Valentin Perla Blanca: Wonderful staff, beautiful resort, terrible shortages

The hotel was full and they only had one of two buffets open. Rarely saw bread, butter, coke. Ran out of beer, rum and ice on a daily basis. If you want a weight watchers vacation this is the place for you.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Lovely place!

We had a slight problem with the a/c in our room, but within a couple of days it was fixed and had no more trouble. The staff were very friendly and courteous. Loved the atmosphere of the place. The ocean as always was divine. It would be interesting to see how busy the place would be if both sides of the resort was open (one half of the resort was closed due to repair from the hurricane of 2017).

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Worst resort ever

This resort is horrible I can’t believe what happened with us since we arrived we were big group we arrived around 3 pm we did check in in almost 3 hours we had problem with the receptionist there as I reserved two rooms she told me after long waiting u will. E in building 1 and ur kids building 16 2- when we entered the room it was discusting the towels smells bad and full of stains the bad sheets has blood stains as well no water in the fridge 3 when we went to the restaurant big line u [... read more]p dead flies on the food no service 4- the animation team is very poor At the end I don’t recommend it at all by the way thanks air transit for moving us to better one

Memories Paraiso: disapointing

We paid extra for the Diamond Club. The check in was fast and easy, the drink was delicious, the tram ride great. We asked for a King size bed, but there wasn't any available then, we did get one the next day. The first room was on ground level, looking at a bunch of bushes with garbage strewn through it. Our AC didn't work and there was no bar in the closet to hang our clothes on. The mini bar was not stocked and the other 2 couples got Champaign, we didn't. None of the room phone [... read more]s work either. The next day we spent at least an hour trying to get a room change. Happy to say we did and had to ask for the bar in the closet again. One was brought right away. We had to ask for water because the mini bar didn't have any. The sliding door to the balcony worked great, except, someone put the latch on upside down, so it didn't lock. We were suppose to get premium drinks, but they kept running out of it. The pool bar ran out of beer kegs, but they did offer cans. The main buffet was ok, but they didn't have enough things to make omelets and didn't bother getting any more. The bathrooms beside the main buffet didn't work all week, but the ones off the lobby did, except for the mens and for the 1st 2 days they used the ladies. The beach is perfect! Thank you Mother Nature. The bathrooms at the beach were disgusting. We had someone come and ask us for drink orders a few times, but later in the afternoon, nothing. It's ok, we can walk. But it says in the brochure we paid for that service. The concierge was in the lobby 2 days only, then disappeared for the rest of the week. As I said, premium amenities in the room was zilch. We weren't told about the exclusive lunch at an a la carte restaurant. We did go to the dinner show, it was ok. The other 2 couples we went with are still there. From what I've been hearing, you won't like what they have to say about this week. Something is going on, are they selling, going under or don't really care about their guests.

Memories Paraiso: 2 star resort

This was a very poor rundown dirty resort. Food was terrible not sanitary at all. Service was slow. Rooms were old and falling apart. The only good thing was the beaches and they were full of and fleas.

Memories Paraiso: Family oriented resort.

Beautiful white sand beach, shallows slope gently, but no coral & no fish & often high waves. Lovely landscaping & attractive architecture. Good swimming pool. Children's programs, but not enough adult activities. Large complex but only one pool table & one dead ping pong table. No bicycles, no horses. Gym in market square was okay. Buffet food variety good if you go early. Lots of crab & shrimp. Security was very good. On the other hand, no chance to meet non-resort staff Cubans. Often have  [... read more]to dodge electric carts along pathways. Exchange money at resort bank counter rather than reception.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Will not go again

This is my first adults only resort. I went to relax. That never happened. I lodged a formal complaint with the hotel and received a copy of my complaint signed by customer service. I actually took a picture of the customer service office because there were dozens of people lined up - door cards not working, phones not working, no hot water for 2 days. 1. Upon checking in, my door was wide open and Spanish music was blaring from the TV. This happened again during my stay, very unnerving. My r [... read more]oom surfaces, i.e. tables, bathroom counter, floors were never cleaned. Only thing I saw done was the beds; 2. Not once was there toilet paper in ANY of the pool bathrooms the entire time I was there; 3. There were only 3 a la cartes - WestJet's hotel page said SEVEN. At the Italian a la carte, we were seated with a menu and when our orders were taken, they had NOT one thing available from the menu; when I finally said just pasta, it was brought in a big clump, stuck together and frozen cold. I did not eat anything, extremely disappointing; 4. Only had water aerobics once even though it was listed as every day at noon; 5. The relax pool was definitely not relaxing - every day groups of 18-19 year olds with their own music systems competing with each other how loud they could be, hurling footballs across the pool and hitting people; Again - I came to relax; also these 18-19 year olds virtually took over the resort - at both pool locations and elsewhere - totally covering the pool bar so that I could not even get to it, taking up the pathways and staggering and falling down drunk - every day, partying until 4 in the morning. I thought Adults Only would be just that - adults. I will take kids over this ANY day 6. Resort ran out of bread except one day; asked for a sandwich and was given a plop of meat on a plate...…… also no champagne except for my last 2 days. Was counting on mimosas every morning. 7. I was told by a staff that there were over 1,000 people at resort. ONE buffet open. Line up 45 minutes to get in and then people literally RAN in order to get food. Did not once get to a pasta, omelette, stir fry station as once inside, another 45-minute line. If you got there after 7, no food left in the warming stations and what little was there, was stone cold. I survived on salads and actually lost 2 pounds; 8. One day there were not enough pool loungers; people were laying on their towel on the concrete; on the day before I left, Friday, went to the beach and not ONE single chair available so I left 8. I will NEVER return here. I paid almost $1100 from Toronto for a relaxing winter get-a-way and could not wait to leave, I have NEVER said that before and in 40 years of travelling, this is only my 2nd complaint. I go with no expectations but this was ridiculous, one thing after another. I want my money back and I want a complaint lodged with Westjet

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Good but not great.

Just came back 2 days ago. It’s my about 15th time in Cuba. Beach- great. On a calm not windy day great for snorkeling. Lots of fish. Rooms- no complains at all. Very clean and comfortable. And everything works. :) Food- Cuban food. If you know what I mean. Can’t expect super delicious food from Cuba. But I wish there was a bit more variety of food. Service- terrible. But not because of people who work there, more because of the management I would say. There was a day that they ran ou [... read more]t of plastic cups at the bar on the beach. And they said that they don’t know when they are getting them. May be even the next day. This is the first time I hear of such a thing. In a way it’s good, less plastic is better. Then I’ll know next time for sure to bring a jag. Also they were constantly running out of beach towels, considering the hotel was not very busy. And again they didn’t know when they would expect them. So I would say management must make sure they have enough of everything at all times. Other than that- not bad. The grounds of resort are very well kept. Very green and full of blooming flowers. Great job, gardeners.

Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria: Wonderful Place. Wonderful staff.

Only resort I have ever been twice to. Typical Cuba food. 6 out of 10 and somewhat repetitive. I will return again simply for the service and the staff. I have been in 30 countries in the last 5 years and their staff and service is the best. Love asia, especially the Philippines but its only a 3 hour flight to a wonderful experience with incredable people. Theres 3 places in the world I have enjoyed this much. Cuba, Philippines and Newfound Land.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: THE GOOD - THE BAD - THE UGLY

We are a married couple, and, seasoned travelers that have enjoyed in excess of 75 vacations over the years. We have visited many resorts in countries too numerous to mention, and, sailed on 14 different cruise ships to a multitude of destinations. In fact, this was our 15th trip to Cuba. Our travel agent is The Esteemed Mr. Bill Gentry at TRIPCENTRAL. He has always been the greatest!!!! We book all of our trips with him, and, recommend him to our family, and, friends on a continual basis.  [... read more] This review covers 22-29 January 2019, while residing in the 59 block, (room 5943), at The Grand Memories Sanctuary - Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. We hope that you find this review to be fair, unbiased, and, informative. THE GOOD : The beach was simply magnificent, and, spectacular. The sand was like powder, the water crystal clear, and, the beach was extremely clean with numerous lounge chairs available for the guests. A wonderful staff member took us out for a splendid thirty minute catamaran ride that highlighted the entire Cayo Santa Maria peninsula. The room was neat, clean, comfortable, and, even included two bathrobes, two beach towels, and, a free safe. Our housekeeper was charming, and, ensured that our room was perfectly maintained. A wonderful individual named Reniel, (possibly spelled wrong), even stocked our fridge with a large bottle of water, colas, and, beers on a daily basis in the late afternoon. The walkways, and, grounds were in excellent condition. This is quite impressive when you consider the actual size of this resort. It is mammoth!!!!! In fact, it is three resorts merged into one resort. When you stay at The Sanctuary, you also have the privilege of utilizing the amenities at Memories Parasio, and, Grand Memories. The golf cart drivers were fabulous. Basically, you can participate in the national pastime of Cuba - hitch hiking. They will drive you anywhere you want to go, and, are quite entertaining. They yell: "I have no brakes" at unsuspecting tourists, drive like maniacs, play music, and, encourage ridership participation. The Chicken Man was our favourite!!!!!!! However, all of them were simply magnificent!!!! The pools were crystal clear, and, numerous lounge chairs were available. All of the bar staff were wonderful. In fact, I know this is wrong, but, I want to marry Bartender Evelyn. We enjoyed wearing our swim suits at the pool bars, and, the swim up bars........after all........at home they were enjoying a massive snow storm, and, minus 26C temperatures!!!!!! The SUNWING Representative, (having a seniors moment as I cannot recall his name at the time of this writing), provided an enormously funny, and, animated introductory briefing. The seminar was held the day after our arrival. So, we would have attended the meeting on the 23rd of January of 2019, (hoping that SUNWING takes note of his name). Make sure you attend!!!!! He is a wonderful, thoughtful, and, caring/considerate human being, and, will provide information that even seasoned travelers will find informative. The management staff were always available, and, quite helpful in nature. In fact, The General Manager of The Resort even showed up at our introductory briefing to personally welcome all of us to his establishment!!!!!!!!!! Our butlers, on the second floor, (Raoul and Frank), were spectacular. They arranged our six ala carte dinner reservations. They were also responsible for attending to any problems that we might experience at the resort......there were none!!!!! The entertainment team was fun, upbeat, and, with energy that should be captured in a bottle to save for eternity!!!!!! The musicians in the lobby bars were just sooooooooooooo talented!!!!!!!!! Please, do not miss their shows!!!!! The ala carte Mexican restaurant, and, staff were amazing!!!! Make sure you order the fried mozzarella, and, the wire tacos. We went there three times, and, ordered the exact same dinners!!!!!!!!! The ala carte Italian restaurant, and, staff were equally amazing!!!! Make sure you order the shrimp cocktail with mucho, mucho shrimp, and, the lasagna!!!!! We went there on two occasions, and, ordered the exact same dinners!!!!!!!! The Sanctuary breakfast buffet, and, staff were wonderful. We enjoyed made to order omelettes in the mornings. The bacon was not completely cooked, so, we requested to have it fully cooked at the grill when the omelettes were being made.........as usual.........no problemo....... The Sanctuary lunch buffet, and, staff were extraordinary. Fresh lobster, tuna, salmon, shrimp, and, meat carving station were all offered on a daily basis!!!!! Yes........you can have these items for lunch every day!!!! The imported cheeses, and, other delectables were equally impressive. NOTE: WE HAVE BEEN TO CUBA 15 TIMES AND HAVE NEVER ENJOYED THE FOOD AT ANY OF THE OTHER RESORTS WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY VISITED....WE ARE PICKY EATERS!!!!!!!! My wife wanted to visit The Dolphinarium because she loves animals. Odd, I know, because she has me!!!! It is located about 7 kilometers from the resort. This complex is the largest dolphinarium in Latin America, and, is literally astounding. The show was wonderful. The trainers genuinely love the animals, and, these sea creatures equally adore their human friends. The cost was 10 pesos to travel to the site by taxi, 5 pesos each for the show, and, another 10 pesos for a cab to return to the resort. The total cost was 30 pesos which translates to about 41 Canadian dollars. As well, at the end of the show, I was allowed to take pictures of my wife with the dolphins on the dock for 5 pesos, or, roughly 7 Canadian dollars. These pictures are absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!!! Note......when watching the show.....listen to the emcee.....he will direct you to the action and then you will be able to take magnificent pictures of the dolphins flying through the air............We were able to capture many incredible pictures....... The SUNWING pilots, cabin crew, and, planes were magnificent as usual. WE LOVE FLYING WITH SUNWING!!!!!!! We firmly believe that SUNWING always provides the most memorable vacation experiences. THE BAD: My wife suffered from insect bites on most areas of her body, but, in particular on her legs. They became elevated lesions that were red, oozing, weeping, itchy, infected, and, sore. They became blisters. We had to go to The International Clinic. She had a consultation with a doctor, and, received an injection of Benadryl, and, Cortisone. She was also given two antibiotics to take orally, and, an antibiotic cream. This visit would cost us 96.45 pesos, or, about 133 Canadian dollars. On a positive note, the clinic and staff were wonderful, my wife bounced back to great health shortly thereafter, and, the medical insurance will reimburse us for these expenses. Many guests had bites, but, not to this extent; therefore, take some form of bug spray for preventative purposes, and, some ointments for treatment before you visit. The bus transfer from the airport is about a 1:45 minute ride; however, this is not the fault of the resort. There are no toilets available on these buses which is surprising as the buses seem brand new. Naturally, this can be a problem when people are indulging heavily with beer. Note........I am not a prude.......I drink lots of beer.....please, see the notation in The Ugly Section of this correspondence. The public washrooms on the resort need improving as they can flood, and, get dirty. Note, this is not a housekeeping issue, (probably more of a plumbing issue), as the housekeeping staff are meticulous. THE UGLY: As noted, there are no toilets available during bus transfers to and from the airport. When we were traveling from the airport to the resort, I was literally AGHAST when the bus pulled over to the side of the 45 kilometer causeway to allow guests a bathroom break. The tour guide informed female passengers to go to the back of the bus, and, male riders to go to the front of the bus if they felt the need to go to the bathroom. They relieved themselves on a causeway that spans the middle of the ocean with cars, and, buses passing in both directions. This event did not occur during the transfer from the resort to the airport on our way home. CONCLUSION: In summary, we would like to thank SUNWING, TRIPCENTRAL, and, The General Manager of The Grand Memories Sanctuary for allowing us to enjoy a memorable, and, magnificent vacation. We hope that you found our review to be fair, unbiased, and, informative. Respectfully Yours, Chris and Tracey

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: A great place to spend a week out of the frozen North!

This is an older resort, well maintained, with a long serving, loyal, and extremely friendly staff. It is a small resort in today’s standards, and quite frankly, it’s a gem! Many of the staff have a command of English, which is very helpful. The beach grill is an authentic charcoal BBQ, which is so welcome in January! Yummy BBQ Chicken! Loved it!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Not what i expected

First off the beach is amazing, most beautiful beach that I have been to!! The people that wirk at hotel are amazing! For a 4 yr old hotel its run down. Never any bread at the one buffet they had!! No bread all week at the 24 hr snackbar, so no bun for burger. Entertainment in day didnt happen. Never any toilet paper i washrooms,had to use the same beachtowel for 5 days . Ran out of beer at pool bar, also ran out if white wine,I would never go back again. Maid never realky ckeaned the room .ver [... read more]y disappointed!!!!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: really changed 😣

This was our seventh time staying at starfish and sadly it will probably be our last it has gone downhill especially in the management department they were extremely understaffed .. the hotel is needing some TLC but our own trip was over shattered from day one we were on our anniversary trip and had a room with two double beds it took us three days to get extra pillows they ran out of pop one night red wine one night had no coffee for breakfast one morning he found customer service not very welc [... read more]oming and we've never had an issue with that before there was also some bugs seen in the buffet area we also found that when food started to run out in the buffet it was not replenished so you are stuck with whatever was left .. we love the Santa Maria side we will return but probably to a different Resort maybe one day we will go back to starfish hoping to be redeemed

Melia Las Dunas: Superb Resort

We stayed at Las Dunas for the 16th time last week and we are already booked to return at the end of March. We have excellent food and accommodation.The gardens are beautiful and the beach is superb. Every evening, they have a different ban in the lobby playing Cuban Music. It is followed by beautiful daily dancing shows at 9:30PM in their large theatre.

Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas: Pretty resort horrible food

The staff were rude and barely spoke English and the food was disgusting, you expect nasty food in Cuba but that was more then gross Cuban food Side note the hotel was absolutely stunning The beach was a bit of a walk and no one told us construction sight for another hotel was beside us U expect Lush and all you hear all day is construction

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: I do not recommend this hotel

I ate pastas all week because the buffet was always cold. The staff is friendly but make sure you lock everything in your room's safe unless you want it to disappear. Got my phone charger stolen on the 2nd day of my stay and hotel said I lost it and couldn't help me, even though it never left my room. The beach is alright. The pools and bars are great. I chose that hotel because it had good reviews, but I can't say I would go back there. All in all, I think this hotel was overrated. Up to the [... read more] 10th day, the minibar still wasn't refilled everyday and they never changed our sheets. Just made the bed with the old sheets. For 10 days. I definitely wouldn't recommend this hotel.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Awsome

It's a topical 3 star Cuba resort , the food is very good and had a variety of choices, the rooms are nice but smelt a little moldy but still ok, we had the view of the pool on the first floor and it was nice. The staff is absolutely fantastic and very friendly, loved the idea that there were no kids , the drinks were good and the beer was cold. The shows are the same , they get tired after a while, the beach is one of the best we have been too. We found that some people reacted to the bugs more [... read more] then others, a few people were just chewed up bit never effected us so much. The bus ride is a little to long at an hour and a half but I think it was worth it. All in all I would go back. I would give this trip a solid 3.5 out of 5.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Family oriented resort

This is a family oriented resort. Nothing much to offer for adults entertainment and overall animation. Annoying that children have access to the bar lobby and kills the vibe if you want to enjoy a relaxing adult only experience. Rooms are spacious and clean in the Spa section_block 21 is perfect setting. Food is ordinary and we saw some cockroaches at the buffet walking on the counter. Avoid the food at the snack bar near the beach. Do not bother with A la carte restaurants since they serve  [... read more]the same thing at the buffet. Please bring lots of hand sanitizer since this is lacking Pathways to access the beaches in really poor conditions and dangerous. Great tennis courses and coach is amazing. Same for Joby from animation team that offered private boxing training every morning at the Spa section. Great coach and excellent training. Staff are friendly.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Still has the most Amazing Staff but resort has gone down since our last stay.

We have been going to the VPB for years this was my third stay and my husbands fourth.The staff are amazing and go above and beyond, but sadly we found the resort lacking this time. No sparkling wine, no bread or bread products for 5 days out of seven. Often ran out of beer, wine and vodka.If you got a beach towel ( some guests didn't) you could not exchange for a dry one. The grounds are beautiful and weather was perfect. Sadly its no longer a 5 star more like 3.5.

Valentin Perla Blanca: DO NOT GO HERE

I don’t know where to start, we had decent expectations going into this but we’re sadly mistaken. Some highlights to touch on, when we got our room we only had one bottle of water, we were told “only 1, 1.5L bottle a day for your room. Didn’t give us any resolution so we had to get creative ourselves. Then when you wanted to take a shower it was like Russian roulette if you would get hot water or not. Then the à la cart was a joke, the way this place is advertised, there is sup [... read more]posed to be nine but when we got there there are only three and then there is at least one other that you have to pay money for. Also on each à la cart menu there are multiple items that cost money. Now the buffet is a whole other issue in itself, literally the best way to describe it is a picture of a feeding trough had a farm and that gives you the best description of what you get. They were too cheap to open up the other area with the kitchen. So instead they make 300 to 400 people all stand in constant lineups just to get food. If you want to get something cooked on the grill such as chicken you be waiting 25 minutes minimum. Not to mention they ran out of food halfway through the week, and there would be no explanation why. The waiters and cleaners were overall nice but anybody who had a higher management position acted as though it was above them to handle any issues or concerns we had. They would more or less ignore the concerns considering anything we had brought to their attention never truly got addressed. The waiters and cleaners were overall nice but anybody who had a higher management position acted as though it was above them to handle any issues or concerns we had. They would more or less ignore the concerns considering anything we had brought to their attention that never truly got addressed. Overall it’s quite a shame considering there were people there who had visited this property for five times in the past years and mentioned it was literally the worst condition they have ever seen it in. This is what happens when new management takes over and they’re only concern is seeing how much capital they can raise off of tourists. I look forward to seeing this hotel close down and potential he remodeled