Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Melia Cayo Santa Maria

Maids done excellent job in rooms. General maintenance in public areas ( wash rooms) was poor,needs better program.Food could have been served hot. For most part,We had a good vacation, would probably consider returning. Pool was excellent, water was clean and clear. Beach was really beautiful, clean and clear water.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Pleasantly Surprised!

This resort in Cayo Santa Maria restored my faith in Cuba, considering the last time I went to Varadaro was a disaster. Warwick was very clean, service was great and the staff were pleasant and helpful :) Couple minor downfalls was the wait time for food was lengthy sometimes and if you're interested in independently venturing off the resort to experience Cuban culture and villages, that option is not available. The resort is located on a long road far from anything of that sort. The beaches are [... read more] breath taking and water so blue, no picture can justify! I would defiantly recommend this resort if you are interested in visiting Cuba!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Run down

This is the first time I have written a bad review. No water for part of two days. Water had to run 20-25 min before hot water came and then only as a trickle. Ants in the room. Towel bar falling off. No clean beach towels for three days. Cold food at the buffet. Resort signs faded and not readable. Many things in desperate need of repair. Staff, although friendly, remained unmoved by our concerns.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Run down

This is the first time I have written a bad review. No water for part of two days. Water had to run 20-25 min before hot water came and then only as a trickle. Ants in the room. Towel bar falling off. No clean beach towels for three days. Cold food at the buffet. Resort signs faded and not readable. Many things in desperate need of repair. Staff, although friendly, remained unmoved by our concerns.

Melia Las Dunas: Good value

Good value for cost. Gardens and grounds are beautiful. Some buildings need updating. Room showing age but clean. Restaurant had good variety of food. I always have the fresh eggs and omelettes in the morning. Fresh pasta station at night. Worth waiting in line when it's busy. Beer garden for lunch with grilled chicken and pork and fish and shrimp. Beach is beautiful, can be calm or rough depending on the day. Adult pool and swim up bar also very nice.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great Option for Cuba Travel....with some suggestions

*UPGRADE to a Ocean View Suite-Worth the money. *Use VISA rather then US/CUBAN PESO the exchange rate is better through visa. Avoid the currency exchange. *Food was good, The A La Carts even better. *1.5 hours from airport (Santa Clara) *Ice Cream Parlor incredible. *NO Disco, lobby entertainment and show only. *Try the Banana Crepe Flambe at the buffet *No local excursions unless you want a 2-3 hour one way transport. Book only if you don't mind staying on the resort. *Third Floor  [... read more]Ocean rooms are the only ones that clearly see the ocean. Second floor is obstructed view

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Beautiful resort!

The food/dining experience was terrible. Very disappointed in the a la carte restaurants. The pool area was beautiful. The beach was very narrow. The staff was friendly. The drive to the resort was long.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Worst vacation ever.

Hello: My husband and I returned home 5 days into a 10 day vacation to Grand Memories Santa Maria. (extra cost of $465 each for flight home). From the minute we arrived at the resort it was unsettling to us. I fell down one hour after arriving due to the bad lighting and injured my right elbow and right hip.The food was dreadful. Diarrhea started after the 1st full day and did not end until we came home. We left the resort to a nearby market to buy food to eat. We found it next to impossi [... read more]ble to obtain drinkable water. Black mold, blood on our door and hallway, caved in ceilings in the hallway with large amounts of rags on the floor, bad odor of human waste around the resort, broken tiles on stairwell, tub would not drain, toilet sometimes flushed or would not stop flushing, railing on our balcony rotted and unstable, no toilet seats and paper in lobby bathroom with urine on the floor, etc. etc. etc.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Old, tired resort

3/10 Needed more upgrades. We had no hot water at all week. Public washrooms didn't flush right or else they over ran or kept on runnning. Our beach towels only got changed once. Always said 'No towels left'. Food was so/so. Not a lot of salads. The a la carte's were not that great. Service was very slow at the French Restaurant. 3/10. The entertainment was 10/10. Very good!!! The pools were good 10/10...The ocean swimming & beach were 10/10. The excursions outside the resort were good. 10/10 [... read more]. We had a good time ourselves because it takes a lot to pull us down. Also great weather all week. Friendly staff everywhere.

Roc Lagunas del Mar: Very good resort

The hotel service was very good , clean and very tidy , plenty of activities and amazing breakfast choices !!! The beach was well maintained and beautiful !! The waitress service very polite and ready to help , lots of drinks !! The catamaran activity very well organized and lots of included activities . Safety is maximum and overall experience was really good . Definitely will go same resort again!!

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Never again!

Besides the beautiful beach and the hotel was very boring because the shows were not at the right time and we always had to go to the memories for any entertainment. The disco was far and we had to pay 25 pesos to get in, the animation was only at the beach, buffet food was repetitive it seemed like we were eating lunch time leftovers. The market was expensive for what they had. I find that the tourists there were very snobby and would either play cards or read books. The age range was eit [... read more]her very young families or elderly no in between. The staff was not bad but they wanted tips all the time for everything and not very social. Not for me, so I won't be visiting anytime soon or ever.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Very friendly staff

The resort was beautiful, entertainment was excellent, but the food was inadequate. I would have at least expected the food at the a la carte restaurants to be superior to the buffet, but the meals were served cold and of poor quality. Most of all, the staff were extremely accommodating and friendly.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Relaxation and Amazing Beach

I just returned from Sanctuary Grand Memories on the 16th of February. This was a short visit with a friend. The beautiful resort is so new, that they are still painting in the hallways of the buildings. Pros - butler service to look after you and book your meal reservations. Elvis was fantastic! Our deadbolt was not working on our first evening and when we mentioned it in the the morning, to the butler, by time we returned to our room, it was fixed. * beautiful sand beach, to walk f [... read more]or miles * air conditioning works really well, ( we shut it off, as it was too cool), beds - firm, but okay * lots of lounge chairs by pool with the option of adding a soft cushion to it and quite a few shade structures by the pool * beach towels in the room upon check in, which were exchanged by an employee walking around each day. Music was played by a DJ by the pool, with a nice mix of music * Pool bartenders were friendly, always smiling. With the resort being nearly empty, there was never a line up to get drinks. *The lobby bar had a wall full of different alcohol to choose from, but no "special of the day" or drink menu to inspire you * Your bar fridge in the room was filled daily with beer, soda and bottled water. * Room had safe, umbrella, 2 robes, coffee maker, iron, television (never turned it on) and telephones (which did not work) * Evening shows were by the pool and near the lobby bar. You could also walk or take shuttle to sister resort to watch shows, in a bigger building. * Maids did good job and left towel art everyday, with a written note * We had purchased the upgrade to Diamond, which allowed us a late checkout of 3 pm. At the Sanctuary, I don't believe the upgrade was necessary, but would recommend it for other 2 resorts. * A short walk thru the resort brought you to an open market, open daily * You could stroll or take the shuttle to the Italian, Mexican or Mediterranean, note this is at the Grand Memories, so children were at the restaurants *Roses were given to women on Valentines Day, with a poem and Cupid walked around the pool all day (with wings) * Fresh pizza, burgers and sandwiches available after evening meal. Cons * 2 hour bus ride from the hotel - $5 for 2 cold beer on the bus * 2 towels in room for a double occupancy, no washcloths (Don't forget to take your towel from the towel art, or you will jump out of shower with no towel to use. lol) * If you arrive for breakfast much later than 9 am, it was difficult to get a coffee or glass of water * Lunch menu, was good, but the same every day. One of the stations repeated identical items. So, not a huge selection. I hope when it gets busier, they will add additional choices. Burgers, only were available by the beach, daily, as well as a bar. * Our robes disappeared day before we left. On leaving, hotel maid came chasing our shuttle saying they weren't in our room and we had to wait for them to verify. A sad blip to a great trip. *When you get off the bus, you are at Grand Memories and need to take a very short shuttle to Sanctuary. Had a bit of an aerobic moment, after 2 hour bus ride to think you were at wrong resort. * We exchanged money for tips, but only large bills available - 20/10. Every day we went and could not get any small bills/coins to leave as tips.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: A very relaxing vacation

Our stay at the Starfish was very good. The grounds were beautiful and the room was decent. The beach was great. There is not much to do in the area. The food was OK-too salty. We had a good stay.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Enjoyable Trip!...... Resort needs major upgrades though

The bus ride from Santa Clara takes about 1 hr and 45 mins. Upon arrival, check in was quick and service was great. The lobby area has been newly renovated and is very nice. Pool area is wonderful with lots of loungers covered with shade or open areas if you like the sun. One pool has the swim up bar that has a shallow section that you can wade in or a deeper section that takes you to the bar. The 2nd pool has a shallow and deep section as well and seems to be the area for water aerobics an [... read more]d child play for the most part. The 24 hr snack bar is located at one of the pool by the pool bar. They have great food and service drinks too. Staff are very friendly. Luzy treated us very well. The other side of the pool is close to the lobby bar. The beach is amazing! There was no need to reserve a lounger in the morning. Never had an issue finding a shaded and non-shaded area. Waves were a little strong while we were there. Service from staff was fantastic. Did not have to worry about being too far from the bar as the staff walked around taking orders if you don't like to walk back and forth. The sand in front of this resort is a bit soft. Just a minute to the right the sand is harder and makes the walk pass all the other resorts easy and enjoyable. There is a snack section at the beach bar that serves small sandwiches. If you prefer something more, a short walk up the boardwalk will take you to the larger snack bar where you can sit in the shade and order lunch from menu or get food from the barbeque just outside. The squid is very good! The Italian and Japanese a la cartes were very good. However, it took two mornings and about 1/2+ each time to make the reservations. I would recommend having two staff members helping with the reservations. Perhaps one making bookings for two restaurants; the other making the reservations for the other two. No one wants to spend part of their morning standing inside in a line up waiting to book and then have to go back because they weren't successful at getting the two bookings they are permitted for a 7 day stay. The buffet is good. We always find something to eat. Daniel cooks a mean omelet and he knows just how you like it after a day or two. (He is over in the right corner of the buffet). Anavitis goes out of her way to make you feel at home in the buffet during dinner. She serves on the right side of the resort too. We originally sat to the left side of the buffet and did not receive the same service. It can get very busy in there, but Anavitis and the girls to the right have it under control. The public washrooms are decrepit and needs major upgrades. They are missing locks, toilet seats and has low-pressure water. The rooms need major upgrades and repairs. They smell musky and feel damp. The bathroom is something to be desired! It needs new bath tub facilities and to be upgraded too. The handle on the tub wall isn't safe enough to hold when getting out or in the shower. The bedding, patio curtains and towels were stained. There are no face cloths. We had an issue with ants in our bathroom but I sprayed bug spray. That took care of the issue. We had two different rooms and had the same issues. Water was an issue most days. The first day there was no hot water throughout the whole resort. We had water issues off and on through the week. When we weren't having issues, we heard other guests complaining. A couple days in we did not have enough hot water pressure to run the shower. There was no hot water for a second time which the resort had posted signs explaining there was an issue. And one day we did not have enough hot or cold water to take a shower. There was not enough in the bathroom sink to run over a toothbrush. Managed to get enough from the tub faucet. Overall, we met some great people and had wonderful service. YoElvis gave us great service at the lobby bar. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The beach is wonderful. However, we will be trying other resorts in the future. We are going to a different Melia in April and hope the beach is as amazing; the service is as good; the rooms are more upgrades and there are no water issues.

Hotel Roc Casa del Mar: Clean, New and an amazing beach

Ocean Casa del Mar is a very new hotel so everyting was nice a clean, the sevice was outstanding, and the beaches were breath taking. The clear aqua blue waters are fantastic if you enjoy snorkeling, kayaking or are just a nature lover.

Valentin Perla Blanca Paraiso: Loved this resort

The hotel was great, we bonded with a lovely server in the 24 hour beach restaurant near the "party pool", Deandra (may have the spelling wrong). Every morning we would have our omelettes and fruit tray, coffee/tea served to us vs lining up at the buffet. We lucked out with beautiful, sunny weather with a few days being windy. Beach was fabulous, a little lack of shaded coverings at times but depending on what time of day, you could find space fairly easily. I much prefer the ocean to the pool s [... read more]o unless it was extremely windy we spent most of our time on the white sandy beach and turquoise ocean. Cuba isn't the greatest with health and safety landscaping, so if you have trouble walking or seeing, you do have to watch out for small rocks popping up in the walkways down to the beach. We found this with other resorts in Cuba. Also the design in the party pool area was not conducive to people that may need physical accommodations. However, the quiet Sunwing pool area was much more accessible. Food at the resort was very good comparing to Cuban standards of generally bland food. We found the Italian restaurant to be the best. We had an ocean view room Bungalow 25, 3rd floor which was lovely, the patio doors did not lock which seemed to be a consistent concern with others. 3rd floor I wasn't too worried. Very clean, good service, the bar was stocked everyday around 5pm with some beer, pop and water and I asked our "guy" for red wine and he promptly delivered it with a smile and then of course we gave him a tip. Overall, this was our fourth trip to Cuba and the best so far. PS the WiFi is useless so we had a tech free holiday which is probably not a bad thing except when you are in your own business and have to check in.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing!

Clean grounds, amazing staff, especially the entertainment staff!! Food was okay! I would definitely come back. The most beautiful beach one ever seen! It's been only a couple days since I've been back and miss it already!

Memories Paraiso: Good family fun trip!

We enjoyed our trip immensely. We were warned before-hand about the food and were prepared for the adequate buffet meals. Never found the 24-hour snack bar advertised in the package. There were a few burger/hot dog spots throughout the resort for the first 2-3 days, then closed for the remainder of our 7-day stay. We enjoyed the 2 a la carte meals included in our package. The kids club was disappointing. They had a schedule in front of the building with all of the daily activities listed,  [... read more]but it wasn't followed. My girls had an enjoyable time there the first visit, face painting and a very nice couple of people running it. We went back the next day and they said they just watched tv-at least it got them out of the sun for a bit. The rooms were decent, but could have used a big clean up...bathrooms needed a major scrub. The entire staff there was amazing-everyone very friendly and service with a smile. Stunning beaches-just like the photographs. Pools were well maintained also.

Memories Paraiso: Amazing resort

We have gone to this resort the last three years in a row. We have enjoyed everything about this place.we have also recommended this place to friends and family, in the past two years we have went with friends & family. Every one who works there were always nice and willing to help with anything. We tried to go again this year but weather cut our vacation short so we cancelled. Would love to make it back to this beautiful beach again. We all were very disappointed missing our trip.