Resonance Blu Varadero: Fun resort

My husband and I went with our 4.5 year old son, we had the Diamond Club upgrade which was very nice. The staff was amazing, they made the trip very enjoyable. The food at the buffet was good but very repetitive. We went to the Mexican Al a Carte, it was ok nothing extraordinary but not terrible. The Japanese and Cuban restaurants were good. The entertainment was great, we never visited the Kids Club because my son was more interested in being in the ocean and pool. They were quite busy on the w [... read more]eekend and we ran into issues with the buffet staff not being able to keep up with the demand for food. We did have to wait for them to restock it, which was fine we weren't in a rush. We were never able to get beach towels from the towel bar (they were always out) but our maid did bring us clean towels every second day. The resort was big so we did lots of walking, which we didn't mind, if you walk straight through the middle of the resort you save a bit of time. We stayed in building 32 which is right in betweem the beach and entertainment pool. The room was nice, clean but not fancy. Bed was ok, not the worst bed we've slept in and they gave us extra pillows and blankets after we requested them. We are laid back people so they fact that the outdoor showers were being repaired so out of service, buffet some days was low on food and beach towels were always gone didn't bother us, we really enjoyed our holiday anyways. Over all one of our better trips and for our first time in Cuba we were quite impressed with everything.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: You know the resort was bad, when people on the plane were SICK

The quality of food served was horrible, with burnt bacon and rock hard, over cooked meat. They served shrimp that was not de-veined, and the signs for the types of food were all incorrect. Good luck if you have food allergies. Both my wife and I were sick on the way home. We had killed about 15 cockroaches in the room, 2 spiders and a few mosquitoes. There was no quality put into the way the food was cooked. Bacon was in clumps, burnt on the bottom. Every time you ask for coffee, they do [... read more]n't offer you milk, unless you ask for it. WIFI in the lobby was supposed to be included when we purchased the trip, and they wanted to charge us for that. You had to pay extra to use the night club, and they closed early. Night entertainment was poor. The only good thing about the resort was the beach area.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Loved The Beach

Few people got their feet hurt in the pool but the beach was amazing. Room service had to be called few times to bring water and beer for the fridge, everything else was great. Food was amazing. Friendly staff !

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Nice people

Rocky beach , you may use water shoes . Clean rooms. Nice people/workers Entertainment Staff nice and entertaining Two adequate and clean pools with plenty of room Very close to the airport , about a 20 -minute drive shuttle

Resonance Blu Varadero: 9th time! Going back again!

I had yet another memorable time at the Memories Varadero resort from July 18 - August 1, 2016. The meals at the Dragon Rojo Japanese restaurant and Fontana di Verde Italian restaurant were sumptuous. Looking forward to my next vacation at this resort.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: We went for the beach and we were in paradise

From Spain this trip was 4 times more $$. Why? I don't know. The resort itself is smaller then many others and we loved that. 5 nights and 6 full days and most stuff knew our names and were wonderful! We flew direct with Sunwing from Toronto to CCC at 6:30am and were on the beach by 10:40 am! The day we left, we stayed on the beach till 5pm and the free shuttle bus took us to close by airport at 5:30 pm. All the drinks were included! OK, the fancy coffee machine did not work and if you e [... read more]njoy great cup of rich coffee, you will not be pleased. So add rum or something to it or ask the bartender to surprised and he will be happy to do it! OUR Superior Balcony balcony had a romantic and breathtaking away view of the lagoon, nice size balcony on 2nd floor and total privacy! We woke up to sunrise and it's reflection in the water.... total peace and tranquility despite the fact that we were in block 19 close to Theatre Stage and pool. The BEACH = was one of the BEST in the world for shallow clean peaceful water and view on both sides of shores without any hotels or construction! The sand was darker gold and at our hotel soft. We were able to wonder off into each side of the beach for a stretch of one to two hours. The hotel next to us, it's bigger, with construction, with corals and rocks ... but you can't see from the water as it's hidden by trees. That's another bonus that we always found (at times with some creativity) chairs in the shade. But the trees and 3 or so rows of chairs/beds is very helpful as the direct sun is HOT even for a beach lover like my friend from Ibiza! We walked and walked along the beach, nature and us... no other people around.... we were in paradise! In the early afternoon as others, we were able to put our chairs in the "biggest swimming pool" with a drink in one hand and holding each other's hands and trying to believe that a place like this still exists againts the greed of huge hotels and over crowded areas. The hotel was sold out, but not crowded, don't ask me why. It's NOT a 4 or 5 star hotel!!! And we did not go for that, we got what we went for and MORE! The food was average, and we dined at 3 restaurants and nothing to write much about, but we eat healthy and there were enough choices for that. Who goes to Cuba for food or fancy hotel rooms? Please go to another island so I don't listen to your complaints. My only complaint to the hotel management was the fact that NO ONE can do anything about beach towels as there aren't any to exchange. We washed ours in the ocean and sun dried and reused it. It was fun :) just had to plan and think ahead. The hotel grounds are kept clean and we did not find anything broken or worth complaining about. We would go back again and again.. Just bring DEED for misquitos (tiny ones that you can hardly see). I got few bites, my friend got more and I saw other people with a lot of bites! It's taking a week for them to go away from our bodies. Still scratching .... "Memories of Caribe Beach Resort" The best show was Michael Jackson, so please do NOT miss it. We took the bus for 5 CUCs to Playa Pilar and after 3 hours were happy to return to our Paradise beach for the reasons above. I had been to other places and hotels in Cuba, not to mention other places in the world, so has my partner who travels the world from Ibiza. Our values and appreciation for nature and privacy and peace and each other's company may be very different from other travellers. This is my personal experience. I must also thank the stuff at TripCentral for all the assistance and getting us ready for the trip.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Amazing!!

This resort is awesome. Ya sure it's a little dated but you are there for the beach...and when I say beach I mean WOW. Best beach in Cuba. Nothing compares. Food was good, room was good. Can't pass up that beach.

Memories Grand Bahama: Save Yourself the Headache

Arrival: The flight leaves Toronto at 6am. We were at the airport at 3:30am. I am 5 months pregnant and my husband was ill with a fever and cold. Upon arrival , there is absolutely no welcome drinks or direction. They slap on your wrist bands on the bus, have you fill in the registration card on the bus and give you a map of the hotel. I had stitches removed a few days before traveling, the lobby was full of people with nowhere to sit. we were told the room would be ready at 3pm. We requested a [... read more]n early check in at customer service. We were directed to the reception across. We waited 45min,There we were told that it would be 'impossible, because checkout for guests are 12pm'. We were given towel cards and told to go to the beach. By 2:30, my husband was barely able to stand, I took his temperature and found that his fever was 104 degrees. We went to the reception desk to get our room, where we were told that we were given the wrong information and that rooms would be ready at 4pm. I asked for a manager, whom we waited 40min to see. He too told us there was nothing he could do. We did not get our room till around 5pm. Once we reached our room I was shocked that they had given us a room with 2 double beds. The whole trip was our babymoon. My husband went into the shower to bring his temperature down. We discovered there were NO towels in the bathroom. Not even a wash cloth. I called front desk and was told they were sending towels right away. 1hr later we still had no towels, my husband used a t-shirt to dry himself off. Room: our room had no balcony, and nowhere to dry our wet bathing suits. The A/C in the room was loud enough to be heard outside in the hallway. We had to sleep with ear plugs. There always seemed to be something vital missing from the room, such as towels, or toilet paper. Calling service was useless, nobody ever showed up. After complaining several times we were switched to a room with a king sized bed, however the room was a handicap room. The bathroom had no bathtub and the water ran into the sink area leaving the bathroom soaked. I slipped in the middle of the night and barely caught the hand rail. The rooms are your basic cheap motel room standard. No counter in the room we were in to place mouthwash,toothpaste, toothbrush etc. Beach: beautiful beach, however you will never find a spot on the beach. People would wake up early morning to put towels on the beach chairs so by 8am nothing was available. Beach was unkept, littered with cigarette butts, drink cups and food. By day 2 even the beach towel station ran out of towels! We actually went across the street to purchase beach towels. Pools: the description states there are 2 pools. Reality there is a decorative column wall running in the centre of the pool, which they call a pool. The water smells like pee and there are no fun activities by the pool. Again, it's very difficult to find a spot by the pool. Restaurants: the staff are absolutely delightful. Unfortunately they cannot do anything about the food running out and the lack of response from management. Each waiter/waitress is looking after a huge section. There is a ridiculously long line up at the one main buffet where breakfast lunch and dinner is served. Once in, be prepared to line up at least 25min at the egg station. Breakfast was EXACTLY the same every single day. I asked for non-sweet yogurt due to pregnancy diabetes, they had none. The Prop Restaurant which serves food till 2am was always out of at least 2 items on the menu every day. We lined up to get into the steak restaurant. To our surprise, steak was not on the regular but was available at an additional $28 per person. The food they did have came out cold and the portion size was for an infant. Dinner, the few times we went later in the evening to avoid the lineup, there was no food left. We ate across the street to save our time and to enjoy our vacation. A LA Cart Restaurant: they have all but ONE single restaurant for booking a la cart. They take bookings at 11am, ppl lineup from 9am!!! My husband waited in line for 1:48min, he was 2ppl away from booking a dinner, but the announcement was made that the reservations were full. My husband asked for a voucher to return the next day to avoid the line up, he was told that he must come and wait again. We went to customer service and Veronica told us that in all the places she worked at it was the same. This is not true. At the Rui we were guaranteed 2 a la cart dinners. We just had to call from our room and the reservation was made. Even the Memories in Cuba were able to book our dinner via a simple visit to the desk (a 5 process) Entertainment: once again, no seating available if you go 30min before a show. The shows are poor. The Rock Show was an absolute disaster. The dancers were on stage dancing and playing air guitars. No costumes nothing. The worst was when they were break dancing to Led Zeppelin. 10 min into the show people started to leave. We didn't go to anymore shows. Customer Service: I spoke to Veronica, who could care less about the issues bought forward to her. She simply would de-minimize the situation by stating, 'all the hotels have the same issues'. My Husband and I travel 4 times out of the year, I have stayed at 2 star resorts with less issues. Save yourself the headache and don't bother with talking to anyone. In the end, my husband and I stayed off the resort for the most part so we could enjoy our vacation. We paid for meals off site. We went to a new beach each day. The resort has nothing to offer. Staff are limited to what they are given. Management does not care. They are booking every room in the resort but cannot handle the amount of ppl. They are not equipped with the staff or food to be running at full capacity. This place is nothing like any of the Memories chain we stayed at in other places.

Grand Memories Varadero: Subpar customer service

We went to the Grand Memories hotel after researching for weeks and wanted a place that was well rated for couples or singles. We ended up booking with Trip Central as they had the best deal. A list of pros and cons of our trip are below: Positives: - The resort was very well landscaped and maintained. - The resort was located at the perfect place to get to downtown Varadero and visit off the resort. - The Diamond club option was wonderful. Paying a little more, we had all our reserva [... read more]tions at the a la carte restaurants booked for us so we didn’t have to wait in line for an hour to book them each morning. - The food in the buffet and a la carte restaurants were delicious with many great options and variety. Everything looked fresh and there was rarely anything that was considered tasteless. - There were many activities available to partake in, however the schedule was only available in front of the buffet. The entertainment was extremely professional and had a great variety of themes for all ages. - We had an amazing experience with one of the employees who was more than happy to give us private Cuban salsa lessons for 1.5hrs. He was looking for nothing in return but we obviously gave him a generous tip. - We were grateful that TripCentral took in our request for where we wanted our hotel room and it was in the perfect spot on the resort and close to everything. Negatives: - For a 5 star hotel, the service was sub par with lots of room for improvement. We didn’t have beach towels for 3 out of 4 days. Only after calling 3 separate times and going to the service desk did we finally receive them – but on the same day we were departing from Cuba. - The booth where you exchange the towels was closed the entire duration of our trip. - The bed sheets had old bloodstains and even a dirty shoe print. I could not sleep realizing how dirty they were and waited until 1am (1.5hrs later) until someone eventually showed up to change them. - The various times we asked for help the staff attitude was short and brash as though we were inconveniencing them for asking. - At beach side restaurant, the server went to everyone but our table when passing out water and beers, this happened 3 times! The server made us feel very uncomfortable and I felt we were racially targeted. I eventually went up to pour myself water beside the servers where I wasn’t offered any help and they continued to talk amongst themselves. - The schedule for lunch was fairly small window compared to breakfast and dinner. It opened at 1pm and closed at 3pm. - The bathroom facilities outside of your hotel room were extremely limited and poorly maintained. After checking out we still had a whole day on the resort and discovered that most bathrooms either had no toilet paper if they were functioning or they were soiled in stool. All in all we enjoyed our trip, however would not consider this resort as 5 star because of the poor customer service of the staff that work there. Based on appearance this could pass as a 5-star resort. We hesitate in returning to this resort in the future.

Memories Paraiso: Good Value - Great Beach

I have mixed feelings about the trip. The reviews about the food are true so if you are a foodie, not for you. We ate whatever was being grilled that day and had some vegetables. The buffet was beans, mashed potatoes, cut up hot dogs etc. We went to two a la cartes, Italian- I had pasta , it was fine just no different than what was in the buffet. The Mediterranean Restaurant was menu surprise. We got something different that what we ordered from the menu. We did not get sick and what we a [... read more]re was fine for us, we just did not partake in much of the offerings. With respect to the buffet area, nice entertainment for lunch and dinner-live bands- very enjoyable. Our rooms were clean, and the maid left us daily hand written notes notes. Our closet door was broken and our toilet was temperamental. We paid extra for Diamond Club and was disappointed that we were not aware of the benefits, we spoke to some others at the end of the trip that brought us up to date. We stumbled across the Diamond Club beach area. Our rep told up that Diamond club members had a 3 o'clock check out which was useful. There was a sitting area for Diamond Club members, we sat there for a bit one night but there was an unattended bar and no service. We are ocean people so we spent our days at the ocean, beautiful, clean and clear lot of sea shells. The main pool was not very clean, probably from overuse. Apparently we went off season and there were alot of cubans, which was great except that they pretty much kept to themselves and definately were given preferential treatment at bars and in the hotel. The Catamaran cruise we went on was awesome. Great service, clean boat, lobster for lunch, dolphins and great snorkeling. However, I thought I was paying 89 cuban pesos when I got home my visa was charges 250 Canadian. Same with the vip lounge at the airport..I thought it was 25 pesos my visa was charge 70 cad. Not impressed. There we also alot of cats on the premises. Jamaica had the same. Not a fan and guests were feeding them. We went on this trip last minute and paid 1550.00 for 2. I would not pay more.

Memories Paraiso: very affordable !

We spent 7 nights in July, which was not busy so perfect ! Once they finally gave us the room (two nights later) we reserved (king bed) things were great. Cuba is not know for its food and it didnt disappoint. The grounds are lovely...well looked after, pool was cleaned daily. The staff, as always, are eager to please. We found this to be a great value for what we paid. It was a quick get away during low season so not overly crowded. The hour and a half commute to the resort at 10 pm was [... read more] not great hence the 3 star rating on location. The beach is idylic, diamond club gets you a butler on the beach :)

Memories Jibacoa: Lovely, friendly place

I have no complaints about anything... Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. The room was very clean, the pool large and about 40C temperature like the environment. It rained only in the evening two days.

Memories Jibacoa: One of my Favorite Places!

This is a great value resort. The employees are all fantastic, funny and competent. The rooms are very nice, the grounds are lovely and the beach and coral reef are great. The daily entertainment is top notch. It is fairly quiet and a great place to relax. I have met some really interesting people from all over the world. I just got back from my fourth time staying there. It is also centrally located. Havana is about an hour ride by taxi, Santa Cruz de Norte is only about 10-15 minutes away. I h [... read more]ighly recommend it.

Memories Jibacoa: Will go back - Thanks Jenn Black!

I wanted to go to Cayo Largo but somehow the room disappeared when i was told there were at least 16 rooms left - and I was SO bummed!!! I called back and spoke with Jenn. told her what i wanted very specifically. she listened and recommended Memories Jibacoa. This was my first time in Cuba, and an all inclusive. I'm a traveler and don't usually do touristy trips. So I was looking for a quite, remote resort. Memories Jibacoa was it. i couldn't believe that i enjoyed myself so much. Thanks Jenn.  [... read more] I also wanted an ocean view room without any obstructions. They rearranged me to the 11 th block right away and it was perfect. Phew. If you have an ocean view ask for a room with the least trees obstructing the view. The hotel staff are awesome. The hotel was super quiet whips was perfect for me. I was there for a week and started getting to know people and even though I wanted to be pretty much left alone, I made some awesome people and made some friends. The nightlife was pretty good with several shows each night but someone suggested that I go to the piano bar which was a blast. I'm not a piano bar kind of person but everyone was singing along to classic rock songs and it was actually a blast. The a la cartel food was really great. The food was ok at the buffet. I'm a foodie. The Internet was also spotty. For someone who's always wired, this was the longest I went without. Maybe a good thing...but despite these only downsides. it didnt matter, just too many upsides to this place. The rooms were clean and somewhat 4 starish. I prefer true 4-5 star but again it was clean well kept, plenty of towels, sheets changed whenever I asked - so all good. I loved Cuba, surprised me. I'm going back to the country and don't want to risk any other hotels - will be back at this hotel.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Great Value for Great Price

I had a very pleasant experience on this trip. For the cost of the trip it is well worth it. The resort workers were incredibly friendly, the resort lobby was really beautiful as was the rest of the resort. The pools and beaches were also very beautiful. The resort was lacking in some finishing touches such as having an ample supply of sports equipment (soccer balls, basketballs, etc.) though the facilities they had were beautiful. The food was as good as you would expect. They had a show going  [... read more]on pretty much every evening which kept things interesting. They had a nightclub about a 10 minute walk down the street which wasn't bad. Overall, I was very pleased with the value of the trip/resort. I would recommend this resort to someone else. They workers at the resort are unforgettable and make your stay that much warmer and better. I give this resort experience 4 out of 5 stars.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Faut voir

Hôtel bien et chambre confortable, très très belle plage sable blanc. La bouffe c'est Cuba mais il y avait de la très bonne pizza à la plage et au restaurant qui est ouvert 24 heures et on trouvait toujours des frites et les hot dog était bon. Je recommande cette pour le prix Hôtel $710.00 à la fin juin.

Royalton Splash Punta Cana: Good, but could be even better

My family and I recently returned from a fun vacation at Memories Splash in Punta Cana. The grounds and pools were very nice. The water in the pool was always nicely heated by the warm sun... be sure to wear sun screen though :). The beach was super easily accessible (about a 3 minute ride) by frequently available shuttles. The beach is beautiful and the water temperature is nice and mild... great for someone like me who hates getting into cold water. The water park is fantastic for kids and adu [... read more]lts. Great food options at all restaurants... but beware of Montezuma's revenge upon your return. There were 2 significant areas in need of improvement before my family and I return to Punta Cana and Memories Splash. One, the Punta Cana airport is a complete and utter Gong Show... it took us about 3 hours to get though the airport when we arrived in Punta Cana... picture being shuffled through like in a slaughter house... hot, depressing, frustrating... you name it, we experienced it. Leaving Punta Cana wasn't much easier... line after line after line... Second, the majority of the staff at Memories are not very welcoming at all... some seemed down right disinterested in interacting with us and some were simply down right rude and dismissive. However, there was one particular gentleman who worked at "Selections" who was very very nice and often went out of his way to come say hi to us and chat for a few minutes... we always left him a generous tip. So, in a nutshell, the resort and beach are beautiful and well maintained and the water park and pools lots of fun, but we will not be returning because of the airport and the staff... and probably because of the Montezuma's revenge (but I'm sure the revenge only has it out for some people)

Sol Turquesa Beach: Bad!

During our stay, we had to go to the Sunwing agent several times to complain. We did not have tap water and hot water in our room, they changed our room. In the new room, the dirty shower water of the unit above us was pouring on our head in our shower (we have the video), they again changed our room. In the third room there was no hot water again.. so frustrating.. There is only one or two shuttles who pass by in that big resort.. so never wait for them as it is such a waste of time. At the tim [... read more]e of check-out they asked us to pay 15 pesos for a call that we never made. It seems that when they changed our room because of the shower issue of the unit above, they forgot to remove my son's name from that room, so the person who replaced us in that room made a call and the bill was issued under our name! The location of resort is nice but I will never go back!

Sol Turquesa Beach: Pretty good but not great

The resort is massive the pools are great the beach wasn't great I don't know if I could give the resort a full review because it was so hot I was in the pool bar all day heat was unbearable even at night so wouldn't return in July otherwise it was good food was decent snack bar had the best bar at night and food there was decent had a good week just so hot resort ok nice and laid back.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing staff and great resort!

This resort is truly a great place to relax and unwind. The grounds are kept beautiful, the rooms are always clean, the beach is great. The restaurants have everything you need for food and amazing staff. The bars are fun and staff is very attentive. I can't say enough good things about this place. Every staff member I spoke with was super nice and they really appear to love their job. Many great memories! I look forward to returning very soon.