Sol Cayo Santa Maria 2002

Part 1: Getting There!
As I mentioned yesterday we would deal with the flight 1st and then get on to the good stuff.

[Derek: I should add that I almost wish we could do this backwards. The flight bits were/are the worst. The resort experience itself was very positive, to the point where Geri and I are already talking about returning next year (our February trip is already booked elsewhere). DO NOT LET THE NASTY BITS BELOW TURN YOU OFF CAYO SANTA MARIA!! Read the whole report before making up your minds.]

FLIGHT:

We arrived at the airport about 4:20 am. The info provided contradictory information. It mentioned in one area that we should be at the airport 3 hours in advance of departure but in another part of the info provided it mentioned that the Air Canada ticket agents would be on the desks at 5:00 am. The desks were opened when we arrived and since we had prebooked our seats we were in no rush to get through the line. We had heard on the radio on the way to the airport that the 21st of Dec would be the busiest day of the year. We were very pleased to see that the lineups were not extensive and moved along quite quickly. The ticket agents were wearing buttons (I managed to get one) that read WELCOME Aboard our Inaugural Flight Winter 2002-03 Air Canada Vacations. Someone in the line said the flight was delayed by one hour and so would be leaving at 7:30 instead of 6:30 am. I confirmed that with the agent and she said yes, they had to tow a different plane over to our terminal as the scheduled plane had mechanical problems.

[Derek: I had checked with Air Canada the day prior to the flight about 15:00 and there was no word of any delay at that point]

We waited in the departure lounge until 9:15 when our flight finally took off. There was no offer of food or coffee and the lounge got quite crowded as other flights were leaving from the same area.

[Derek: I have always preferred Air Canada flights to just about anything with the possible exception of Air Transat’s first class. The seats give you far more room than any standard charter airline’s seats. The service is better and the food superior. And, unlike AT’s first class, it doesn’t seem to cost anything extra. On this flight the booze was free on the way down, perhaps because of the delay. I couldn’t say if that was true on the trip back as I wasn’t interested and forgot to ask for report purposes.]

It was an uneventful flight and we arrived in Santa Clara by 12:30 pm. It is a very small airport and certainly not equipped to deal with a large group of people. We got through customs and went to get our luggage and realized very quickly what a nightmare it was going to be.

There was one person unloading luggage and there was no carousal. Suitcases came out one at a time. There was a customs agent checking the bags behind the curtain and if there was a bag he wanted to check everything shut down, he came out front and waited until the person to claim the bag and then took him away to check through the bag. In the meantime no more luggage came out because he was not there to see it go through the x-ray machine. When he would finish with that bag he would go back outside and the bags would start again. It was very frustrating, because at the beginning, he was checking 1 out of every 5, or so it seemed. It was 2 ½ hours for all to get the luggage. You could not go outside in the meantime and for those who did go out they could not get back in. It was a very small area and so the one man who was taking the luggage off, had to line it up and people were stumbling and tripping over luggage to get to their own and then struggle to get it out past the other bags and the people still waiting for theirs.

There was no where that one could get a drink of water or use the facilities. They had set up a beer tent thing outside but we were unable to go out until you had all of your luggage.

[Derek: I had the sense that everyone was new with the exception of the Customs officer who was checking the incoming luggage. The Customs officer who wanted to look at my carry-on (I had a magnum of champers in it) was certainly just out of school as he was being checked by another officer and told what to ask me for etc.]

[Frankly, it was a terribly frustrating experience. Had we known in advance one of us could have stayed and waited for the luggage, the other (also known as the winner of the coin-toss!) could have gone outside and read a book, (from start to finish!) and had a beer in the sun. That would be my advice for any couple or groups travelling to CSM. Have a designated luggage-catcher and the rest of you head out to the beer tent.]

[A little advance warning would have made it a much more pleasant, or at least less annoying, experience.]

[And, to be fair, there are plans both to expand the existing airport’s facilities (it is designed for domestic flights to and from a medium-sized Cuban city) and to give CSM access to the airport at Cayo Coco...more on that later.]

Another solution that I would consider, especially if going for one week, is to have only carry on luggage. You are allowed one carry on and one piece of personal baggage. That could be a carry on that fits under the larger Air Canada seats as well as a nap sack. You would not then have to wait for luggage and could be outside and get a front seat on the bus. You would still have to wait for everyone else but at least you could have a beer and get a seat on the bus with the toilet.
There were 3 or 4 buses waiting to take us to the resort and only one of them had a toilet.

The authorities had arranged for a police escort for the trip to the resort. They went in front of the bus with sirens going and ordering all other vehicles over to the side so the busses could pass without slowing down.

[Derek: the escort was more important than you might think since the roads you travel on go through several small villages where the bus needs to be routed through side streets so that it can avoid corners impossible for a vehicle of that size. As well, the traffic on the main roads was fairly heavy and had we not had the escort, we’d have spent a great deal of time in line behind the odd horsecart waiting for the opposing traffic to let up enough for us to pass.]

[Perhaps most importantly, unless Cuban motorcycle cops are in some fundamental fashion different from motorcycle cops everywhere else in the world, the escort gives them all a chance to exercise their sirens and authority over the road! :-)]

The trip is 11/2 hours to the resort and it is an interesting ride. It goes through several towns and the causeway. We arrived at the resort about 4:30 and there was a welcome committee but not too many happy faces in the crowd. It made for a very long day. 12 hours from start to end.

[Derek: I felt sorry for the welcoming committee (a band and many of the staff) since all I wanted at that point was access to a toilet. I think I was no more than the third off the bus and I zipped right past the welcome. I don’t think there were many who stopped to enjoy the music and the greetings. There was a race to the toilets and those not lucky in that headed right for the front desk. I had a chance to see the welcome later and for another arrival, and in a better mood and with a less insistent bladder I would have found it warm and charming. I just hope that the look on my face when I arrived wasn’t as intense as the looks on the faces of those who came while I was watching. Kinda scarey to have those faces in a herd heading in your direction, to tell the truth!]

They served drinks and some food as well. I spoke with the Public relations the next day and she said it is quite discouraging when people arrive and they are so unhappy. I explained to her the delay and the lack of facilities and that people were concerned to get to the room and deal with the discomfort. She did ask what they could do to im prove but I said unless they could convince the airport authorities to increase the staff for the tourist flights, it would remain a problem until the airport grew into the tourist industry.

The flight home was less eventful as well as less stressful. The size of the airport is problematic because there is not room for everyone to wait once they are through customs and waiting for the flight. We were lucky that we were in the 1st bus and at the front of the line and able to get a seat outside on the patio. There were 8 tables outside and some standing room. At the small bar there were no tables and perhaps 8 stools. In the main lounge there were seats to accommodate perhaps 50 or 60 people.

There was a bathroom with 2 stalls and no toilet seats.

[Derek: On the up side, the snack bar had cans of Buccanero (not available at any resorts these days, but my favourite Cuban beer) at 70 cents a can (Cubans know how to price alcohol: cheaper at the airports where you need it more!). On the down side the ‘shop’ was more of a small counter. One couple we knew had deferred their planned purchase of 2 bottles of premium Havana Club to the airport and discovered the ‘shop’ had only one bottle of Mulatta Silver on sale. I advise buying your rum etc. at the hotel.]

The flight was about 1 hour late leaving but a good flight home. When we arrived at customs there were lineups to the door. It took more than an hour to get through customs. The good news was that our luggage was waiting for us when we got to the carousal. We managed to cause a delay however by forgetting one of our bags and had to wait for someone from customs to escort Derek back into the area to retrieve it.

[Derek: Ahem. Geri’s being kind. I was the one who forgot the bag. In my defence, it was the bag with the dirty laundry in it.]

[Yes, it seems that this trip, though thoroughly enjoyable in between flights, was doomed to be the trip from hell when it came to the travelling bit. In retrospect I am extremely happy we decided to defer any excursions until our next, longer, visit to CSM. Had we taken a bus tour I am sure we would have spent an afternoon in a ditch. Had we, as planned, rented a car to visit Santa Clara, I’m fairly confident we’d have come home in boxes. Our executor could have had the pleasure of dealing with Pearson’s luggage ‘system’ (I use the term loosely). :-)]

We were home by 4:30, another long day.

General layout,

Rooms are contained in 1 and 2 story buildings spread out from either side of the main lobby and administrative building. As you get of the bus and enter the lobby the front desk is to the right and the admin offices are behind it. The PR desk is right beside the front desk.

The lobby is quite long and has a sunken area with couches and wicker chairs with cushions. They are quite comfortable. At the end of the sunken area which is to the left of the entrance there is a waterfall that cascades down decorative tiles. At the end of the lobby is the Air Canada desk, then a walkway to the rooms.

[Derek: the lobby is quite comfortable and has what I call 'wind blinds' that keep the breeze out on the windiest of days. It's one of the few lobbies I found handy and comfortable for sitting around in with a coffee, the other being the TCC's 'Club side' lobby (but only on calm days).]

If you walk through the lobby toward the ocean the lobby bar would be to the left. It has tables and chairs as well as bar stools and is open 24 hours a day and drinks, water, coffee and snacks are available. It is called the Santa Maria Patio Bar.

To the right is the store with rum and soft drinks a few choices of crackers, and biscuits, as well as chocolate bars and coffee. They have some cigars but not a large choice. There are also some t-shirts and bathing suits and cover-ups.
Next is the beauty parlour, never saw anyone in there including anyone working, but didn’t ask.

Next to that was the disco. It is quite small but more than large enough for the size of the resort. It has a bar and tables and a dance floor. It also has a pool table. We never made it that late, as it doesn’t open till after the night show about eleven. We did talk to some people who attended and they said it was fun and they had dance contests.

Next in that direction was the buffet. Las Taguascos, more later.

From there, there are paths to the rooms.

In front of all these buildings was the meandering pool. It is similar to the pools at the Tryp. There is a pool bar in the centre but it is not a swim up. You must get out of the water to get to the bar. There are stools at the bar if you want to sit. There are deep and shallow areas in the pool. IT is quite large and there are many, many chairs. There were always chairs available no matter what time of the day you went to the pool. No one left towels in the morning as there was no need.

[Derek: there is one section of the pool whih is extremely shallow and which has a little 'island' in the middle with chairs on it. It's directly in front of the buffet restaurant - I know because I used it one day to cool off when for some reason the a/c in the buffet was off during breakfast!]

NOTE: towels were available from the activity centre, which is located across the pool from the buffet. The give you the towels with a voucher and you could change them daily. At the end of the week you turned in the towels and got a receipt to use at checkout.

Going straight ahead from the lobby with the pool on the right, the pool bar kinda overlooks the band shell where the nightly shows are held. It is a large area with a permanent stage and permanent light standards. There are rows of chairs set out to watch the show and you could watch it from the pool bar as well.

Walking to the left of the lobby bar the 1st bldg is the Piano Bar. It is a beautiful room with a bar and tables and comfy, whicker chairs. The orientation is held there and in the evenings a woman plays the piano. She is a great pianist and we enjoyed her each evening before dinner. Drinks, including wine are available. The building is surrounded by a pool with stones and flowers in it as well as a few gold fish. It is very pretty as well as relaxing.

[Derek: the thing I liked most about this room was that it was glass on three sides, though quite large. And the chairs were comfie enough to sit around in and read, enjoying the music at the same time.]

A little past the Piano Bar and to the right of the path is the baby club, well appointed with many colourful toys etc.

Next to that is the gym, which includes the massage room. The gym has a treadmill (not working) Derek went everyday and so I will let him describe the gym.

[Derek: It was better than the TCC's as most of the equipment was not only fairly new, but worked well enough. The more complicated (why do they buy these???!!!) mahines were predictably broken and not likely to be fixed for some time. But the simple (who needs more?) stair climber, the bikes and the weight machines all worked fine. There are lockers with keys and shower rooms. All clean and in good shape. One problem for those who like going to the gym mid-day: no a/.]

I had a massage on the Sunday to help me over the trip. It was fine. A cover was not provided and the massuesse was male. I do not have a modesty problem and he was professional but some may find it a problem. I was actually asked by someone if he covered you while he did the massage. It can be disconcerting if you are having a full massage. I would bring my towel and just use it if I were to have a full massage.

Across from the gym is the Italian Restaurant, La Fontanella. More later.

Behind the restaurant are the tennis courts, available for night use as well.

Then you are into the area of the rooms. There are paths to all of the areas of the resort and they are very comfortable to walk on even in bare feet. There are raised wooden walkways to the beach throughout the resort. There is a large stretch of natural vegetation between the rooms and the beach. It is quite a long but pleasant walk. For ecological reasons the area has not been disturbed during construction and will continue to be protected. There are no rooms on the beach but there are some with a view of the beach and the ocean. The entire resort is much less manicured and deliberate than the Cayo Coco sites. There are flowers that have been planted but it is a much wider look for the most part and it was deliberate.

There are a few more buildings I will mention for location purposes only at this time.

At the very east end of the resort on the beach is the dive centre. It is at the end of the rooms in the east and is reached via a wooden walkway. (More later)
East of the pool and situated on one of the walkways is the Los Cocos, Creole restaurant. (More later)

North of the pool and on the beach is the La Picua beach grill. It is very much like the Hemmingway’s Grill at the Tryp, that we loved so well. (more later)

Near the west end of the resort and towards the beach but actually amidst the rooms is the Los Flamencos Cuban Club. It is a fun bar with high tables and stool, a grill, a hot tub, lounge chairs, shade and sun.

The rooms are all 1 and 2 storey buildings built on pilings and so there are no rooms on the ground. This prevents any musty smell. The rooms are the nicest we have seen. The beds are very firm and comfortable. The rooms are decorated with a tropical theme. The wall to wall window allows maximum sunlight but the 3 layers of curtain allow you to choose the amount of light you want. It can be as dark as night if you wish a nap during the day.

Sliding glass doors lead to a large balcony with decorative wood framing around the perimeter. Our’s looked into a group of trees and shrubs that afforded us complete privacy from anyone walking on the paths. It was adjacent to the balcony for the room next door and was a bit of a problem given there was no privacy curtain between the balconies and if we were sitting on our balcony, we could not only see into theirs but into their room as well. I solved that problem by hanging our travelling clothesline from one side to the other and hanging the bedspread from it with safety pins. It worked very well and the maid left it there.

The room had a desk with 2 drawers, and a chair, a very large bench for the suitcase, a table and 2 rocking chairs. They were cushioned and very comfortable. There were also 2 bedside tables with 2 drawers each. It was a very comfortable large room and we loved it. It was well lit with several options. A ceiling light with a fan. 2 bedside laights, 2 lights above the desk and a floor lamp. There’s a large closet with 4 drawers built-in, plus a safe (no charge).

[Derek: the short hall from the bedroom to the bathroom continues past the bathroom and leads to a connecting door to the room next door. From talking to other guests I gather this is standard feature and a nice touch for those travelling either with kids or in a group. At other Cayo hotels you have to work at getting assigned some of the scarce connecting rooms.]

[I must say that I liked these rooms better than any other in the Cayos, even those on the ‘Colonial side’ of the TCC.. Geri didn’t mention this, but she has pretty severe allergies and inevitably in the tropics has had to put up with a reaction as part of the deal when we get the ground-floor rooms she prefers. The pilings on which these buildings sit give pretty much the best of both worlds.]

There was a fridge, that worked very well, in a cupboard with a TV on top.

[Derek: the fridge worked VERY well. The TV was more of an enigma than usual. There are no guests who are not flying in from either Montreal or Toronto. But still there’s no Canadian news channel available (in either language). Even more odd is that fact that the news channels we did get, indeed ALL the channels the rooms were provided with, were feeds from Bell ExpressVu! Drives me nuts! But on the up side, it’s a chance for the Happy Faces to flex their muscles again - when you go don’t forget to request Newsworld on your guest comment car!]

The bathroom was fabulous. Quite large with counter space. There was a tub and shower with a ledge around both sides. The unique feature was the picture window beside the tub. Wait till you see the pictures. You could see into the bathroom from our balcony but no one else had a view, due to the bushes and trees. Some of the rooms, though, had the balcony and bathroom facing the path. Thankfully there is a blind to pull down that offers full privacy.

[Derek: not that the blind was used all that often. As Geri has mentioned, we had a room which looked straight into a large clump of tress and bushes. Showering in the morning we were doing so basically in the middle of a picture window. Great way to check out the weather!!]

Towels are large and absorbent, (unlike in London England) and there were 3 sizes. No face cloth, so continue to take your own. No kleenex in the room. Maid service was as always excellent. We received notes from her wishing us a happy stay and a merry xmas. Our room was always done by noon. They are very thorough and we looked forward each day to see what she would do with the towels or the bedspreads. Sometimes she used a combination and she even did sailboat-on-ocean scenes and a house for us. An extra pillow was supplied, which I always appreciate. There were also 2 extra soft cuddly blankets in the closet.

[Derek: Geri’s shot at London hotel towels is due to almost a week we spent there as I had some meetings to attend about a week prior to us leaving for Cuba. The room we were in cost about $300 per day, wasn’t bigger than the bathroom we had at SCCSM, and towels which clearly made quite an impression on her! :-)]

The closet was off the bedroom in the hallway to get to the bathroom. It contained 4 drawers with a safe on top, (included) and lots of hanging space and 12 hangers. It was adequate for all of my stuff and that is saying a lot. Floors were tiled as was the balcony.

Excursions:

Snorkelling: there was an excursion available. Catarmaran for a day with 2 sites and lunch as well as a virgin beach. We didn’t do it.

We went and asked the dive center staff to take us out to the reef that was approx 1 mile down the beach and he told us we could book for the next day and if it was not rough he would take as many as 4 people out to the reef and guide us. We did that on Christmas Eve morning. It was a very good excursion. We were out for almost 2 hours. We followed him and he guided us through the reef. There were many fish and many channels and a lot to see. We saw a very large grouper, lobster, parrot fish and all the regular ones. He then allowed us to just look around ourselves.

[Derek: George (I think he was anglicizing Jorge for us) was the guide. Limited English but very helpful. I think the best snorkelling trip of its kind I’ve been on - and we’ve taken them all at least twice I think. Mostly because George/Jorge know the habits of the fish and lobsters on the piece of the reef he took us to and could point them out to us. I’d have missed several hiding in caves as well as one large cruising grouper. Oh, and one of the parrot fish Geri mentions was a Queen Parrotfish I think, a whopper and amazingly colourful.]

There was a Christmas Eve excursion to a nearby town that celebrates an historical battle between one side of the town and the other and it is only done every Dec 24th. There would be fireworks and a staged battle. We chose not to attend. Those that went said there were thousands of people there including many children who were free to run everywhere.

[Derek: we didn’t take any of the excursions. For my part I think by the second full day there I was starting to think we were enjoying the resort enough that we’d be back. I had arrived thinking I definitely wanted to rent a car and spend a day in Santa Clara, see the Che Guevara Museum and Mausoleum etc., but once we had decided to return, being there for only week made tanning and sleeping and reading our priorities.]

[Oddly, for reasons I won’t go into, it falls to me to say a few words about the daycare centre. It looked wonderful. Quite the best equipped I think I have seen with lots of climbing things an large toys that moved around and that sort of thing. It is well-situated with both an indoor area an a grassy outdoor bit and patio area for the toy cars etc to be ridden on. The staff seemed what you would expect and what I could never be in their jobs: cheerful, energetic, kind and unarmed. That’s the review for the purposes of you parents out there. For my purposes, what’s important is that the centre had a sturdy fence surrounding it and no toys equipped with sirens or other noise-makers. :-)]

Bits and Pieces:

New Resort:

They are in the process of constructing a Melia next door and they have many plans for future resorts in the area. We biked over to the Melia site and it is going to be quite large. 1700 rooms I think. We went the other way as well and there what looks like an old hotel site that is now accommodation for construction workers for the resort underway. They work for 20 days straight and then go home for 6 days. They expect many hotels to be built over the next few years. I would recommend anyone to go and see this idyllic spot prior to the rest of the world arriving. We quite enjoyed being at the Tryp the 1st year and watching all the changes and the new places being built. Everyone we spoke with was very happy with the resort. It was also a nice change to be at a small resort.

[Derek: Two bits I’d like to throw in. First is the Jacuzzi. There are about a half-dozen scattered around the resort. One as part of our favourite bar/grill, the one Geri describes. It was nice to grab a jacuzzi instead of a table, stretch out in the tub. A very nice touch I thought. The ones not in or very near bars are in more secluded, dare I say it romantic spots.]

[I’d also suggest that the place reminds me of nothing more than the TCC from 1993 on through say 1997 or 8. There’s a huge beach with very few rooms on it. There’s a down side to that (see our comments re the baggage capacity of the local airport!), but there’s also a big up side. The beach is scarcely populated, the reef has many more fish and fewer divers on it, the facilities are l new, the staff al fresh an enthused, and the guests who go there all have the feeling that they’re sharing a little secret amongst themselves.

Anniversary:

On the Sunday there was a celebration of the one year anniversary of the opening of the resort. There were presentations to staff for recognition of the special efforts for the previous year. Our Air Canada rep Jose, who previously was in sales received an award and I was there to take his picture. The entire staff as well as all of the bus drivers were invited to the event. There was punch and lots of food for everyone and a large cake to celebrate one year in business. The general manager spoke and Jose translated for him. Jose introduced me to the general manager, the VP, the sales manager and the security manager. I also met the Doctor who was in attendance. They had live music and put on a show as well. The band was internationally known and I have to apologize because I have forgotten the name but I do have a picture. We already have our pictures developed and we got them on disc so as soon as Derek figures out how to either set them up and post them or decide to e-mail them to D&B to post you will be able to see the resort as well as a lot of the staff and the band.

Entertainment:

The shows were well liked by everyone. The costumes were very good and they had some terrific dancers. A lot of them are very young, as are the staff. I did not see near as many animation staff as I am used to but they were playing volley ball in an area just off the beach and I noticed a net in the pool as well as a basketball net.

The activity centre had a pool table, a ping pong table and a couple of foozball (?) tables that seemed to be very busy. It was where the young adult kids seemed to hang out. As I mentioned it is just south east of the pool.

Tomorrow we will do the bars and restaurants and answer any questions. Oh yes, they now know all about happy faces and the front end staff have happy face key chains.

 Bars and Restaurants

Our favorite restaurant was La Fontanella, the Italian restaurant. It is much like the one at the Tryp in the early years. It serves fabulous pasta, the same great pizza, (crust a little thicker) same great taste. There are also a choice of appetizers. And for the mail entre there is a choice of beef, pork and fish. There is a desert cart and from the ohhs and ahhs from other guests and Derek’s reaction they are very good. The cart is brought to your table so you can see what you are choosing.

There is a limit of 1 visit and reservations are required. Reservations must be made between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm at the activity center beside the pool. You must bring your passport to make your reservations and they make a note on the passport of the date of the reservation. Hours are 18:30 pm to 10:30 pm. The staff are efficient, friendly and attentive.

It is a fairly small space with approx 15 tables that the staff are happy to arrange for groups.

Your check in envelope contain a guest “Passport” which contains a map of the resort and all of the buildings numbered (other than the rooms). It contains hours of operation for the various restaurants and the “Hotel’s Regulations”. It also has a map of the area including the mainland.

[Derek: the passport Geri refers to above is the one which she describes below, not your real passport!

The Buffet restaurant was quite large and was never full. It is a very similar set up to the Sol at Guillermo. There are smoking and non smoking areas. It is bright and beautifully decorated. The staff are as usual very helpful, friendly and warm. They are well staffed and most of the staff speak at least 3 languages.

There is a station where staff made fresh juices each morning. (Derek’s favorite) There were a variety of juices available.

A bread station where they have discovered the miracle of making toast quickly.

A crepe/pancake station with various sauces and fruits to fill them or add to them. Cereal etc also found here.

There are 2 stations with chefs at the grills, for omelettes or your choice of eggs. A great time saver is the lack of long buffet where line ups happen. In front of each grill are 8 containers, kept warm and replenished frequently, of the usual breakfast food. Bacon, fries, various italian type meats, boiled eggs etc. It appeared to me that it was an efficient way to get everything you needed quickly.
2 coffee areas. Teas were also available.

Cheese stations with the usual variety.

All in all it was a very good set up and there was always good food available.
We did not do lunch at the buffet. We walked around one day as we wanted to report but didn’t stay. Derek?

Derek: overall I would rate this buffet as better than the Tryp, not quite as good as the SCCG

We did have dinner at the buffet and Christmas Eve was special. There was a large ham being carved to order. Lamb was available and lots of shrimp. The shrimp was not cleaned and so the usual feeding frenzy did not happen. I guess those little eyes put people off. They were quite large and very tasty. Champagne was offered to everyone at the door and you could also have it at your table. Very nice.

At night the crepe station becomes the pasta bar. It is very good with the choice of pasta, sauce as well as various ingredients to choose from.

The grills would do meat and fish to your request.

The juice station became the desert bar and that of course includes the choice of ice cream with sauces to add. Yummmmmm

Wine is available and it is the same as the a la carte restaurant. It did not appear there was a choice regarding the wine, but it was certainly pleasant.

Derek: the red was OK. I still would like a little better quality, not an expensive improvement I think, and a little variety.]

Creole Restaurant is located to the east of the pool and near one of the walkways to the beach and appeared to be a thoroughfare for guests to make their way from the rooms at the east end of the resort to the center of the resort.

It is a large space and has 3 levels and gives the sense of open air although it is covered and there are walls. It does have open wall areas and on a windy night you notice it. There is a bar where you can have a drink before taking your table or wait for friends. It has a BBQ grill , a salad bar and a desert bar. It is a self serve set up with servers for wine. It was not busy any evening we wandered by nor the evening we dined there. We also noted that since it was not busy there were some guests who arrived without a reservation and were allowed to sit. Very sensible of the staff.

Derek: I didn’t find the regular offerings at the Creole restaurant all that enticing. I think most Cuban food, unless done very plainly (like BBQ chicken etc.), needs a hefty dose of a good hot sauce. Cuban cuisine must be the only national cuisine of the Caribbean that doesn’t have a hot and spicy side to it. The plain pork was great, as was the lamb, but the sauces were on the bland side and not worth the effect they have in disguising the taste of the meat without adding anything to it.]
[Whew! I’ve been watching the Food Channel © can you tell?]

There was lamb, pork, rice and beans and plain rice available.

On the Friday evening there is a special lobster dinner. It is a 5 course meal and the cost is $20.00 per person. We were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the dinner by the Miriam Maite Alonso, Public Relations Manager and General Manager Krister Esteban, whom I was also delighted to meet at the anniversary party on the Sunday. It was a wonderful meal. It apparently is usually held the evening prior to departure and so it was held the Saturday the week before as the Quebec guests were leaving on the Sunday. It was changed to accommodate our flight and we were very happy it was.

There was punch, champagne, wine, red and white as well as coffee and liquors available. !st course was salad, 2nd lobster bisque soup, 3rd shrimp, 4th lobster, large, delicious and served with wonderful melted butter and thick with garlic, 5th desert and coffee. Derek? The lobster was so large I was unable to finish it. Derek checked with the chef and discovered they precook the lobster and then put it on the grill with a special sauce. There were 4 chefs on hand and they were all eager to cook for everyone. One of the P.R. staff came to check that we were enjoying our meal. The invitation was a wonderful gesture from the management of the resort and both Derek and I truly appreciated it.

[Derek: all very good. The lobsters were not small either.]

Is your mouth watering yet?

La Picua, beach grill is the restaurant that is closest to the beach. It is very much like the Hemmingway’s grill was at the Tryp before it became new and improved and much more “formal” It is a thatched building with a bar and a salad bar on the main floor so to speak. There is also a pasta bar with a variety of cooked pasta, kids seemed to enjoy. There is a BBQ grill built separately from the main building where 2 chefs bbq chicken and fish. There is also table service for drinks and fries as well as burgers and hot dogs. The treat with this restaurant is the tables in the sand. If you like the feel of the sand on your feet and would prefer not to put on your shoes to do lunch there are tables and chairs in the sand that have umbrellas over the tables to protect you from that midday sun. We enjoyed this spot very much. It is pretty well in the middle of the resort so easy to make your way to from where ever you are on the beach.

[Derek: what I appreciated most was the fact that they really BBQ’d everything. Unlike the large beach grill at the Tryp where everything is fried especially in the heat. Yech!

Los Flamencos, called the Cuban Club is located at the west end of the resort placed on the most western path to the beach. It si open form 10:00 am to 5:00 pm unless the manager decides to have “Happy Hour” from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This appears to happen fairly often. The night we arrived there was a going away party for the Quebec group going on and it really sounded like a lot of fun. This is the bar if you are looking for cray people to have a party with.

There is a grill and they do burgers and hot dogs with fries. It is covered but open on 3 sides. High tables and stools. This is one of the areas with a hot tub and around the tub, out in the sun, there are lounge chairs. A well used bar and grill and a lot of fun.

When the manager decides to have happy hour it is time to party. Drinks are on the house and he ensures everyone has plenty. He also puts on quite a show as the pictures will show. He does a variety of acts and stunts that entertain sn well as creates a dance floor and does a dance routine. Be sure to check it out. He will announce during the day when there is going to be a happy hour or you can ask for a date.

Now some observations:

There must be something in the Cuban water, which is piped to the island and is totally drinkable, that makes for such patient warm and friendly people. We are always so happy to make new friends and the staff are so ready with their friendship.

Jose (air canada rep) introduced Odaisy (public Relations)at the orientation and so I introduced myself at the end of the meeting and explained that I was part of a group of people who travelled to the Cayos and participated in a forum on the internet reporting on the forum and that Derek and I were the 1st members of the group to come to Sol Santa Maria. I explained the filosophy to her and she immediatly appreciated the attitude. She did comment that they had prepared a great welcome for the 1st Air cananda flight from Toronto, with music, dancing, drinks and was quite surprised when everyone moved off to their rooms so quickly. I explained to her that the delay at home and the airport experience was too much for people and they just needed time to adjust and rest.

later in the day when I attended the celebration for the 1st anniverary of the resorrrt opening Jose approached me and confirmed I was a happy face. He said they were waiting for the happy face arrival and although we had spoken on the bus on the way to the hotel I did not mention the Happy Face Club. He was very happy to discover we had actually arrived and wanted to know if we knew D&B. He introduced me to many of the staff including the General Manager, the VP and others. They were all pleased to meet guests who were familiar with the Cayos and who were frequent travellers to Cuba. the entertainment was excellant for the celebration.

The General Manager spoke and thanked the many staff who were in attendance for the many sacrifices they had made over the year to make the resort's 1st year a success. I mentioned the award ceremony where many of the staff received special awards for outstanding service. Jose (air Canada vacations rep) received an award for his past service in the sales dept. He also transalated the gen Manager's speech into english. Time out for sleep. More tomorrow.

Now some observations:

There must be something in the Cuban water, which is piped to the island and is totally drinkable, that makes for such patient warm and friendly people. We are always so happy to make new friends and the staff are so ready with their friendship.

Jose (air canada rep) introduced Odaisy (public Relations)at the orientation and so I introduced myself at the end of the meeting and explained that I was part of a group of people who travelled to the Cayos and participated in a forum on the internet reporting on the forum and that Derek and I were the 1st members of the group to come to Sol Santa Maria. I explained the filosophy to her and she immediatly appreciated the attitude. She did comment that they had prepared a great welcome for the 1st Air Cananda flight from Toronto, with music, dancing, drinks and was quite surprised when everyone moved off to their rooms so quickly. I explained to her that the delay at home and the airport experience was too much for people and they just needed time to adjust and rest.

later in the day when I attended the celebration for the 1st anniverary of the resorrrt opening Jose approached me and confirmed I was a happy face. He said they were waiting for the happy face arrival and although we had spoken on the bus on the way to the hotel I did not mention the Happy Face Club. He was very happy to discover we had actually arrived and wanted to know if we knew D&B. He introduced me to many of the staff including the General Manager, the VP and others. They were all pleased to meet guests who were familiar with the Cayos and who were frequent travellers to Cuba. the entertainment was excellant for the celebration.

The General Manager spoke and thanked the many staff who were in attendance for the many sacrifices they had made over the year to make the resort's 1st year a success. I mentioned the award ceremony where many of the staff received special awards for outstanding service. Jose (air Canada vacations rep) received an award for his past service in the sales dept. He also transalated the gen Manager's speech into english. Time out for sleep. More tomorrow.