Reviews of Sol Cayo Guillermo Hotel, Cayo Guillermo

I have just returned from Cayo Guillermo with my boyfriend, we really enjoyed our stay and were surprised by some of the comments we read before we left. The rooms were lovely loads of space with bright and cheery decorations. Only problem we had was the shower was extremely hot and only tricked cold water.



The beach was out of this world warm and very blue (Also very shallow), no mosquito's really bothered us but we covered ourselves with repellent which contained dealt which seemed to the job (we also got a plug in for our room).



Food was lovely but I was put off by the flies as they did not cover the food. You are able to have fresh omelettes and pasta though so I was ok.



There were two other places you could eat at were the food was lovely, I also had lobster for the first time which I would recommend as it was delicious.



While we were there we did the Speedboats which was fantastic (Girls make sure you drive!), we also did the dolphin trip which although was fantastic and a part of my life I will not forget the 7 hour trip there and the 6 hour trip back puts a big downer on the occasion.



Our favourite place was the Cuba bar by the beach my boyfriend loved to try all the Cuba cocktails (Not very impressed with me when I asked for vodka!)



Overall this was a fantastic holiday; reps were great and the staff where very friendly. As many reviews have said, tip when you can and leave what you don't want to take home. I would recommend this holiday to anyone looking to chill out and have lots of rest.

Just come back off my holiday with my boyfriend his sister and her boyfriend, didn’t think much of the rooms at sol cayo guillermo the staff were very friendly.



Entertainment at night was brilliant we joined in with some of the activities in the pool really good volleyball and water polo. The weather has been lovely all the time but quite a bit of thunder and rain during our stay went on the catamaran thought it was really good. Got a bit burnt so make sure take plenty of suntan cream.



Food was lovely on the boat we also did the speedboat very good and bit of snorkelling, which we have never done before.



The beach is beautiful and blue sea. The food at the hotel wasn’t brilliant mainly the buffet the a la carte restaurants were quite nice. Didn’t think much of the disco room. Might give a couple of years before we come back again.

What a fantastic time we have each time we stay at the Sol Cayo Guillermo.



The first time we went in 2004 I was a fully able bodied person. I took part in the salsa classes, beach volley and pool pillow fights.



We went on the Colourful Cuba day into the nearest town where most of the hotel staff live. The staff are bussed in to the hotel each day; no Cuban locals live on the Cayos.



The town of Maron is an eye opener, and you can't help but realise how well off we are. You also can't help but be moved by the sights of the wonderful old cars and sounds of Cuban salsa in the streets. The public transport is interesting too!



We also did the swim with Dolphin one day trip, and this is again a wonderful day out and an experience I will never get to have again.



Sadly in 2005 I was not able to walk far and needed to use a wheelchair. When we went on holiday in June 2006, we wanted to go where we knew it was flat and easily accessible. Sol Cayo Guillermo was our first choice.



The staff at the airport were fantastic 'Mr Jones' was a total star too as we were last off the plane and the first to get on the bus to hotel. On return he sorted our luggage into priority hold so it came of first in the luggage hall at Gatwick - again a wonderful help.



Most of the staff recalled that we had been before and that I did not have 'wheels' at that time. We were made to feel right at home, and it was like we had never been away. I have made some great friends who we keep in touch with, both here in the UK and Cuba.



I was able to help the entertainment team design what I call the 'lazy person' club dance. Basically a sit down version for those who can't dance or wont! Each night as other people join in the dancing I am assisted with my version, normally by lovely Pino, Ivan, or Alex.



We went again for a third time in March 2007, and I have never been welcomed like I was on arrival day. Mr Jones at the airport was waiting for me again with a big smile, and on arrival at the hotel it was hugs and kisses all rounds from the entertainment staff. Carlos who runs the beach bar (along with Guillermo & Nelson) saw us arrive and said our drinks would be on the bar in half an hour. When we 'rolled' down there our drinks were indeed on the bar - how did he recall what we drank?



The rooms are spacious, and no problem to navigate around in a wheelchair. All the showers are walk in, which again is a great help if you have mobility issues.



My husband wanted to go on a fishing boat trip the last two times we went, but was worried about leaving me on my own at the hotel. Something most careers would worry about. It’s not a problem, honest.



The staff came around the pool on regular intervals and checked if I needed a drink, sun cream rubbing in etc and even wheeled me to lunch. The place really is disability friendly.



Only one part of the hotel is hard to access with the chair without assistance, the main top bar by the pool. I was assured that the issue would be resolved very shortly and the incline sorted out.



Cuban life is hard. Any clothes you don't want are welcome along with shower gels and shampoo etc. Gillette razor blades for the Fusion model are in high demand at the moment as they can no longer get hold of them in their shops.



Children’s denim jackets are also in great need as they can't get these either. They don't need heavy winter coats, just light jackets, shower mats etc. Please take what you can or leave what you can't bring back as you have too much rum!



I miss my Cuban friends so much; it is like a part of me has been left in Cuba forever. If you do go, say hello to Pino & Anya, Ivan, Alex, Ubi, Aliel, Ariel, Umar, Carols, Guillermo & Nelson they will make your holiday a never to be forgotten time.

We had a great time.



The hotel is quiet and well spread out, as we were getting married our room was upgraded and we had a huge room by the pool.



Alexander the wedding co-ordinate was fantastic, anything we asked him about, if he didn't know he found out for us, believe me, my hubby asked him lots of questions and kept changing things.



Bar staff were lovely and the entertainment staff loved my 18month old nephew.



We’d recommend this place to anyone and hope to go back out again soon.

We spent two weeks at the Sol, Cayo Guillermo. If you are able to upgrade on the plane - please do it - it certainly makes the flight more bearable.



The Thomas Cook rep at the Hotel was fantastic. The Sol is a great laid back hotel with very friendly staff, who can't do enough for you.



Food was excellent. 3 Restaurants, one buffet style, one Cuban style near the beach and one A La Carte. We found all three exceptional. We are not one for crowds and we always managed to find space to ourselves.



Hotel is situated in a very remote position. Loved the Cuban Rum Bar near the beach. The Main Bar had a show every evening, but unfortunately we didn't get to see them as we were always at the Rum Bar. Had some great conversations with fellow Brits and Canadians.



Beach is wonderful, but just needs cleaning up a bit. Loads of broken sun loungers just left about. Sea was to die for. The Pool is excellent, plenty of sun beds, but normally too hot to sit round.



All inclusive was exceptional. Drinks available 24 hrs every day.



It rained solid for one day and there wasn't anything else to do apart from drink and eat. (This didn't worry us, but if it had continued any longer, I think boredom would have set in).



Went to Havana by plane - it is awesome - such a colourful, vibrant place. Also done the speedboats in the mangroves, a great trip. Took the little train to Pilar Beach one morning, which was good and certainly an experience we will never forget!



The staff are grateful for any tips and also any toiletries or clothes you do not want to take home.



There is a Dive School along the beach, but unless you have your own equipment we wouldn't recommend it. It is the first place in the world that my husband didn't trust the equipment - he only went down about 12 metres for 10 minutes. No briefing session and trouble with equipment before diving.



There is a Clinic on site, which I used when I hurt my back; excellent.



We wouldn't return for about 10 years - there is lots more to see in the world - but for a chill out holiday this is the place.

This hotel I would say was more 3 star than 4, in saying this we had a great time and there wasn't much to fault.



The beach was beautiful and the sea warm, temperature was 29 degrees most days so great for a holiday in March. The pool was very clean, I say pool, even though it is advertised as two pools the only thing separating them is a small bridge so really one pool is more like it.



Having stayed in a few 4 star all inclusive hotels in the Caribbean the food was definitely worthy of the 4 star rating compared to other resorts we have visited. There are 3 restaurants; the main buffet restaurant was really good with a varied selection although Brussels sprouts at breakfast was a bit of a surprise!!!



At the buffet they also have three cooking points where you can order what you want. There was a grill area where you could order a steak, chops, chicken etc, a pasta bar where you could pick which type of pasta you wanted and they would heat it up and add whichever sauce, veg and meat you wanted, and a fish bar where they deep fried it in batter, very nice, if you don't see king prawn here just ask, they are great, just give the cook a wee tip and you can get what you want.



Out of the two a la carte restaurants personally I would give the one a the beach a miss, we weren't very impressed and got eaten by mossies, I ordered the lobster and found it to be extremely salty, the lobster isn't part of the all inclusive and cost 18 pesos around £11 I think. The other a la carte one next to the pool was great, this is a small air conditioned restaurant, nice for a romantic meal. The food in here was very nice and you can order from a wine list which is very reasonable. You are allowed to eat in each a la carte restaurant once per week but if you prefer one to the other just ask the guy where you book and as long as the restaurant isn't too busy they will probably allow you to swap.



If you like lobster and shrimp the best tip I can give you is to walk along the beach to the left about 400 mtrs and there is a small restaurant, well wooden shack is more like it but the food was amazing best lobster and king prawn I have ever tasted.



We only done two trips, the catamaran and the speed boats. The catamaran was a brilliant day out, it stopped off at 3 snorkeling points, not the best snorkeling in the world but was good, a wee tip, when you get on go straight to the nets at the front that way you can lie out and soak up the rays. The speed boats were good but again the snorkeling wasn't up to much the water here was very murky and there was quite a strong current luckily there was a rope where you basically had to haul yourself back to the boat as the current was so strong.



So all in all I would say this hotel is very good value for money and great just to get away from it all, we met some great people too, hi Ena, Stevie, George, Christine, Lorna and Caroline, glad we met you all and congrats to the newly weds!

Beautiful beaches, but a tired hotel. No hot water for 4 days, and a pretty double room with ocean views, that smelt of rotten fish.



Staff were great, but entertainment was a bit amateurish.



Location is fantastic, the speedboat trip was great value - the colourful Cuba trip was an eye-opener - half an hour in Moron was more than enough.



Food was ok, but after 2 weeks it was becoming repetitive, and if you didn’t get to dinner early you had to queue to get into the buffet, and then queue for freshly cooked food.



Avoid "Cuba Night" Soup - potato, squash, and diced pork fat.



Get in early or plates will be non existent.



A 12 hour flight on a very uncomfortable Airbus A330 was not a great start to the holiday anyway.



Take money - tips are expected!

This year (2007) is our 4th visit to Cuba, and our 3rd to the Sol Cayo Guillermo.



The Beach is one of the best in the world, and I mean ‘The Whole World’, I have been about!



The Hotel is large, open, airy and relaxing. The Staff friendly and helpful, and entertaining too. They all take time to make you feel at home and help you to enjoy yourselves.



The food is what you expect from Cuba, not Cordon Bleu, but hot, filling, and perfectly acceptable. When you consider the whole picture, you will see that this is quite something.



Carlos' Rum Bar is THE place to be of an evening, Rum, Chat, and making new friends.

(Occasional Karaoke, Beware!).



The trips are good; I recommend Havana and Dolphin Swimming.



It really is a beautiful place, and after seven meals a day and drinks all night, I really piled on the pounds, it was hard work getting them off, ha ha.



I do recommend a couple of things for any first timers.



1) Bring sweets, the Cuban selection is rather bare.



2) At the end of your stay, pass on any clothes you don't wish to keep to the Cuban staff. These are very well received, as the likes of a £5 T-Shirt in England represents about 3 days earnings for the average Cuban.



3) Tip, but not too much, their economy can't handle it, there would be massive inflation, ($1 or CuC1 is usual for meal and housekeeping tips).



4) Anti Mozzie stuff is essential!



5) SUN CREAM - I learnt my lesson the first time, you are not in Europe! It is a VERY strong sun. Protect yourself.



6) Enjoy it, and you will come back again!

First of all, Cuba is one of the most colourful and vibrant countries in the world. It is truly unique and the fact that it has been frozen in time is an asset.



If you really want to experience the real Cuba don't go to Cayo Guillermo. You could be anywhere in the Caribbean here.



But if all you want to do is eat, drink and be merry, then this is the place for you.



Though don't expect haute cuisine - Cuba suffered food rationing only a few years ago and it's only just getting back on its feet. The food was edible, occasionally tasty but mostly just edible.



I would urge everyone to tip the friendly and cheerful Cuban staff. They earn about 12 quid a month and every extra peso they get from British tourists is much appreciated. It's only 70p to you but a fortune to them.



We did the Havana trip - which is an awesome place: endlessly interesting, full of life, colour, characters, history and great music.



We did the dolphin trip which my wife wanted to do but I wasn't too fussed. It still feels like these intelligent creatures should be left alone rather than turned into a performing circus act.



We went via Trinidad and Santa Clara, home of the famous Che Guevara monument and museum. The coach was amazingly comfortable but when we went to get off to go to the museum, the guide asked us to leave our valuables on the coach so as not to 'disrespect their national hero'.



Later we discovered that my wife's purse was 100 pounds lighter. We only discovered this when we got back so can't say it happened on this trip for certain, but we are 90% sure.



However this didn't spoil a memorable holiday: we also did things we would never do at home like horse riding, tennis, salsa dancing, canoeing and snorkelling.

This has to be the most beautiful place in the world. Me and my boyfriend stayed in the Sol Cayo Guillermo, all inclusive for 2weeks from 30th Aug - 13th Sept. The price was fantastic. The scenery was amazing and the people were excellent and very friendly.



This hotel is one of a few on the island. This island has no Cuban people living on it. Its a natural park. As it was their winter we had a few light showers but that didn't spoil anyone’s time. It was very hot and the sun was always shining. So we did stay in the pool or down the beach for most of the holiday.



Glass bottom boat is a must! This trip was to snorkel. The fish were amazing, the colours were fantastic. Great experience. Also did the trip on the catamaran - was good but we had a storm over us for half of the trip which being afraid of thunder - wasn't great for me.



The only problem I had was the mosquitoes. I sprayed repellent continuously and had a plug to keep them out of our apartment. This didn't do anything so I came home with over 60 bites. I was told from a family I met, to buy a repellent with deat in it. So next year when I will definitely go back - I will make sure I buy that stuff.



Overall - I couldn't fault this hotel or the location. So relaxing, so enjoyable and the sun and food was great!

This holiday I can honestly say was the best holiday my husband and I have ever had. The island was beautiful and our little bungalow overlooking the gorgeous blue sea was just fantastic.



It was cleaned every day to a very high standard and our maid was very friendly, so much so that we gave her all sorts of gifts when we left (they really do appreciate the smallest of things).



Two members of staff that I particularly remember were Nelson and Elizabeth, both very friendly and helpful.



It has spoiled me for other holidays as nothing can compare.



The only downside to this whole holiday was the lack of anything else to do on the island as there are no towns or shops, just hotels so we had to go on quite a lot of excursions. But this way, we also got to see quite a lot of Cuba. Don't miss the Jungle Speedboats!

The Sol Cayo Guillermo is a fantastic place for a holiday. We are going again Easter 2006, we first went Easter 2002, then 2003, 2005, so this is our 4th trip and definitely not our last.



Everything about this hotel makes it 'the place to be'. I love the colour of the warm sea, the relaxed atmosphere of the place, all of the staff who have become our 'friends' who welcome us each time we arrive and remember us so well.



When our coach first pulls up at the door, we are so 'hyper' to see who we can recognise, and usually it's everyone as the staff stay the same, unlike other holidays, you go back to

expecting it be the same and all the staff have changed and it's very disappointing, but not at the Sol Cayo Guillermo. It is set in time and remains unchanged year after year.



If you want a holiday of a lifetime and keep the best memories ever, you have to visit the beautiful Cayos of Cuba.

The only downside to the entire holiday is the flight. The legroom and width of the seats make for an uncomfortable journey particularly on the overnight return. Neither myself or my partner are particularly large and there where many people on the flight should in the aisles for most of the journey. On the flights we had there was no options to pay the extra for premier seats with more leg room either - but I would recommend paying the extra for the comfort if you have the option!



The rest of the holiday more than makes up for the journey though. Lovely hotel surrounded by beautiful gardens and the most amazing beach. Stunning...



Beautiful beach, amazingly warm gently shelving sea with ample parasols and loungers with nobody sitting either in front or behind you and plenty of space between you and your neighbour - definitely no sitting on top of each other.



The food throughout our stay was plentiful and fresh not always piping hot but not cold. Certainly lots of choice and the buffet has several fresh cook stations.



Rooms large and airy with very effective air conditioning (we even had to get up to turn it down some nights!) Cleaned daily and towels changed often.



All the staff we met at this hotel where friendly and very helpful. The entertainment team put on shows each evening which where entertaining to watch.



Didn't see much of the holiday rep but then we really had no reason to seek him out either.



Elvis at the beach bar remembers what drink you like at which time of day - fantastic, and you barely finish one Cuba Libra before the next one is served.



As we went in June there where mosquito's each evening which are rather annoying but only to be expected in an exotic location. Take plenty of repellent and I also recommend taking pure 100% Tea Tree Oil in mixing this in a carrier cream - they seemed to really hate this!



I also had my birthday whilst we where away and we had a lovely dinner in the A La Carte restaurant where I was presented with a lovely bottle of bubbly - nice extra and helped to celebrate!



We did head off on a couple of trips - The Speedboat trip, this was great, short trip on a coach to a speedboat which you get to drive through the mangroves and lagoon to a snorkelling area - take some bread in a plastic bag as the fish will feed out of your hands! We also did the one day dolphin swimming trip by plane and coach - again an amazing experience and worth doing.



All in all a fantastic holiday and amazing value for money.

We went to Cuba for our honeymoon in October 2004 and were not disappointed.



The island itself seemed slightly strange as we drove to our complex as there does not seem to be much around other than marshland and the odd wild cow roaming around.



Once we arrived at the complex we were absolutely thrilled it was 1st class all the way the foyer was beautifully decorated and so clean you could see you’re face in the tiles. The room was large and airy with its own air conditioning unit, which is an absolute Godsend. The rooms are cleaned regular with new towels every day.



The whole of the complex is immaculately maintained there are always gardeners pruning the magnificent gardens.
The restaurants were fantastic with loads of food to chose from all the time in the buffet restaurant always hot and fresh. It is also a real treat to dine in the international restaurant or the beach restaurant as well.



The beach is to die for it was always clean and fairly secluded as the complex had its own stretch of beach.
I know I am sounding like this is too good to be true but you have to experience it to believe It. Cuba has the friendliest people I have met in all the countries that we have visited, the staff at this complex are fantastic and nothing was ever to much trouble.



We will definitely be going back without a doubt!!

We found this to be a first class resort - so much so that after we had been home four weeks we booked to go in April 2005. The beach was fabulous, always clean, and the sea was to die for.



The accommodation at this resort is good, clean and the maids are lovely girls. In fact all the staff were very polite and willing to assist in any way they could.



The food was always fresh and appetising and the wine at dinner flowed as much as you wanted it to.



The trips we opted to take with our Tour Operator were all very good - my husband and brother in law went on several fishing trips - and actually managed to catch fish!!! - and the four of us went to Havana on the two day trip.



We would recommend that if no other trip option is taken, Havana is a must.



There is a small wooden shack along the beach (facing the sea, walk to your left), which serves fantastically fresh lobster and other seafood at very reasonable prices. We understand there are a couple of other places along the beach to the right but we didn’t find them - will have another look next year.



Can’t wait to return to the Sol and to Havana in 2005.