Varadero, Sol Cayo Coco Review

Overall Rating

Painless check in

Under staffed
Bad choice of food
Staff go there on their day off

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 couldn't 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.

Members' Comments onKevin Harrison's Review

• biddy on 4th Jan 2004

  What? This is so not what we (a group of 9) found in March 2003. No staff were allowed unless they were on duty. Food was mediocre at worst, often good. This tends to be the norm for Cuba. Staff went out of their way to be helpful, pleasant and respectful. The beach has beautiful white sand, and clear crystalline water. Our 3 year old could sit at the edge ands watch the tropical fish. We snorkelled and didn't see any sea weed.
  We used our initiative and put a video shop card in the slot to keep the airconditionier on and it was quite satisfactory (& I'm an A.C. junkie).
  The swimming pools were never crowded.
  The babysitting staff could not have been more accommodating and our bar staff and waiters looked after us like we were the most important VIP guests.
  The trips were soooo reasonably priced and the deep sea fishing boat ($250 for 8 people) was amazing and the people who took us attended our evry need, including allowing us an unchartered snorkelling trip. We took some of the fish we caught back to the hotel and (once the hotel doctor had OK'd it) the chef prepared and presented it to us deliciously that night.
  It is well known that you take off a star when visiting Cuba (it IS a communist country after all, so a four star is more like a three star, however, this is well off set by the dirth of our American friends!
  Within our group, we had people who'd travelled to Bali, Mexico, Goha, Mombassa, France...... the general concensus was that the beaches were the best! We loved the palm thatched beach umbrellas; the garden staff who'd get fresh coconuts of the trees for us.
  We found the Cubans friendly, proud of their country, respectful without being subservient.
  We all loved it!

• feenee on 12th Aug 2004

  This is really not fair. For a start the hotel isn't anywhere near Varadero- it's on Cayo Coco which is many 100's of miles away. Staff are only allowed on the beach, not the pool, and we saw the security staff patrolling to keep it that way. The food is wonderful and we have been for a total of 4 weeks now. There is another, very beautiful, bay next door which is used by the Cubans and they don't seem to object to the tourists using it... it is their country!

• 145 on 22nd Jun 2005

  totally agree beachs brill, water sport wicked , hotel never a 4 star more like 2 star found it dirty in many places and since found out the name use to be sol club but had so many complaints name was changed problem is things have not, would never recommend this hotel

• feenee on 23rd Jun 2005

  Think we might be talking about 2 different hotels here. The hotel is still The Sol Club at Cayo Coco
  Maybe there is another at Varadero and this site has them confused?