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Gaviota Playa Coco 03/10/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Great
Just returned from cayo coco last night. We travelled last minute from halifax. We would not have chosen this hotel knowing it was the first week it was opened to the public but there wasnt much to choose from.
We flew with skyservice and the flight there and back went smooth and was actually early both ways.
It was a quick bus ride to the hotel 20 minutes I think. (1 Or 2 beers which were 2$)we were greeted at the hotel by the animation team who danced for us while we were unloading from the bus.
Check in went smooth as they gave us our bracelets and an envelope with a paper for the towels and a room key. All that we did was basically let them know we were there and we asked for an extra key and they gave to us with a smile. They also asked us to write the room number on the bags and they would take them to our room.
They kept the buffet open so we could have a bite to eat.
The room:
the room was a good size and we were the first people to stay there. We actually had to remove plastic off of some things as nothing had been used yet. We checked everything out right away and found there was no hot water in the shower. This was fixed by 9am the next day. There was dirt in the lines.
There was a mini fridge in the room that they kept filled with water and 2 cans of cola. There was an electronic safe which was great.(No cost) there was tons of hot water with good pressure. The temperature was erratic though so you had to be careful. There was a nice size balcony and we overlooked the "quiet pool." They were doing a lot of construction and ground work so we didn't spend much time out there.
I heard of many small technical problems with rooms but that is to be expected the first week.
I think they are still working on the fire alarm systems. Our smoke detector actually had a plastic cover on it.
The grounds:
after staying in hotels where the grounds were lush, I was a bit disappointed here. I didn't realize that they bulldozed everything down and started from scratch. There are lots of trees and shrubs planted but it will be a year or two before it will look good. There was a lot of wind this week so the sand and dirt was blowing everywhere. A lot of the dirt ended up in the pools.
The pools:
the pools were really great. There were 2 free form pools almost back to back that had varying depths for all ages. There was also a swim up bar. There was another pool they called the quiet pool. This was good for swimming and for the kids as well.
There was a 20 person jacuzzi by the main pool but it wasn't heated.
There was a small one as well that wasn't heated by the quiet pool. It was cold and dirty i'm not sure if it quite ready yet.
At first there were not enough beach chairs anywhere but they added hundreds through the week and it was much better. The ones around the pool are great not the cheap plastic ones. The umbrellas took a beating with the wind and several are damaged already.
Bars:
there are quite a few bars on the property which are all open during the day except the disco. After late afternoon there is not much opened. They really need to keep at least 1 more bar opened later as the lobby gets very busy. I was a little disappointed with the drinks. The bartenders were mostly new and inexperienced. I did see improvements by the end of the week but they were very inconsistent. You often had to coach them in how you want your drink made.
Their english was very poor as well. You had to be agressive at the busy bars or you could be there a long time. They didn't wait on people in order.
The beach:
the beach was great especially for children. You could walk for miles in one direction, even out in the water. There were sand bars that you could walk on. Being a new resort area there were tons of starfish, conch and shells to find. There is no reef around so the snorkeling wasn't the best. I heard there were a lot of fish out in the seaweed. Once you walked out to about 5 feet deep the seaweed started so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
There were several catamarans kayaks and pedal boats (all from somewhere else) but we couldn't use them till the second last day. It was too windy. They took you out for 30 minutes on the catamaran if you were lucky enough. We managed to get out with someone we met that had one booked. You could book for the next day if you wanted. There is a brand new nautical center that they aren't using yet. I hear it will be shared with a resort they are starting to build next door.
Food:
this is the area I was most dissapointed with. If you were a fish lover you would probably like the food. The buffet and the a la cartes had a lot of seafood.
The buffet was very repetitive and the food was not very warm. They did have heaters for the plates sometimes which helped. You could get eggs, ommlets and pancakes cooked fresh for breakfast. For lunch and supper there was usually a pasta station and a grill for fish, chicken or pork. There was good service for drinks if you wanted one. There was beer and wine as well. The wine was spanish and not bad. The beach bar also served lunch, fish, chicken, fries, hotdogs and hamburgs. There was also a few sandwiches, salads and desserts here.
We only ate at the japanese and italian restaurants and we enjoyed them both. The japanese, I found to be the best experience because you sit with a group of people and they cook the food right in front of you.
Other facilities:
There was a kids club that just opened 2 days before we left. They are still doing more work outside the club. I think they are putting up a fence. It looks like they will take care of your kids. There are cribs and strollers as well as games and toys.
Off of the lobby there is a games room with table soccer, board games and pool tables. There are also 3 computers that you can pay to use for internet service. 3$ For 1/2 hour I think. It wasn't working the past 2 days. There is also a small store with booze, smokes, snacks and a few other things. The airport is much cheaper than the resort.
General:
I think this will be a good resort after the staff gets some experience and the grounds mature.
One of the biggest problems was, there was no information on anything, like when things were open and what is happening on the resort like shows. We didn't like the food much as we are not seafood eaters. I really didn't like cayo coco that much as there is not much to do there. We have been to varadaro and guardalavaca and enjoyed those areas more. If you want to just lay on the beach and relax this area is great. The staff I found very helpfull and friendly. The shows in the evening weren't too bad. We enjoyed most of what we saw.
I am leaving out many things I am sure so if you have any questions email me. I have also posted many pics on webshots.
Http://community.Webshots.Com/album/123959736ivmpje?
Ian giles
Ian Giles
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