PLAYA COCO 03/21/2006
Reviewers Rating: Excellent
I travelled to Playa Coco for March break with 5 and 10 year old girls and their grandmother. The tour company I booked through was Hola Sun, and the airline was Cubana.
Having read several negative reviews of both the hotel and the airline, I was mildly concerned. However, both the airline and the hotel were fantastic.
Both the departing and returning flights were on time. There was a movie and complimentary headphones each way, along with a Cuban "ploughman's lunch".
The Resort
Landscaping: this seemed to be the biggest concern, based on the reviews that I had read prior to the trip. However, either those who have posted were expecting a rain forest, or the groundskeepers at Playa Coco have embarked on a massive planting campaign. Either way, there is a clear attempt to beautify the resort, and there is plenty of evidence of alot of growth and care for the foliage. I was really impressed. The grounds were beautiful.
Buffet: there was plenty of variety of food, and alot of care was taken with regard to the presentation of the food. I had read about the pasta line-up in advance, so to avoid that, and to feed hungry children (the buffet opens at 7 p.m. for dinner), we arrived 10 minutes early, watched the staff receive their orders, and then were first in line for pasta. However, within five minutes of opening, there was generally a very long line up for pasta, which we thankfully managed to avoid. It was easy to get drinks in the buffet, as there was plenty of staff on hand.
A-la-carte: Having done the Japanese restaurant at another resort previously, I was not too disappointed to miss the a-la-carte dining. This was the only instance when the line up was too long. Generally, if one does not book on the first day for the a-la-carte dinners, you will miss them. The line-up from 10-12pm moved far too slowly, so we opted to just stay with the buffet.
Bars: There were alot of brand names that I did not recognize, however, there were alot of international brands available. Cappuccino at the piano bar or pool bar was an excellent alternative to the coffee from the buffet. The coffee in the buffet comes from a machine that also makes several other drinks. I was expecting delicious Cubita coffee, but this was not the case.
Pool: Being March break, I expected to compete for deck chairs, but this was not the case. At any time during the day, chairs were available at both pools, and also at the beach (although not necessarily under palapas). The pools were "cool" on our first day, but after that they seemed to warm up substantially. I understand the weather the week prior to our visit was not as hot as our week.
Beach: The beach was fantastic. There were no jellyfish, as had previously been sighted. I rented pedal boats (one hour at a time), which was a great excursion for my children. However, it was often too windy to take out the hobie craft. All non-motorized craft are included.
The low tide was excellent for my 5 year old, but we generally swam in the morning, when the tide was higher and water deeper.
Entertainment: As the shows started at 10p.m., we only stayed for one, as it was too late for my children. However, every night except for Saturday, my children participated in the "mini-disco" on the stage with Alena. She was FANTASTIC. This was a real highlight of the trip for my children. By our last night, there were anywhere up to 20 kids on the stage, and Alena knew all of their names (she even came to say goodbye to my girls as they boarded the bus on the last day). Generally, they participated in singing and dancing "contests". It really was marvelous for them.
Salsa, Merengue lessons: My mother loved participating in these, which took place by the pool, on the beach and on the stage.
Staff: In general, the staff were very attentive, and perhaps because it was March break, the resort seemed to be staffed in a manner that was commensurate to the number of guests.
I would definitely return to Playa Coco. I think it is a terrific resort for families with young children. If I was travelling with only my husband, I would go to an "adult only" resort, but for a family resort, I think Playa Coco is excellent value for money.

Rachel

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