|
| Sol Pelicano | Lesab33 ~ Toronto |
April 2008
I have been to Cuba numerous times. First time to Cayo Largo.
Beaches are truly beautiful. The sand is powdery. The most amazing sand I have seen. There is a lot of long walks on the beach. Catamaran is a must trip to do...the only trip. They take you to wonderful spots.
The playas off the resorts are the most amazing. With that being said I got a bit tired of eveyday having to pack-up and leave the resort. Come time to go home I was glad. This is a first for me. I stayed for 2 weeks in Cayo Coco and was still quite sad to go home.
Hotel - I made a very bad choice. Sol Venta Club or Pelicano as they now call it. The home of doom and gloom. I visited both hotels and staff were very friendly and the place was bright and cheery.
Pelicano - couldn’t get a cup of coffee for breakfast. When asked a staff member as they would be returning with my single coffee they would see someone walk in they knew & give my coffee away and they go get the other person’s coffee & juice. This happened to me the first 3 days in a row a breakfast. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I would just go have my coffee at the lobby bar where there was at least 1 staff member at the resort that was not rude.
Buffet - the set up is quite nice with 4 separate seating areas with a courtyard in the middle. The toaster for breakfast is shameful.
I can not comment about lunches because I ate off the resort for lunch since the Pelicano staff had decided I was not worthy of service - even though I was a single travel & paid an extra $300 single supplement to be alone. I truly resented this.
Buffet dinners - ok. Wouldn’t dare try the a la cartes.... I had visions of sitting till they closed and not getting served.
Rooms - very small with a horrible balcony. Mold , smelly and had no bath tub.
The only plus was watching the boys play soccer at 6:00 outside my room.
To sum it up, horrible choice of hotel and YES, . they do cater to Italians. As an English speaking person ... I felt it!!! The nudity was offensive. There are a lot of places people can go to be nude. The "in your face" nudity disgusted me.
What I missed was being in the real Cuba where everyone says "hola" as they walk by you. Not here. Not a place I would ever return but then of course this is not "really Cuba anyway."
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano |
S and B ~ Canada |
February 2008
Sol Pelicano---amazing beaches!
We have travelled to Cuba 11 times now to all different areas. This was our first time to Cayo Largo and had heard great things about the beaches. We found it difficult to find info on the resorts (not sure if people are maybe trying to keep it a secret!) so I wanted to be sure and give some info back to help others make a decision to visit this area of Cuba.
Flight: We flew with Can Jet out of Toronto. No problems. No entertainment on the flight so it seemed longer than other companies we have flown with.
Arrival: It was quick and within 30 minutes we were thru customs and had our baggage. There was entertainment at the terminal, which I thought was a nice touch. We decided to take a taxi to the resort –2 CUC per person and we arrived in about 10 minutes ( buses were quick also but we wanted to beat the rush) We are members of the MAS so we had our own private check in and we also had our a-la- cartes prebooked. After a bottle of champagne delivered to us upon arrival we set off to find our rooms. There were bellboys but we decided to try and find out own way. They do give you a map and show you directions.
We arrived late at night so it would be much easier in the daytime I am sure.
Rooms: We were given an ocean front room with a King size bed. Rooms are more dated than some but they were clean had a balcony for wonderful sunsets and listening to the sound of the ocean. The room also contained a small fridge , shower, hairdryer and large closet. In the bathroom an outlet converted to 110V. Friends who traveled with us had a poolside room, which seemed newer and had a tub.
Grounds: The grounds were not as lush as some we have seen but Hurricane Michelle has destroyed this part of Cuba. There is wonderful carvings stone, cement all over the resort and I met the artist who has done them. (He also cleans the pool)
Food: We have traveled to all parts of Cuba and I would say besides the RHE this was the best food we have had. The buffet didn’t have as large a selection as some we have been to but there was plenty to choose from. Evening buffets included turkey, pork roasts, beef and of course, chicken (from Canada we were told) fresh fish and a pasta bar. I also noticed that they had a section for diabetics, which is labeled.
The buffet was very nice as it is in 4 sections in a courtyard. I found this to be less noisy than most buffets that you have at some resorts. The staff only took one day to know what you liked at each meal. They were great and pleasant.
Lunches: You could eat at the Zun Zun bar, which is poolside and offers chicken sandwiches, hamburgers etc –great service and it stays open until 5.
You could also eat at the buffet and the Ranchon down by the beach, which in itself is a little piece of heaven. They have a small buffet and offer fresh cooked chicken (tasted like Swiss Chalet). Fish and pork each day. This was a great spot to eat lunch and get out of the sun.
A La Cartes
La Yuna- We had a wonderful 4-course meal, which consisted of filet minion in red wine sauce, pumpkin soup, a pasta dish, and all the wine you could drink! The service was excellent as the staff was attentive to every need. We all agreed this was the best meal we had at an a la carte.
La Ranchon-This Oceanside restaurant changes to a restaurant in the evenings and also offers a 4-course meal with a choice of chicken, beef or fish. The waiters at this restaurant had us entertained the whole evening ( Noel was the best waiter). The ambiance of the ocean breeze in the background made this spot one not to miss. We also were lucky enough to return to this place again on Valentines evening where we once again enjoyed our meal complete with a bottle of champagne. I must mention the creamy hot rice pudding in spun sugar!!
The Zun Zun bar has recently also been changed to steak house in the evening and once again the location which is beside the pool was wonderful. You enjoyed the meal in under the stars and moon! Again the service was second to none.
I must mention that there is also a pizza bar, which at this time was not open, but speaking to the public relations it should be open again soon.
Bars and Drinks—lots of places to grab a drink from the lobby bar (which isn’t in the lobby), and open 24 hours, the pool ( Zun Zun)or the beach front restaurant. You also had water in your room each day.
Entertainment-We watched a few shows and found them to be similar to most that are at resorts in other areas.
The animation teams were active but did not bug you if you didn’t want to participate. There was no loud music blaring during the day and activities around the pool didn’t start until 4.
Pool-There were 2 pools—children’s pool (not many children) and the adult pool. There is plenty of shade available and we had no problem getting chairs, which are now the soft covers not the hard plastic. The pool was immaculate and cleaned each day. It is lit up at night so that night swimming is allowed not that we saw anyone taking advantage of that.
Excursions: We only did the sunset cruise which included a visit to Iguana Island, 45 min of snorkeling, 30 at the “pool”, baked lobster dinner, and all you could drink. This was great however this happened to be one of the few days that it decided to rain at sunset—so we missed it! (By the time we got back to the resort –they had no rain!)
THE BEACHES-----OMG. Well when they say that Cayo Largo has the best beaches they aren’t lying. 25 km of pure white, talcum powder, virgin walking beaches at your doorstep! The bluest water that you can ever imagine! I have heard the beaches change each yr (day) but there was no problem walking as far as you could in either direction without having to climb up on the rocks. There is a lack of shade however there are umbrellas available at the towel hut and the breeze was very accommodating. The beach was red flagged 2 days but the rest of the week it was fine. There are rolling swells that make it great for body surfing. Each day it wasn’t hard to put in a few hours walking each way on the beach.
We did spend a day at the Sol Cayo largo and it seemed like a very nice resort. It reminded us more of a Melia—a step up from the Sol. We would also like to some day visit there.
The make-up of guests at this resort were Italian (50%) Argentinean (10%) and French and English Canadians –about 40%. We didn’t find this to be a problem in the least. This resort also seemed to have more young people than most resorts have visited and the disco was full till closing each night.
There is a nude beach but honestly I found just as much nudity at Santa Clara. At orientation they asked that guests to please adhere to the areas that are reserved for nude sunbathing and not at the pool area.
There is a new manager at this resort and he was very visible visiting and asking opinions each evening. The public relations department was excellent and couldn’t do enough for you. The staff at this resort got to know you and used your name—they made you feel at home.
We booked this resort at an amazing price for high season (1500 couple with taxes) and would have considered a great place at a higher price. We would put this in the top 3 places we have visited in Cuba and look forward to returning some day. It is not a place where you can find lots of action but it is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate your soul---just thinking of the white sand and the breezes blowing off the ocean makes you want to return.
If anyone has any questions or would like to see pictures email us at sbmeyers@cabletv.on.ca
Top of Page
January 2008
Our second visit to the Sol Pelicano was as successful as the first. There were a few things that were different and many things the same.
Two big changes, we flew out of Montreal as Toronto flights did not start until Dec21st and we traveled with another couple.
Airport was a little tougher to navigate but will be easier next time. I’ll suggest a radical concept; follow the signs, not the three co-pilots.
We flew Air Transat. My wife and I flew club class and G & A flew regular class. I have to admit those hot towelettes were great. Club also included extra luggage allowances, hot meals, free booze, seat selection, leg room, express boarding, etc. G&A found the seats cramped and the box lunch very unappealing. Worst of all, NO bar service.
One of our practices has been to take medical supplies from Not Just Tourists (NJT).
As before we were the first off the plane and first through Immigration. Even our bags were first on the carousel. Unfortunately this could not be said for the NJT suitcases filled with medical supplies. They usually wait for the crowd to leave before they bring them out. Last year it was 36 pairs of prescription glasses that caused a little delay. This year it was a rather large supply of suppositories. I won’t bore you with details, but suffice it to say that everything worked out in the end.
I have to mention that with us in the airport, and on the last bus to the hotel was a rock band from Montreal called, My Favorite Enemy. They have the long, colored hair, beards, weird cloths and topped off with each wearing a beige felt top hat. They did get the full attention of the customs guys and handled it with very well. A real class act and by the way they can sing to. Watch for them.
As most are aware, the hotel was closed from June to November. Hotels will be closed in the off season, based on the demand. No major renovations took place although some improvements were done. For example wooden railings were being replaced with tough plastic. Relax, it is as good as always.
For repeat guests, they have preferred check in. Watch for the call at reception. We also had a complimentary bottle of rum delivered to the room, mid week.
I think we were the first group since re-opening. Hotel was at about 40% occupancy so some services were not available. Most notably, the buffet did not open until the week after we left. No problem, all restaurants were open and we ordered off the menu. Nice change.
Best news of all was that all the staff we got to know were back. We brought lots of gifts for them and we were pleased that we could deliver to them personally.
Beach- Pelicano’s beach was in great shape when we got there and although the water level went up later on, it was still good. There was very little beach in front of the Sol and guests had to come our way to find sand. Even when the ocean got rough the east end of Pelicano beach was still OK. There were no palapas at Pelicano. The beach umbrellas were OK, but not great in the wind.
We made the trolley trip to the Paraiso, but only to walk back. The walking was a little challenging in places. Water shoes took care of the rough spots.
Nudity- In the past, naturists have just been part of the scenery, like the sand and the sea. We found this year some people were more “in your face”, both at the beach and pool. There were guests complaining.
I had m
y first experience with Cayo Largo diving. I was initially told that they were booked solid. They added an afternoon dive, which filled quickly. If you are planning a dive holiday, book in advance through the tour company. The two dive locations were great and the dive masters were excellent.
In the past I have been a favorite target for the no see ums. This time I did what they recommended, long pants at night and close you windows at sunrise and sunset. I came through with only a few bites. Fogging was done each evening at sunset. Another good reason to close the window.
The rooms have not changed. Basic but clean. Water was a little brackish as the lines were dormant for 6 months. This cleared up quickly. We were given an ocean view at no charge.
The majority of the guests were either French Canadian or Italian. We met guests from Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Germany. An interesting mix.
One of the main reasons we return each year, is the staff. We realize that this is not the “real Cuba”. But they are real Cubans. Their greetings were warm and their smiles were sincere. We already look forward to seeing these smiles again December 2008.
We paid for the late checkout this time. I found it really didn’t make a difference. I was still packed (or at least my wife had me packed!!) and ready at noon.
Huge lineup at the airport. Again club class took us to the front of the line and first through immigration.
One last comment. We struggle each year to find gifts that are appropriate. We’ve asked many times and in almost every case, the suggestion will be something for the children. If they don’t have children, they will have nieces and nephews. Think baseball.
P.S. We’re now well into January and just finishing the review. In between was a trip to a five star in Dominican Republic for our son’s wedding. Beautiful place, fantastic room, lush grounds, great food and drinks and I’ll never go back. I’ll take Pelicano’s 3 star hospitability and its flaws over any five star.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano |
Joe and Karen (Canuck130) |
January 2008
Just got back from Sol Pelicano Cayo Largo Cuba. As usual in Cayo Largo we had a wonderful vacation. My last review of this hotel in November 2006 was somewhat critical of the hotel and management. Afterwards I did feel that maybe I had gone a bit overboard with my criticism of the management despite being treated royally by all all the service staff there. Well, what a 180° turnaround for the service to guests by the new management at this hotel. As the situation relates to Karen and I it kind of reminded me of that old Godfather 3 movie saying "just when I thought I was out -- -- -- they pulled me back in" LOL. For now I guess the hotel is in a transformative stage of upgrading services. I hope that they keep this management policy change alive and well as we believe they will get many many returns on their new policy . They certainly have pulled us back in.
Tour operator and carrier. We booked the vacation with Nolitours Vacations. It was Skyservice Airlines who were the air carriers. The flight left Toronto at 6:45 p.m. but was scheduled for 5:55 p.m.. We had just pulled away from the gate at 5:55 p.m. when the captain came on the blower and said that the aircraft had some computer problems. We were a little apprehensive but really it didn't take very long to be on our way and we landed in Cayo Largo at 10 p.m. or shortly thereafter.
Cuban customs and immigration. Wow! We couldn't believe how fast we came through immigration. We were through before the luggage came. Of course then Aduana spied that we had an electric kettle in our luggage and of course had to see the famous (cooker) LOL. Needless to say one look at the kettle and we were on our way with an apology and smiles all round. It was in record short time that we were on the bus and delivered to our destination at the Pelicano (10 minutes away).
Our check-in. As returning guests (many many times) we were treated to a special check-in. The beautiful Tania Hernández in customer relations handled our check-in in record time. We were ensconced in our room in 20 minutes. Room number 4327. We sat on the balcony looking at the myriad of stars and waited for our luggage to arrive. The luggage arrived promptly lugged by a smiling porter who recognized us and we were greeted by him with a double kiss and a bear hug. What warm people they are!. We then went to have a well-deserved Mojito at the lobby bar after our hours of travel as we are both getting past the best before date and tire more easily than when we were young. After two well deserved drinks we toddled off home and retired for the evening.
The room. It was only after waking up the next morning and throwing open the balcony doors did we realize how beautiful the view from our room was. The room had a perfect panoramic view of the shimmering blue ocean. A view of the Lindamar in the distance to the east. A view of the Pelicano Ranchon close by and the Sol Club in the distance to the west. One of the many wonderful things about this room was it had a perfect view of sunrises while enjoying our early morning cup of coffee and an equally perfect view of the sunsets of Cayo Largo. The second great advantage this room had was its French doors that opened out onto the balcony and made the room that much bigger visually. Also in our main room they supplied us with a coffee maker (which you will need an adapter for). There was also a good size safety deposit box (safe) which you opened with the your hotel room key (the safe is located in the closet).The closet is a good size with ample space for clothing etc.. The furnishings in the main room were simple natural pine but quite nice. There was a writing table, a blanket box which could be used for stacking your suitcases on top of and there was lots of room to store other different gear underneath in the body of the box . The room had a television with 5 or more stations. The room also had a fridge which is very handy indeed for keeping your drinks cold. Two single beds (which can be pushed together). Two nice side tables by the beds. The room size I would say is perfect for two people.
The bathroom was well appointed with a shower stall and a very nice washbasin vanity and mirror, toilet. We had no problem at any time with hot water. The bathroom also had a hair dryer and the electricity was 110 V which I used for charging my camera batteries and I didn't even need an adapter as the plugs fitted properly. Of course you should always carry adapters as this may not be the case in some other of the Pelicano hotel room bathrooms. There was a small laundry line in the shower enclosure to hang up wet bathing suits or towels .
Dining rooms and Ranchon. We ate at the buffet more than anywhere else. We did have two à la carte dinners at La Yana dining room. Our breakfast was always buffet and our lunch was always at the Ranchon by the beach. Our afternoon snack was at the Zun-Zun snack bar by the pool. Our other dinners mainly at Entre Marés buffet. We are creatures of habit I guess. I can safely say we did not have a bad meal all of our week at the Pelicano. For us the food has improved immensely and we had no problem with cold food tables that should be hot etc..
Breakfast. My favorite meal of the day. Every morning we had breakfast at the buffet. They had a nice layout here for breakfast. Lots of bread, croissants, toast, also an assortment of pastries. Jam and marmalade and butter all individually packaged. An assortment of cold meats and cheeses. There was also crispy bacon and hot cooked sausages of different kinds and scrambled eggs. Mounds of pancakes ready to go. We had lots of fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, and yogurt every day here for breakfast this week. Mostly I would have made to order omelettes. For the omelettes they had quite a good choice of fillings. At the omelette station you could have eggs done any style also. Karen usually had scrambled eggs from the buffet table. For me there was a nice crispy bacon for to go with my cheese and mushroom omelette. For us the choice for breakfast was more than adequate.
Lunch at the Ranchon. Every day (with the exception of Thursday) we had lunch at the Ranchon overlooking a beautiful multicolored ocean. Here we would have our prelunch cocktail around 11:45 a.m. and get a very nice seat with an ocean view. On several small tables decorated with palm leaves they had a nice variety of vegetables and salads. On the same table or tables they had hot french fries and some wonderful saffron colored Spanish rice (paella style) in warming trays. Also a warming tray with pasta. At the grill you could have your chicken, fish, pork, beef cooked or finished off cooking by either of the two chefs right there in front of you. An excellent set up. Afterwards you could have dessert of small pastries and of course fresh fruit if so desired and a nice brandy to finish off the meal. Wine and beer were served with the meals if so desired. The staff at the Ranchon are top-notch and you will never have to wait for service here. Sometimes the lineup for tables is quite heavy around 1 p.m. so if you are a fidgety person and can't wait you should come early for lunch or go to the buffet. In our week the buffet was open for lunch. I can't comment on what was served there as we didn't attend.
The Zun Zun Snack-Bar----Pool-Bar. In the mid to late afternoon we would come down here for our usual Ron Collins. We would order a burger and fries to tide us over until dinnertime. It was really nice to sit by the pool and have our snack which we shared between us. It was fun at that time at the pool because animation were usually having some contest or other. Water aerobics and sports also. Sometimes a fun dart game. At that time also the cooking staff would be barbecuing in the barbecue pit any pork for the buffet dining room. That was fun to watch also. It is so international here in the afternoon with guests from England, Italy, Germany, Argentina and of course Canadians from coast to coast all mingling and enjoying themselves. It was just marvelous watching all nationalities in their element enjoying the sun, the staff, the pool and the entertainment. Great stuff.
Dinner at the buffet. There were lots of choices for dinner at the buffet. There was a grill station with a variety of meats to grill. You had the choice of chicken, fish, pork and beef, on most evenings at that grill. There was also a pasta station with various pastas and tomato sauces. There was a salad bar with several choices of salads and salad dressings and breads. There was hot tables of cooked vegetables and meats (beef stew, fish, pork chops, chicken). Most evenings they had one or two main carving stations with either beef, turkey, leg of lamb, whole fish, pork leg (barbecued that day by the pool in the Zun Zun area). For dessert they had pastries and custard and different cakes. We had wine with our meals every night. After dinner we enjoyed a nice Cuban coffee. I've been to some good restaurants in Canada and I can say that the service at the buffet was just as good if not better than most of those. Excellent table service. We never wanted for anything.
Dinner at La Yana. This room is quite nice with large windows and a nice bright decor. We ate at this à la carte on two occasions and had a wonderful meal both times. We both had soup to start (fish soup) it was excellent. We skipped the pasta course. For the main course I had fish one night and beef the next night. Karen had chicken one night and fish the next night. The main course was served with a variety of vegetables. We both shared tasting each other's dinner and the food was excellent. We had a very nice white wine with our dinner on both occasions and a custard dessert and of course wonderful Cuban coffee to finish. The service here is excellent also. I think there was actually four choices of dinners on the menu. So choice wasn't a problem here.
The lobby bar. The Bougainvillea bush by the lobby bar sign outside this bar has been battered by storms but is still absolutely beautiful. It's hardy spirit and gritty survival kind of embodies Cayo Largo for us. This bar we certainly enjoyed for our quiet drink in the afternoon. Our favorite time here though was around 8:15 p.m. where we enjoyed a nice after dinner brandy in a fairly quiet environment after finishing dinner at the buffet . This week we had met a couple from eastern Ontario (you know who you are) who we became acquainted with on another holiday in Cayo Largo in 2006 (small world). We certainly enjoyed their company at the bar in the evening where we would discuss what we had both done for the day and other deep subjects LOL. It was certainly a pleasure making their acquaintance again. After the lobby bar Karen and I would usually retire to our room and maybe sit on the balcony and star watch. The end to a perfect day again!!. Though I have to say on one particular night on the balcony after drinking several Havana Club seven-year-old rum drinks on ice (to ward off the mosquitoes) I went through the three stages of that particular beverage whilst discussing the beauty of the starlit heavens above and Cayo Largo. Those stages are "verbose -- -- lachrymose -- -- comatose". LOL.
The beaches. The beach at the Pelicano was somewhat narrower than the last time we had been to Cayo Largo in November 2006. It did however fluctuate in size during the week as beaches in Cayo Largo usually do. By the end of the week the beach was getting a bit wider. We managed to walk from Playa Sirena to the Pelicano beach and in that walk we had only to leave the beach for about 400 m at a point just 1 km west of Sol Club. You could walk on the beach from Lindamar all the way to the Barcelo only leaving the beach for 200 m at the iguana. The Barcelo beach was quite good when we visited the hotel in midweek (about 50 m wide). There was only a few Palapas on the beach at the Pelicano. But I will say they have started a nice program at the Pelicano where you can sign out a portable beach umbrella for the day for yourself and your partner. The rules are that if you damage the beach umbrella in any way you are liable to pay 50 CUC for loss or damage. Fair enough. These beach umbrellas are quite good and we noticed a lot of them being used not only at the Pelicano but at Playa Sirena and Paraiso as well. The portable umbrellas were also being used in front of the Isla del Sur and Barcelo. The Sol Club beach was somewhat narrow directly in front of the hotel Ranchon but was quite wide to the west of the hotel and maybe 60 m wide a little to the east of the hotel. There were some Palapas at the Sol Club. A lot of people were using the portable beach umbrellas at Sol Club as well. They may have the same beach umbrella plan there?. Isla del Sur beach was 50 m wide also. Lindamar beach and Soledad beach were quite good also. Train rides were free to Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso from all hotels. Our conclusion was that the beaches were mostly fine everywhere and not really crowded.
Our picnic at Playa Sirena. The Pelicano hotel arranged a picnic for Karen and I at Playa Sirena. We were supplied with a wonderful picnic hamper (large cooler with ice) for brunch packed with, a bottle of white wine, smoked salmon on a freshly baked baguettes, prosciutto on a freshly baked baguettes. An assortment of sparkling water and minerals on ice. Also we were supplied with a linen tablecloth and two elegant wineglasses. A very nice assortment of pastries for dessert to top it all off. We felt like king and queen of Cayo Largo on the beach at Sirena (the perfect setting for a beach picnic). Kudos to the Pelicano hotel for this. A wonderful touch. Don't know how we deserved this wonderful treatment. But of course never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Our boat excursion. We took an afternoon boat excursion to the reef at Cayo Largo. We left the Pelicano hotel at about 1:30 p.m. and on getting to the marina we boarded a fairly good-sized boat with an upper and lower deck and I might add this vessel was shipshape. The boat was to take us for an afternoon cruise of snorkeling, swimming, all the rum and beer you could drink and afterwards a spiny lobster dinner served at sunset. We chose the bottom deck as it was a little more stable and closer to the rum LOL. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the friendly company and the beautiful ocean surroundings. The lobster was really good and the rum and beer went down a treat. We got back to our hotel at 7:30 p.m. tired but happy. A great day was had by all. The cost was 70 CUC per person which included the lobster. The snorkeling equipment was also supplied.
Our tour representative. Kim was a cut above other tour reps that we have had over the years. Cheerful, personable and informative she kept us abreast of all the changes that was going on at the Pelicano. She was always available when we needed any help. When our Skyservice return flight was delayed she was instrumental in getting our checkout extended until 9 p.m. on the night of the flight. Excellent service by Nolitours and their reps in Cayo Largo.
Our flight back and the airport. We got some good news (or bad news, depending on how you felt about your week LOL) in the afternoon that our stay at the hotel would be extended until 9 p.m. that evening as the Skyservice flight would be quite late in arriving at Cayo Largo and because of restrictions at Pearson International Airport we wouldn't be able to fly out of Cayo Largo until 3 a.m. because landing at Pearson was not allowed until 6:30 a.m.. We left the hotel at 12 midnight and after what seemed to be an eternally long three hours we took off for Pearson.The flight itself was quite comfortable and the service was good. We arrived at 6:40 a.m. to a cold windy TO. Brr. What a shock to the system and I'm still wearing my summer clothes!!!. Breezed through customs and immigration picked up our suitcases. Jumped on the skytrain to go to our parking spot and we were home in 40 minutes.
Our holiday overall. We truly enjoyed this holiday. The weather was perfection all week. The weather does help to colour your opinion of any holiday I guess. Mostly though this week was on a very positive note everywhere at the Pelicano. We seen a great sense of renewal with the new manager and management of this place. They are trying very hard to upgrade the service. Bit by bit this hotel is trying to put it together after being destroyed by Michelle and serious other storms since then. The vegetation is getting better little by little. I did see this hotel four months after hurricane Michelle and the vegetation is lush in comparison to that time. The hotel still has a ways to go though. The insides of the room's are quite comfortable and with a few tweaks would be perfect. The grounds are getting better little by little. I would say the only thing lacking now at the Pelicano is a paint job for the outsides of a lot of the buildings and I am sure that is in the works. I would come back to this hotel anytime. It's our perfect home away from home just 3 1/2 hours away from -10°C and shoveling the powdery white snow to basking in 27°C temperatures and making sand castles with our shovels on the powdery white beach. Surely we are exceptionally lucky people!!.
We have put together a few photos and short videos of the Pelicano and Cayo Largo and these can be accessed easily at the link underneath (Cayo Largo Cuba photos 2008) .
http://canuck.webcentre.ca/
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Jeanette |
January 2008
WATER: Our room had cool/tepid water so I called the desk and complained. I would estimate that the temperature was roughly 25 celcius at the best of times running straight hot water. This was a weak stream of water with very little pressure and was initially a pale yellow. The cold water had good pressure and was colourless. I called and complained 2 more times.. On our second night, at around 5 pm I tried to shower and there was NO water coming out of the tap if I turned it to hot and only a little weak stream of cold. I called again to no avail. The following afternoon I again tried to shower prior to dinner. This time there was NO WATER at all! The next day I waited for the posted office hours to speak with the Nolitours / Transat tours representative, Kim. I complained about the lack of water. She said that in her room it was fine. She did arrange again for a serviceman to come to our rooms. Shortly thereafter, we had better pressure and the water came out warmer but it was BROWN WATER! The water ran from dark yellow at times to very dark brown! About an hour after that again there was NO WATER FOR AN ENTIRE NIGHT! The next late morning, the water came back but it remained brown the entire trip and barely tepid. We complained to the public relations representative of the hotel, Tanya. She arranged for our last night to use a room closer to the main buildings for a shower. The water was warmer and not as yellow there. We were very thankful to be able to shower once before departing home. The weather turned quite cool the last two days with guests wearing their winter coats and hats outdoors. Our rooms had no heat! The windows have no glass to close them totally. The hot tub was very cold!! The pools are unheated and we could not have a warm shower. It was quite miserable being unable to get warm. I understand that no one can control weather but hot water in a necessity, especially when travelling with a small child!
BEACHES: I'll start with the best part and say the beaches are nice with soft white sand when the tide and wind hasn't taken it away. The way to the beach is via a long, somewhat rickety walkway over a wide area of natural grasses and weeds with LOTS of sand burrs! Be careful! Nolitours / Transat tours web site advertised catermaran and pedal boats. I saw none! At times the beach was only about a foot wide and impassable. Lots of nudity on the beach if you walk either left or right along the beach. Very windy and wavy. We are strong swimmers and did go out snorkelling but with the silt churned up there was really nothing to see. It was very difficult to get a lounger to sit on as the other guests, primarily Itallian guests, had placed towels on the chairs to reserve them.
FOOD/RESTAURANTS/BARS: We were at the hotel over new years 2008. The buffet restaurant put on a very nice new years dinner with nice table settings, grilled lobster sections and a good variety of food. We did have one very good meal at La Yana, the only indoor a la carte restaurant they have. At the buffet restaurant, the coffee came out of a sort of vending machine and was terrible! No bar service at the buffet restaurant except for wine and some beer. Large pasta bar that the Itallians seemed to love.
Generally, we found the service to be the worst I have ever seen. The wait staff are rude if they come to your table at all. I have travelled to 5 other resorts in Cuba over the past 4 years and have never encountered any rude staff prior to this trip. I tip at least a CUC with each meal and trip to the bar. This did not seem to help at all with most of the staff although some were very friendly and tried to give good service.
I was violently ill for 2 days, becoming somewhat dehydrated. I do like to try most of the different food at any resort but obviously something was unsafe to eat.
The bars ran out of vodka daily. Orange juice was hard to get at times. They rarely were able or willing to make Mohitos or Daquaris. If you like Rum and Cola, you will be fine.
STAFF: The Itallian guests seemed to take over and the staff appeared to serve them first, no matter who was waiting longer. Most of the staff speak Itallian, Spanish and many speak French. Only a few speak English. The hotel operator only speaks Spanish and Itallian. If you need something for your room or have a complaint, she cannot communicate in English. This would have been funny if it didn't cause problems.
The Ventaclub is the Itallian tour operator. There are huge signs and flags all over the resort advertising Ventaclub, to the point I thought the resort had changed it's name!!! I attempted to go to the very large Ventaclub tour desk in the front lobby to book an excursion. After waiting about 20 minutes, I was told that Ventaclub services are only for the Itallian guests.
ROOMS: Our room was clean but dated. Out toilet did not flush unless you took the tank lid off and pulled the chain. This took 3 days to fix. Our sink drained very slowly. The Nolitours / Transat tours brochure stated that all rooms had either 1 king or two double beds. We had 2 twin beds and a very crooked cot for our 3 year old. The rooms are advertised by Noli tours / Transat tours to have balcony or terrace, ours had neither although we had a lovely ocean view. Other Ontario guests I spoke to said that they did not get the ocean view room they had booked and paid for. Nolitours / Transat tours also states that the rooms have a coffee maker. Ours did not. We asked repeatedly for a way to get coffee for ourselves or to warm milk for our 3 year old and were told by Kim, the Nolitours / Transat representative on site that an electric kettle or warmer is illegal in Cuba.
GROUNDS: Grass was patchy and dry. Some very nice plants but no great gardens like I have seen in other Cuban resorts.
MAID SERVICE: Our maid spoke no english at all. Our sheets were changed only once in an entire week despite one bed being soiled from our 3 year old spilling some chocolate milk on the sheet. Our floor was never washed the entire time we were there. We washed up spots ourselves. We had to repeatedly ask for water in the mini fridge or else we would get none. No beer, soda or juice was provided in the mini fridge despite asking and writing a note and leaving a 5 CUC tip in the fridge.
KIDS CLUB: One of the main reasons I booked this resort was for the Kid's club. Our 3 year old speaks only English but speaks very well. The girls that work with kids speak fluent Itallian and Spanish with only a little English. All of the other children were Itallian so the staff spoke almost exclusively Itallian. Our 3 year old was confused by this and didn't enjoy the club very much. The toys were old, the crayons were stubs. We gave the staff a large bag full of crayons, markers, stickers etc. so that in the future I hope other kids can play.
ENTERTAINMENT/ANIMATION TEAM: All I can say is that if you are Itallian, you will love the animation team! Some spoke only Itallian and came from Italy. The activities were all done in Itallian, with loud microphone talking but we couldn't understand what the activity was in order to join in. The animation staff would speak extensively in Itallian, line up the participants for an activity and then in broken English, poorly explain the activity. We would would have like to join in but were unable due to the language. The evening entertainment was also in Itallian primarily. Some of the dancing and singing was excellent. On One night there was no entertainment despite the Nolitours/Transat tours brochure stating nightly entertainment.
NOLITOURS/TRANSAT TOURS: I called the customer service at Nolitours on January 7th. The agent, Gabriella told me that I would have to wait up to 6 weeks for a reply to my concerns. I am very disappointed with their service!!!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
David |
June 2007
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.
Another fantastic week on Cayo Largo. Can't wait to go back in the Fall
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Jeannie |
April 2007
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.
If there's anything I've forgotten or you'd like to ask, email me at jstracey@rogers.com
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
John & Judy ~ Kitchener, Ontario |
February 2007
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.
Pictures: http://travel.webshots.com/album/557716668VpQXUR
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Crash |
February 2007
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.
-wise marital advice given to me from a drunk lady at a bar in London, Ontario!!!!!!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Roger ~ Canada |
January 2007
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 !!!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Russell & Catherine ~ Western Canada |
December 2006
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.
We rented scooters two days of our week there and explored and found our very own beach and spent a day completly alone.We had to drive on a sandy path,past a dump and walk a little bit but it was gorgeous! It's a safe place and there are few vehicals around so no traffic but you do risk a scooter break down on these old bikes.
The food was not anything spectacular but we always seemed to find something yummy to eat. I think we all know we don't travel to Cuba for the resort food.
Take an insulated BIG cup so you don't have to constantly head back to the bar.
One other thing I will mention is that this place is full of *********! I don't want to generalize but I have never had any reason to think ******* were un-friendly, until now! These people were very rude, had no concept of waiting their turn and were very loud. They monopolized the beach the excursions and acted as though the staff was there only for them. If they knew you were english they had no time to even be polite.
Overall a great trip and I would go again,except we like to experience as many places as we can.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Melmelfish ~ Toronto Canada |
December 2006
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.
Overall
It was still a great vacation despite of the bad weather. If you’re looking for a quiet and romantic vacation, this is a place you can consider. If you like nightlife, shopping, and lots of excursions, this is not a place for you.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Bill |
December 2006
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.
In summary, one of the best holidays we've had so far. Would not hesitate to return to the Island our the resort.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Joe and Karen ~ Ontario, Canada |
December 2006
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.
General Observations. The Pelicano is showing its age. We still will go there in the future but are hoping that with a new manager they will fix the water problems. Also they really do need to check and upgrade their food warming trays. There is no use in having good food if it is not hot. People just leave it on their plate. A big waste. Changing your room seems a big problem for the front desk. We asked for a certain room block in advance from our travel agent but seemingly they don't look at anything that's written by your travel agent. I wish I knew how I could ask for a certain room block (any room in the block). Seemingly you cant do that from here as far as the front desk is concerned LOL. All of that being said we will in all probabilities be heading back for the Pelicano as soon as we can save some more money. There are some photographs and videos of the beaches that we took during our stay and they can be found at the link below.
http://canuck.webcentre.ca/
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Canada |
August 2006
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” …?!?
However, it was generally a bitter experience for us and 100% sure we will not go back. Next stop would be maybe Holguin or Varadero for us.
See you soon, Cuba!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Sherry |
April 2006
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).
In conclusion: Read as much as you can since one review can't tell you everything. Know what to expect when you arrive and like us you will be very happy with the outcome.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Family of 4 (17 year old daughter and 15 year old son) ~ Calgary, Alberta |
April 2006
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!
Basically.....this is a solid 3 1/2 star resort, and for a good price, I would recommend it. The kids missed not being able to do any tours of Cuban towns, and there is no shopping aside from the very small gift shop, but it is a great place for R&R. We prefer Veradero as it is nice to be able to wander around town each day. Hi to Dave and Nicki! Great to meet you!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Jacquie ~ Toronto |
March 2006
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 huts but some people get up at the crack of dawn to save spots and then never use them, we saw this happen almost daily (at the beach and pool) .
Caution: If you are young women and travel without men, the men who work the bars etc will drive you crazy and they do not take no for an answer. .......so please be careful........
All in all for the money we spent we had a great time and met a lot of nice people, I would certainly return to this hotel if the price is right and this bartender has been removed from the hotel.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Adam |
March 2006
To begin with I must qualify our previous travel experience: My wife and I travel a lot and have stayed in hostels all the way up to Gold Crown resorts. We have been to the following places in the last 10 years so our experiences have been varied and we have seen a lot of cultures: Morocco, Cuba, Cancun, Venezuela,Spain, England, France, Amsterdam, St Maartin/St Maarten, St. Barth, Jamaica, Portugal, Ecuador, Acapulco, Dominican Republic and a few others. I mention these for the sole purpose of being able to say that we are not "culture shocked" and unaware of how other countries and cultures function.
That being said, Sol Pelicano is one of the worst experiences of a "resort" we have had in a very long time.
The Price:
We stayed for 2 weeks at $2000.00 CDN each over Christmas and New Years 2005-2006
The Good
The maids and cleaning staff were very courteous and did an exceptional job. Our rooms were always clean and they were very quick to bring us anything we needed.
The grounds are very nice, not quite finished yet ( lots of plantings going on) but they should be lovely.
The beach is beautiful and very clean. The sand stays cool and there are plenty of places to walk to.
We rented Scooters for 20.00 per day. This is the best way to get around as there is almost no traffic and you can come and go as you please.
The Havana Excursion is very good and we had a very nice time. Please see the Ugly for the CUBATOUR and TMR excursions.
The Bad
Changing money became a bit of an issue if they didn't have the rates for the day. this meant the they wouldn't exchange money as late as 10:30. This is only really a problem if you are going on an excursion that leaves at 9 am.
Laundry service, though offered, doesn't actually ever happen and you can't get a price anyway.
The maids cleaning the rooms at 6:30 am and moving the beds around waking everyone up is a nasty little habit. I can't fault them for being punctual, but I am on holiday and the sun doesn't even come up until 8 am.
The service at the restaurant: this depended on who you got not how much you tipped. We had 3 great waiters/waitresses who were very nice and we tipped them well, but we had several others that only showed up at the end of the meal and looked for a tip for clearing a plate. We had been serving ourselves for 20 minutes and had been completely ignored.
Room Bookings:
On our reservation slip and when we booked the trip we were told that we were in an upper room. When we arrived they told us that we weren't supposed to have a choice and the there were no upper rooms, but that they would keep an eye out for us ( see the Ugly and bed bugs)
The Ugly
The Food: I was prepared for bland, what I wasn't prepared for was canned. Every fruit and vegetable in this place comes from a can. We joked that the resort must be sponsored by Delmonte as there seemed to only be processes fruits and vegetables.
The seafood was terribly over cooked most of the time. The shrimp was pasty and the calamari was rubbery. I was served a lovely raw piece of lobster on New Years eve at the A La Carte, and when I explained that the food wasn't cooked I was given a dried up old one.
When the kitchen ran out of yogurt for the breakfast they watered what was left with powdered milk (it wasn't always mixed properly so you got lumps).
The "Cajun Style" Chicken was actually fish in tomato sauce ( I thought they must have mislabeled it, but the same dish with same label showed up 5 times).
Flat beer is a nasty little surprise that seems to be common.
The famous "cardboard cakes". They look like they will be chocolate mousse or something, but they actually taste of nothing. It's weird. They are completely tasteless.
Most of the time they menu at the snack bar was unavailable other than french fries. I can understand this if a shipment is not in, but sometimes they would claim that there was no hamburgers and then 5 minutes later I'd see someone walking away with one.
The entertainment and entertainment staff
This is appalling. Firstly if you do not speak Italian, don't bother. This resort is really geared to Italians, so much so that our rep with Air Transat had been fielding complaints on a fairly regular basis. There is no English, or Spanish, and frankly it got very old very fast.
It seems that "Club Bravo" is a super inclusive tour for Italians and most of the staff at the resort seem to work for them. This was very unpleasant only because they were very cliquey and had no interest in anyone else.
I have read where people felt left out due to the strong contingent of Italians, I thought that they may have been over sensitive but after 2 weeks this was something we certainly felt. My wife and I speak 3 languages between us and I rarely feel like we can't fake our way into something, but this was not somewhere where you could get by without being "full blooded". They simply didn't have time for you. It got bad enough at one point that one of the staff was very friendly with my wife and I only when he thought we were Italian and wouldn't even make eye contact once he realized that we were Canadian.
Bed Bugs
I'm not kidding. The first few nights I woke up with terrible bites all over. At first I thought it must be mosquitos, so we made a special effort to kill any in the room. The next night was worse. We went around the room and killed anything that moved. In the middle of our third night I was sleeping in pants, socks, and a sweat shirt to avoid more bites.
We went down to the front lobby and explained to themwhat was going on. Her reply was priceless.." oh, they're in the matress, well get you a new one." WHAT????? I have never experienced bed bugs even in $11.00 a night Hostels.
They then replaced our mattresses with what can only be descrived as another box spring. We went back down the next morning aching , tired, and itchy and demanded a new room. They then "amazingly" gave us the room we were supposed to be in in the first place. (see the bad)
Tours
BE VERY CAREFUL!! We were very badly ripped off by CubaTour. We decided to take the plane ride and tour to Trinidad ( the city not the country). This is fairly expensive, but seemed worth it at the time. When we booked the tour, however, I was becoming very gushy of the resort and specifically asked if the tour was in English. We were assured that it was, and so we spent the $300.00 dollars to go.
When we arrived we all piled onto the bus and waited for the tour to begin... it started in Italian, then in broken French..... then back to Italian. When we spoke to the guide she very sheepishly admitted that there was no English and that she didn't really even speak it. We spent the next 5 hours wandering around or sitting on a bus trying to figure out what was going on through the very broken french.
When we returned to the island, we spent 2 days trying to get our money back and were promptly told that since we got on the plane, we had had the experience and that we were not going to be compensated.
If this resort is a 3 1/2 star then I highly recommend that unless you really don't care about food, entertainment, comfort or tours that you stay a very long way away from Sol Pelicano.
We have lodged complaints with Air -transat Holiday and are awaiting their responses.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Julie ~ Toronto - Canada |
December 2005
My friend and I travelled to Cayo Largo from the 5th to 12th of December and stayed at the Sol Pelicano hotel. It was absolutely fantastic. It is only 10 minutes from the Cayo Largo airport, so that was the first bonus. The check-in took about 10 minutes and the hotel had the buffet restaurant stay open for our arrival, since we didn't get to the hotel until approx. 10:30 pm.
This hotel was just wonderful. The landscaping was beautiful - the best that I have seen in Cuba. There are lots of palm trees and beautiful flowers. Nestled in the trees are hammocks and palapas with sheers, for a little privacy. It is very pretty and really clean.
The rooms are nice and bright. Our room was painted yellow and has hand stenciling around the ceiling and mirrors, and a high ceiling. There was a small fridge in our room. Each day, the maid would leave a large bottle of water in it. It you asked her, she would leave you 2. The rooms were extremely clean and the washroom was a nice size. There was no problem with the water - the pressure was good and always had hot water for showers.
Just be careful if you are over 5' - the shower heads are very low. Always lots of toilet paper - but bring your own kleenex! We had a nice balcony facing the ocean. On our arrival, we noticed the air conditioning wasn't very cool. So I called the reception and explained the problem and was told that someone would be there 'shortly'. Well not even 5 minutes later, there was a knock on our door and 2 maintenance men were there to fix it. The problem was that the vents were facing up to the ceiling and so they moved each vent, piece by piece, to our liking.
The pool is salt water and very large and clean. We would get down to the pool around 11 or 12 each day and never had a problem finding 2 louge chairs exactly where we wanted. There are 4 sets of steps to get into the pool, so you never had to walk far to take a dip. There is also a children's pool with many pool toys for the kids. The ZunZun bar at the pool was great.
They served great hamburgers and sandwiches (and fantastic fries!) and the bar was always fully stocked. The bartenders and wait staff were very friendly and always smiling and joking around.
There are 2 buffet restaurants at the hotel. One is by the beach and in the evening, it becomes one of their a la carte restaurants. The food is very good at both. The larger buffet (where breakfast, lunch and dinner is
served) is great. There is always a large variety of meats (chicken, pork and beef) and lots of fish. They have a grill where the cook is always ready to grill your fish or meat to your satisfaction. There are many vegetable dishes and a great pasta bar. There is also a salad bar - however, we only saw lettuce a few days. There is also not an abundance of fruit - although the grapefruit and pineapple was very good. The staff in the buffet were very friendly and accommodating and had our pepsi and beer at our table as soon as we sat down.
There is an a la carte restaurant called La Yana and it is absolutely fabulous. The staff is always smiling and very friendly. The food was great - we had filet mignon and it was cooked to perfection. They also serve lobster - it was by far, the best we have ever had. It is not included and costs 20 Cuban pesos. A little expensive, but well worth it.
There is a lobby bar which is actually open 24 hours. They are also fully stocked and serve a great cappuccino. The lobby bar is also the 'disco' and after the evening show, the animation staff comes in and dances all night with everyone. It is a lot of fun.
The animation staff were incredible. They were so friendly and nice and always stopped to chat. They are at it non-stop. During the day, they are around the pool getting volleyball games going, dart tournaments, aquafit, dance lessons - you name it. They were always around if you needed anything or had any questions. A great group of people. Their evening performances were fun and we sat under a tent. This was great because one evening it started to rain, and we didn't even know.
The beach was absolutely beautiful and the white sand seemed to go on for miles. There were plenty of lounge chairs and palapas along the beach and the bar / restaurant was conveniently close to the beach.
This hotel is rated as a 3.5 star in the travel brochures. In my opinion, it should be at least a 4 star. Compared to the other 3.5 star hotels I have stayed at in Cuba, this one is way above, in all aspects. The food is the best I have had, the staff the friendliest and the accommodations the nicest. I will definitely be back at the Sol Pelicano in April '06.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Canada |
December 2005
Our trip to the Sol Pelicano, a 3.5 star hotel located in Cayo Largo, Cuba was strictly a last minute, “I gotta-get-outta-here” vacation. I did minimum research on this property, and Cuba before we left, and, to my surprise, everything worked out great!
We were there from Monday, December 19th to Saturday, December 24th. Our trip was booked through the TD Gold Visa Center (Carlson Marketing Group) using Transat Vacations. Transportation was with Air Transat on a Airbus A310-300 series plane, and return was on a brand new WestJet Boeing 737-600(more on that later).
Since I paid so little for this vacation ($457 plus taxes of $199 each), and was able to use $300 worth of TD Gold Travel points against the total cost of the trip, I decided at the airport to see if there was any Club Class seating available. Price was $200 for both of us one-way, and I decided to grab it, even though I had already had reserved seating in economy. I have to admit it was well worth the money. Priority check-in, excess baggage allowance if needed, complimentary alcoholic drinks and snacks, hot towel service, our own bathroom, an actual menu to order from, complimentary headsets, lots of leg room, plush leather seating(although still a little narrow)…..plus the somewhat envious looks from our fellow passengers back in economy.
Entering Cuba through customs was quite unlike any other Caribbean country I’ve been to (Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, the DR), and it quite drove home we were now in a communist country with very strict rules. Once we exited the airplane, we walked across the tarmac, flanked on both sides by security personnel. Once in the actual arrival terminal, what appeared to be a very friendly cocker spaniel greeted us. He (?) wandered among us, submitting to the odd pat on the head and “nice doggie” comments, but this dog’s real purpose was to look for contraband in our carry on luggage. Drugs, meat products, any food at all….if he found something, he just laid down beside the offending article, and the owners were subjected to a much more intense search of their belongings. I think on this planeload the only thing he found was an open package of pepperoni sticks. Smart thinking to use such an un-threatening dog rather than a large breed. Also, regardless of whether you were traveling together, you were interviewed separately by customs personnel.
Now, I don’t look like much of a spy, but my passport was swiped and run through a computer check, notations were made of the other countries I has visited and the dates, my picture was taken(very discretely), I was asked the same question several times in various ways(where do you live, what is your name, what is your date of birth, what is your occupation, what is your destination, what is the purpose of your visit, etc?), and then he asked me to take my glasses off to compare my face to my passport picture. Just as he handed my passport back to me, and said I was OK to go, just as I was about to turn the handle on the door, he spoke quite loudly “BRUCE?” – As if he just wanted to make sure I would respond to that name. I did….and he waved me through. Once my carry-on was scanned, I exited customs (my wife was already through), and we headed to our tour rep, who gave us some papers, and directions to the waiting vans outside.
Sol Pelicano is just 7 K from the airport, and the trip took about 8-10 minutes. Our baggage rode in a trailer behind the van, as we were quite crammed in. The van had “jump” seats, seats that folded down into the aisle once the two inside seats were full. Cuban salsa music blared from the speakers and we were off. The road was paved, but bumpy, but our driver took his time and we arrived in one piece.
As we entered the lobby, a small band (guitars, upright bass, bongos and two singers) started playing, and what turned out to be members of the animation team started dancing and then coming over to greet us. A tropical drink was given to us, and directions to the main buffet were given, as they would be closing soon, and management wanted to make sure we had something to eat. Neither of us was hungry, but we were hot, sweaty, thirsty, and in a need of a change of clothes into something more appropriate to the climate. I approached one of the bellman (“Jorge”), and asked if he could take us to our room “por favor”. With a big smile, he grabbed our bags and off we went.
The Room
Since this was last minute, I had no time to email the resort with any kind of room request or location. It proved to be unnecessary. We got a ground floor room with a terrace (which we would have wanted), in a building that was pretty much central to everything. It looked to have been recently repainted, with hand painted stencils on the walls and the wood furnishings. The door(s) to the terrace were French style double doors made of stained wood that had also been repainted with some sort of whitewash, as was the door to the bathroom and the door to the room itself. That paint scheme was used throughout the resort, stained wood whitewashed with visible brush strokes and some of the underlying wood showing through. My wife really liked its look, me, so-so. The beds were two doubles pushed together to make a faux “King”. They were comfortable, but quite low to the floor. They had seen better days, as had the linen and blankets, and probably should be replaced, but were still quite serviceable. The pillows were king size and appeared brand new. There was sufficient closet space and drawers and hangers for a one week visit. The room safe was in the closet at shoulder height (good touch for me as a bad knee makes it hard for me to get up and down), and was opened by swiping the magnetic room key. The bathroom had been recently re-tiled, and had a sink, toilet, and a large walk-in shower. Lots of pressure from the shower, but the hot water supply varied significantly; depending on what time you took your shower. Early in the morning and late at night seemed to provide the hottest water. The television had a 19 inch screen with three English speaking stations out of twelve. Discovery, MTV, and CNN International were the choices. The volume control on our remote didn’t work. The kids station seemed to alternate between English and Spanish speaking cartoons.
Housekeeping service was excellent. Our room was always spotless. I had bought some small gift bags of toiletries (none exceeding $5 CDN) at the Walmart, and they were much appreciated. I also left a cash tip of 3 pesos each day, and final day (Christmas Eve) I left some kids toys and chocolates.
The Pool(s)
Since the principal reason for most people to visit this property seems to be the beach, we found the pools almost empty most days till about 3:00pm, when the animation team started their activity schedule. The water was salt water (which I like much better than chlorine treated) and crystal clear, but was somewhat chilly (for me, anyway) most days. The deepest part was 1.05 meters, and the shallow end 0.95 meters. One end had volleyball net, and there was also basketball nets at the other end. There was lots of shade available for those who wanted it. I found the lounge chairs to be somewhat flimsy and very low to the ground. There were no chair pads for the lounge chairs. The pool towels were plentiful, very large, and in good condition. The Jacuzzi was small and hard to get in and out off and really only big enough for four people who knew each other well. One day it was very hot, and the next day it was just tepid. The kids club and pool seemed very nice with lots of playground equipment and activities, although there were very few children using it.
Oh….by the way…..NO SWIM UP BAR!!!!!!
Massage
For those of you who enjoy a good massage, there is no spa on the property, but, there is a gentlemen who gives a very good massage in a small, open air hut beside the jacuzzi. $25 CUC pesos for a one hour Swedish type massage called the “Total Relaxation Treatment”. His English is poor, but he’s very friendly and accommodating. However, the table is quite uncomfortable, with no hole to put your face into, and is quite narrow.
The Beach
All the reviews I’ve read rave about this beach. It was very nice, but I still think the beach at the Riu Tropical Bay in Negril, Jamaica is the best beach I’ve been on. IMHO, of course. The first day there the surf was pretty big, with few people in the water. The sand is as advertised, off-white, almost flour like and very deep to walk in. Apparently, the beach at the Sol Pelicano survived the most recent hurricane of the 2005 season much better than her sister hotel, the Sol Cayo Largo, or the Barcelo. The water was warmer than the pools, but the bottom was covered by small rocks, shells, and coral. I think water shoes are needed, but, I may be a wuss. Later in the week the surf went down, and the small rocks, shells, and coral were gone. For those with trouble walking, be advised the beach is a bit hard to get to. You have three sets of stairs of about 5-6 steps to go up and down on each side of the rock outcropping which protect the hotel from the sea. The beach bar (which doubles as the Creole ala carte in the evenings) is at the top. I assume there are bathroom facilities there, but I didn’t see any. If beach walking is your thing, you can go for several miles in both directions. There is also a trolley shuttle that leaves and returns from the hotel lobby several times a day to more undeveloped beaches to swim and sunbathe on. There is a charge for this (1 CUC peso), and the hotel will pack you a bag lunch with a bottle of water, at no charge if you give them notice the night before. We didn’t go, but others did, and raved about it.
The Food
The Sol Pelicano offers a buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a pool restaurant with hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries for lunch, and two ala cartes, the La Yana, and the Creole beach restaurant(which also serves as the bar and lunch restaurant for the beach crowd).
Time here for a bit of a personal rant. Many people who go to Cuba complain about the quality of the food. “It’s not like home” they whine….”the bacon is too greasy”….”the egg yolks look funny”…well….duh…you’re in a third world country. The spices are different, the preparation of food is different, the livestock are fed differently which affects the taste of the food, and sometimes there are shortages of certain items. In a nutshell, it’s not “bad”, just different.
My wife and I found the food at the Sol Pelicano to be good to very good to excellent. We always found something to our liking at the buffet, which features an excellent pasta chef who fresh cooks your choice of spaghetti, rigatoni, and penne with your choice of sauces for lunch and dinner while you wait, a grilling station for chicken, beef and fish, and a very nice dessert station with a choice of fresh fruit, cakes, cookies, and ice cream in four flavours. However, we only ate their once for dinner, as we were fortunate enough to get reservations to La Yana four out of the five nights we were there(the hotel was less than full occupancy).
We found the food at the La Yana to be excellent, particularly the filet mignon. The grilled lobster was not included, but for 20 CUC pesos more it was available, and it was excellent. All the starters were excellent…salads, soups, as were the desserts. The white wine was very nice, and dry. The portions did not look excessive, but they were presented on very large plates, and we always left more than full and satisfied. Main courses besides the filet and lobster included chicken, pork, and fish served in various styles. Everyone I talked to raved about how good the food was there.
One more thing….the servers (all young women) work very long days…at least 12 hours or more…so tip well. As a guide, estimate what your meal would cost back home, and tip similarly. I found they provided excellent service, attentive, but not obtrusive.
This vacation was strictly R&R…so we only went into the village one morning. The marina where you depart from for any deep sea fishing trips you might want to take as well as the catamaran tours to the smaller islands and islets in the Cuban archipelago is there. There is also a bank, a bar, a restaurant, the turtle sanctuary ($1 CUC peso per person), and small museum ($1 CUC peso per person) documenting the history of the development of Cayo Largo. There are picture documenting the destruction done by Hurricane Michelle in 2002, and photos of Fidel Castro’s visit there. There also are some pictures of Fidel and a small girl which is rumoured to be his illegitimate child. She still lives there and is a diving instructor.
Other reviews I’ve since read on this resort complain that the large number of Italian tourists is catered to, and they are ignored. I did not find this to be the case…perhaps because I tipped. Despite the language barrier, my wife and I got along just fine with them. There were also guests from Holland, France, Germany, and Quebec (funny how as a resident of the ROC (Toronto), I’ve included Quebec as another country).
Oh…by the way…take lots of bug repellent. My legs got bit unmercifully the 2nd evening. I never saw or felt anything, but the next day any exposed skin on my legs was covered with bumps. I have never been bit like that before and had such a reaction anywhere else in the Caribbean. All I did was sit on our terrace for about an hour before bedtime and enjoy a drink. Thanks heavens I had brought along some sunburn lotion with lidocaine in it and some Benydryl for the itching.
Our departure, the VIP lounge, and WestJet
Since the night before we were to leave I had paid any outstanding bills and had enough CUC pesos to pay the departure tax and some extra for tipping and incidentals, our 8:15am checkout was quick and painless. I didn’t even have to call for a bellman. I spotted “Jorge” as we exited the room, called out to him, and he changed direction and came right over. I think maybe he was on the way to someone else’s room, but since I had taken the time to search him out our second day there once I had some CUC pesos and tipped him 5 CUC pesos(about $6 CDN) we got priority service. Once in the lobby I tipped another 3 CUC pesos plus all the small Cuban coins I had accumulated. He thanked me profusely, shook me hand, called me “amigo”, and wished me “Felize Navidad”. When the bus actually arrived, he took my bags from me, loaded them on the bus, and made sure my wife got on safely with her bad knee.
I may sound like I’m making myself out to Mr. Moneybags with all this talk about tipping. I spent maybe $40 CUC pesos ($50 CDN) on tips over 5 days…maybe a bit less. Not a lot of money, but it can mean a big difference to someone who works 10-14 hours days six days a week for what we probably spend weekly on coffee at Tim Hortons.
Once in the terminal, and lined up, a young woman in uniform approached us, and asked if we would like to be seated in the VIP lounge. The cost was $20 CUC pesos each. She said we would receive priority check in with no waiting, priority customs and immigration service, free drinks, juices, and snacks, satellite TV, and comfy couches and chairs to sit in, along with our own private bathroom, and superior air conditioning. At first I said no….but five minutes later, with the line moving extremely slow, I spotted her again, waved her over, and said we wanted to go. She directed my wife over to the VIP check in line, while I changed some CDN dollars to CUC pesos. Once our luggage was tagged and taken away, and our seats selected, we were quickly whisked through Customs and Immigration with no questions, our carry on bags were x-rayed, through the metal detectors we went, and then escorted to the VIP lounge at the other side of the terminal. Very nice treatment. Just as promised. Overstuffed chairs, satellite TV, drinks, snacks…and very efficient air conditioning (it had got very hot). The only caveat was that we could not leave the room without our escort. I needed to visit the duty free to buy some rum for a friend, so she accompanied me, helped me select my purchase, and when I got to the counter, one of the cashiers who was sitting down taking a break, stood up and rung my purchase in ahead of others who were already waiting. When our plane was ready to be boarded, we were lead out on the tarmac ahead of everyone else and greeted by the Captain and crew. We got settled in our seats, our cabin luggage was stowed in the overhead bins, and then the rest of the passengers boarded.
A word about WestJet. Every other Canadian airline should take a lesson from them. Excellent service and excellent equipment. Comfortable leather seats with lots of legroom. Maybe even a bit wider than Air Transat’s Club Class seating. LCD viewing screens in the back of each seat with 24 satellite TV stations to chose from. Much like a basic cable package. A choice of three pay-for- view movies by swiping your credit card. Basic headphones were $1 and fancy ones were $3. No drink or food carts to clog the aisle. Your order is taken and then brought to you. Even the box lunch was delicious. Turkey or ham with cheese and lettuce on a nice fresh cheese bun, with a vinegar mixed vegetable salad, cheese and crackers, and a chocolate bar. Simple, but fresh and just fine for a 3 hour flight. The cabin attendants were friendly and attentive.
Once we landed, it was announced that we had just flown in the first commercial flight of this Boeing 737-600 plane since WestJet had purchased it. When the passengers asked how they liked it, applause and cheers broke out. The attendant announced that “this plane is the best Boeing has to offer, and comes with some significant new technology. For instance, the display board up here tells me that 27 passengers have removed their seat belts, even thought the seat belt sign is still on. Rather than call out any seat numbers, I’ll give you 30 seconds to do them back up!” I don’t know whether that was a joke or not, but a lot of people started to scramble to put their belts back on.
All in all, I would recommend this resort to anyone, especially if you can get it for the right price. We went in with an open mind and no expectations, and were more than happy with what we got.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Minetta ~ Canada |
September 2005
Sol Pelicano, overall very good experience with hotel service and great looking white sand, turqouise beach!!
The downside: I agree with other commentaries about food. They need to find another chief chef who approve of high salt
Food content, lots of oily stuff, repeated food, less knowledge of healthy cooking and western taste. They need
To hire a chef with european and north american chef background. Fruits are over ripe.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Female, 59, travelling alone, Goodwood, Ontario |
April 2005
I traveled to Pelicano on a sell-off and was more than happy with my trip. I'm sure there will be other reviews commenting on the chaos in the lobby on arrival....I am told by others who have travelled to this resort before that this is not usual, but because so many people were arriving at one time, the front desk had trouble keeping up. I was fortunate to be near the front of the line, so received my arm bracelet and room assignment quickly, however, the room was not ready. I changed to shorts in the washroom and proceded to the Ranchon were I drank Cerveza and admired the view until I could pick up my room key. Others were not so fortunate, however, but "Cuba es Cuba" and worth the wait.
Room: I had an ocean view, east side, second floor. Perfect location for me, close to the east walkway to the beach. The room was kept clean, bottle of water in the fridge daily. The washroom had a shower, no bath. I actually prefered this, as it was easy to step in and use the telephone head shower to clean any residual sand off my feet. I did notice a few mosquitoes in the room, but they did not appear when I was running the air conditioning, making me think they may make their way in through the exhaust when it is not in use.
Beach: Perfect white sand in a sweeping bay. There are palapas for shade, but these are often all taken up if you wait too long to claim one in the morning. Snorkelling is good to the east of Pelicano in front of Villa Lindemar. I saw many reef fish and several barracuda. Walking the beach is excellent going west past the Sol Club. You can walk all the way to the western beaches, Playa Paraiso and Playa Sirena, in just over an hour. There is a free shuttle, so if you only want to walk one way that is easy to do. Snorkelling is also good at Punta Tiempo, a sandy spit just before you reach Playa Paraiso.
Sailing: Pelicano and Sol Club share a nautical centre. There are pedal boats, sea kayaks, windsurfers, and best of all, Hobie 15 catamarans. Staff will take you sailing, and if you can prove you know how, you can take the boat out yourself. I can sail, but preferred to have company with an unfamiliar boat....however, I did do some helming and enjoyed it. The last two days of my stay were too rough and since the wind was directly on the beach it was not possible to launch the boats, so I missed out on my daily sail. It was also much too rough for snorkelling, except at Playa Sirena.
Food: I enjoyed the Buffet restaurant. This is an older hotel, and the restaurant is charming, built around a courtyard with many windows looking out both sides. Food was typical for a Cuban resort, neither better nor worse than I expected. I did eat at the International a la carte, La Yana, one night. The fish I had there was excellent, perfectly cooked. Getting a reservation at the restaurant was difficult, however, as it is small and the tables are booked quickly. Be prepared to line up in the morning to get your table, and even then you may miss out. I was lucky enough to accompany friends who had booked for six people and had one of their party unable to attend, or I might not have been able to try this restaurant.
Bars: I particularly enjoyed the Ranchon by the beach. Good for a Cerveza in the afternoon, and fine for a light lunch. (they have a buffet at lunchtime, and turn into an a la carte restaurant at night, which I didn't try since I don't enjoy creole food) Great view of the beach, with a nice breeze on a hot day.
Pool: Looked nice and clean. I didn't use it, but there were lots of palm trees and palapas around it for shade.
Internet: Best I have used so far in Cuba. While it wasn't fast, it was pretty good, and inexpensive at 3 CUC for 30 minutes.
Front Desk: Best front desk staff I have encountered so far. Helpful, patient, and always pleasant. I was impressed!
Marina: I took the shuttle to the Marina one day planning to hop the ferry (2 CUC) over to Sirena and take the beach shuttle back. Unfortunately I missed the last morning ferry since I visited the museum ( 1 CUC...worth doing for the pictures of the damage after Hurricane Michelle), and thought I was stuck until the afternoon shuttle, but was lucky enough to encounter friends with a scooter (rented at the resort) and they gave me a lift back. Check the ferry times before you get busy seeing the museum or the turtle farm if you are planning to go to Sirena or you may be stuck for quite a while with little to do but wait for the afternoon shuttle. (there is a small store and a couple of bars, but little else)
Playa Paraiso & Sirena: The free shuttle runs three times in the morning and back three times in the afternoon. There is not a lot to do at these beaches except sunbathe and swim or snorkle. There is also not a lot of shade....take your sunscreen.There is a bar ($) at Paraiso, and a restaurant ($) at Sirena. The beaches are beautiful and Sirena has palm trees as well as palapas, but the shady areas get taken up fast. There is a nice little cove on the sheltered side of Sirena which is shallow but with deep areas where you can snorkel when it is too rough on the sea side. Worth it to go to these beaches at least once. Barcelo Largo still has its nautical centre there, until its beach builds back up.
Money Exchange: No problem getting money changed at the hotel. The rate of exchange seemed fair.
Staff: I was impressed with the staff.....all seemed friendly and were helpful whether I tipped or not. When I did tip, it seemed well appreciated. After a couple of days of sitting at the same table at the buffet, I was quickly served orange juice and coffee in the mornings, and wine in the evenings. My chambermaid was pleasant and efficient, and very appreciative of the gifts I left for her. The nautical staff were also very nice and I enjoyed sailing with them.
Sports: There are tennis courts available, also archery and "football". Beach volleyball is popular as well.
Excursions: There are several available. Snorkelling at the reef, etc. I didn't go on these.
Nightlife: Something I didn't partake of, but there are discos to visit if you wish.
Impressions: I had a great trip and would go back. Cayo Largo is a quiet destination, enjoyable for the beaches and the sea. I have stayed at Barcelo previously and Pelicano was a different experience. I appreciated the more mature landscaping, and particularly the little private nooks and shelters with hammocks scattered around the grounds. The staff were great, and the beaches superb. I recommend this resort to anyone who wants an enjoyable, quiet vacation.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Geralyn |
April 2005
Just returned from Sol Pelicano in April 2005. Thought I'd write a quick honest review.
Bars:
Good service with tips, so so without. Fairly good selection of drinks but staff can be lazy especially with regard to mixing mohitos - often one bartender saying there's no mint while another would magically find some. Staff is friendly and otherwise professional.
Restaurants:
Buffet is terrible, food is always the same and very very greasy. Although the quality of the food is o.k. the "executive chef" is uncreative. No themes, poor service, poorly organized with long waits for anything that you select and have cooked ie. omelettes, eggs, fried meats, pasta. Very poor service, staff is not helpful with children and probably overworked. Even regular tipping does not improve buffet service. I have been to Cuba nine times, everywhere and this is by far the poorest buffet I have ever seen. No seafood other than the usual talapia type of fish. Lobster tails are much much smaller than Varadero, Cayo Coco or Holguin. A la cartes are the way to go but reserve the minute you arrive or you'll be out of luck, even in April. A la cartes are good, quality is much better.
Beach:
Unbelievable. No jellyfish, pretty good for kids as it doesn't get too choppy here. Goes on for miles. Sirenis beach is great too.
Rooms:
Very good, clean, well-equipped. Quiet at night. Everything in working order.
Animacion Staff
Don't go out of their way to get to know you and really aren't very friendly. Poorest staff in any of the resorts I've been to in Cuba.
Pools
Really good, clean, great kiddie pool if the animacion staff aren't running around trampling the little ones who are minding their own business.
Overall
Really disappointed in the food, buffet and animacion staff but otherwise a great deal if you get this place cheap (ie. don't pay more than $600). Location of the beach bar and restaurant is amazing as is the beach, drinks and bar staff. They need to fire the chef at this place as he is ruining an otherwise good trip. Great place to mellow and relax, safe and quiet.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Lara ~ Canada |
April 2005
Our family of 5 just returned from a stay at Sol Pelicano Cayo Largo Cuba. This was the first time that my husband and I had travelled with our children, aged 8, 7, and 5. We had travelled as a couple previously to Varadero (Superclubs Breezes), St Maarten (Great Bay Beach Hotel), Turks and Caicos (Ramada Renaissance), and Dominican Republic north and south coasts, (too many hotels to mention).
We chose the Sol Pelicano because of: the price (last minute selloff); location ( it's only 10 minutes from the airport); the beautiful beach pictures; and the kids club (web photos looked great). I have to say that the Pelicano delivered on all these fronts, although the slides into the kids' pool did need to be watered with a bucket to cool them down before the kids could use them.
Having been to Cuba before, we were expecting the usual supply problems with regard to food, as well as the usual buffet type meals which we had at Pelicano. French fries ran out mid-week; pancakes would be gone from the breakfast buffet usually by 9 am; very little beef at the buffets; etc. . .Our children, however, loved the chocolate and strawberry sauces for the pancakes. The omelet stations had good variety. The ice creams at evening dessert were awesome! The pasta bar and pizza at dinner were always a hit. Service at the buffet was good too. Kudos especially to David who always took great care of us! Word must have gotten around the resort about him though, because by the end of the week it was difficult to get a seat in his section of the restaurant. Lunch at ZunZun snack bar by the pool was always good; the kids loved the chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. I loved having HP sauce to put on my burgers and beef pepitos. For those who prefer A1 steak sauce, it was also available.
Now, as to the a la carte restaurants: Our dining experience at La Yana rivals any we have ever had in the Caribbean for quality of food and service. The lobster tails were bigger than the filet mignon and perfectly cooked. The chicken tournedos and filet mignon were tender and juicy. Our waitress was attentive and quick and she treated the kids with as much respect as she treated us. At the beachfront grill, Los Quelonios, we had a great meal, but had the misfortune of scheduling the dinner at sundown, when all of the mosquitos came out. We ended up leaving as soon as our main course was over, but we all enjoyed our meal, whether it was the jerk pork, stuffed chicken, or the beef sirloin with coffee sauce.
The beach at our resort was beautiful, with white powdery sand and a firm sand bottom in the water. Getting to the beach would be a problem for those with limited mobility, however, since you have to cross one of three bridges over coral rock formations to get there. Surf was a bit rough the first day and a half, but then the winds shifted and it was more swimmable, especially for the kids who didn't mind all that much getting knocked over the first two days. The water was clear and warm and some snorkelling was to be had just a little offshore. We also took advantage of the "train" shuttle to Playa Paradiso and Playa Sirena. Paradiso was my personal favourite, with it's translucent turquoise waters and sandbars to go beachcombing on. The calm, shallow waters were swimmable for even the most timid. There were only about 8 palapas for shade, so my advice is to take the 9am shuttle there and the 11:30 ! back so you don't get the most intense rays. Sirena had lots of palms for shade, but the surf was a bit rough on the day we went. This was lucky for us since we and another couple we met looked down the beach for a little bay where their little one could swim more comfortably. We found a long, shallow bay where the children delighted in all of the treasures to be found; starfish, jellyfish, huge conch shells, sand dollars and many fish of all different varieties. If you go, bring a mask and snorkel. A word of warning, however, you can't take the starfish home or you will face a $500 fine if caught, or so we were told. To get to this little bay, just take a right as you enter Sirena and go over the sand dunes. You'll know it when you get there.
I would have to say that the kids club staff at the resort were one of the high points of our trip, and the reason that we will choose this resort the next time we travel with our kids. My daughter fell in love with Solange, who is in charge of the kids club program. She is energetic. fun, attentive and her love for children truly shows in her interaction with them, whether it's in the pool games, the nightly mini disco, or just building sand castles with them. I have never seen my daughter bond so quickly or easily with someone. Reinier was also awesome! He provided the more physical play with the boys and was quick to call the kids to task if the older ones got too rough with the younger ones. I just hope that when we visit next, these two wonderful people are not on their 10 day home visit, since the staff here have 20 days of work on the island and then return to their homes on the Cuban mainla! nd for 10 days.
Beware if you are going to Cayo Largo for a taste of Cuban culture. The island is reserved for resorts only. No Cubans actually live there. We were hoping for our kids to see how lucky they are to have all that they do, but were not able to do so this trip. The up side of this type of island is that, unlike our experiences in the DR, you are not bothered every 10 minutes on the beach by someone trying to sell you something. In fact, there is not a lot to buy there, but the coffee sold at the gift shop is great!
We had to have 2 rooms, since the max occ of a room is 4 people. Both rooms were kept spotlessly clean. Since we reuse towels daily, we didn't have a problem with getting clean towels. The maid changed towels a couple of times, even when we hadn't requested. There was always fresh bottled water left in the mini fridge, and I have never seen water pressure like we had in the shower in any Caribbean country.
Bottom line, you have to expect differences in the places you visit, like short power outages, and different foods. I would recommend this place for a family whose focus on their
vacation is on fun, good beaches, a nice kids pool and who don't mind a salt water main pool. I would suggest that you bring some gifts for the people you meet there who make your experience so special. We brought toiletries (toothpase costs them $4, while they may make $20/month if they're lucky), nail polishes and some clothes which my kids had outgrown, but were in good shape. Chocolate bars are also a special treat. All gifts were well received, and one lady looked like she was going to cry. Apparently, the Cubans have a rough time getting clothes for the cooler weather, so we brought lots of those.
Can't wait to take the kids back!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
|
April 2005
Very nice beach is about the only nice thing I can say
The worst food I have ever seen lost nine pounds .The employees very rude Have been tocuba before but will not go again. At Least not to this resort.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Jessica ~ Canada |
April 2005
Just returned from Sol Pelicano yesterday. We were a group of three women in their late twenties. I have traveled to Mexico, Margarita Island, Varadero, Holguin and throughout Europe and I have to say this place had the best food I've ever tasted!! The dinner's at the a la cartes were amazing--please try everything on the menu and you won't be disappointed. The breakfast was pretty standard and there were several options (3 restaurants) for lunch. One downfall was that you there were limited tables at the a la cartes so you often had to stand in long lines to get your reservation (one day it was an hour).
The hotel was beautiful---in need of some minor repair but non the less very nice. The beach was absolutely gorgeous!!!!!! Everyday it changed, some days lots of waves some days it was calm. The catamaran is a must! Most staff were fabulous. Our maid (Tanya) was impeccable and if you have the luck of getting Falcon as your waiter at the beach bar take advantage of it, he was great. As per usual some staff were faster than others but it was never a problem.
There were lots of activities during the day (archery, soccer, volleyball, ping pong etc etc) and although things were quite at night you could take the bus to a small disco/bar with a bowling alley that is open very late We went once and it was pretty busy. There is also one night when the staff have a beach party. Most nights we played poker with friends we met there but with the 24 hour bar you can easily lose track of time. We took in a few minutes of a couple of shows but weren't that impressed--but the nightly shows are really our thing.
There were some minor downfalls. Due to the resort being on a small island and only having 3 of the 6 generators (that service the entire island) working we had no A/C (most days this was ok as we had a nice breeze--but some days it was roasting) the hydro went out a few times (once for a few hours--which also means no water) and twice just the water went out (again for a few hours). All these things were just par for the course and didn't effect our vacation that much. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a small island---there is not a lot of shopping and if you come to get cigars forget it.
All in all I would highly recommend this resort!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Teresa ~ Canada |
April 2005
My husband, myself and are 3 children ages 12,10 & 9 stayed at the Sol Pelicano and believe me when I say this resort is not a 3 1/2 star resort. My husband is in a wheel chair and this hotel is supposed to be wheelchair accessible well its not. Just to go to the buffet there is a step up and no ramps. The rest of the resort did have ramps. The beach was supposed to be accessible and it wasn’t there where three flight of stairs to get to the beach. The hotel it self was nice enough but they kept running out of different foods and they ran out of some of the pop choices. You also had to watch to make sure your food was cooked properly. The water and the hydro kept shutting off and then you could use the bathrooms or take a shower until they would get it fixed and this happened often, that would probable explain why the rice was always crunchy. Unless you tipped your maid and tipped her well, which we did everyday you didn’t get clean towels. We found out they only have 100 bath towels for the 372 room hotel. Also the air conditioning in a lot of the rooms did not work and everyday they said they would get around to fixing them. Also there where a few rooms that the rooms had flooded due to back up drains which of course are rooms was one of the rooms that got flooded. Unless you get up at 8am and put a towel on a beach chair you wouldn’t get one. They have paddle boats and sail boats to use but the ocean is usually too rough to use them and that goes for snorkeling as well it just can’t be done. So unless you want to go to a resort where you can do absolutely nothing and enjoy having no water or electricity and you don’t care if your food is cooked or not this place is for you!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Tanya ~ Canada |
February 2005
I returned from my amazing trip to Cayo Largo last night.
I have been to Santiago de Cuba, and twice to the Dominican (Punta Cana and Puerto Plata).
We stayed at the Sol Pelicano resort for one week. If you want to go to a warm beautiful place to relax in the sun then this is the place for you. I had the best time ever there. It didn't ran once (not even at night). The beach was amazing and clean. The ocean was crystal blue and the sand was like powder.
They had catamarans you could go on (only for about 10 mins though), and kayaking. There was one day I heard they weren't letting anyone on the catamarans because it was too windy.
There's another beach that they have free shuttle services to or you could walk to, called Paradise Beach (Paraiso Playa), this place was amazing. It was SO calm, you could walk out into the ocean for ever and it would still be up to your knees only and crystal blue. There was a little bar on the beach also.
The food was the best I have had in my experiences down south. If you get a chance to go to the a la carte restaurant there (La Yana), I definitely recommend it.There are colourful and funny shows every night around 10pm, and after that there is a "lobby bar" that is open 24 hrs to dance and drink. The rooms were clean and the maids came every day around noon. We left them some treats and a couple pesos every day. Next time I'm going to bring some things for the gardeners because I don't think they get too many tips.
The staff are amazing, they remember everyone's name and say "hola' every time they see you. They always had smiles on their faces no matter what. I miss them already!
Cayo Largo is a small island off of the main island of Cuba. There are not a lot of shops around. The staff don't even live on the island. They work 20 days on and then 10 days off and they go back to Cuba's main island. So if you are looking to do a lot of shopping they do have a trip to Havana Cuba but it costs something like $250 (you fly there and take a guided tour).
I don't know what else I could say, it was just amazing. I would absolutely go back here again!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two weeks next time!
Any questions: tanya79@hotmail.com
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Mike and Marina ~ Canada |
February 2005
We spent NewYear's at the Pelicano and had a great time.
This is the second year we visited the Sol Pelicano over New Year's and this year the weather was quite a bit better than last year. We still had windy days, but also a few yellow flag days where one could go in the water without being knocked over by the waves. The beach was fantastic and the Pelicano seemed to have fared better through the hurricane than the Sol Club next door which lost most of it's beach and the beach bar had been washed away. On the whole the Pelicano had the nicest beach out of all the resorts.
We had a fabulous oceanview room, the service was good, always had two big bottles of water in our frig, the room was clean and nothing was broken.
The beach restaurant was great for lunch, and the pool restaurant was great for snacks in mid afternoon. The drinks were good, they had a variety of different liquors, scotch and whiskies especially in the lobby bar after dinner.
Food was great, lots of variety every evening, for New Year's Eve it was lobster, and champagne as much as you wanted.
We knew of nobody who got sick, met some very nice and fun people that travelled with us from Canada, the majority of tourists were from Italy
On the whole we had a great week and the Pelicano, a lot of the staff remembered us from last year, they are super people, so friendly, try to do anything for you to make your stay enjoyable, we hope to return again some day.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Nicole & Bob ~ Canada |
January 2005
We just came back on Jan 27th from a 2 wk vacation at the Sol Pelicano. This was our 5th time in Cuba, we hv been 2 times at the Mayan Riviera and once in Punta Canada. Cayo Largo has the best beaches that we hv ever seen, you can easily walk to the Paraiso Beach (about 1 ½ hrs) and believe us it is worth it. You will see some beaches with no one around and water as clear as the pool. The hotel was fine, the beach there is nice, no need to pay extra for the Barcelo (who hv no beach) or the Sol Cayo Largo (since it is bigger, there are waiting lines). We hv never waited to be served, the service was good, the rooms were clean and most of the time made early in the day. As for the food, some people were sick, you do hv to be careful what you eat but this applies to anywhere you go, ourselves hv not been sick at all during the 2 wks, we think the dairy products need to be avoided. As for activities, not much to do, but do the catamaran for 6 people (Cyprey), it is worth it. Overall, we strongly recommend this hotel and just want to go back asap, we regretted not going for 3 wks.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Linda --- Canada |
November 2004
I recently visited the Sol Pelicano in Cayo Largo, Cuba. Prior to this vacation, I had vacationed in Mexico a number of times as well as the Dominican Republic. In fact, I had never even considered Cuba prior to this vacation. But a sell off is a sell off and the great price outweighed the fact that I had never been to this location before.
Upon arrival, we were escorted to the hotel by some very friendly Cubans. They set the tone for the entire vacation with their courtesy and their jovial attitude. The 10 minute drive was full of laughter and relief after a somewhat cramped flight from Toronto on Skyservice.
Check in only took a few minutes and we were treated to cold drinks, music, and our first taste of Cuban dancing. The dancers and musicians entertained us while we waited to check in.
The room was very clean, and had all of the amenities that we required. (When I am at home, I don't require fresh brewed coffee next to my bed, why would I require it elsewhere??) We found that the water was clear and hot most of the time. This exceeded our expectations as we knew we were visiting a tiny remote island.
The maid service was superb. Our maid gave us treats everyday, whether it was fresh flowers, candies, or just her warm smile, she went the extra mile to accomodate us and make us feel welcome.
The facilities were wonderful. The pool, a huge relief from the heat. Everywhere was kept clean and tidy for the entire trip. The landscape is a bit barren, not lush like I expected, however, the wind can be extreme on Cayo Largo and this negates a lot of low lying vegetation rather than tall palm trees. But the flowers around the pool and the lobby were extraordinary.
I found the staff to be the friendliest and most helpful I have ever experienced, whether in the Caribbean, North America, or Europe. They are always there to assist you, no matter what you request. They even escorted us to the disco at night, at a neighboring resort. Considering that they work 12 hr days and to spend their off time escorting us around, meant a lot to us.
The food was quite adequate, again, keeping in mind that this is a remote island where all the food has to be shipped in. I found the selection to be fair and the taste to be quite good, especially at the beach restaurant and the a la carte restaurant.
I can't say enough good things about the Sol Pelicano. In fact, we will be returning there again next spring!
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Susan --- Canada |
July 2004
We just returned from a vacation at Sol Pelicano in Cayo Largo, Cuba. We travelled from July 16 - 23 2004. I left my small children at home for the first time and took a trip for R&R with my mother.
We booked this trip from a Toronto travel agent over the phone and last minute. We had used the travel agent for other trips, but this was our first time doing a last minute booking. It all went very smoothly. We arrived at the Toronto airport about three hours ahead and picked up our tickets, checked our bags etc. with no confusion or delays. Our flight departed on time and was very smooth. The flight attendants were all very friendly and professional. We were however extremely disappointed in the in flight "bistro" meal. It seems to get worse every time I travel. I strongly recommend that you grab a quick bite before you get on the plane both to and from your vacation. Our meal consisted of a small cold cut sandwich about the size of a deck of cards, two crackers, a piece of cheese, a packaged square, and water. They did serve coffee and tea, but pop was for a price of $1 CAD. A lady sitting next to me was a vegetarian, so they provided her with an apple and a banana. She was disappointed as well. Our flight continued to be smooth and landed on time.
The immigration/customs process in Cuba was very slow. I think that it seems to have much to do with how slow their computers are, because they took a long time to process each person, but seemed to make small talk to put in the time, as they waited for information to come up on their computers. After being accepted through the immigration booth, we proceeded to the security booth. We were delayed extensively there over medications, both prescription and simple over the counter remedies from home that were in my mother's carry on baggage. I strongly recommend that If you require medication you be sure to have all original bottles and prescriptions (which we did) and a letter from your physician. We were detained and had to speak with customs officials, and even a nurse, none of whom seemed to speak much english. The bus driver came in to see what was keeping us, and he seemed to smooth things over a little, but our delay continued. I do believe that a Cuban doctor was consulted because suddenly everything was fine and they let us through. It was explained to us later that drugs are a real concern for the Cuban officials. Although the delay was unfortunate, we understood completely and even though there were language barriers, we were treated very kindly. When we finally left the airport, our transfer to the hotel on a bus for just us and two other gentlemen(as the original bus went on without us) was quick and smooth.
The check in at the hotel seemed much slower than many other Caribbean destinations that we had been to. Even after our delay at the airport, there was still a very long slow line for check in. When we did get waited on, the staff were very friendly and accommodating. We were assigned two second floor rooms in building #41. When I explained that due to health concerns my mother would be more comfortable in a ground floor room, they quickly gave her one under me. We went to our rooms, and the bell men brought the luggage minutes later.
The rooms were very clean, but very standard. The furniture seemed to be made of plywood and painted several times. The drawers were very difficult to open and shut, but the closets were very large with an in room safe. There were two full length mirrors. The bathroom had a sink, counter, toilet and shower. The hot water was usually brown, the color of weak tea. Apparently it has something to do with their hot water heaters. There was no foul smell, so once you got past the color everything was okay, The rooms all had a mini fridge and you got bottled water every day. The air conditioning worked very well. There were often ants and other small bugs that came in under the doors, as there was a large space between the bottom of the doors and the tile. Most of us rolled up our extra towel and blanket and put it in the space while we were in the room. The maids seemed to regularly spray the rooms with pesticides as the ants are very persistent. Although the rooms were spotless upon arrival, over the week, both my mother and I found that the chamber maid did very little in maintaining that level of cleanliness. My sheets were not changed during my stay, and the floor was not swept. This was a little annoying as I often killed little critters with my shoe, and because the grounds are so barren and sandy, it is difficult not to track sand into the room. Tipping in the room and not tipping didn't seem to affect the level of service. The towels in the room were really fabulous full size bath sheets, but wash cloths were not available. The towels were changed daily, and always there at the end of the day. Early the next morning my Mom received a call that she had to change rooms. We never did get an explanation for the change, but her new room was right next door and ready to move into in the afternoon. Over the course of the week I had several problems with no hot water. I was lucky enough to take advantage of using the shower in my Mom's room. They did make efforts to fix it, but the problem would often come back.
We attended the briefing the next morning, but did not find it all that helpful. It did not start on time, and seemed to drag on. There was no microphone, so we only heard about half of what she was saying when she was facing us. When her back was to us we could not hear. The vital information about departure could have been relayed on the short bus ride to the resort for those who did not know enough to check the binders that are standard on all inclusive trips. The tour operator's rep at the hotel was of no use to us at the airport. It was the bus driver who came to our aid. I didn't find her all that effective as compared to the many others over the years.
The beach at this resort is absolutely fabulous. The sand is white and very fine. The water was extremely warm. I walked miles down the beach, and the Pelicano by far had the nicest sandiest beach. It got very rocky in front of some of the other resorts. Most days there was a yellow flag yielding an undertow caution. My Mom enjoyed several catamaran rides, but she found it quite a hike up the beach because the resorts shares the water sports with the sister hotel next door. There were a few times that there was not enough wind to sail. There were no large palm trees on the beach for shade. If you got up first thing and put your towel and a book or something on lounge chairs that were under the umbrellas, you were okay. I imagine shade would be more difficult to come by in the winter months when the resort is full. You have to go up stairs and across a cat walk and down stairs to get to the beach, as the rocky dunes between the hotel and beach are protected and you are not to walk on them. There are three of these cat walk bridges that are evenly spaced out. I was fine with them, but at times my mother tired very easily with all the stairs. I didn't have my children with me, but when I do take them, we liked to take the stroller to the beach for their naps. This would have been quite a challenge here.
The beach bar and lunch restaurant is located at the centre bridge. The food was okay, but I had some concerns about the lack of refrigeration at the beach buffet. Salads, fruits and sauces etc. were put out in bowls on a table with no ice under them or cold panels. The pop at all of the bars is a no-name type product, and tasted horrendous. I have ben to many resorts in the Dominican and Mexico and this is the first resort that I have ever been to that didn't serve either Coke or Pepsi products. Maybe this is normal for Cuba as this was my first time there. I do realize that they are limited as far as imports go, but they did have Coke products for sale in the store and in pop machines There was also no tomato juice or limes slices available for drinks (also a first for me). There was no diet or sugar free pop available other than soda water. The bartenders were very friendly and eager to please. Tips here went a long way, and were very appreciated.
The pool was very large and warm. It actually had a vinyl liner. The water in the pool was salt water, but there were plenty of fresh water showers around to rinse off. The children's pool was average, but had a commercial little tykes playground attached. I had concerns about children sliding down the slide into less that 2 feet of water, but no one used the structure while we were there - too hot to touch!! you could fry food on it. The pool bar hosted a snack bar as well where you could order off a menu. We tried this several times, and were pleased.
The buffet restaurant was right across from our room - very convenient. The first morning that we were there, there were no eggs, but supplies only come in by boat once a week. The second morning and there after was much better. They have an omelette chef that is terrific. He also cooks different fried eggs as well. He was very surprised by being tipped, but also very appreciative. Tipping in the buffet restaurant goes a long way for good service - they remember how you take your coffee and bring it as you sit down. I was very disappointed in the quality and selection of the food. There were a lot of casseroles, and many dishes were a mystery as they were not labelled. At night, there is a pasta chef who does a great job, but the wait is extensive. There were three people in front of me in line, but it took 25 minutes to get my pasta. I was very disappointed in the fruit, but here again their supplies are limited. Regardless, it was my first Caribbean vacation that included canned pineapple rings and canned fruit salad. The lack of varied fresh fruits was disappointing. The fresh pineapple that they did have was often not ripe and tasted just like at home.
We ate most often at the a la carte restaurant. All of the different appetizers that we tried were excellent. The fish was superb, but the beef fillet was questionable - very tough every time - certainly not a fillet. The wine in the a al carte was also very nice. Here the service was sometimes good and sometimes not so good. We were told by our tour rep that we could only book once during our stay, but they had no problem with us each booking twice, as we had separate rooms. That made four nights at the a al carte.
The land on the island was very barren, sandy and rocky, but the gardeners were making great efforts to green things up. The plants were coming along and added a great deal to the scenery. There were however an absence of mature palm trees, that were visible at resorts up the beach. There were little green humming birds everywhere that flowers were found. Crabs were often wandering around at night. My mom had one that seemed to live under the stairs and would sit outside her door in the evening. Turtles would come to the beach at night. There were areas that were fenced off to protect their eggs.
I would estimate that the resort was only at about 25% of its capacity. Most of the dining rooms were closed in the buffet restaurant. I don't know if supplies etc. improve with increased occupancy in the more popular winter months, but I suspect that they do. I have always travelled to the Caribbean in the winter months so I cannot make a fair comparison in that regard. The purpose of my trip was complete R&R, and I achieved this. I did not take any trips or excursions or attend the evening entertainment, but those who did seemed pleased with them. I knew going into this vacation that Cayo Largo was very quiet and isolated. I knew that there would be no real shopping etc. Other than some very limited resources, I was happy with the resort. I am not sure that I would return again, as I am partial to the Dominican Republic and tend to be a repeat guest at several destinations there, but my Mom feels that she might give it another go in the winter.
One important note that is good to know before you head out: The doctor and pharmacy accept CASH ONLY for any services or products - no credit cards travellers cheques etc.
The front desk does offer currency exchange, but charged a 4% commission.
When we left, we gave all of our left over toiletries etc. to a bartender for his wife and children. He was very very appreciative, and thanked us several times. I gave my insulated travel mug to another. He was thrilled to get it, and even offered to make payment for it. I explained that it was a gift.
Our transport back to the airport was smooth and the check in there was quite fast. The flight departed on time and we had to drop off and pick up passengers in Cayo Coco. This was a little longer than expected, but once we were off again, the flight home was great -except for the bistro meal of course!
If anyone has any specific question: susan.hartwig@sympatico.ca
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
John & Susan --- Ontario, Canada |
June 2004
My wife and I just returned home from one of the best trips we have ever had. It was nothing short of spectacular.
Our flight down with Skyservice was on time with no problems except for the lack of leg room.
Our passage through customs and the bus ride to the hotel was quick and smooth. Our bus driver was our entertainer for the ride. He made animal sounds, played his guitar and sang songs for the 3-minute ride.
We were greeted with drinks, the band playing and dancers. Our check in did not take to long and soon we were in our beautiful room (#44 block) overlooking the ocean. I had previously e-mailed the Sol Pelicano and told both Omayra (Public relations) and Rigoberto (Front desk Manager) that we were on our 23rd Anniversary and they treated Sue and I like royalty all week. I thank them very much for their hospitality. The entire staff at the Pelicano I found to be great, especially when you make an effort to speak a little Spanish. Everyone was friendly, well spoken and eager to help us with any questions. I commend them all on a great job. The grounds were well kept but very dry even though they were continually watering everything. Our Room was great. It was clean and everything worked fine. Our maids came by about 3:00 o’clock every day, which was ok with us. We watched a few of the shows in the evening and enjoyed them. The entertainment staff works very hard all day long with great activities for everyone to enjoy.
The food though lacking in variety was good. Because it was so hot all week we tried to eat as soon as the restaurants opened to get the fresh food in case it spoiled over time. So we had breakfast in the Entre Mares buffet at 7:30 am every morning, fresh fruit and the best omelets on the island with great coffee and juice. Lunch at the Los Quelonios beach restaurant at noon. The best burgers and fries around at about 3:00 at the Zun Zun pool bar and finally dinner at 7:00pm at the buffet. We did not go hungry at all.
We ate at the La Yana on 2 occasions, once together on our anniversary and once with 2 other couples that were also celebrating their anniversaries as well.
Now the beaches. OH MY GOD! We fell in love with them. The ocean was rough all week, yellow flags every day and some days they went to red but I loved playing in the surf. We went over to Playa Paraiso one day but it was rough there also but still beautiful.
We took the catamaran trip on Tuesday and had a great time. The snorkeling, and Iguana Island and our fresh lobster (We watched the diver catch them) lunch were all great. The trip was long and hot so it was very nice to find Champagne and fresh fruit in our room on our return courtesy of the hotel.
It was very hot all week with only a couple of showers at night.
On Monday I decided to rent a scooter for the day, so off we went to see Playa Tortuga.
We traveled as far as we could on the sand road by driving. OK we fell off in the sand.
When we got up the scooter would not start. Even though we took water we were about 5km past the Barcelo and we were a little worried because of the heat. I pushed the scooter back to the Barcelo, which seemed to take forever. I was tired and had blisters on my feet from my sandals. The Barcelo was closed but the management there called the Pelicano and someone came shortly to rescue us. They got the scooter going but we were done for the day.
Thursday we walked for about 3 hrs along the paths through the other hotels to see them and the damage done by hurricane Michelle. The salvageable rooms at the Villa Iguana are being used but hotel workers for their living quarters. The bowling alley is open and there is partying and dancing at the pool bar at night. We walked as far as the Barcelo and got a quick tour of the place. All though it is only partly finished it is beautiful.
We spent our last day by playing in the surf in the morning, checking out by noon and playing in the pool while drinking Mojitos and eating burgers all afternoon and flying home Friday night.
Thank you to everyone at the Sol Pelicano Cayo Largo Cuba for making our anniversary special. We look forward to returning soon.
Top of Page
| Sol Pelicano – Cayo Largo |
Marina --- Canada |
January 2004
Hi Debbie, we recently returned from a one week vacation to The Sol Pelican, Cayo Largo, Cuba.
We flew with Air Canada, or their charter Tango, we left Toronto Terminal 2 with an hour delay.
After having to stop over at Holguin first, where they, after much discussion, made us all get off the plane for whatever reason, one never knows what problems one might encounter in Cuba, we boarded again about one hour later.
Arrival in Cayo Largo was quick and clearing customs was quick and efficient also.
The tour buses were waiting at the airport, and within 15 min. we were at our hotel.
Check in was quick, and we were taken to our rooms within 10 min. of arrival.
Rooms were a good size, clean and the bathrooms also. Maid service seemed to be a little on the slow side, I don't know if that was because of understaffing or just done at a slow pace, our room was never done until about 5 or 6 in the evening. Although we spent most of our day on the beach, it would have been nice to come back to beds made, and clean towels in the bathroom.
The majority of people at this resort, at least the week we were there, were from Montreal ( about 60%), 30% were from Italy and 10% of us from Toronto. Needless to say there were very few english speaking people there. Unfortunately we found the people from Quebec extremely unfriendly,loud, demanding and rude. The italian people seemed to keep to themselves and were more of less indiffent to everybody else.
But, we were not there really to make friends so we kept to ourselves, and enjoyed the staff, beach and the resort itself. Cayo Large is a very small island, and the day we rented a jeep for 3 hours we were hard pressed to find things to do for that amount of time. The roads are none existentonce you get passed the resorts, the Barcelo resort is brand new and has just opened, the new road was paved up to that resort, and past that was just sandy lane ways, where you had to watch out not to get stuck in the sand. The beach past the resorts, becomes very rocky and not easily accessible, in the opposite direction the road takes you back to the airport, a small marina, and the housing complexes where the staff from the hotels are housed, while they are working. The all work 12 hours shifts for 20 days, and then they get 10 days off and are flown home to their families.
The hotel offered a free tractor pulled wagon ride to beaches on the west side of the island, Paraisio and Serenas. The water was alot calmer here, but shade was limited and if you wanted to eat or drink something, you had to pay for it. We did this excursion only once, and opted to spend most of the week on our own beach, unfortunately the wind was extreme and the waves way to high to actually swim. We did manage to go in the water everyday, but only to below our knees, and even then I got knocked over by a big wave once, the undertow is so extreme that unless you are a very good and strong swimmer it is scary. NO LIFEGUARDS on duty anywhere. The beach in front of the Pelicano, as at the Sol Club, is divided into full clothing, topless, and clothing optional, there was absolutely no problem with this.
The pool area and pool itself was quite large,salt water much cooler than the ocean, lots of shade and lounges always available, we never had to get up early to save chairs with towels, at the pool or at the beach, and we always found shade.
We had extreme wind the whole week, I don't know if it is like that all the time there, but after a few days it became tiresome, sand stuck to everything, and the wind howling underneath our room door all day and night.
Food was plentiful and good tasting, line ups were sometimes a little too long, especially at the stir fry, and pasta stations, but really one has nothing but time anyway so whats a little waiting, if you didn't want to there was always lots of other things to choose from.
The entertainment in the evening, was I must say, rather boring, the worst of all the resorts we have ever been to, but you didn't have to go.
The lobby bar was open 24 hours, and made great cappacinos with brandy after dinner, and great drinks all around.They had most all types of liquor available, Irish Cream, Scotch, Whiskey and a variety specialty mixed drinks.
The beach restaurant was great for lunch, roastedchicken, fresh fish, pasta, salads, great fries and desserts every day, with service from the bar, never had an empty glass of beer on our table, the staff there was great.
All in all it was a nice holiday, but we would not return to Cayo Largo, we had wanted to go there for a number of years but it never had any sell offs or last minute rates. We paid alot for this vacation ( at least for us it was more than we have ever spent) and we were a bit disappointed here are definitely nicer places in cuba.
We had a 3 hour delay flying home, which was caused by the Air Canada reps, who overbooked our flight home, we had two extra people and could not leave until somebody came forward to stay an extra week, compliments of Air Canada, but all in all it was something that we would have expected from Air Transat, but NOT from Air Canada, and after sitting in the plane on the tarmak for over 2 hours, we were more than happy to leave.....
Top of Page
Last updated: April 26, 2008
|
~ Reviews posted on this page — 35 
~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 
~ 
~ 
~ 
Have you stayed at this resort? Share your vacation experiences with others.