Poor Value for Money - Food Very Disappointing

Highlights were beach and pool bar. Food was very disappointing (ie. buffets and al a cartes). Rooms were ok. Service was generally quite good. Sports activities were a joke as there was never anything available and server in sports hut slept more than he worked. Never any fresh beach towels available for exchange. Not a good resort for families. Not enough amenities for kids and teenagers. Resort not good value for the amount paid.

Melia cayo santa maria

Nice place needs a bit of maintaining but still beautiful I would go back again hopefully next year Pool staff are excellent Rooms were clean fridge stocked daily Food wasn't bad in the buffet but a L A carte need some work

Nice resort

Nice hotel, spacious, comfortable rooms, resort easy to get around, nice pool, amazing beach, friendly staff. There is room for improvement Check in took 3 hours, room was not ready Service at beach restaurant was hectiqc But I still think it is one of the best hotels on Cayo Santa Maria, would recommend it to friends.

Loved our holiday.

Grounds are very well kept. Always able to get a chair at the pool and beach. Staff is wonderful. Rooms were a little disappointing. Ours smelled of mould, bathroom door in rough shape. Food and restaurants were great.

Midium Title-3 staars. no moore

Of course the beach and the sea (without any changing rooms) than Cuba known. Good music and show program. Everything else is BAD:-Service, Food is monotonous without traditional type of seafood, anywhere in the begging tip. The room does not match the price. Distance from the airport takes up almost half of the day. We been bitten by Miskito.

Christmas in Cuba

We spent week of Dec 19 to Dec 26 at Melia Cayo Santa Maria. Wasn't at full capacity...maybe 75% full?? Room was excellent (junior suite) never used the day bed or chair but it was nice to have the extra space. Grounds were good for the most part (few repairs going on in places...mounds of sand etc) beautiful gardens, walkways lit enough resort a nice size...not too big or not too small nice lay out...our room was in block 17 so literally straight line to anything food was ok for Cuba (better th [... read more]en I have had and not as good as I have had in Cuba) Great food for the Christmas Celebrations (lots of seafood) Japanese restaurant was amazing food and great time!! (beef, chicken, fish & shrimp) the people where amazing! It was sooo nice to go to a place in Cuba that gives you great service regardless if you give them anything (unlike the last place we went to in Cuba)!! The resort is on an island so the ride is 1 1/2 hours from airport which goes fast actually...you go through couple towns and over the causeway The only time we left resort was to go to the market (we took taxi both ways) but there is a small market at the edge of the resort as well We went with the intention of not doing anything but there seemed to be different excursions you could do...but just keep in mind nothing is close. The beach was big and beautiful and well kept...always windy (great for kiteboarding) The kids club was closed this week but it looked amazing!! Nice building, playground, pool...fenced in yard. FYI there is not much at the airport for food when you leave Any questions please email.

Best trip we've ever taken

The resort itself was very nice. The staff was what truly made our trip. They were all incredibly helpful and friendly. The food (especially fresh fish grilled at the buffet) was fantastic, by far best in we've ever had in Cuba. The waitresses we had in the buffet were wonderful. The beach was beautiful. The resort had many water sports included. The entertainment staff were all very talented dancers. The choreography of the shows could have definitely showcased their talent more than it did. Th [... read more]e Neighboring resort is a Melia as well, we walked down to a beach party there hour last night, it was a lot of fun! It is a smaller resort but if you are looking for a relaxing vacation at a resort with incredible customer service I would recommend Melia Cayo Santa Maria.

Needs improvements

Pretty old resort. The beach is beautiful. The pools are well maintained. However,It is not a 4.5*. I would rate it 3*. The people though are nice and friendly and they work hard to keep all guests happy.

Relaxing

Great place to relax and enjoy life. Friendly staff. Older guest which is great not too much noise or drunk 20 yr olds. Beach is nice and clean lots of chairs. Beach staff are amazing drinks kept flowing.

Good Resort

Grounds clean & nice. Rooms good. Service excellent. Food good; BBQ lunch at the beach restaurant was great. Snuck over to Les Dunas for a few meals. Better food there/ but slower service. Rooms show signs of aging, especially the washroom doors.

Disappointing

First I would like to say that the bartenders and servers worked very hard to do the best they could with so few staff. They were always friendly and anticipated our needs. The beach was beautiful and the ocean was warm and enjoyable. However, housekeeping was not thorough. Dirty dishes piled up in the common area outside our room and were not picked up once during our stay although it continued to pile up daily. This did nothing to help the ant problem that was even in our bathroom and never ad [... read more]dressed. The robes provided for us were tattered, and one even looked like the belt had been chewed. The pool was poorly kept and often greenish black. Air conditioning was minimal in the rooms to say the least. I thought the food was fine. I always found something I liked to eat. Sadly, on our second to last day, the entire resort lost power. There was no ice, no water, no air conditioning at all and eventually we had to be evacuated to a nearby resort. That was a waste of a day. Very disappointing for a Melia Resort.

Great Family Resort

Family of 4 with two young teens stayed May 15 to 22, 2015. This was our second time staying in Cayo Santa Maria, 10 years prior we stayed at the Sol Club Santa Maria next door. As before, beach was fantastic. Clean and clear ocean water. Some days were wavy but most days were calm enough for relaxing swim in the ocean. Resort was quiet due to time of year. I’d guess it was only about 1/3rd full. The resort is a good size for those who like a bit quieter vacation but still large enough to hav [... read more]e a good variety of activities, entertainment and restaurants. The resort has a buffet restaurant, 4 A la carte, a snack bar and a beach grill. There are two large swimming pools, one with a swim up bar. The pools have zero entry spots for young children or guests with mobility challenges. The gardens surrounding the pools and rest of the resort were very lush and beautifully kept by the gardeners. There is a market between the Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Melia Las Dunas resort that is a very short walk. Check-in was relatively quick considering the front desk had to check in about 8 or so rooms once our bus arrived. No wait for our rooms as they were ready when we checked in. We got upper level rooms in block 24 close to the pool and buffet with a view of the surrounding land. Rooms were spacious and clean. Air conditioning worked well. Rooms were cleaned each day. There was a small safe in room. Most of the power is 220v with one 110v outlet on the hairdryer. Only issue with rooms was the outdoor lighting was off each night. When returning to room at night it was difficult to see, and a bit dangerous climbing the stairs to second level. In absence of lighting, my daughter started carrying her phone to use as a flashlight, so really no big deal. Food was good. There was lots of choice each day. We generally ate breakfast and dinner at the buffet, while spending lunch at either the poolside snack bar or the beach grill. At the beach grill, chicken and pork are cooked over a traditional coal bbq. Inside the open air restaurant is a small buffet of rice, salads, and other foods to complement the bbq’d meats. The 24hr poolside snack bar offered hamburgers, sandwiches and pizza. The pizza at the snack bar was very good. Buffet offered sufficient variety and choice. One night there was whole roasted turkey and another night roasted pig. There were ample servers and chefs for the number of guests at the buffet. Entertainment was good and varied. During the day the entertainment staff hosted activities at the beach including dance lessons, volleyball, and aqua gym. At the pool, the entertainment staff hosted dancing lessons, tai chi, water polo and other pool games. Dany one of the entertainment staff was especially nice and friendly. Nightly entertainment included traditional Cuban bands at the 24hr lobby/piano bar, and nightly Cuban dancer shows at the theatre. The Melia Cayo Santa Maria resort is a good resort if you enjoy smaller /quiet relaxing resorts. If you trying to decide between the Melia and the Sol Cayo Santa Maria, choose the Melia as the Sol next door appears to be in need of maintenance.

Quality Resort, amazing beach

Cayo Santa Maria is an amazing place to relax, the hotel was great, service was good especially the bar staff, food was nice. I stayed for 1 week and found no problem with anything. There is plenty to do if you get bored within the resort and want to step out.

Amazing Vacation

My husband and I along with another couple stayed at Melia Cayo Santa Maria the week of May 3 - May 10. We had an incredible vacation. The resort is beautifully landscaped and the grounds are kept very clean. Our room was spacious and bright. The staff do an incredible job on all service levels. The front desk staff had the best customer service I have seen in all my trips south. This was my third trip to that area and I will continue to return because of the incredible beach and the hospitality [... read more] of the Cuban people. This resort went beyond my expectations.

Beautiful

At the hotel we arrived late and found that the hounds are dark and needed more lighting. Also the lobby is simple and can do with a bit more extravagance to get you excited. Over all the staff was friendly, rooms were clean and the beach was amazing. The nightly entertainment is nice but should get the audience involved more. The food was good to Cuba standard and it is a great relaxed atmosphere. Great place to zen out.

We have been there twice before, it's the best!

Grounds are incredible, pools are well looked after, but I prefer the ocean with the best beaches.Private restaurants are wonderful with wide international taste.although it is a long bus ride in,well worth the holiday.

Great time

Had a wonderful 11 days at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria. We signed up for the elegance club and was pleasantly surprised to see that we were handed our dinner reservations - NO line ups... we went to the Mediterranean, French and Japanese. The French was our favourite - the chateaubriand was the best! cooked perfectly and very tender. Our room was cleaned daily and although I heard some complaints about lack of hot water, we never experienced any issues. The staff although sometimes rushed were ve [... read more]ry accommodating. Our favourites were the bar staff at the beach. Really good sports. As for the beach, it's wonderful. The beach staff would be there every morning to clean off our beach chairs and make sure we had front row. This beach is very natural, sometimes a little difficult to walk but worth the effort. We would walk 2 hrs every day and never get bored. Just be aware that there is a naturalist beach with lots of nudity not too far away... that leaves a little to be desired, however, just keep walking its worth getting past them!

Nice resort.

The hotel itself was nice. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the resort easy to get around, pool nice and beach amazing. Staff were friendly. The food and drink however we not that great. There was no salad, buffet was the same everyday, the food tasteless and scary (the cooking practice was not always safe). Beer was fine and the mixed drinks were hit and miss.

Beautiful

We Have beento Cuba eight times four at other locations and the last four at Melia Cayo Santa Maria This by far is our favourite place we have stayed The new general manager was great he went around everyone and introduced himself

Very nice resort

everything was very nice , we were there march 5- 2015 had no complaints after we got our poolview room, planning on going back next year for 10 days beverages, room, food was pretty decent the beach was very nice weather was perfect