when we asked the waiter to call her (very young person) out of the kitchen to tip for her fantastic cookies).
4. No French fries, just some beans, mashed potatoes and other “canned” vegetables.
5. No fresh salad, no tomatoes, no fresh vegetables;
6. Grill-roasted table: (see pictures); to small for 300 rooms, same “salted” fish , and pre-cooked chicken every night, the “fresh” fish filet had a lot of bones…clean up of the area does not meat common sense sanitation rules;
7. No bar drinks (rum, liquors, scotch, etc) available at the dinner time in the buffet restaurant.
8. Ice cream, cakes and cookies not protected against flies.
9. Pasta – we had once but we found the spaghetti not cooked enough (al dente??? for Italians).

The BIGGEST ISSUE in the buffet restaurant? – THE CLEAN UP.

Flies all over the foods, protection being a few steel screens which cannot protect entirely the food; cross my heart I saw a cockroach running fast hiding underneath of fresh leaves used for decoration (the leaves are not washed and some food are in touch with them).
Can you see that yellow item (BIOTRAP) behind the beer pump? Is a sticky catch fly and they did not removed (replaced) it since our first day in the resort. Some times plastic cups (used for your drinks) are stored on that item. All black dots are dead flies and bugs and that was the most disgusting thing met at Sol Pelicano. Please look at the coffee storage location, or to the edge of stainless steel beer pump table, or inside the “24 hrs Lobby bar”.

There is no lunch at buffet-restaurant. Only breakfast and dinner. At lunch there are 3 choices. Grill on the beach, Pizza, or “Zun Zun “snack bar at the pool.

1. Grill on the beach – dirty tables, covered daily with same plasticized cardboard.(see pictures) The meat for the grill and for rotisserie is brought in plastic boxes and the flies come together – There are no minimum sanitary rules for food transportation from main restaurant to the beach (no ice, no insect protection). The serving personnel do not have their separate room for their needs. They smoke, joke and have their lunch together with tourists and friends and security guards or landscaping personnel. We avoided all 7 days having the lunch here. Just a few coffees and beers.
2. Pizzeria (see pictures) – It looks to be cleaner. Excepting the wood plates for pizza serving (approx. 30). All people are served on the same wood plates, using serrated knives, and there is no sanitation process on these wood “dishes” clean up during the lunch time. Can you imagine what can happened if Hepatitis Virus will come in contact with these wood plates?
3. Main lobby bar ran out of draft beer 2 days out of 7 (cans only).
4. Zun Zun - pool bar ; you can have here some hamburgers , or sandwiches (chicken, pork, beef meat) or “hot dog” . Hot dog is represented by those small Vienna type sausages (canned of course) with no taste of a normal (North American) hot dog. We had for one day French fries. All food is prepared behind the bar in a no access for tourists area, and we did not see how they prepared our sandwiches. Note : Avoid to seat close to the washroom. It is a very stinky spot.

There is one “A la carte” restaurant – very small open only for dinner. We could not book any reservation despite trying four times. International brand names drinks you have to pay for. Air conditioning working great here, really (see pictures)

C. POOL
Salt water, rubberized interior, good for kids. We tried to use the Jacuzzi but the urine smell was to strong and we renounced. Cleaning personnel worked hard on that day to clean and disinfect the area (after we complained).

D. GOOD THINGS
- Beautiful beach. Clean water, not too many weeds. Deep just from the shore (5-6 feet). Very wavy. Waves are good for swimmers and young people(no amenities for small kids and old tourists). See pictures and make comparison between the size of the beach on Aug 7, and Aug 12. We did not have any storms during our stay. All kids were kept away from the danger of big waves (They were in the pool all times)
- Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso – great beaches (1/2 hour distance to West side of the island) (See pictures) these are private beaches administrated by local Marina. You can have a great meal at Sirena restaurant (see the price list).
- Entertainment at Sol Pelicano– VERY GOOD. BRAVO - CLUB (administrated by Italians) doing a great job.
- The resort grounds are nice , greatly maintained, very nice palm trees around the pool;

Things to know or to be aware:
- We visited all resorts. Hotels “Isla del Sur” and “Villa Lindamar and Coral” are 100% administrated by Italians. These are small units, but they are clean, with air conditioned restaurants (3 meals daily); Staff here does not speak English (Italian only);
- Hotel “Barceló” looks good, clean, having a big buffet restaurant with air conditioning (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
Hotel “Sol Club” looks cleaner than Sol Pelicano; the buffet-restaurant is open-air and is only for breakfast and dinner.
- Hotel Sol Pelicano is in a large percentage a tourist target for Italians. Some personnel (entertainment) are Italians and they really care for their guests. The Italian travel Agencies representatives are taking care of the Italian guests in a great manner. Probably this is the reason that Italians have a special regime at Sol Pelicano and most of the staff speaking better Italian than English.
- Be careful when rent a mini scooter (20 CUC/day). They are old and damaged and some of them should have been retired long time ago because of safety concerns. Nobody will be held responsible because you accepted a scooter without breaks, or not being in a good condition of running (We rented one with breaks working only on front wheel).
- All tourists had a big problem: horse flies which suck blood. We had 2 bites but we’ve seen people with dozens of bites on their bodies. The attack was especially on the beach and at the pool. We had “mosquitoes spray protector and stopped them. Mosquitoes were showing up only after 8 p.m.
- Have 15 CUC available to deposit for your beach towel. When your return the towel you will receive back your money.
- Try to choose a flight with no intermediate stops. West Jet was our carrier and at return we had a huge delay-5 hrs when stopped for Camaguey (Santa Lucia) to pick up tourists.
- Ask twice the price (eventually write it down) before order anything in a Cuban bar or restaurant. They will change the price motivating “no speak English”.
- Be well protected and careful if you want to go East side of the island. We went 2 km East of the communication tower and have been attacked by dozens of horse flies when arrived close to their garbage dump area (No signs or indicators East of Barceló resort). Note: We have seen over there thousands of empty big metal cans probably used for our “daily fresh food” …?!?

We just returned from 7 days a the Sol Pelicano in Cayo Largo. We had an very pleasant and relaxing trip with our 2 children. We appreciated the food, staff and service at the Sol Pelicano, it met and exceeded our expectations. We would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to enjoy an un-spoiled destination, free of commercialism, and rich in natural beauty. I don't think we will ever experience beaches and ocean like this again, with pure beauty, and plenty of space to enjoy it. With only 3 hotels of any significant size (less than 350 rooms each) in Cayo Largo you can easily find a place of your own to relax and enjoy yourself. We travelled one day to Sirena Beach where we walked about 10 minutes along the shore to a secluded point, with a few palapas, and played in 4 inch deep pristine water and then snorkelled in much deeper patches. We saw many fish and starfish and were all alone the whole time. Unbelievable. We know that a trip to Cayo Largo is not an experience of the true Cuba since the island is for tourists only with the staff being brought in for 20 days of work then home again for 10 days. If a safe, relaxed and extremely beautiful destination with a decent all inclusive is what you need - try this one out.

Some further comments:

Flight: If you can get there on WestJet - go for it - they're great!

Airport & Customs: Quick and painless.

Hotel: 3.5 star, for us it was better.

Room: We had an Ocean View room with a King bed and a sitting room with 2 cots for the kids. The air conditioning worked well in the master bedroom, there was ceiling fan in the kid's area and double doors to the balcony for a good breeze at night. We pinned the sheers closed to keep the mosquitoes out. The bathroom was very clean and well stocked with towels (they are air dried so not as soft as we're used too - but very fresh smelling). The drain was a bit slow but I'm sure a lot of sand gets washed down so it was understandable. Water pressure was a bit low at peak times - 6:00pm when everyone is returning from the beach or pool to clean up for dinner. Very understandable. The maid staff did a great job.

Food: If you like Italian it's awesome. Lots of antipasto, pasta, grilled veggies etc. also nice meats, fish, breads. We never went hungry and there was plenty of variety so you didn't get bored. We had a routine of breakfast at the buffet, lunch at the beach bar or pool snack bar and dinner at the buffet or an a-la-carte. The a-la-cartes were very nice we went to La Yana 2 times and the beach restaurant once. The Lobby bar serves excellent espresso and cappuccino!

Staff: Very hard working - I think the animation staff work 15+ hour days as we saw them on the beach before lunch playing and mingling then they would be at the pool, the evening show, the coffee bar disco - then if guests wanted to go the disco at another hotel they would accompany them. A gruelling 20 days I'm sure, and they were always happy and upbeat. Some staff were not "in your face" with customer service but were professional, and most that we met spoke 2-4 languages Spanish, Italian, French and English (in that order).

Just returned from 1 week at the Sol Pelicano. We did a lot of research before booking, and found all the reviews on this resort to be quite accurate. We have previously stayed at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria and the Barceló Solymar Veradero. Both of those resorts were 4 1/2 stars, so this was definitely more of a budget resort than those two. We were a bit disappointed the first couple of days, but we did book a 3 1/2 star and that is what we got! The previous reviews give a lot of detail about the island, excursions, etc.....so this will be brief.

Flight: WestJet (Air Transat) out of Toronto. Fabulous flight....on time, lots of leg room, satellite TV's in all seat backs, great in-flight crews!!!! All other carriers need to take note of this airline! They are always amazing!

Rooms: Check in was quick. Rooms were very clean. Only water available in the fridges. Some English TV. Showers were hot with adequate pressure.

Food: Usual Cuban fare! All Cuban food tends to be bland, but the breads, pasta, and ice-cream were great! Food at the snack bar was pretty good.

Staff: Friendly and fun. They didn't seem to be real keen in the restaurants. It was often hard to find a clean table, but after being seated it was okay. Entertainment crew was great. Lots of fun playing volleyball, salsa dancing, etc

Bugs: Few small ants in the rooms. No big deal. The resort was fogged each night by a small airplane flying overhead ( I wouldn't want to work there and breath that every night......the fog really hung in the air a long time). Very few mosquitoes!

Beach: As good as it gets!!! Awesome. The sand is so deep in places it is like walking through 4 inches of fresh snow......only better!!

Pool: Very cold the first few days. No one swam until it warmed up half way through the week. Then it was good.

The Italians !!: No problem. I think about 80% were Italian, but it didn't pose any problems. They didn't get any better treatment than the rest of us! We were always mixed in with them at meals, and we played all the sports with them. We heard very little English all week, but it was fine!

This hotel is rated 3 1/2* and that is what we would give it also. There were 4 of us in our group aged 64, 50, 31, 27 all females mothers and daughters. Booked the Saturday before departure and paid $780 each including taxes. Great price, great trip!!!!!!!

Flight: Flew out of Toronto with West Jet, flight left 30 mins late due to runway traffic. Flight was only 3 hours and 3 min's so we still arrived on time. Flight was very bumpy on the way down. They served a boxed snack of fruit, yogurt, cheese, crackers and small roll. Flight home was smoother and they served a boxed lunch of turkey, ham cheese and lettuce on a nice bun, greek salad, cheese & crackers and a kit kat bar. West Jet has satitlie tv in the head rest in front of you which is nice as you can watch the program you want. There were at least 20 channels to choose from. Flight attendants were great! One of the best flights I have had and I travel south 3 to 4 times a year.

Customs: I was very surprised how fast it was. We were at the hotel pool within the hour.

Check in: There were about 100 of us checking in at the same time but it went fast as they had 4 people working at the front desk when we arrived. Our rooms were not ready yet so we had to wait about 2 hours to get our room card. We just changed into our swim suits and went to the pool and a few beers and a burger while we waited.

Towels: There is a $15 rental fee for a beach towel. Your money will be refunded at the end of your trip when you hand back in your towel and present your receipt at the front desk. I always travel with my own.

Pool: This hotel has 2 pools, one for the kiddies one for adults. Pool area was large with lots of loungers and shade. Both pools are salt water and very clean, no swim-up bar (which I prefer as you people drinking there all day and never leaving the pool, hummmm). Kiddies pool is great only 1 1/2 ft deep and there is a slide and sort of jungle gym that goes right into the water also has a play centre and park area with swings etc. This area is nice and quiet and is where we spent our pool time. People save spots and then come back late in the day remove their stuff and never use the chairs or hut, so people if you save it use it!!! It was maddening to see this happen especially when families were looking for a spot and they were taken but never used.

Room: We were in rooms 4416 & 4430. Room 4416 faced the ocean which was nice. Room was clean, had 2 double beds pushed together so we just separated them with a night table. Small desk with coffee maker (never figured how to plug it in so never used it) TV on top of cabinet that housed the mini-fridge (bottled water only). Room was small. Bathroom has shower only and we had lots of hot water and towels and was also clean. We had a problem with little spider like bugs on the desk when we arrived but we sprayed them with bug spray and that solved the problem. Beds where very comfortable and each bed had 2 large body pillows which were nice. The 2 girls had room 4430, the air conditioner never worked and no one ever came to fix it. The phone didn't work either and someone had removed all the pictures from the wall and just left 4 big screws in their place.........other than that it was clean but very warm.......

Hotel Grounds: There are always gardeners doing something there. Watering, planting, trimming etc. All areas are clean and very pretty but very dry. There are some nice sculptures and fountains throughout the hotel grounds.

Food: Food was just okay but always found something to eat. Pool bar has a covered area with tables and chairs and is open from 10am to 10pm and serves hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and french fries. We all enjoyed the food here. The buffet was my least favourite but the others enjoyed it(I am am just not a buffet person). There was lots to choose from. All veggies and most of the fruit came out of a can (with the location of Cayo Largo you can understand this) Meats were cooked and good. Lots of nice breads and buns. Dessert consisted of one type of cake which was dry and no taste we did have ice cream only one night out of the seven. This hotel has 2 al la carts. There is one at the beach which we enjoyed the food but the service was the worst I have ever had, they didn't offer us drinks or any dessert until we were getting up to leave after eating our dinner and sitting there for at least an hour. The Yanni al la carte was fantastic, I had the filet mignon which was cooked to perfection. Others had the lobster (extra $20) and they were huge and were very good. Service was great and one of our dinner group was celebrating a b'day so they brought out cake with candles and champagne which was really nice. Bar drinks were very strong and the beer was 50/50 sometimes good the other times bitter and flat.

Beach: The beach in front of the Pelicano is beautiful!!!!!!!!!! Cool white sand that is like powder and we were lucky as we had green flag every day we were there. Lots of loungers and