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Melia Cayo Guillermo 05/10/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Melia Cayo Guillermo - Trip completed March 14 - 21, 2003
I have been to Varadero twice and stayed at Brisas del Caribe and the Iberostar Tainos and last year I stayed at the LTI Costa Verde in Guardalavaca. This was my first visit to the Cayos. Let me begin by saying that this was the most pleasurable visit to date. The hotel and grounds are exceptional, and the staff and guests among the friendliest I have encountered. As a solo traveller for most of my trips, it's always awkward to sit at a bar or restaurant but there were no problems whatsoever in striking up conversations with other guests. From what I could tell the guests were predominantly Canadian and German and some from Britain, France and I believe a few from Italy.
I was assigned a third floor corner room with a commanding view over the resort and out to the ocean beyond. The spacious balcony provided a great spot out of the sun where I could read and enjoy the warm breeze. Speaking of weather, it was mostly hot and very humid with only one day of heavy rain and a few short thundershowers on two other occasions.
Layout
The resort is user friendly with the rooms conveniently centred around the pool, pool bar, grill and Italian restaurant. The central section includes the registration desk and lobby which provides a number of seating areas to enjoy a rest or people watch. This section also includes the very popular, spacious lobby bar to the right and the library to the left. The library contains a billiards table, a selection of books, two computers for internet users, the tour company binders and tour desks for booking excursions or meeting with your travel representative. You can't miss the quaint Venetian glass chandelier that attracts attention to the space. The resort is three stories at its highest, no elevators, and due to the number of steps and elevations it might be difficult for people with mobility problems. The beach is within a five minute walk from the most rooms.
Rooms
Very spacious, cheery and colourful and nicely decorated in a tropical/beach theme. The room lacked dresser drawers but there was a closet with a clothes rack and several shelves that were fine for me but I'm not sure if two people would have found it adequate. The safe is located at the back of the deep closet which made it awkward to access especially if you were using the shelf for clothing storage. There were two comfortable 3/4 beds pushed together, the four pillows ranged from soft to medium to hard, something for all tastes! The satellite TV offered CNN and also CBC Nova Scotia. It was an added bonus to be able to see the reporters breath in the cold air back home in Halifax!!!! The maid did an excellent job, the room was immaculately clean and I never saw a bug during the whole time. The "private" bathroom contained the toilet and tub/shower, the sink and dressing area are separate. The water pressure was low at the sink and bathtub but was fine once it was switched to the shower setting. The hot water was not very hot but it was OK for taking a shower. The hotel provides little bottles of shampoo, mouthwash, gel and lotion, as well as bars of soap. A comfy wicker lounge chair and ottoman compliment the room. It was probably due to the high humidity but the air conditioning wasn't able to keep up to the conditions.
Restaurants and Bars
The buffet is located on the ground level of the building adjacent to and only a short distance from the lobby. The atmosphere is upscale and beautifully decorated as are most areas of the resort. The food stations are located in a separate area at one end of the dining room with the dessert selection in the middle of the eating area. The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and appears to provide linen tablecloths and napkins at all three meals. The food is pretty much what I have experienced at other resorts in Cuba but for some reason I was generally disappointed with the food at the MCG buffet. There were plenty of choices and I didn't hear any real complaints from other guests so I just logged it up to a personal thing. I tried the beach grill on the first day but was put off by the formality of having to wait to be seated and many of the dishes were empty and waiting to be replenished.
By far my most enjoyable meal was at the International Restaurant. The delicious meal consisted of a thick and creamy pumpkin soup followed by medallions of duck breast as the main course followed by a lemon torte for dessert. Unfortunately I didn't try the pool grill or Italian restaurant.
Hands down, the place to be at all hours of the day or night was the lobby bar. I have never seen a busier spot nor a group of harder working people than at this establishment. Livan, Wilmer, Arlent and Gisel were constantly on the go and were always upbeat and hospitable whether they were just starting their shift or ending it. There was an extensive list of drinks on the menu or they would make whatever you want. The MCG had the best selection of premium brand liquors and liqueurs I have seen in my travels. Coffee and espresso are available at this bar and were very popular.
Shows and Disco
The theatre is located near the lobby bar but a lot of people found it more convenient to get drinks at the adjacent Fun Club during the shows rather than making the trek back to the lobby. The Fun Club served as the disco, it's a compact room with a black and white tiled floor and very low lighting expect for some Christmas type lights strung around the liquor bottles and a few black lights that gave the room a surreal yet trendy feeling. I saw bits and pieces of several shows and they were much like what I have experienced in other parts of Cuba. The only show that I saw from start to finish was the Broadway hits that included Phantom of the Opera. Although the entertainers lip-sinked to the soundtrack, the dancing and acting were very enjoyable.
Beach
The beach in front of the Melia Cayo Guillermo is long but very limited at high tide. The fine white sand is a pleasure and it extends a fair distance out into the water before it reaches a band of seaweed, however, the water is deep enough for a swim before you hit the seaweed. One of the nicest features of the beach is the loooong pier that extends far out into the water. The end of the pier will accommodate an aquarium in the very near further which will be of special interest to snorkellers. Perfect for a long walk or even a chance to rest and enjoy the view as the pier has several decent sized cabanas (with loungers) along its length. **** Update: Just shortly after my visit there was a windstorm that wiped out a substantial portion of the pier. Resort management are working on replacing it and even after replacing the complete pier due to Hurricane Michelle they are determined the pier will remain as an integral part of the resort. Two huts are located in the sand on either side of the pier and one can relax in a hammock with the water all around when the tide is in.
My one negative experience at this resort was the horrendous practice of people saving beach chairs. Let me be perfectly clear that I do not fault the resort as people will always find ways to suit their own purposes. Unfortunately more than a few of the beach loungers were broken and most times these were the only chairs available. The chairs and especially the palapas that provide most of the shade are snapped up before the sun rises. Twice I was forced to put my towel on the sand but I was determined that no one was going to ruin my vacation because of their inconsiderate actions. My biggest beef is that far too many chairs are occupied by towels with no people in sight. I never paid much attention but there were reports that people saved chairs at both the beach and pool and were never around to use them. This practice is unfair to other guests who have paid for the right to enjoy the facilities too. I'm convinced that there would be plenty of chairs for everyone if people would only take possession of them when they intend to use them. There must be some way that the resorts could take control of this as many people are reporting this practice is taking root at more and more resorts with greater frequency.
Shopping
The resort has five stores on-site. There are three stores directly across from the lobby bar: two of them have a variety of souvenirs, personal care items, snack food (very good selection by the way!), clothing and t-shirts, water and soft drinks, Cubita coffee and an impressive selection of alcohol. The cigar store and bar are also located in this area. The store has a good selection of cigars and cigarettes and most times they have a gentleman in the store who will roll a cigar while you wait. This bar is run separately from the resort and you must pay, perhaps the reason why it wasn't very busy. The remaining stores are located at opposite ends of the resort, the one closest to the buffet was small but had a good selection of items, the other is located near the gym and could best be described as "artsy". The towel hut (I guess I'm up to six stores now) had a variety of handcrafted items such as wood and leather in addition to Cuba related books and CD's.
The new airport contains at least two stores, one at either end of the departure lounge, and several kiosks. The duty free shop has an extensive and impressive selection of coffee, rum, cigars, perfume, jewellery and decorative glass. The kiosk next to Gate 2 (?) offers postcards, books and CD's.
Conclusion
All in all this was a great resort and a relaxing holiday. I would highly recommend this resort for all it offers, you simply cannot go wrong with Melia Cayo Guillermo. This area of Cuba did not disappoint but then again I have been very content with my visits to Varadero and Guardalavaca. I would definitely return to MCG and the Cayos but I would only drive myself crazy if I started planning next years trip this soon. Melia Cayo Guillermo is a beautiful resort and provides a friendly "family" environment, which for me was the highlight. Senior management are very much in evidence at this resort and their "hands on" supervision is the reason why this property is top quality.
Sol
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