More than I expected

I normally stay at the higher star rated Melia next door. This resort was better than I expected, the rooms were older but larger, the washrooms were always spotless and the staff very friendly and accommodating. The only draw back, they tried the experiment of inviting local Cubans to the resort, who had no idea what was expected of them. The buffet became a shambles, the toilets were left dirty and the pool area was one large waste bin. Guest services had to apologize to the other visitors fo [... read more]r the lack of food. They admitted what happened was a surprise, and said they would be reviewing this change of policy and it shouldn't happen again. I would advise visitors to check if the resort is open to "a conference" before they book , if it is restricted to guests they should enjoy this resort.

Good resort

My first time at this resort, overall pretty good, but needs some improvement on managing the restaurant at lunch/dinner peak times. Very good food with lots of options. Public areas clean and well maintained. Room was nice. We were first offered a brand new renovated room with oceanview, unfortunately we couldn't stay there because the door wasn't locking; a guy tried to fix it, but we decided to change the room since the safe wasn't working either, so we were moved to another room without prob [... read more]lems. The balcony doors don't have screens, so you can't keep the door open to get the fresh breeze. During our stay the wind was blowing like crazy, but it didn't bother us - kept bugs away so it's first time I came from Cuba without mosquito bites :) Kids were well looked after and entertained by the friendly entertainment crew.

Disappointing

Staff was short through out the resort, the housekeeping was slow getting done, always short on towels, the shower drain was slow causing an odour to come up the sink drain, then the seal leaked around the toilet causing water on the floor, it wasn't,t corrected other than to have them wipe the floor up, only to have it happen again. Everyone seemed to be having problems with the safe, tv in room didn't,t work for the first 4 days then replaced, . The staff was very friendly in the buffet, and t [... read more]he bar staff were great. The food was very good as well, plenty of variety. This resort could be a great resort to visit again if some TLC was taken to look after it.

Total disappointment

-slow checkin -no escort to room in dark or help with bags - got lost with luggage @ 12 am. we were furtherest building from lobby -fridge didnt work -tv had bad signal and sometimes unwatchable -not enough pool or beach chairs - we struggled every day. refused to be one of those people that puts a towel on a chair at 5 am and uses the chair for couple hrs out of day! -no hot water for showers -line up for dinner buffet - obviously not enough room in buffet for all bookings -snack bar bad and no [... read more] selection -worst food had in cuba -lock bad on room - struggle to get in room -lights burnt out on path near our room. dangerous at night -had no sheets one day. staff removed all bedding from beds then never came back with clean sheets. had to call them 2x to get update. -cardboard from new fridges laid on walk path for 4 days before cleaned up

Terrible resort

The beach and the staff were great. The resort was terrible our room smelled like mold. Dirty everywhere,cockroaches, got bite galore by bedbugs, when we got home we ended up putting our clothes in a garbage bag in the garage and taking them out to be laundered and threw out our suitcases cause we were afraid of bringing any bedbugs in the house. We ended up getting sick from the food or by the lack of being clean in the buffet area. The guy cooking the meat at one of the grills was a recipe for [... read more] a cross contamination disaster. The dining tables had theses runners going across them that were just moved over when they cleaned the table so whatever fell on them would be left for the next people sitting there with the new cutlery and a napkin right ontop. It's a shame really. We love Cuba and try to visit somewhere new every time we go, unfortunately this is the first and last time we go to a Sol Cayo Guillermo.

Amazing beach

Needs renovations. Good if you get a low price. Beach is amazing clear water very shallow. Food was ok lots of selections. Service was excellent all the staff outstanding. Room is outdated but everything worked fine.

Great resort for Cuba on a budget!

They rate this resort as a 3.5 star and it is all that and more! We went to Veradero last year to a 3.5 star (Punterena Celeta) and that one should have been condemned. We thought we would give Cuba another try and we are happy we did! Although this is an older resort that needs some attention, the staff is excellent to see to your needs and correct any problems. The beach is as good as Bavaro beach in Punta Cana, although it is quite windy. There is a tide there, so you can walk a long ways out [... read more] before you get past your knees. The piers along the beach are an interesting hangout with lots of beautiful fish beneath it. There is no longer a pier in front of this resort but Sol Melia next door has one and its a short walk. Playa Pillar is a close bus ride away(7km) and a beautiful picture perfect beach! The food at this resort is more than satisfactory (given that is IS Cuba afterall). Lots of variety and the line ups are not too bad. The A La Carte dining is great too. The quality of the drinks depends on which bar you go and which bar tender you get. Try them all! The nightly entertainment is ok but repeats every 10 days.There is riffle shooting every day, tennis courts, ping pong tables and use of kayaks, paddle boats and snorkel/fin sets all at no charge. There is also a playground/nursery for the kids and lots of pool side activities for them. The nicest thing we found about this resort was the low noise level. There is a disco but it is built away from the rooms. We were in room 211 and couldn't hear any noise at all. It was a bit of a long walk to get to the pool/buffet area but the added exercise didn't hurt us! And NO elevators to fight with!!! A few Cons of this hotel would be: The pool is not very deep anywhere. The internet connect is not great (at least for me) We had to ask every day to get that free bottle of water for the room. The grounds are not cleaned of fallen branches often enough The hot tub was not working. Very low water pressure for room shower...almost a trickle My bed frame was broken on arrival(but was replaced) We had no remote for a/c but told to use breaker switch for on/off Remote for tv did not work and reception was terrible. But overall we feel this is a great place to spent a few weeks in Cuba! (Just as a side note: I did leave my sunglasses and a sweater in the dining area and there were never seen again. So don't leave things unattended. We opted not to use their room safe and just locked our suitcases. And everything was fine there)

Very Dissapointed :o(

My husband and I stayed at Sol Cayo Guillermo March 3-10...the resort needs a MAJOR upgrade!! Room was good for Cuba but our toilet didnt flush and the sheets were stained. Line-ups to the buffet was horrible! 1/2 hour or more wait...supper was the worst as it only started at 7pm. Chairs at the pool and beach were next to impossible to get if you didnt "claim" them at 6am! There was only ONE blender on the whole resort so if you wanted any kind of frozen drink then you'd have to once again ge [... read more]t in line at the lobby bar. The beach is very nice though! Best part of the resort but it was very windy. The staff is friendly and always smiling even when people complained. I've been to Varadero, Cayo Santa Maria, Holguin and Cayo Largo and I have to be honnest and say that it was the worst resort :o( I hate writing bad reviews cause the people of Cuba are the best but this resort just isnt worth the money.

Amazing it's still in business

A very misleading brochure for this resort. It said 24 hour snack bar, not so, no food available after 10 pm and nothing before 7:30 am. It was our 3rd year in a row and our last Im sure. This resort seems ok for folks with young children or seniors that don't expect too much.

Pretty nice, but not great.

The beach is beautiful, but overall the resort needs some maintenance/repair. I think why we were disappointed was because we went to visit the Sol Cayo Coco for part of a day and it's so much nicer and I recall the price was about the same as the Cayo Guillermo. I wish we had of booked there instead.

Great staff but needs a facelift

This hotel is a bit dated but they seem to be doing renovations and redoing the grounds. The staff are excellent and they really go the extra mile for you. Food is good for Cuba and it's not a very busy busy resort because it's a bit smaller. The beach is beautiful and on a calm day you can walk out for hundreds of feet in warm shallow water.

Pleasantly Pleased

There was an amazing array of blooming flora all around on my recent stay at this resort, and from the gardeners always attending to some part of the grounds, I was able to learn the name of many unfamiliar plants. The public gathering areas were constantly attended to, being swept and washed, as were the public bathrooms. My room was very near to the ocean and close to the pool and buffet area, with many pathways leading to all areas of the resort. Always had hot water, no electricity outages,  [... read more]and any issues with a clogged drain or other minor issue was promptly corrected, and management called to check that the work was done to satisfaction. I found there was a large array of food choices at meal times, the food was good, the homemade bread was delicious and very often still warm from the oven! My only complaint would be that I personally would love that the coffee be available at all meal times. :) I found all staff members most helpful, eager to assist, direct, and do their best to make my stay comfortable, and always with a warm smile. The quality of the nightly entertainment was a pleasant surprise, ranging from comedy to darker theme, with high quality dancers and gifted entertainers.

Never going back again.

Its our 12th time in Cuba, 4th in Cayo Coco and first time at the hotel Sol Cayo Guillermo. Negative points : there is NO customer service, there is no manager (the manager lied and said he was a taxi driver at first, then he didnt new anything about the schedules the hours of operations etc. nothing was well organized NOTHING. We didn't have clean shower towels for 3days in a row, had to call for water bottles everyday, service is extremely slow, they had no beach towels after 1pm, there was mo [... read more]re clients than fourniture, some rooms didnt have beds, tv's, blowdryers etc. The buffet was too small for the amount of clients, food was bad, 95% of the workers didnt seem to want to be there, always looking for tips, anyways nothing to make us valuable, welcomed, appreciated. Positive points : beach is amazing. So if you want a nice beach with no customer service no room comfort no good food no happy workers its a good choice. I think it was our last trip to cuba or next time well try a new "5 star" hotel. We only went there because all the reviews i red were 4 and 5*, a lot of people were disapointed and had the same opinion as us. Just trying to make you save money and invest it in a better trip.

Disappointed by the resort.

The rooms. Very old but expected. I did not expect the aweful smell in the room. Very musty and moldy and the smell did not go away. Shower was like a pressure washer, no shower head. Patio doors would not lock. They moved us after 3 days to another room, much better. Staff very nice. Food not so much. Beach amazing, best thing I can say about the trip. Sunwing rep needs to be replaced, very rude and not helpful at all.

Very nice and comfortable

The place is outstanding the only negative is you get there before noon but you have to wait until 4pm to get to the room it is the fault of air canada not the Hotel I will surely recommend and go there again

Wonderful resort

Clean, quiet nice people--everyone wanting to please you. Beach beautiful. Food and drinks good. It is a small resort that we really relaxed at. Saw lots of improvements being made while we were there. Hoping to go back next year.

Typical Cuban Hotel

Staff worked very hard keeping hotel and grounds very clean. Excellent job I have to say. Food was edible nothing special. Exactly the same buffet every day.Don't upgrade to a more expensive room. They are all the same. 60,s vintage. This trip did it for us. Last trip to Cuba. Not worth the money. We just booked a trip through West Jet to the Dominican in April

Great week @ a good price.

Food was better than we expected & the beach is fabulous. Average room we booked was not acceptable; we changed the next day to an ocean-view & were very happy.The Cuban people are wonderful; friendly & helpful.

Meh.

The resort is ok. Just ok. There are some great points, such as the demeanour of some staff, but mostly, it's subpar. The rooms were old, musty, and the air conditioner was loud and leaked, even though we put in service calls. The room doors (at least ours) didn't seem secure, and the safe in the room costs extra, so it almost felt like a money grab. The showers were hit and miss. Ours was fantastic... Lots of hot water and great pressure, but some rooms had almost no pressure whatsoever). The  [... read more]grounds leading to the rooms were often littered with garbage. Some of this garbage (plastic bags, cups from the bar, cigarette butts, empty bottles) were in the same spots for the entire week of our stay, and when it was time to cut the grass, the garbage was just cut up rather than removed (yuck). The food was as to be expected in Cuba. We always chose fresh, made to order options when possible (omelettes, pasta, stir fry). Fresh fruit was good. The "24 hour" snack bar was anything but 24 hours! It was opened sporadically through the day, and often was very under stocked, and so very limited. Drinks were ok. The beach is fine. Compared to the resorts neighbouring the Sol, it really was nicer an most in the area. In the winter, the tides bring a lot of sea grasses, etc., but not too much can be said about that. It is close to Pillar Beach, and we took advantage of a cheap ride from the resort. Excursions are the same for most Cayo Guillermo/Cayo Coco resorts. All in all the experience was "meh". Not enough to make me want to return,but not so bad that I wished I hadn't gone.

Ok vacation

We advised the hotel I had a hip issue and we were given a room at the extreme end of the resort. The door was so difficult to open to our room my daughter had to throw her weight into the door to get it open. They didn't have a new room for us closer until two days later. The food was so so and the staff didn't give you good service unless you tipped well. Didn't feel we got good value for the money.