Average Resort

The hotel and rooms were clean. Pool and beach, absolutely beautiful. Communication/Language was a barrier,but the employees were very friendly. Restaurants and buffet were average. Service was subpar. Grounds were well maintained.

Unfortunate trip experience

The resort was rather nice in general, although the rooms themselves did not seem that clean and the sheets gave me a bodily rash. My large group that booked the trip together was dispersed across the resort in different buildings which made it difficult to contact them and it took a long time to get to their rooms. It was also difficult finding my room and other facilities because there was little assistance offered for help. I also found it very difficult to communicate with the workers becaus [... read more]e the majority of them spoke very little english and did not understand my requests. Also, despite me being careful to drink only bottled water and foods that would be safe, I got very ill for about four days of my trip due to some of the bacteria in the food/water and had to pay to be taken to a clinic off the resort where I also had to pay for medication and needle injections. Overall my experience was not a good one although I did try hard despite me being Ill to make the best of the trip as I had looked forward to it for so long and saved up for the trip myself.

Lived up to expectations...which weren't high.

Service in lobby, bar and restaurants was adequate but service in rooms was lacking. Difficult to get towels and water replaced in rooms. Cleanliness was poor to fair. Friendliness of staff was inconsistent.

Amazing Beach

Nicest beach you can find. Resort could be cleaner in general. Public bathrooms were quite dirty. Room was far from clean which was a surprise since it wasn't the case in December. Great food. Amazing service. Resort was filled with a large conference and a group of 90 high school students. These kids were disrespectful to the staff and other guests. Should not be drinking that much at 16! This will make me rethink when booking again this fall.

Past it's Prime

High winds during our stay drove everyone off the beach. Large property, but not much to do but sit by the overcrowded pools. Good luck finding a lounger, by 8:00 a.m., most covered by towels (but no occupants). Large lobby is nice place to pass the time. Food better than other 3 places we've been to in Cuba.....grilled lobster at the buffet and tender calamari in the seafood gumbo were the highlights of the week. The soups are also consistently great. But if you're here for the beach, like us,  [... read more]you better have a Plan B - that leaves tours (Big $$$ - remember, the CUC is just the UDS x1.03)....or a good book. The staff were, for the most part, uninterested as well. One time, in the lobby, we waited 1 hr 45 mins for a waiter to come to our couch....and we tipped at least 1 Cuban loonie, approx $1.35 Cdn, each time...for soft drinks or cappuccino's, since we don't drink booze. As most Cuba 'all-inclusive' veterans will tell you, it's all about beautiful beaches and a safe environment - for a good price. That's it. Not much else to write home about. And it's only a 'safe' place for tourists, but we need not get into that here.

Very nice resort

Grounds are kept very clean so was are room. Very pleasant staff. A la Carte dining was very good, buffet could offer more variation. Resort is well kept but will soon be in needs of upgrades. Beach is awesome.

Miss

Sewage leaking right by room. Stunk like fresh hot human feces the whole time. Requested to be moved numerous times but staff refused due to costs. I'm sure a big tip would of made it happen Staff demanding tips all the time Beach was full of garbage and dirty straws and cups My child caught numerous infectious diseases due to the unsanitary conditions

Destination Wedding

We stayed at the resort for a family wedding the last week of February. As a group we had a lot of fun so overall we overlooked a few of the issues we encountered. Firstly, I must say the grounds and main lobby were kept up very nicely. Our check in was organized and prompt. We arrived late at night. Rooms were basic, but clean and the beds were comfortable. The air conditioning unit in our room was old, noisy, and cold and you were not able to adjust the settings on the fan or temperature as th [... read more]ey weren't working…definitely need to be replaced. Maid service was daily, but towels were not always changed daily unless you asked (no face cloths so bring your own). Fridge was not restocked unless you were in the room to answer the door so if you happen to be in the room or see the delivery truck for water/beer/pop make sure you get enough to last more than one day. A good tip is in order if you want good service. We found the breakfast buffet to be lacking in variety. The food was not very hot at times. Freshly made omelets were the best. Service was lacking at the tables if you wanted coffee and juice. There seemed to be a shortage of staff in this area and sometimes we were ignored for quite a while. Also note that there are never any teaspoons to eat your yogurt with or stir your coffee. You need to ask for a spoon and then will be given a tablespoon if you're lucky. We found the breakfast at the Beer Garden to be the best and usually went there most days. You order fresh from the menu (limited) and they make great cappuccino's. Great cappuccino's at the lobby bar all the time, as well. The a la carte restaurants were the best. We tried Romantico, Italian, and Seafood. We enjoyed Romantico the most with live music and great service (for adults only though). Most evenings we ended up in the main lobby after dinner for a cappuccino and live entertainment (salsa lessons and live bands). It was quite popular and entertaining. For anyone planning a wedding here. We had a fun day. The weather was perfect and the wedding took place at the gazebo by the beach. Please note ladies that you can't wear high heels when walking out to the gazebo as it's on a board walk with wooden slats so none of us could wear the shoes we brought for the wedding and had to change into flats or wedges for this part of the day. After the ceremony the resort shuttle buses picked us up and took the group back to a separate area of the the main lobby where they served hors d'oeuvres and then we were shuttled to the other side of the resort for the wedding dinner. The wedding meal was okay, but not great (don't have the steak as no one in our party ate it as it was very tough), but I think they tried their best to make it nice. After the meal we were shuttled back to the main lobby again for dancing and a disc jockey in the Sports Bar. The week we stayed the weather wasn't the greatest and the winds prevented you from being on the beach most days. As was mentioned in other reviews, the beach has eroded away quite a bit on the section in front of this resort. It was quite narrow at certain points and most of the lounge chairs are situated higher up on the dunes under the cabanas. We still enjoyed the beach though when weather permitted. The pool area was well maintained and quiet on the adult side, but as with other resorts, you need to be up early (7 am) to reserve your spot or the lounge chairs are all taken. We were not able to get beach towels for the first two days as there were none available. When we finally got towels we kept them for the rest of the week in case we had the same problem again. The restaurant in the pool area is great for lunch if you want a sandwich or pizza. Overall, our stay was good and we had fun because we were with a group. Would I return to this resort, probably not. This was our second time to Cuba and the first time to Cayo Santa Maria. I think we will try another resort next time if returning to Cuba.

We had amazing vacation,great resort,excellent!

We enjoyed so much stay at this resort,very nice staff ,beautiful beach,food was excellent,fresh ocean fish everyday for lunch and supper,even they serve lobsters for buffet lunch and supper.they presented amazing shows every night.

Nice resort

My stay was great! The only thing that could have been better would have been if we could get unlimited beach towels and if the maids would replace our bathroom towels everyday and not just fold them up. It would have been nice to get a fresh one everyday.

Melia Las Dunas

Good: - Resort very neat/tidy and very large - Drive from the airport includes a tour of the countryside - Staff were very friendly Bad: - Food is Cuban, so bland is to be expected (bring own ketchup if needed) - Got sick from the food - Beach towels run out daily. I assume because nobody brings them back the night before to allow for cleaning. - People holding lawn chairs at the pools and beach is a MASSIVE problem at this resort. It gets very frustrating and absolutely something the staff nee [... read more]ds to prevent. People get up at 6:00am, cover full banks of chairs, and leave for the day. Comments on other reviews: - People complain about the bed sheets not being changed daily, I dont understand why sheets need to be changed daily, do you do that at home also? Its a "green" resort that tries limiting its water waste - Beach towels, take them back the night before and give the staff the opportunity to clean them

Not much for high star resort

positives: weather was great, pool was beautiful negatives: no pool towels (had the same one for 3 days) - did not change room towels - no change available for money exchange - only had 3's and 5's in CUC's, 6 minute walk to beach - seemed too far from room and also there must have been some sort of storm because most of the cabanas were washed away and there was an 8 foot wall of sand with a drop to the beach area. - ran out of French fries, hotdogs and toast bread on 3 of 7 days - felt bad for [... read more] kids

Should have trusted the bad reviews this time.

For the money, this was a total disappointment. Same prices as DR or Jamaica etc....but a total dump compared to what you pay the same money for there.I am not a picky eater. I eat everything.....but even I found it hard to find anything to stomach at this resort. 6 of us all got sick from eating the sandwiches by the beach.The rooms are run down and the beach is so so. It was cloudy and very windy every day and apparently this location is always windy. The house keeper never changes the sheets, [... read more] doesn't even wipe of the counters (ever) when it has sticky ring marks and sand on it from placing glasses etc. Dirty dishes are left in the room for the entirety of the stay. Two glasses on the bathroom sink will be rinsed out all week and put back dirty ....but upside down to make it look clean lol. We left our maid a bag of brand new clothes, toiletries, chocolate bars, and $5 - $10 every single day with gifts. STILL had a filthy room. No cute towel animals....ever....not one. And trust me....I am the type of person that will clean and straighten up the whole room before the maid even comes....but yet....all she ever did was re make a dirty bed. AWFUL resort. Want a beach towel or a chair by the pool? good luck. better be up at 5 am to reserve a chair as every day every single spot has a towel or personal item on it by 7am! We met people in line waiting for beach towels, it was the guys 4th day there unable to get a towel. Am I happy we went? Wish I would have stayed home with the snow this year. Thats the truth.

Relaxing and beautiful holiday

This was our first all inclusive and first trip to Cuba. These are my notes - tripcentral was helpful and responsive before we left - Hola sun was a small travel agent in Cuba so we got a lot of personal attention - hotel was showing some age but was still beautiful with great food options (we missed the buffet but could still get great omelets at the poolside snack bar) - room was very comfortable and we would watch ctv news on tv each day

Nice resort; Overcrowded

I've been to Cuba 3 times before and unfortunately this time was the worst of my trips. I'm usually well prepared for the step down in food quality but the food at this resort was some of the worst I've ever had in Cuba. I think the main reason for this is the resort was at capacity and were quickly running out of popular items such as fries and chicken. Many times we were left to only a few choices on the menu, and the buffet did not have as many staples as we had grown accustomed to on our pre [... read more]vious vacations. We had our wedding which was the highlight of our trip. We were well taken care of by the resort and most likely had a much better time because of this. If you plan on getting married in Cuba then this resort is wonderful. Beautiful scenery and the extra attention masks any potential negatives the resort might have. The hotel staff did their utmost to make our stay special, and they succeeded. A few tips: Do not go for the private dinner as it cost us 650 CUC for 19 guests and not a single one of our guests could stomach the food (shoe leather steaks). Other than that, the entire wedding day went smoothly due to the diligent work of Maria Elena the hotel wedding coordinator. Oh, and the photographer is a MUST, he was amazing and took some wonderful pictures to capture the day. TLDR: Very nice resort, but very busy which resulted in limited food choices. Amazing resort/staff for weddings.

Will not return

We stayed at Melia Las Dunas Feb.5-Mar.3rd. This is our second trip to Cuba, 4 times to Dominican and Mexico a few times so we have basis to compare. We would rate this resort 3 star at best! Pros: - Beautiful Beach - but narrow - Pools are clean - Lobby is beautiful and offer great entertainment - Drinks were decent - Grounds were nice - Ice Cream Parlour was a favourite place - Buffet was clean and great service-food was decent for Cuba (but a couple of us had major tummy trouble) - No bug bi [... read more]tes Cons: - Rooms were dated and musty and not very clean. - We didn't have hot water for the whole week! It's ok if you're an adult you can deal with it but try bathing two kids in cold water all week! - Mini Bar was never stocked so we had to call guest services everyday to get it stocked. -We didn't have pool towels they ran out everyday. They open at 10am so we finally got 4 on day 3 and could go and enjoy the beach and pool. - Phone and door in room was broken but were fixed by day 2. - They didn't change sheets unless you left a note with the cleaners, otherwise the beds were just made with the same sheets. - Store doesn't open until 10am and closes whenever they feel like it. - Couldn't get a pool chair unless you go out early around 6-7am and put towels on them. - Could never get a trolley they were always too busy with luggage so a ton of walking which is ok at times but not with two sick kids. Most resorts that are 5 star have a passenger trolley. -Resort is very big and it seems the workers are overworked so Customer Service was hit and miss. I brought gift bags for the ladies or worked in the buffet and they were very grateful. Tips: -Bring Tylenol, children's cold medicine because you can't buy at the store. Every resort we have been too has offered medications but this resort doesn't. My daughter got a fever over 104 and they told us to take a cab to the pharmacy. 70 pesos each way plus the cost of medication!! -Bring facecloths and ketchup We will not return to this resort

Average resort

Never enough towels and Internet was not working food awful my son got married there and his wedding meal was terrible the steak was rubber the soup had no flavour. The only good thing was the cake. -11

Ok, not great...but ok

Let's say it's just an average at best resort, nothing terrible and nothing great...property is clean with nice gardens and the rooms are decent but there are many things throughout the resort in a state of disrepair...and good luck getting clean towels. I was surprised at the lack of tipping at the restaurants and bars but noticed my service was still ridiculously slow even though I tipped regularly...Yanet at the lobby bar was the only great bartender... Food is typical "eat cautiously" Cuban  [... read more]fare...you won't starve but you should be weary of what you eat... A la Carte restaurants are only good for a formal dining experience, the food is better in the buffets... The beach and water are beautiful, a bit narrow at some places, but you can walk a long ways and explore a lot of shoreline. The adult pool is a complete dead zone...no music, no activities and the water is outright cold. Outdoor live local music and dancing every night is good...the stage performances are a bit of a challenge to watch though... It's a long trip by bus from the airport and there isn't much else there to do if you want to explore the local culture... The Melia resort in Dominican/Punta Cana, was a much better resort...

Melia las dunas cayo Santa Maria

This was my first time to Cuba and can say I can't see me going back!!! Resort was ok very large. Was on ground level and would recommend anyone ever going there to request top floor as bottom is very musty smelling and lots and lots of little ants everywhere in room. Took us 4 days and then a 2 hr wait to get pool towels. We never had hot water once and was lucky if it was warm. Our towels in our room were only changed when I actually handed our dirty ones to the maid and then would get snotty  [... read more]looks and eyes rolling because of it. She would take our dirty wet towels and make pretty things with them on our beds. Would give her 4 towels to get 2 back. I know the food in Cuba isn't the greatest anywhere but the food was edible but was always cold (rice, potatoes, meat) unless u got them to cook the chicken right in front of you. Even the food off the bbq was cold! Had a few and I mean 2 good waiters one was awesome but rest were very poor and slack. Our sunwing rep that was there was very ignorant. Beach was beautiful. Excursions were ok but not much for adventurous ones( no buggies, zip line, white water or even just horse back riding) I don't drink much but found drinks at resort awful. Even some of the water tastes bad :( and yes it was bottled. Maybe I'm just getting picky in my old age I dunno but I prefer Dominican Republic. The resort is not considered a 4.5* in my books but like I say I've never been to Cuba before so can not compare there.

Very nice resort

The grounds are beautiful and lush. Very clean, pools are awesome and big. Unfortunately the awesome beach is getting smaller, but not much you can do about Mother Nature. All the staff are wonderful and very attentive, ( a smile goes a long way) We always found plenty to eat , lots of veggies, awesome desserts especially ice cream. Food was not bland like I've had before at other Cuban resorts. I would go back again. My main complaint is, the resort is very, very big.