More Traveller Reviews of Sol Cayo Coco Hotel
Fantastic holiday
from A TripAdvisor Member
I cannot believe the reviews I have read about this hotel. There is nothing wrong with it what-so-ever. The staff are amazing, the pool/food/beach/rooms are all great. We did hear people complain about different things, but we realised there was nothing anyone could have done to satisfy these people. They loved to moan. One lady got moved from her room because she said it was not nice, I do not know whether this was true, but our room was just like the brochure picture. Another lady complained that there was not a good enough choice of food. As she said this I was stood in the middle of the buffet, with a man in front of me making fresh pizzas, another one calving a huge joint, another one frying fresh fish/steaks etc and he had a selection of pasta and rice dishes, to one side a selection of fresh salads, to the other side a selection of cooked meats/cheeses/breads and a huge selection of cooked dishes - veg's and stews etc - all of which were really tasty. Her complaint was - there was no chinese!!!!! - Do I need to say more !!!! The maid came daily and did a fantastic job. She left the towels in the shape of swans which were amazing. To be fair to others who have made complaints this is the first time I have done all inclusive. I have been all around the world though and thought this was a fantastic holiday. Maybe others are making unfair comparisons with plusher hotels in more exclusive locations. At the end of the day they were in Cuba a third world country and I think they did a wonderful job. If you are going have a fab time ( I am sure you will).
Don't go there!
from A TripAdvisor Member
Ugly building, painted blue/yellow, roughcast concrete stairs, no hand rails, rooms not bad size but very basic. Poor food - usually cold. Not value for money. We asked for a transfer to another hotel and the rep didn't bat an eyelid, enough said. Nice beach though. No way is this a 4* property.
great place great people
from A TripAdvisor Member
Having read some of the poor reviews on sol cayo coco we very nearly cancelled our holiday to cayo coco and went somewhere else, what a big mistake that would have been. The hotel is very nice ( maybe 3* and not 4*) It was very clean and the staff were wonderful.Very hard working,Friendly pleasant and very eager to please.The entertainment was verygood although we didnt bother with it much .The pool area is very nice but the beach is Fantastic.Food plentiful and theres always something you can find that you like.If you are going the trip to Havana is a must, its amazing and the jungle tour is good too. We took some felt tips and colouring books for the children of the staff . They are so grateful as they dont have much, and yet theyre happy,it makes you feel that we are so greedy and selfish. Great place go and enjoy and see for yourselves.
an average holiday
from A TripAdvisor Member
i found that sol cayo coco was an average hotel, the rooms were nicely done up and good air conditioning, there was a bit of a problem, as every day the maids are ment to bring a bottle of water to your room, there were a couple of days where there was none delivered.also there is a lack of drinks in the bars for example you will ask for lemonade and they give you almost like a lemon slush puppie or you ask for coke and they give you a completely different drink.The food in the restaurant was not very nice, often they would leave it over night and just cover it up also it was the same all the time but the best that they made was pizza. the pool was quite dirty we did find 2 dead crabs in there and millions of broken plastic cups. whilst i was there allot of the people i met there had ear infections from the pool including myself, this affected our holiday quite allot and consequently allot of us had 2 take medication for it. the highlight of the whole holiday has to be the beautiful beach its just a stretch of white sand and blue sea its is lovely. if you would like to comment on my review email me on lucylu_117@hotmail.com or if you would like any extra information on the resort.
Great place to relax
from A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at the sol cayo coco in november this year and had a brilliant holiday, the staff were very friendly, they can't do enough for you (the odd 1$ bill goes a long way and is very appreciated by the staff) the food is above average, please remember that you are in Cuba and not the med. The hotel is clean and air conditioned, they have two great a la carte restaurants which are worth a visit. I also highly recommend you go on the two day visit to Havana as it will give you a taste of the real Cuba. I have also never felt safer in a foreign country as I did in Cuba. Go and have a great holiday, I did.
We're going back this year
from cubabunch
Our family, 14 in number, including 6 grandchildren, are returning to Sol cay Coco this Christmas. Far better than equivelent properties in Veradero, this is great place for families. Its only a 15 minute trip from the airport. Families with small children will appreciate the layout of the resort. All amenities are close by, you can keep track of children while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. The club nautica is outstanding with enough boats and variety to please everyone. The beach is outstanding, clean and not so sanitezed as to eliminate all traces of natural flora and fauna. and there is good Snorkling at the adjacent rocky pennisula. The food, always an adventure in Cuba, was somewhat dissapointing. However there was enough variety to choose from and everyone was able to find food they enjoyed.
Beautifull country
from A TripAdvisor Member
We travelled to Cayo Coco on the 23/10/03-7/11/03 although this is the rainy season it is very hot, out of the 2 weeks we had 2 days rain only in the evenings.The hotel and grounds ae lovely but I would not rate it a 4*the food was awful in the buffet resturant and not much better in the Al a carte resturant the best food was at the pool bar although you can only eat so much pizza and burgers!!.The entertainmment staff are very good they put on some really good shows and are very friendly. We had a great 2 weeks,great weather,beautiful beaches it looks like a paradise Island,If they sort out the food it would be just perfect.
very disappointed 3* at best
from A TripAdvisor Member
From the start: Our check in was 10/10. It was done on the coach en route to the hotel. Identity bands and hotel details where given, so all that was left to do was collect our door key card at reception. Our room was on the top floor(no lifts) and was basic, clean and light 6/10. You have to put your door lock card into a slot next to the front door to enable the power to come on, which means when you go out you have to leave the in adequate air conditioning off. The food was ok for the first few days but then became the same old boring meals every day. No tomatoes, oranges, lettuce, pineapple, peaches or any fresh fruit juice 4/10. The Cuban theme night in the beach restaurant was awful, don't bother going 1/10, but the Don Diego a'la cart was nice 7/10. To get a booking go for 9 o clock on a Saturday morning to the clubhouse. The beach was ok but not the white powder sand we were led to believe. It got swamped every day with seaweed 6/10. The pool was nice but you couldnt enjoy it for the vast amount of teenagers that took over the complex 6/10. My complaints so far are nothing, when you consider the fact that, when you go on a supposed 4* holiday (it's 3* at best) you don't expect to see the staff on their day off, lying next to you around the pool etc with their families, enjoying the all inclusive facilities, that you have just paid £4000 for !!. This is the case at the Sol Club. Whilst they are there, they get preferential treatment from the "at work staff" We also saw that some of the entertainment staff where living in the complex in a much superior positioned room than ours. The excursions are very expensive apart from the jungle tour, which was fantastic and is a must. If you're looking for a luxury tropical holiday, forget the Sol Club Cayo Coco. The Sol Cayo Guillermo was a bit better and is worth a day out. Or even better still; go to Playa del Carmen in Mexico to any of the RIU hotels. There's no comparison.
Better than expected!!
from MonkeyNutter
After reading some of the reviews we were quite worried prior to going and nearly cancelled. However, we didn't and found that it wasn't as bad as some of the reviews have suggested i.e poor food, pool to warm, no english TV channels (you are in Cuba!) etc. What do you want ? Beer was flowing, food was plentiful, beach/sea was fantastic, staff were friendly, rooms were cleaned daily. Trips were very good - Day trip to Hanana and the Catermarran are a must. The only negatine points I can make are as follows - This Hotel is geared up to cater for families, so if you don't want too many kids around don't go. The staff can sometimes make you feel a little guilty if you don't leave a tip, you are sometimes unsure when to do so and find yourselves sneaking off!! Finally, you do feel intimidated at the Airport by customs/police and can be picked upon arriving/leaving. One more thing! The Cubans are all after your money (Charachertures, photographs, tips, cigars being sold on the streets etc). Tourism is big businesss in Cuba and everbody wants a slice of the cake!!
Remember where you are
from A TripAdvisor Member
All those people who have written less than favourable reviews about the Sol Cayo Coco had us worried about the first week of our honeymoon. However, it wasn't as we feared. Although it's a bit 'butlins in the sun' and there were lots of teenagers clogging up the pool, the place was clean, the beach was nice and the staff were friendly. You have to remember that Cuba isn't like the other Carribean 'resorts' (it's far more interesting if you bother to venture from the beach). Food is rationed and the tourists get the best of it so we were grateful for what we got. 4* cuba isn't 4* 1st world style but that's the charm of Cuba. The people are great and the country fascinating. If you want a beach holiday in a luxurious hotel, go to Bermuda or the Costa del Sol and leave Cuba to the people that will appreciate it for what it is and not slag it off!
This is a review from people who actually used to love to go to Cuba. We spent 10 vacations in Cuba all of them in different resorts (3 to 5 stars). As you would expect, some were better than others, but we have never been as disappointed as we were this year or we... more