Re: Which Cayo Largo... and then why?

[Charmainiac]

Polling in a couple of places for this...I hope you don't mind.   :cool:  
 I have been searching and searching and have decided that Cayo Largo will be our next destination in Cuba! We're expecting to go around January 6th.
 I can't really find a definitive answer to all the questions that I have and so I thought I would turn to some more seasoned CL traveler's to find out your opinions!
 
 I'm asking you to rank these 3 hotels based on these criteria:
 
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• <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Service

 
 Beach
 
 Bug situation
 
 Food
 
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 I have been to many parts of Cuba (more than 20 trips!) so am asking for these rankings with the knowledge of what to expect from other areas of Cuba. Cayo Largo will be brand new for us, and I've read a lot of comments about it which have made us decide this is the place for us to get some much-needed R & R.
 Please feel free to offer advice on why you would choose one of these hotels over the others...as we can't make up our minds!
 
 Thanks,
 Charmainiac & Zephie

[paliser]

Hi Charmainiac & Zephie . I just got back from Cayo Largo and although we stayed at Sol Pelicano I would advise any first-timers to stay at the Sol Club. The Sol Club has the better food and accommodation and facilities. We personally like the Pelicano because of its compact size and lastly but not least because it is a cheaper vacation for us both. We manage always to get good selloffs at this time of year. The Barcelo is also a nice property and at the moment has the best beach. As far as the bugs are concerned all of the hotels have mosquitoes and no see-ums. Those critters don't differentiate between four-star and two-star hotels LOL. The service is on a par in all hotels, as I have stayed at all of them. The facilities at the Barcelo are quite good too.
 
 I seem to have trouble trying to vote in the poll. Do you have to be some kind of special member to vote. It let me post this reply but would let me vote in the poll. Below is a link to some photos and videos of last week. They may or may not help you with your decision.
 
   Cayo Largo Photos November 2006  
 
 Paliser.

[Gambitt]

Congrats on your first post Paliser!, and thanks for the great info.
 
 
 Hopefully, it will be the first of many!
 
    :)

[Charmainiac]

Oh come on you guys! Only 2 votes? And I'll bet one was my own...it seems that although I began the poll, I can only review thresults if I vote!
 
 I know there are more CL lovers around here than you can shake a stick at. Where are all of you now?   :confused:

[mojitomiss_cuba]

Char, I would love to help you make a decision, but cannot really offer advise on a location I have yet to visit  :)
 
 I'm actually waiting for you to go so you can offer an opinion to me  :rof:   :rof:
 
 From everything I've read/hear about CL, the Sol is the best hotel, but seems to always sustain the most hurricane damage to the beach. I'm a beach lover, so that would definitely influence me. The recent comments regarding the Barcelo have been very positive (which wasn't always the case about a year or so ago). They must have got their beach back because, I believe they sustained horrible damage a couple of years ago
 Sol Pelicano seems to avoid the damage to their beach caused by hurricanes and the pics I've seen of the Pelicano beach have been amazing!
 
 See, I'm of no help whatsoever  :rof:

[Charmainiac]

That's more like it...a few more votes rolled in overnight!
 MoMiss, your reading of recent reviews is exactly the same as what I've been seeing. That's what's making this so hard.
 The SCCL, by ALL accounts, appears to be the best hotel. However, the beach there is unpredictable - a definite factor for us because we are "beach people", rarely, if ever, in a pool! And the SCCL is almost always listed at a higher price than the others.
 The Pelicano is a good hotel, with a reasonable beach most times of the year. A good deal can be found for the Pelicano if you're willing to wait 'til very last minute to book!
 And the Barcelo is the surprise "Jewel" of the year! It had some troubles, but they've been resolved. And now they have the best beach. The Barcelo is also, incidentally, being offered at the lowest price of the 3 - almost every time I check the prices.
 
 I posted this poll on 2 different sites and am now getting 2 different results! The other site's voters are overwhelmingly in favour of the SCCL. 7 Days voters are in favour of the Barcelo.
 
 Hmmm....very interesting indeed!   :th:

[Gambitt]

Why are you asking about Cayo Largo???
 
 I thought you were going to Mo. Bay!!!   ;)    ;)    ;)  
 
    :cubadreamin:

[Charmainiac]

:wall:  
 
 I think I'll just have to make a few Mojito's and chase them with a coupl'a Red Stripe and see which one wins!
   :9: