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| GC Villa Coral Cayo Largo |
GC Villa Coral Cayo Largo: Hotel Reviews |
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| Based on 2 reviews |
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| Not for everyone but perfect for me! |
| Hotel GC Villa Coral Cayo Largo |
User Rating:
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eeeefarm >
4 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2010 | Leisure | Solo Traveller
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| I have stayed at Cayo Largo previously and wandered through the Gran Caribe complex. I've always wanted to try it, but it wasn't previously available from Toronto. When it was offered through Hola Sun I jumped at the opportunity. |
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| Your Arrival |
| Flight with Cubana was above average. Very good flight attendants and a decent snack complete with complimentary wine. At Cayo Largo you are five minutes from the hotels, so transfers are quick and painless. |
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| Rooms |
| I had a wonderful room with a fabulous balcony that was as large as the room. Ocean view and very close to the beach. The room was clean and comfortable, although the bed was a bit hard for my taste. There was a safe and mini fridge provided at no extra charge. A 1.5 liter bottle of water was also included. The bathroom was basic with a shower only, no tub. Lots of room to hang clothes, and several drawers to put things in. The air conditioner was a window type and quite noisy. Most nights I turned it off and listened to the surf. I had the balcony door open much of the time and there were also windows for cross ventilation. When it was windy, this was perfect. Unfortunately when the wind died the mosquitoes arrived and I had to close things up and use the A/C. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
The buffet restaurant afforded an ocean view and there was a patio on the sea side where you could sit outside if you wished. Most didn't while I was there. Breakfasts were typical, with an omelet station where you could get eggs and sometimes pancakes cooked to order. Fresh fruit was wonderful, particularly the grapefruit. The bread was fresh and delicious. I am vegetarian, so can't comment on the meats.
Lunch could be taken at the buffet or at the Ranchon at Lindemar where there was a choice of beef, chicken or fish. Also salads and deserts. Lunch at the buffet usually featured ice cream, which was delicious.
Dinner at the buffet was a little spartan for me, as there was not a lot of variety in the way of vegetarian fare. However, I certainly did not starve! Meat eaters had much more choice. A la carte dinners are available at the Ranchon, reservations in advance.
Pizza is available around 4 p.m. at the coffee bar behind the buffet restaurant. The coffee here is excellent and available all day. You could also go over the Isla del Sur and get a pizza, which I did several times. It was a wise precaution in case there was a scarcity of vegetarian fare at supper.
There is a bar at the pool and we also had access to the bars at Isla del Sur, and also of course at the Ranchon. I can't comment on the mixed drinks since I don't indulge, but the cerveza was cold and good. Other guests I spoke with seemed to enjoy the Pina Coladas and Mojitos. Wine was available at lunch and supper. Service was mostly good, although some staff were more attentive than others. I had no complaints. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The pool was deep enough for swimming, although it was fairly small. There is a swim up bar. Beaches in front of the Gran Caribe complex are fine for sunning but a little challenging for swimming. The entry to the water is rocky in places, but it wasn't too hard to find a sandy access. No "towel games" going on.....lots of chairs and shade for everyone! The grounds didn't feature a lot of gardens or flowers, but were neatly kept. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| The shuttle went three times a day to Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso, and was free. Animation at the hotel tried to get people involved, but I usually avoid these activities.....I'd rather be at the beach! |
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| Other Comments |
| I really enjoyed this small hotel. It is quiet and a perfect place to relax. There were some issues with hot water from time to time, but mostly everything worked well. If you are looking for a charming, quiet spot to enjoy Cayo Largo's fabulous beaches without breaking the bank, this is an excellent place to be. It's not "party central", but that suited me to a "T". I will definitely be going back! |
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| Photos: http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/eeeefarm/Villa%20Coral%20Cayo%20Largo%20February%202010/ |
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| I immediately fell in love with its charm |
| Hotel GC Villa Coral Cayo Largo |
| User Rating:
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Marlene >
9 contribution(s) Canada |
| May, 2009
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This resort is a little pearl in the tiny island of Cayo Largo. I flew from Montreal to Cayo Largo on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. I had booked online with Yourtraveltickets from St Catherines, ON two weeks before departure and paid $1166 for two weeks All Inclusive at the 3* Gran Caribe. My flight on Air Cubana, a new airbus, was delayed 90 minutes as they were waiting for the plane to arrive from Cuba. This was the first time I have traveled with Cubana. The seating was comfortable; they distributed headsets prior to showing the movie. One ear was in Spanish and the other ear was in French for listening. There was no English option. The morning meal served at 10:30 am was a cold entrée consisting of fruit cup, apple Danish, bun and butter orange juice and coffee. There was no complimentary water, juice or soft drink service. All these were for sale only. The flight lasted 3 hours, 15 minutes. Our flight was combined with the Cayo Coco destination but we landed in Cayo Largo first.
We quickly went through Customs. We were the only plane on the tarmac at the time. ¾ of the passengers disembarked at Cayo Largo and only 2 of us were going to the Gran Caribe. There was one other passenger on the 40 pax bus with me. We arrived at the Reception Desk of Isla del Sur to check in. The Gran Caribe is a four-hotel complex. The Barcelo (which has just been transferred to become part of the Gran Caribe chain in May 2009) is to the left and the Pelicano is to the right, both only a short 20 minute walk away. Two of the four Gran Caribe sections are exclusively Italian Club sections (Isla del Sur and Villa Lindamar). The Villa Coral and Villa Soledad have Italian, Canadian and Cuban clientele.
The second week of my stay I moved to Villa Coral to be closer to my traveling companion who was assigned a room in that section. The Villa Coral room (4028) was on the first floor with a full ocean view and was just a few steps to the beach and the section closest to the Villa Soledad. This room did not have a tub or bidette or a hair dryer. I believe the Soledad rooms, although in a quieter part of the resort, because there is no pool or buffet there, are more updated. They were about to put a new red tin roof on my building as I was leaving. |
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The main buffet in the Villa Coral had better than average food than what I was anticipating for a 3* in Cuba. Every breakfast provided a made to order omlette station, fresh fruite (watermelon, pineapple and the sweetest orange sections I’ve tasted all winter), fresh baked loaves of French bread and rolls, various cheeses, ham slices, jams and butter and a selection of breakfast cakes. The hot entrees included deep fried potato rolls, which were delicious, bacon, ham, pancakes (one morning only), boiled eggs and toast. There were two choices of cereal and milk, yogurt and buttermilk in jugs. There were also jugs of fruit juice (frozen concentrate, I think) of grapefruit, orange, mango and mixed fruit). Coffee and hot chocolate came from a machine but it was very good. There were sugar bowls and salt and pepper (white pepper) on the tables. The buffet walls were decorated with various paintings from the Leonardo de Vinci era. There was only an air conditioner directly above the salads and dessert tables. Breakfast was from 7:30 until 10:30 a.m.
Lunch was open from 1:30 until 3:30 and there were a variety of salad dishes as well as platters of cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce (on week #2). Oil and vinegar was the only salad dressing offered. We brought our own favourite from home. There were 5 hot entrée steam table dishes of chicken, pork, fish, pasta and soup. Red and White Argentinian wine was served on request. An alternate lunch option was available at the Villa Lindemar Ranchon beachfront restaurant which served chicken, fish, hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries. This became an a la carte on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings serving steak, pork, or fish.
Supper buffet opened at 7:30 until 10:30 p.m. Throughout my stay, there were always at least 5 choices of meat, 2 vegetables, soup, various salada similar to lunch and desserts consisted of crème caramel, cake, éclairs, fruit flans, ice cream and fresh fruit. No coffee was available at supper. We would walk next door to the 24-hour lobby bar at Isla del Sur for a delicious cappacino, expresso, and café Americano while sitting on the patio overlooking the entertainment stage and large freeform pool of the Isla hotel.
There is a 5-member house band (Cinquillo Pinero) that circulates in the dining room. One night they gave the half a dozen Canadians in attendance at the pool bar an impromptu concert from 8 to 11. It was a magical evening. You can view a video on You tube if you key in SUCU SUCU A ISLA DEL SUR
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Entertainment was at 10 pm each night at the Isla del Sur but it was only in Italian. The entire resort complex of the four hotels was 95% Italian guests from Italy, and the remainder of the clientele were from Quebec and Cuba. I was the only Anglophone in the resort and my traveling companion was the only Maritimer. I think all of the English speaking only visitors to the island from Toronto tend to book at the Pelicano, Barcelo or Sol. The Gran Caribe is not sold out of the Toronto gateway, only Montreal.
The Villa Coral has a swim-up bar (Giovanni and Vladamir are excellent, fun bartenders) and there are two activity staff (shout out to Alex and Daeme), two great people who teach salsa, give Spanish lessons and provide various games activities. I even saw Alex babysitting an 8 year old boy one day while his parents went on an excursion. Pizza is served in the afternoon at the bar as a snack. Music is loud and often repetitive.
The beaches of Cayo Largo are renowned for their beauty. The Playa Paraiso and Playa Sirena are picture postcard perfect with powder soft sand which is not hot to walk on. The water is clear and aqua marine in colour and is either calm as glass or has very gentle waves perfect for laying on an air mattress. Walks along this beach towards Punta Mal Tiempo to the left or beyond Playa Sirena always produced interesting things to see like starfish, sting rays, birds, etc. There is nudism displayed on this island in various sections of all the beaches. There is a complementary shuttle train three times in the morning: 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 going to Paraiso and Sirena. It is an extremely bumpy ride but a lot of fun. Taxis are for hire and cost 2 CUCs per person and are faster than the road train. At Paraiso and Sirena there is a restaurant and bar to purchase food and drinks. The palappas and loungers are usually taken by the 8:30 arrivals but become available at 1:30 when the shuttle comes to pick up and return guests to their hotels. The last shuttle returns at 5:00 pm.
There is a gift shop located across from the main entrance of the Isla hotel. They sell rum, coffee, beach bags, swimsuits, snorkels and masks, towels, handicrafts, fragrances, cigars, crèmes. It is quite remarkable how well stocked it is. There is a little post office beside the store (tienda) which sells post cards, stamps and pens. Beside that is the car, scooter rental which is popular.
Jorge Felix is the Public Relations person and is always circulating throughout the resort, greeting guests, making a la carte arrangements for the Ranchon steak house on Tues and Thurs evening (seating for 30 people). If you have a problem, Jorge does his best to find resolution. |
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I had the opportunity to visit each of the other hotels on Cayo Largo and in comparison, the Gran Caribe does show its age (it was the first hotel on the island) but it is kept very clean and in good repair. The Villa Coral buildings are painted in pretty pastel colours (blue, pink) that are pretty against the palm trees and various bushes that dot the resort.
The Italians were given an orange bracelet to wear. I was given one but told not to wear it, just show it at the Villa Coral for my first meal and then put it away. The Cubans that arrived throughout the week for 3 day stays wore pink bracelets.
The reps from TMR, Varaplaya and Cubana were present each day to book various excursions that people wanted to take. The Catamaran tour was very popular for $73 CUCs. It included snorkeling, visit to Iguana Island and a lobster dinner at sunset.The village was a $5CUC taxi ride away and houses the museum (a history of Cayo Largo and pictures of the hurricane damage from 2001), a store, a couple of restaurants, a bank, turtle sanctuary and marina. There are apartment complexes for staff in this village also. It takes about an hour to see everything in the village.
This was my first trip to Cayo Largo but I immediately fell in love with its charm, quietness, natural beauty and friendliness of the people. I will go back again next year and probably meet the same guests I befriended this year (shout out to Suzie, Sebastian, Andre and Diane, Joanne and Linne, all from the Montreal area.). I would recommend this resort for a totally relaxing vacation. It certainly helps to speak French, Spanish, or Italian here. Anglophones are definitely the minority population. I got to practice my French that I haven’t spoken since high school. It was a fabulous 2 weeks for me. I loved every minute. |
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