We stayed here Feb 3-17th, this is our 3rd consecutive visit to this hotel, we felt very looked after here indeed!! and would certainly return again!!
ARRIVAL & ROOM: We flew Skyservice, and were able to book the bulkhead with a doctors note due to my husbands knee problem, it made quite a difference in the amount of legroom! When we arrived we were given my requested ground floor room in the 8600 block, I found out the next day that we could have requested the garden view rooms in the 90’s I wrongly thought these were suite rooms as on the map they were pictured differently from the others, when I talked customer relations she wondered, as well ,why I had not requested one of these, anyway a BIG thank-you to the front desk staff who changed us to 9211, it made a huge difference!! The standard rooms here are in blocks of 2 level structures with 4-8 rooms each, the grounds are meticulously maintained We have yet to stay in one of the lagoon rooms as we prefer to stay closer to the beach, they are quite a bit of extra money and we are hardly in our room anyway so to us it was not worth it, but others have said its fantastic to watch the sunsets and to feed barracuda and various fish off your porch if you are on the ground floor!
I’ll just add as well that this is a great resort to go to if you have any mobility problems!!
WEATHER: Not good!! Quite cool and windy, but with a few nice days our first week but absolutely terrible our 2nd week, overcast, cold and windy, beach was getting quite eroded, several beach huts uprooted and on their sides!!, most damage to the Sol Club beach beside the MCC. There was even a cabin cruiser that became caught on the reef just out from the hotel, it completely broke up due to the rough seas so the beach was littered with all the debris
We have been going to Cayo Coco for 10 years always around the same time (first 2 weeks in Feb) and have always had fabulous weather but this is the 2nd year in a row we had a week of disappointing weather, so if we go again in Feb it will be for the mid or last 2 weeks!!
POOL:
Beautiful, but shallow, no swim up bar but a few nice changes this year, there are now little shade huts around the pool all along the side where the gym and sauna are located, These are very pretty lit up at night, and must be great to lie under when the weather is hot!!
RESTAURANTS & ENTERTAINMENT: BEACH GRILL: our favorite place to be!! Daily preparation of whole grilled red snapper ,shrimp or various meats of your choice right by the beach, as well you can order from the main menu, quite decent Spanish wines are served, loved having a glass of rose with my fish This turns into the Cuban restaurant at night, we went twice and quite enjoyed it BUFFET: There are now more tables outside great for us as we prefer to sit there however this year for 4 days they brought the tables inside as it was just too cold!! also many people did not go the outdoor Cuban restaurant (beach grill by day) or the International again due to the weather, so the buffet was quite packed!! Food here quite good they are always grilling something different or will be carving ham, turkeys or fish, good salads made to order along with the usual buffet selections, several nights there were stacks of lobster tails!! INTERNATIONAL: This is the one on the lagoon, I have seen many reports that people have been bothered by mosquitoes, but in the 3 years we have been going it has not been an issue, so Feb must be their off season!! Fabulous service and menu, with strolling classical musicians combined with the red sunsets over the lagoon make for a very memorable evening!! ITALIAN: This is upstairs from the pool snack bar, beautiful view of the pool all lit up at night, menu fairly good here as well You can now have romantic dinners on the hill overlooking the pool where the wedding gazebo is located, these have replaced dinners on top of the little tower by the billiard bar. ENTERTAINMENT Shows every night at the open air theatre quite good but we did not watch many as were usually too tired as we are early risers, no disco here but you can go next door to the one at the Sol Club, it is only a few minutes walk, but again we have never been We were treated to some lovely classical music playing from the wedding gazebo overlooking the pool prior to the shows, we were disappointed that there were no longer any shows in the lobby , as last year we had fabulous singers after the main show was finished, however there was a pianist who played quite regularly in the lobby at night as well as during the day, there were a few new bands which toured to resort but we were glad to see the regulars Audaces de Hoy still there. BARS: BEACH: A little hut with several tables around it, great drinks, best Mojitos here along with almost any thing else, cold Cristal beer always available, great to go a few steps from your lounge chair to get a beverage POOL: good bar here as well along with grilled sandwiches, thin crust pizza, hamburgers etc LOBBY: quite enjoyable many tables and chairs, people would congregate here in the evening or through the day, good cappuccino here as well only thing missing is stools at the bar, you usually order your drinks from the strolling waiters
BILLIARD: This bar is located on the lagoon, it opens at 4 p.m. each day has a few tables inside as well as outside on the lagoon patio, there are 2 billiard tables here as well as a jukebox and video screen this is a great place to hang out after the show!!
DAY AROUND:
For $5.CC you can take the 45 min bus ride to Cayo Guillermo where as guests of the MCC you have full use of the facilities of both the Melia and the Sol Club as well you can use the facilities at the Sol Club Cayo Coco right next door, and the Tryp which is a 15 min walk down the beach , you could also take a taxi or horse and buggy to the Tryp but walking is cheaper and better exercise! The day around only applies until 5 p.m. but there are no other restrictions, you just tell the front desk staff where you are going and they give you a temporary bracelet
STAFF & SERVICE:
Again, absolutely top notch!! management often approaching, asking if everything was o.k.,. all our waiters very attentive, but a special thank-you to our “regular” lunch time waiters Jesus and Manny who have looked after us at the beach grill for the second year in a row!!
DEPARTURE:
Thankfully we booked the VIP lounge!! we were supposed to fly out by 1100 however we were still there at 5 p.m. due to the bad weather in Ottawa. While others had to put up with hard chairs and standing in line for food we were treated to nice couches and a full bar with grilled snacks then a complimentary lunch, all served to us!! Well worth the extra $25 C.C. Anyway due to the severe ice storm we were told we would not be flying out that day so we were loaded up along with our luggage and taken to the Sol Club which is next door to the MCC we were very efficiently registered, given our bracelets and a nice room, I can’t say enough about how well the resort staff coped with this unexpected influx of tired frustrated travelers!! We ended up having a great supper and last walk on the beach, then a short sleep until 0300 when we had to be in the lobby to be taken back to the airport, we were then fast tracked through the airport as we had already been checked in previously, so quite the adventure, but hey, we got to have bonus time in Cuba!!