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Sol Club Cayo Guillermo ( with picture links) 11/03/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
We stayed at the Sol Club Cayo Guillermo (SCCG) from October 19 to the 26th. The weather was next to perfect, with it only raining part of one day at the beginning of the week after which it cleared up and was beautiful. Our stay was without a doubt unforgettably fantastic. While our ages fall between 34 to 42, I was quite surprised with the age range at this resort. There were many young couples, singles as well as a few retirees and only a hand full of small families. Last year we stayed at an amazing 5 star in Varadero and while the food may have been a little better, I had an equally amazing time at the SCCG. This resort is rated a 4 star but in my honest opinion when it comes to the Sol Clubís friendly staff I would rate it a 5 star. While many have written a review for this resort I would like to write one as well and for risk of leaving out any details it will be a lengthy one.
AGENCY and FLIGHT
Our vacation was catered by Hola Sun and the airline was Air Canada. I would travel via Hola Sun again without hesitation. Our travel agent was Coco Toth (pronounced Soko) at Bravo Travel in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Coco was just terrific, and arranged a fantastic trip for us. She went as far as contacting a Melia resort Manager friend in Cayo Coco who undoubtedly helped make our vacation more memorable. Thank You Coco!
We had to be at the Toronto terminal at 4:30 am for our 7:30 am flight. If you have to catch a flight early in the morning try to have all of your paperwork beforehand. The only snag we ran into was that the Hola Sun person was not in yet and we had to pick up our Tourist card before we could go through into the waiting area for loading. At this time of day there arenít any refreshment stands open, so be sure to bring your coffee with you. As for the flight itself it was perfect. The view from the airplane was amazing as we passed over Nassau. We landed and were through Cuban customs in about 10 minutes. The new Cayo Coco airport is beautiful, bright and clean. The Hola Sun Rep met us and told us some information about the island on the way to the resorts. The trip to the resort was around 45 minutes on a nicely air conditioned Mercedes bus.
CHECK IN
Check in was a breeze. Having your check in form done before hand (given to you on the bus) certainly helps to speed things up. Once youíre through the small bit of paperwork you are handed a map, your room keycard and then shuttled to your room. The check in staff are very pleasant to talk with and very accommodating as well.
ROOM
We had one of the ocean view rooms (904) which I highly recommend. This particular room is more like an ocean front room. It is in one of the single story buildings and is very private with a short walk to the beach. The room is beautiful, not large but still roomy with a high ceiling. It consists of 2, 3/4 beds, 2 night tables, a 3-drawer long table wall table, small cabinet that housed the mini fridge and the television and a table with 2 chairs. The 3-piece bath off the entrance was roomy and nicely decorated. It had the typical small bottles of shampoo/shower gels as well as a couple small bars of hand soap. My wife really loved the hairdryer that is mounted to the wall, in a plastic box in the sink area. It can be used as a hand dryer while in itís box or pulled out of the box and used as a standard hair dyer.
The room is decorated with colourful paints as well as a few murals. As you enter the unit, opposite the bathroom, is the closet, which had a small 3-drawer cabinet, hangers as well as the wall-mounted safe. Attached to the outside closet wall is a cute stick structure that provides a horizontal platform raised off the floor, which we placed our suitcases on and under. There was also an upright part to this structure that worked well for hanging towels and other stuff on. The floor is tiled throughout, including the terrace, which has another small table and 2 chairs. This was a perfect spot to sit in the late evening and enjoy a drink and the wonderful ocean breeze. I surprisingly found the mattresses as comfortable as mine at home. In fact I found them softer than the ones at the 5 star resort we stayed at last year. I must mention that at this resort I didnít need a converter to use my electric razor, but you would outside the bathroom
THE GROUNDS
Quite simply they are beautiful! Very well kept with a large variety of flowering plants and trees. Coconut palms, hibiscus and bougainvilleas (I believe) were the main flora here although there were many other varieties to be seen. At the entrance in the centre of the circular driveway is a beautiful, lush garden that contains a wonderful sculpture that resembles a prow of a ship with a figurehead. There are 2 other sculptures done with wonderful detail around this resort that are life-size and are of a man and woman embraced. One of which is in a small garden area with a couple of benches and colourfully painted arbors with beautiful flowering bushes climbing the arbors. As you enter the resort there is a stunning central colourful mosaic fountain. This open area with high a vaulted ceiling and tiled floor houses the reception, 3 small gift shops, as well as some wicker seats and tables Off the reception desk is a small room with 2 computers for the internet ($3 for 1/2 hour or $5 per hour). Beautiful murals also decorate much of this main area. I continue to be amazed by the talent and attention to detail that I have found at the Cuban resorts. Not only are the murals very well painted but in some cases the paintings give the appearance of 3D. The A La Carte restaurant has paintings that depict columns and is done by different use of colours and shading. For those who want to play tennis there are 2 very nice tennis courts just past the main bar and the reception. In the same area is the shooting/archery area as well as a soccer and games field. Just past the tennis courts is the bridge going to the ëislandí disco.
The pool is just outside the entrance area and has 3 bay areas and is very nice and refreshing. While we didnít spend a lot of time at the pool we found it refreshing to finish our day there from being at the beach. There are a couple of bridges that pass over the pool. One that divides the shallow kids area and the second that divides off the area that is used for volleyball and other activities. The pool does not really have a deep end but rather has varying depths never too deep to be over your head. Located around the pool are a few cabanas with padded loungers. Between 2 of the cabanas is the hot tub which is drained every night. Nearby is the sauna and fitness room and there is always music playing. On the right hand end of the property by the beach is the nautical centre where the kayaks and catamarans can be found as well as the scuba centre. Unfortunately I never looked into the scuba diving and canít really comment on it. More centrally located by the beach are different beach bars. The Ranchon ëEl Vigioí is a large open bar and grill and the ëEl Cubanitoí is the typical beach bar with a grill set up for lunch. Nearby the ëEl Vigioí is an area for shuffleboard and volleyball as well as a few hammocks. A small distance away from the ëEl Cubanitoí is a gazebo and a few more hammocks. The whole resort is very well kept and the gardeners work very hard to make sure it is. They deserve a lot of praise.
THE BEACH
This is where we spent most of our days and for good reason. It is breath taking! It is not a very deep beach especially at high tide but it is absolutely beautiful with the tourquois water glistening in the sun. For those of you who like to walk there is plenty of length to do so, as well for anyone who likes to wade into the water this is the resort for it. When the tide is out you can walk out for a fair distance before it deepens. If you walk to the left (facing the ocean) there arenít any resorts beyond and you can walk for miles along the beautiful white sand. Be forewarned that a short distance down is an outcrop of lava rock and then past is another beautiful beach, which then comes to more lava. So be sure to take your sandals if you want to walk for a few hours. We walked to the second outcrop of lava rock and then turned back. I didnít bring my sandals and I didnít think my feet could stand any more punishment. We later learned that we were just around the bend from Playa Pilar. Walking to the right from the resort is another great stretch of beach that will take you past the Melia Cayo Guillermo, Iberostar Daiquiri and the Cojimar.
RESTAURANTS
My worries about going to this 4 star rated resort was that the food would not be that good. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of the food from our first dinner. Do keep in mind that Cuba isnít the place to go for gourmet food. I found everything prepared well, and very tasty. Before we went on our first trip to Cuba last year we were warned that the beef would be chewy. I have yet to find that even at this 4 star resort.
The ëEl Edení (buffet)
Located off the pool, it is set up with the buffet in the centre under a beautiful 4 columned area. There are 3 different grills along the far wall for preparing beef, pork, fish, chicken, etc., just the way you like it. Also thereís a large table for breads, buns etc. The tables are scattered around the room with some looking onto the pool area. There are different stations of prepared dishes of pork, beef, fish, chicken, and even mussels, crab, shrimp, pasta, paella and pizza as well as a desert station and salad bar. The Ice cream and flamb饤 bananas are a must. I personally think that there is something for everyone.
The ëEl Cubanitoí (beach bar and grill)
We enjoyed many of our lunches here as well as many mojitos! A barbeque is set up to grill pork chops, whole fish, and very tasty hamburgers. I personally enjoyed the pork chops the best.
The Ranchon ëEl Vigioí (beach restaurant and bar)
Unfortunately this was under renovation and I canít comment on it. It looked like it would be a very nice spot to enjoy the food and the ocean breeze.
The ëTocororoí (main bar)
This is located off the entrance and attached to the entertainment area. While this is more of a bar it is very roomy and is open 24 hours serving grilled sandwiches. The sandwiches are prepared the way that we would prepare grilled cheese, but you can add meats and vegetables and are made to order. The bar has a good selection of drinks. For $5usd you can purchase a few more expensive scotches, whiskies, brandies, and cognacs. I personally was fine with the inclusive selection. They also have very good espresso and cappuccino.
The Don Guillermo (A la carte)
This is a very quaint restaurant with very good food. Dishes consist of: beef fillet, beef ragout, cod, grouper, chicken as well as some wonderful appetizers and deserts. It is a very romantic setting with a high vaulted ceiling colourfully painted and decorated with hand painted columns. I very much enjoyed the beef fillet as well as the grouper. The waiters go out of their way to make evening perfect. Lobster is also available at $15 to $20usd extra
ENTERTAINMENT
10 oíclock nightly show
While we didnít take in every show, the ones we did were performed beautifully. The entertainment staff work very hard and it shows. They are very talented and are a pleasure to watch.
Disco
We actually only went here once but the music was a good mix.
TOURS
We only did the Jungle Tour and really enjoyed it. For $39usd you take a 40-horse power, 2 person speedboat through the mangroves and snorkel in a small 120-meter long by 2-3 meter deep channel. While there is a bit of a current as you swim upstream there is a rope that you can grab onto to pull yourself along. Fish including: barracuda, parrot fish, star fish, puffer, lobster and even a small nurse shark can be see along here. Other excursions included: Trip to Moron $30, Colonial Trinidad $60, Jeep Safari $69, Catamaran $69, Playa Pilar $49
THE PEOPLE
I really felt I needed to add this to my review. The resort was certainly wonderful but it was definitely the staff that made it more so. I would personally like to thank Dayanis (manager), Yulima, Ariel and Daniel (reception), Juan Alberto (Don Guillermo restaurant), Iray (our wonderful maid), Ana (a super bartender and friendly person), and also Hector and Hermes (beach bartenders). It is because of these people that weíll return to this resort again and again.
GIFT SHOPS
If you want cigars, there is a limited supply here, but you can go to the Melia Cayo Guillermo where they have an LCDH with a walk-in humidor. Be sure to take your passport with you if you are buying a full box. It will be needed to write your passport number on the new official receipt. You will need the receipt at customs when you leave. Most of the resorts had the same items (shirts, post cards, etc) for sale.
LINK TO PICTURES
http://community.webshots.com/album/98207725WavSRu
http://community.webshots.com/album/98247485aTdhKA
Geoff Marks
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