Beautiful beach

This was our 3rd vacation at Hotel Pelicano and for the most part we were satisfied. The beach was as beautiful as ever and was raked and the seaweed buried daily. As long as you marked your lounge chairs early in the morning you were guaranteed to get a spot if not they were few and far between. Chairs at the pool seemed easier to reserve but not always was there an extra umbrella to keep you out of the sun. The food was good, no one went hungry! At the buffet we had the best waiters Yaimet [... read more] and Pedro who never let our water/wine/coffee go empty and always had our table ready for us. The Ranchero restaurant on the beach was the best for lunch and for a special sunset dinner we couldn't have been better taken care of by Yanni. He is truly a class act. The pool was clean and the activities fun. The shower temperature was hot and the air conditioning worked. The dance/entertainment staff were always friendly and helpful. Our air Transat rep Jose was excellent and booked us in on the sunset Cruise which was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend. Now for the things that we thought needed improvement , The pizza bar although good wasn't as good as it was before, the crust being more like a pita than pizza crust. Communication with the lobby staff was again difficult. There was one young girl who shouldn't be dealing with the public at all and unlike most hotel staff seemed disinterested in her job. We arrived on a Friday night, on Saturday I spoke to the lobby staff to ask for a different hairdryer because the one supplied didnt work. After 3 attempts throughout the week I finally gave up. All in all we had a wonderful trip and will certainly go back.

Great place to enjoy nature!

Hotel, food, drinks all acceptable. We have been here 6 times now and enjoy meeting many of the same stuff each time. The beach is the best one on Cayo Largo. Great place to rest, read and enjoy nature- pelicans, iguanas, starfish and spectacular flowers.

Hotel Pelicano Cayo Largo Cuba... Another great trip to 🇨🇺

Another great vacation. Hotel pelicamo is a beautiful resort . Rooms are super clean staff is wonderful. Food was good. Loved the bbq and pizza. Pool was lovely entertainment staff are so friendly we have made some new friends or Cuban familt. Until we meet again. Miss you all already.

Great resort

I love this resort but there is a major mosquito problem in lower rooms as well as evenings around bar. I would suggest that they dry up the water closets beside the rooms. I would open them to allow them to dry. They are a mosquito magnet. The beach needs to be cleaned up.

There's just something about this place!

We've been here too many times now to recall the actual number. It's true that the infrastructure is ancient, sometimes there's no hot water, the food selection is limited, they run out of stuff rotationally . . . yes even beer or red wine. But we still go back; the rooms are tired but kept really clean. Food selection is sometimes limited but usually cooked very well. There are a lot of repeat guests because the staff are amazing. This creates a real sense of community and belonging. And t [... read more]o top it all off the beaches are awesome! We'll be back again.

Good resort for the money

been several times to pelicano. Aways a good time. No crystal(cuban beer) but Sol(mexican) a good substitute. Staff is friendly. Like walking from one resort to another to check progress each time we come. Ask other tourists how they like resort and most due and would come back if it's their first time.

Meh

the geography is stunningly beautiful. the beaches are nothing short of amazing. highly recommend renting an ATV or scooter and exploring the area. ocean is magnificent and lots of wildlife to see in the water a safe distance from the beach. the resort is tired, dated and weak. the only pool is very old and has a liner that is ripped in more places than one could count. in the places where it is ripped, behind the liner, lots of green mystery goo. no central bar or meeting place, not mu [... read more]ch of a community feel to the resort at all. staff is decent, if you are tipping. if you don't be prepared for the cold shoulder. explored to resorts adjacent to ours and found the conditions and services to be very similar. talked to several couples from other resorts, that were exploring the pelicano or while we were at the other resorts, and they had the exact same experience and feedback as ours. food is decent by Cuban standards, but not great by any stretch of the imagination. the rooms are clean and orderly, but obviously dated. not much effort has gone into the infrastructure and it shows. we went without hot water for 5 of the 7 days we were there. no effort or explanation was made with this deficiency. stairs to our second story room were rikety, borderline dangerous. it's not a bad place, but absolutely overpriced for what it is. we will travel to Cuba again, but definitely not to Cayo Largo

Nice and comfortable. No hot water all week. Workers were friendly and helpful. Rooms were clean. Beach is amaizing. My 6th time here and the food could have been better but always something ok to eat. Pasta bar is excellent.but always a huge line up. Mosquitoes are horrible. I got over 60 bites in each leg. They spray but dosent help. Legs swelled up. Scratched the skin off they are real bad this time. Must bring the best repellant and put it on for the evening. Weather was 27C to 30C no rain for 7 days. .

Not a bad place to go for the price. I would recommend to vacation here for a family vacation. This island has the best beach this year. White sand and lots of it. Beach bar. It was amazing. Green flag every day this trip so good to go for the beach as waves were awsome

The good, and the terrible.

We love Hotel Pelicano - in fact, this was our 4th stay there. The rooms are a generous size, clean, and the beds are comfortable. Having sent a request for a specific room a month or so prior to arriving, we were very happy that we got it! Check in went smoothly, except for the fact that the bus took off with our carry-on bag. The front desk called the Sol (the next stop for the bus, thank goodness), but they really weren't much help. Hubby grabbed a cab and found it at the Sol . Make  [... read more]sure you have counted your luggage before the bus leaves...our bad...LOL! The beach was superb! We stay on the CO side, which has been relocated to the west side, closer to the Sol...not much walking back and forth for exercise! The staff, as usual, were friendly, and a few were still there from our last 3 times. They seemed genuinely happy to welcome us back! Now, the nitty gritty. Why, oh why, can the kitchen not manage to keep the buffet food hot? Is the water under the food trays not kept hot by electricity? Other than our morning omelette, and pasta on our last night, not ONCE did we have anything that was even luke-warm! For breakfast, the "hash browns" tasted like they just came out of the fridge! I can't even comment on dinner! This has certainly changed from our previous visits. We will continue to visit Hotel Pelicano every once in a while, but I think we will start exploring "mainland" Cuba for the next few trips.

Friendly

Amazing resort employee are very nice and will help as much as they can Will return the beach is great white sand Only 10 minutes from the airport Restaurant a la carte are very good The only negative is the should have 2 bars open at night

A great geteway

This was our first trip ever to any carribean resort. It was a lovely experience hotel staff and food exceeded our expections. We felt safe at all times and returned home relaxed. Would love to do it again. Tks to all.

Close to the beach

This was our first time visiting the Pelicano Hotel it was ok, with one good size pool although the liner was ripped in many spots and is in need of replacing. We would have enjoyed having music playing throughout the hotel grounds as it was quiet for large portion of the day including around the pool. The dining facility was disappointing they scaled back to approx 25% capacity with limited food selection. Regardless of the time of year selection should still be there for paying customers.  [... read more] The beach was nice and close to the hotel however the customers from the Sol hotel the next resort down populated a large majority of the Pelicano beachfront so getting a chair was very challenging unless you were prepared to wake up at 4:30am and walk down to get a chair... which we did each morning. The beach staff worked hard to keep it looking good each day (seaweed, garbage removal) however the majority of the Palapas were not set up all week... until you paid for them to be set up. The entertainment was good each meal live music you cannot get better that. I will say the staff was amazing, friendly and funny!

Peace and quiet

We love this resort since it is peaceful and quiet. This is what we need. The only negative aspect is that even though the hotel has been sold in the last year or so, there doesn't seem to be any renovation going on. The hotel is dated and in need of a fresh coat of paint all over. I wish there will be renovations done do this resort in order to continue attracting people and be safe. Pool also needs major repairs.

Great Time

This was our 12th time to Pelicano so that says a lot in itself. The beach is still beautiful and the Ranchon Restaurant beside it still has the great and friendly staff to take care of us. There were some issues with supply problems but nothing we haven't seen before. We go there for the tranquility, beautiful beach and friendly people. The island is supplied by boat so when there is a shortage of something just adapt and enjoy the spot. We have already booked our next trip. John & Sylvie

A little piece of heaven

It has been 6 years since we have been to this resort and we forgot how relaxed it is there. The people are exceptional, beach is amazing, food is good. Although the rooms are clean, the hotel definitely needs updating and reno's. The hotel was full and There are many repeat guests and with proper improvements would only improve tourism in Cuba. We come from ND and this paradise island is one of Cuba's best secrets.

Amazing Beach

This is my third time to the Pelicano I will not return unless some changes are made.It would be so simple for them to fix it up .Examples ; put some fresh paint on the room blocks with room numbers on them , take the palayas/ man made umbrellas that are laying on the left side as you walk to the beach and burn them they are all broken and laying there .It would be so simple while the staff that are supposed to entertain for them to weave or build some umbrellas to sit under that would certainl [... read more]y freshen things up.Get rid of the blue umbrellas they have it spoils the beauty and look of this amazing beach. Could they please bring the real tomatoes and the real tomato sauce back they had at pasta bar.Pizza is awesome . No juice only lemon aid there use to be fresh real juice it was amazing.Tourists should not be allowed to smoke on the beach there should be a smoking section so many french people women smoke it's horrible to come to a beach and smell smoke.No bananas and the butter was bad maybe it sat out too long but it was horrible. Only one dam toaster BUY ANOTHER toaster! They use to have pickles and more variety it's went down hill.Sad ! The coffer is horrible I even brought in stand and asked for hot water it was actually salty tasting they are definitely using there water a boiling it o coukdnt even have a coffee ask for a hot water and taste it. Luke warm water in the shower hardly warm enough to shower so fir what I paid which was high not fair !!!

Respect the waves

This was our first trip to Cayo Largo and we would be happy to return again next year. The hotel is dated (25 yrs old) , but the grounds and the rooms are kept clean. We found all of the staff to be pleasant and helpful. The gentleman at reception and the two waiters in the main part of the dining hall were exceptional. The rooms are average size, with enough storage space for your belongings in case you stay for two weeks. Our bathroom had no tub, but was the shower was updated. We found that w [... read more]ater pressure was good during the day, but weak very early evening. The lobby washrooms were always clean and (usually had t.p.) Fresh beach towels were not always available (not the hotels fault, they are at the mercy of delivery times). We did not eat at the a la carte restaurants , but we can say that lunch at the pool bar/barbeque was always excellent. The buffet at breakfast and dinner always had a wide selection .. for example, our last dinner there had pizza to order, fish on the grill, roast pork, chicken and pasta station. The entertainment at night was okay . The beach is beautiful!!!!! You can walk for miles, but people need to respect how strong the waves/undertow can be. The main pool was kept clean, but I never saw the childrens' pool being cleaned. Two issues which I wish the hotel would look at: 1. the lobby bar has long line ups ..... perhaps open up the bar which is beside the pizza ovens and 2. guests who play the "towel game" .. leaving your towel on the beach chairs overnight and then not showing up until noon hour is just plain rude and inconsiderate of others. This resort/beach is fabulous for relaxing and taking a mental break.

Great staff!

Hotel Pelicano has a spectacular beach that is a joy to see at any time of day. While the resort is showing its age, it is very clean and well kept. The best part of this resort however, is the staff. Every person we dealt with made the effort to be sure we were having a good time. The Pelicano staff could give customer service lessons to lots of service people in North America. The food was pretty much as one would expect at a 3 1/2 star resort. The a la carte restaurants were good, as we [... read more]re the "made to order" food stations (e.g. omelettes, stir frys, pasta, grills, pizza). Definitely a good place to kick back and enjoy the beach and sea.

Hotel Pelicano Cayo Largo

Pelicano Cayo Largo is in much need off upgrade and refurbishment. The Hotel is dated and so are the linens , towels and decor. We were a group of thirteen on a weeks vacation Feb 27 to March 3. The Resort ran out of beer four times in the week which was pathetic. The liguer at the Resort is really nothing to mention couldn’t find a premium brand anywhere . The man made rum cream was disgusting made of some dark syrup with chocolate just awful . Unfortunately tipping was how you would get ser [... read more]ved and I’m not in agreement with this I don’t drink a lot and would prefer to be served in order of how you appear at the bar not because you have a peso hanging in yur hand . The Resort closed the pool bar three consecutive nights early during our stay to accommodate return customers this was rude because we were also paying customers and had to leave the pool bar that we all frequented on these nights so they could wine and dine their return customers. The towel situation is ugly as we didn’t have a beach towel for three days and when we did get them we had a change once after that they never had any clean ones blamed it on the laundry service . The Hola Sun representive was only at Resort for one hour a day between four and five pm this made it difficult to have any issues resolved . We were five couples and only one couple got a king bed the rest of us had two single beds pushed together very uncomfortable I might add . The linen was thin and stained . We occupied the area of 42 and 52 I stayed on the ground floor of 4204 and there was a stench that never left much worse at night . I believe it was the sewage drains that were close by our room it was awful I couldn’t stand the smell daily . A number of us had issues with our room keys wasting our time going back and forth to the front desk to have our keys re programmed . I wouldn’t return back to this Resort . Not sure about the bugs at this time but all of us were covered in bites that would welt up and caused a lot of itching and discomfort . The sand fleas were bad also leaving their ugly purple red marks on our feet . The usual low water pressure and cold water coming out of the archaic plumbing that housed the showers. Only one beach shower worked the others didn’t the same at pool only one worked. The Resort should deside if they want to remain open with better quality Resort or close it down and let tourists like us getter a better bang for our buck .

Disappointing staff

Gorgeous beach! Meals were often better than expected! Hotel is dated but clean and functions well. Staff (about half) were unfriendly. Unhelpful. Served Spanish and Italian speaking people ahead of English people. Not even discreet about it. In your face.