It's hard to separate a review of your vacation (excellent) from a review of the hotel (average). This was my 6th trip to an all-inclusive and my 4th in Cuba.

The beach is as amazing as everyone has said. Most of the staff were friendly and attentive. There were lots of games and things to do around the resort and the gardens were nice. Many guests were on repeat visits so that tells you something. We had a great time relaxing on the beach, though the whole 'reserving the loungers at 7AM' thing was annoying, especially when many sat empty for several hours.

It'll be interesting to hear what has changed after the renovations. I'm sure it will be spectacular when the little warts are fixed.

Why didn't the hotel get an excellent rating from me?

1. The 'public' washrooms (women's) were disgusting. You could smell them from a distance.
2. The buffet selection was below average (from my experience) for Cuba. (Warning to vegetarians, even the rolls had meat in them some days! There was often a gratuitous sprinkling of leftover meat for decoration in the vegetables or pasta.)
3. The room was ok but the hairdryer caught fire, the toilet didn't flush properly, the shower had no temp control, the mattresses were really thin and worn out, and there wasn't enough space to unpack. Other rooms were nicer.
4. The entertainment was definitely not 'above average' compared to other resorts. They did try hard, though.
5. They had one person on the desk slowly checking in a bus-load of tired people and there wasn't anyone to show you to your room in the dark. No one wants to wait in line for 45 minutes to get a room key after travelling all day.

Nothing to ruin a vacation but other resorts at the same price were better overall. If I went back to Cayo Guillermo (before the Sol renovates), I'd stay at the Melia and walk down to the Sol beach. If the price is right, book it! You won't be disappointed if you love a nice beach and friendly people.

We were a wedding party of 54! The hotel wedding co-ordinator was fabulous, Judy couldn't do enough for us. All the staff at the hotel were excellent very attentive and happy people. We were a very large party but nothing was too much trouble. Unfortunately a few of us had to visit the Medical centre but again they were great and sorted out the minor ailments! The food was a bit monotonous after 2 weeks in the buffet restaurant but by using the Cuban and International restaurants on site it was fine. We had a special birthday party and wedding party whilst here and the catering was very good for both, we were made to feel very special. The accommodation was more 3 star than 4 but it was adequate, the maid's made the usual birds and things out of towels which was nice. All in all one of the best holidays I have had and there have been a lots!

There are various day and overnight trips, the day out which includes the speedboats and visit to the croc farm was excellent. Also the 1/2 day trip out to the coral reef to swim over the reef was amazing I've never seen so mamy colourful fish etc.
The trips are not expensive.

My one grip was that the Cayo's are a long way out and there is nothing other than the beach which is fab, the pool or the bar, nowhere to wander for an hour or two once you've had your fill of sunbathing. Although there is a daily 'market' on site which you can spend 10-15 minutes looking at daily and the vendors do change daily, the prices are cheap but when we got back to the airport we did see some of the same things for less! either way they are still cheap, remember the Cuban's are very poorly paid and are very grateful for any tips you leave

This was our second trip back to the Sol Cayo Guillermo and it was fantastic. First trip was in January 2007 and the second around the same time this year. We thought our first trip was amazing, but the second was even better.
We travelled for two weeks on the 29th of January, there was a slight delay at the airport, but nothing to worry about, as it was the start of our holiday and we were already feeling relaxed. The flight took around 10 hours, but we kept ourselves busy, watched a couple of movies, the food was good and the Cabin Crew were very friendly and helpful.
We arrived at the 'Jardine Del Rey' Airport in Cayo Coco and it was amazing, the sun and the warm air were very welcoming. It wasn't long until we were sat on the coach and waiting to be dropped off at our hotel. We exchanged our money at the airport, as we did last year, this way, we did not have to queue at the hotel reception on our first evening.
We arrived at the hotel and check-in was very fast, I even received a lovely bunch of roses, as we made friends with some of the staff last year and it made us feel very special. We stayed in room 410, again we thought our room in 2007 was great, room 910, but this was was even better, overlooking the garden and the beautiful sea, breathtaking, no complaints. We even received a call from the customer service rep, to make sure everything was good and that if we needed anything during our stay, to just contact them.
I could go on, but better cut this short, points as follows:
Food - we loved it, the buffet restaurant was adequate and very welcoming for all, singles, couples, families, etc... The waiters were very sweet, we were always served by Tania and George and Yanelis and Yoosey. The pasta was amazing, Ariel the pasta chef always made it to perfection. The best part, all of these people remembered us from last year.
The beach restaurant is very nice too, the salad and the pizza, yum, you have to try the Margerita and Vegetable pizza, delicious.
The A La Carte restaurants were lovely too, the food, plenty of choice from the menu, in both the Italian and the International. We ate so much, we were shocked that we only put on a few pounds!
The beach, one word, paradise, the turquoise sea, white sand and this stretch of the hotel is the best, goes on further then the other hotels and it is kept very clean, the seaweed is cleared on a daily basis. Make sure you walk along the long stretch of the beach, very nice and you bump into many friendly people. We never had any problems getting a sun lounger, yes, some people did already put their towels down, but there are plenty and if you go straight after breakfast, you will not have any problems, even when the hotel is very busy.
The pool, very well kept and cleaned on a daily basis. The bar staff come round and ask if you want drinks, or you can go to the bar, we never had to wait and were served in plastic cups if we were going back to the pool/beach, or glass if we were staying by the bar.
Entertainment, the staff were great, different show every evening and again, met some lovely people, the old staff remembered us from last year and made friends with the new staff. Pino, Seilin, Yubi, Nildrei, Alex and many more, really made us feel special. We even went to the disco with a few of them and had so much fun. We also took part in the daily dance lessons, 30 minutes, twice a day, they were fun and we learnt a few salsa steps.
The weather was perfect, the first week was slightly cooler in the evenings, due to the sea breeze, but the second was very hot, make sure you pack a light cardigan, just incase, but by day, it was hot.
Okay, on to the worst part, this was the last day, as we were very sad to leave, we said our goodbyes to all our new friends. We love this resort and it is a perfect place. It is not a 5* resort, but it is the place and the staff, which really make the holiday. Also, the hotel will be closing in May, for refurbishment, etc... They will re-open in October. The hotel was lovely when we went, I can imagine it will be even better after the refurbishment.
We have already booked to go back in February 2009, looking forward to it already and we let our friends at the hotel know. We spoke to several people and many go back year after year.
If you have any questions, please contact me, I will be happy to give you an honest opinion. Also, there is a group on Facebook, just search for Sol Cayo Guillermo and come and join us, most people have been more than once and will be happy to share their experiences.
For all people going this year, have fun and enjoy the experience, the Cuban people are so lovely, regardless whether you tip them or not, they will make you feel very special and you learn so much from them. Try the beach bar too, lovely cocktails and you get drawn into some very good and interesting stories.
Bye for now and will be back with a new review in 2009.
Tanja and Mark

at the scg on march 7th for 2 weeks me and my wife had agreat time,although some on our flight had afew complaints, but we enjoid ourselves RECEPTION got througk quite quick but we were near the front only fault given key told to turn left outside reception and follow signs as it was getting dark we found this difficult lucky bumped into bellboy taking our cases. ROOMS the rooms were big and clean we were in room 1106 on the second floor we had a fridge tv basic channels plenty of room for my wifes clothes the bed was massive and comfortable, we had clean towels every day, but the best till last, opening the curtains in the morning to the fantatic view of the carribean felt like a millionaire RESTAURANT i thought the food was good plenty of selection steaks omlettes, continental i know it got a bit repetetive the second week but there again i dont usually have 3 meals a day never whent to the ala carte so can not comment POOL AREA pool cleaned every morning also the pool area you had to be up early iff you wanted a bed in the shade otherwise not tobad getting a bed, a good size childrens pool, waiter coming around all the time to see iff you wanted a drink. BEACH a gorgeous beach but not a patch on cayo coco it is long and narrow the sea is clear blue, you have to walk out about 50 yards iff you want a swim, we used it a couple of times but you had to put a towel on a bed by 7am or loose out BARS allways plenty of staff hardly any ques they work well together never seemned to be any people pushing in,the entertainment was in the bar area, this was very amaturish but they tried that was the most important thing. GROUNDS. they were kept immaculate the gardeners worked very hard for little money one gave my wife flower every morning going for breakfast and on our last day he gave her a present a small wishing well STAFF nothing but praise i have been going on holliday at least twice ayear since 1983 and this is the best staff i have ever met allways smiling do anything for you from the bar staff to the gardeners everyone. iff you go there please take childrens clothes crayons anything like that that you do not need at home i know it will be most appreciated well i hope this has helped you choose the S C G