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Barcelo Solymar 06/28/02
Reviewers Rating:  Great
I just returned on June 10 from this resort. First off, let me say that the resort is huge and extremely beautiful. The bright red, blue and yellow colors makes it look very modern. The beach is fantastic, very clean and also close by. There are two places you can stay, the bungalows or the hotel rooms. Now, it's seems that the best rooms tend to be given to couples, since we (5 guys) asked for two rooms over looking the pool but got stuck with a view of the front part of the hotel where it's not very attractive. The rooms were actually pretty nice. Mulitcolored just like the hotel which was nice to see. There was a tv with a few english channels, a mini-fridge which was restocked everyday (we even got extra water when we asked). The bathroom was extremely clean and very nice. Thank god our air-conditioner worked or else we would have died at night. We tipped the maid everyday thus we got lots of towels and water. The bungalows are closest to the beach, and we found that mainly families stayed there and a few couples. Since it was low season when we went, there was no problems finding chairs, towels or cabana's on the beach. The ocean water is just amazing and having a place to eat right off the beach at this resort helped a few times. That's where the lunch buffets were. There is also 2 more resturaunts inside the hotel, a buffet and a a la carte. The food was very bland, though the pizza and fruits were fairly good. Lot's of different dishes to choose from which was nice. Pleanty of different drinks to choose from which also helped when it was really hot. The service is pretty good, though it seemed to depend on how much your willing to tip. The activity crew were pretty nice, though sometimes they seemed disrespectful to some of the female workers there. At 10pm every night, there was a show. The theme was different every night, and they tried when possible to get the crowd involved which I liked. If you plan on going clubbing, I do have a warning. The activity people want you to go to the clubs that they like or have deals with. Basically, they will get you to pay for the cab ride to the club for you and a couple of the activity guys/girls. Once your at the club, you will have to pay $10 american to get in (includes open bar) and then you'll have to pay for a cab back to the resort. The main club they prefered was called La Boomba which costs $8 each way. A couple of nights we rebelled and took only one cab for the 5 of us. Plus, we went to a club called Havana Club which was only a 5 minute walk and it was awesome there. So, you do have choices on where to go if you feel your getting too pressured. Now, for the back of the hotel where the pool is. All I can say is wow. It's just beautiful out there. There are two pools, a waiting one and then the main one. Both are overlooked on by the snack bar which turns to a sea food a la carte at night. Plenty of chairs, a basketball net to play with, also that's where they activity people do salsa lessons and areobics as well. There is also a game room where you pick up your towels ($10 deposit at the main desk which you get back upon returning the towel), which has a ping pong table, 2 pool tables and a large tv to relax to. There's always a bartender there for your drinks if need be though we could only drink alcohol in the evenings cause it was way too hot. So there you go, the Barcelo Solymar is a really nice place to relax and enjoy yourself. Phone calls are really expensive, but internet access is way cheaper so sending an email might be a better option for some. I hope this review helps!!!
Rakesh Damji
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