Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Awesome time

All I can say is that we had really good time at Memories Splash. We were spoiled not only by the weather but also the quality of this resort and amenities. Food at restaurants was very good with new stuff on the menus everyday. A really good choice for a family vacation. Keep up the good work.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Overall Good

Overall the services from the check-in, check-out, bartenders, room cleaning, entertainment, dining (Japanese a la cart and buffet) where very much what I expected. Very friendly and smiling staff making us feel welcomed. I want to emphasize the impeccable services of two Bartenders (a women on right side bar (day) in main lobby, one guy at the quiet pool swim up bar). Sorry not good at remembering names. As well as the room cleaning staff, Janet I believe. These people makes one want to r [... read more]eturn again. Thank you! What I did not like and appreciate AT ALL was the service provided at the registration of the a la cart meals. First day I went to register, the lady says she can only do same day registration. Well I got the next day, long story but couldn't get the Italian since it's closed that day so got the Japanese (FYI AMAZING!). After, when I returned two days later to book my next dinner and guess what, she can't book me in until the next day. I'm like what!! Oh the computer is working now. Sorry, can't do anything to help ma'am. Finally after pushing thorough to the Diamond Club, got the reservation for later that evening. OMG! my worst experience ever. Got seated at 8:00pm, after prodding the server by 8:30pm we finally order. Thinking 2 pizza's and 2 pieces of reheated lasagna would be quick and easy, hahaha nope! By 8:55pm here comes the 2 lasagnas and my step-sons pizza and me nothing. Waiting, waiting and seeing everyone finishing their plates, I finally walked out. My other bad experience was the Snack Bar. Service always slow (30-45 min at times (and not full of travelers) and not very friendly. This could definitely be improved since all you are serving is either breakfast or Ham & Cheese/Hot Dog/Hamburger/Fries. For my friend traveling with me, her daily complaint from her section of the resort was that it was very loud with inside noises (above) which she couldn't sleep well. (light sleeper) I know I have vented my frustrations here, which is only geared to few individuals, my overall comment is that this is a good place to stay in Varadero. For the price and affordability for a group of 4, I do recommend this resort. It is a fun, entertaining, clean and overall friendly and welcoming staff. Thank you Memories Varadero.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great Resort

This adult-only hotel was clean and spacious and the landscape was lovely. The food was good and plentiful. The staff was wonderful! They were so friendly and helpful and went out of their way to ensure that guests were having a great time. It is about a 2 hour bus ride from the hotel. However, the tour company makes it as enjoyable as they can. The bus was comfortable and the guide provided us with information about the area so it didn't seem so long. Suggestion: Bring deep woods bu [... read more]g spray, afterbite and/or calamine lotion. The one morning I forgot to put it on, I was bitten by the sand fleas and/or mosquitos.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Very good

Stay between Dec 16 to 23. Very good experience. 4.5 out of 5. Some small things: first night the room is not good. Get new room next day and no problem. The food is beyond my expectations as ppl said it is Cuba. The restaurant is a little bit disappointed.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Great family vacation.

Had a great time. Lots of walking and stairs so definitely not for someone with mobility issues. Rooms were spacious and clean. Pools many, clean and varied so easy areas for little ones and adults alike. Beach was also great. The sunwing reps were so nice and helpful and actually easy to find if we had questions. I do wish they had better coffee in the buffet. We did find excellent coffee at the lobby bar and snack bar tho. Anyone with small children should take a stroller. The st [... read more]aff is probably the friendliest I have ever encountered.

Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing resort

Really nice resort with great service, friendly staffs and a very well maintained rooms. 24 hour snack bar, cafe and the the bar is absolutely fantastic. Lots of fun for kids with kids club, virtual Game Center and much more. Absolutely enjoyed my vacation here.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Memories... and Irma forgotten!

Ok... so I'm back in snowy country and am suffering post-Memories blues... And here's my report :-) First things first: Did we get 7 days of sunshine and hot weather? No. It was cloudy almost everyday and the temperature varied from the low to the mid 20s. To all who complained (Canadians are great weather whiners), I replied these words: Do you see any snow?. The beach was awesome although strong winds disturbed the ocean floor making snorkelling a bad idea. Staff was awesome as it always is an [... read more]d the food was delicious! I had beef, yes, BEEF once a day and it was also delicious! (See Enrique at the grill, in the buffet). Most of the resort shows no sign of Irma. Construction was going well (not at Canadian speed) for two beach bars (currently, only the Diamond Club beach bar is opened and it does serve everyone - there isn't a "special" Diamond Club beach as of yet) and it was, overall, an awesome week of unplugging from this world! Spent a day in Ciego de Avila, over one of the staff's place, had an excellent day and meal :-). Cannot wait to book my next visit, in the first quarter of 2018 :-)

Grand Memories Varadero: Ok memories

I have been on many trips to all inclusive resorts. I always stay in 4-5 star resorts. This was my second time in Cuba so I knew what I was getting into. All of that said here is my review. The food was the worst I have had on vacation, I expected the food to be bland but they barely cooked it or burned it. I spent most of the week eating a ham and cheese sandwich and I don't even like ham! The grounds were ok, they could be so much better but they just don't really take care of it. The pools we [... read more]re ok however after closer inspection they had green algae in every pool. The ladders were covered in it! Now for the good, the staff were amazing, I had an absolute blast with them. Welcoming, warm, always willing to go the extra mile. The shows were ok, beach was nice. All in all, I got a pretty good deal for 1 week in Cuba and I got what I paid for.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Great Resort

Everything was great except for the fact that the swim bar was not opened...that is very important when I book.The grounds were amazing even after Irma.The people are awesome.There were a lot of people that kept asking about the swim bar.The provider of the package should put on website before booking that the swim bar was not opened.It was an amazing holiday nonetheless.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Not impressed

This was my fourth time returning to this resort, and unfortunately, will definitely be my last! The buffet had always had a wide variety of food including many fruits and veggies and they are now serving half of what they did and the same things everyday. The entertainment crew is not nearly as friendly as the last 3 times there. The shows not as good. No more beer or pop in rooms unless you pay for Diamond Club, which was never explained to me. Returning guest meal is advertised as lobster and [... read more] we had beef, yet they were selling lobster lunch on the beach for 10 pesos. It took 3 days and multiple phone calls to receive our bottle of rum in our room. Coffee is served from a machine now in the buffet and the service there was terrible. They would walk right past us and not clear our plates. There was never any toilet paper in the beach restroom or the front lobby restroom. All in all, I returned to this resort 4 times because of the amazing service and food in previous visits and this last time around definitely sealed the deal of never returning. The two bartenders that have been there for years we’re fantastic as always and our maid was fantastic. Those are the only two positive points I have to say. Disappointed returning guest!!!!!!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Vacation from hell with bed bugs and sand flies !

We have been to Cuba at least 10 times including 4 times to Santa Maria area. It was the 1st and last time to Sanctuary bungalow 61. We read the reviews prior to booking and knew the food was repetative and poor quality, we weren't expecting the best.It's Cuba after all but we expected with a 4 to 4/12 star rating it would be better and couldn't believe it was actually that bad. Lunch and dinner in the buffet was exactly the same every day for 7 days.Breakfast was similar but there was fresh egg [... read more]s and cereal. Ala carte reservations had to be done through our so called butler who harassed us every morning to make arrangements which they never booked the for proper time or said restaurant was full but they would see what they could do only looking for a tip. That's not the worst, it's the sand fleas and the bed bugs. Not only us but other guests got eaten alive even though we used plenty of bug spray which did not stop the bites. We got so many bites ( over 1000 all over my body) I had to visit my doctor when I got home. My doctor said the bites were not Mosquitos but bed bugs or sand fleas . I have read the managers response to other complaints about the bugs and he said they spray the area twice a day which is bull , as I saw the spray truck once in a week spray only part of the resort. This hotel should never be rated as a 4 star but if you want to ruin a week of your vacation because the price is right,then go,but I STRONGLY recommend you stay away from the Sanctuary . The only good part was the waiters and waitresses and most of the staff were very friendly. This is our LAST trip to the Sanctuary in Cuba!

Memories Jibacoa: "Bad Memories Jibacoa"

Very bad experience at this resort between Dec.3,2017 and Dec.10,2017. Right after arriving an the airport, the first bad impression at women washrooms: the janitor didn't`t let you use the facilities until you tipped her. Second:Beach area infested with Jelly fish ( Portuguese Man of War) and no awareness, no signs and no beach staff to prevent or give advise about first aid in case of bitten.If you are not close to the shore, there is no equipment ( sea doo, board or boat) to take you out o [... read more]f the water. Do your homework about jelly fish before going there( what to do in case got bitten: do not remove the jelly from your skin, pour vinegar in order to detach it from your skin and to avoid breaking the vesicles with toxins. Those toxins give you unbearable pain.Pour or immerse the affected area immediately in very warm water.Antihistaminic treatment is indicated. ) There is a medical office on the grounds, and one of the male nurse Joungedran,is very well trained and able to give you first aid. Medical consultation and treatment must be paid and patient is receiving a receipt. After informing the resort management about the Jelly fish awareness signs, they were posted on the same day. Manager excuse was : didn't have Jelly fish in the water in the last 3 years; they re-appeared "only in April 2017". And since April , nobody , no resort management and no travel agencies staff ,considered important to inform tourists/ make them aware about the risk of Jelly Fish? Another unpleasant situation, at dinning area : fresh meat and grill. On the ice, on display , were exposed slices of fresh pork, beef and chicken meat, but in reality , you received only small pieces of beef of 2/2/0.5 inches, no pork chops, and chicken only same size pieces with no meat , only bones. Majority of them were old, from previous meals and barely reheated on the grill.In seven days there , didn't see on the grill( or stew) a whole piece of chicken breast, drumstick or thigh, or pork chops. But I did see, on a daily basis, nice pieces of pork chops and chicken on the grill , that were taken by staff in the kitchen. Management staff informed, but the situation continued. So, instead of Memories Jibacoa, this resort should be named "Nightmares Jibacoa."

Memories Jibacoa: Great Resort

A very good, quiet, enclosed resort in an excellent location. Not stupid big or busy or crowded. Bring a snorkel and beach shoes and see the reef! Unlike Varadero the beach is only a few hundred yards long. Havana is only an hour away. Lots (or nothing if you choose) to do with an excellent staff.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Decent resort

Beautiful grounds and amazing gardens. We did the Diamond Club and were glad we did. Our room had issues with a very noisey A/C and Fan. No screen on the balcony door. Bed / Mattress was absolutely terrible. Told customer service and they swapped it but again was terrible sleeping on springs. They also said they fixed the A/C fan noise but got worse as the week went along. Side note; had met a couple there whom had the ceiling fall on her while they slept at 3 am. Full sheet of drywall crashed d [... read more]own on them in the room. They did get upgraded to Diamond Club but not impressed at all. Beach had unsightly ATV tire tracks all over and lots of seaweed strewn about. Not very clean - was disappointed. Food was decent for Cuba. Staff were really great and friendly. Gardeners work very hard and fixed them up with gifts. Overall it was ok for Cuba. Would not return here for sure. My wife and I been to Cuba 5 times so we know what to expect. Wouldn’t recommend this resort.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Wonderful Resort

Trip was Nov28-Dec5/17. The resort has done a lot to clean-up given it is only into its 2nd week of re-opening. Not all bldgs were opened at this time. We were in bldg 4, air con worked great but room definitely needed painting, new curtains, etc. Our room had not been upgraded. Be mindful if you have mobility issues that the tub is very high which makes it difficult to get in or out. There are only 4 rooms on this resort that are accessible (walk-in shower) so this must be reserved far in adva [... read more]nce. Beds were extremely comfy. Resort itself was clean and staff AMAZING! This Resort had the most palapas I have ever seen, you never had to sit directly in sun if you did not wish to. What makes this Resort are the Staff.......they want to do anything they can to keep you happy. Money exchange was HIGH, from CND to Peso's you were paying 42 cents on the dollar YIKES The staff cannot exchange loonies/twoonies or American Currency yet everyone keeps giving them out for tips and then they need to find guests who will exchange for them. The exchange rate was troublesome as we enjoy tipping but had to cut back due to the high rate of exchange. It changes from day to day but never better than the 42. We did bring gifts, baby clothes etc. and staff were grateful to receive. The food was good although slightly repetitive. We would return to this resort, the beach is long and very wide, you won't be disappointed and the pool is huge. No it is not heated, given the heat the coolness is welcomed. We had Diamond Club which gave us specialty liquor which is located in the main bar area, a wonderful special dinner in the Italian Restaurant, lobster/steak, soup, dessert, preparation superb and on the beach there is a special section just for DC. This came with our package when we booked, nice to have but not sure I would have pay for it as an extra as you get great service regardless. We will return again to Memories Flamenco. Customer Service was always quick to come to your aid to help out no matter what problem you are experiencing.

Memories Jibacoa: Immaculate resort

Amazing resort. Great food. Very profesional and friendly staff. Immaculatly kept and manicured grounds. Beach is great. Not quite as nice a varadero beaches but great for snokling. the Zen Spa was amazing. Perfect resort for couples. Entertainment was fantastic. We are planning to come back soon.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Wonderful, relaxing time

I was travelling with 2 friends who had been before, this was my first visit to Memories Flamenco Beach. First of all your staff is AMAZING!! With all that has happened with the weather in Cuba, you have pulled together a wonderful resort experience. We enjoyed how friendly everyone was and they went out of their way to make our vacation great. WE loved the new Foam machine...fun, fun, fun. The food was good and the food service was fabulous! The only thing that did not impress was the gift shop [... read more] service, it did not seem ready for good customer service. Other than this we had a wonderful vacation, thank you all. Elizabeth Davis

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Wonderful Time!

This was my 3rd time to this resort! I wasn't disappointed at all. They have worked very hard to restore the resort after Hurricane Irma. Things look better than ever. My 2 girlfriends and I had a wonderful time and would return in a heartbeat! The Cubans were as friendly as ever.....love them!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Good Value

I have personally been to Cuba about 10 times now, 4 times at Cayo Santa Maria, and I have to say I was somewhat worried before traveling to this resort due to the mixed past reviews and lack of current reviews. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. This is not the highest end luxury resort but you aren't paying for one either. For the price, we felt the resort offered very good value. For reference, we stayed Nov. 22-Dec. 1. More Details: Rooms - basic but clean and all had a fresh co [... read more]at of paint. No major issues. I had read about people losing water for periods of time but we did not experience this issue and showered at different times throughout the day. There was always hot water available. Our A/C in our first room did stop working one day but we were quickly offered an upgrade to a room with an even better view and the move was handled quickly and efficiently. Food - there was always a good selection available and always a grill station at lunch and dinner with steak, burgers, hot dogs, pork, chicken, fish, calamari, mussels, etc. Probably the best and most consistent availability of grilled meats I've had in Cuba. There were also grills every day by the beach and pool if you wanted to grab a quick burger or chicken on a bun instead of changing and sitting down to a meal. We had no issues and between the two of us sampled everything including meats, seafood, cheeses, cold salads, hot dishes, pizza, sandwiches. Not sure what other reviewers experienced as I saw a lot of reviews mentioning lukewarm dishes at the buffet. Maybe that was toward the end of the night because any time we took food from the buffet, it was steaming. Beach and Pools: both beautiful and clean! Not sure if it was time of year but we never had issues finding loungers. Prime spots at the beach were taken early but you could still find something and it was never a problem to find a shady spot at the pool any time of day. Service: We found the service to be excellent, as others mentioned. Everyone works very hard here (I think 24 hour shifts??) and despite probably being exhausted, always went the extra mile. Resort over all: The Sanctuary side of the resort is a smaller, adults only resort, which we enjoy because it was so easy to get anywhere including beach, pools, lobby. It was also a very quick walk to the larger main lobby or carts were always available to take you. My partner went to the gym most days which is located in the nearby pueblo and the driver would even return to pick him up at any time he asked. Main lobby had shows most nights. Smaller Sanctuary lobby has 24 hour service for drinks or snacks (pizza, ham sandwiches mostly). Negatives: The butler service thing was somewhat annoying and unnecessary. It did feel like the service was an excuse to involve another person you had to tip. The butlers are supposed to be there to help you with anything you need including a la carte reservations but you also have to go through them to obtain water for example which is unnecessary. I don't think I should have to ask for a basic necessity on a daily basis. Sometimes we really had to insist that we needed more water. Also, the butler for each building alternates with another butler every second day and combined with moving rooms, for us it was difficult to form any type of relationship with the person who was supposed to be serving us. Also - the awful reports of the sand fleas are true. I've never had a problem with them anywhere and I was covered. I was one of the lucky ones in that my bites didn't itch but so many others we met couldn't sleep due to itching, ended up with welts covering their bodies, and had to travel to a nearby clinic for Benadryl. Repellent didn't seem to work either so not sure what the solution is. Possibly this aspect is worse after the recent hurricane. Over all, we had a great vacation and I would recommend this hotel.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Great vacation!

Stayed here from Nov 28-Dec 3, 2017, we were in building 33 on the 3rd floor. This was a great location very close to the beach and the lobby bar/pool/restaurant. We had a nice king bed which we both found was super comfortable, we slept great all week. The air conditioning worked perfect, we didn’t experience any issues with the toilet (which I was worried about after reading some reviews), and I didn’t see a single bug the entire time I was there. Lisette kept the room super clean ev [... read more]ery day and made sure that we had new water and soft drinks in the mini fridge daily. If you are being picky yes, the walls could have used some new paint and the room looked tired but that doesn’t bother me a bit. Other reviews talk about there not being hot water and I would say that it isn’t like being at home where you can have a super-hot shower but it was warm enough to have a nice shower and the water pressure was great!!! The beach was beautiful and the water warm, it was quite wavy which was fun! Lots of beach chairs available, you don’t have to go early to reserve if you are in the sanctuary, the grand memories side always looked super packed so we were thankful to have our section of the beach! There is someone who sets up your chairs for you and will go and get you drinks throughout the day. I would say that drink service was inconsistent but to walk to the bar and get your own drink is very close so we weren’t worried about that, if he came around we got a drink, if we wanted a drink before he came back again we got up and got one! We were pleasantly surprised with the food! We had breakfast at the restaurant which was made to order eggs, omelets, bacon etc. with a cold buffet of meats, cheese, breads, pastries. Lunches we either ate at Paradiso or at the beach buffet, both had great choices. Sometimes we would have a late afternoon snack at the pool bar (they had fries and burgers, calamari etc. here). Dinners we ate twice at Paradiso, the oriental, the gourmet and once at the main buffet, all were great service and good meals. The best meal of the week was the Cuban lunch, the pork was dynamite so don’t miss that! Your butler is supposed to make all of your dinner reservations, we saw ours the day we checked in and then never again. We called several times but nobody ever answered. So, we just went to the lobby and found a different butler there to make our reservations for us, he was very accommodating and helpful. We loved all of the live music around the resort. There was some kind of live entertainment every night in the bar, one night at dinner there was some violinists, there was live music pretty much everywhere you went! Very enjoyable. The only negative I have would be the check in process. When you arrive, you get off of the bus and are told to wait for someone to bring you to the sanctuary check in. We waited a long time, and people kept getting on carts ahead of us (even though we were first in line with our luggage), in retrospect we should have just walked to the check in area. By the time we got there at least 6-8 couples were ahead of us and there is only one person checking people in. Yes, they give you a nice cool towel and a glass of champagne which was lovely but waiting over an hour in the heat did not seem like a perk at all. It would be much better to check in at the main lobby and then get carted over to the Sanctuary. Overall, we had an excellent trip. It is a relaxing and beautiful place; the staff were first-rate and always trying to ensure you are having a wonderful time. We would return.