Memories Paraiso: resort was ok. Sunwing/trip central issues

The beach at this resort was amazing, it made everything else seem less of an issue. We had some service issues right from the start. Upon arriving at the airport for a 10:45 am departure, we found out the flight was delayed until 5:30 in the evening. Then upon getting to the front of the line, we found our reservation had actually been cancelled. Turns out when one of our party of 7 had to cancel the week before, the entire booking was accidentally cancelled! After 30 min. of panic, Sunwing was [... read more] able to rebook, luckily noone had taken our seats on the flight while our booking was cancelled. We got to the airport in Cuba around 7 hours behind original schedule, was smooth getting through and on the bus. Drive to the resort was good, beer available on bus. When we got to the hotel, the driver said to not worry about bags getting off the bus, go check in and they would bring the bags to our room. Once we checked in, we saw all bags sitting in lobby, I could not find mine. Noone working there could help track my bag down that evening even though we knew the bus #. They wanted to know the bus drivers name, where the bus was going after, where we stopped before...then said there was no way to contact the bus and I would have to talk to SUnwing at 930 the next morning to get my bag. Bad end to a bad first day. The bag was recovered by the sunwing rep. the next day by 1030am...now we can hit the beach! Food at resort was ok, buffet was much better than alacartes. bathrooms other than in the room were really bad-no toilet seats in many, toilet paper scarce, many out of order...not flushing but not marked out of order. Rooms were nice, clean, everything worked. last day power was out all night, pitch black in resort from 12 till 5 am. then no water in the am. I guess those types of things are pretty common in Cuba. Overall I was dissappointed with SUnwing, we got a $75 dollar voucher per person for the delay of flight but were told by flight attendant it could not be used for excursions, only on another trip. after we talked to a fellow traveller who said you could use up to $50 on an excursion, we read the fine print and sure enough you could. we already went on an excursion for $110 a person, Sunwing would not give us a refund. We decided we would go for VIP airport lounge (worth it) this is $25 a person, snacks and drinks provided at airport when leaving. They would not let us use a $75 voucher for 2 VIP passes, made each person use $75 and you lost the rest of the amount. I don't plan on travelling with Sunwing again after the booking cancellation, bag getting lost on arrival by the bus and noone from Sunwing or hotel available to help, and this vouchure cheapness so we just used the full $75 for the VIP lounge. figure $25 is better than nothing. THis area of Cuba is beautiful but the resort needs some work and some staff need training on customer service. SUnwing should be more accomadating when people are delayed, you should get a decent benifit to make up for the loss of a beach day during the trip you are on, that is what you already paid for.

Melia Las Dunas: Excelllent resort!

Excellent experience. Very fast check in, and help was available on very corner. Great food variety, and a very rich entertainement program. Great room service, the fridge was alwasy fully stocked, aaand AMAZING beach!!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: Beautiful

We Have beento Cuba eight times four at other locations and the last four at Melia Cayo Santa Maria This by far is our favourite place we have stayed The new general manager was great he went around everyone and introduced himself

Memories Paraiso: Great time!

The rooms in the resort were slightly outdated. One room stank of smoke. Over all the rooms weren't too bad. 4 star for cube but 3 for anywhere else. Food was great! The A la carte's wert very good. Extreamly small portions and they were always out of at least 1/4 of what was on the menu. The pools were ok. Could have been scrubbed better around the edges and especially at the bar but the water appeard clean and was checked regularly. The beach was amazing, the best beach I have ever seen. I wou [... read more]ld go hear again just for the beach! The night entertainment was extreamly well done and we throughly enjoyed it every night. The carnival in the market was a blast, had a DJ and foam cannon! The excursions were fairly cheap compared to else where I've been and were a lot of fun. All in all I would go here again.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Best trip ever

Beautiful resort with great staff. There was always enough chairs at the pools and beach, guaranteeing a spot anytime. The rooms are modern and comfortable. The water went out for a few hours but it was not a problem for us. The beach is beautiful and has clear water and white sand. I would definitely return!

Valentin Perla Blanca: not yet a 4.5 but it was good.

I stayed at valentin perla blanca for the week of april 13 til the 20.it is a beautiful resort.need good walking shoes as it is quite a large resort.rooms were beautiful and clean.had no problems getting towels or beach towel.everyone there is working hard and very friendly.if i needed some thing all i had to do is ask,it would be done.very beautiful beach.as with many places in cuba food is not great but we always found something to eat.i would return because of the wonderful staff clean room a [... read more]nd the beautiful beach.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Amazing Resort Amazing Vacation

I stayed at The Valentin Perla Blanca the week of April 3rd, 2015, which was my 5th resort experience at Cayo Santa Maria. It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with amazing and friendly staff. It is a new resort so the grounds are not all matured throughout but they are well maintained. The rooms are beautiful and clean which is an important factor for me. The beach is typical of this beautiful island with crystal clear water and soft white beach sand plus plenty of chairs for everyone. There are  [... read more]no issues with the beach towels as they are left in the room for you as you check-in. Good variety of foods and restaurants a la carte to chose from. They also have Wi-Fi in the lobby, which was new and great feature. They have entertainment nightly as well. I didn't go on any excursions because I travelled alone this time, but did in the past and were all great experiences. Valentin Perla Blanca is also an all adult resort, which was great for relaxation purposes. I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria: good small quiet resort

This hotel was a nice small size, good for family with younger children. It needs some updating, but the rooms were clean. The buffet restaurant needs updating very dark and gloomy feel. Add some nice colour to it and table clothes would help. Plus a good cleaning. Its was not appetiting to see dirt on the Handel's of the juice containers. This tells me the lids never get a good scrubbing. The food was ok for Cuban standards, we could always find something to eat. More English speaking waiters a [... read more]nd staff would be helpful, it was hard when no one could ask questions to any of the staff as they could not understand you. Main pool could be deeper. No night life, shows were very lame. They did have a beach party one night that was fun. Beach is amazing and does have snorkeling just past nude beach. All and all its an ok resort. I would go back if they update the place some.

Melia Las Dunas: Would not go back

Food was bad, service was really bad, nice beach but so does every resort in Cuba.... Stay away. I had to ask 7 different people for an extra bottle of water, the front desk people were rude and unhelpful, no one ever answered the helpline of dinner reservation lines, could not get clean towels or sheets most days.... Etc. I have been to Cuba 7 times and this was by far the worst resort!!!!

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Good Value for the Money

Its Cuba - so the food isn't great but we always managed to find something on the buffet that would satisfy us...and the a la cartes are pretty good. The beach is very beautiful and there is a nice selection of large pools. If you are just looking for a relaxing time by a pool or the beach for a good price then this is a good choice. We would return to this resort.

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Great Trip

This was an amazing trip. It was new the year we travelled so it was very clean and modern. The beach is out of this world, with the exception of cabanas and trees for shade. We were up at 4:30 am and still could not get any shade. The employees were incredible, the other guests were rude and couldn't even utter a " Good Morning" when you walked past them. The food was great , we had no issues finding food. The downfall for us was the 2 hour drive to the resort, with an evening flight in and an  [... read more]afternoon flight out we lost 2 days of our vacation. I'm not willing to do that again. If the flights were timed right I would consider returning.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Great Resort!

Excellent family resort. The kids waterpark was excellent. The pools were shallow and well kept. Staff were friendly and helpful. The food was average - there's always something around to eat. The beach was stunning - just not enough shaded area and beach loungers. Overall a great holiday!

Resonance Blu Santa Maria: Amazing Beach

We had an amazing vacation at this resort. We would recommend this to anyone as the price can not be beat. The beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and the resort had huts all along the coast and beach bars as well. You could grab lunch at the beach bar if you wish. It is on an island with several other resorts side-by-side. You don't have a bracelet at any of the resorts, so you could go to each resort and eat lunch or dinner there and experience a 5-star meal which was much be [... read more]tter than the food at the buffet. A big down side to the vacation was that the resort was closing the next week. The servers and bartenders stopped caring about providing service and would often be rude and ignore you. They would carry on conversations between the staff in Spanish, drink & eat at the resort, and you would be left without help. We also found that getting bottled water was almost an impossible task. It took 2 days before we even had 1.5L of water, in 37C weather. It was my husband, my daughter (1 year) and myself, so you can imagine how important the water was for us. Service aside... we had a great vacation, and like I said, we recommend it to anyone who is looking for a getaway at a great price. *** No WIFI, and internet was SUPER slow at the resort... I recommend getting a travel data plan with your cellular provider. ***

Melia Las Dunas: Lovely Resort

We stayed at Melia La Dunas from March 29th until April 5th and would rate this resort overall between a 4.5 and 5 stars! I have previously stayed at Starfish (known as Barcelo at the time) in Cayo Santa Maria and another resort in Varadero years ago. As well, I've visited Mexico and Dominican Republic. The highlights of Melia La Dunas were the A La Carte restaurants, especially the Italian and Romantica which we found to be better quality even than the Bahia Principe in Mayan Riviera, Mexico. T [... read more]he Oriental was also quite good and surpassed the similar restaurant in Mexico. We really enjoyed the dancing to live bands and d.j. in the courtyard and in the disco. The beach was breathtaking as noted in most reviews and there were no signs of jellyfish anywhere. We thoroughly enjoyed the Catamaran excursion which included a dolphin encounter and snorkeling. I don't snorkel, but jumped in for a swim anyways and was still able to view some colourful fish without a mask. The only negative was the buffet which could be a bit repetitive by the end of the week. I would definitely recommend this resort and would love to return.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria: very nice resort

everything was very nice , we were there march 5- 2015 had no complaints after we got our poolview room, planning on going back next year for 10 days beverages, room, food was pretty decent the beach was very nice weather was perfect

Gran Muthu Cayo Santa Maria: Was Great

We stayed at the Eurostar from Apr 9-16/15. Group of 7 (one was 4yr old) the rest adults. - Check in didnt take long at all and they were very friendly, got our room within 20 min , my son got his room key right away. -The front lobby is wonderful (they could use a few more seats but it wasn't really a problem for us. -Rooms are nice just the shower leaks all over the floor so you should ask for an extra towel. -Towels in the room are NOT changed daily ( not even in Canada do they do that unless [... read more] you put them in the tub,) if you want new towels you have to ask your maid, we did and she gave new towels. -Beach towels are a little harder to change you have to go to the front lobby at the right time or else you miss out.(we hung ours up every night before supper and brought them in before bed never an issue). -The beach was AMAZING (of course its Cuba ). -Pools were nice they have different ones, the quieter one was nice its beside the kids pool which for the first 5 days was great for our little one however on the 6 day some drunken idiot vomited in it and it did take a while for maint. to clean, but what bothered me was when I brought this to their attention they didn't put up any signs telling people not to allow their kids in the pool that it should have been closed for cleaning however I stayed around to warn other parents some were grateful others still allowed their little ones to go in the poo, Gross!!. -The grounds are nice, it is a big resort so if you have mobility issues this might not be the place for you. They do have golf cart service but you have to book them through the front desk. -The Food, let me start by saying that we have been to Cuba several times so we know what to expect with the food. My wife is a picky eater, she has never had an issue with the food in Cuba she has never starved when we travel there and with this resort she said the food was actually really good, she enjoyed the grilling station the most and they had awesome mashed potatoes and no she did not eat the same thing every night she changed it up and found it enjoyable and dont forget we were traveling with our 4yr old grand daughter who is also a picky eater and she Loved the pasta bar and chicken so all in all the food was really good at this resort, the best we have had in Cuba so far. - The bad part about this resort is the service in the snack bar and the ice cream hut REALLY sucked, the ice cream hut opened when ever the guy felt like it and closed when ever he wanted. One day I walked with my grand daughter all the way back from the beach to get an ice cream for her and he is standing there on his phone and he tells me no sorry we are closed been closed for 20 min now and when I point out that the doors to the ice cream are still open he proceeded to close the doors right in front of my little one and says no closed now. The snack bar well the service there sucked as well every time it felt as if we were disturbing them by ordering something and they always forgot something you ordered but had no problems loading up their own plates and glasses. -Over all we really liked this resort and yes we would go back.

Memories Paraiso: 2nd Trip To Memories Azul

We were with a group of six and this was the second time for us visiting Memories Azul. Let me start off by saying that we did get the building location that we wanted as we were in contact with the resort via email before we left. Four of the six were put in the desirable location upon arrival, but two of the six had to be changed from another building and the Diamond Club amenities did not follow for them until their last night. We found the diamond club purchase was not worth it this year. T [... read more]here was absolutely no diamond club liquor that was available. The only thing that I saw was Beefeater Gin. Last year they had, among others..Baileys, Kalua, name brand vodka, Absolute and/or Grey Goose and Malibu Coconut Rum, canned beer was available and particularly Cristal. All they had at the bars was on tap draft, even in the new Diamond Club Bar. But, mind you, when you went into the store at the resort there were all kinds of canned Cristal for sale in there. Plus I noticed at the airport lounge, they had name brand vodka and Malibu Coconut Rum available, but not available at the resort. ??? Our maid service was good and the beach is amazing. Very nice to have a waiter bring you drinks as you sit and relax on the beach. The resort lost power one night and the following two days we had little to no water. This meant no ice and not water to wash dishes, so we had to eat off of plastic. Not sure what the resort can do about this, but it is a concern for sure. We won’t be returning next year to this resort, but may try another Memories resort.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria: Large but very good resor

The beach was excellent as was the quality of the food in the special restaurants. The quality and amount in the large restauraunt was also very good though its best to avoid the peak times when it can be crowded. The staff were all very helpful and we enjoyed our visit with two granchildren. The pools were excellent too. We went on 'a forest adventure tour' all day to a national park and ended swimming in a natural pool and an excellent meal. Initially looked expensive for us all but the coach, [... read more] the truck, the walk, the swim and the wildlife made it a memorable experience and we saw and heard the national bird of cuba as well seeing the natural forest. One nice thing about this resort is that they have suites so adults and children have separate rooms with a connecting door. If you have children join the Air Transat Kids club ahead of time and you get to check your bags and go on the aeroplane first. The 737 had very little leg room. At the resort, the rooms are spacious and ours was well kept and cleaned by the friendly staff.

Valentin Perla Blanca: Needs work

Rooms were nice..however the cleaning staff missed alot. Our balcony was never cleaned, side tables and dresser were never wiped. Empty cups and cigarette butts were all over the ground. Glasses and plates were left out all night around pool area.washrooms were clean when you walked in but once you were in the stall the doors were full of black hand prints and dirt in corners. Staff seemed to be looking for tips all the time.

Melia Las Dunas: disappointed

The resort its not bad! The service sucks! The room had a leak the walls full of molds,the curtains falling off the hocks I had to fix it myself,asq for change no chance was the answer the hotel is full. The floor was clean once all week ,blue tootpaste on the sink all week ,no new room towels on last two days,cortesy room to take shower on last day with no towes or shampoo or soap. Beach towels only between 10 am and 3 pm had to leave the beach around 2.30 to change it if you're lucky. The serv [... read more]ice at the restaurantes,terrible even with tip. The food quality ,OK nothing special, quantity, OK too. Alacarte Italian,bad ,French,OK gourmet :-( . The entreteiment was OK .The beach ,amazing ,,I knew it my fourth time in cayo Santa maria ,fist time and last in this hotel. Attitude :-( :-(