June 17 - July 1 2005 Solo traveler. 4^th time to an all-inclusive.

Arrival

One of the last to get my suitcase due to the NJT donations. The 5 officials were pleasant. Didn't get a chance to change my money but there was no problem changing at the hotel 24 hours a day.

Check-in was painless. The front desk directed me to my room and advised the bell boy would follow with my bags. The rooms are not villas therefore very easy to find. Bags arrived 4 minutes later. I thought the air conditioner did not work as it did not make any noise. The bell boy assured me it worked and that the highest number is the coldest. A few hours later I realized he was not lying.

Room

1314 - on the 3rd floor but did not seem like it. A fast few stairs. 2 double beds, pushed together TV with a few English language stations and of course many great Spanish channels, mini fridge with a large bottle of water daily, not much drawer space but ample space to hang clothes, blow dryer, and a nice vanity separate from bath and toilet room. My AC was efficient and quiet. Balcony with 2 lounge chairs and table. The safe opens with your room key at no charge. Your key is required for the electricity & AC . Although I turned the AC off most days I did use my monthly bus pass to keep electricity on. You can even use a playing card.

Lobby

Quite spacious with very comfortable chairs. 24 hour lobby bar. Small pond and aquarium with gold-fish. Cigar & rum store next to a souvenirs shop with a small selection of t-shirts, flip flops, diapers and snacks such as candy, soft drinks, crackers & the occasion chips ( tourists fought over the chips know as crispers)

Internet 5 pesos for 1 hour. 3 pesos for ½ hour.

Pool

Nice with chairs and papalas. Never swam in it but I did see people cleaning and checking it in the morning. Pool side grill with hamburgers and the most amazing pizzas. I did see people eating spaghetti and hot dogs but the pizza was so amazing never really tried the others. Cheese burger & fries were tasty also.

Buffet

Breakfast opened at 7:30. Eggs: Poached , scrambled, 3 minute boiled, freshly made omelets, freshly fried, sunny-up or over easy. Many types of sausages (although I never eat them abroad.) bacon, beans, fried potatoes, cheese & fish. Toast & breads, fruits & cereals, pancakes & French toast , coffee & juice.

Lunch opened at 1:00. Various selections such as salads, cold cuts & cheeses, soups, pizzas, pasta bar , grilled fish, chicken, steaks etc…. various rice selections , veggies .. too much to name.

Dinner opened at 6:30 Salads, breads, cold cuts & cheeses, Smoked salmon to die for, freshly grilled meats such as lamb , chicken , pork chops , steaks, various seafoods. Carving table had ham , roasted pork, and turkey. Buffet table had many choices of veggies and addition meats such as chicken & roast beef that was not tough. A couple of times there was a seafood cocktail table with crab & crab claws, mussels and seafood rolls, cold pasta salad & seafood mixes.

2 a-la- carte restaurants. Cuban at the beach and International. Never bothered to try. You can go unlimited times. Make reservations where you get your clean towels.

Food - very good. I was never disappointed the 2 weeks I was there.

Beach

Amazing! My first morning I saw 3 dolphins . It was amazing how close to shore they were.

In my opinion is the nicest beach in Cayo Coco & the parts of Guillermo I saw. ( Sol , Melia & the Iberostar Daiquiri) The SCCC beach had a slight slope once you reach water level not allowing the tide to come in as with some of the other hotels. During my visit to Guillermo the tide was coming in although it looked beautiful I found it limited beach space and the water was quite shallow causing you to walk quite a ways to find water you can swim in or do water aerobics which is what I truly enjoy.

In Cayo Coco I think El Senador's beach is great also. Once the tide is in there is still plenty of space as they do have 2 different beaches. When the tide was not in it was absolutely spectacular although water gets very shallow also.

An abundance of fish can be found. Great area for snorkeling .

Activities & Excursions

There are many activities mainly at the pool side. There are activities on the beach for a short period in the afternoon. Great kids club also. I have submitted activities schedule for the SCCC & the Melia next door ( which I stayed 1 extra evening due to flight cancellation)

You can visit the Sol Guillermo and the Tryp for the day by going to the front desk and getting a wrist band. There is a shuttle bus which cost only 5 pesos round trip. You can walk along the beach to the Tryp . It takes roughly 15 minutes.

Tryp Cayo Coco

Must see the flamingos & peacock's on the premises. I did not eat there as I was only there for the scenery on my last day. Very large hotel compared to the Sol CC. The gardens are nice and many restaurants to choose. El Senador to the east and the Blau to the west all sharing the same beach.

Sol Guillermo

The last stop of the shuttle. The lobby is spectacular with murals on the walls & ceilings. The lobby restrooms have a live size mural of a woman & man at the entrance. I was not impressed with the gardens - that could be coming from the Sol CC which had wonderful gardens. The beach is long & narrow. From here you can walk along the beach to the Melia Guillermo & Iberostar Daiquiri . The Club Cojimar is next to the Daiquiri but did not make it that far to see their beach.

Playa Pilar

A must !! The beach takes your breath away. Perfect spot for lovers ( not in the hotel beaches please.) I combined Playa Pilar with my day excursion to the Sol Guillermo. From the Sol Guillermo you can take a taxi for 5 pesos round trip. You arrange the time for pick-up and he will be there. The lounge chairs are 1 peso and you can find a few huts for a bit of shade. There are fish for snorkeling and a bar with drinks & food (only had a cervesa)

Trolley Train
Adult 12 pesos Child 8 pesos

Train picks you up at the hotel and takes you to a bat cave which is a disco at night. You then visit a farm where you watch a dog show and are able to take pictures on Pepi the water buffalo. Then on to Playa Flaminco (no flamingos ) A few rocks the first few feet but once you get past the rocks it is quite nice & shallow . Bring your mosquito spray. Well worth the money. The train ride is also pleasant.

Combo Tour (Ciego de Avila & Moron)
Adult 72 pesos ($105 CND on credit card ) Child 36 pesos

I really enjoyed this excursion. Start with a boat ride through mangroves. Then on to Moron where you view the city by bus , Bicitaxi (2 seats in the back of bike driven by local) & horse-drawn cart. Visit the cigar factory. Ride in an antique steam engine train traveling through the fresh greenery of Cuban sugar cane fields along with a trip to a sugar mill. There was free time to walk around the city. The lunch - followed by a trip to the capital city of the province Ciego de Avila.

Jungle Tour Adult 39 pesos ($55 CND on credit card) Child 19.50 pesos

Great fun! Drive a speed boat through a mangrove. Snorkeling included. Water was not that clear as the ocean but plenty of beautiful fish.

Havana
179 pesos ($245 CDN on credit)

Fabulous! I decided to do this 4 days before departure & I am so glad I did. There is just too much to describe. I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Havana. I will return. I think the 1st timers should all start out with a tour. My tour guide was very informative.

Glass Bottom Boat 20 pesos

I did this twice. Some of the tour companies do not offer this. They try to tell you the boat is always not working - not true. The whole 2 weeks I was there it worked every day except for the red flag day. If you enjoy snorkeling this is a must. If you've never been snorkeling and really want to try this is a must. If the captain is Rafael, he will notice you are not a snorkler and take you around and make you feel comfortable. I was just a bit nervous to do that first leap into the water . He took me all around the boat and dove to the bottom to point out some of the beautiful coral. The fish were amazing. He even got me to go underwater near the end which I refused to try. Do not miss this opportunity to see spectacular fish & coral reef. I guarantee you will not regret it.

Shows every night rain or shine. Disco on site. Quite popular with other hotel guests.

Activities also at night such as karaoke, bingo & live bands. Plenty of day & night activities.

Summary

Weather -I am not a weather lover but found this was not a problem. The day weather was fine if you're a swimmer. The days I did a tour with no water exposure you were happy to go into air-conditioning.

Only 1 day out of the 2 weeks was there a red flag due to wind.

It rained almost every night for at least 15 minutes. Some evenings it rained quite hard with thunderstorms & spectacular lightning storms but once you woke up in the morning you would never know. It may have rained in the daytime 2 times out of my 2 week stay but for a short time.

I would definitely return in June. This is a great summer vacation as I do not have acess to any water sports in Toronto as enjoyable as in Cuba

I was very happy with my choice of hotel. I would most definitely return to this hotel and certainly will in the future. The food was great , the staff were wonderful, the beach was awesome and the hotel very well kept.