Memories Paraiso: Left with bad Memories, avoid this resort!

Our family recently returned from our stay at the Memories Paraiso Azul Resort after a 7-day stay from Christmas to New Years. We came in a large group and were astonished at the mass scale of the resort, there was plenty of place to roam unfortunately nothing was in close proximity to our rooms, making it difficult to coordinate activities as a group and an inconvenience for the older members of our group who had to walk at least 10 minutes to just get to the buffet. The food was expecte [... read more]dly underwhelming, and we particularly did not enjoy the a la carte, but there were a couple items in the buffet that became staples throughout the trip. The major saving grace of this resort was the beach. We spent the bulk of our day swimming in the crystal blue water, taking long walks and napping under the cabanas. It was unequivocally the high point of our vacation. Unfortunately our trip was hindered by a number of issues. The facilities are sadly not up-to-date and guests should be prepared to compromise on certain luxuries. A few of the issues we experienced included: theft of a cell phone and cell phone charger, a broken bathroom door, a faulty toilet flush, flooding in the bathroom, a night with no running water and a defective air conditioning system. On New Years Eve while we were at the buffet dinner (we had made reservations for 7pm a few nights prior) our room was accessed three times by someone with a duplicate room key. Upon arriving in the room later that night we found that our cell phone and cell phone charger had been stolen. We immediately contacted the front desk and they sent over a security guard, who unfortunately did not speak a word of English. They also brought over a technician who accessed the card reader on our door to provide us with a report on who accessed the room at what time. Since our screen door in the back was locked this was the only way someone could have entered the room. Our cell phone and other valuables were kept in the safe for the duration of our stay. Because we were to leave early in the morning on New Years Day we decided to charge the cell phone and set an alarm for around 3:30AM. The report generated by the technician showed that at 7:15PM, 7:20PM and 7:23PM someone had entered the room with a duplicate room key. This was certainly not anyone from our family since we were at the dinner buffet at the opposite end of the resort at 7PM. We explained this to the lobby staff but since whoever accessed our room did so with a room card, they were uncooperative in pursuing the matter any further, would not apologize for the inconvenience and insisted that the theft was from a member of our family! They did not allow us to take a physical copy of the report, but allowed us to take a photograph for our records. To top it all off, there are no security cameras on the premises so this printed document was all that determined our fate. Our stay at this hotel was nowhere close to pleasant and we ended on a terribly sour note. The lobby staff was extremely unkind when we needed them most, we were forced to prove our innocence to no avail and because of their unwillingness to listen to our story we left the hotel and ended our vacation without resolving the issue. As on every family vacation, we have been responsible and safe with our belongings for the entirety of our trip, we have never experienced an incident like this and we are extremely disappointed with the resort for not having better security precautions to ensure issues like this are resolved. Aside from the loss of the device itself, the loss of crucial information, personal contacts, photos and videos and other items of sentimental value have been heartbreaking. We certainly will not be returning, and will be sure to not recommend this to any one we know.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Wonderful resort but not without its problems

This was our second time at this resort. In between many renos were done which is obvious by the discarded pieces of machinery which have been replaced that are left for days and weeks outside the door of your room. This is not a resort for anyone with mobility problems or unable to climb stairs. Don't expect golf cart service even though it is supposed to be available. The grounds and pools are phenomenal. The a la carte restaurants, except the Cuban, were excellent. The breakfast buffet was go [... read more]od. The evening buffet was disgusting. The food was inedible and cold except for the ice cream which was inedible and melted. The diamond club is worth the extra cost for the premium liquor and extra service. Finally do not waste your time and money on the trip to Santiago de Cuba as it is 7 hours of driving for 2 hours of harassment by beggars and hawkers in the streets. Even with all this we will be back.

Memories Jibacoa: Amazing snorkelling experience!

If you are looking to have an incredible snorkelling vacation with no kids, this is the resort to go. Bring your own gear though. Evening shows are great too! Rooms are clean and the staff is friendly.

Sol Turquesa Beach: An okay resort

The rooms are clean but they need some updates. (Our shower bar fell off the wall, the remote for the television didn't work, sheets were changed every day but the bed spreads looked like the hadn't been washed in ages). The pools are very well kept. The buffet is small, therefore there are long lineups at times for food. We paid for the Diamond Club for three days and never had our alcohol delivered, when we spoke to customer service, they apologized and said they would speak to the delivery  [... read more]man - but that was all he could do. The kids club is great. Kids do activities and they are fed lunch-they even had a kids dinner. The caretakers are wonderful.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Not Disappointed

I had read multiple reviews about this resort on TripAdvisor,with some praising the place and others who would never go back. My Bride and I visited here between Christmas and stayed over New Years and we found the resort was actually quite good. The grounds were kept clean, the bars had plenty of alcoholic beverages and the bartenders knew how to make specialty drinks. The pools were clean although a tad cool but the lower night temperatures had a play in that.Our maid kept our room clean and s [... read more]tocked with necessities like water in bottles and hygiene products with fresh towels daily. This was our first visit to Cuba and I'm quite sure not our last.

Memories Paraiso: Average below expectations

Not a very good resort. Shortages of food and other stuff. Service was bad also. Would never go there again. For the amount of money charged this was a rip off. Expectations were higher for the amount of money paid. Would never go there again and would not recommend it to anyone. Sadly was not one of the best vacations we ever had. Very upset about it.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: ****AMAZING RESORT WITH AMAZING BEACH *****

This was my 2nd visit in 4 months to this resort. :-) The beach on my first visit was a little tricky because of the coral, but it has since been covered over and it is probably the best beach in Cuba now. I've been to Varadero, Holguin, Guardalavacca, Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco. BEST BEACH!!!! :-) The employees at this resort are the best I've seen... and I've been to 32 all inclusive resorts ...all over the place. The front desk people are amazing, the bartenders are amazing,  [... read more]the buffet people are wonderful. The food is good, but I always tell people that if you can't live without your favorite condiment, such as Heinz ketchup for instance...just bring your own. I always bring a jar of peanut butter and a small bottle of Montreal Steak Spice! The fish is amazing, and everything on the buffet is good. Cubans don't use as much spice as we do, so you can actually taste the food! :-) I'm going back to this place in 3 months.... LOVE IT!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: ****AMAZING RESORT WITH AMAZING BEACH *****

This was my 2nd visit in 4 months to this resort. :-) The beach on my first visit was a little tricky because of the coral, but it has since been covered over and it is probably the best beach in Cuba now. I've been to Varadero, Holguin, Guardalavacca, Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco. BEST BEACH!!!! :-) The employees at this resort are the best I've seen... and I've been to 32 all inclusive resorts ...all over the place. The front desk people are amazing, the bartenders are amazing,  [... read more]the buffet people are wonderful. The food is good, but I always tell people that if you can't live without your favorite condiment, such as Heinz ketchup for instance...just bring your own. I always bring a jar of peanut butter and a small bottle of Montreal Steak Spice! The fish is amazing, and everything on the buffet is good. Cubans don't use as much spice as we do, so you can actually taste the food! :-) I'm going back to this place in 3 months.... LOVE IT!

Grand Memories Varadero: Worst Holiday Ever

Stayed at Grand Memories Varadero from evening of Tuesday December 20, 2016 till late afternoon of Tuesday December 27, 2016. This was my first time travelling over the Christmas Holidays, but my 20th all inclusive trip. Sunwing conned us into purchasing the elite service with a perk of paying only $25 pp instead of $50 pp in the "spirit of Christmas" Come to find out that others in the elite seats didn't even pay. AMy husband is over 6 ft tall so we requested this seating to aid in his comfo [... read more]rt. The 3 rd seat in our row was empty until 20 minutes into the flight the stewardess decided to move another passenger into the empty seat, a much larger man than my husband which then made my husband cramped in the middle seat and pused up against me in the window seat. Again, we PAID for these seats for comfort, others did not and WE were the ones who suffered, never again. Arrival at hotel took about 40 minutes. Easy comfortable drive. Reception was quick at front desk and we were given the $100 upgraded room I paid for daimond club. Apart from being a litle closer to the beach, the rooms all looked the same and were not furnished any differently. What was the $100 for ? Bathtub requires a stepstool to climb into and dare you use the handrail to pul yourself in or it would have come off the wall pulling the tiles down with it it was so loose. The handheld shower wand was also hanging from the wall, with a screw that should hold it attached to the wall right out of the wall. The shower head would not stay in an upright position to shower under becasue of this but dont despair the water was so cold, no hot water, you couldnt stay more than 1 minute in the shower anyway. This lasted throughout the week. Food was repetitive, tatsteless and COLD. Servers in hot stations were not friendly, did not smile, did not say Hola, Gracias or anything. Beach was cold and windy everyday, no fault of resort, but made for unenjoyable beach days, Day trip into Havana on December 24th was a bust with our car getting a flat tire, and tour quite boring actually. That and by 1 pm, I was so nauseaus I had to ask driver to cut our trip short and take us back to the hotel where I spent the rest of my vacation mostly in our room because I was sick with vomitting and diahrehha. I had hardly eaten anything since our arrival 3 days earlier apart from pineapple and some fresh grilled chicken. No alcohol, lots of tea. Bread was not fresh and any food in warming trays was cold. I continued to survive on tea, jello which was awful and some white rice. 2 weeks later, I am still suffering. Never went on a vacation and LOST 10 lbs ! You never know how many washrooms a resort does not have until you need one at every corner. This hotel could stand to put a few more in. Washroom by pool was always locked when I went to use it. Our flight home with sunwing was as bad if not worse. We asked if emergency row seats available, told yes, but that hostes "secretly would put us in a row with 3 seat ailse and window and block off middle seat so my husband could have extra leg room. why we beleived him I don't know, becasue alas we did not take the emergency row seat and instead were put in aisle and window seats in row 21, and then along comes a gentleman who was placed in the middle seat. No amount of complaining would rectify this. WE WILL NEVER FLY SUNWING AGAIN. WE WILL NEVER TRAVEL AT CHRISTMAS AGAIN. WE WILL NEVER GO TO VARADERO AGAIN and WE WOUL NEVER RECOMMEND GRAND MEMORIES VARADERO TO ANYONE.

Memories Paraiso: Amazing and sincere Staff.

Knowing the star rating for Cuba is not similar to other parts of the world, our family went with not very high expectations. With that said the challenges faced started from day 1: flush not working, no glasses, no bread, no fries, room key being faulty was a daily issue, coffee machine not working just to name a few . It was a trek to the front desk to get keys fixed. We were a group of 20 and each family had a mechanic in one of our rooms daily. The feedback when speaking to other guests was  [... read more]similar. The most important thing to note was the sincerity of the staff and the eagerness to fix the issue and make our stay pleasant and comfortable. The key to all this was the lack of accountability from the owner of this establishment , the limited resources provided to this sincere group of people working in this hotel that made this sincere and hard working group of people look poorly . Sunwing and the owner of this hotel ( same as Sunwing) portrayed a extremely high representation of this hotel which was not even close to the pretty picture . It would be great to see that the airline and owner of the hotel take ownership and fix what they have broken . It will make guests feel they are important and fortunately they are blessed with amazing staff .

Memories Paraiso: Extremely horrible resort

During our stay there was no water one evening, The buffet restaurant ran out of bread, The toilet flushes didn't work and on the last day my nephew's phone was stolen from his room, never going back to this resort, the only redeeming feature are the hotel staff and the beach.

Memories Paraiso: Not a very good resort

The service was horrible. They constantly ran out of food at the buffet and the fruit and when asked to be replenished they said they had no more. There was no water supply for a day and some of the items in tge room dud not work. Last but not the least our cell phone was stolen from the room by one of the staff.Would never go back there again. Not worth it for the amount of money we paid for this trip. Very bad experience.

Memories Jibacoa: Tremendous holiday destination

Wonderful experience in a lush and safe setting. Hotel staff was amazing, great food, beach and entertainment. Being close to Havana, we were able to spend an entire day in the city. Our guide and transportation were fantastic and very knowledgable.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Under renovations

We've been to this hotel previously. This time the hotel was under major renovations, which we were not aware of until after we booked. We called Sunwing and the rep denied that there were any renovations going on during this time. The hotel needed upgrades, so I am sure after the renovations it should look great. However, the lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms made it annoying at times. It would be nice if hotel management would do a checklist thru out the day to maintain the restrooms. [... read more] The service was great the the staff is very friendly. We were there for Christmas, they tried to put on a good spread, but you do not go to Cuba for the food. The entertainment staff seems to do the bare minimum. Although we paid a higher price during this time of year, we were very disappointed with the value. We also lost a day of sun due to the flight schedule. We arrived late in the evening and left early in the morning. Normally is should have been a later flight on the return.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Great Resort with some disappointment

The resort was fantastic with the exception of the food at the buffet. Not much care in preparation or selection at times. Greatly disappointed with the selection in fresh fruit and vegetables. However we had the best concierge Kelly Herrera in our building. Catered to any of our concerns and requests. We've made a friend for life. We stayed in building 8.The bartender Ramone gave the best attention to our teenage boys and made sure they too had a great time. This is a resort with a lot to do an [... read more]d was so much fun. Just wish the beach was a little closer, but no fault of the resort.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: You can't go wrong here!!

The resort is very nice. The layout was very good so there was easy access to everything. The people were amazing as most Cubans are. The resort was not full which was a great benefit to us. There were always plenty of chairs around the pool and at the beach and there were never any real lines at the buffet. The food was great. The best food that I have had in Cuba and this is my fourth visit and just as good as Jamaica. The a la cartes are ok. You go in with higher expectations, but it  [... read more]really is just the buffet food, but they try so hard. The beach was very wide and the there were no issues with rocky bottoms or sharp shells. There was a machine brought in a while ago that took care of all of that. The rooms were always kept very clean. Yes, the beds were a little hard and the pillows a little flat, but who cares, it's just for a week. If it's that big of a deal, bring your own pillow. There is nothing to complain about at this resort and I would definitely go back again.

Memories Jibacoa: welcoming resort

A return visit to a resort that caters to returning visitors looking for a relaxing vacation. Great snorkeling right off shore, a nice sized resort so it is easy to get to know people, staff and other guest alike. Food pretty good for Cuba. Nice quiet location, very safe and close enough for an easy trip in to Havana. Staff are exceptional. Grounds well kept. Rooms very clean.

Memories Paraiso: beautiful resort

my husband and i just returned from memories azul thur dec 22 2016 with a notion of returning again next year for third time in a row at this amazing white beach with exceptional runners on beach setting up our chairs for us to lounge around on. the beach lounges were softer than the beds....with the hard bed being the only downfall. so if you go take blow up water air mattress and save your back. the water was amazing along with the drinks on the beach. the hotel staff was warm and friendly but [... read more] front desk had no small pesos for the first two days so we were not tipping every drink as our usual. it all worked out as they got every single peso we took as they were well worth the tips. i would highly recommend this place...clean spacious huge bathtub quiet at night balmy weather and a few good laughs. nice to be home though and will enjoy christmas at our house. merry christmas to all and to all a good night. maggie and laurie meade

Grand Memories Varadero: Awesome time!

The hotel is beautiful, always clean and the staff are great! Food is ok, not great but that's Cuba. There is good selection and the Gourmet restaurant is awesome! Loved the entertainment pool! Only complaint was a bad experience with the complementary room to get ready for departure after checking out but overall would go to this same hotel again!

Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing Getaway

This hotel was good. Staff are excellent and very nice. Beach is beautiful and close. Food was good, all sorts of stuff...even for the picky eaters. I will definitely be booking again in the next year with my children