Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

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AJC
Messages : 7
Inscription : 20 déc. 2019 19:35

Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par AJC »

The Sol was pretty empty the first week with only a few housing blocks open and few of us competing for the palapas. We were assigned the main floor of block 12 which we were pretty happy with as it faced the dunes and we didn’t seem to have neighbours beside or above us. The “Las Dunas” buffet was closed for the first week so we had all of our meals at the Ranchon “Lindarena” although the “Sol Azul” snack bar was also open. This arrangement was satisfactory but not great for a week as the selection was limited and didn’t change much.

The second week the resort started filling up and all restaurants and bars opened.

For the first week the winds were very calm (blowing from land to sea) and the beaches were quite wide. One could do both the walks below (going east or west) barefoot with only occasionally getting wet to one’s knees or climbing onto rocks. Unfortunately the second week (winds were from sea to land) the beaches were not nearly as broad and one needed footwear in some places. We like to walk every day, so we walked west one day and east the next:
• Walking west (toward Sirena) during the first week one would only occasionally have to climb barefoot onto the rocks in order to get around the point. Once past the first point the walk to Playa Mal Tiempo was pretty easy. At the Mal Tiempo attendants’ shack one either had to enter thigh-deep water or put on shoes and walk 10m through rough rock/bush risking encounters with “bindi” (small spiky burrs which stick into your feet). From Mal Tiempo to Playa Paraiso you can skirt the lagoon on either side, but if you take the ocean side (our preference) you have to walk the final 150m through water ranging from calf to waist deep (depending on the water and your height!). Some folks walking the inside passage spotted a 1m caiman one day. From Playa Paraiso the walk to Playa Sirena was very easy and sandy. This was a surprise as it’s been full of stumps for the last few years requiring a walk through the bush or through deep water. For us the walk from Sol CL to the start of Sirena took 1hr 40min each way. We would usually pitch our beach tent under one of the palapas at Paraiso for an hour before returning.
• Walking east during the first week was again quite easy. From the Sol to Pelicano was straightforward. After the Pelicano nudist zone one had to walk on rocks (we usually did this barefoot) for about 30m to get to the Villa Lindamar beach. From Lindamar the walk was easy past Bravo Villa Coral and Hotel Isla del Sur. Near Villa Iguana there is the crumbling observation point which is usually difficult to walk under/around. However, during most of the (calm) first week we had the rare pleasure of staying on the sand and rounding the corner without wading too far into surf. For the second week we had to walk up through Villa Iguana standard rooms and bungalows before returning to the beach a couple of walkways further on. (Naturists will want to be prepared to “suit up” if you have to leave the beach for this detour.) From this corner the beach walk beyond Iguana and in front of Villa Bellarena and Bella Isla Resort was pretty easy, although there was never a wide swath of beach, maybe 7 meters wide at most. During the first week we were even able to walk past the Ranchon at Bella Isla and to about 250m from the radio tower. This is something that we have not been able to do in years! One way, it took us 1hr 10min from Sol, a bit longer if you had to go up and around at Iguana.
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BritishCanuck
Messages : 10
Inscription : 30 nov. 2019 11:59

Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par BritishCanuck »

Thank you so much for the detailed update of what it is like at the Sol.

I just want confirmation though, and the question is about the Palapas, are you saying there is not many of them?

Jay.
AJC
Messages : 7
Inscription : 20 déc. 2019 19:35

Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par AJC »

The short answer is indeed that there are "not enough palapas". The naturist beach had about 15 palapas toward the end of the second week, but high tides then took down most of them, and made it impossible to put them back up while the water was high. (At this point we calculate that there would have been more than 100 naturists at Sol looking for naturist beach access.) We talked with some guests who were attempting to "reserve" these and they had to do so at 04:30 in the morning, then wait for the staff to turn up at 5am so they could pay them to keep the palapa saved -- rather like a protection racket. Between the beach bar and the first walkway to the west (not naturist) there were a half a dozen palapas, mostly up in the rocks, which saved them from the high water. To the east of the beach bar there were about a dozen palapas and they were well used, but I don't know whether they were hard to get. There was certainly more beach there and therefore area to add more palapas, but we didn't see such activity. Playa Mal Tiempo, Playa Paraiso and Playa Serena had plenty of palapas but one needed to pay 2 CUC per chair, i.e. the palapas are free but the chair needs to be rented. Both Mal Tiempo and Paraiso were frequented by naturists, especially on the last few days of our trip. We found this unusual for Paraiso, but perhaps the lack of beach/palapa access at the resorts forced the naturists to "take over" Paraiso. The amount of beach can change from one day to the next. However, the resort's response re palapas was not looking good when we were there.
Blues
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Inscription : 28 oct. 2016 12:19
Localisation : Sainte Julie

Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par Blues »

ce site est définitivement anglaisiser :? c dommage j.aimais bien
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Le cayovajo
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Inscription : 10 avr. 2007 19:22
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Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par Le cayovajo »

Blues a écrit : 18 janv. 2020 19:32 ce site est définitivement anglaisiser :? c dommage j.aimais bien
Non le forum ne s'est pas angliciser mais les gens qui parlent français ne participent plus , beaucoup vont demander des renseignements et après leur départ on ne les revoit plus cela est beaucoup plus dommage , ils appliquent le principe je demande j'obtiens et je quitte
Bon séjour à Cayo Largo
Blues
Messages : 211
Inscription : 28 oct. 2016 12:19
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Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par Blues »

il es vrai que la plupart de gens ne sont la que pour les renseignements d'avant le départ,et par la suite nada,tu as surement raison :smt023
MandEOntario
Messages : 14
Inscription : 28 juil. 2013 22:44

Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par MandEOntario »

Blues a écrit : 18 janv. 2020 19:32 ce site est définitivement anglaisiser :? c dommage j.aimais bien
Cher M. Blues:
Mes compétences en français ne sont pas bonnes. C'est dommage et malheureusement, le polonais et l'anglais sont mes premières langues. Je suis désolé. J'utilise donc Google Translate pour traduire des articles que je ne comprends pas bien. Suggérer de faire de même, plutôt que de dire que ce site devient trop anglisé/anglaisiser. Merci beaucoup.
Blues
Messages : 211
Inscription : 28 oct. 2016 12:19
Localisation : Sainte Julie

Re: Beach walks from Sol Cayo Largo Friday Nov 29 through Friday December 13

Message par Blues »

Message recu ,sans rancune :?
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