Beautiful Grounds, clean rooms

Hotel is beautiful more than I expected from what I heard about Cuba. The grounds are gorgeous and well maintained.The pure white sandy beach and turquoise water are spectacular. The food is better than I expected as was the service by the hotel staff. Food preperation and presentation on the other hand is severely lacking for what is supposed to be a 5 star resort The chefs cooked the fish, chicken ,meats or eggs for you as your turn came up in the long waiting line at the meat [... read more]s buffet counter. Each order placed by each hotel patron took an average of 4 to 10 minutes, depending what you ordered . So if you were the 10 th person in line you waited for a minumum of 40 minutes for your chicken , beef or omelet. IF you were number 20 ,30 or 50 th in line or more you do the math on how long you can expect to wait for your meal. In most cases your meats , fish or omlete was under cooked or raw in some cases as the chefs( usually one in most cases ) struggled and rushed the cooking process in order to try to keep up with the flood of people for breakfast lunch or dinner .Most of the meats need to be cooked and prepared in the kitchen then brought out to the buffet tables NOT cooked individually for each client. This hotel needs some serious lessons and training on how to prepare meals for larger crowds and how to properly cook and prepare fish and meats etc. Some people I met and spoke to had been I'll 2 or 3 days they believe from eating under cooked or raw food at the resort .If the resort can get their act together preparing and serving some of their food it would become a top notch resort. As it stands now you have to be very very patient and wary on how your food is prepared. Other than some of the food issues it is a top notch resort.

Melia las Dunas - a nice place

The place is nice and beautiful. Almost 2 hours by bus from Santa Clara. Santa Maria island has maybe the most beautiful beach from Cuba and not only. The food at Melia las Dunas was OK, better at a la carte restaurants, but everywhere the desserts were in need for improvement. The grounds are beautiful, the people working there are great, very helpful. The food need to be improved and lots of maintenance needs an attention. I will definitely recommend.

Lizards Galore! And no water!!!

We just returned from our Christmas vacation from Melia, this was our second visit the first one was in 2014 it was awesome that's why we decided to return little did we know the resort has changed totally! Too many cut backs to the point that they shut off water randomly afternoon until evening and when you get back to your room you can't shower! You phone them they transfer you to 10 different extensions! And when the water does come it's cold!!! What a disaster holiday! We travel a lot in Cub [... read more]a 3 times a year but never have we experienced this before! I did read the reviews on "no water" but thought no way I have been here before and it was fine! I wish I had listened to those that warned us! Reviews are written for good reason so others do not suffer what we went through. The beach has always been windy! And the food was repeat everyday it became monotonous! Of course to go to the bathroom was a nightmare since you couldn't flush or wash your hands! (Also the toilet doors had no locks or seats! )The maids were filling buckets from the pool to dump in the toilets as there were flies all over it! No sanitation! And there were lizards everywhere on my bath towel!!! We had two rooms and the lizards were everywhere omg! If you want a good holiday DO NOT COME HERE! And we paid big bucks to come here for Christmas you think they would realize that! And of course since there was no water there was no coffee or tea or water to drink in the bar!! They wouldn't use the bottled water to pour you the water!!! It's insane! At breakfast they did not have simple things like sliced bread or black tea!!! They only keep chamomile and green tea! We are never coming back to this place and I do not recommend this place to anyone! Also Sunwing sucks! Upon checkin they made an issue on the names so we pay them extra to correct it when the names were fine! Until the supervisor saw that and then we were given identical boarding pass! So only 3 seats instead of 4! Who does that? Very unprofessional and the leg space is crazy! One can hardly move unless of course you purchase elite seats! No more sunwing for us too!

Amazing resort

Nice beautiful beach Comfort rooms Clear resort Huge buffet Friendly service Clean pool Strong air conditioner Beautiful weather with warm ocean breeze Reach bar alcohol with good test Internet connection really bad ( find most of the time internet connection was down or failed) Phone call unbelievable expensive Transportation from or to airport was the best with air conditioner bus

Best time in Las Dunas

My family and I had been to this resort and returned because we knew that we would get great service, eat good food and enjoy the amazing white sand beach. The trip was memorable and the only complaint i would have is the lack of day and evening entertainment. This is definitely not a party resort so if you just want some relaxation, then this is the place for you.

Great vacation.

Excellent resort! This was the first time I have traveled to Cuba. I was pleasantly surprised at how our week played out. The weather was fabulous for the 5 days. Our accommodations were nice and very clean. The beach was outstanding and we never had a problem acquiring chaise lounge chairs. The pools were well maintained, clean and lots of seating. The food was average. Hitel staff were very nice and accommodating. All in all I would rate this resort a 4/5 and consider returning there again.

Nice resort

The rooms have gone downhill and smelt very musty and not very clean. Killed a bug the first night I was there and it was still there when I left 10 days later. The food is still very good. The entertainment was not very good like is had been in the past.

Excellent Resort

The Resort was very clean and met our expectations. The food was surprisingly good, Cuba is known for bland food but this hotel was good. The restaurants were disappointing but the Buffet was good. Nice Pool and beach.

Melia Las Duns

Excellent vacation, good food, great people, beautiful grounds. Will go there again. Highly Recommended. Rooms can use some updating, but are a good size. Bathroom had a high soaker tub, clean. Would concider taking my daughter and grandchildren there, I felt very safe.

Amazing trip! Bad timing but would still highly recommend and return!

Great food and beyond amazing staff! Castro passed away so entertainment was non-existent to minimal, however the entertainers were very accommodating. Beaches were beautiful! One pool was being maintained and Beds need to be replaced. TVs were replaced during out stay as well, and our building was being painted. good to know they are maintaining and up-keeping the resort though! Premium liquor was great. Many people from toronto and montreal which is close to home and comforting. Gr [... read more]eat resort for families and retirees. Would return with my family to experience the disco and further entertainment! the aqua ballet show we saw was great and the markets conveniently located. wish there was more excursions! but being 2 hours from the city on an excluded island, it is hard to find that otherwise! did parasail though! a-la cartes were also great. did 5 total. would definitely recommend, understand why many people return. amazing deal for the value and quality!

No Hot Water

We booked this trip for a nice quick 4day escape from the cold weather, unfortunately this resort had no hot water for the duration of our trip. The front desk kept informing us hot water would be on the evening/following day and it never came. Also beware of the cleanliness of the sheets and towels as we found blood on ours. Front desk did minimal to help us or compensate us. The resort itself was nice, The pools and grounds are well-kept. Food was average however waitresses and waiters [... read more] of the restaurants were very nice. due to the lack of cleanliness this of our room and having no hot water for the duration of her trip I would not recommend this resort.

Good Resort for $$

This was my second visit in the past year. Part of the resort was closed and looked like upgrades were happening all over the resort. Room and service was very good. Only complaint was the hot water was inconsistent- sometimes warm at best. Food was very good. The omelette and pasta station were awesome and the grilled chicken at the Beer Garden was very good. I would visit this resort again.

Melila las dunas

excellent location nice staff nice excursions good food and nice rooms I loved it and would like to come back soon..................................................................................................................................................................

Beautifull resort

Melia las dunas was very beautifull and we will return back next year but on our way out saturday october 15 to the airport my wife left her kobo in the bus and I would like to know if it possible for you to retreive her Kobo (book readers) she was sitting in the second bench at right side The Kobo was red If you find it please return it at our adress Line Lalonde 62 Marlene Goyet Gatineau J8P 6Z5 Quebec (canada) Thank you very much

Best resort ever.

Had an excellent vacation here. The standard of this resort is admirable and a close attention to detail makes for comfort and enjoyment. The staff are warm and friendly and all seem willing to go the extra mile. The grounds are extensive and perfectly maintained. The food is good especially the a la carte restaurants. Rather than pile your plate high at the buffet decide ahead of time what you want to eat. The chances are you will find it available from the selection of eateries available. I es [... read more]pecially enjoyed the fresh fish and seafood selection. Lots of guests from all over the world. A lot of large family groups but rarely was noise an issue. The beach is also well serviced by the resort but the rising level of the ocean is taking its toll on the gorgeous beach.

Good time!

I thought the hotel lobby was beautiful but the rooms were dated. Staff were very friendly and any issues we had were solved in a timely manner. Loved the beach and the pool, spent lots of time in both places!! Buffet and bbq dining were my favourites. Can't say much for the a la carte dining. The only place I enjoyed was the pizzeria. Had to go back to buffet after other a la carte as I did not enjoy the food. Were not told about other amenities on resort, like bowling, disco, market, etc [... read more]. Had to find out about them from other guests and at that point it was too late to visit as things got closed down because of hurricane warnings. We are returning back there in January for a destination wedding event and I am looking forward to visiting again.

Good Times

We stayed at this hotel for a wedding. Despite the threat of Hurricane Matthew, we had great weather and a very good time. The hotel is quite dated and the food is average. Having said that, the staff makes all the difference. A big shout out to JAVIER, the bartender at the adult pool, SANDY, the waiter at the buffet restaurant, and the ladies in the gift shop - BARBARA and JAYNELLE. These individuals always had a smile for us and went out of their way to do whatever they could to make our  [... read more]stay memorable. They were AWESOME!

Great resort

We stayed at this resort from September 10 to September 17, 2016. We loved our stay. The hotel is very big with lots to do. The beach is absolutely beautiful and the grounds were clean and full of beautiful tropical flowers. I want to thank our maid Carlos in block 28 for the excellent service. We hope to visit again soon

Great value for the money!

I travelled to Cayo Santa Maria in early Sept '16 alone (young female) and I had a great time! The resort is nice and really big. I had great A/C in my room. The beaches were beautiful, clear water and white sands. The food was better than I last remember 8yrs ago. This resort has enough options to choose from. The island is secluded and quite, which is nice for couples and families. Not much in terms of off site parties. I would visit this resort again!

A nice resort

We were transferred to Playa cayo santa maria due to a/c issues at Melia las Dunas. Overall the resort was clean and had a nice layout. The beach was lovely and there was a nice variety of excursion choices. Staff was fairly friendly. Next time I would probably select a resort closer to the airport. We basically had to be in the front lobby 6 hours before our flight. Makes for a long day especially when traveling with children. Overall our experience was great. And Lawrence our trav [... read more]el agent was fabulous! !