Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Wonderful Vacation

The food was excellent especially in the Alacartes . Entertainment was good with an on site theater. Staff was very polite and extremely accommodating. This was my fourth time to Santa Maria but my best accomodations!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Christmas in Cuba

We spent week of Dec 19 to Dec 26 at Melia Cayo Santa Maria. Wasn't at full capacity...maybe 75% full?? Room was excellent (junior suite) never used the day bed or chair but it was nice to have the extra space. Grounds were good for the most part (few repairs going on in places...mounds of sand etc) beautiful gardens, walkways lit enough resort a nice size...not too big or not too small nice lay out...our room was in block 17 so literally straight line to anything food was ok for Cuba (better th [... read more]en I have had and not as good as I have had in Cuba) Great food for the Christmas Celebrations (lots of seafood) Japanese restaurant was amazing food and great time!! (beef, chicken, fish & shrimp) the people where amazing! It was sooo nice to go to a place in Cuba that gives you great service regardless if you give them anything (unlike the last place we went to in Cuba)!! The resort is on an island so the ride is 1 1/2 hours from airport which goes fast actually...you go through couple towns and over the causeway The only time we left resort was to go to the market (we took taxi both ways) but there is a small market at the edge of the resort as well We went with the intention of not doing anything but there seemed to be different excursions you could do...but just keep in mind nothing is close. The beach was big and beautiful and well kept...always windy (great for kiteboarding) The kids club was closed this week but it looked amazing!! Nice building, playground, pool...fenced in yard. FYI there is not much at the airport for food when you leave Any questions please email.

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas

If the beach is important to you, then this is the place for you. The only thing nicer than the beach was the staff at Melia Las Dunas. From the bartenders to the gardeners, everyone made you feel welcome.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great for families!!

Just returned from an extended 10 day trip. Before I begin, the overall experience was fantastic and I'd definitely go back. BEACH : I had mixed feelings entire trip. That was probably the only somewhat disappointing part of the resort. Plenty of seating and shading from canopies but it's separated from the water and up on a higher cliff. You have to take about 10-12 steep steps down to get to the Sandy beach, and then it's a short stretch of 10-15' of sand. No shade whatsoever if you want to b [... read more]e close to your kids as they play with the water. There was a couple who brought their own umbrellas from Canada. That was the only way. Lots of jellyfish. LOTS. All the time. Some days worse than others. First few days we got there no one could get in the watdays everyone stuck to the pool. The unfortunate part is the water is flipping crystal clear and beautiful!! Best water I've yet seen in Cuba. But... Jelly fish made the beauty pointless. Lifeguard there keeps vinegar for those who get stung. POOLS: amazing pools, I counted at least 4 large ones. One central party pool that only goes about waste deep. Good for kidsThe other pools are quieter, deeper, and nicKi, good for adults. ROOMS: We had 2 rooms in building 3. our favourite location. Right next to (a deep) and quiet pool for kids to sleep at night. Short straight walk to all restaurants and lobby and stage. Ask for room 310. It is fully renovated and has a rain shower. Room 312 was nice except the toilet tank keep running and it's a bathtub with a very very weak shower head. We always went next door to use their shower lol STAFF: SUPER friendly folks. They don't treat you differently whether you tip or not. They are just nice all the time! Service there is overall quick, even when we called for something in our room to get fixed. ENTERTAINMENT: mainly at the Central square pool. Animation team run activities all day. There is a kids clubhouse from 9 to 5 (lunch closed 12-2) they are super nice. We took our 3 year old there twice for us to go to the gym. They have a mini pool slides swings indoor play areas and staff is sweet. It's free service, we tipped them when we picked up my daughter :) Night shows are awesome. Michael Jackson show is a must see they did a fantastic job. They had mini pre show for kids at 8. My daughter LOVED IT!! Very nice of them to think of something for kids to do at night. ICE CREAM BAR: really nice ice cream pavilion with all sorts of flavours. Open all day and unlimited. Ice cream heaven :)))) FOOD : I did the Canadian thing and took salt and hot sauces with us. We didn't need a thing. There was always plenty to eat :) and it was good. Our favourites were breakfasts. Fresh eggs and all sorts of breads and desserts amogg other things. We were 4 adults and a kid and everyone was always happy. Hope this review helps :)

Melia Las Dunas: Resort used to be great - not any more- nice beach

We have never complained about anywhere we have stayed in our whole lives. We are quite happy to stay at simple hotels without luxury. Unfortunately, our experience at Melia Las Dunas was not a good one, especially the first two days. Had to wait 3 hours, until 4 pm (we arrived at 1 pm) for them to have our room ready (wasted the remaining half day of sunshine in the afternoon on our arrival day). All other guests had their room ready upon arrival. When we got there the toilet was broken, they  [... read more]took forever to come and fix it (promised 10 minutes, took 8 hours and many phone calls), then we flushed once, broken again. We knew from experience that it would never be 10 minutes, but to put us in a room they knew had a broken unusable toilet is just wrong. They came again, “fixed” it, broken again after first flush (no water in tank). We had to use the public toilets in the first two days (filthy dirty btw). They do not have replacement toilet parts on site, the plumber told us that. They offered to change our room, we accepted. Our first room was not supplied with a full set of towels, or even new towels. All of the towels in the room were filthy upon arrival. Pet salamander in our room too. The Customer Service was very poor, horrible. Rude and non-apologetic, nobody takes any responsibility to get things done in a timely manner. Asked to speak to the General Manager, they told us he is only available after 6 p.m. Tried contacting him twice, were told he was in a “meeting”. Amazing how the GM is not interested in speaking to the clients of the hotel, he never did return our call or search us out, as we requested. Apparently, he is in meetings all day long. At Memories Flamenco, the GM used to walk around and introduce himself to the hotel guests, he was a very pleasant man, here, the GM has no interest in the client. The first room did not have a kit with soaps, shampoos, etc. provided (2nd room did). Maid in first room did not do her job the first night, 2nd room she was wonderful. Phone didn’t work in 2nd room, they didn’t fix that in the 4 days before we left. The beach towels are not available when you go to the pool to get them, you need to keep visiting until you get them, wasting more precious time from a 1 week stay. Maybe the could place them in the rooms so we have them upon arrival. All of us, especially my wife and son, got sick on the food, and we were being very careful on what we ate. They are still dealing with their tummy issues. This is the 6th time we have been to Cuba, and never had food problems before. One of the guests said that this hotel is known for food issues. Bring your own ketchup. We spent almost a full day dealing with customer service which we will never get back. A horribly run hotel, with a nice beach. We have stayed in hotels in Cuba rated the same as this one before, the others were far better, newer, better run, better food. We speak Spanish and learned from the staff that the hotel is under-supplied in many cases and begged that we don’t blame the workers as supply shortages are normal here. We never blamed the workers, we feel for them as most of the guests take it out on them. Seems Melia has dropped its former quality standard (or maybe only at this hotel???) The staff are all great, management is the issue. We will not be going back here again. When we told the folks at Memories about a problem (water empty in health club) it was dealt with in a reasonable time (with a small thank you bonus, plate of fresh fruit in the room, for informing them). This is the 3rd different Melia hotel we have visited in Cuba, by far, the most disappointing. Will likely be staying away from Melia in Cuba in the future based on this most recent experience. A recent review on tripadvisor from someone who has visited this place 13 times has made similar observations to mine. Used to be a much better resort in the past. Different management makes a world of difference.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great Resort!

We stayed at Playo Cayo Santa Maria from Dec 19-26th. The staff at the resort were very friendly and accommodating. The hotel was clean and well maintained. Beach was beautiful, the only problem we encountered was a few days of jelly fish in the water. No fault of the resort just nature doing its thing! The buffet offered a good selection our only complaint was the long lines waiting for fresh made to order items like omelettes, pastas and pizza. overall we had a great time!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Very Family Friendly Resort

The hotel was very clean, and well maintained. There was ample food choices and the staff were so friendly. The kids loved the nightly kids shows, as well as the adult show.The rooms were clean and bath towels were changed everyday.

Memories Paraiso: Amazing Beach!!

The beach is beyond amazing -- the sand is like talcum powder. Each time we experienced challenges with the resort, we reminded ourselves of how fortunate we were to have such a fabulous beach. The grounds are well-kept. The public washrooms are not great - smelly; some have toilet seats missing and/or no paper towels. Accommodations are dated and some are in poor repair -- however, the cleaning staff were awesome, as the rooms were always clean. The food - our family of 8 thought the food was o [... read more]k; better than expected given what friends and family had warned. The way the food is prepared and stored did result in 4 of our family members to have tummy issues. Medication to relieve the diarrhea was required when we returned home. This can be expected when travelling to all-inclusives. Service was hit and miss -- the staff in the buffets were excellent; staff at the front desk and some bars were dismissive. All in all, we had an amazing time and for our adult children who had never been to an all-inclusive, they didn't have nearly the harsh critique as my hubby and I do.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Best Resort in Cuba

This resort is located in a perfect spot. I travelled in December 2015 with one other person. We were looking for a relaxing week with a beautiful beach, and that is exactly what we got. The rooms were nice - we had a room with 2 beds, which is exactly what we asked for when we booked. We paid for a standard room but were given an oceanview room close to the beach, which was a nice bonus. The washroom was clean and we always got fresh towels each day. The maids did a good job making up the room [... read more] and filling up our mini fridge. If you are planning on bringing items like hair straighteners or curling wands - make sure they will work with 220v or bring a voltage converter. The grounds were well kept, with gardeners and maintenance people working around the clock to keep the place tidy. At night the walkways can be a little bit dark as the lamps don't emit a lot of light, but not really a big deal. The washrooms in the lobby do get a bit stinky by the end of the day, but they do still look clean - wasn't a deal breaker for us. The beach was absolutely fantastic. One of the nicest beaches I've seen - and I've been all over the caribbean. The sand was pure powder with barely any weeds coming up in the waves. The water was crystal clear and warm for swimming. Some days when there was no wind the ocean was so calm it looked like you could walk on the water. There were other days when it was windy and the waves got big enough for some fun jumping and surfing on them. If you like staying active there's always a beach volleyball game at the beach around lunchtime, and the beach is so long you can walk for over an hour in each direction along the shore. The food was better than I thought it was going to be. I had been worried about the food going to Cuba so I had my expectations low, and I turned out to be pleasantly surprised. Breakfast was consistently good - omelets made to order, as well as a variety of breads and pastries. I was a little bit disappointed in the fruit selection, but otherwise no issues. Lunch there were a few options - main buffet (which I never tried as I stayed near the beach), beach buffet which had fresh to order pizzas, and the snack bar by the pool which had pizzas, calamari, chicken fingers, fish sticks, sandwiches, homemade potato chips, salad, etc. There's also a little hut on the beach that has ham and cheese and tuna sandwich paninis if you're super lazy and don't want to get off the beach. Dinner options included the buffet (got a bit repetitive, but always found something to eat), and the a la carte restaurants. The Asian and the Italitan were by far the best. The seafood restaurant wasn't so great, but we just went to the buffet after. Late night snacks are at the snack bar near the pool. The quality is not like it is at home, but we didn't starve and didn't get sick at all. Drinks were always good. Good pina colada slush throuhgout the resort. The strawberry daquiri slush seemed a bit off, but not bad. Many bars around to serve you. The lobby bar is open 24 hours and is where all of the night time action is. The bartenders there are great - they remember your name and your drink and sometimes make you something special. They had a small selection of premium brands in addition to Cuban brands (i.e. Absolute vodka, Johnny Walker, etc.). All in all a very good trip. I don't usually go back to the same resort twice, but I'm already thinking of going back again in early 2016. You can't beat all that you get here for the price.

Melia Buenavista: Cuban 5-Star (??) Resort: Lower your expectations

Grounds / Public Areas / Beaches: The best thing about this hotel is there 3 distinct beaches. Collectively, they provided views in 3 different directions and had different exposure to the ocean, wind & reefs. There were plenty of lounges, all sheltered under thatched roofs, with beach attendants ready to dust off the sand and bring you a drink ... all with the expectation of a tip (but see, 'Service'). If you like oceans and sandy beaches, then you'll likely be pleased with these and the fact t [... read more]hat there are three different ones. One overlooks a calm elliptical cove, protected from the vigour of the ocean by a reef and if you venture just outside of it, there are beautiful trenches and colourful fish to enjoy while snorkeling. The 'Sunset Beach' is a breath-taking, calm retreat with a boardwalk out to a Maldives-looking structure where you can enjoy morning yoga, delightful sunsets, and long walks among sparse mangroves. The main beach was acceptable for swimming & snorkeling for those who like deeper water and playing in the waves. If you decide to go to this resort, in addition to sunscreen, be sure to take insect repellant. Some people (including one of us), were bitten tens of times by sand fleas and the resulting allergic reaction was very discomforting. The grounds were mostly well kept, but some of the paths had stains from vehicles and soil spills that were not cleaned up for at least 5 days. There are two pools which are attractive and lit at night but not deep enough for exercise-type swimming. We did appreciate that this resort was for adults only. Entertainment & Activities: Nightly shows varied in appeal. Some bands were very talented and two others were 'pitchy' or out of tune. The 'house band' was talented, but I think the lead guitarist would prefer to imitate Jimi Hendrix rather than cater to the tastes of the audience. The yoga instructor was very accommodating and tried his best. He lead us through a practise, which was fine. But, he is not trained in yoga ... which is only an issue if you're not experienced yourself and need some modifications to typical poses. The pool shows were entertaining, including a synchronized swimming show which is amazing considering they executed it in less than 1m of water. We did enjoy the classical violin music on the Sunset Beach at dusk. Rooms: One of the reasons we chose this resort was for its modernist-style rooms, for something different. Our room met our expectations (more or less - except it wasn't the room we reserved), with an acceptable private view of the ocean. It was clean and bright and minimalist. We had a king-size which was comfortable, with pleasant linens and choice of pillows. We liked the outdoor shower, which looks private while you're in it, but we noticed you can actually see into it from a short distance away when illuminated by the sun. We found the climate control was inconsistent. We could not maintain the temperature to our comfort, which was aggravated by the maid-service always setting the thermostat to the coolest (i.e. freezing) setting. It was frustrating because we were trying to achieve comfort and conserve energy, but the staff seemed to ignore our preference. Dining / Restaurants / Bars / Food: This, unfortunately, is this resort's (and it turns out others we visited) Achilles' Heel and the reason we will unlikely ever return to Cuba. The food, in a word, sucks!! We dined at all three restaurants on the resort and one of us had a so-called steak at each one (branded various ways including entrecote and chateaubriand) ... worst beef ever ... even I have never cooked anything so awful. I don't think there is a indigenous Cuban who even knows what chateaubriand is. Most vegetables came from a can. Fruit was, for the most part, tasteless. Anything baked (breads, pastries, desserts), was either stale, tasteless, and lacking creativity and choice. Only once, did we ever get the bread delivered to our table warm. Icecream selection is generally limited to coconut or coconut. Once we got vanilla, and sometimes chocolate or strawberry. Seafood was largely tasteless. The best food we encountered at this resort were the pizzas prepared in a brick oven by the main pool at lunchtime, as well as the grilled meets prepared by the same two chefs. Unfortunately, some of the garnishes (e.g. mushrooms) came from a can. So, we learned to choose our toppings carefully over the course of the week. Other plusses included: - pina coladas (as long as you specified to put rum in it ... Santiago de Cuba is best) - cold cuts, cheeses, and dried fruits at the buffet - the coffee ... but only at the Lobby bar. Being fed up with the quality of the food, we decided to try a restaurant at another resort. We went to the 'Romantic Restaurant' at another Melia Hotel (Las Dunas) on the recommendations of another tourist who had echoed our sentiments about the food at Buenavista. Unfortunately, it was equally poor in terms of food, service and even ambience. Neither of us finished any course of the meal. We couldn't wait to get out of there! Service: This was our next major complaint after the food. Our 'butler' greeted us and got us settled, but had little follow up ... again, probably an expectations issue on our part. While the maid service was generally acceptable, we didn't get a change of hand towels for several days, and on the last night of our stay, our turn-down maid took our tip and gifts and didn't actually perform any service. Notwithstanding the fact this was supposed to be an 'all-inclusive' resort, we learned over the first couple of days that the staff generally expects a tip for everything from brushing the sand off your beach lounger to serving you that stuff they claim to be food. There was even a couple dressed in costume who showed up at the Lobby Bar one evening and collected tips from guests just for standing around in costume. The thing that disappointed us most about the service was that most staff do not speak English and when we asked for something specific, they would simply grin & nod and do nothing because they didn't understand what we were asking (e.g. no plates in the buffet until I tapped on one of my existing plates with a fork and pointed to the spot where the plates should have been). At that moment, one service-minded staff member ('Yosvel') rose to the occasion and happily made the situation right. From that moment on, we purposefully sat in his section of the restaurant for breakfast & lunch for the rest of the week because his service was exemplary. Every day we arrived at the restaurant for breakfast (and sometimes lunch), we found many tables had not been cleaned and reset on a timely basis. I just think that if you are in the service business and you don't understand what your customer wants, then for crying out loud go and get someone who can find out. Btw, one of the reasons we are so critical of the the food-service, is because we both have managed a restaurants in different countries. We should mention that there were, in fact, three individuals who provided what we would consider exemplary service. These folks are Yosvel (in Los Marinos Restaurant), Lester (at the pool bar), Lially (at Los Navagantes Restaurant); others deserving honourable mention include Yanisladi (sp? at the Lobby Bar), Yosmeny (sp? the pizza chef), and Lanni (housekeeping). We realize that one solution to our disappointment could be that we reduce our expectations ... and we did. The problem with this is we really didn't want to go to any of the restaurants. But our belief is that if the Melia chain wants to attract Canadians to their resorts, management should remember that there are a thousand other resorts in different countries that are competing for our vacation dollar and we will be happier to spend ours in these other countries in the future.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Fantastic resort!

I would highly recommend the Valentin Perks Blanca to anyone! It's a beautiful, new, modern resort with excellent food, drinks, and service in general. The beaches are amazing - soft white sand and Crystal clear turquoise water as far as the eye can see! My partner and I enjoyed walks and runs on the beach every day, which was great because we're generally active people. The tennis courts at Valentin are great too as an activity and we enjoyed working out at the resort gym. Also, the evening ent [... read more]ertainment was lively and the theatre space was huge! Overall, a fantastic vacation!

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: excellent resort

Very nice resort with excellent beach. The airport to hotel transfer is long (almost two hours)but worth the time to reach a great beach. Never a shortage of beach chairs when we were there in mid Dec. The food services could be better organized. Resort staff were great.

Melia Las Dunas: Great resort!

The best intertainment I've ever seen!!! Great beach and pools! A very nice shallow pool for toddlers. Food-more than good. A lot of snak bars available throughout the day! Room a little bit outdated.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Best trip we've ever taken

The resort itself was very nice. The staff was what truly made our trip. They were all incredibly helpful and friendly. The food (especially fresh fish grilled at the buffet) was fantastic, by far best in we've ever had in Cuba. The waitresses we had in the buffet were wonderful. The beach was beautiful. The resort had many water sports included. The entertainment staff were all very talented dancers. The choreography of the shows could have definitely showcased their talent more than it did. Th [... read more]e Neighboring resort is a Melia as well, we walked down to a beach party there hour last night, it was a lot of fun! It is a smaller resort but if you are looking for a relaxing vacation at a resort with incredible customer service I would recommend Melia Cayo Santa Maria.

Melia Las Dunas: Melia Las Dunas

We were very pleased with this resort. We found the food to be good always something to chose from that you would like. The room was very clean and we were very happy to see how clean the resort kept the buffet area and outdoor restaurants.

Melia Las Dunas: Great Family Vacation

We went at the end of November/beginning of December 2015. We had a good time. Weather was great and beach was nice too. Good variety of food. The a la carte restaurants (Asian, Mexican, Italian) were pretty good too. Staff was generally very good and helpful. In the buffet dining room, we had excellent service from Jorge. We made sure to sit in his area whenever he was on duty. We stayed on the resort the entire time. That was enough excitement with two young children. The kiddie pool was pref [... read more]ect for our son to play in with adult supervision. Some drawbacks: mosquitoes from the evening until the morning. Air conditioning didn't work our last evening there. We were also able to have family photos taken with a photographer set up by the resort. We enjoyed our vacation.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Great place for a relaxing holiday.

The resort is OK. I don't want to tell the truth because everyone will want to go. Staff and property is one of the best anywhere. This was our third trip to this resort, and we are looking forward to going back next year.

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Beautiful Resort

Just returned from a 5 night stay to celebrate our shared birthday! We had a fantastic trip, from start to finish. Flight was on time and went off with no problems, bus ride is a little longer than some may like but the tour guide was great and pointed out areas of interest along the way. On arrival to the hotel we were greeted with a drink and check in went very quickly. From there, we had a great week with no concerns aside from AC not working for the first night that was fixed the next day. W [... read more]as leary about the food choices from numerous people who have visited Cuba, but one would have to be a VERY picky eater to go hungry at this resort. The evening entertainment could have been a little better, there were a few nights that didnt leave much to do, but we had packed cards, made friends and had some great laughs in the lobby over drinks. Overall our stay was fantastic and would definitely go back to the Starfish again!!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Needs improvements

Pretty old resort. The beach is beautiful. The pools are well maintained. However,It is not a 4.5*. I would rate it 3*. The people though are nice and friendly and they work hard to keep all guests happy.

Royalton Cayo Santa Maria: AMAZING VACATION!!!!

The Royalton Cayo Santa Maria is an amazing and most friendly hotel. The Staff are so nice and will do anything for you!!! from the Management, the butlers and the "beach chair" guys and waiters!!!! The pools,the grounds and beach are beautiful and clean.....