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Club Amigo Caracol 04/19/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
April 19, 2004
Club Amigo Caracol
Santa Lucia, Cuba
Hi,
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Cuba, we stayed at the Club Amigo Caracol. We have nothing but praise for the whole trip. We went via Zoom Airlines from Halifax, N. S. We were treated with great respect and the airline could not do enough for us. When we arrived in Cuba (Camaguey airport) we were then driven by air-conditioned bus (complete with and English guide) to our destination. The bus was comfortable and it was an 80 min ride to our destination.
At our arrival, which was late in the evening, there was staff enough to give us our rooms without having to wait too long. We were taken to our rooms and then were able to have a late (midnight) supper, because the kitchen staff had stayed behind and kept the dining room open for our late arrival.
The rooms were excellent, you entered via a small but comfortable sitting area complete with 1 chair, love seat (does not open into a bed) a bar fridge for your convenience. The patio doors opened onto a small but comfortable patio built for 2. There were 2 chairs and a coffee table. There was also a door that led you to your sleeping quarters, which consisted of 2 single beds (you could push together to make one) 2 night stands a large closet with mirror and a 4 drawer dresser with mirror and chair. Also a TV set with quite a few Spanish stations but there was CNN and a movie channel, which were both excellent for winding down at night. Our rooms were always kept clean and tidy and the maid was very nice, she left us notes of welcome and little fancy designs made of towels to greet us every day when we would return from the beach or whatever. The air- conditioner in the room was of high quality and came in handy on those hot days.
The swimming pool was wonderful and kept clean every day, you could swim up to the bar and have a seat in the shade for a while. The beach was beautiful, with white sand and blue water (warm and salty). The water was not rough all the time we were there but it was a bit windy everyday. You should bring water shoes, the said feels gritty under your feet and your feet become tender after a long walk, so if you like to take long walks on the beach bring water shoes or sneakers, your feel will love you for it.
The food there is not like ours, you have to expect that, but there were no heavy oils to speak of, and the pasta bar always had something good on the menu, like pork/beef/chicken/fish quick fry, along with excellent pasta. If you like salads, there was plenty of selection but bring your own sauce, theirs was awful. If you like peanut butter or jam on your toast in the morning, bring your own, they have nothing but cream cheese and butter (unsalted). You can only have toast/tea/coffee in the mornings, the rest of the day it is closed off.
As far as all you can drink, there really was only RUM, but very good at that. They have what is called Kukola (Coke) a little bit sweeter than ours. They do have their own specialty drinks, ask for it. My favorite was rum/pineapple juice/meresqhino (liquor) very good, they only made it at the beach bar. Bring yourself a large mug with cover, they have plenty of ice and it will save you many trips back and forth to the bar. If you have any extra mugs bring them along, they make great trading items amongst the workers. There are no matches/lighters in the area, bring your own if you smoke. The cigarettes are cheap at the pool bar. There is no shopping in the immediate area, the shopping is in Camaguay. There are no washcloths in the rooms, nor hair blower. Buy yourself an adaptor for plugs, you will need it to plug in things because they run on 220. (have it at Wal-Mart for $19.99). Just a little note, if you wish to leave something for the workers, they have difficulty in getting razors, soap, deodorant, shampoo and feminine hygiene. Also crayons and coloring books for the kids.
The people in Santa Lucia are amiable but they are not in a hurry, so don’t be in a rush to be served, relax and enjoy your surroundings. We met a fellow by the name of “Pepe”, ask for him outside your resort, he drives a horse and buggy and is a very kind man. He is awaiting his first child and his wife is a doctor in Santa Lucia. We took a ride into Santa Lucia with him, no rush, we were to take all the time we needed and he would stop anywhere we wanted to take pictures and brought us shopping where his people shop. It cost only $5. ea (American) and we stayed with him approx. 2hrs. We hired him the next day to take us to Coco Beach, ½ hr run, $3 ea (American) to go and $3 ea to come back, we stayed there for approx. 3 hrs and he waited for us. Not only that, he arranged to have a lobster dinner for us at George’s rest. (his friend in Coco Beach) It was the best, he had called him the night before to make arrangements (they have to fish it fresh) and it was a huge lobster tail with a drizzle of garlic butter, it came with rice/banana chips/cukes/tomatoes, all for $10. ea (American) plus we had a table set for 2 in the sand under the palm trees right near the water. So we spent the morning collecting seashells and had a wonderful dinner all for $22.
All in all, we are definitely going back to Club Amigo Caracol.
Carmen LeBlanc
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