Winter Holiday Spots - Oasis Playa Coco
Jan 16, 2009 16:37:06 GMT -5
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jan 16, 2009 16:37:06 GMT -5
This is a long one folks. I wanted to start this thread so we can share travel ideas. I'm sure there's more than a few of you folks who are a lot more experienced than I am when it comes to traveling the Caribbean.
First, this was our first trip to the Caribbean, so we really have nothing to compare it to. Therefore, there's a lot of positives that other folks wouldn't agree with (see Tripadvisor feedback boards). I have to say that if you haven't been to Cuba, you should really make time to go. When I was in the service, it was a place I wasn't allowed to go to because it was a communist country. However, that's been lifted since and Mrs Dis and I finally got a chance to go and at a terrific price.
Truth be told, though, a $799 (per person), all-inclusive vacation is an extremely attractive price that is easier to save for than a lot of other deals out there. For that price we got:
* flights in and out of Cuba,
* transport to and from the resort,
* an oceanfront room ($50 more),
* a complementary bottle of rum (26'r) and fruit tray in our room,
* all drinks (every drop) and meals (every prawn) included, and
* the most relaxing vacation we've ever had.
Got back into Kingston about 5:30 this morning from [url-http://www.hotelesoasis.com/hotel/Cuba/Cayo_Coco/66/Oasis_Playa_Coco.html&idioma=ing]Oasis Playa Coco[/url] on Cayo Coco Island, Cuba.
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The yellow building you see in the background is actually where we stayed. The front overlooked the pool and the remainder of the resort, while the rear balcony was oceanfront. As I was saying, that only cost us $50 over and above the $799 all-inclusive price tag.
I went down there basically to spend time with Mrs Dis and to decompress. Both were accomplished; however, I never knew just how far I could decompress until there was nothing around me that prevented it from happening.
A quick rundown on the trip:
1. Left the car at the Park 'n Fly on Uplands Drive just outside the Ottawa airport. They got us to the terminal and we left via Sunwing Airlines mid afternoon last Thursday. The flight pretty smooth as far as longer flights go. Took us about six hours to finally reach Cayo Coco, with a one-hour stop to drop off people in Santiago before heading off to Cayo Coco. Started off with a complimentary champagne, them moved into hot meal served with red or white wine.The food was as good as food can be for an airlines. In fact, it wasn't all that bad at all. About the crew; anyone who can work 12-hour shifts for five consecutive days the way these flight attendants did, has my respect. We also arrived 15 minutes early so that was a great way to start it off.
2. Reception in Cuba. We had never been to a communist country before, but it was no different than any other airport. On the plane you're given a visa to fill out. You'll have to fill two of them out; one for your arrival and one for your departure. Important information; do not make a mistake when filling it out. Write down exactly what's in your passport. No mistakes are permitted and it will cost you $20 for a new one. They check your passport and verify your photo once you arrive at a booth. There they'll retain one portion of your visa. You're then given a visa. Don't lose this because there are implications.
3. Converting money. The only currency that will be good for you, as a tourist, is the Cuban Convertible Peso. Regular Cuban Pesos are useless to you because this is what the locals use to buy their staples. The CCP is probably the biggest money grab on the island. It fluctuated daily and our best rate there was probably $140 Cuban Pesos for $200 Canadian. I don't know where they get their exchange rates from, but I found it odd that their money was worth so much, when it's useless outside of the island. We found that it's best to convert money as you need it. As a result we came home with a lot more bucks than we had originally thought.
4. Transportation to the resort. Only left when everyone was accounted for. That might be a given statement, but I'll go into that later. The ride was about 30 minutes or so. The roads are terrible, but you're also talking about a 3rd-world country as well.
5. Hotel Reception. Pretty good. French or English were both accommodated. In fact, there were a lot of French Canadian tourists there that week. Not all of the staff speaks French but they are trying extremely hard. Many of them have taken French lessons. English is not a problem. Our rooms were waiting for us, but that wasn't the case with every tour there. We arrived around 10 PM, while tours that arrive in the morning often had to wait until 4 PM for their rooms to be ready.
6. Rooms. Not too bad. This was a 4-star resort, but don't expect a North American standard. In our industry this hotel would probably be rated as a 2-star. Again, it's a 3rd-world country, but our location couldn't have been better. The whole resort stared us in the face out front, and the balcony overlooked the ocean. Hot water for a shower was hit and miss, but you're hearing that from an old soldier, so it wasn't a pain by any means. Also, if you have any problems with the rooms, there is a desk in the main lobby set up specifically for that. Also, there's limited satellite TV in every room. We got two movie channels and ESPN2. The air conditioning works, but we liked to leave our balcony door open at times. There's also a programmable safe in every room as well.
7. Day trips. There are day-trips leaving from the resort every day, though there are over and above the regular package price. Mrs Dis went snorkeling over two reefs one day. Check the resort website for other packages.
8. Gratuities. We left a zip-lock plastic baggy in the room once a day. It was filled with various things, more specifically things ordinary Cubans can't get, we got from the Dollar Store here in Kingston. Some of these bags included kids' coluoring books, crayons, a pad of paper, a box of pencils, erasers, a solar-powered calculator, and other various things. However, some of our bags included nylons, lipstick, toothpaste, toothbrushes and chewing gum. You can't believe how much Cuban folks love chewing gum. They simply can't get it. We had Dentin and Juicy Fruit. We also left those as tips with waiters and other employees. As far as tips go, one Peso a day will suffice for the waiters in either the dining hall or the bar. Tip them about once a day. One CCP will do the trick. 50% goes to the waiter and %50 to the employees in the back who don't have a chance to work for any tips at all. However, if you give them something other than a Peso, like a pack of gum, that will go directly to them. Note: if you leave something out in your room; ball caps or anything else, it will not be scooped up as a gratuity. They recognize what they must leave and what they take.
9. The bar. Great bar with waiters who walk around the lobby looking for your next Zombie, err ... order that is. Every kind of drink is available to you including draft beer and Mojitos. It's a mixture of rum, lime, and mint leaves. There are very few drinks that can refresh you and sneak up on you, like a Mojito can.
10. Clientèle. All shapes and sizes, and varying shades of tan, if any tan at all. Many hang out at the pool (which has a swim-up bar) and at the beach. Almost predominantly Canadians at our resort (pretty much the same at all resorts from what I've been told), but there were a smattering of British and South American visitors here and there. All I'll say about the chick factor is ... sunglasses are definitely wise ... oh the pain ...
11. The pool/beach. The pool has enough shallow areas that accommodate kids, but they shouldn't be left alone (yes, there's a reason I said that). The deep ends won't go over your head if you're about 5'10" tall. The beach is probably the best of the resorts or so we've been told. There's plenty of beach umbrellas made from palm tree leaves and wooden posts. There's even a beach restaurant that's open for lunch. It serves a lunch menu of chicken, beef, hot dogs (not sure what's in them) or hamburgers (pure beef).
12. Dining. If you starve at this resort you've got a problem. There are three restaurants (by reservation only) and a main dining hall. The Italian restaurant is alright, the seafood restaurant is alright, but the Japanese restaurant is excellent; it's also known as the best restaurant on the island. Note: These are Cuban chefs who are trying their best. There is unlimited wine, spirits or beer with ever meal. The main dining hall is buffet-style. You can get wine or beer with every meal (never tried at breakfast mind you) but not spirits. It has quite a few traditional Cuban dishes on the buffet; flavoured rice and beans, corn with onion mixed in it, Lima beans, etc. Don't be afraid to try them; they're delicious. There is always a choice between grilled chicken and pork every day, and there's never a shortage of garlic-flavoured white fish (delicious). However, there's calamari either on the buffet line or fresh off the grill every day of the week. I also had HUGE HONKIN' PRAWNS twice during the time I was there. No guff, the chef at the grill would see me coming and load up my plate; a mountain of 'camarón' every time I went up (I think he knew how much I enjoyed them. I also left a Peso for him by his grill each time he had camarón on). They're doused in garlic and white wine and are pretty expensive to buy here in Canada. In fact, I had a double portion of medium-to-small-sized shrimp only 16 hours ago. As an aside, the waiters who looked after us worked on the outside patio that overlooked the resort buildings. Their names are Fidel and Orlando. They are both about 19/20-ish and appreciated the gratuities we left for them, so much so that Fidel showed up with four cigars, 2 for my buddy and I, the last evening we were there. They were local cigars that the Cubans smoke and aren't available to tourists like ourselves. If you do get down there please say hello to them from Ricardo or Ricos. Mention the guy who smokes Habnos and wears a white Montreal Canadiens ball cap.
13. Service in general. Overall we can't complain about the service, though if you get on some of the discussion boards, you'll see people complained on just about everything. Generally speaking, it was a very young group of employees who waited on us at just about every department. I had an issue with one bartender (at the pool), but so did just about everyone else at one point or another. But he could be easily absorbed into the positive way everyone else went about their business. A lot of these people bent over backwards to help us out any way they could and they didn't always expect at tip either.
14. Cigars. I'll leave a post in the cigar thread later. Just remember, it's alright to buy off the beach providing you know what you're getting into ahead of time. From what I hear they are decent smokes, but you just can't believe that what you're smoking is an actual H. Upmann or Cohiba cigar. If you buy from the hotel store it will cost you about triple the Pesos, but you'll know exactly what you're getting. Also, there's no difference if you buy them from the hotel or from a duty-free shop. The cost is government regulated and when you use your credit card the money goes directly to the banks, not the establishments. They take their cigars very seriously, which is why the guys on the beach don't want to be identified. I brought back 52 cigars. More later.
15. Local transport. The local bus runs between the resorts on a daily basis. These buses are in very good shape with air conditioning. They have a schedule but it's only a guideline. It's not uncommon for a local bus to show up 10 minutes early or 15 minutes late. However, if they don't see anyone waiting for it, the bus will do a rolling stop and take off for the next stop. Be early and be ready. It's important to note too, that the attendant on the local bus keeps a tabs on who gets on and where they go. My buddy and I went to visit two other resorts on two separate days, and they took note of where we were. Bus drivers and their attendants also like their tips.
16. Souvenirs. Each resort has a daily-changing row of vendors. If you see something you like don't wait until the next day to decide to buy it. The same vendors won't be there and will probably be back in a couple of weeks, sometimes a month. Don't take anything at face value. Go down the row of vendors and barter with each one unless the price is too good to be true, which happened on more than one occasion with us.
17. Weather. The weather was mostly sunny and hovering around the 25 degree area for most days. Sometimes it went into the 30's and sometimes down around 24 at night. I spent 20/30 minutes in the sun the first few days and gradually increased it as I went on. I went in looking like a guy who sells ice cream, to a guy who looks like he just came back from a Caribbean vacation, tan lines and all. And check this out; I only used sunscreen on my face, ears and neck. I never used a drop anywhere else. Whether I put on my shirt or just moved into the shade, I just didn't overdue it.
18. Return. You'll have to be out of the room NLT noon the day you're flying out. That might be a pain if you're flight is scheduled for the evening, but you can change in the lobby washrooms or get a group of you to chip in for the 30 Pesos you'll need to extend one of your rooms to 4 PM. Us, we extended a room with some friends and took everything back around 3:45 PM or so. I finally go into jeans about an hour before we left, while some of the younger crowd changed in the washrooms either on the plane or in the Ottawa airport. Also, there's a Sunwing rep on the bus to make sure everyone is there prior to leaving the hotel. It's at the airport where you'll also have to hand over the second part of your visa. Give that and your passport to the dude wearing the official-looking uniform at one of the booths. The flight home left at 10:30 PM and arrived 30 minutes early in Ottawa at 2:30 AM. We breezed through Customs declaring 52 cigars, some souvenirs and two bottles of Cuban rum. They were definitely not out to get anyone at all, especially at that time in the morning. Note: if the Park 'n Fly bus isn't there, there's a 1-800 number you call and they'll send one to you right away. The driver will also remain with you if your vehicle won't start. From what I understand they also have cables, but they'll everyone else to their vehicles first. It cost our friends and us $64 for the entire week we were gone.
It's taken me a while to pound this out. Since I started around 1 PM, Dis Jr has come home from school and has since gone out to his girlfriend's place. Mrs Dis has napped in front of the TV, woken up to greet Dis Jr and is now napping again. Me, I'm still pretty decompressed and I'm not looking forward to going back to work on Monday. So, I'm getting caught up on the hockey and this and that, but at a very slow pace. Don't feel like cooking tonight ... but there's no cheap prawns, calamari or zombies.
adiós amigos
First, this was our first trip to the Caribbean, so we really have nothing to compare it to. Therefore, there's a lot of positives that other folks wouldn't agree with (see Tripadvisor feedback boards). I have to say that if you haven't been to Cuba, you should really make time to go. When I was in the service, it was a place I wasn't allowed to go to because it was a communist country. However, that's been lifted since and Mrs Dis and I finally got a chance to go and at a terrific price.
Truth be told, though, a $799 (per person), all-inclusive vacation is an extremely attractive price that is easier to save for than a lot of other deals out there. For that price we got:
* flights in and out of Cuba,
* transport to and from the resort,
* an oceanfront room ($50 more),
* a complementary bottle of rum (26'r) and fruit tray in our room,
* all drinks (every drop) and meals (every prawn) included, and
* the most relaxing vacation we've ever had.
Got back into Kingston about 5:30 this morning from [url-http://www.hotelesoasis.com/hotel/Cuba/Cayo_Coco/66/Oasis_Playa_Coco.html&idioma=ing]Oasis Playa Coco[/url] on Cayo Coco Island, Cuba.
The yellow building you see in the background is actually where we stayed. The front overlooked the pool and the remainder of the resort, while the rear balcony was oceanfront. As I was saying, that only cost us $50 over and above the $799 all-inclusive price tag.
I went down there basically to spend time with Mrs Dis and to decompress. Both were accomplished; however, I never knew just how far I could decompress until there was nothing around me that prevented it from happening.
A quick rundown on the trip:
1. Left the car at the Park 'n Fly on Uplands Drive just outside the Ottawa airport. They got us to the terminal and we left via Sunwing Airlines mid afternoon last Thursday. The flight pretty smooth as far as longer flights go. Took us about six hours to finally reach Cayo Coco, with a one-hour stop to drop off people in Santiago before heading off to Cayo Coco. Started off with a complimentary champagne, them moved into hot meal served with red or white wine.The food was as good as food can be for an airlines. In fact, it wasn't all that bad at all. About the crew; anyone who can work 12-hour shifts for five consecutive days the way these flight attendants did, has my respect. We also arrived 15 minutes early so that was a great way to start it off.
2. Reception in Cuba. We had never been to a communist country before, but it was no different than any other airport. On the plane you're given a visa to fill out. You'll have to fill two of them out; one for your arrival and one for your departure. Important information; do not make a mistake when filling it out. Write down exactly what's in your passport. No mistakes are permitted and it will cost you $20 for a new one. They check your passport and verify your photo once you arrive at a booth. There they'll retain one portion of your visa. You're then given a visa. Don't lose this because there are implications.
3. Converting money. The only currency that will be good for you, as a tourist, is the Cuban Convertible Peso. Regular Cuban Pesos are useless to you because this is what the locals use to buy their staples. The CCP is probably the biggest money grab on the island. It fluctuated daily and our best rate there was probably $140 Cuban Pesos for $200 Canadian. I don't know where they get their exchange rates from, but I found it odd that their money was worth so much, when it's useless outside of the island. We found that it's best to convert money as you need it. As a result we came home with a lot more bucks than we had originally thought.
4. Transportation to the resort. Only left when everyone was accounted for. That might be a given statement, but I'll go into that later. The ride was about 30 minutes or so. The roads are terrible, but you're also talking about a 3rd-world country as well.
5. Hotel Reception. Pretty good. French or English were both accommodated. In fact, there were a lot of French Canadian tourists there that week. Not all of the staff speaks French but they are trying extremely hard. Many of them have taken French lessons. English is not a problem. Our rooms were waiting for us, but that wasn't the case with every tour there. We arrived around 10 PM, while tours that arrive in the morning often had to wait until 4 PM for their rooms to be ready.
6. Rooms. Not too bad. This was a 4-star resort, but don't expect a North American standard. In our industry this hotel would probably be rated as a 2-star. Again, it's a 3rd-world country, but our location couldn't have been better. The whole resort stared us in the face out front, and the balcony overlooked the ocean. Hot water for a shower was hit and miss, but you're hearing that from an old soldier, so it wasn't a pain by any means. Also, if you have any problems with the rooms, there is a desk in the main lobby set up specifically for that. Also, there's limited satellite TV in every room. We got two movie channels and ESPN2. The air conditioning works, but we liked to leave our balcony door open at times. There's also a programmable safe in every room as well.
7. Day trips. There are day-trips leaving from the resort every day, though there are over and above the regular package price. Mrs Dis went snorkeling over two reefs one day. Check the resort website for other packages.
8. Gratuities. We left a zip-lock plastic baggy in the room once a day. It was filled with various things, more specifically things ordinary Cubans can't get, we got from the Dollar Store here in Kingston. Some of these bags included kids' coluoring books, crayons, a pad of paper, a box of pencils, erasers, a solar-powered calculator, and other various things. However, some of our bags included nylons, lipstick, toothpaste, toothbrushes and chewing gum. You can't believe how much Cuban folks love chewing gum. They simply can't get it. We had Dentin and Juicy Fruit. We also left those as tips with waiters and other employees. As far as tips go, one Peso a day will suffice for the waiters in either the dining hall or the bar. Tip them about once a day. One CCP will do the trick. 50% goes to the waiter and %50 to the employees in the back who don't have a chance to work for any tips at all. However, if you give them something other than a Peso, like a pack of gum, that will go directly to them. Note: if you leave something out in your room; ball caps or anything else, it will not be scooped up as a gratuity. They recognize what they must leave and what they take.
9. The bar. Great bar with waiters who walk around the lobby looking for your next Zombie, err ... order that is. Every kind of drink is available to you including draft beer and Mojitos. It's a mixture of rum, lime, and mint leaves. There are very few drinks that can refresh you and sneak up on you, like a Mojito can.
10. Clientèle. All shapes and sizes, and varying shades of tan, if any tan at all. Many hang out at the pool (which has a swim-up bar) and at the beach. Almost predominantly Canadians at our resort (pretty much the same at all resorts from what I've been told), but there were a smattering of British and South American visitors here and there. All I'll say about the chick factor is ... sunglasses are definitely wise ... oh the pain ...
11. The pool/beach. The pool has enough shallow areas that accommodate kids, but they shouldn't be left alone (yes, there's a reason I said that). The deep ends won't go over your head if you're about 5'10" tall. The beach is probably the best of the resorts or so we've been told. There's plenty of beach umbrellas made from palm tree leaves and wooden posts. There's even a beach restaurant that's open for lunch. It serves a lunch menu of chicken, beef, hot dogs (not sure what's in them) or hamburgers (pure beef).
12. Dining. If you starve at this resort you've got a problem. There are three restaurants (by reservation only) and a main dining hall. The Italian restaurant is alright, the seafood restaurant is alright, but the Japanese restaurant is excellent; it's also known as the best restaurant on the island. Note: These are Cuban chefs who are trying their best. There is unlimited wine, spirits or beer with ever meal. The main dining hall is buffet-style. You can get wine or beer with every meal (never tried at breakfast mind you) but not spirits. It has quite a few traditional Cuban dishes on the buffet; flavoured rice and beans, corn with onion mixed in it, Lima beans, etc. Don't be afraid to try them; they're delicious. There is always a choice between grilled chicken and pork every day, and there's never a shortage of garlic-flavoured white fish (delicious). However, there's calamari either on the buffet line or fresh off the grill every day of the week. I also had HUGE HONKIN' PRAWNS twice during the time I was there. No guff, the chef at the grill would see me coming and load up my plate; a mountain of 'camarón' every time I went up (I think he knew how much I enjoyed them. I also left a Peso for him by his grill each time he had camarón on). They're doused in garlic and white wine and are pretty expensive to buy here in Canada. In fact, I had a double portion of medium-to-small-sized shrimp only 16 hours ago. As an aside, the waiters who looked after us worked on the outside patio that overlooked the resort buildings. Their names are Fidel and Orlando. They are both about 19/20-ish and appreciated the gratuities we left for them, so much so that Fidel showed up with four cigars, 2 for my buddy and I, the last evening we were there. They were local cigars that the Cubans smoke and aren't available to tourists like ourselves. If you do get down there please say hello to them from Ricardo or Ricos. Mention the guy who smokes Habnos and wears a white Montreal Canadiens ball cap.
13. Service in general. Overall we can't complain about the service, though if you get on some of the discussion boards, you'll see people complained on just about everything. Generally speaking, it was a very young group of employees who waited on us at just about every department. I had an issue with one bartender (at the pool), but so did just about everyone else at one point or another. But he could be easily absorbed into the positive way everyone else went about their business. A lot of these people bent over backwards to help us out any way they could and they didn't always expect at tip either.
14. Cigars. I'll leave a post in the cigar thread later. Just remember, it's alright to buy off the beach providing you know what you're getting into ahead of time. From what I hear they are decent smokes, but you just can't believe that what you're smoking is an actual H. Upmann or Cohiba cigar. If you buy from the hotel store it will cost you about triple the Pesos, but you'll know exactly what you're getting. Also, there's no difference if you buy them from the hotel or from a duty-free shop. The cost is government regulated and when you use your credit card the money goes directly to the banks, not the establishments. They take their cigars very seriously, which is why the guys on the beach don't want to be identified. I brought back 52 cigars. More later.
15. Local transport. The local bus runs between the resorts on a daily basis. These buses are in very good shape with air conditioning. They have a schedule but it's only a guideline. It's not uncommon for a local bus to show up 10 minutes early or 15 minutes late. However, if they don't see anyone waiting for it, the bus will do a rolling stop and take off for the next stop. Be early and be ready. It's important to note too, that the attendant on the local bus keeps a tabs on who gets on and where they go. My buddy and I went to visit two other resorts on two separate days, and they took note of where we were. Bus drivers and their attendants also like their tips.
16. Souvenirs. Each resort has a daily-changing row of vendors. If you see something you like don't wait until the next day to decide to buy it. The same vendors won't be there and will probably be back in a couple of weeks, sometimes a month. Don't take anything at face value. Go down the row of vendors and barter with each one unless the price is too good to be true, which happened on more than one occasion with us.
17. Weather. The weather was mostly sunny and hovering around the 25 degree area for most days. Sometimes it went into the 30's and sometimes down around 24 at night. I spent 20/30 minutes in the sun the first few days and gradually increased it as I went on. I went in looking like a guy who sells ice cream, to a guy who looks like he just came back from a Caribbean vacation, tan lines and all. And check this out; I only used sunscreen on my face, ears and neck. I never used a drop anywhere else. Whether I put on my shirt or just moved into the shade, I just didn't overdue it.
18. Return. You'll have to be out of the room NLT noon the day you're flying out. That might be a pain if you're flight is scheduled for the evening, but you can change in the lobby washrooms or get a group of you to chip in for the 30 Pesos you'll need to extend one of your rooms to 4 PM. Us, we extended a room with some friends and took everything back around 3:45 PM or so. I finally go into jeans about an hour before we left, while some of the younger crowd changed in the washrooms either on the plane or in the Ottawa airport. Also, there's a Sunwing rep on the bus to make sure everyone is there prior to leaving the hotel. It's at the airport where you'll also have to hand over the second part of your visa. Give that and your passport to the dude wearing the official-looking uniform at one of the booths. The flight home left at 10:30 PM and arrived 30 minutes early in Ottawa at 2:30 AM. We breezed through Customs declaring 52 cigars, some souvenirs and two bottles of Cuban rum. They were definitely not out to get anyone at all, especially at that time in the morning. Note: if the Park 'n Fly bus isn't there, there's a 1-800 number you call and they'll send one to you right away. The driver will also remain with you if your vehicle won't start. From what I understand they also have cables, but they'll everyone else to their vehicles first. It cost our friends and us $64 for the entire week we were gone.
It's taken me a while to pound this out. Since I started around 1 PM, Dis Jr has come home from school and has since gone out to his girlfriend's place. Mrs Dis has napped in front of the TV, woken up to greet Dis Jr and is now napping again. Me, I'm still pretty decompressed and I'm not looking forward to going back to work on Monday. So, I'm getting caught up on the hockey and this and that, but at a very slow pace. Don't feel like cooking tonight ... but there's no cheap prawns, calamari or zombies.
adiós amigos
