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Sol Club Cayo Largo 07/01/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
I spent one week at the Sol Club Cayo Largo (June 22-29, 2003). It was my 9th trip to Cuba, my 4th time in Cayo Largo, my first at the Sol Club. In fact, I was in Cayo Largo when this resort opened (December 2000), but I was staying next door at the Pelicano (which has recently been transformed into another Sol Club). I admit that I had to try hard to look at everything with a more critical eye in order to write this review, because truth is, nothing bothered me at all, I really had a great week!
Airport / Reception desk: Gotta love the proximity of the airport. My luggage came out pretty quickly, so I decided to take a cab instead of waiting for the first shuttle to be full, and that cost a whopping $4 plus tip!! When I got the hotel, right away I was struck by the warmth and friendliness of the staff. Ania at the reception desk handled my check-in very quickly, and I was on my way to my room when the first shuttle arrived. Upon check-in they give you a map of the resort and Ania showed me how to get to my room from the lobby. The porters wanted me to leave my suitcase with them, but I was in too much of a hurry to get to my room! The reception desk is also where you go for any info you need as well as for change. Darelys is absolutely charming and will be pleased to help you any way she can. The day of the return, check-out took 2 minutes, and I took another cab back to the airport. I also waited in the VIP room instead of the main terminal. For $20 US, you get to sit in an air-conditioned room with comfortable sofas and chairs, and all the drinks you can take. The attendant, Sandra, was very nice and very patient!
Room 3023: Absolutely gorgeous. Ocean-view, king size bed with a curtain canopy above it, balcony with two chairs, a small table and a hammock, mini-fridge filled with sodas and juice at the beginning of the week, bottled water replenished every day. There was a slightly unpleasant odor in the bathroom, which vanished after a couple of days, but a stick-on air freshener would have been good. The tub is narrow and a bit slippery, the water was always very hot. There is a clothes line and my bathing suits dried overnight. Everything was kept very clean by my ìcamareraî Lesly ñ she was a sweetheart.
Beach: The BEST!!! Lots of fine white sand, lots of space, lots of chairs and palapas. The chairs are getting a bit old, so some were ìgreyingî, but comfortable nonetheless. I thought the beach could have been raked more often to pick up the seaweed, but it didnít really bother me. I have to say that I find it absolutely CRIMINAL for any smoker to leave their cigarette butts in the sand of that otherwise pristine beach. Not only is it disgusting, it is harmful to the environment. Activities: catamaran, kayaking, beach voleyball, etc. Yes, there is some nudism, but in the main section of the beach, it is mostly only women with their top off.
Carribean sea: the colors are absolutely gorgeous. Most people were surprised at strong the waves were. I have always seen Cayo Largo with a powerful sea, not sure if it ever gets as calm as a pond, given that it is a small island in the middle of the Carribean sea! I found it absolutely heavenly to lie on the beach and listen to the surf. There was always a cool wind blowing.... perfect!!
Pool: long and winding, very nice, and pretty clean. Itís a salt water pool, so sometimes there will be small crabs along the walls, but you can see them pretty clearly. Lots of chairs and palapas.
Resort grounds: What can I say, the place is absolutely charming and gorgeous! Well laid out, very easy to find your way around.
Food: Decent for Cuba. The buffet restaurant has a wide selection for breakfast (gracias Wilfredo for my morning omelets!) and for dinner. For lunch, the beach-front Ranchon offers a great grill (love those pork chops!) and a small buffet, and people who like fish will be very happy. Melkis and Madeleynis are two of the nicest waitresses I have ever met. You can also eat lunch at the pool restaurant (sandwiches, salads). For dinner, there are usually 3 ୬a-carte restaurants, but because it was the low season only 2 were open on alternate nights: Las Trinas (international) and the Ranchon (carribean). The pool restaurant usually becomes the Italian restaurant for dinner, but much to my dismay it was not open when I was there. I am not a fussy eater, and always managed to find plenty to eat. I admit that if I was not allergic to seafood and if I liked fish, I would have been in heaven! I donít eat much meat in Canada, even less in Cuba. I did have the chicken at the international restaurant and it was very good. Only Las Trinas is located indoors with air conditioning. All others are open-air, with a roof but few walls!
Entertainment: The animation staff was friendly and professional. The shows were ok (I saw only 2), but I must admit I have been completely spoiled by my visit to the Melia Cayo Guillermo last year ñ the shows there are simply top-notch, so everything else seems amateurish in comparison. But the staff worked hard and people seemed to enjoy it. There is also an indoor bar (La Marimba) which is air-conditioned. Itís open from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am. There are two pool tables and a couple of terminals for internet access (which didnít work for most of my stay there). The bartender at La Marimba is Sandro, he speaks French very well and he is just an absolute sweetheart. You can take dancing lessons at 5 pm at the outdoor animation area, or at 9 pm at La Marimba with Coqui, one of the senior animation staff.
Mosquitoes: Yes, there are mosquitoes, but if you are prepared for them, they become much less of a nuisance. My favorite lotion is Off Skintastic with Aloe Vera, I found it was strong enough ñ and mosquitoes LOVE me! I also used the Off sunscreen lotion in the morning, because I was usually at the beach early. Make sure your lotion is not flammable, that might get confiscated at the airport as flammable products are not allowed on airplanes. I did get bitten a few times, but Benadrylís anthihistamine cream got rid of the bites within 30 minutes.
Summary: This is my favorite R&R spot in Cuba. The entire stay was great, the staff was just super ñ everyone says hello to you, even the gardeners and the technicians. I would not hesitate to recommend Sol Club Cayo Largo to anyone who is looking for a quiet, remote vacation spot. There were a few children there, but the Pelicano next door is more suited for families, as it has a separate pool and play area for children. Young adults might find Cayo Largo a bit too quiet. As for me, I am going back as soon as I can, hopefully for a 2-week stay!
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the forum section, I will do my best to answer them promptly! Unfortunaly, I donít have a scanner yet so I canít post any pictures, but check out www.solmeliacuba.com, youíll find plenty of great pictures there!
Anne M.
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