Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great Value

This resort had everything we needed. Our Oceanfront room was 5 minutes to nice pool great beach and buffet. The buffet food was cold. The Worst thing about this resort was the Volume of music at the pool ! That ruined our stay. Long travelling days

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Love this resort

From the airport you go on a bus to the hotel but it is guided by a local and never seems long. Once arrived at the hotel you are greeted by staff that take your luggage over to the lobby where you can get a drink and a snack (pizza) if you come in late like we did. The staff are so friendly. We are then taken to our rooms when we are ready to go. The rooms are spacious, clean and the views are great. The maids are truly safe to have in your rooms. They definitely do a great job keeping th [... read more]e rooms clean and leave you a kind decor gesture on the bed daily. I always bring gifts for the staff as they don’t have all that we do. So they truly appreciate it. The white sand beach is long to walk or run or swim in the clear water. There is staff to assist with getting lounge chairs at the beach and they had a waiter serving drinks as well this year. The food is delicious and there is always something to eat. I am dairy and gluten free and I eat well when here. The chefs are truly amazing. The night life shows are always a pleasure to go see. Don’t miss the Michael Jackson’s event. There is a shopping village within walking distance to go to as well. Here there is a fitness gym for workouts and a spa as well as much more. The entertainment group also works during the day with yoga, games, dance lessons. The pools are clean and the set up is great here. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone going to Cuba. This was my second visit here and have made some friends that I stay in touch with when I return home. Grateful for sure a great place to enjoy.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Sanctuary?

- There is no 24 hour snack bar as stated - No turn down service - No robes in our room - Our bedding, towels and furniture were all stained despite changing rooms and having our room made up daily - The toilet seat was hanging off the bowl and you would have to flush over and over - Our patio door on ground level did not lock, then when we changed rooms our deadbolt did not work - Despite having a ‘do not disturb’ sign on our door, the cleaners tried coming in two different times - There [... read more] are NO amenities in the room - They didn’t want to provide us with wifi, until I showed them it was included with the resort package - There was no airport shuttle to the resort despite it being included in the package; we nearly got left at the airport when we landed at midnight - There was no VIP drink dispenser in our room (butler later told us they don’t do this anymore) Our mini bar was also never restocked with water. - The shower/tub was all rusted and falling apart - on our 5th day, no one in our bungalow had running water. When I went in the lounge/main area on our first night after a 30 hour delay, we were told the snack bar would be open - there was absolutely no food just a pizza area that staff had to work. There was a staff member asleep at one of the tables in the lobby. When woken, he did not want to make us anything to eat. There was also a surprising amount of cats literally everywhere including in the buffet area. Also, none of the should be hot food is covered, which then allowed the flies into everything. I didn’t want to touch anything. I didn’t want to lay in the soiled bed. I didn’t want to eat anything. It was very disgusting and it feels like it was all a lie.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great People but Many Management Failures !

The people are great, the pool bartenders awesome. There are significant issues though, and they all come down to a failure for management oversight. The Sanctuary buffet is covered in flies, and the occasional cockroach. The buffet at the main Sanctuaries area is indoors and is 3 times the size, with much better food. I recommend taking the 5 minute walk over there for the major meals. The late-night pizza station has ingredients uncovered, and the pizza guy is often in the back at late nig [... read more]ht, and you kind of have to call for him. In the meantime the flies have settled into the food for the night, and a cockroach once sat on the cutting board. I was saw a fly swimming in the pizza sauce ! TripAdvisor censored the pictures I posted of it all. I guess they found them too extreme. The cocktails are all haphazard at best and served in plastic dixie cups for the most part. The Spanish coffee was served in tiny wine glasses. You will absolutely not get a decent cocktail or margarita anywhere in the resort. Margarita: there's no blenders and no triple sec, it's tequila (when they have it, rum when they don't) served without salt, in a dixie cup, with juice from a machine. If you take advantage of the "sign-in" program over at the Resonance you can get free drinks there and they are made properly in their sports bar. The Resonance Sports bar had the best blender margaritas I've ever had in Cuba ! There's golf carts that leave from the main Grand Memories lobby after the nightly show. You have to sign in at the their lobby, and then the drinks are free. They bill Grand Memories monthly, simple based on headcount for the month. There are bedbugs and sandflies, so be prepared for it. I had to demand a new room after I discovered blood dripping in my bathtub, fixtures falling off the walls, and garbage on the ground outside my balcony. It was like they were testing to see how bad a room they could give someone to see what happens. It was disgusting. The upgraded room was better, but they are all way past their best before dates. The Cuban solution though is always to keep slapping on more paint and ignore the root of it. The public bathrooms are terrible, the pool bathroom is soaked in urine every day. The men's at the Theatre was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen in my world travels. After I posted picture of it on TripAdvisor they condemned it and nailed the door shut....easier than just renovating it (i.e. management fails). Management needs a dedicated daily resource on all bathrooms, and they need to be hosed down 3 times a day. That is correct - they need to hosed top to bottom and with disinfectant. Walking in a floor of urine is the daily pool bathroom experience. So, management problems are over the place but the people are always nice and smiling, so I give them credit for that. Would I go back ?...only if there was a major deal to be found, because the negatives sadly outweigh the positives.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Perfect Week in Paradise

This was our first ever time visiting Cuba, and our experience at Sanctuary at Grand Memories made it perfect. The resort is beautiful and clearly well maintained. Rooms were spacious and clean and the housekeeping staff was wonderful, leaving beautiful surprises for us in the room. The beach is absolutely breathtaking! What stands out most about the resort though, is the amazing staff. They are the kindest and most accommodating people I’ve met. From the kitchen staff, to the amazingly talented [... read more] entertainment staff, everyone was awesome. Especially the Butlers. We had the pleasure of having Diego and Rudy as our butlers and they went above and beyond every day to make sure everything about our stay was perfect. Rudy helped my fiancé plan a birthday surprise for me on our last night, and made it a night to remember including my very own fresh made cake!! Rudy is just an awesome guy and made our visit wonderful!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Amazing staff!

Rudy was the BEST staff member we encountered on our trip. He was super helpful, kind and made it the absolute best. 100% recommend this resort for all the staff, but especially Rudy. Thank you to all!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Reasonable resort

Resort facilities are OK but it's starting to show its age. Biggest issue is lack of info or mis communication. For example there are no info on restaurants or entertainment (shows) or the info displayed if you are lucky to find a posting is incorrect. Our 3 year old granddaughter was crying as we didn't get the correct info on children show and we were sitting in dark theater for hour waiting while the show was somewhere else. Generally you need to find a performer and ask, as there are no  [... read more]schedules anywhere. Restaurants menus sometimes exist but you can not expect the dishes on them to be available. Reservations are best effort and we ended up at 2 different tables after being assured that we will be able to eat together, also our reservation was lost once and made to hr which did not exist at the restaurant twice meaning the reservation process lacking. Food mostly ok, we understand Cuba chalenges. Generally worst is chaos and misinformation. But the staff was helpful and friendly. Beaches beautiful. Sunshine always welcome.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Good memories of Memories Flamingo

The property is well maintained with well cared for gardens.our room was cleaned daily and we had a lovely view of the beach from our terrace. The staff are friendly at both the dinning room and pool side. The coffee bar was excellent. We loved Cuba day! Because I have mobility issues I was greatful that I had all the help I needed from all the staff. I would recommend this resort to anyone looking for a great vacation in Cayo Coco, Cuba

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Fantastic resort!!

Resort as a whole was very nice. Beautiful beach, but a little small. Accommodations were perfect, pools were lovely and the performances were great. Food was pretty good in my opinion, nothing extravagant.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE!!!

This resort has really upgraded itself. The entertainment staff is something else!! They never stop going, always have games, competitions that are kid and family friendly. By the pool, on the beach, lobby. They don't let the rain stop them - they move it all to the lobby. Their games and competitions last a long time, anyone can join and they go around encouraging people to join. They have a simple but fun dance they teach to all the guests. If they aren't dancing, doing games then t [... read more]hey sit down one on one with the kids and colour, or partake in whatever activities the kids are doing. A special shout out to Yali, Yude, Johnny, Chicky and that's only to name a few. The painter Eric is always working hard for the next set up /taking down. The amount of costume changes throughout the day and shows always keeps you guessing. The DJ was receptive to what kind of music people want to hear. Some activities included balloon toss, coloring flag, mini spa for kids, teaching dances, ORANGE PARTY WAS EPIC, games with parents, musical chairs, mini cars for kids, boys vs girls for adults by the pool. A wide range of kids games, adults games and family games. EVERYTHING was appropriate for kids. The bar staff (shout out to Yoyo, Paco) knows your drink, pays equal attention (if not more attention) to kids and helps them right away, is patient with them. Pools were very clean, grounds cleaned, glass cleaned right away. The maid Staff in the rooms were always busy, kind and smiling, sweet. The nightly shows are amazing for adults and the kids were just mesmerized by the dancing, singing, and costumes. The best I've ever seen. Reception is easy, friendly and no issues. They speak excellent English so any issues can easily be solved (we had no issues whatsoever) The rooms were clean, no mold, hot water, never got yelled at for leaving the patio door open (grand muthu would get mad). One early morning my husband left to get coffee and left our door slightly a jar where it didn't latch. A gentleman worker knocked to make sure everything was OK (it was super early) and I felt that he was watching out for all the guests as normally the door would be closed if no one was in there so wouldn't want anyone to break in or people could be sleeping with a door slightly open. Made me feel safe that they're always looking out. I went for a run early morning and ended up at the back of the resort, the gardeners even work hard when no ones watching. The grounds are immaculate and they are always smiling, saying Hola. They are friendly, always offering a coconut but ask once and that's it, not pushy at all. Every person who works here is always smiling, talks to my family , especially my kids and pay attention to us and seem to actually know and care for their guests. The food was plentiful and the chefs are funny! Never saw bugs, flies or cockroaches anywhere. Very clean. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone that is looking for entertainment, and/or with kids. A group of rowdy young adults may not fit with this vibe. This resort has only gotten better each time we visit. In fact, we're looking to get Married there in the next upcoming months. Signed, One Happy Family !!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Excellent Experience

The hotel was clean and well maintained. We did not encounter a single person that didn’t stop and smile or say hello. The goal of this resort is for people to be able to unplug and reconnect. It was everything it promised. We made new friends and reconnected ourselves.

Memories Jibacoa: Good resort!

We stayed from Dec. 17 to Dec. 28. The resort is well maintained. All staff - dining room, lobby, bars and cleaning staff are very friendly and helpful. The entertainment is very good, but it is much too loud!! We hear it very comfortably in our rooms (whether we want to or not), and it is not an easy listening experience outside at the stage. It only lasts until a little after 10:00pm, so that is good. Tennis: A big thank you to Alberto who brings tennis to Memories. Without him, ther [... read more]e would only be 2 tennis courts. He teaches, he hits with us, organizes round robins, makes it possible to meet other players Excellent! Janet

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Another excellent stay

This was our 4th time at Memories Flamenco. Outstanding beach, food is good, staff are excellent (Janet in the Lobby Bar, and Limay in Diamond Club restaurant were standouts in particular). This is Cuba….. beautiful people, beautiful land, beautiful ocean. Unbelievable value for the money,

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Great location and great staff!

This is our second time going and both the location and staff make this place a gem. People keep saying you don't go to Cuba for the food, but we also had zero problems with the food -there was a good variety and it was fresh, clean and well presented. If I wanted French cuisine I'd go to France. At times were there issues with low water pressure and not a lot of hot water? Yes, but plan accordingly - we had no problems with that either, as long as we weren't trying to have a shower at 5:00  [... read more]when everybody's coming off the beach. I'd also recommend the VIP package at the airport, we did it the 2nd time and it made the airport leaving a very relaxing experience.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Theft in Room

Had a horrible experience. On my day 4 of my stay i had my money , laptop, shoes, backpacks, hair cutting machines, girlfriends makeup and jewelry stolen from my room, staff did nothing but “investigate” for 3 days. I had come back roughly around 3-4pm to change after being on the beach and maid was in my room cleaning so i went for a walk to give her some time to finish. Went back to room, rested got ready to go for dinner and entertainment with the girlfriend. All my items were there when  [... read more]i was getting ready and i had left my luggage open because i felt safe and it was my room and nothing happend first couple days. I also hid my laptop underneath my clothes. You could not have none i had laptop unless you went thru my stuff. The girlfriend and i decide to get ready for dinner and entertainment for the night, like usual we check the balcony door is closed and window. But our balcony door did not lock because balcony lock wouldnt latch/broken. We were on the second floor so we thought nothing of it as this is how we were given the room. After the girlfriend and i had come back from dinner and entertainment we noticed that my suitcase was close… i look around and noticed money , laptop, shoes, backpacks, hair cutting machines, girlfriends makeup and jewelry stolen… shocked and frustrated i head to front desk and get security.. security had me write down a report and have security sit ourisde our room and they start an “investigation” and relocate us to the next room beside my previous room… Next morning we go to meet them for a certain time to further discuss… they had us wait for 30 mins and different managers this time, ones that barely spoke english, meanwhile many other employees spoke english. They tell us investigation is ongoing and that we can just keep going in about or day in the room next door without any clothes. I demanded we have our clothes returned as only half was left and that they change our room into new building. They change our room into another building only to give us another persons room with all their belongings inside… at this point i have no more energy to argue or anything. I go back let them know and they were “sorry” and they give us new room again… we go into our new room and within 15-30 mins someone knocks once and walks in… one of the employees came in to change a light bulb in the living space that seems to have never been used. This was also never requested by us. Now investigation is over and sunwing, memories flamenco and security call me in, only to tell me nothing was found and the staff did not steal the items and that someone else from the resort stole them is what they tell me. Blown away i explain to them again as i did in my report/interview. No one knew i had that laptop as i never used it and was in my luggage under my clothes the whole time, no one knew i had the cash as i hid it in n my backpack under my towels and in my wallet, no one knew i had those shoes as i only wore sandals, my girlfriend wore the bare minimum jewelry to dinners, my shaving machines were only in my washroom in a zip bag. None of this made any sense besides… the maid stealing it… the maid leaving the balcony door open for someone to jump in and steal the items… someone knew the balcony door doesnt lock and they steal from this unit… At this point i couldnt hear their bullshit anymore and just ask them “did you find any of my items” once they said no i just got up and walked away. Memories flamenco Customer service and Sunwing customer service are by far worst customer service i had experienced.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Wonderful Staff

The resort was nice. We spent most of our time in the Sanctuary area and that pool was nice with good service. We mostly had breakfast and lunch at the Sanctuary restaurant which had great service. Food was as expected no shortages to speak of. Dinner reservations were made for every night by the concierge the day we arrived and that worked well. We ate at all the À la carte restaurants I found it met my expectations (you don't go to cuba for the food). Rooms were clean and large sometimes the w [... read more]ater was only Luke warm. The beach was the highlight best beach I have spent time on. All nice and Sandy there is a private area for Sanctuary that is nicely sheltered and the staff keep other guests away from the lunch chairs. Over all I would say if you are looking for somewhere with wonderful staff and a beautiful beach you will not be disappointed.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Returning guest

Repeat guests. Better than last year regarding amount of food and a lot less flies. Still having issues with the hot water in certain buildings. Friendly staff, clean rooms. Did not have any problems with power.

Grand Memories Holguin: Fun Christmas vacation!

December 18 to December 28, 2024. We booked oceanview room with Premium package. Yosbel, was our guardian angel during our stay. Nothing was missed, filled fridge, he booked all of our a la cartes. If I had any concerns or questions, I'd address it to him and he did his absolute best to help us . Fridge was filled, the room was clean, comfortable beds, big size hair dryer, nice shower. Great entertainment team, kind,fun, friendly and talented group of young people. Amauris, Paulo, Adriana, Nao [... read more]mis and Sergio. They played with my son, thought him all the signature dances :) This is a 2 year old resort, I do know that certain things aren't available to maintain certain areas of the resort, but fresh coat of the paint in certain common areas would be nice and to fix cupboards in the buffet for staff lol. Also, I see all these Managers walking around, cameras on top of everything. Just please make certain things run smoother and more efficient. The food was good, our favorite Japanese restaurant. Tuna was great! The beach is great, yes it's windy, but we can't play with God and mother nature. Amazing pools as well! Can't forget my buffet ladies, Sandra ( the singer) and Yulieska. Always welcoming us with smiles on their faces and kisses. We love them Mi cubano hermanas forever!❤️ Our maid Rubi, super nice lady. 24 h bar, Lily making my 7 am cappuccino, extra strong. This was our 2nd visit to this resort and won't be last. I just wish that it was closer to the airport. There are few things that can be corrected. Less wait time at the lobby bar, more efficient way that buffet staff works and serves, few times I was without water or ate with a knife lol, when I was almost done, staff member approach me. I went to their little station didn't find any forks. (Sometimes they are understaffed because of fuel shortage and the employees that are already there have to cover another shift , because others werent able to come to work) I personally don't mind, but many people due to dietary issues or cultural or religion don't eat certain food. Cannot mix or use same grill and utensils /grilling tools for chicken and pork, or fish and beef. FOOD HANDLING EDUCATION is necessary. Other than that, we were fine with everything we ate. I am well aware of shortages and how things are run in Cuba. 17 times and different parts of Cuba. Tbh i find that the food and menus are all the same everywhere with few small adjustments. I did tip, I did give gifts. I brought a whole suitcase of gifts, non perishable food items but even without tipping, any place,buffet, or bar i went to , I received a good service with a smile on their faces. We did Dolphins excursion,even though Cici and Dana didn't want to play with us, we got to touch them. We were told it's a Love season for them and they behave different. Catamaran was so nice. Loved it. Over all , our vacation was amazing, relaxing and fun. Cheers! God bless all of our cuban friends!!

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Up’s and downs

In all we had a good experience. Food, service, pool were good. The beach is narrow and the sea is beautiful. The rooms were hit and miss. Our group had two bungalows, rooms 3201 and 3302. 3302 had no hot water and the toilet backed up whenever used. Maintenance came but nothing was fixed. After four days the were finally able to move to another bungalow that was in good repair. The staff are very accommodating and friendly. This resort is tired, it does have what you need for a nice vacation.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: One of the BEST!!

Memories Caribe, will leave you with many beautiful memories. From the moment you enter the lobby and greeted by the entertainment staff with an energizing musical dance welcome, you know you're in for a good time. The staff here are super polite and accommodating with anything that will add to your overall comfort. A shoutout to our maid Maria, who introduced herself as soon as we entered our room. Unfortunately, we had to change rooms and building due to a broken AC unit. Which the recept [... read more]ion desk, were more than accommodating to make this happen. However this gave us the opportunity to meet our next maid Jacklyn, who left us a beautiful note, since the following day was her scheduled day off. But the kindness doesn't stop there, we also were greeted daily at the Bean Cafe by Yusmilba's personal touch for your morning, afternoon, poolside coffee treat. Memories has so much going for it, the grounds are immaculate, the food was pretty good, the drinks were amazing, entertainment was electric and that beach was pristine. Perfect for a beautiful stroll along the coastline or the offshore sand beaches. But the service is what makes a difference with any vacation, and Memories Caribe scores a 5+.