Amazing time at this resort

We went for a week from June 7 to 14. We had a fantastic time. We loved the resort amenities and restaurants, and most of all, the personnel at the resort was fantastic. Everybody was very nice. My husband is in a wheelchair, and although is a big resort, all the areas are wheelchair accessible and there is a ramp to go to the beach. We only had some trouble at the airport, Air Canada wasn't the greatest service. Both ways my family had to sit in separate chairs, and my husband needed help that  [... read more]I couldn't provide because I was seated far from him and my kids on the window so I couldn't even get out of my chair at some times. I couldn't find anybody to switch places with me. When we came to Toronto, they took almost an hour to find the plane wheelchair needed to get my husband out of the plane since he can't walk at all. We also didn't know that they don't give any food on this flight, you have to purchase it, and it's very expensive for not the greatest food. If we had known this before we'd have brought some food with us. We had a very early flight to go to Cuba so we didn't have time to eat breakfast. We were starving by the time we got to Cuba and we were loaded on the bus really fast so we didn't have time to eat anything until really late in the afternoon.... be advised - bring lots of food, specially if you are travelling with little ones!!!

Amazing Resort

Great hotel, we really enjoyed every moment at this resort. This was our 4th time and I will go back very soon. will recommend to all my friends and family. The service is excellent and all the staff. I do think the bus ride is too far from the hotel.

Had such a great time I went back 3 weeks later

My husband and I spent a week at the Melia Las Dunas in May. I enjoyed myself so much that I went back for a 4 day girls trip 3 weeks later. I have traveled all over the Caribbean. The beach in Cayo Santa Maria is by far the best I have ever been to. I love that I can see my toes in the crystal clear water. There was never any issue with seaweed on this beach. As it is widely known, Cuba does not rank high for food at the resorts, but the Melia Las Dunas was great. There was an abundance of fr [... read more]esh fruit, and the other typical buffet dishes. We really enjoyed the restaurants as well. The rooms are dated but we found them comfortable. There was always hot water and the AC kept the room cool. The staff were so warm and friendly from the gardeners to the bartenders. I felt like I was going home on my second trip. One of my favorite things about the resort was the house band in the evening. They were always amazing. Bug spray and after bite is a must to pack if you vacation from May to September. The mosquitos are out for blood at this time of year. I would highly recommend this resort for its great value for the price. It was a very affordable vacation.

Great time

Overall this was a great resort. I have been to Cuba 7 times and this is the second best! check in was really slow and we had to wait until 4pm for our room. During our trip we constantly had a lizard in our room. However the food was decent for Cuban standards and Kiki at the buffet was an amazing server!

Great resort and service

Have been to santa maria 7 times and this resort is the 2nd best resort I've been to. Great service and amazing beach. The beaches was amazing as usual.Kiki at the buffet was very attentive and made the buffet more enjoy able

Big and beautiful...

We are easy going people, so pretty much everything pleased us there. I particularly liked the check in - they took our group to a separate room and handed out envelopes with all info and our room numbers in there. We still had to go to check in counter - to get our keys, but it was done efficiently. The resort is big - lots of walking if you don't want to wait around for those "golf cart" buggies to get you where you want to go. Beach is gorgeous, lots of chairs around when we were there /May 2 [... read more]3-30/. It was windy all days we were there, more or less, so lots of waves if you like that in an ocean. A day or two they were able to get the small catamarans out there - it was fun too. Pools were gorgeous as well - sun warmed water, tiles, well maintained, swim up bars. We frequented the adult side pools. Again - lots of chairs around - no "towel game" needed. Food - there was always something to our liking. We liked omellettes for breakfast, grilled chicken and fish for lunch and dinner. The carved mangoes they sometimes had at breakfast were so sweet... as well as bananas in "flaming syrup" at dinner. The desserts were not too fancy and not too many of them, but between pies, cakes and fruit - there was a lot of choice. Cadeca right across the hall from the reception. No problem with getting receipts and right amount every time /after Varadero experiences we were counting our pesos, lol/. Grounds well maintained and pleasing. Entertainment was provided throughout the day and at night. Dancing, disco in the "main square", various activities, shows. Overall - very positive experience and we will be coming back with more people.

Great week!

Helpful and pleasant staff, excellent but non intrusive entertainment, and beautiful beach. What more could you want? This was our seventh trip to Cuba, and this place is probably our favorite so far!

Amazing Resort!

The resort was beautiful. The rooms were perfect and always very clean. The food was delicious and a wide variety. The resort staff were very friendly and helpful, always.The water and beach was beautiful. This was our second time at Melia Las Dunas and we would definately be returning. We highly recommend this resort.

Amazing Resort

Four of us went, all females, had two rooms. Resort was amazing, clean and staff were friendly. Restaurants for dinner had excellent food with spices, we tried them all and were 5 stars. The BBQ Grill for lunch time was near the beach and had a variety of BBQ food, defiantly recommend it for lunch. We went on April 29, 2015 for 7 days, didn't realize the rain season had started, it rained very heavy for most of the days however, we did have 2 full sunny days. Ocean was so clear and had white san [... read more]d. The only disappointment we had was that we didn't get one of our rooms cleaned daily, someone would come and make our bed but did not clean the room, we asked the maid that cleaned the other rooms who our maid was, she said she didn't know, we had to call lobby every day for clean towels. we even left a tip every day for the maid and the tip money was taken but no clean room. Oh the bed was horrible in both rooms, the springs were popping out, our bodies were sore when we returned home. The bus ride from the airport was only 1hr and 45 min. it went by fast. bus was very comfortable. Overall it was a good vacation.

Amazing resort

This resort has everything you need, for families and adults without children. It is a large resort but nothing is more than a five minute walk away. The beach is incredible and there is always space and chairs and huts to get out of the shade. The staff are the most helpful, caring and humble people I ever met. We upgraded to VIP rooms after our first night at a cost of $100 CAD per person for the entire 9 day stay. It was well worth it. The room we were in the first night was certainly not 5 s [... read more]tar - likely more a 3 star. It was cheaper to upgrade when we got there. The Air Canada representative was great and arranged private excursions for us to nearby Cuban towns as well as a day excursion on a catamaran - the highlight of our trip. The buffet was so-so, but once we figured out that you could have breakfast and lunch at one of the many snack bars and dinner at the a la carte restaurants, we were off to the races. The pools are wonderful, with space for all. We had no worries about beach towels. The maid service was impeccable and we tipped them well. Fresh water, beer and sodas were provided everyday. The resort has North American electricity, so no need to worry about taking converters. There was always something happening in the main lobby for children and adults alike. Try the coffee with milk - yummy. There is a currency exchange on site and you can book excursions with Visa. The transport to and from the airport was seamless. We went at the beginning of May which is the start of rainy season. If we go back (which is likely) we would go earlier in the year. Trip Central was amazing and pulled off a complicated booking for us - three travelling from Ottawa and one from Halifax for a very reasonable price. Thank you Trip Central! You rock!

Amazing vacation

This hotel is amazing! The food was great and the staff was always friendly. The resort and the beach were beautiful, and even when it rained there was always something to do. Would definitely return!

Good Times

Melia las dunas offers an excellent beach and nice rooms. I was on the ground floor and had a cockroach or two stroll through. Beverages were decent, we were able to get Sol beer at the sports bar until early afternoon but then had to switch back to the not so great Cristal. There wasn't a lot of activities or partying happening. I probably wouldn't attend Las Dunas again but it's all what your looking for. Nice beach and relaxation its pretty good. Food was pretty typical with an okay buffet.

2nd time Pleasure

This was a second visit to Las Dunas and I have only good things to say. Now mind you when we first checked in my room was pretty bad....however I went to see Alejandro and he had everything fixed to beyond satisfaction in no time! He upgraded us to 2 new rooms in Building 41 and they were lovely! The grounds are lovely as well....it is a BIG resort but there is so much interesting vegetation to see along the way. The staff are amazing. The beach is just fabulous however getting on the beach is  [... read more]not very easy. There are a couple of broken stairs at the base of the stair to the beach which makes it difficult manage. The weather this year was a bit of a disappointment, it thundered at least once a day...;-( no fault of Cuba or the resort....but there isn't a lot to do in the rain at the resort....(but again this really isn't a complaint just a heads up). One day there was a hurricane in Havana and there were torrential rains and we took the panorama bus on its tour and that was pretty something...not for the faint of heart....but interesting. Another day we went to the market which was quite nice, bring pesos though as they don't do credit etc. The food is basic Cuban fair but the Beer Garden is great at lunch time and we were invited to a Gala event (because we were 2nd yr guests) and it was great....good entertainment and interesting food. All in all Melia Las Dunas is a very good resort!!!

Very Disappointed

The food was not very good at all. We had some sort of problems every day and the people working in the resort had very bad attitudes. Very disappointed with the whole trip! It seemed that there were a lot of people staying in the resort who were having a lot of differenet problems!

Very Bad Service_I don't advise anybody to stay in

Many obstacles with room equipments, furniture. Not working lights; and electrical installation, delayed service, missing towels. Service stuff not ready to help, ignoring quests complains. They simply don't care about complains.

Nice resort

great atmosphere. fabulous beaches. nice weather. wait service was very good. lots of bars . rooms were very clean. close to beaches and pools.lots of music. market close to resort for souvenirs. would return to resort.

Amazing beach

Resort is large.Entertainent was excellent.Presentations at the al la carte restaurants were excellent.Meals met my expectations and enjoyed all my meals.In conclusion a beautiful resort on a wonderful pristine Island.

Quiet family holiday.

Beach is spectacular. Pool wonderful for kids. The resort is well laid out,but could use some better programming for kids. Plus, could create a playground/ splash pad with water features for kids to play. Current splash pad doesn't provide much.

Fun trip.. a few kinks

overall very nice resort for the price we paid. Got there and had issues with checking in... they upgraded us for the inconvienence, but ceiling was constantly leaking from the A/C it seemed. oh well .

Terrif it Resort!

This resort was beautiful, clean with great helpful staff. The beach was stunning with water that was gorgeous shades of green and blue with lovely white sand. Some days the sky at the beach was a pretty shade of violet. The catamaran trips from the beach were an added delight. Rooms were clean and all resort workers were dedicated and hard working.