5th Trip To Cayo Largo

It was 10 years ago we found Cayo Largo and were hooked! We love the beach, the people and the relaxing atmosphere. The staff at the Sol are amazing! they go out of their way to make sure you are happy and are attentive. Many speak multiple languages fluently. The hotel itself is showing its age. Our room had been remodeled - fresh paint, new bed - but the bathroom is in need of a refresh. That said our maid was wonderful and the room was always kept immaculately clean - fresh sheets, fresh towe [... read more]ls and additional pillows. The grounds are beautifully kept. We enjoyed the food - especially all of the fresh seafood available at buffet and the a la carte restaurants. Cayo Largo is not a "resort vacation destination" - Don't go expecting Sandals or Club Med. It is NOT that experience. But you will find no where in the world with a beach as breathtakingly beautiful as on Cayo Largo or with waitstaff and chamber maids as helpful, kind and sweet.

Beautiful Beach

The beach at this resort is spectacular! They also offer shuttle services to nearby beaches which were also beautiful and quite deserted for March break. The buffet could use some serious work, I could not say enough terrible things about it. Even the staff working in it are very cold. That being said there are other restaurants on the resort that have wonderful staff and wonderful food. We ate at the snack bar as often as we could, it turned in to an a la carte restaurant at night. They never t [... read more]urned as away even without reservations and provided spectacular service. The resort itself is beginning to be somewhat dated but is still very clean and the grounds are well maintained. We went because of the beach and we will be going back because of the beaches as well.

Some new issues, still fairly nice

Last year was the best at this resort as numerous improvements had been made. This was our fourth visit. This year there is a new manager and there were some marked deficiencies such as lack of mosquito control (everyone in our party had literally dozens of bites) and there was no running water in the rooms on numerous occasions. On the plus side the staff is marvelous and the food quality seems to have improved. The cost of packages to this resort have also increased significantly (30 to 40%) o [... read more]ver the years. I suspect this is due to its increased popularity as the resort was fully booked.

Relaxing atmosphere at hotel

Clean resort, both in grounds and rooms. The white sand beaches are beautiful. Lots of walking to be done if you want The grills to have your meal cooked fresh were the best. Nice pools but you need to bring your own air mattresses as there are not any there to use The disco could play more Canadian / American music instead of so much Cuban music Their was no Rye in the bar but lots of other liquors to choose from

Tired!

Seventh trip to Cuba, first time visitor to Cayo Largo area. The rooms are in bad need of upgrade or repair. Being so isolated an area the food listed on the menus are not always available and lobby bar area is very small and always overcrowded. The upside is the closeness to the airport, courteous staff, and amazing beach. Can't see us returning.

Good for adult couple

Beautiful ground, decent food and incredible beaches (including clothing optional). Night entertainment is minimal. Gym is very well equipped. Hotel beach is mostly wavy, but there are other beaches, which are calm. It takes 20-30 minutes to get there by hotel "train" or less by taxi (2 CUC per person).

Nice Vacation but some changes are needed

This was our 1st time at Sol Cayo Largo, overall it was nice a resort but does need some changes to be done. Airport-It was great as the airport is only 5 minutes away from the Sol. We took a taxi to the Sol as we wanted to bypass the bus crowd. CHECKIN-Front Desk. Was fast and good It always seems to be a surprise that a plane has landed and a bus full of guests will all arrive at once. Later we found out what the hold up was--THEY WERE OVERBOOKED and sent many people to the Pelicano. This wa [... read more]s disturbing as the Pelicano is NOT the same environment or hotel as the Sol. FOOD--the Pool bar was great and the Pizzas continue to be a highlight for us. The food at El Ranchon was disappointing. The Las Trinas restaurant had better food and the service was great there. We ordered the Carribbean lobster for $20 extra each and it was worth it. The Buffet restaurant food was certainly much hit or miss as there NO EGGS for 1 1/2 days--hard to make a lot of different foods without eggs. The food that was available was good as they had grilled lobsters one night. This opinion was also shared with us by many repeat visitors. The bread and pasta they make is fantastic. Since they cater to 90% Italians we found that the Italian food was very good! Also they ran out of Mint as it had to be shipped over by the main island and we went without Mojitos for 1 day. We are in Cuba but there was no Mojitos??? They also ran out of champagne for Mimosa's one morning. We had to remember that this island had to get everything shipped over by the main island so items were not readily available like at Varadero or Santa Maria. SERVICE--the service in the Buffet was much poorer. It appears that they closed several of the work stations and doubled the number of tables the staff had to clear. Many times we had to ask for water or more wine several times. TOWELS--when we checked in they told us the towels was not available due to waiting for towels. We brought our own towels from home and used them for the beach. When beach towels were finally available they were out again a few days later. I understand equipment fails but they need to communicate to the guests and let them know what is going on instead of continually saying come back later. There was a major equipment failure and the management was not able to communicate this well to the guests. SPA-Was very good and affordable, my other half and I got a couples massage at $25 each and it was very good. GROUNDS-They need to change the net at the tennis court as it currently a volleyball net as we played tennis each day and the ball kept going through the net. BEACH--still one of the best beaches around but not swimmable as the waves are too strong. You are better off going to Paraiso or Sirenas, which are world famous. We also rented a jeep and it was worth it as we toured the whole island and found many private beach coves along the Island. ROOMS--We were told that they are trying to change the hotel to a 5 Star--No signs of that in our room. Our fan was dirty, there was no coffee maker (supplied in Oceanview Premium rooms), The rooms are tired and the bathroom floor and wall tiles have cracks in them. Some days we only got two towels. We were also told that they would be changing this to the Adults Only Resort in Cayo Largo but were not sure if this true. OVERALL- We will return unless but they need to have certain items corrected. Generally the quality of the food, even for a poor country like Cuba, was not acceptable. The staff were great and we had no problems whatsoever as the aim to please. The beaches were great and that is where we spent most of our time. We are very sorry to see this resort in a decline and hope they are able to turn it around soon. Room Tip: Oceanview rooms at the west end have a great view and are all upgraded.

So nice went twice!

After visiting Cuba seven times, this is the first time we have gone to the same place twice. Many of the other places we've been were great but for us this is the perfect place, very much because of what they don't have. This is a very low-key, quiet and small resort. They do have activities but compared to other resorts not a lot. We go to this spot for quiet relaxation. Fewer activities mean less pounding music to put up with (they do have some of this annoying music but it is easy to escape) [... read more] We also don't mind that they have only two a la carte restaurants - we don't go to Cuba for the food and no one should really, it is a break from our usual over-indulgence at home! We love the beach that you can walk for ages in either direction, the water which is always gorgeous, although the water right at the resort it sometimes too rough for me but there are other beautiful calm beaches that are easy to get to by a long walk or a shuttle. Bring water shoes if you want to walk really far, there are some very brief rocky sections. We love that most of the music playing around the resort is Cuban and often in-house musicians and dancers who are very good. The shows we rarely go to but the two we saw were fun, they involve the guests very much which is quite entertaining. We love the staff who are so friendly, you can't walk by one without getting a smile and a hello often asking if everything is ok. Special recognition to Nathalie who does an outstanding job with a big smile all the time. We were made to feel very welcome on our second visit, with a special check in desk, and a special dinner by the pool. Again the food is typical Cuban resort: overcooked, mostly canned fruit & veg but more than enough to keep you full and happy. Prepare for a high protein /low fiber diet, fine for one week! We were pleased to see the resort is investing in improvements around the property with some new walkways being built etc - the property is very clean and tidy at all times. The rooms are clean and tidy I recommend you take an insulated to-go cup for your drink and coffee - they use very small plastic cups for drinks which are terrible for the environment - as you will see, sadly, on the farther afield beaches, there is so much plastic washed ashore, let's each try not to contribute to that. The resort is clearly trying to be environmentally responsible, including providing a turtle refuge to make sure their eggs are protected. We were so fortunate to happen to be nearby when some turtle eggs were hatching and helped them on their journey to the water. We also saw pelicans, storks, eagles. It is a great spot for nature photographers. They will also appreciate that the resort is situated so that you get both sunrise & sunset viewing I really don’t have anything negative to say about this resort but for others it may be too quiet!

The Good, The Bad, But Not Ugly

This was our third trip to Sol Cayo Largo with the most recent being in March of this year. We have been to various destinations in Cuba 11 times over the past 12 years and Sol Cayo Largo is definitely our most favorite resort for the beauty of the island and the friendly staff. From a perspective point of view we are both in our 50’s and do not consider ourselves fussy people with any dietary restrictions. In other words we are easy going and will go with the flow of things so the little thin [... read more]gs that may bother some people will not in any way lessen our vacation experience. Vacation Date: November 17th – 24th. Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds, 80F (26C) to 90F (32C), one cool day 70 F (21C). We believe it might have rained at night a couple of times because the walkways were wet in the morning. There were a few showers on the day we left. No one can control the weather in Cuba any more than you can at home so while we had great weather at that time of the year, it is unpredictable. Arrival: BAD – A large number of travelers on our flight that were headed to the Sol took taxi’s and it appeared that the bus driver had no plan to depart from the airport until the bus was full. A flight from Toronto landed right after we did, so we sat on the bus for 60 minutes waiting for the bus to fill up and it didn’t because many of the vacationers were impatient and ended up getting off the bus and grabbing cabs. Finally someone sitting beside us went out and paid the bus driver $10.00 to leave right away (which he did). It took about 5 minutes to get to the resort. Mental note to ourselves … next time grab a cab. Check In: GOOD – As repeaters and paying for a superior ocean view room, we had a separate check-in area. Room: BAD – We had hoped to be in building 36, 37 or 38 and ended up in 37. We understand that the resort are upgrading the rooms (they need it) and our room is obviously on the list to be upgraded. We booked through TMR via Tripcentral and paid for the Premier Oceanview Room which was to include a stocked minibar upon arrival, rum bottle, beach towels in the room, bathrobe, coffee maker and other items. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and had none of the items mentioned above. Within minutes of placing a call to guest services almost everything was resolved (we never did get the coffee maker). The building was without hot water for almost 24 hours (maintenance had to repair something on the roof of the building). The patio door did not lock on our balcony and if you have someone beside you who was ambitious enough to want to steal, I can see how easy it would be for someone to climb around the lattice fence between the two rooms and pilfer items from your room. I can’t see that happening, but I guess it could. We had great neighbors during our stay so we had no worries. Kudo’s to the staff for following up after any issue that was raised. The Resort and Workers: GOOD – actually this should be an EXCELLENT. The resort is in great shape and everyone always has a smile and will do anything in their power to make your stay a pleasant one. Food: GOOD – the food is outstanding at both the a la carte restaurants and buffet restaurants. In presentations and taste. Hint… do not miss an opportunity to go to the main buffet for lunch. We went to the beach side grill daily until the second last day of our stay and regretted not doing so earlier in our vacation. Greater variety of foods and they even had ice cream. There is no way someone can tell us that they couldn’t find something to eat that would satisfy their taste buds. No See Um’s: BAD – These little tiny mosquitoes are relentless starting about 30 minutes before sundown and well into the evening. They do fog the resort but these critters are hungry. I suspect like here in Canada, the mosquitoes are bad at the beginning of summer and as the land dries up, there are fewer breeding grounds and by the time late summer rolls around there will be fewer bugs. So it is with Cayo Largo. They are coming out of their wet season so the bugs are plentiful. By next March, I suspect that they will not be as bad. Bring bug spray and some after-bite especially if you are visiting during or just after the wet season. We heard through the grapevine that they are planning to close in the main buffet dining room and add air conditioning to help eliminate the bugs and keep the vacationers cool. If true, it’s a great plan but I hope that they make the walls somewhat portable so that they can go back to the open concept during the dryer portion of the season. Overall: GOOD – We love the resort and the people and especially the beaches. We will return but I’m not sure I would book the Premier Oceanview Room next time around.

Great resort!

very clean, good food, nice and wide beach, white sand, resort people very friendly and helpful. You can walk kilometers on the beach, the water is not deep right at the shore, free transfer to another very beautiful and isolated beach.

SUPERB AND QUIET

WE LIKE THIS RESORT FOR ITS FRIENDLY STAFF, SUPERB BEACH, AND GOOD CUBAN FOOD, WITH ITALIAN CHEF IN CHARGE OF KITCHEN. ROOMS ARE CLEAN AND GOOD MAINTAINED. A/C IN OUR ROOM WAS FIXED PROMPTLY. WE HAD TOO MANY MOSQITOES IN THE EVENING AND HORSE FLIES ON THE BEACH, BUT THERE IS NOT TOO MUCH THAT STAFF CAN DO EXCEPT SPRAYING, WHICH THEY DO EACH EVENING. TURTLES AND THEIR NESTS ARE UNIQUE. WE WOULD RECCOMEND MORE FIXED UMBRELLAS - PALAPAS, AND EVEN BIG ONES LIKE IN FRONT OF HOTEL PELICANO, ON THE BEA [... read more]CH SO WE CAN HIDE FROM THE SUN BETTER. FREE BICYCLES AND PORTABLE UMBRELLAS ARE GOOD IDEA INDEED. WE LIKED LIVE MUSIC IN THE MORNING, LUNCH AND DINNER PERFORMED BY MIRIAM AND HER BAND, THEY ARE GOOD - CORAZON LATINO. ENTERTAIMENT GROUP I GOOD TOO. MY WIFE WOULD LIKE AFTERNOON TORTAS , SWEETS- BIG CAKES, LIKE WEDDING CAKES WE HAD IN MEXICO EVERY AFTERNOON AROUND FIVE, WITH TEA OR COFFEE. THAT WOULD ADD A NICE TOUCH TO WHOLE DAY. WE KEEP COMING TO THIS RESORT BECAUSE WE FEEL TO BE A PART OF THE FAMILY. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN.

Went with very little expectations to have amazing

With great company, amazing beach, great unlimited drinks and smiling faces around the hotel, clean room --- what can you ask for cheapest vacation all inclusive for a week? If there were no other places on my list, I would come back! Actually, we booked another Cuba vacation for January because of this experience. Please do not go there if you want five star restaurants and amazing room. We went for the WHITE sand, sun (in September) and we got it!, wave at the hotel beach, but pool was beautif [... read more]ul (used it in the eves for a short time); but shuttle took us every morning to Playa Paraiso and Sirenas (free) with lunch box (from hotel booked night before) and thermoses filled with "spiked" triple drinks and we got palapa and chairs NO problem. Most special: FREEDOM on the beaches! clothing optional, enjoy staying in the water, let the fish swim around you, take pics of the star fish in a shallow water... walk for miles and may run into another person or not... but let your partner pinch you to check if this is for REAL... we may have to go back to verify :) I got few bites (not sure what it was), so bring some stuff in the rainy season. Don't let the rain scare you away, for us it poured for few minutes after late dinners and one night bad storm, but it was amazing to watch through large balcony doors/glass wall.... too cold to run in the rain at the beach, but we tried. Be a kid and forget fancy table cloth and cutlery and dressing up... enjoy nature and local hospitality. Shows was very good and not too long. Not a place for singles, or party animals, unless you bring your own party. We loved it the way it was. Thank you TripCentral for the offer on the net. Direct flight, 10 min bus ride to hotel and room was waiting at 11am for us :) On the way back, we stopped for 1 hr at Santiago de Cuba and that became long trip, but crew from CanJet was great.

Sol club cayo largo

This is the first time I have been to Cuba. The vacation did not start out the best as our room wasn't ready and they kept saying come back in 1/2 an hour. Well 3 hours later... But the resort was very nice and the staff was exceptional. Food was very good.

Loved it!

Absolutely the best place we have stayed in Cuba. The resort was great - easy to get to being 5 minutes from the airport. Beach was fantastic (a little choppy at times). Surprisingly the food was good too with lots of choice. Definitely go back there.

Excellent resort

The resort is not too big, the vegetation is very well maintained, the rooms are clean and the service is very good. The staff is very polite and always trying to help you with a smile. However the food and drinks are below average, but it is Cuba. The two big pools are very clean, and there is a swim up bar. The beach is super, probably the best in the carribeans. It is the best beach for the naturists.

Excellent place to relax and unwind

We stayed here July 2013. It was great to have an airport on the island and only on the bus about 10 minutes to the Resort. Staff was very friendly and helpful, rooms were very clean as well as the grounds on the resort. Food was very good, lots to choose from and something for everyone. It was awesome to sit on the beach all day and enjoy that gorgeous view. We had an awesome time there!