Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

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threedeweys
Messages : 35
Inscription : 10 juil. 2015 16:44
Localisation : Vancouver BC

Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

Message par threedeweys »

Salut a vous tous. On a passez une tres belle semaine a Cayo Largo au mois d'Octobre. J'ai fait un recit de voyage pour TripAdvisor mais mon francais n'est pas assez bon pour le faire en francais...mes excuses!

J'ai deja postez plusieurs photos sur "la photo du jour". Si vous avez des questions, ca sera mon plaisir d'y repondres.

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We just visited Cayo Largo for the first time, staying at the Ole Playa Blanca from October 8 to 15, 2015. We had previously visited Cayo Santa Maria, Puerto Vallarta several times, and the Mayan Riviera.

We had been wanting to go to Cayo Largo since 2009 and finally time and price was just right for us to get there – less than $600 Cdn each for a Bungalow room from Toronto with Holasun Holidays and Cubana Air. We are in Vancouver so it required an overnight flight from Vancouver with a 6 hour wait for the Cubana Air flight. But we were first in line at the Cubana counter.

We chose Cayo Largo in October – hoping for no tropical storm or hurricane in the rainy season – because of its beaches, the friendly Cuban people, and because we prefer to avoid loud partiers and crowded beaches, bars, and restaurants. We also wanted to enjoy some au naturel beach time without too many others around.
So we had high expectations of the beaches and having done our research, low expectations for food and hotel luxury. The beaches exceeded our expectations and the food and hotel met them.

We had not even one drop of rain, just a few clouds in the afternoon, with hot humid conditions the whole time we were there, which was exactly what we’d hoped for. But there were biting insects – no see’ums – in the evening so DEET is as important as sunscreen.

It being off-season, only the western side of the Ole was open – all the bungalows on the east side were closed. We were given a ground level room - #3712 in unit #37. The room faced the ocean, but behind the storm berm so just a tiny view of the ocean. We asked the front desk for an upper level room and they offered #4024 in Unit #40, which was on the second floor but facing another unit so we decided to stay in #3712.

The room was very basic. Two twin beds, night tables, shelves, table, rocking chair and TV with mini-fridge. Nothing else. The bathtub was tiny – very narrow – with plenty of rust. We had no water issues though the power went out a couple of times. Once for a couple of hours which made the room quite warm but fortunately the power was restored just at bedtime so cooler for sleeping.

The Ole shows plenty of signs of neglect and is in definite need of attention. There were plenty of wrinkles in the pool liner; the oceanside terrace is unsafe and closed along with a nearby stairway to the beach. At one point, a very large section of the ceiling near the lobby bar fell with a crash – fortunately not hitting anyone seated nearby. Two utility closets next to our room contained the electrical and plumbing works – I’ve posted photos, you have to see it to believe it.

There were some painters working, scraping blistered paint from the outside of the units, so it’s not being totally neglected but possibly with a new area under construction nearby, perhaps the existing Ole will be completely renovated when the new area opens next year.

Still, considering the low price we paid, we were not expecting luxury by any means so we were not disturbed at all by our surroundings.

The food at the buffet was fine. Certainly nothing spectacular and not the freshest or healthiest, but it was plentiful. The basics – omelettes, pizza, and pasta cooked to order for example – are fine. Beef has a very different flavour than what we are used to in Canada. Hard boiled eggs were great to take with us as a snack on the beach during the day (we had brought Tupperware type containers and a cooler bag with an ice pack with us). We really enjoyed the almond-style cookies too!

The A La Carte dinners at the Ranchon were OK, again nothing spectacular except for the view and the sound of the waves of course. The menu can be misleading – seafood appetizer was simply tuna salad for example. We had lunch at the Ranchon a couple of times – basic sandwiches and hot dogs were fine.

Morning coffee at the bar by the entertainment stage was excellent, a great way to start the day though it would have been even better if served with a smile. The staff on Cayo Largo do not live there. They arrive by plane or boat and work for 20 days straight, then go home for 10 days. Some staff are not affected by the long time away from home, but others, well you can tell they just want to get their 20 days done. We had been very impressed with the service in Santa Maria but it’s obvious that the working conditions on Cayo Largo takes its toll. But there were still plenty of staff – housekeepers, gardeners, servers – who constantly smile and say “hola”.

We have rarely enjoyed the nightly entertainment at any of the resorts we’ve been to. The staff try hard but it all seems forced and we wonder why they even bother, especially in that heat. But many guests seem to enjoy it, so it appears we are in the minority. We watched one night and skipped the rest. We also tire very quickly of the constant loud music – mostly Spanish hip hop – around the pool every day. Why does every resort feel that they have to cater to the young partiers? A quick look around showed the average guest was certainly not young, and didn't appear to be wanting to party. But still the music pounds away, drowning out the wonderful sound of the ocean. So we spent one afternoon by the pool and the rest of the time on the beach.

And oh my, those beaches! Soft white sand that never gets hot. Clear clean turquoise water with no creatures in it to worry about. Perfect temperature, just walk in with no need to “get used to it” and not too warm as it can be in Puerto Vallarta. Some seaweed but Rudolfo and his colleague worked hard every morning to rake it and bury it all in the sand. Plenty of palapas since it was off-season, maybe 20-25 of us to enjoy 150-200 yards of exquisite beach.

We much prefer a beach with waves as we enjoy standing in the waves rather than swimming. And the waves were fantastic – between 2 and 5 feet all week long – crashing onto the beach with that wondrous colour and sound.

We even got to see a baby turtle making its way from its nest towards the ocean. It made it into the water and seemed to hang around for a while to say goodbye!

We visited Playa Sirena one day. We took the 845am bus to the marina, then waited about 20 minutes for the pleasant catamaran trip to Sirena. And Sirena is in a spectacular setting – tall palm trees on a wide wide slice of white sand. We found it busier than the beach at the Ole, so we stayed for an hour or two and returned to the hotel beach. No doubt that Sirena is spectacular but we found it to be over-rated based on what we were looking for.

The next day we rented a Jeep. This wasn’t easy as the car rental office right outside the Ole was never open. We asked Ramsil at the front desk to make a reservation for us and that worked – if you need any help at all at the Ole I would suggest you speak with Ramsil, he was excellent.

We drove the Jeep to Playa Paraiso, which is rated #4 in the world right here at Trip Advisor. And Paraiso lived up to its billing. Just a fabulous setting, crossing a small bay in armpit high warm clear water to reach a crescent of white sand….just magical. And a small bar where I enjoyed an ice cold Heineken (totally unexpected!), and not crowded. Well worth the effort to get there.

But still, we spent the rest of the time at the beach at the Ole and loved every minute of it. We brought large insulated cups and Boris at the beach bar helped us keep them filled with limonada or cerveza. We walked the beach hand in hand, played in the waves, or sat and read our books. But we found ourselves constantly looking up to take in the wondrous turquoise water crashing onto that fabulous white sand.

Night life? Nope and not missed. Partying and drinking by the pool all day, no thanks. Paying top dollar for a luxury hotel room to use just for showering and sleeping? Uh-uh, not for us. But a quiet, relaxed, uncrowded seven days, lying under a palapa feeling the tropical breeze on our bare skin, with a cold Bucanero in hand, listening to the thunder of the relentless waves and trying to find the words to describe the colour of the ocean, now that is our idea of a vacation in paradise.

If that sounds like your ideal vacation, then head to Cayo Largo, enjoy every minute on those terrific beaches, and come back and tell us all about it!
Michael
Cayo Santa Maria, Melia Las Dunas, 2008
Sol Cayo Santa Maria 2012
Cayo Largo, Ole Playa Blanca 2015
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dmm
Messages : 1039
Inscription : 15 mars 2008 17:19

Re: Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

Message par dmm »

Thank you very much threedeweys for your written text on Cayo largo. What you wrote is exactly what we feel when we are in Cayo Largo and for exactly all the same reasons. One does not go to Cayo Largo for the hotels or the food but for the wonderful natural beaches and the feeling of being almost alone.

I see that Rodolfo is still hard at work.
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threedeweys
Messages : 35
Inscription : 10 juil. 2015 16:44
Localisation : Vancouver BC

Re: Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

Message par threedeweys »

Merci Dmm...yes Rodolfo was there every morning raking and burying the seaweed and making our beach look terrific! After the first morning, he knew where we wanted to sit so he would go to that palapa and get the chairs ready for us. He had a flower for my wife each morning too. Just another example of the wonderful Cuban people.
Michael
Cayo Santa Maria, Melia Las Dunas, 2008
Sol Cayo Santa Maria 2012
Cayo Largo, Ole Playa Blanca 2015
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dmm
Messages : 1039
Inscription : 15 mars 2008 17:19

Re: Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

Message par dmm »

threedeweys a écrit :Merci Dmm...yes Rodolfo was there every morning raking and burying the seaweed and making our beach look terrific! After the first morning, he knew where we wanted to sit so he would go to that palapa and get the chairs ready for us. He had a flower for my wife each morning too. Just another example of the wonderful Cuban people.
Yep; that's Rodolfo all right.
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guyguy
Messages : 11512
Inscription : 12 juil. 2004 12:25
Localisation : Gatineau

Re: Ole Playa Blanca Oct 8-15

Message par guyguy »

Wow what a wonderful trip report! You described it exactly as it is ....there are more stars in the sky of Cayo Largo than on the hotels, but the sea, it"s just magical!
Thank you...can"t wait to go back
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