Definitely not a 4-star resort

I went to this resort alone. I was housed in building 35, close to the beach, pool and main eating area. My room was clean but in need of repair/upgrade. Very dim lighting over the sink, water damage and stains on several walls, no water pressure at the sink or in toilet, but good pressure in the shower. The gounds are dimly lighted too (some guests used their phones as flashlights) Buffet restaurants ok, but repetitive (3 stations of the same food). I stuck with the omelet station for breakfast [... read more], and grilling stations at lunch and dinner. Pastas are undercooked then left to dry in the pasta station. Flavourless sauces too. À la carte restaurants were disappointing: cold food at Caribena (plates seemed to have been prepared in the afternoon and left under weak heating lamps) and limited choice at Vesubio (no bolognese or carbonara pasta the night I went). I gave up after two à-la-carte meals, altough I waited 30 minutes to book tables on my 2nd day. Gorgious beach with white, fine sand. Cristal clear water (better than a pool). I do not think this resort deserve the 4 stars Sunwing gave to it. It was certainly not worth the $1,700 I paid in February 2015.

Beautiful resort

The food was excellent ,, the people were friendly and helpful,, the beach was very nice and clean. We plan to go again ,,next we would take our 7 year old granddaughter,,,lot's of things for children to enjoy.

Like a Honeymoon I never Had!

Grounds were spectacular! Clean, wellkept, and the proxiimity to the beach, food and bars - what else could you ask for? The beach sand could only be described as pancake mix! The ocean view was exhilerating!

Lost alot from last year

Not the same as last year, it went downhill big time. The food was bad compared to last year where it was incredible. Our room was beat up and nothing worked right, we told the concierge but nothing was fixed.

Very Disappointed

Beach and pools were excellent but: very little selection for dining and poorly presented. They were always out of plates and cutlery. Most people survived on hot dogs and fries and pasta. Meat was very tough. Rooms in poor repair.

Amazing Resort!!

It`s a family place. Friendly people. Grate vocation! Like to go back. Good Memories...........................................................................................................................

Amazing resort

This was our second trip to Cuba and our 2nd stay at a Memories resort. We were not disappointed. The rooms were clean and the staff were over the top friendly. The grounds were beautiful and lots of entertainment. We definitely will be coming back!

Great Beach

Very nice beach with good swimming along entire length. The pools & common areas are beautiful, but the accommodations are dated. We found the specialty restaurants were not special at all, the food was not good.

Poor resort

we were told this resort had been renovated and was a 4 - 4.5 it most definitely was not renovated nor was it any where near a 4*. My husband and I have travelled extensively throughout the Carribean , DR x 4, Cuba x 4, Mexico x 4 and other destinations, my point being we completely understand the "star" system. Our first room was disgusting smelling of urine and mold, the light fixtures were hanging off the walls, the fan paddles were facing the floor, the toilet seat broken, and the room had v [... read more]arious stains everywhere. The next room we were given was only slightly better. If this had been my first time to Cuba I would NEVER go back.

Clean and good food

grounds kept good,beach wasn,t far,good things going on at pool and nighly entertainment at theater good food never went to l la cartes once lol.market was within walking everything within minutes,just restocking mini fridge could have been earlier

Wonderful Resort!

We travelled as a group for 2 weeks to this resort in Jan/Feb 2015 & just loved it! Our travel agent was Jenn Black from tripcentral.ca & she was terrific. I was anxious about planning for a larger group of 22 (ages 6-51), but in the end Jenn had it all under control & everything worked out great! We flew out of Vancouver & even got to sit together on the plane. It was our 25th anniversary celebration, so we travelled with all our kids & their spouses + additional family. Claudia & Daily were ou [... read more]r Memories Resort wedding/vow renewal planners. They were superb in making sure our special event was perfect, from our room accommodations to the ceremony, including the dinner reception & cake, -even the photographer was terrific! Thank you :) The beach is unbelievable at this resort! We walked for 5km & Memories had the best beach: large beach with white powdery sand & clear turquoise ocean. Lots of palapas & chairs. It was shallow with no seaweed or rocks. We had both calm waters for relaxing & waves on windy days for body surfing. Not the best for snorkelling, but the kids did see some fish. If you walked to the left of the resort, all the way to the bigger rocks you could see like 20 different types of fish. We also used the peddle boats, kayaks, & Hobie Cats. We stayed on the Paraiso side in bungalow 34 and thought it was perfect, even though they had limited King beds w/ocean view on the 3rd floor. After seeing our spectacular ocean view we decided to push our beds together rather than move to another room. (Beds were surprisingly comfortable.) One side had ocean view & the other side had pool view. The beach & beach bar were steps away & we were right next to the Grill/Cuban Restaurant & 24hr snack bar. Two Beautiful pools & a pool bar were conveniently located there too. We were also near the tennis court & entrance to the Pueblo (marketplace). In the evenings we enjoyed visiting the Bolero for 10-pin bowling with the family for $3.50 CUC/game -no bowling shoes required. The theater at La Parranda in the center of the resort, offered entertainment every night (the Michael Jackson Show was the best). Great live music (Cuban, Latin, 50's, Rock -Guns 'n Roses, AC-DC, etc...), was available to enjoy throughout the resort from the lobby, La Parranda to the Pueblo. All of the staff was exceptional, from front desk, dinner reservations, house keeping, to the servers, bar tenders, animation team & workers on the beach, grounds & pool. I couldn't begin to remember everyone's names! We miss you all!!! There was always lots of variety at the buffets. Our favorites were the cooking stations, where food was prepared fresh before you: omelets, eggs-to-order, waffles & crepes, fish & meat grills, fried rice, & fried bananas. Lots of fresh fruit: guavas, papayas, bananas, pineapple, & watermelon. We also really enjoyed the Cuban beans & rice when it was offered. There was always plenty of delicious hot peppers available to spice up your food too. And for that midnight snack at the grill, nothing beat the fries, burgers & grilled cheese! ...there was always ketchup, barbeque sauce or hot sauce available! The a-la-cartes were good as well. We enjoyed a lot of variety & ate at the Cuban, Italian, Mediterranean, International (lobster!), Mexican, & Italian (in the Pueblo). It was a great trip & I can't wait to go back!!! Highly recommend tripcentral.ca & Memories Paraiso Azul Resort :)

Great resort with the best beach!

We just returned home on February 10, 2015 after spending 2 weeks at Memories Azul Paraiso Beach Resort. Cayo Santa Maria Cuba is a great place to go if you just want to relax and enjoy the fantastic beach, pools and sunshine. If you are a person that always needs something to do, don't go here as it is a long drive to anywhere and you likely won't find the entertainment you may want in the nearest community which is over an hour away. We lazed in the sun and relaxed for two weeks and it was gre [... read more]at! We walked miles on the corn starch sand on this beach, which is definitely the most amazing beach I have seen in all the Carribean and Hawaii. The beach in front of Memories was definitely the nicest stretch of beach. Memories is a good resort. The workers are very friendly and helpful. They will go out of their way to assist and yes - they are after the tips and are very appreciative of them. The food was okay. We had lobster dinners three times during our stay which was a very pleasant surprise. I am not fond of buffets anywhere, even in Canada, but you could always find something to eat between the stir fries and pasta stations. We were definitely tired of it after two weeks but no more so then any other resort we have visited in any other country and the food was comparable to all other resorts we have visited. For all those complaints you read about the food in Cuba, my response is if you are a fussy or picky eater, you likely shouldn't go to any all inclusive resort anywhere not just Cuba. We went to 7 a la Cartes. The Italian a la Carte on the resort was excellent. The lasagna was fantastic. The Italian one in the market was not as good. The Asian one in the market was very good and the Caribbean a la carte on the resort was good. We did not enjoy the Seafood a la carte in the market. There are bars everywhere and never had a problem getting drinks. Make sure you take a go cup. There are lots of palapas available, you just had to walk down the beach to find one and lots of lawn beds both on the beach and around the pools. No need to get up early to get a lounger. On a couple of windy days, the loungers would fill up around the pools, but you just needed to ask a worker and they would bring one up from the beach for you. The rooms were adequate. Not real fancy but roomy enough. There were marks on the walls that could have been washed a bit but was clean every where else. There is lots of walking required in this resort as it is very large. Our mini bar was well stocked every day. Leave a tip in the fridge and you will have no problem with bottled waters, soft drink, beer and even a bottle of rum if you ask. Great place to go with a family as well.

Great beach amazing sand fun family time!

Rooms were adaquate. Our room did not have lotion which other rooms did. We flew with carry on so didnt bring bottles of stuff. With the hot sun it would have been nice. Beaches and sand were great. Food was better then we were expecting. The staff was really nice too

Great Resort!

I traveled with my husband and two children under the age of 8 from January 30th to February 6, 2015. The resort is huge with a wide variety of pools and a massive beach section. The beach was absolutely phenomenal! We travel at least 2 to 3 times a year and never seen such beautiful beaches. We had beautiful warm weather all week! Remember to pack up a light jacket for the evenings as it does get chilly. There was quite a lot of jelly fish in the water which we heard later that they did not sti [... read more]ng. The kids had so much fun holding the jelly fish and feeding the tropical fish and barracudas bananas and bread in the ocean. We never had a problem finding seats in the buffet or loungers by the pool or beach. The grounds were well kept and lush. Our bungalow was near the beach 5572 with a huge balcony, semi ocean view. The rooms were large and clean. The food was what we expected. The breakfast was great! Their freshly made omelets and their warm croissants were yummy! Lunch and dinner we mainly had the freshly grilled seafood that was amazing along with their freshly made fried rice or french fries! Remember to take a bottle of ketchup! Although the food was pretty much the same all week we never left hungry. The staff at the hotel were wonderful and very pleasant.The hotel does need some fresh paint and renovations to their washrooms. Our girls had so much fun at the kids club as they had a schedule of different daily events!Overall for the price we paid it was a great trip! If you are looking for luxury this is not the place to go. I rate the hotel a solid 3.5 stars. Once they open an airport in Cayo Santa Maria we will return!

You get what you pay for

Amazing time at this resort. Not due to the staff. very few of them enjoy there job and want to be there. Got what I expected from the price I paid. Beautiful beach, ok buffet and great a la carte Meals. Had a wonderful time because I look at the good side of everything. But I can see why people give this resort poor ratings. Over all the resort is maybe a 3 star. Needs better staff and a faceLift. Beach and pool area are wonderful.

Average stay but could have been better

We stayed at this resort from Jan 21 to Jan 28 2015. The resort is well maintained and the gardeners and cleaners are working hard to have it be this way. However the food is what it's downfall is. I have been to Cuba 2 times prior and though the food wasn't amazing it was certainly better than here. The lack of spoons for each dish, especially in the salads and condiments was unreal. Food was often cold or not very hot and therefore by the time you got to sit down it was cold. there was variety [... read more] but it just didn't have the flavour of Varadero and Cayo Coco. The pools were beautiful and so was the beach. Not a lot of kids activities for 10 and up. But lots for younger kids. They did have a survey and hopefully they will take the considerations into account. The drive from the airport passes quickly and it is wonderful to see the country side. The Dolphinarium trip was an amazing experience for the kids. It was well worth the money. I did not book any A La Cartes as the line up was always really long. Maybe that would have helped with the mundane of the buffet.Overall it was a nice stay, after all even a bad day on the beach beats a -31 which is what it was when we left Ottawa.

Fun resort!

We had a great time at Memories Paraiso Azul resort! There was much to do all the time and the lobby bar became notorious for their Spanish Coffee! I would recommend this resort to a friend and would love to return with a group! If you are the adventurous type, then definitely check out the available excursions! Two thumbs up for the dolphins , catamaran, speedboats and overnight to Trinidad and Topes de Collantes!

Awesome Resort

Had a great time and made so many new friends and even ran into some old ones. Our suite was amazing, the beach was fantastic. We went on a few excursions which were well worth the money. We can't wait to go back next year!

Great Price, Great Resort, Great Travel Company

This is a very large resort with many options for entertainment & excursions. The buffet food was amazing especially the all you can eat lobster on Sunday nights! Best beach in Cuba! Great staff Too!!

Fantastic resort

the resort is huge, the grounds and gardens are amazing, rooms were very clean and satisfied all our needs, only issue was couldn't plug curling iron in the dressing area..bathroom at beach needs attention, totally disgusting..food adequate nothing special but we go for the beach and weather, not the food. Staff is for sure a 5 star rating they were all so very friendly and happy, couldn't do enough for you.. this was our second trip and we loved every minute of it..highly recommend it