The staff was very friendly

The hotel was very nice , we stayed across from the quite pool and I like it because in the evening it was very close to the buffet and music and shows . The rooms need upgrade and the washrooms in the lobby in very bad shape

Nothing to complain about!

Staff is very friendly, service is good. Resort & Beach was very nice and well kept. Diamond club is worth the extra. Plenty of well done entertainment day and night. Some food handling improvements could be made.

Nice Resort

The hotel itself was nice to look at, pool area is pleasing and appealing. Cleanliness could of been improved, the pool chairs stained. The hotel room themselves very basic and could be freshened up, rooms cleaned but never felt fresh. Food was moderately good in A La Cart Style. Buffet food was not for us, avoided a lot of the food unless it was simple like Bread and Bananas or eggs. Snack bar often out of selections. Coffee Bar was excellent and the Bar was Excellent! I don't think I would rec [... read more]ommend it to friends because of the food. Although, we did know going to Cuba isn't for foodies.

Great resort!

This was a pretty big resort with a not so great layout in my opinion. The rooms were clean, but they have a towel problem. We were often given a number of small hand towels and or face clothes instead of bath towels in our room, or we would get the bath towels but no hand towels or face clothes. The food was better than I had experience at the previous resort we stayed at in Cuba, but it was still not the greatest! But it's Cuba, it is expected. They did have numerous condiments at this resort, [... read more] the previous did not! The beach was beautiful! Resort was very clean except for the dishes left in small metal bins throughout the evening which were sometimes broken by morning. As well as some problems with the dishes in the dining room, I would check them before using. We travelled with a group of approx.. 20 people and attended a wedding on site. The wedding was quick but nice! The wedding dinner, as expected it's Cuba, not so great but edible. None of our party experienced any stomach problems from the food or water at this resort! Staff was not overly friendly but it is a big resort. We were approached on our last night and several times before by some of the staff wanting to exchange Canadian dollars for pesos at par, which does not add up given the exchange on the American dollar right now! Beware! Overall we enjoyed our stay and would return! BTW I am not a picky traveler, I am just glad to get away and have some sun and sand. If you are picky you should not travel to Cuba!!

NOT GOOD

Hi, Let me start by saying that I have never made a public complaint before but felt it necessary with our recent trip to Cuba. My husband and I just returned from the grand memories resort in varadaro Cuba. We are very disappointed with sunwing promoting this as a 4 plus star resort. We paid extra for diamond club yet received nothing extra. In fact many things shocked us as very bad for this so called "diamond club" that we paid extra for. Our patio door did not lock. Our bed was horrid with  [... read more]springs coming through. The sheets were stained. We often had towels not replaced in our bathroom. But our biggest concern with this resort was the public washrooms off the pool, lobby and resteraunts had no toilet tissue, no soap and no paper towels. We tried to express our concerns to the sunwing rep and we were offered the diamond club sanctuary at an extra cost of $300!!! They said it was much better over there. Well, we thought paying for diamond club would at least ensure such things as the basics like soap in a washroom! We heard later of many that were sick while staying here. And we have noticed the trip advisor rating has dropped dramatically on this grand memories. If sunwing promotes such "2 star" resort as 4 plus then I will stop using them in the future. Also as mention the rep on site did nothing to help us, except to say we could pay even more to go to the " better" section! Our grand memories unfortunately are not so grand at all.

Not 4.5 star...AT BEST a 3 star

This was a retirement gift to my self and unfortunately, it was not a great experience. We upgraded to the "Diamond Club" and we did not receive ANY of the "special" items. We did not get greeted with a cocktail or by anyone, we did not have a robe and slippers in our room, we did not have any special meal, or afternoon tea. Our room was NOT superior. We did not have priority check in or check out. When we asked to change rooms, the manager said to come down the next day and we could change room [... read more]s. We went the next day to the Diamond Club rep, her name was Yaidelys Puigpalat. She did not listen to our concerns. She said they did not have any rooms available. They had a bus load of people coming shortly and they would have to send them to another resort. Why would they book people, if there were no rooms?? This resort was understaffed in every area. Our room had may issues...toilet was broken. NO hot water, NO towels, hair dryer broke, NO mini bar what so ever, you had to hold the glass coffee up so the water would drip out. Ants. Very dirty, NO slip mat in the bath tub and for a short person, it was very difficult to get in and out of the tub and that was to take a COLD shower. Bed was hard. We reported our concerns to Jessica Alvarez and Anadna Torres at customer service and the front desk both hung up on us when we called. Very rude......There were broken handles on the dresser which made it difficult to open. The food was always cold unless you stood in line for over a half hour to an hour to have something hot cooked. We had a reservation at a restaurant for 7:30 and did not get in until 8:30. I had to stress the importance of us eating immediately as my husband is diabetic. So the waitress went and got a plate of food for us, which was COLD. The only restaurant was the GOURMET, we had fabulous service and food. The manager or a rep did not follow up with us to see if the issues were fixed. The pools looked ok, but were very cold. No one was in the pools, not even kids. They should have them heated to some degree. The beach were not clean or welcoming. The "Diamond Club" area of the beach was not monitored, lots of other guests were using that area that were not diamond club. As you can see, we had many issues and we spoke to a number of other guests to ensure that we were not the only ones. There were many other people who were not pleased with this resort. Only when I went to our Sunwing rep, did "some" of the issues get resolved. This was on our fourth day. My husband and I have been to many resorts for vacations and this is our worst experience for customer service, hospitality, friendliness, value for our money, food. I was in the customer service industry for over 30 years. We get complaints, we fall short sometimes on our service. BUT what makes the difference is the willingness to follow up and follow through on a resolution to the customers satisfaction.

Exceptional customer service

From the minute we arrived we felt like VIP. From the speedy shuttle to our private lobby, quick effortless check-in, gorgeous view of the pool, private 24 hour lounge, 24 hour room service, our own exclusive Sunwing rep for the Santuary only, our own restaurant availble for breakfast, lunch and unlimited bookings to all the restaurants and our private butler service available at the sanctuary lobby. Management was always available on hand for any concerns you might have and I really felt like t [... read more]hey listened to their guests. All the servers we had were exceptional and did their best to accommodate any requests. Additionally I loved the nightly live entertainment they had at our lounge bar. All the bands were amazing with a range of types of music, each night was something different!!! I would return to this resort in a heartbeat and would recommend to any of my friends and family.

Worst resort I've ever been too

No lights at night on pathway by building 20(pitch dark needed phone flashlight to see path) dirty sheets, pillows smelled of mildew, garbage floating in pool, no new or clean towels, buffet horrible, friends both got really sick transferred hotels after a day and half. Either bed bugs or sand fleas not sure but multiple bites. Management does not want to acknowledge guest with complaints probably because all guests we encountered were unhappy and couldn't wait to leave.

Great resort

The hotel was good, the food was OK, just really disappointed the we did not have good weather, would have liked to see a few more choices for drinks as I only drink alcohol on the rocks. Overall very friendly people

Good resort

Rooms where great and Jen was our fantastic maid we stayed in the "adult " side. pools where great, but underused as it was cooler and raining lots this January. Restaurants and buffet had lots of choices Was pretty good for Cuba. The resort was full so if you don't like crowded lobby bar and restaurants this may not be for you. Of course Cuba bases their peso on the American dollar so be prepared to spent more! Cubans cannot do anything with your loonies & twoonies. So I'd you think tipping goo [... read more]d think again! Buy your pesos! And use that to tip! Cubans are gracious people and would not tell you they cannot use your Canadian money! Everyone at Grand Memiries was very helpful as of course we have always found in cuba

Poor Management

Example: What did you think about  this hotel? (grounds, public areas, rooms, dining, features, etc.) This part of the hotel was very nice grounds,rooms ect. and clean. But everyday we were always missing bread,butter,eggs,coffee,wine on and on. No toilet paper in any of the public areas. Staff not happy, no eye contact. Food was just horrible.

Wouldn't recommend this resort

The beach was great but the rooms and food was very poor. We only received fresh shower towels once during our trip and we had to use the same beach towel all week. The food was horrible with the exception of New Years Eve. On New Years Day dinner in one of the resturants was left overs from the New Years Eve dinner.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories was fantastic

The resort was well planned out. Staff all helpful and informative. Clean, lots of choices for food and drink. Variety in entertainment,pools and beach activities. The sanctuary area was a step above the rest of resort and gave us an additional level of attention and services well worth the upgrade.

Great Resort!

My friend and I had a wonderful vacation. The resort was clean and the staff went out of their way to ensure we had an amazing vacation. The food is comparable to other Cuban resorts, but we always found something to eat. The various pools offered both entertainment and relaxation - the beach had multiple chairs and offered drink service. I would consider returning to this resort in the future.

Decent resort but food ruined it!

Large resort with well maintained grounds and nice rooms, A/C great. Food needs improvement as lacking fresh fruit/veggies at both buffet and al a cartes. Fresh made omlettess were good but other food often not hot and beverages like milk and juices did not taste right. Sadly I was sick from the food after first day and came home with a bug and needed antibiotics. Will not return to this resort or Cuba when there are better places to travel to.

Good resort for Cuba

This is a nice resort for Cuba. But the Sanctuary is not as quiet a place as led to believe from the name. If you like to party and smoke there is an excellent club to go to in the evenings. But there is no where to go if you want to have a quiet smoke free evening.

Geat resort but needs better managment.

The resort is very nice but has a few issues with customer service and with the food in the buffet. Traveling with 2 small children we ate at the buffet allot and the food tray were not heated, so most of the food was cold(not very healthy). Also had a few small issues with the room and called the front desk and ws told someone would be there, and no one showed. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but could have been better!

I enjoyed my over all stay.

Grande Memories is having sewage back up issues and that caused some horrible smells throughout the resort and even in our room and closed the pool bar a few days. the rain made the walking a very difficult thing to do. I actually took a bad fall and have a broken and a very bruised elbow and hip:( the resort staff were great. the front desk left us feeling uninformed a to our final check out time. sunwing assisted us with proper info on check out times. over all I had a great first visit to Cub [... read more]a.

Amazing resort!

The food, service, location, room, beach and of course the drinks were all amazing! Just remember, it's Cuba! Go with an open mind and remember, your not at home so relax, unwind and have an amazing vacation. I will definitely be returning!

Grand Memories Varadero Cuba 2015

Grand Memories was a wonderful experience for us being it was are first time in Cuba at a all inclusive resort. The staff and the food was excellent very happy and polite would do anything for you. The resort was so beautiful the pools , rooms and the most beautiful beach white sand . Overall we would come back in a heartbeat it was the most romantic and peaceful holiday we have ever had . We needed a holiday and a real holiday we received well worth the money you spend.