|
Sol Rio Luna & Mares (a Sol Melia Property) 02/18/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
I returned 14 Feb 04 from a lovely week at this 4 star property in Guardalavaca. Three couples travelling together from Toronto on Air Transat Vacations. The flight down was uneventful; usual close seats although two of our party received a complimentary upgrade to first class because their seats had been given to another couple. Three couples received this upgrade on that flight. Lucky ducks!!
Arrival:
Landed at 9 pm, quickly went through customs, picked up luggage and the Air Transat rep was waiting to direct us to the bus. Hotel check in was done on the bus and we arrived with key card in hand so we could go directly to the room. As advertised in the Air Transat brochure, we were given rooms in the older (built in 1992) Sol Luna section (renovated rooms). It is the quiet side of the resort.
Rooms:
Sol Luna is comprised of building numbers 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000. They are three stories high. Building 5000 is closest to the lobby, 6000 closest to the Luna pool, 7000 (we stayed in 7203)and building 8000 were the farthest away (5 minute walk to the lobby). The view from the 2nd floor would have been full ocean front but the trees obstructed the view. Friends stayed on the 3rd floor of 8000 and could see overtop the trees with a partial ocean view. We had two singles pushed together which the maid switched the following day for a king size mattress. The room had a spanish decor, was spacious. The balcony did not have any furniture (chairs). The bathroom tiles were white and showed a bit of aging but was kept spotless. There was a 5 piece bath including bidet. The hairdryer was not very powerful or hot but I had my own which worked on 220 (dual switch). There was a mini fridge with a large bottle of water replaced each day. No fancy towel decorations greeted your daily entry to the room but it was very clean. Soap and shampoo/body wash was replenished daily. There was a TV with remote plus a Radio/CD player if you had your own music CDs with you. Air conditioning was quiet and comfortable. Beach towels were in the room as part of the Air Transat Vacation package along with a 750 ml bottle of Havana Club 3 year rum and a small package of ground coffee.
The Mares buildings are placed in a semi-circle around the large swim-up bar. Buildings 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000. This section is noisier as all balconies look onto the stage/entertainment area, pool and activity area. Most of the European guests (Italy, Spain, France, Germany) stay in this section. Some buildings have 4 floors with an elevator. Higher rooms have gorgeous views of the ocean and mountains behind the resort. This section was built in 1995.
Restaurants/Food
Air Transat Vacations prebooked two of four a la cartes which we received in our package on the bus. There was also a private beach dinner on Tuesday night (pig roast and live band) for Air Transat Vacation guests. Wednesday night, they repeated this party for the entire Luna Y Mares clientele.
We were free to use all 8 bars and 6 restaurants of both sides of the resort. We preferred the Mares buffet (called the Colon) as it has an open air terrace and was larger. The enclosed Luna buffet (1492) didn't seem to have as much variety; e.g. fresh pasta side table. There were no smoking sections in each buffet. We found the food to be of high quality. There was no iceburg lettuce until the last day of our stay for whatever reason. A fresh garden salad consisted of a plate with sliced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, raw onion, green pepper and shredded coleslaw (no dressing). The fruit selection was wonderful - variety-wise and for freshness) (Holguin province is the citrus growing capital of the island). Fresh whole lobsters were seved at the buffets on Valentines Day supper. They had been boiled and cut in half and placed on a display on top of ice. The grill chef heated the lobster as the meat was frozen in the shell...very tasty. There were no theme nights in either buffet. There was always a selection of fresh fish, beef, chicken, pork every night. Vegetables were freshly cooked (brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, mixed veggie stir-fry.
A La Cartes
All a la cartes were outdoor restaurants which doubled as lunch restaurants either by the pools or on the beach. The Italian was by the Luna Pool. The food lacked spice (oregano, garlic, onion). There was no Caesar salad or garlic bread. The Mexican a la carte by the Mares Pool was beyond excellent. Very spicy dishes, good variety and flambe spanish coffee prepared table-side completed the meal. We did not eat at the Mediterranean or Creole a la cartes as we did not make reservations.
Lunch A La Cartes
All beach and pool bars served a la carte lunch with tasty choices of fried chicken, pork shish kebob, lasagna & chicken cordon bleu (Italian a la carte), fries, hamburgers, pizza.
Bars
There are 6 bars throughout the complex. The two lobby bars serve international brand liquors and the Mares lobby bar is open 24 hours. The swim-up bar on the Mares side had good service. All the bartenders throughout the resort were very accommodating in making drinks of choice. I did see som dollar tips being passed but all guests were served promptly. Beach and pool bars served the tipping guests with the international brand liquors vice the local brands, I noticed.
Entertainment
Two theatres (both open air). The Moulin Rouge review, Cuban Tropicana Show and Song and Dance from several Broadway hits (Cats, Hello Dolly, Swan Lake, etc) were the best performances...choreographied beautifully. They started at 9:45 pm. The nightly shows were advertised on a sign in front of the buffets each day. There were also the silly audience participation nights. One night, there were showers and the show was moved to inside the lobby - a bit crowded...especially when a bus load of new guests arrived and couldn't get to reception until the dancers were "off stage".
Beach
Beautiful, gorgeous, picture-perfect. The beach in front of the Mares was rock-free. In front of the Luna, there were some coral patches (require water shoes)for entry although there are paths through to the white sand bottom. Snorkeling is excellent and you can walk to the reef. It is located at the cliff wall below the 5 star Rio d'Oro which sits beside the Sol Luna. At low tide (afternoon), the water only comes up to your waste and is about shoulder height in the morning. I counted 12 varieties of fish from tiny to two feet long. All are used to people feeding them bread and bananas and look for hand outs. If you look up to the top of the cliff at the reef wall, you will see a massage hut belonging to the Rio d'Oro which was busy all day. The view while getting a massage was incredible. They charged $15 for 1/2 hour.
Activities
There were all the usual beach toys - hobie cats (8), paddle boats, kayaks, wind surfers which you booked in the morning. There is a dive hut and for $8.00, the dive boat will take you out for an hour but the snorkeling was just as good close to shor. We went on the hobie cat for an hour further out and the water was crystal clear but the fish variety was the same. I did hear one guest say they saw two small barracudas further out, which I didn't see closer to shore.
The Activities Hut on the beach offers free tours each day....walking/snorkeling/tour the 5 star next door owned by the same company (Sol Melia). They depart from the beach at 9 a.m. each day for a couple of hours.
Horse back riding is available from the stables across the road from the front entrance of the Luna. It was included once per day for Air Transat Vacation guests in their packages and $4.00 for other guests. The horses are gentle; the ride takes you through some woods and onto a secluded beach for about 45 minutes.
Transportation
A little train goes into Guardalavaca Beach once a day for $2.00; the horse and buggys charge $12.00 for four people in a carriage; taxis cost $3.00 for the 5 km ride. While in Guardalavaca Beach, we visited a craft market, and walked around the property of the 3 star club amigo and 4 star Brisas Guardalavaca. The beach was pretty but we all agreed, we liked our less crowded Luna Y Mares beach. There were vendors and restaurants on the public beach but they weren't aggressive at all.
Excursions
We only took the Holguin City tour and bought it from the rep for Hola sun (cheaper than our Air Transat rep). It was $29 per person and we left at 8:30 a.m., visited a doctor's clinic in Guardalavaca, a farm (very interesting), and a school (3 rooms). The children were on recess so we could see the classrooms and drop off any supplies/candy anyone brought along.
Holguin city was run down. There were line-ups outside some stores where people were buying 1/2 bars of soap and white taper candles. There were a few used clothing stores, an ice cream store, art gallery. The town square had some interesting people (asking for items or money), vendors selling peanuts. It was hot that day so we walked around a bit, then went to a cafeteria for a cold drink. There were tourists as well as Cubans buying cerveza, chicken, pizza, etc. There was a pay for video TV with music videos. I think the Cubans who came in here worked in the tourist industry, therefore had the American dollars to spend.
I was misled by information in Fodor's which told me that you could buy a ticket to swim with the dolphins for $30 at the gate. The Dolphinarium was a $3.00 taxi ride from Sol Luna & Mares but upon arrival, the ticket price was $63 US. Buying the package from the hotel cost $69 or $89 with lobster lunch so no great saving going on your own. There were 6 of us so it was a big chunck of money to lay down for 20 minutes. Maybe the cheaper pricing was in the low season. We returned to the hotel and the hobie cat operator took us to the dolphinarium when we booked our rides the next day and we saw the animals with the swimmers that way.
Overall
The six of us enjoyed this hotel experience. At night, the resort took on the look of a spanish villa. There are stained glass window panels in each bathroom and when the light shines through at night, the effect is beautiful as you look through the palm trees to the stained glass. I would caution people with walking difficulties that this resort is built on different levels and there are a few stairs to get to the beach although there is a walkway for wheelchair accessability. We would recommend this 4 star resort and we all felt we received excellent value and service for our vacation dollars. We bought the package on last minute sell off, 4 days prior to departure from sunholidays.ca and saved $650 each off the brochure price advertised.
Marlene
|
Click here for a Huge selection of discounted cruises at VacationsToGo.com - Save Up To 75%!
