Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Beach is great

Beach is great People where very nice Grounds where great Pool never went to Food was ok .But it’s Cuba so expect nothing fancy Room was very musty, but ok. Public bathrooms were awful, and things broken. Expect nothing fancy then you’ll have a great time!!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Holguin: A Beautiful Slice of Paradise

The hotel is absolutely stunning and we learned it's relatively new, built only 3 years ago. Currently it's the only hotel in the area with a beautiful white sand beach. You can walk in either direction, quite rocky if you walk left but it was definitely a shell hunter's dream with conch shells filling the sandy areas. If you walk right, you can walk far through the bay area and you pretty much have the beach line to yourself. The grounds of the hotel are well kept and the landscaping is bea [... read more]utiful and clean. The staff was very friendly and go above and beyond to take care of you and ensure you have a positive experience. We celebrated our anniversary and after dinner we retured to our room decorated with rose petals and a bottle of wine with 2 glasses to enjoy on our own. Although Cuba has been experiencing their struggles, we had a fantastic stay. There were a few power outages, the air conditioning and hot water was in and out but it was tolerable and nothing compared to what the locals have to endure. In regards to the food shortages, they really make due with what they have available. For the first part of our stay we had powdered eggs for breakfast, and eggs were available when their food shipment arrived. Each night at the al a cart restaurants they voiced a menu of what was available that evening and every meal was delicious and presented meticulously. You were never guaranteed the same meal twice, but the food was always good, we even got lobster offered on our last night. I would definitely go back.

Memories Cayo Largo: Would we go again? Yes!

Detailed review of Memories, if you're interested.....thanks to others who have posted helpful posts in the past. ? We went to Memories Cayo Largo – week of March 9th/2024 Background – we’ve been to Cuba before (Holguin) as well as Dominican, Mexico etc. First time in Cayo Largo. Would we go again? Yes. Would we recommend it? Only to those who can roll with things and aren’t picky. Airport – Quick flight from Ottawa. Tiny airport in Cayo Largo. Less than 10 minutes to the resort – am [... read more]azing! Check in – Super quick, even though we arrived at 11am the room was ready. Not a lot of info at check in was given (we did later meet as a group around 4pm with the Sunwing rep who told us a bit more). Towels – Card given at check in for 2 beach towels. Lose the towels, $10 each. We were able to replace daily. Need to bring towels to check out desk, when leaving. Wifi – They don’t tell you at check in, but you can ask and they’ll give you a ticket with a login and password for 35 hours of wifi. You have to log in every time you want to use it. Quality was decent around lobby/pools. At our room it was hit and miss (building 18). Beaches – Beach at the resort is quite rough/choppy. There’s a narrow area of beach, beautiful coloured water, but rough. We took the train/trolley to Sirena Beach twice. It leaves from the lobby at certain times (check the front desk sign for times). It’s first come, first served for getting on the trolley. The ride is almost 30 minutes….free….but can be very rough/bumpy. Otherwise you can take a cab (not expensive). Trolley returns from beach at set times as well. Sirena Beach is GORGEOUS. If you walk to the right and down the beach to the end area – lots of starfish. Beautiful! There are sun loungers there (lots) and umbrellas. There’s an area you can go buy a beer if you want (not sure about food, we brought snacks) and rent some boats to go out on. Food – We didn’t go hungry. We ate a lot of the same types of things every day. Some days some items were there, the next they might not be (ie – pasta station – sometimes lots of options for toppings, some days barely any). Most nights we had a mini pizza from the pizza/pasta station. If you’re a picky eater or quickly tire of the same things – you might struggle. We brought sauces (mustard, ketchup etc) never used any of it, except we made ourselves the odd peanut butter sandwich to go to the beach, for something different. We brought some snacks & had a few, but didn’t need them. We did the a-la-carte once (which is what we were allowed, not being Diamond Club) and it was fine. A little different than the buffet, which was nice. Didn’t seem to be a dress code in general. Are there flies around the food? Some, yes. Bars – No wine, always had beer (when we were there). Other drinks – some days they had things, some days they didn’t. Room – The room itself was fine. Basic. Comfortable beds etc. The bathroom – the sink was fine – the tub was in ROUGH shape. Stains on it, kinda falling apart. Ceiling area in rough shape. Could we manage? Yes. Was the bathroom nice? No. Room also has a safe in it – you need to tap it with your room card to activate it, then put in a 5 digit code (again things they didn’t tell you at check in and had to ask). Staff – WONDERFUL. Lovely, kind. Pools – Both of them were in older shape for sure. The one with the swim up bar seemed like it was in a bit rougher shape (was always kind of a green colour) as opposed to the other pool that was nice, bright blue. Shows – There was something every night. Entertaining for an hour or so. Bugs – I got quite a few itchy bites. My husband got none. Pretty typical for when we’re down south. For it being March Break for Ontario, we were very surprised how quiet it was. Lots of days around the pool there were very few people there. Clothing optional – As you walked down from Memories to the Starfish area of the beach you saw the “clothing optional” sign. There were some nude folks there and on Sirena Beach. Mostly men. Other items? For our time there – we always had two new bottles of water in our room daily. Never ran out of toilet paper (we brought some with us just in case). Fortunately, we were never sick, a huge bonus. I think that’s always hit and miss. Friends just got back from Dominican, they were sick there, not when they were in Cuba a few months ago. You never know. Good to bring meds just in case, of course. So again, would we return? Yes. We know what we’re getting – beautiful weather, beaches, kind staff, food that we won’t go hungry. If you’re wanting something fancy and higher end this isn’t for you. For the price we paid we were happy with the week we had for sure. You have to be able to roll with things & not have the mentality of “I had a Pina Colada yesterday they HAVE to be available today?!”. If that’s the type of person you are, you’ll be disappointed. We had a great week!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Clean and Staff work hard

There were some deficiencies around the resort but the rooms, although a bit outdated, were clean and staff worked hard. Food is bland, bringing your own Salt, pepper, hot sauce. No eggs for 6 of 7 days.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Paradise

The grounds were immaculate. The staff members pleasant and easy to talk to. Our room was just as you would want it to be, clean, equipped, The food was better than expected. The pools awesome and the beach better than awesome. The buildings could use a coat of paint, that is the only thing they could do to improve the place. We'd go back in a heart beat.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Budget Friendly

The pros: The Beach is absolutely stunning! One of the best beaches I have been on. The staff and entertainment staff are all incredibly friendly! They are the reason people go back. The cons: I will preface this by saying Cuba in general is struggling badly all over. You must bring extra toilet paper with you everywhere. The public washrooms generally run out of toilet paper, and you only get one roll a day in your room. Often the toilet seats are missing, and lightning is poor i [... read more]n many of the restrooms. Lighting at night is lacking, be sure to use a flashlight getting around at night. The buffets are at the lobby, and this is a very large, spread out resort. I would not recommend for anyone with mobility issues. Pathways are flat to the buildings, but you have a rough ramp to get to the beach, which would not be wheelchair accessible. Also there are no elevators so ground floor is a must for anyone that can't do stairs. The ground floor balcony door did not have a lock on it either. Bring a pole to block the door. Food is almost the exact same every day. We always had enough food, but absolutely no variation, with the exception of roasted pork one night and the a la cartes. The grounds were not maintained well, long grass, plastic cups and confetti left all over on the way to the beach. The rooms were very basic. While my room was clean and well stocked with water and towels, another in our party had no towels replaced until asked, had to ask for toilet paper and extra water, sand left on the floors and cups were jot replaced, just rinced in the sink and put back. We both tipped well daily, so seems hit and miss depending on your housekeeper on duty.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Third Time a Charm

Even though we couldn’t have Ocean Front ( not available) our room on the end of building #2 ( beside #1) was fabulous. This time we enjoyed hot water and pressure from the shower!! Room was always clean. We were disappointed ( paying more for Diamond Club) we were NOT given water and/ or beer daily as stated in booking. Front desk staff could be more polite and friendly. I realize they deal with many people and issues, however, when someone new walks up …. Be ?. We will return be [... read more]cause we love the beach. ?️

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Such a fun resort

Food was pretty good. Lots to drink. Beautiful beach and shallow warm water and fun pool action. Hardly wait to go back. I would recommend buying the diamond pkg . All the staff everywhere was friendly and hard working. Felt bad for buffet staff. They were clearing, setting and serving people. Too bad there wasn’t some extra help for them. Hard workers

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Beautiful beach and service

The grounds were well kept. The beach was always cleaned, and we could always get loungers at all times of day. The rooms were central to restaurants, bars, pool, and beach. Butlers were super friendly and helpful. They go above and beyond!!! Rooms were clean and the king bed had a good mattress. There were shortages but there were still always other options. We will be going back.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great Resort Overall

Overall this is a great resort and suited my friends and I wonderfully. The only real shortage was wine otherwise something at the buffet for everyone - grounds, beach, pool all excellent. A la carte restaurants not exceptional but provide a good alternative to the buffet. We stayed in the Sanctuary section and worth the additional cost. Staff courteous and friendly.

Grand Memories Holguin: Great place

Beautiful hotel , great workers , good beach , but a bit too windy there, I guess it’s season . Food was good, always something to find. At the bar was no vodka and often run out of rum, but had beer, vine and good brand name whisky

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Good for the price

The beach is gorgeous, the sand is white and not hot, the activities on the beach and by the pool are great. The staff are amazing and friendly. The maids keep the rooms clean and the water boy comes and adds more water to the mini fridge daily. The entertainment was great. The items that had shortages were toilet paper, in the rooms and in public bathrooms. The public bathrooms were dirty, and the men’s washroom in the lobby was closed so the women’s was shared. The buffet was Cuba  [... read more]food, lots of chicken, pork, rice and wieners. There was powder eggs and shortage of bread at some points. I knew going in that the food wasn’t the greatest so I brought spices and peanut butter, jam, syrup, and spices. We did have to move rooms when we first arrived at the room was not clean, and the toilet seat was round but the toilet was square. Just remember in Cuba the toilet paper does not go down the toilet it goes into the trash can.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Nightmare Flamenco

Despite best efforts from the hardworking staff, the resources do not exist to make this a realistic destination UNLESS, you’re okay with black mould on the walls and mattresses, filthy towels that are replaced only after several requests, intermittent availability of “all inclusive “ beverages (eg., coffee, beer) with a diamond club upgrade. The sand, sun and surf are definitely 4 star.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Extremely Disappointed

Keeping in mind the situation for the Cuban people, we tried to be understanding of some of the deficiencies. However, the situation at this resort was just disrespectful to the tourists. We found most of the staff at the front desk and bars were not very welcoming or friendly and a lot of times ignored you when standing in front of them looking for help .- . We had 2 rooms next to each other and one of the rooms had no air conditioning for the entire week or a working fridge. Despite multiple r [... read more]equests to fix the AC and replace the fridge no one ever came. As a result we tried to leave the patio door open to allow some cooler air in during the night but this resulted in getting covered in mosquito bites - so we had to keep the patio door closed. The first 3 days we did get a small 500ml bottle of drinking water each in the room but then no more water came the rest of the trip - again despite our requests. There was no hot or even warm water to take showers with. Toilet in one of the rooms did not flush. Had to fill tank with shower hose. Bed sheets , shower towels or hand towels were NOT changed all week long. Half of the time we did not have a bath mat or hand towel. There were no eggs for breakfast until the last day - Breakfast choices were poor and the same all week long, which resulted in three of us getting diarreah(They reuse the same food). Most days there was no juice and if there was it was a powder mix and watered down and most days there was no Cuban coffee or sugar (which Cuba is known for). There's no pop of any kind to be found, not even at the shops which are pretty much empty. This was our fifth trip to Cuba for my wife and I and the third trip for our teenage children and we were all very disappointed with our trip with the money we spent to get 1 star service at a 4 star resort. The weather was great and the pool and beach were very enjoyable which made the trip tolerable. We will not be returning to this resort and we will not recommend it.

Grand Memories Varadero: The worst hotel I 've ever seen on vacation. ( Feb 27 - March 5 - 2024)

The check- in was late, definitely past 4 pm. We were booking our trip together with our friends and we paid the same price, 1035$ per adult. Nevertheless, the reception guy gave us a room that was 1 km away from the ocean. At the same time our friends were given a place at the other side of the resort. The receptionist explained us, that we booked a standard room, when our friends ordered a premium one. ( for the same 1035 $ per adult). The receptionist recommended us to contact our agent what [... read more] we did. And what was the agent's response? She messaged -" Talk to receptionist". Good start. Finally, we gave a receptionist 140$ CAN cash under the table and got a "premium" room next door to our friends. There were no blankets on the beds, and only 2 pillows for 2 adults and 2 kids. The bar fridge had only 2 bottles of plain water in it. The balcony door lock was broken, and when I attempted to open a wardrobe sliding door - it just fell on the floor. They had troubles with supplies all the week - no sugar for tea and coffee, one or two days they didn't supply disposable cups. Towel service doesn't exist there - we used the same towels all the week, same for pool towels. The floor in the room was so dirty - they don't clean it properly. If you leave the balcony door open - the room is full of biting mosquitoes. A/C was working the first day ok, but when we tried to shut it off - it didn't start again. After fixing the thermostat on/off button never worked again - so we stayed with working a/c till the end. All the room equipment was old and devastated, but there was a shower with hot and cold water and the pressure was good. There was no pressure in the toilet flush - so we borrowed a kid's toy bucket to flush the toilet. Our friend's safe and entrance door locks were broken every other day, they couldn't open the door with the card. Food was OK, no one had any stomach problems, guava and papaya were good. No shrimps, no potatoes, no eggs. Egg powder compound is not a good replacement for the omelet. The menu was the same all days, no varieties - but it is normal for Cuba. The pool was OK, the entrance to the ocean beach is not fit for a baby stroller. Overall it is not worth 1035$. Varadero is a good place to stay for those who want to visit Havana. The hotel is not 4 stars , even not 3. If you find a deal there for 700 - 750$ - book it. I hope the agent will refund me my 140$, spent for "premium" upgrade.

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Staff aren't welcoming

I booked this resort knowing that there's shortages of food and supplies but I didn't realize that it also lack customer service. Neither receptionists nor the wait staff make you feel welcome. Whenever you asked them something I sensed that they are not willing to help by their tone of voice. Same with the wait staff. Even with tips and gifts, my room was hardly cleaned and our beach towel was only changed twice in a week. Not to mentioned our floor was covered in sand and the same dirt and sam [... read more]e stained on the balcony glass door and the bathroom walls. I almost feel that they took us ( tourists) for granted. I can accept that they are short on certain food and supplies but to not have customer service is not acceptable. The only nice thing about this resort is the immaculate beach. I do not recommend this place.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: The resort is good

I find it very clean and the workers are really good and friendly. They are hurting with their supply of food and drinks since Covid and the different embargo’s. But there was always something to eat. The staff have their hours cut due to the lack of tourists. Talking to them, they feel it will take them a few years to recover.

Memories Cayo Largo: A week of happiness at Memories Cayo Largo

This place is amazing, small island with the turquoise color of the sea and long white beaches.. But despite some problems and small lack, the beach, the sun and the beauty of the place makes me forget all that. The resort was great, the staff was super helpful and made my vacation special. We spent most of time on the beautiful and virgin beach next to our hotel and one day at Playa Paraiso - just a short ride away. We spent a great day at sea aboard a comfortable catamaran, see iguanas on a vi [... read more]rgin island, stop for snorkeling, see coral fish, sting ray and even a shark. I like to say thank you to everyone of staff who listens to our needs. The animation team is amazing: dynamic, positive, and energetic! And the band for fantastic music playing everyday. The buffet was good, and we had a good dinner at the a la carte restaurant. A HUGE thank you to Daniel Rodriguez M. for helping to create my stay lovely and very pleasant. Most importantly for taking a special care of my friend when she got seriously ill. She received very good care; her issue was dealt with promptly and efficiently. I thought the whole situation was handled very professionally. No worries whatsoever. I speak some Spanish...but no need. They spoke perfect English. This kind of thing could happen anywhere at any time. The doctors and nurse were treating people in the clinic and in their ROOMS in a timely manner, It was a wonderful getaway from cold Winter days in Ottawa. Thanks for everything. Hasta próxima vez Amigos.

Memories Cayo Largo: Awesome stay at Memories Cayo Largo, Feb 2024

Awesome island, beautiful white beaches and turquoise color of the sea. Fantastic staff, entertainment which is omnipresent for our entertainment and all the rest of the employees who always says hello when passing you. The animation team is amazing: dynamic, positive, and energetic! I And the band for fantastic music playing everyday. I take my hat off to them. The buffet was good, and we had a good dinner at the a la carte restaurant. A HUGE thank you to Daniel Rodriguez Meneces for helping t [... read more]o create my stay lovely and very pleasant. Most importantly for taking a special care of my friend when she got seriously ill. She received very good care; her issue was dealt with promptly and efficiently. I thought the whole situation was handled very professionally. No worries whatsoever. I speak some Spanish...but no need. They spoke perfect English. This kind of thing could happen anywhere at any time. The doctors and nurse were treating people in the clinic and in their ROOMS in a timely manner, It was a wonderful getaway from cold Winter days in Ottawa. Thanks for everything. Hasta próxima vez Amigos

Memories Cayo Largo: Amazing Resort

We have been to Cuba many times but first time in Cayo Largo and it did not disappoint. The staff at Memories went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. Our amazing butler Elba made sure we had everything we needed and more! Remember that Cuba struggles with getting supplies some weeks but we never had an issue. Can't wait to go back.