Reviews of Tryp Cayo Coco Hotel, Cayo Coco, Cuba

Not so good!

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

sleepyste

Comments:

Just got back this morning from a 2 week stay at Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco . . . .

OUTBOUND FLIGHT
We flew out from Manchester on 9th Nov and due to the hurricane our flight diverted to Varadero and we stayed one night at the 5* Hotel Tryp Peninsular (which was excellent)

We had paid for Premium Class so upon arrival at Manchester Airport we used the seperate check in desk (once they stopped economy passengers from using it!) After check in it was straight through Passport Control using the 'Fast Lane' to jump the mega long queue and into the VIP Lounge which was included free with our tickets.

Premium Class were boarded first and were all offered complimentary drink within minutes of sitting down. With the upgraded entertainment 'extras' it was possible to watch all selected movies and play all the games at any point during the 10hr flight. It was nice to watch movies when you wanted and pause them etc on the seat back screens, rather than having a tape player system (as per return flight!)

During the flight, even if not offered, drinks were available at any time by asking a member of the cabin crew and we received two meals.

Upon landing at Varadero, by the time we got through passport control, all the Premium Luggage was already going around on the conveyor with the sniffer dog checking all cases (good exercise for it!)

TRANSFER

After the overnight stay at the Tryp Peninsular, we had to endure a 7.5hr coach journey the following day to get from Varadero to Cayo's. It was not until the coach was in motion that it was announced no food and drink was provided and the total journey time, which caught most passengers out!

Anyway the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco . . .

FOOD
* First night the buffet was shut so all guests had to use just 2 of the Restaurantd which were open
* Second Night the hotel management decided without warning to close all the restuarants so we lost reservations.
* 3rd night, just after flights from Gatwick and Toronto arrived, the buffet again was closed with no notice, which resulted in most people waiting 2-3hours trying to get into the restaurants. Some people failed to eat as they closed at 10pm!

Generally 'hot' food was almost always cold and undercooked from the buffet counters. Most people tended to get freshly cooked meats and pasta from the Chefs who cooked it fresh at the Grills.

However I would definately recommend the Pizza Takeaway Restaurant (open lunchtimes) and the Italian Restaurant.

ACCOMMODATION

*Even thought we arrived a day late and at 6pm, our room was still not ready!
*Room was unclean, damaged decor, lights/tv didnt work (got rectified), air con leaked mega style, constant damp smell,
*'Fresh' Linen and towels were always stained

During our stay, most of the ground floor rooms were having a 'facelift' so maybe the standard and cleaniness of the rooms may improve for future guests

STAFF

* Most staff were friendly and helpful, however most waiters expected to be tipped.
* During our stay, ourselves and other guests had money and personal belongings taken from the rooms and we even caught the chambermaid red-handed before we checked out! However the hotel staff got quite arsey when we reported it and nothing was done about it!

ENTERTAINMENT

* Very poor and definately not entertaining. Not much to do on an evening. It all seemed repetitive and boring.
* Some nights saw 'actors' in the Buffet / Lobbey Bar Area such as Living Statues, and Charlie Chaplin which were kinda good.
* During the day, the Animation Team did offer 'Crazy Game Time', water volleyball, aquagym, hockey etc as well as kids club.

POOL/BEACH
* The main pool was large and included Aqua Bar which served drinks and Burgers/Hot Dogs during the day.
* Pool was cleaned daily
* The Canadians are worst than the Germans for reserving sun lounges around the pool. Even at 7am most lounges had towels on!
* There was a second, more quieter (until the Canadian Students found it!) pool towards the Italian & Oriental Restaurants which also had a small bar area.

* The beach was not appealing as often the tide was right upto the resort, leaving no sand!
* During the 2nd week, the beach was covered in washed up jellyfish!

INWARD FLIGHT

* Transfer from Hotel was on time at 1330 and our tickets showed a revised flight time of 1615
* Transfer to Cayo Coco Airport is literally like 10minutes!
* Check in had 2 Desks for Premium, 3 Desks for VIP Lounge (20 peso charge, worth booking in advance) and the rest were for econonomy.
* Airport was clean, but very basic and limited choice in Duty Free (spread between 3 or 4 outlets!)
* Boarding commenced at 1530 and the Captain advised that due to strong Atlantic winds in our favour, we would have shorter flight time, which meant we would have to stay at the gate until 1645 as Manchester Airport dont like early arrivals!
* Premium Cabin seemed to have less leg room than outbound flight, and the seats werent as comfy. The Entertainment choice was from the 'tape deck' which was problematic with most channels not playing or being repeated! Very annoying to watch a film/tv show then have to join another program mid flow!
* During the final descent into Manchester at approx 0550, as we were about 45 seconds from touching down on the runway, the Captain suddenly aborted landing and abruptly had to get the plane back in the air which shocked most passengers. As we circled Greater Manchester, the Captain apologised and advised that the aborted landing attempt was due to a drastic change in wind speed on the ground so therefore we would have approach from the other side.
* Finally landed at approx 0605 after circling Manchester. Unlike Vardero Airport, Premium Luggage did not come off first and was mixed in with Economgy Class luggage.

OVERALL

I would definately not recommend the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco to anyone as it currently stands. As other reports suggest, it struggles to be a 3* Hotel, nevermind the originally advertised 4*. The theft of items from room was the final nail in the coffin for us, as the Hotel Management failed to take appropriate action.
This is the first holiday where we've been counting down the days to go home!

Also the Premium Class did not live upto the expectations and with Economy getting almost as much leg room (changed after we booked) I really can't see how anyone can justify the extra cost for the service you actually receive.

I went to tryp cayo coco on a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss E Hurley

Comments:

I went to tryp cayo coco on a couples holiday with my boyfriend his sister and her boyfriend. We were also slightly nervous about going after reading some of the reviews, but honestly i think some are slightly over exagerrated! :) The flight was a little cramped and uncomfortable but the heat that hits you when you get off that areoplane makes you completely forget about it.

The hotel is a little 'tatty' on the outside but what do you expect from a country that does not have the kind of money that we do. you are paying to experience a different culture so why moan when you haven't got prestine new decorated buildings ? I think it adds to the charm of this place.

The staff are extremely friendly and you will meet some characters that you will never forget. We stayed in the Flamingo apartments so we overlooked the family of flamingos which was a beautiful sight in the evenings and mornings alike.The rooms were clean and spacious and regularly maintained by a hard working cleaner. The buffet to be honest wasn't really that great but the different restaurants around the complex certainly made up for it.

The Beach well what can i say .... Beautiful...... pure white sands and warm water what else could you ask for? perfect for relaxing and topping up that tropical tan. It did get quite windy there but it was a nice warm wind which took the edge of the heat. Watch out for little pink somewhat see-through jelly fish, as there seemed to be quite alot of them in the water to which my partner found out when he got stung on the arm.

Also our friend had tummy problems whilst there which he had to see medical staff, who were very helpful, empathetic and new exactly what you needed to help get you well again. Just be careful with what food you select from the buffet like with wherever you go in the world, their meat and eggs e.t.c might not be suitable for our digestive system!

On the whole the holiday was lovely for relaxing but as a young couple if you dont book some of the trips your tour operator supplies you could get a little bored. Also if any of the staff ask you to bring back a letter refuse them no matter how genuine they seem as the security at the airport are very thorough and its not worth the risk!

If you want a holiday that is hot, beautiful and relaxing then this is the place! We also highly recommend the scuba diving and snorkelling as the coral reef is beautiful.

We spent two weeks at the Tryp...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs D Leonard

Comments:

We spent two weeks at the Tryp in July 2008 with extended family and overall had a great holiday.



ROOMS

We looked at all the room locations and decided that Blocks 10 or 11 were the best ones for us.

We e-mailed the hotel in advance and requested four rooms in Block 10. When we arrived, we had been allocated rooms 1044, 1043, 1042 and 1039 overlooking the small pool. These were perfect location as they are in the quieter part of the resort, yet only a 2-3 minute stroll to the main pool and lobby area. The rooms were dated and did need a little TLC, but they were kept clean by our maid, and we had clean sheets and fresh towels every day. The room did smell a bit musty when we arrived, but a quick 30 minute blast from the air conditioner soon cleared this, and we had no further problem. The beds are huge and very comfortable. We didn't spend much time in the room apart from sleeping, so they were OK. Water from shower is hot, and there is a hairdryer in the bathroom, so don't bother taking one with you.



POOLS/BEACH

Main pool - We didn't spend much time at the big pool as we found it too hot for us, not much breeze or shade. If you like to take part in lots of activities, there always seemed to be something going on there. We did have lunch at the swim-up bar one day, just for a change.



We found there was more shade around the small pool near blocks 10-11, and it also had its own bar and close access to the beach. This pool was cleaned every morning, and the waiter will keep you supplied with drinks all day – wonderful guy. The water was lovely and warm and perfect for swimming in.



You do need to put your towels on the sunloungers before 7.30 am. but please only do this if you are intending to use them. On our first couple of days, one family put their towels out at 6.30 am and then removed them at 6.00 pm. We never saw them use the sunloungers at any time during these two days – very rude.



The beach was amazing, clean soft sand and the sea was lovely and warm.



FOOD

The food in the buffet is OK and you will not go hungry. Use your common sense and stick to the food which is cooked in front of you. The pasta station is the best, the guys fry meat/fish/prawns/vegetables before you, and then add the pasta/garlic/sauce and fry it altogether for you. Absolutely delicious. There is also a station frying pork, chicken, fish etc. which are also worth trying. Breakfasts were very good, with freshly cooked bacon, eggs, omlettes etc.

The cakes which were served as dessert were too sweet for my taste, but try the ice cream, when it is available, as it is absolutely delicious.



The Pizza Resaurant was not open during our stay as it was having the roof refitted, so that was a disappointment. However, you can get pizza's at the Grill Bar by the beach at lunchtime.

The grilled pork and fish were also very good here.



We tried four a-la-cartes, International, Seafood, Italian and Oriental. The Oriental was the best, closely followed by the International and Italian. The Seafood was not very good.



The toasted sandwiches from the 24 hr bar are very good if you feel peckish between meals !



STAFF

98% of the staff were wonderful. The staff in the buffet at breakfast/lunch were great and could not do enough for you. We found the staff at the buffet in the evening to be quite rude.

On two occasions we tried to get in at 7.15 pm as we had small children with us, and

we found there were no tables available. Not a problem – we went back at about 8 pm and then a waitress refused to re-lay a table for us and sent us to another section of the buffet where they also refused to re-lay a table for us (the buffet doesn't close until about 9 pm !!).

The second time this happened, we complained to the Restaurant Manager, and the tables were quickly re-laid, and we had no further problems with this.

We also found the bar staff in the main Lobby Bar to be quite rude on occasions, especially if a female went to the bar on their own which we found quite strange We smiled, and tipped, but it didn't make any difference, they still ignored us.

The staff at the 24 hr bar were totally different, very friendly and could not do enough for you.

The gardners would smile and wave when you walked past them. If you smile and wave back, then their smile would get even bigger.

The evening entertainment was very good, but a bit repetitive after two weeks.



TRIPS

We only did the speedboat trip. The boats go very fast and are really good fun. The snorkelling was good but beware if you are not a strong swimmer, the current on the swim back is against you and it is very strong.

There is a rope down the middle of the river which you can use to help pull yourself along, but some of us struggled even using this.



There is a reef just outside the Grill Bar at the beach where you will see lots of the same kind of fish. Just look for the strip of darker blue water. The fish love banana's, and will bite your finger if you don't let go of the food quickly enough, as one of our guys found out.



OVERALL

It was a great holiday, the sun is VERY HOT so take plenty of sunscreen, minimum 30 SPF.

Mossies – if you normally get bitten elsewhere, then you will definitely get bitten here.

We used plenty of repellent with 50% deet but it didn't make the slightest bit of difference as one of the ladies in our group got really bad bites and had to visit the nurse on several occasions.

I only got one small bite, but then I rarely do get bitten, so I mustn't taste very nice !



The swamp did smell a bit on occasions going to the buffet but hold your breath for 5 seconds while you cross the small bridge and then it isn't a problem. To be quite honest, I've smelt far worse in Greece.



The gardens are immaculate and the gardeners are always working hard to keep them that way.

I went to tryp cayo coco on the...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr L White

Comments:

I went to tryp cayo coco on the 6th of July for 2 weeks, drove from scotland to manchster. Flew with Thomas Cook, the flight was okay. Got 2 meals... it toke 8 hours allthough the entertainment wasnt very good. I am 15 so you will get this from a teenagers point of view



When we got to Cayo Coco it was really quick to get out of the airport and collect our luggag. We found our thomas cook guy and got on the bus, the drive took about 15 miniutes. Once there it was very quick to check in and get our keys, the safe key is free however if you lose it you have to pay.



Oay, now i am going to tell you about our holiday to Tryo Cayo coco. After reading lots of bad reviews i was concerned about the holiday and that it was going to be bad. Ill tell you now, it wasnt! Our room was very basic but it done the job, there were quite a few enlglish channels on the TV. TBS, The movie channel, another movie channel, BBC world news and CNN. We were in Room no. 966. I would reccomend getting one in block 9, 10, 11 or 12. These are just the right distance away frrom the pool, beach, buffet and nightime entertainment and when you were in your room at night we couldnt hear anything.

FOOD : GET IT INTO YOUR HEAD!! THE FOOD ISNT GOOD, the meat was always overcoocked, the stuff that was out in the buffet was always cold most of the time anwyay. There are however stands were there are people who cook the food fresh. At breakfast there is an omelette bar which was always very good. At lunch there were meat and pasta bars and same at dinner. There are restraunts that you can go to, the ones that we went to were all good. we went to... Oriental, BBQ, Seafood and the worldwide one. They were all really good but Oriental was the best. You could only book 3 restraunts per week though.

Bars : There were 4 bars around the resort. Ill start with the lobby bar "El mar", this bar had the biggest variety of drinks but the staff only served the people who they were clossest to nomatter how long you waited so you have to jump right in beside one of the bartenders, the seats around the looby bar were good and ther was a waiter or waitress that would ome to clear your table and take an order for drinks.

24 hour/Snack bar : This bar only gave toasted sanwiches allthough they only ever seemed to have Ham and Cheese, it was open 24 hours and the staff were better because there was a que formation so it was actually fair.

Swim up bar : The swim up bar was okay, they didnt have much drinks and there was only usually about 1 or 2 people there. at 12 they wuold start making chips, hot dogs and hamburgers. It shut at half 3

Bar at the Bar and Grill : This bar had a good selection of drinks but the people behind the bar toke ages because they showed off all the time by doing fancy stuff with the ice.



Stuff to do duning the day : There was quite alot to do. There was... Ping pong taables(2) allthough alot of the time they never had any equipment beause people would keep the equipment all day. You get equipment at the place where you get towels. Tennis courts(2) were good, the equipment was good, you got it in the gym. The gym had not alot of stuff in it but it was okay. There were also basketball courts but it was way to hot for that. The pool, i spent most of my day at the large pool, they always had something going on. There was.. Pool volleyball which was really good, pool basketball which was good, Water Polo, good. Bingo, Music quiz, Crazy games, foozball championships and pingpong championships.



Stuff to do at night : There was always entertainment on at night. There was a kids show that started at 8-9 but was very repetative. They handed out certifacates until quarter past then the main show would start. There were different acts on each night most were good, some wernt. At 11 the show would finish and the disco started, the disco was quite the first few nights but picked up, it was usually good and they played british/american music.



Beach : There is hardly any sand at the beach but there are alot of beds, i preffered sitting at the beach because there was a breeze and it was cooler than at the pool. My mum got up at half 8 and went down the beach and she usually got good beds. There was a man who helped you get beds and picked out the best ones, my mum tipped him a paso every day. There is also a bar at the beach but alot of the time it was closed.



People And Staff : Most of the staff were really friendly and always helped out. The people there was very friendly, it was very easy to make friends. Most of the people were Canadians, there were also quite alot of Brithish, Norwegien, Spanish and Croatian. Americans arnt allowed into cuba because of the drugs.



Location : Cayo coco wasnt near any towns. It was an island just of cuba, there was hardly residents, there were about 4 resorts on the island. There were trips to Havana and other cities but ill mention them next



Excurtions : The only excursion we did was snorkling. It was 20 cuban pesos and they toke you out on a catamarang and went snorkling, it was really good. the place was swarming with fish. Other ones i can remember was the overnight trip to havana but it was about 150 pesos pp. There was fishing, Full day of half day. Jeep safari.....



Things i forgot to metion : There was a shack to the right as you are walking down to the beach that you can get cayaks, snorkling gear, palle boats for a 3 paso deposit. Beach bar but i mentioned that allready. There was a volleyball cour on the beach but it was never played on and it was on a slant. There was football on at 5 oclock, meet at the DJ booth beside the theatre.



In general i had a really great time, i wouldnt go back but only because i would like to try somewhere else closer to central cuba.



I'm sure you will enjoy it. Hope you have a great time



If you have any questions....... Celticmuff@hotmail.co.uk

This holiday was the best...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Ms H Finbow

Comments:

This holiday was the best ever!!!!



I read all the bad reviews and allthough bits of what they said I could see when I got there, it really wasn't a big deal at all!



Yes the drinks run out, but there is always an alternative. The food isn't great but that's what I expected in a relatively cheap all inclusive! We found that if you booked your restuarants at the guest services they would tell you they were fully booked but if you went to make your reservation directly with the restuarant (with a few peso's in your pocket) they would 90% of the time fit you in!



The rooms do need updating but they are perfectly clean and cormfortable... beware of the maids little money making schemes though!!! Our maid Aida, would never put a refil of water in our room so we would call reception and ask them for this and she would come and give it to us and hint at how hard she had worked on the room etc! One evening our air con broke and we were transfered to another room just for the night which i thought was excellent!



The evenings can get a bit boring as the show stops at 11pm and there is a nightclub but the only time it is busy is when the Candadian students are there, so if you are looking for nightlife this is NOT the holiday for you!



We meet some great people! It was quite surprising how many young couples there were as me and my partner are both in our early 20's.



Beware also of one of the entertainment team... I can't remeber his name but he ripped my friends off by telling them that he would take them to the best resturant in Cuba they paid him 80 pesos for him to take them back to his house in Moron (which is quite an intimadating place!) and then put pressure on them to buy cigars of him for another 90 pesos! but he was the exception as the rest of the entertainment team were brilliant!!!! Especially Yomi and Ray!!!! Also if you go to the quieter pool Edgar at the bar is brilliant and William at the back of the buffet resturant is lovely jubbly as he would say!!!!



All in all I had a great time... the hotel could have been better but if you go to a cheap hotel in a poor country this is amazing value for money!!! And I think that all the people that have written bad reviews are just finding things to moan about!

We've just returned from an...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss A Marshall

Comments:

We've just returned from an excellent holiday at this hotel and intend to return with more family members (no better recommendation).



After reading some reviews here before going I was a bit concerned but we had a great time with no complaints at all, other than perhaps certain foods in the main buffet could be a bit hotter on the odd occasion. On forums like this one I think with respect to others it might be a case of 'you only hear about the one unsatisfied customer rather than the ninety-nine satisfied ones'.



Our holiday last year was in a 4 star all-inclusive in Mexico and it was the best holiday we've ever had and a hotel that would be hard to match. As this one was about £800 cheaper for the two of us though we decided to try it out this year. Whilst not quite matching the one in Mexico it was close enough to make us want to go back again.



The rooms were well air conditioned, plenty of food choice between the various restaurants and main buffet, bars well stocked, very good pool facilities, beach and seawater excellent, and a very hard working entertainments team. Although the rainy season it only rained once which was at night and so we didn't even see it. Average temperature was 34 Celsius and sunny for about 95% of the time. The excursions were all well priced and very good value and there was no hard sell, just a very helpful and informative rep (Cuban) who did everything he could to help you.



It's a very popular destination for Canadians which is fine but check with your tour operator what months the Canadian students go there. They tend to organise college trips during certain breaks. We had 300 arrive one week and although they didn't cause any problems they do get carried away being allowed to drink (higher drinking age in Canada). They certainly act a lot better than British teenagers abroad. They get loud but are friendly (we've invited some to visit us).



The staff were all really friendy and if you gave them the occasional peso tip they would remember you and look after you. In a country where people make so little money the tips are very important to them and it helps them improve their lifestyle. Even if you don't tip them they still looked after you very well and are very friendly.



As one of the beach lifeguards said " this isn't Cuba it's paradise, Cuba is out there". Before complaining about the people, food or anything else holiday makers should bear in mind it's a poor country with low wages and many shortages. Tourism is imensely important to them and hotels like this one and their staff ensure that holidaymakers are well looked after and get the best they can provide.



For a good holiday my tip would be to adjust your expectations according to the country you are visiting - don't act like an American and complain at everything that isn't exactly like it is back home!!! A Canadian couple we met have been to Cuba six times, each time to a different part of the island, and they said this was the best resort they've been to.



Cuban people try extremely hard to please and succeed, and if you are courteous to them in return they really appreciate it.



We didn't speak to anyone there or on the flight back who didn't thoroughly enjoy themselves, young and older alike, so give it a try!

bad bad and bad

In July 2007, we booked the Tryp...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

SC Clover

Comments:

In July 2007, we booked the Tryp Cayo Coco in Cuba, a four star plus hotel with Premium upgrade, this departed on Thursday 1st May 2008 on flight TCX174K from Manchester at 12.00pm for 14 nights, returning on Thursday 15th May 2008.



My husband and I have saved for a long time to go on this holiday and we wanted to upgrade, to use this holiday as a second honeymoon. A number of problems arose during this holiday but I will start at the beginning.



When booking the holiday, I specifically asked that the flight ticket be in my maiden name, as I have not changed my passport yet. When receiving the holiday invoice we found the name was Mrs S Cavill not Miss S Clover as requested, I thought this might have been an oversight so I paid an extra £30.00 to change the name on the invoice and booking to my maiden name.



When the tickets arrived two weeks prior to departure, I checked them over and found that our baggage allowance had been listed as 20kg instead of the 30kg that the premium upgrade allowed. I contacted the travel agent and then had to rearrange to collect the new correctly printed tickets.r



Outbound flight to Cayo Coco



Upon arrival at the airport, other passengers informed us that Thomas Cook had decided to upgrade all their long-haul flights from the 1st May 2008, thus giving everybody in economy 33 inches compared to my premium legroom of 34 inches.



Upon boarding the plane, we noticed flight packs placed on the premium seats, which were also placed on all the economy, so that was not a premium upgrade.



The entertainment on the plane consisted of 3 movies and a few television channels in both economy and premium cabins, there seemed to be no difference, between the cabins even though the TRAVEL magazine on the plane stated that certain movies were only available for premium and on demand for a supplement. The cabin crew started the entertainment when they wanted without informing the passengers of this fact, which mainly meant that by the time we realised the crew, had started the tape again we had missed the first 15-20 minutes of whatever channel we had wanted to watch, not a good idea when passengers were trying to watch a film. With 2 ½ hours to go before we landed in Cuba, I asked the flight crew if they would be restarting the in-flight entertainment, I was told, “What’s the point, we’ll be there soon”. This meant that even though there was still time to restart the entertainment and watch an entire film we just had to sit there staring at the map for over 2 hours.



We were given two bar services on the flight, which consisted of 2 lagers for my husband and 2 cokes for myself, when we asked the crew for another drink we were told to wait until the bar service came round. A steward then went through the premium cabin taking orders and returned with a drink for the cabin, but when the second bar service came round, the premium cabin were told, “you’ve already had your second service“, 2 drinks in 9 ½ hours is not a VIP premium service or unlimited drinks.



We were supposed to have a choice of meals and an upgraded menu, although according to the staff the whole plane received the same. If you did not like the chicken and the pasta, you had to eat just crisps and chocolate like my husband did, and had to pay for due to there being no other choice.



This was not the service we expected to receive after paying an extra £400 for our holiday.



When we arrived at the hotel we spotted a number of different things that gave us cause for concern and we have listed the major ones below.



Pool -



We found that there were a few problems with the large swimming pool. The pool was slippery, full of slime, with tiles missing. One part of the pool as seen in the pictures we have enclosed, is missing a number of tiles, this pool is supposed to be closing on the 20th May to be re-tiled, so if we decided to go in that pool you almost certainly tripped over, scraped your feet or slipped on the missing and loose tiles.



There were pool lights floating on the top of the water for the first few days, which meant we were very wary of getting in the pool just in case we were electrocuted. Two maintenance workers fixed these with snorkels on around day 4 of our holiday.



The other part of the pool always seemed to be cleaned by the pool cleaners every morning, although as shown in the pictures enclosed, they always seemed to have rubbish floating in them all day long. We found the pool to be very slippery and a number of people had accidents by slipping over, I myself have had a very large bruise on the inside of my knee after slipping climbing in.



We watched the pool cleaners scrubbing the filters clean on a few different occasions in the morning. They had a scrubbing brush and a bucket full of soap (I think), as we could only see the bubbles on the side of the pool, of course it could have been something a lot stronger! The pool cleaners scrubbed a metre or so of the pool filters, then dipped his brush into the pool and used the brush to splash the water from the pool to wash the bubbles from the side of the pool and the filters, the repeated action of dipping his brush into the bucket and then rinsing his brush and bucket in the pool is probably why the pool is so slippery. We also watched the pool cleaner empty the rest of his bucket into the swimming pool and swill it around. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me that morning, but on another occasion, I filmed the entire incident and will quite happily show this to you if necessary.



There were two parts to the large pool with the swim-up bar, the part that needed re-tiling and the part that was dirty. When we mentioned the problems with the pool to Roberto Lopez, our Thomas Cook Representative at the hotel, we were told that we should avoid the large pool altogether because he knew that a large part needed re-tiling and the other part was dirty due to when the pool was originally constructed, the pool was improperly built so the water never overflows into the filters, so all the slime and dirt will always stay in the pool on top of the water as it can never get into the filters. Roberto also mentioned that he had never seen the pool cleaners scrubbing the way I had on film, but that can only be because he is never around the pool at 8am in the morning.



On some occasions, the slime stuck to the corners of the pool were 2-3 inches thick with gunk and slime.



When mentioned to Roberto that we could swim in neither part of the large swimming pool, we were told either to use the Ecological Pool, which has a maximum of 20 sun beds or to go to the beach. Not the attitude we really wanted to hear.



Food



The food in the buffet restaurant was either dry and overcooked, or undercooked and raw. Even when the food in the trays in the restaurant had been freshly refilled, the food was usually cold.



There seemed to be no labels on things and if there were, they seemed to usually be the wrong one. The bread was mostly stale, the cereals had been left out and gone soggy, and the milk was off on more than one occasion. The fruit was either fresh but covered in flies or dried out.



The hotel also seemed to recycle many of the dinner vegetables by using peas and carrots in the baked beans and in the scrambled egg.



My husband and I have had severe diarrhoea for days on end after eating in the buffet restaurant. After a week off trying to eat at the buffet we decided to try the A la Carte Restaurants. When we tried to book a table, we were told the seafood and pizzeria were closed due to there not being enough guests in the hotel. They decided to move the Seafood restaurant into the Grill, which meant the seafood, was only open 2 nights a week and the grill only open for 3. We had a week left but could not book into any restaurant for the second week as all were booked up. We finally decided for last four days we could not stomach any more problems, se we no longer ate the hotel food, we lived off food from the shop, not ideal to carry on the dieting I have been doing for the last four months.



Bar



The lobby bar and the 24 hour bar (which for some reason closed at 6am until 8am) always seemed to run out of drinks, there were no cocktail menus or lists anywhere, so it seemed to be pot luck as to whether you got the drink you wanted or even asked for, or whether it just got made completely different every time you went to the bar, or as to whether they even had anything left to drink apart from rum after 9pm. The other problem was that being British, we would always be served last at the bar, whether we were first in the queue or not.



There seemed to be only one bottle of diet coke per bar per night, so if you did not get there quickly enough, you did not get any. For me, this meant having to buy diet coke from the shop, every couple of days, as well as the two names of the people I have added to the bottom of this letter, as they are both diabetic and needed to not have sugary drinks all day long.





Toilets



The toilets downstairs near the representative’s desk were very unclean, they had either doors that did not close or doors that closed but had no handles to get out afterwards. There was never any toilet paper and the toilets very rarely flushed. Not a decent standard for a 4* hotel. My husband and I had to walk all the way back to our room, just in case.



Bedroom



We do not think that a minibar in your room should only consist of a bottle of water every 2 days.



We do not think that our sheets were changed for the entire stay and fleas all over that seemed to be living in the room had bitten me. When we asked Guest Services to fumigate our room, we were told there is not really much point as the fleas can hide in little spaces. We would have expected the staff to have gone to our room, stripped the beds, sprayed the mattresses, pillows and the entire room, then re-made our beds with fresh sheets, this was not the case.



On a previous holiday, the hotel fumigated our room with insecticide for a few hours, and when we were allowed to return, we had no more problems.



Why can the Tryp staff not have done the same or could we not have switched rooms? This might have alleviated the bite problem and the fact that I had to pay the pharmacy for a number of different creams and sprays.



General Standards around the hotel



The standards of hygiene and cleanliness around the hotel was severely lacking for a 4* plus hotel, we have checked the brochure

In addition, the Thomas Cook website and the hotel is listed as a 4*, but according to Roberto Lopez he told us that the Tryp Cayo Coco, had never been a 4* hotel and had only ever been awarded a 3*. However, the following day he mentioned to us that the hotel had recently been downgraded from a 4* to a 3*, I am not sure that Roberto Lopez could remember what excuses he had said to who.



As you can see from the pictures, we enclose, the furniture needed a very good clean and most of the sun beds were cracked and broken in some way. A number of people including myself trapped our skin or cut ourselves on these sun beds.



There seemed to be a number of complaints from other guests all complaining about the same issues, some were offered special free dinners, late checkouts and VIP lounges as long as they did not take the complaint any further. My husband and I were offered nothing like these, due to our complaints we did manage to receive the money back that we had paid to the hotel to upgrade our room. This was an extra £250 that we paid on arrival for a Superior VIP Ocean View room, although I will not complain about the upgraded room as such because we finally received the extra money back that we paid.



Trips

We booked four trips whilst on holiday to get us out the hotel, as we could not bear to be there, these were overall a big disappointment and a waste of money.



Why send someone to a Cigar factory and neglect to mention that you cannot buy cigars there?

Why go visit a sugar mill, look at it from the outside, watch a video of the process, but never be allowed to actually go inside or up-close to the machinery and see the process.

Why when the catamaran visit’s a secluded private beach does it anchor 15 minutes swim away from the shore? As I am not a very good swimmer, I had to stay on board; I took a picture of my husband from the catamaran just to show you how far it was.

Why is the speedboat picture of a very posh boat when we were given a dinghy covered in rust with paint flaking off?



Inbound Flight to Manchester



We had the same problems as the outgoing flight, no choice of meals, entertainment issues, there were no sounds on some channels and the crew never mentioned when restarting the tape, no food choices etc. Although I ate nothing food wise from the hotel during the last four days (my husband and I bought food from the shop I.e. sweets and crisps), after eating the food on the plane, my husband and I have had severe diarrhoea again for the last 24 hours.



Overall, a very disappointing holiday from Thomas Cook, we paid for a 4* plus service and received a 3* service. We do not feel that for the money we paid for this hotel that we got the service we expected, this started at the airport and continued for the remainder of our stay.



We feel that we should have been informed off the upgrade of the plane, why did some Thomas Cook passengers receive a page in their tickets dedicated to the extra legroom, while the Premium passengers were kept in the dark.



Why were we not informed of the downgrade of the hotel prior to leaving? We should have been offered an alternative instead of being sent to a 3* and expected to just accept the standards we received.



We spent a number of days just sat in our room due to all the stomach problems we received whilst eating at the hotel.



I have also attached two separate complaint forms that I have filled out whilst in resort to try and solve the problem quickly, had Thomas Cook acted swiftly, my husband and I may have been moved for our second week and may have enjoyed at least part of our holiday instead of being left to fester in a hotel that doesn’t even deserve its downgraded 3* plus rating.



I have also enclosed a number of pictures that also prove my points noted above, as I have mentioned I do have a video recording that I can show your staff regarding the incident with the pool cleaner.



We feel that we are owed the money back for the Premium seats of £400 and extra compensation for the distress and inconvenience and the fact that our only holiday for the year has been ruined thanks to your company’s failure to communicate with its guests.



I would appreciate a response from you on this matter and will not hesitate to take this further if I do not receive a satisfactory amount of compensation and an apology from your company

Before we went to Cuba, my husband and I had already paid a deposit on another Thomas Cook Holiday supposedly 4* to go to Kenya on 13 April 2009, although this holiday is now under serious threat.



this resort would have been given a minus overall rating but the site doesn't have the facilities.

Total dump!! We booked in Dec 07...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

karen1403

Comments:

Total dump!! We booked in Dec 07 with Thomas Cook, the brouchure says 4 star, as does the website...believe me it is NOT a 4 star, it is struggling to be a 3 star (which it has actually been downgraded to now so don't get conned!) Bed was never changed in 2 weeks, people has flee bites from the bed, our bath was flithy and leaking, the pool was a health hazzard with mould and missing tiles, I fell on a broken tile and seriously hurt my knee, the sun beds are those crap white plastic ones, none of which are white they are green/black and cracked. When we reported all this to the hotel their attitude was to shrug their shoulders and shake their heads! Total waste of money..Avoid like the plague!!! you have been warned

Me & my boyfriend stayed at...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

0

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss D Henderson

Comments:

Me & my boyfriend stayed at the Tryp hotel in cayo coco and it was the most brilliant holiday! we did get off with a bad start though after being stopped at customs in the airport where they search your luggage, when talking to others at the airport who have visited cuba before they told us they can be quite intimidating to men especially who have tatoos and an american stamp in there passport or have been in the forces ! after waiting approx 2 hours for my boyfriend to return from getting his luggage searched our bus had to leave without us, however the holiday rep paid our taxi to the hotel.



Accomodation was great lovely rooms cleaned every day, maids dead friendly and gardners who make you little gifts from the leaves on the coconut trees.



Was disappointed with food it was so plain and tasteless and was the same food everyday at the buffet, we'd expected nice spicy food but the hotel rep told us with it being a poor communist country they dont get spices or anything imported in, however the restaurants were better but you could only visit two a week.

service was not great its true that you have to tip for a good service, we spent a lot on tips but did not mind as cubans are very poor and work hard.

we made loads of friends canadians are great so friendly and happy people! the diso was terrible however theres a train that picks you up around 11pm and takes you to different places think it was salsa on a tuesday and a nightclub on thursday however the club was in caves which had loads of bats! the entertainment at the hotel was good with different shows on each nite but if your young and fancy clubbin try out the caves!



we did a trip to swim with the dolphins which was amazing but it took 9hours to get there on the bus which we were not told, it stops off at various places which is where you will see the real cuba, which is full of begars which are a bit scary as they wont leave you alone! we did want to do the havana trip which is meant to be fab but you have to fly there and my boyfriend did not want to return to the airport after being interigated so we didnt bother.



the beach was to die for clear blue sea and white sand absolutely lush! various activities to do on the beach and there was a nice pizza bar further a long which was nice as you could only get cheese and ham toasties at the hotel snack bar. overall we had a great holiday and would recommend it just be wary of the airport guards and dont expect nice spicy food!

To sum up this hotel is a...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr C Brown

Comments:

To sum up this hotel is a absolute dump!. Before travelling we looked at reviews of this hotel and found there were good and bad ones,all i can say is that the people who gave good reviews must have been walking around with their eyes closed. the hotel in general is run down and needs a lot of work, the bedrooms were damp with a fousty smell every morning mainly due to the fact that the hotel was built on a swamp. the beds were also damp. The food was inedible even the smell of it was enough to make you sick. The pool area was dirty with glasses and cups left lying about and they would still be there the next day. I found the staff to be very impolite and miserable and the holiday reps were not helpful at all. I have been to other carribean islands and had a brilliant time, Cuba is the worst place i have ever been to.

Well after reading many reviews...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr I Young

Comments:

Well after reading many reviews on the internet i was nervous to say the least as many reviews were poor, anyway we went with open mind and we were plesently surprised.



Granted it says a four star which it is in terms of facilities and service but i would say in terms of room more a 3 star.



Flight - Thomas Cook - was a nightmare, no leg room and just couldnt get comfortable as im 6 ft and my wife is no petite but size 16 and she fould the seats tights.



On Arrival - On Arrival it was great, only 15 mins to the tryp from airport, make sure you have filled in your visa which should have been sent with your tickets.



Hotel - massive, a little run down in places, so dont expect a palace, the gardens are supberb and second to non



Room - yep 3 star but hey we were in the hotel very little time, but one thing I would say is they did smell a bit moisty when you first went in but soon aired once the balcony dorrs opened for a bit.



Mossies - me, wife and daughter, in the whole week we didnt get bit once !!



Beach - To Die For, PARADISE !!!! White sand, shallow water, no stones, shells, rocks to hurt your feet, and we didnt see 1 jelly fish which some reviews said there was loads ?



Staff- Found them fantastic, and helpful ,worth tipping them as you do get a better service and for 1 pesso , 60p its worth every penny.



Entertainment Night - Basic but fun



Entertainment Day - Lots to do if you want to take part



Food - Buffet was cold at times but you could warm it up in microwave, i ate mainly off the grill where they cooked fresh meat and fish in front of you, supberb.

Not the best but something for everyone.

Also lots of other resteraunts - by the way the chinese was rubbish but we were in cuba so not suprised.



Well all in all we had a great holiday, relaxing and chilled.



There were a lot of French Canadians who really did give there country a bad name, moaned a lot and whether there expectations were a lot higher than ours I dont know, we did meet some nice ones but some were overpowering a just rude, pushing in at bars etc.



ps take your own cups for beer etc as there cups are tiny, we got 20 pint cups from pound shop before we went and they will fill them up for you, i left the rest with the barman when we left and he was over the moon



TakeCare



we said we would go again at the time of year as the weather was red hot and was 34+ every day

Wow what a fantastic holiday! My...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss J Rouse

Comments:

Wow what a fantastic holiday! My partner, myself and two sons have just returned from a great 15 day holiday at the Tryp Hotel in Cayo Coco.



We both made the mistake of reading a lot of bad reviews before going on holiday and really worried that we would travel all that way to be disappointed, but we needn't worried. The hotel itself is having a lot of work done to it at the moment including part of the main swimming pool, but the workmen work really hard and we were surprised at how much progress they had made while we were there.



Our room was basic but clean and comfy and had a wonderful sea view. A lot of reviews we read said beware of the buffet, but we found it was fine. Yes there are flies and some items did look as though they had been hanging around for a bit, but really its a case of using your common sense! We had freshly cooked fish, steak and chicken every night, something you would pay a fortune for in England.



The Cuban people are great, the staff are friendly and hard workers for little money, and appreciate small tips. They are also grateful for clothes, especially childrens, toiletries, make up and pens and pencils etc as they cannot buy items that we take for granted and this is seen as a better means of tipping.



The weather was great, it does rain though but its more of a small shower for a few minutes and we carried on swimming or sunbathing, and hey we live in England so something we're used to!



The beach and sea are fab, but the current can be very strong so any watersport activities and boat trips are governed by the coastguard.



My top tips would be take a high factor sunscreen as the sun is very intense (common sense really but I applied factor 40 to all of us every hour and we still burnt a little), take a good insect repellent and don't forget to use it (like I did at first and regretted it!), if it does rain be careful of the flooring, the tiles get slippery, take items as above for tipping and watch out for the excursions, the brochure said from £37 each to swim with dolphins but what it doesn't tell you is that its a two day trip and costs more like £90 each.



Well I hope this has helped and enjoy your holiday, I can't wait to go back. X

After booking my holiday to The...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss C Mclean

Comments:

After booking my holiday to The hotel Tryp, Cayo Coco, I was horrified to find reviews saying that people would never return to this hotel or Cuba again as it was so bad!



However I decided to brave it and was pleasantly surprised to arrive at a wonderful hotel, the food was good with a total of eight restaurants, 6 being Al La Carte, which were absolutely fabulous!!



In the buffet there was freshly prepared meat, fish, pasta and noodle every evening as well as a huge choice of salads, rice, cold meats, cheeses, etc so I couldn't believe the terrible reports that I had read saying the food was vile!



The rooms are quite dated, however they are really clean and probably the biggest hotel room that I have stayed in, plus every room has either a sea, pool, or garden balcony view, mine however had all three!



The only downside was that the staff did expect to get tipped a lot, however when you visit mainland Cuba and see the conditions in which they live you don’t mind tipping a peso (approx 60 pence!!).



I would definitely go back to Cuba and I would be more than happy to stay at the Tryp Hotel again.

We were moved to the Tryp, from...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr W Hoffin

Comments:

We were moved to the Tryp, from the KH Crystal 2 weeks before we flew out so I didn't get chance to read any reviews so this is what we thought.



The staff and service was 5 star, whether you tipped or not.



The rooms were a bit tired but kept spotless, which keeps the wife happy.



The buffet was nice, if not a bit repetitive, but no different to any other we have been to and always had something to chose from.



The a' la cart, be sure to book them early as you may find, as we did, by the time you do you can’t get them all in, The 2 that we did do, both very good, in fact the one near the lobby bar, can't remember the name, was excellent, not a mountain of food but served and presented perfectly. The other was the Italian not as good but still enjoyable.



The pool is in a bit of a poor state with a few tiles missing must admit it did look a bit grotty although it didn't spoil the fun, we were told that each pool will be closed in turn and re-furbed this year.



The beach is wow what a view, worth the 9 hour flight alone, lovely white sands, plenty of activities, a must for the kids, take some bread from the buffet and wade out in the sea and feed the fish, great fun.



We booked a trip on the catamaran but was cancelled due to hurricane Dean, spoke to others who went on it earlier and said it was very good



There was a lot of work going on around the complex whilst we were there, repairs, painting etc so it looks like the whole complex is being done none of it bothered us though it wasn’t noisy or anything like that.



The entertainment was ok if you have smaller children, not much for adults or teenagers but if you like that sort of show, dancing etc you will love it, they certainly put the work and effort into it.



One gripe is the Cuban band comes and plays at your table in the buffet and the first time is great and you tip or buy the CD but after a few days it gets tedious.



Two gripe the toilets, some days they were really bad we stopped going and used the toilet in the room.



The river that runs through the hotel is not the best feature as it does whiff occasionally and doesn’t look that nice, not sure why they have done it as it doesn’t add anything to the hotel.



We took plenty of repellent and only got bitten one night when we forgot to spray.



We all had the runs early in the holiday, not sure if they use their water in the drinks and we just got used to it or we had dodgy food, again it didn’t keep us in or spoil the holiday.



Only down side for us is if you want to see something more of Cuba you have to go on an organised trip as Cayo Coco is hotels only.



If you want a beach/pool holiday then I would recommend Tryp definitely if you want more than that I would go to another resort.