Not a good resort

while the hotel as you call it was clean the aminities were not good. My first room, the toilet didn't work. After a long flight and bus ride to the resort there was no water or anything to drink in the room. I requested a new room. I was told it would be ready in a Hour this was @ noon and i didn't get the new room till 7pm that night. we went two days without running water. I had to pull the sheets off of my bed 5 days after being there to get fresh ones. durning the Lunch and Dinner buffets t [... read more]hey ran out of plates almost everyday with the exception of the first two days. i will not go back to that resort again. It was not a good experience for my mom as this was her first time ever travelling out side Canada.

Very beautiful resort!

The resort was beautiful and well laid out considering the size. Was like a figure 8, with the main lobby and areas in the middle. The rooms were nice and well kept. Our maid Misleidy was fabulous and went out of her way for us. The buffet food was very good. The A la carte dinners were very good, but my favorite out of the Mexican, the Japanese & the Italian was definitely the Italian. Beach was beautiful. Service at the pool bar was excellent, especially Reinier the waiter. He gave us excellen [... read more]t service. Took care to make sure our drinks were refilled and always had a smile on his face. The supper buffet waiter Alfredo was excellent as well, always greeting the 7 of us and making sure to prepare a table for all of us to sit together. He was extremely efficient in making sure we had everything we needed and always offered us coffee after our dinner. Davide the animation worker invited us to participate in salsa lessons by the pool which were alot of fun and made a point to say hi to us from that moment forward everyday when he saw us. The only complaint I have is that the lobby bar was so busy in the evenings, it was extremely hard to get any service and hard for the bartenders to keep up. Very, very frustrating. It needs to be better organized somehow. Perhaps take away the bar stools around the bar, so that people are not sitting around the area where people are waiting to get drinks. Add more tables in the lobby instead. Maybe offer a self serve beer tap, water station, slushy station(for the kids) all with some staff to supervise and keep clean. Also, it would have been nice if the self serve coffee station actually worked. It only seemed to dispense water? Add more waiters/waitresses on the floor to offer/serve drinks to the tables. I only recall being asked once if I wanted anything the whole week. Open another bar area in the lobby...you have 900 something rooms. You could afford to open another lobby bar in the same area to accommodate this number. All in all it was a great vacation! Food was very good! Pool areas are nice. Beach is beautiful. Service was great in most areas. Oh...I definitely recommend going to the spa. Had a couples massage one day and went the next with a friend for a facial and a body wrap!! Loved it! Dancing/lobby or beach party were great fun!

Cozy+Friendly!

Everything was EXCELLENT!! Only one complaint,was the quality of food!! We have been to Cuba several times before+ this was the first time ever,that food was not up to par!! The a la cartes were average.One other major irritant to me(not husband),was the lack of enforcement on fairness with holding pool/beach chairs! Not enough for all. Other than those 2 complaints we REALLY ENJOYED this resort! Staff were Tremendous!! We actually met the General Manager,by chance,+ he was very interested in ou [... read more]r comments+ listened with an eagerness for any improvements!

Excellent couples resort.

The beach is perfect and the grounds are beautiful. Our room was located far enough away from the pool and bars that we didn't hear any noise at all. It was a short walk from a nice long beach. This was our second time here and we'll go again.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria - Paradise Island

everything at this resort was excellent I would recommend it to anybody it was very clean which is important, people and staff were very friendly the service was very good as well. we have no complaints at all it was definitely a five star location for Cuba.

Great Trip!

This was our third time returning to this resort, visited the first week of April 2015. We had tried another resort in the same area last year but returned to the MCSM for the atmosphere, the size of the resort (not too big) and, most importantly, the staff, who are amazing. Beautiful beach, lovely gardens and pools. We had no issues with hot water and the room was cleaned and linens changed daily. There were no beach towels available for exchange the entire week we were there but was not an iss [... read more]ue for us. Food variety was a bit limited in the buffet but we could always find something we liked and the cooked-to-order meat and pasta stations were excellent. Morning fruit smoothies and eggs made to order at breakfast were great, croissants and fresh donuts every morning were a treat! We enjoyed the Italian and Japanese restaurants (very entertaining) and had a special dinner at the French restaurant which was very nice. BBQ at lunchtime at the beach restaurant had long lineups but the BBQ chicken and pork were worth the wait! Staff always smiling and ready to help. The beach was beautiful as always but lots of wind during the week so did not venture into the ocean until towards the end of our stay. Drink service around the pool area is great, thanks to Osbeil who is amazing. Daily activities available should you choose to join in. All in all it was a very enjoyable trip, the staff are obviously trying to make this a great place to visit. Quality control managers were visible every day ensuring things were up to par. Would return again, good value for the price.

Awesome resort

we loved the size of the resort and enjoyed our poolside room.staff were amazing especially our chefs daniel and frank.sandy the gardener and the wait staff at the buffet.beach is beautiful as is pool

Ok for the price

We were there for one week with 2 kids The kids had a good time .Animation team does a great work They had a lot of fun activities for kids and adults during the day . Food was not very good even for Cuban standards .It is not easy to book any restaurants The lady was not very pleasant To deal for booking . The service. Was terrible at reception It was impossible to get anything from them as simple as extra blanket to the room . The room was very well cleand .every day The show was very good . T [... read more]he band was amazing before and after show .

Perfect getaway!

We had an amazing week at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria! The resort was very well kept and clean, the staff was amazing and the beach was magnificent! There were many excursions offered and lots of events around the resort. The food was great, especially the a la carts offered for dinner! I would recommend this location to friends and family!

Tired Resort

My first time to Cuba and went with an open mind, this particular resort was recommended to us and we went for it. Our 1st day was eventful when after unpacking we found out the patio door did not lock. We packed up and changed rooms, very similar problems as others low water pressure and yes, no water for several hours one day. The food in the buffet was acceptable, no food issues for us . . . use your head when making your selections we did not choose food that was obviously sitting in warming [... read more] trays for long periods of time. The staff was more than willing to try a please but maybe some training should be given for regularly cleaning the inside of the windows in the buffet room and wiping tables down between settings. I am surprised there is not more mentioned of the roaming cats at this resort. I am not a cat lover and was totally disturbed by the amount of cats that are roaming around this resort. We were in the Elegance group and had an invite to a BBQ dinner at the Beach BBQ restaurant one evening, sitting there having a very nice dinner and a cat is walking around in the restaurant startling guests as it showed up at different tables. Walking through the pool area meowing startling people relaxing in their chairs, not to mention the cats mating which was going on outside our patio. I have travelled to the Dominican and Mexico and there always seems to be issues with the lounge chairs and having to go out early in the morning to reserve chairs. But, there seemed to be a real problem with chairs around the pools and one thing I did notice was people were being very inconsiderate. Going to the pool placing a towel on the lounge chair and flipping the back of the chair down, then disappearing for the rest of the day because they have gone to the beach. Coming back to the pool around 4 in the afternoon and low and behold their chairs are waiting for them. It only takes a few to ruin it for everyone. This resort has a staff that will bend over backwards to accommodate you but they can only do so much, the resort is getting tired and must be maintained. It certainly is not a write off but they have to start paying attention to all the little details that require attention now. Good luck

Amazing Beach and Pool!

The resort has some very nice qualities and some very poor ones as well. THE GOOD: - Awesome beach! Seriously probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in real life. Clean and debris free. You do have to get there and put your towel down by 5:30am (for real) if you want some loungers. I tried at 7am our first day and was told by the gentlemen working down there that I was too late... -There are 2 large pools side by side. Clean and a really nice temperature. We would go down around 9am [... read more] and always found some loungers no problems. - Smaller resort - quick and easy to get around to everything. -The beach grill for lunch ( get there around 12:30 and line up with your plate), it is totally worth it- the best food we ate all week). -The waiter around the pool (didn't get his name) but he was fantastic. He would walk around the entire pool area and take everyone's drink order about once an hour. He would even take your bubba mugs up and have it refilled. - There's a nice little market, about a 2 minute walk, between Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Melia Las Dunas resort. It is different everyday and has all the little Cuban knick knack souvenirs you may want to buy. Just an FYI - the prices of the rum and cigars are the same price there as they are in the resort gift shop and the airport. There is another, larger market close by. It gets extremely hot there so I would suggest going around 9am when it opens. The prices were about the same as the little market by our hotel . It was nice to get out and do some exploring. You can either take the double decker bus that stops by all the hotels or take a cab. Both cost $2 pesos each person each way. Just remember that the bus runs on "Cuban Time". THE BAD: -Had trouble finding anything that was really good on the buffet. It was the same selection at every meal. It got picked over fast and wasn't refilled. The breakfast was decent, but you had to wait in line for an omelette/fried egg/pancakes. You definitely have to do this if you wanted to enjoy your breakfast. Even the a la cartes we just so-so, but the Japanese was probably the best of the bunch. -This resort also has no night life. Some nights had a show, others did not. And the nights that did, the show was lame. -Service at the lobby bar was a hit or a miss. Some nights we had not a problem getting a drink or nights we would stand at the bar waiting and waiting. The bartenders totally ignoring us. - The room was average. We were warned by the Air Transat rep. at our orientation, that there was an issue with the water temp and pressure but it was getting fixed as we spoke. We did not have too much of an issue with that. We did have an issue with the shower head though, first shower taken- the shower head fell off and smashed into pieces in the tub. Completely broken. We were told if we had an issues like that to call 700. We did and within 1/2 hr a maintenance man came and replaced it. We were shocked to say the least. We had also been warned that everything was on "Cuban Time" and not to get too upset when things were delayed so to say the least, we were very impressed. The patio door was also broken. It locked but had a gap at the bottom, about 1/2" wide that let bugs and spiders in. We found a tarantula size spider in our room. Twice. Overall the resort is decent. The main downfall is the food, which is a pretty big problem unfortunately, but because of the amazing beach and pool I would probably return. Just remember to call 700 in your room if you had any issues, this is how they get resolved. Another tip, if you want certain pops or beers in your mini fridge, leave them a note saying what you want and how many of each ( and leave a peso or two) and they will gladly fill your request everyday. This not done by the maid, it a separate department that come later in the day.

Really liked the size..beautiful grounds

very good nightly entertainment..specality restaurants good...buffet food ok ... spa services excellent but the 20% off was only for massages..I booked a facial and it wasn't included..on arrival at 4am there was no drinking water or pop..we called but didn't get any..and there was hot water for showering or washing only ONE day..the day before we left..very grateful for the beautiful weather ,water and people

Wonderful resort with fantastic staff!!!

Although I haven't been to many resorts I did enjoy my time here. The people were so friendly and always trying to accommodate you. The grounds were beautiful although the paths and walkways were a little dark at night. The food at the buffet was good but the a LA cart restaurants were nothing special for food choices. The beach was amazing & my favorite place of the whole resort. The white sand, warm clear turquoise water, and never a problem to find a beach chair!! The pool was equally good bu [... read more]t it was a pool not the ocean. Would have preferred more nightly entertainment with dancing available but there was theatre performances that were entertaining. I enjoyed my stay at Melia Cayo Santa Maria. :)

Disappointing - this is not a 4 star hotel!

The best thing about Cuba has always been the people! The staff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful without exception. Amazing people! I was very disappointed with the hotel overall. We arrived late ( 4 am) due to bad weather at home and were not able to even brush our teeth as there was no drinking water in the room. Two calls to the front desk yielded nothing. In the morning I noticed that I had slept in used sheets - the chamber maid fixed this problem immediately.We used the same bee [... read more]ch towel for the week because we were told that it was difficult for them to do laundry. We went 5 days without hot water - At 63 I am too old to take cold showers! I travel a lot and this is my 5th trip to Cuba; I found the food lacking. Perhaps this is due to the distance that the trucks have to go to deliver fresh food. Over the years I have found that the food in Cuba had improved greatly at the other hotels I have stayed in. This was not the case here. Even the 'a la carte' restaurants were bland and often were unable to provide what was on the menu. The weather was perfect. The beach was not on par with the beaches say in Varedero. There was a 'hill' of sand in front of the hotel that had to be climbed or walked around. I know this had nothing to do with the hotel itself but I would caution anyone with back, hip or walking problems as there was also a strong undertow and we found that it was sometimes very difficult to get out of the water. We were unable to get a place on the beach until day 3 as all shaded areas and chairs were taken. We were finally advised that one had to go down at 7 am to secure a spot. I am trying to be very honest - I paid for a 4 and a 1/2 star hotel and wouldn't give it a 3 star rating. Don't bother with the Elegance club: -we did get a welcome drink but no cold towel -dedicated room location ????? I was very happy with the location of our room as it was very quiet. -beach towels, bath robes and slippers NO -turn down service NO -20% discount on SPA treatments - I did get the discount because I had a massage - but my travel companion did not because I guess a facial and hair treatment doesn't count???????????????????? - Exclusive concierge ---- not sure what this means -BarbQ party - didn't go -Manager's cocktail party - - - missed that ????

Fantastic Beach

The resort is older but everything is clean. I go there for the beach and ocean view. The food is average Cuban fare. My only real complaint was there was very few times that they had hot water. If the beach is what you want this is definitely the place to go!

Never Go Here

Worst trip of 7 to Cuba. 223 poolside cots for 358 rooms (fights poolside over "saving" them all day while going into town). Be up at 7 if you want one. Support staff kind as usual; mngmt useless help.

Great Value for $

Hotel is well kept, beautiful grounds and exceptionally wide beach area with plenty of room for all. Service and staff was excellent most all times with minor excepions, food was good and homey. Entertainment was varied for all ages. Challenge with hot/warm water for most of the stay, but not worth complaining about as everything was so good and they tried to fix it.

Lovely Resort

We stayed here for a week had a great time. Check in was a breeze requested 2 nd floor and we got it.. The room are clean nicely decorted. The beach is amazing the weather was a bit windy , but it didn't bother us at all. The food was good never had a problem there was always something to eat , we had 3 la cartes all good... The staff were all very friendly always a smile on there faces....Lots of live bands and music which we really enjoyed. Over all we really enjoyed this resort we recom [... read more]mend it to anyone...The pools were very clean well kept . The drinks were really good ...I don't understand why people wrote bad reviews we have been to Cuba dozens of times not once were we disappointed...........

Old & rundown resort, expected more for a Melia

The grounds where well kept and beautiful. I was in bldg 8 and found my room was really run down, most of the grout was missing in the ceramic floor tiles and ants were always in the bathroom. The maid was good and washed the floors daily. The public washrooms in the lobby & pool area were not well kept, could smell the urine and toilets always leaking down the side of floor, 1 toilet even had the lid missing, after going there twice I started going back to my room with the ants, at least it was [... read more] clean. The stretch of beach though nice, the water was deep after a few steps, would not take small children there, the water was rarely calm when I was there. Also disappointed with the food, the fish in all the restaurants was mainly basa, expected better.

One of the best resorts

Most important tip: request a second floor balcony room overlooking the pool or garden view. The first room we were given was on the ground floor and had a horrible pesticide smell. Our patio was 3 feet away from dense bushes, so apart from no view, it made the room dark and uninviting. Within a day, the hotel moved us to us to a second floor room overlooking the pool and our friends were given a garden view. This resort has a lovely pool area and gardens and the rooms are all beautifully decora [... read more]ted, very spacious and the beds comfortable. All the staff are friendly and helpful. Only three negatives: the constant and sometimes very high winds in Santa Maria are okay for keeping cool in otherwise hot and humid temperatures, but sitting at the beach or trying to read in those winds was challenging. This is the only reason we wouldn't return to this part of Cuba. The other negatives were that we didn't have hot water for showers and the food in the buffet was not good and neither was the beach restaurant. We've been to Cuba before and did not have unreasonable expectations in that regard. The more expensive enhanced package is worth the cost simply because you can get reservations at 3 a-la-carte restaurants. We liked the Japanese one best, then the French and finally the Italian. The snack bar also has a really good selection of food like pizza, hot dogs and daily specials and is open 24/7. One thing people might want to know is that there is a nude area on the beach...far away from the resort beach, but it might come as a shock to some. We didn't care.