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Sol Cayo Santa Maria 03/22/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Sol Cayo Santa Maria
March 12-19 2004
Conquest Vacations
Flight: Flew out of Toronto with Skyservice Friday afternoon. Plane only 2/3 full with 22 passengers for Santa Clara and the remaining 68 for Varadero. Arrived Santa Clara, went through Customs, picked up our baggage and a Cristal, headed for the bus and were on our way. Police escort from airport to the causeway (approx. 60 km.) and then along the causeway (48km). Yes the trip does take about 1.5 hours but we felt we saved time in the airport due to the small number of passengers on the plane. However it there is a full plane load, like the Sunquest group you will be much longer time at the airport. It is the smallest international airport I have ever seen, but all the amenities you need!
Hotel: What a beautiful spot! Right at the end of Cayo Santa Maria and next to the Melia Santa Maria. We did not have to wear bracelets, however the Melia people did! They could use our facilities but we could not use theirs! Grounds are very attractive with many flowers and trees and winding paths throughout the resort.
Rooms: Well equipped room, good pillows but long, ask for short ones. Mini bar but nothing in it. You could purchase bottled water, beer or soft drinks from the gift shop. We didn’t bother as we find the water quite drinkable. No wash cloths, bring your own. No Kleenex until the end of the week. Satellite TV, my husband thought he was in heaven, Cuba and the Toronto Maple Leaf hockey game!
Restaurants: Buffet restaurant “Los Taguascos” Wonderful breakfasts- eggs make to order, crepes, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit. The best croissants and fresh squeezed orange juice. Lunch/Dinner- salads, breads, soups, pasta station with 4 kinds of pasta, 4 kind of sauces and add-ons, onions, peppers, mushrooms, ham, grill stations- burgers, fish, chicken, beef, shrimp plus a carving station with roast pork, beef, fish, or turkey. Desserts are generally cake and custard baked, good cheesecake, great ice cream and bananas and pineapple cooked in rum and brown sugar, try it over ice cream! Tried the Italian restaurant “La Fortanella”- good food and service, the Creole restaurant “Los Cocos”- good service but didn’t care for the food. The Creole is open-air so we found our food cooled quite quickly. It turned into a lobster dinner spot on Wednesday for $20- didn’t try it. Book your restaurants as soon as you arrive, they fill up quickly. Beach grill “La Picua”- great for lunch. Grilled chicken, whole red snapper, hot dogs and hamburgers, salads, french fries, rice, pasta dish plus a small amount of dessert. There is another spot to eat" Los Flamencos” but we never got there, friends said they made great thin crust pizza. At the lobby bar, they made great sandwiches, ham, cheese, tomato, onion, tuna and then grill and press it- yummy!
Bars: Patio (lobby), piano, pool, beach and Cuban club. Cristal beer on tap. Red, white and rose Spanish wine. Lots of cocktails, limited amount of international spirits. Every bartender makes drinks a little differently. Great daiquiris at the beach and patio bar, then from a slushy machine at the pool. Good mojitios, but served in very small glasses. Bring a small thermal mug if you want to keep your trips to a minimum and your drinks cold.
Pool/Activities: This is where you get and exchange your towels, book your specialty restaurants and your trip to Megano beach. There are soccer, pool and ping pong tables There are three free form pools, one quiet, one shallow, one for activities, volleyball and aerobics. There is also a small craft market everyday.
Beach: This is the most beautiful beach we have every seen anywhere in the Caribbean or Mexico. It goes on for miles and miles of the softest white sand. The water is the most gorgeous shade of aquamarine blue! Unfortunately it was very windy this week with red flags 2 days and yellow flags 5 days. We still enjoyed the waves and warm water but that also meant that most water sports were cancelled. At the nautical centre you can book catamaran rides, kayaks, pedal boats, and sailboats one day in advance. For $5 you can book snorkeling expeditions on the same catamarans. Many of the palapas on the beach look like they have been destroyed by bad storms. They have not been replaced which makes finding shade difficult at times.
Tours: Most tours are all day ones because you are so far from anywhere. We took the Santa Clara-Remedios trip because we were interested in the history of the area. A very long day but very enjoyable. Only one tour arranged by the hotel- a day at Megano beach. A boat ride to a remote area (near where a new hotel is being built) with a beautiful beach that went out for at least a 100 metres before it got deep. The hotel brought over food and drinks. Be warned: there is NO shade and if it is at all windy the sand blows everywhere! There are scooters and bikes at the front of the hotel.
Cliental: Mostly French Canadians and Italians. Limited number of English speaking Canadians, they all seemed to be at the Melia!
Pros: Cons:
Superb beach Very isolated
Good food Limited out trips
Great beer Far from airport
All in all a great vacation! Please e-mail me if you have any questions about the resort.
Liz
Liz
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