Melia Las Dunas: Excellent

Very good grounds in excellent condition very friendly just too far away from any major cities. Everything very clean. Only disappointment was suppose to have daily bed make up and towels changed only had this done 2 times in the 7 day stay

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas

I selected this hotel on the recommendation of the travel agency as I had stayed at the Melia Santa Maria last year. This one was quite a bit larger too large in fact. There are shuttles but don't seem to be around when one is needed. The first room was too far from amenities but when this was mentioned to front desk we were promptly moved. The room was plain and clean but getting clean towels was a challenge. When thrown in the tub they were hung up again not replaced. No face cloths or bath ma [... read more]ts. Although beach towels were plentiful, which I used to shower with as were cleaner. Next time will bring my own towels. Early in the morning the resort was shrouded in a dark cloud of what seemed to be burning oil or diesel. In this day and age when there is so much hype about nature preservation this was something that needs to be addressed. There is plenty to each in the buffet and enough items to choose from but you have to watch for food undercooked . I never went to the al acarte but heard the Japanese was good. One guest was complaining as never had hot water all week but not sure they never asked to be moved. I preferred Melia Santa Maria as easier to get around. The rooms were quaint and the beach nicer as was wider and I think staff friendlier. The drive from airport was long which was ok the first time having never been to Cuba. They can eliminate the tour guide going home as was repeat of what was said when we arrived. Bus toilets are questionable. Also on resort they need to post visible signs DO NOT FLUSH anything in toilets. Many were out of service for this reason.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: We Really Enjoyed Ourselves

We really enjoyed our first trip to Cuba. It met our expectations but to be fair, we were not expecting Jamaica in terms of food and resort. The grounds, restaurants and room were always clean but your beach or bathroom towels may have a stain or two (but still clean). The bed was not the most comfortable but we still slept well. Staff were great and always ready to help. The food was what we expected, nothing spectacular but nevertheless good. None of us, including our children, got sick but we [... read more] were very careful and were all vaccinated prior to departure. The beach, the reason we chose Santa Maria, was amazing. We would recommend it to someone who knew what to expect from Cuba. The kids loved the ice cream bar!

Memories Paraiso: 2 weeks at Memories Paraiso Azul, Cayo Santa Maria

Next step getting money changed over to CUC's at the money exchange on the left of the reception desk, got 200 CUC's for 300 Canadian and 40 in 1$ coins for tips. This is one of the peeves I have is that was the last time in 2 weeks was I able to get 1$ change anywhere so the solution was we had to ask the waiters that served us for change and then they would basically recycle the small change. This is a huge resort and walked around once then basically stayed in our area on the Paraiso. We were [... read more] in bungalow 35, everything was right there 2 min walk to restaurants, lobby, theater, pool and beach and 5 minutes to little shopping center. There are staff with golf carts to drive you anywhere you want to go if walking is not your thing. Food: Its not home but you can find anything to eat here, we only ate at the main buffet and the grill by the beach Mondays and Thursday they have a barbecue and a roast of pork that is excellent starts at 1 pm. In the main buffet you can have one of the chefs cook up a omelete in the mornings and lunch and supper you can grill up choice of steak, pork chops, chicken breasts or a choice of fresh fish. Bring your own salt and pepper and steak spice and it will be like home! Staff: One word AWESOME! I could single out a few but wouldn't be fair to everyone else, the buffet and bars waiters and waitresses are all very efficient and more so if your a tipper and we are, so service was almost embarrassing our drink wouldn't have a chance to hit half way before being asked if we needed another. Our maid was fantastic always clean sheets,towels and very interesting towel art (always left 2CUCs a day tip) Bungalow 35 rooms 3577 and 3579 I forgot my Iphone charger and cord in the room (management please give it to the maid) as a gift. I had a problem with my key card and it was the lock failing, 10pm went to front desk and said they would send a technician, 10 minutes later tech shows up and says common problem fixed it in 5 minutes and was good to go. Beach: INCREDIBLY AWESOME!!! So far the best beach I ever seen, the water so crystal clear and blue and the sand snow white and the texture of flour. There is 3 entrances to the beach all have bars and beach grills even waiter service on the beach. You can sit enjoy or walk out in the warm ocean nice shallow for 100 feet and have small Hobbie Cats to take you out for a sail. Tip: Show up at 6:30 am for best seats on the soft blue chairs and shade. Pools: There are a lot of pools we only went one day were clean and always activities going on if thats your thing. ( I can have pools here at home but don't have that beach at home.) Excursions: We booked 3 excursions available in the main lobby, reasonably priced, we did the speed boat tour, Cigar Rum Sugar tour, and the Jeep Safari, all were interesting and fun. Internet: There is Wi-FI available only in the lobby area, you purchase a card with a username and password for 2 CUCs good for 1 hour, if you need the internet more than checking emails or updating status on Facebook I would suggest getting a Roaming package with your provider I have Rogers and for 10$ a day I could have unlimited phone and data, connection to CubaTel Cell tower was nearby so had reception everywhere even on the beach. Overall: It was a great 2 weeks, we had only one rainy day out of the whole trip and one real cold night. Spent most days on the beach and lobby bars at night different live bands every night, always something going on. There is a theater with different live shows every night (ashamed we never made one of them) but our choice. It's a huge resort and only walked some of the grounds mostly stayed on the Paraiso side our bungalow 35 was close to everything so not much walking needed. There is staff on golf carts available to take you anywhere if walking isn't your thing. Check out was also painless (we purchased a VIP through sunwing in the lobby for 25 CUCs that includes getting your boarding pass and seats at the hotel the day before leaving and a short VIP line at the airport plus a private lounge free food and drink and a smoking section). Called for bag pickup arrived in 5 minutes got to reception handed in keycards gave us a small piece of paper to board the bus and done. Forgot to mention the landscaping is well maintained and worked on every day. Price is excellent we had single occupancy all in for 2400$ can and spent 700$ can includes all tip money and 3 excursions outside the resort a gifts for family for 2 weeks, same trip for option 2 was Costa Rica for 6000$can, we made a good choice. Would definitely return here next trip, thanks too all the staff that keeps this huge resort running smoothly.

Memories Paraiso: Disappointing!

The sheets on the bed were torn! Not just little seams uncome! Major rips! Scorpion surprised me on a midnight trip to the bathroom. In the morning housekeeping squashed it, but the maid's sweep with her wet cloth failed to removed the innards stuck to the floor. About the next question, would I recommend it? Not at this point!!! There are a lot of good things going for this spot but the things I have mentioned are not major and I feel could be easily rectified. But until such time, no, I would  [... read more]not recommend it.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort: Lacking in amenities

My husband and myself decided on a 3 night/4 day getaway Feb 6 - 9th preceding a week booked at the end of Feb with family and friends. To be sure, the travel time was lengthy especially with the 1.5 hr transfer from the airport to the resort. We knew this ahead of time and decided to go given a very reasonable price point. Pros: The resort itself was quite beautiful; pool, gardens, pathways, and especially the beach itself. White flour sand and very turquoise crystal clear seas not unlike the  [... read more]Bahamas. Our room was ocean view, king bed and very clean. We requested the room placement and bed size with Trip Central rep and got it which was great. Our rep is Karl Charesa who is very good and we have always used him for all of our group vacations every year (6 years) to Cuba. Poolside entertainment was very good which we caught at end of beach day around 4-5:00. Music, rock band, acrobatic bicycle rider (quite good) and, of course, typical dance lessons. (Word of note: not a good snorkeling beach if you are considering bringing your gear.) Cons: Very slow drains in the bathroom (like all night for the tub to drain after a shower) and vanity sink. Very dim lighting in bathroom area. Only food available was ham & cheese sandwiches and "interesting" hotdogs (Cuban style) at the pool and beach grills. The buffet was really disappointing and keeping in mind we know and accept Cuban fare as we have been many times to different resorts, just not comparable at all and we are not picky eaters. We don't go for gourmet but seriously, this wasn't good. The 24 hour snack bar advertised is NOT 24 hours, no french fries or pizzas. Functioning bathrooms were rare, 1 open in the lobby out of 6 (for the women's anyway), no working bathroom at the pool for the guys. One bathroom at the beach, usually a line up. We didn't attend any nighttime entertainment, usually after dinner drink and socializing in the lobby so cannot attest to that. The bus ride to and from resort was just too long. We are used to Holguin/Cayo Coco resorts where it is less than half the time. Santa Clara airport was a complete dump (again, who really cares) but just leant to travel woes with amount of time spent in it.

Memories Paraiso: No great memories at Memories!

It is NOT a new resort as first thought but an old resort newly attained by the Memories brand. In desperate need of overhaul, staff training, and some adjustments in cuisine, even for Cuba.Too far from airport.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: very nice resort!

This was one of the nicest resorts we stayed at. The grounds were beautiful ,exceptionally well kept and well maintained by the friendly gardeners. The pool areas were excellent,clean and well looked after. They have an excellent pool and playground area for small children. Our grandchildren ages 3 and 5 had so much fun there. We would recomend the poolside snack bar . Kids really enjoyed the burgers, fries and hot dogs; we did too! The food at the al a carte restaurants was very good for the mo [... read more]st part. We would definitely recomend the steak and lobster at the seafood resturant. The buffet restaurant was also very good. Great selection of meats,vegatables fruits and deserts.The staff at this resort were all very friendly,polite and very good at their job. They were appreciative of a tip but never expecting one! Our room was large,clean and overall very good.Mini bar was well stocked every day always had plenty of bottled water. Maids were excellent!! There were a couple of lights not working when we first got there but that was resolved within minutes. Overall we were very pleased with our stay at this resort and will definitely go back! The only improvement we would like to recomend would be a new more comfortable bed. Our room had a king sized bed that was very firm and could feel the springs. We fixed this problem by putting the extra duvets under the bottom sheet. I rated this resort a 4 star good but if they replaced some beds i would definitely rate a 5 star excellent!! One other thing we enjoyed was the fact there were no time share people hounding you about going to a meeting!! Loved Cuba and Ensenachos!! Beaches were the best!!!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Average resort!

This hotel is sold as being 1.5 years old. I have news for year you, its an old hotel that has been given a face lift. The staff on the whole were great and very friendly, unfortunately there were some that were very unprofessional. Pool staff who were smoking and used the pool deck as an ashtray etc... The buffet was way to small for the size of the resort, with huge lines for food. No beverage service on the beach, and a total lack deck chairs both on the beech and the pool area. There was pl [... read more]ates and glasses left around the pool area from the evening/overnight that were not cleaned up until the late morning. There is a very large bar in the main lobby that most attend after dinner which is very nice, and actually has a non smoking side. Unfortunately, extremely loud and rude French Canadians apparently have NO respect for these signs and smoke everywhere including the very limited non smoking areas. Many of the public wash rooms where either locked, broken or very dirty. The onsite bank ran out of money several times and the hotel ran out of different types of supplies and drinks every day. The long trip from the airport to the hotel is not worth it at all. Go to Cayo Coco as the hotel transfer is only 20-30 minutes. I would not recommend this hotel to anybody, and its out 2nd and last time to Cuba.

Melia Las Dunas: Great for weddings

The resort did a fabulous wedding for my daughter, well organized, lovely setting , great supper after the beach service. Photographer was excellent too. They did all we asked for. The grounds and beach were lovely. I felt they need more staff especially at the lobby bar. We had to wait for coffee and drinks. The staff were very busy. This was the only Cuban resort we have been to where you couldn't get a cocktail such as a Martini or Manhattan. Our room really needed spruced up. The drapes were [... read more] hanging down, the bathtub drained very slowly and we had a note saying no toilet paper in toilet. It was showing its age. Guest services was poor. we asked for a bottle of water as none had been delivered. Asked for and umbrella twice but none came. We love Cuba and have been to much better resorts.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Amazing Resort, amazing service and staff.

Amazing Resort, amazing service and staff. This resort is for you if you need quiet rest and being pampered, staff are amazing and helpful. Management is trying very hard to make your stay wonderful!!!

Valentin Perla Blanca: Nice Resort!

We stayed from Jan 23-30... We weren't disappointed.. We travelled in a group of 4.... None of us got sick. This resort was gorgeous! The grounds were well kept and very nice to look at..... The pools were very nice, hard to get a lounge chair, so I would advise a member of your group running down and saving lounge chairs as everyone did that... I went down at about 8am one morning and all the lounge chairs were taken...The swim up bar was great, nice friendly staff. The food was actually not ba [... read more]d at all, it wasn't amazing, but you don't go to Cuba for the food... I would recommend going to the restaurant beside the main pool bar, and getting the "Valentin Burger" I got it on my last day, I wish I would have tried it sooner (amazing). The beach was gorgeous! Overall, I would recommend this resort to my family & friends. :)

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: awesome resort

The staff I dealt with were great. . The cooks who cook in the line are wonderful. . Resort was clean.. had a great time.. my one suggestion for hotel is the near building 8-10 to make a ramp to beach instead of climbing on rocks. . If you go make sure to go to beach opening near 15.. only complaint needed more sunny days lol

Melia Las Dunas: hotel getting run down and in need of repairs!

Rooms are tired and dated. Some public washrooms had no seats and most needed repairs. Seemed to be understaffed and service at restaurant and bars very slow. Quality of drinks were not good. Buffet was poor! al-a-carte was ok not great! No quiet area! Resort was very busy! We were not impressed for a 5 star resort!

Melia Las Dunas: Would not return to Melia Las Dunas

Critisms: Too many rude guests, cups and straws everywhere on the beach, overworked staff, poor selection of alcohols, bad wine, occasionally food smelled off, bedding never changed, no quiet zones near water, maintenance issues. Suggestions: Increase price, hire more staff, quiet beach without music. This resort has the potential to be one of the best in Cuba with an infusion of a lot of money. The beach is wonderful, staff tries their best but with limited resources. For example, railings woul [... read more]d be freshly painted but unstable, towels changed but were sour due to incomplete drying, no consistency between services. 80% of our party had G.I. issues. Travelled with 30 others. We upgraded to Premium, and didn't have room issues like many others in our party.Suggestion: Increase price, hire more staff, make the beach a quiet zone without music, don't allow guests to play their own music without headphones This resort has the potential to be one of the best in Cuba with an infusion of a lot of money.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Good Resort

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel and where there for nine days. The grounds where we'll kept but there was some garbage in the brushes which was sad to see as there really is no need for that there are garbages all over . We did find that our room was a bit of walk to the main lobby but we didn't mind the walk for the exercise, they do have shuttles but they would never stop and ask you if you wanted a ride, you would have to call from your room to get them to pick you up. Our room in un [... read more]it three was great - very clean, fridge and air conditioning worked awesome , and we could see the ocean which was a bonus ! Our maid was fantastic and friendly ! The bar and grill by the beach was fantastic - had grilled chicken,pork ,rice and salad - very yummy! The beach by there was where we spent most of our days it was less busy and beautiful, we even had waiter service some days which we didn't expect. The main beach is very beautiful as well but very busy ! We walked all the way to the right of the resort and did some snorkelling and saw jellyfish, some other fishes and barracudas ! Loved it! The towel exchange was only opened the once out of the six times we had went there , so hang on to your towels and try to to get an extra one in case you need them. The pools where great, very clean and not very busy we found, you had shade as well if you wanted but would need to place your towel on a chair to reserve them, which I understand but sometimes those people wouldn't show up till after lunch which really is not fair for others who may only wanted to sit and relax there in the am ? But we had no problems finding a spot but like I said most of our days where spent at the beach. The main lobby is quite big and we always got a spot to sit before and after dinner for a drink - and speaking of drinks they where good and didn't find them overpowering with alcohol like usual ! Service was great too and not to bad for the language barrier as we don't speak much Spanish but we never had an issue getting what we needed. We did two a la carts the international was very good the Italian was ok . Overall food - it's Cuba - I lived off the pasta which was very good but sometimes depending on timing would take 15-20 minutes- but most nights I only waited about 5-10, my husband isn't as picky as me and said the food was ok - like I said its Cuba. The breakfasts where ok as well , if you want an omelet, crepes or eggs prepare to wait in line. The 24 snack bar was ok - the first night we got there we where let down, no fries no pizza so we had a hot dog which I don't eat meat so ate the bun and my husband had the chicken sandwich which again was ok . They have ketchup - well they do and don't - first couple of days they where out all the time - then none to be found - unless you asked sometimes they may get you one - but it's like a BBQ taste and they do have peanut butter and jams. The disco is under renovation which was a let down but they had a shuttle that would take you to another resort if you wanted to dance - we never ended up making it though. They had a piano man most nights and the shows we find start late so we only watched two which where good - but we where really tired from being up so early and in the sun everyday ! The one thing to remember is the ride to the hotel is a bit of a ride - it's a good hour and a half - but we didn't mind and it's our second time to Santa Clara - they have beer but one down fall no toilet on the bus - they stopped on the side of road ladies !!! Bring Kleenex and hand sanitizer everywhere you go in Cuba actually - the excursions as well bring it - we took a roll of toilet paper from our room - some people bring baby wipes which is great idea as well ! Overall I would recommend this hotel we had a great time great service and found it pretty clean - the food was not the best - but thats not the reason we where there ! The sunny hot weather and the beautiful beaches make it worth while and I'm missing my flip flops already !

Memories Paraiso: Great Beach!

My spouse, twin 9 year olds and myself went to this resort for my 50th birthday. We went all out, upgraded to Diamond Club and had notified the resort of my birthday. The hotel is over 90 minutes from the airport, which is really long after a 6:00am flight. We were met by our special rep for Diamond and taken to a nice lounge for check in. She took us to our room which consisted of 3 twin beds and a wicker love seat. I was speechless.....we were told that is what all the room have unless you are [... read more] a couple then you have a king bed. | was so disappointed, we all slept separate, the air conditioner wasn't working, nor the ceiling fan. The next day we complained to the front desk (they said that is what all families have for rooms. We complained to our Sunwing rep who got us moved to a new room with a king bed and 2 twin beds, working air and fan...after that first night things were much better. The food is great if you like the same thing everyday. Most of the common area washrooms were out of order the whole week. We never found the kids club for the older kids. Diamond club is not worth the money, we have extras but if you don't ask for them you don't get them. and if you want to continue to get them you must tip. I spent 250.00 on tips alone. The exchange rate is equivelant to US$ so Canadain money was worth .60. so we decided not to leave the resort. If there are any smokers we were told on the bus by the sunwing rep that there was a smoking area in the airport so we checked in right away instead of hanging outside. it closed the day before we arrived and moved to the VIP lounge (which costs 25.00 a person to get in. Baiscally, they think we are rich Canadians and it is getting worse. I won't go back to Cuba.

Melia Las Dunas: Great Resort for a Wedding

Overall most of the facilities were excellent with the exception of the rooms. The rooms were dated and in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Our air conditioner ran from the time we arrived until when we left and despite 3 calls to the front desk nothing was done. Also the rooms were not very clean and the curtains came off the track every time we tried to open or close them. These by far were the worst rooms of any of our 8 trips to Cuba. The resort overall seemed to be short staffed. It i [... read more]s a very large complex and was very busy. There were times when we had to wait a long time for service. The grounds were beautiful. Most likely the nicest we have been to.The swimming pools and beach were also great. There were plenty of small dining areas and the food overall would be 4 to 4.5 stars. We went to this resort for a destination wedding. The resort did a great job on the wedding and reception. We had our own private dining room and a special meal for the wedding. The meal was excellent. I would not recommend this resort to my friends because of the poor state of the rooms. If you remove the rooms from the equation I would rate it as a 4.5 star resort.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: Peace and quiet!

The hotel was nice...clean and roomy...I loved the deep , large bathtub....the food was fantastic ...and the food choices were great....the beach was beautiful with white sand ...the staff extremely friendly....couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

Memories Paraiso: Wonderful beach!

The beach is super - fine white powder sand, and beautiful blue sea. There was some snorkelling at one end of it. There were usually enough umbrellas available for anyone who wanted one to have one. There were 3 pools, two of which usually had games and loud music playing, but the third pool was blissfully quiet. Food: the buffet was OK, but after 14 days I was ready for a change. It did have the most marvellous smoked salmon which was available, sometimes for 3 meals a day, on 10 out of the 14  [... read more]days, which I really enjoyed. The house white wine at the buffet was quite drinkable, the house red was a disappointment. The a la carte restaurants were a big disappointment however. The food wasn't that different from the buffet - the desserts were exactly the same for example - and there was much less choice than in the buffet. The rooms were clean, and the maid was attentive. Our phone did not work (and we did not bother to try to get it fixed). We never could figure out how to work the TV - perhaps it was also broken - but again we preferred not to use it. I am a birder, and for people who like to watch birds, the proximity of this resort to a lagoon filled with birds is a big plus. There is also a nature reserve within a half hour's walk from the resort. I can't say anything about the entertainment in the evenings, as I never tried to see any of it. Would I go there again? Yes probably because of the lovely beach and the closeness to the lagoon and the nature reserve for bird watching.