Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Too many issues

The positives: 1) Weather, 2) Beach and 3) Staff; The negatives: 1)Bugs - flies and mosquitos; 2) Moldy rooms; 3) Useless A/C (hence moldy rooms); 4)Food is very repetitive, and covered in flies; 5) Drinks/Koolaid (as expected); In regards to rooms, some people seem to have ok rooms, but the basic older rooms were awful. It was like sleeping in a cave with feeling of moisture everywhere. The resort looks very pretty and on the outside looks ok, but we likely won't return. I think  [... read more]many of the bugs and dampness issues are result of building the hotel on marshy swamp land. Recommendation if you do go, upgrade your room, it's more important than upgrading to the "Diamond Club".

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: It was a good place to stay

The grounds were fairly well kept the rooms were clean the pool was nice the beach was amazing .The entertainment was great.If you get the chance go to Lenny's for their lobster shrimp it was fantastic.The downside not very much hot water.Ran out of eggs at the buffet for 2 mornings ,ran out of mix alot ,ran out of ice a few times but overall for the price was worth it made alot of great memories .

Memories Cayo Largo: Exellent Vacation

This was my first time at Memories Cayo Largo but for sure not the last one. The resort is Beautiful and the service was very good. Special thanks for excellent service from Diamond Club employee for Melissa and Yagmara, any question and request was done write away. Carlos from the restaurant was like a brother to me, very friendly and the service from him was excellent. I relay recommended this resort. The room was clean and the food was very good. We have twice Lobster and a lot of see food. [... read more] We have very good time from Nov17 to Nov24. Thank you all of you for everything. Slawek and Danuta.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Compassion must be in check - hard times in Cuba

In the past, my experience with Cubans has always been fantastic! A culture rich in kind, welcoming people who wanted to share who they were. This time, I felt how their reality affects their lives. They were tired, had difficulty engaging with people, and even among themselves, there was tension. Be prepared because the food is phew. I know Cuba and this time, it felt like it was the third world at the buffet. Even the eggs lacked presence, and the traditional fries. I don't know if it was just [... read more] my hotel (4.5 stars) or generalized but if you eat less meat than the others, it will be difficult. Bring what you can't live without. I've seen a lot of guests get pretty sharply corrected when trying to remember the name of their drink or using a Spanish word wrong :( The employee who worked at the bar of the main hotel acted with disrespect towards his female colleagues, I saw it on several occasions and the discomfort created was palpable amongst us. As for the rooms, ours had no hot water. We notified them for 3 days in a row and had to run to the staff to find out what the situation was, nobody knew and it took a lot of our time running around to fix it. We demanded a room change on the 3rd day, honestly, I felt like they didn't care much :( The water boys should knock at least 3 times before entering the room. It was just not happening. They slightly knock once (quickly), put the card in and enter the rooms in 2 sec, not enough time to actually figured it is indeed at your door. We were caught naked before we were even sure the knock was at our door. When we went to the reception, they suggested we put a chair at our door to prevent this from happening again. We had to consult with the other hotel reception to get a card (do not disturb), our hotel did not have them and had no interest in making our stay safe and comfortable apart from telling us to barricade ourselves once in the room. This is unacceptable. Over all, even though we were able to enjoy a few activities and a few good people/employees (the bar tender right beside the theater was amazing) at the resort, I feel that the general experience which was unpleasant largely colored our vacation. We will never go back for sure.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Outstanding staff make the experience over the top...

The Sanctuary section of Grand memories is Adult Only, so it is much smaller, more intimate. They have their own pool, beach section, bars, dining. We dined a la carte each evening, the food was very good. We checked out the Buffet at the Grand Memories - it seemed simple, not appealing. The beach section was small, but open to explore the broader beach as far as you desire. Accommodations were good, but evidence of areas in need of maintenance (shower door does not seal tight so water escape [... read more]s onto bathroom floor). The part of the resort that was best were the staff, starting with the butlers - Norvi and Jose. Their attention to details was exceptional. All other staff from bar, dining, beach, ground keepers, etc all were excellent and fluent speaking English. They made you feel welcome.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Wonderful 10 Days

Beach is beautiful, pool is beautiful, buffets were clean with plenty of food. Although, a lot more selection at Memories which is just a short walk or cart ride...recommend Memories buffet for dinner over Sanctuary. Awesome hot lunch sandwiches at pool and beach grills. Pizza grill location at both Memories and Sanctuary...very good pizza!!! Bugs were very bad this year (Nov2023) so bring your bug spray. Staff were wonderful and helpful. It was handy to have Butlers avail for questions, but [... read more] would be just as easy to go to the lobby. No airline reps at Sanctuary, anything you need from them, you have to go down to the Memories lobby....minor inconvenience. Overall, wonderful 10 days. Sanctuary is very peaceful being 18+. 1.5 - 2 hr ride from airport to hotel is scenic, but long compared to other Cuba locations.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Exceeded Oue Expectations!!

Travelled to Sanctuary with family in late November. resort is small and intimate with excellent staff service. Beach was spectacular- shallow clear warm water. Room was dated but very clean and hot water plentiful. Food selection was limited but good - fresh fish, beef, pork and chicken always available at lunch & dinner grilling stations. BBQ at beach grill was excellent! Standard cocktails were always available like sangria, pina coladas and Ron collins. Only downside was lack of live music [... read more] and evening entertainment at Sanctuary. Overall great value for under $1000 per person. Eight of us had wonderful time. Muchas gracias Sanctuary!!!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Disappointing vacation

While this resort may have had potential in the past it squandered its capital through neglect and lack of service . Rooms were dingy , towels dirty , food unappetizing lacking variety and we were served stale several days old bread . Poor visibility due to minimum amount of lights outdoors rendered navigating between units of resorts extremely difficult after sunset

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Sunshine in Cuba

We stayed in Sanctuary adult part of Memory Resort in Santa Maria; you couldn’t ask for better weather, ocean and cool silky sand ..oops the sand fleas were eating us alive and no amount of alcohol taken externally or ingested could help! the resort was fumigating grounds in the evening so we had no mosquitoes or flies.. everyone always talks about food how scarce it is or tasteless it is but I found it palatable and surprised at the choices of fish mussels chicken pork little steaks on daily  [... read more]bases.. there were some fruit and vegetables but very limited.. staff at the resort super nice and trying to be accommodating but with limited resources the place is totally rundown with shabby rooms, uncomfortable beds,doors that don’t lock properly, bathrooms that are grungy! Loved the spirit of entertainers but hardly any shows and of course constant misinformation Lt hand doesn’t know what the rt is doing …

Memories Jibacoa: Just perfect

First time here to memories Jibacoa on the recommendation of friends and they were bang on. The most friendly and accomodating staff, very clean rooms even though older. We had a beautiful room on the ground floor watching the waves and listening to the carribbean ocean breezes. The grounds were maintained beautifully. We especially liked how small the resort is and accessible. The entertainment group were great. And contrary to the stories about Cuban food… it was delish and well prese [... read more]nted.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great holiday

Beaches and ocean water incredible. Staff very friendly and attentive especially our diamond club concierge Agustin who solved any minor problems and shared information about the history and economy of Cuba. Music by the pool was very loud as well as at the evening theatre. The two hour bus ride was long and the late night flight was very tiring. Would definitely return.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Nice resort but needs a clean-up

I cannot say more about the staff. Wonderful, friendly, helpful. I was at this resort in March, 2023 and returned this November 2023 as I enjoyed it so much. Disappointed this time. My husband and I changed rooms 3 times during our stay. First room our door was busted with an actual hole in the door/lock. The second no A/C after power came back after 2 hours. 3rd room was perfect. Garbage left around the buildings, not picked up by landscapers.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Holguin: Désappointement

J’ai passé une semaine de 11 à 18 novembre. Tout ce que je peux dire - c’est le pires vacances que j’ai passé. J’étais prête de manque de nourriture mais je ne peux pas comprendre manque du savon. Le chambres sont sales, car sont lavés seulement avec de l’eau. Tote fois je dois reconnaître la gentillesse du personnel. Mon gros MERCI à M.Dantes, receptionist , qui a essayé de m’accommoder, de trouver une solution. Pour l’instant fini avec Cuba pour moi.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Best Value

The beach is the best bring Deet for sand fleas aw. Tired, worn but clean resort. 1st room had a rain storm coming from the ceiling, it was exchanged immediately. Facing the beach, the 2nd tired and worn room was 2 single beds. The main ceiling light/fan had been removed so it was quite dark with just the bedside table light. The shower head was sprayed from broken washers. Yet there was a nice strong hot water spray with clean white towels. The 3rd room was with a king-size bed and was perfe [... read more]ct!! 3 English-speaking TV channels White pilly bed sheets were clean and the bed was comfortable. The staff spoke English very fluently and was attentive and helpful. Breakfast confirmed that we have not come in their growing season. The eggs are powdered. I was happy with the sliced white toast, white cheese, and hot black coffee. Nice to have cabbage and cucumbers to round it off. Lots of cold buttermilk. Grilled meats every meal with fresh bread and ice cream for dessert. No milk, just margarine but, there is fresh pineapple, oranges, and cooked squash. Best to upgrade to Sanctuary for food only. Costs $12 US per week per person. The best rooms are garden facing 53 bldg. Please bring US$ one for tipping. Along with medicine cabinet items, toothpaste, pads, toys, and shoes for staff and the people you see on the Jeep excursion. This excursion offers the best real Cuban food. Sad that there were no authentic Cuban bands or Spanish classes and dancing to learn. If it was my design I would change the nightly shows out to movie nights with popcorn. I would use unused restaurant space for dance lessons from the entertainment team during the afternoon and evenings. I would use a conference room for Spanish lessons.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Holguin: Mixed impressions and feelings

Sanctuary is just a part inside of the "Grand Memories" So, it is not 18+ only. It looks like the management does not know the meaning of the word “sanctuary”. Definitely it is not a sanctuary of any kind. With the overall friendly and hard working personnel it has to be pointed that the hotel is seriously understaffed. It is lacking the style and the class for the claimed stars of rating. It is definitely new and clean, but the space and attendance is not properly managed: sport b [... read more]ar was turned into some cloaca with the darkness and strobe lights, with the modern dance music beating so that you cannot stand it until drunk up to semiconscious. As a result it had those semiconscious patrons around. Unfortunately billiard tables were there and no access and use were possible. The only one table tennis was in the game room, which was not conditioned. The lobby bar and the hall in the evening/night were turned into some disco with the music so loud that you cannot hear a conversation not only in the lobby, but also in the sanctuary bar behind the glass walls and doors. There is no theater for evening entertainment. There is some sort of conference room though. Some of those semiconscious patrons half dressed were wandering around and in the sanctuary bar dressed as if it is a beach or pool party and at the same moment harassing some other people who were not in such inadequate state. No security was managing anything anything anywhere. All this left an impression of some kind of a cheap bordello, rather than a sanctuary. Not to negate hardworking of the hotel personnel, it has to be pointed that some upper level style appropriate for the word “sanctuary” and 4+ stars must be instated. Hope that this is just the beginning of the use of this new facility and the management will find the way forward to correspond to the name and rating claimed. Otherwise, I would rather pay a double price for some other, better sanctuary than to visit this "sanctuary" again. P.S. Economical challenges of Cuba and resulting shortages are obvious and not mentioned here

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Enjoyed my stay

The grounds were clean and they groundkeepers were always working on it. The rooms were also clean and the restaurant. The pool was very clean and enjoyed the entertainment staff, and the Canada Day and Cuban Day. Staff/Butlers were friendly and made every effort to your needs were met.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: Amazing experience

From beginning to end I had the best experience at this resort. The staff were incredible and needs were met always. Even the food was delicious. There was a group of 8 of us girls and we were not disappointed. I will definitely be returning next year. Beach bar by the way has some of the best food

Memories Jibacoa: Verry good resort

I know this location since 2001, when I came for the first time. This was my third visit. Comparing with the past, the hotel reception was verry bad and unfair: we arrive at 12:30. very many other tourists arrived after us. Everybody has it's room before 16PM... We had the first one around 15h PM, but not what we were paying for: we want a Park view and we had Pool view. So, we had to await another 30 minutes for the probably worst room in the resort. Toilet clocked, safe no batteries, vanite l [... read more]icking... Just to make our holiday nice, almost daily. Things were fixed each time, but we could have a nicer 10 days, as in the other 2 past visits. The service was excellent, as well as the food! Many thanks for this. However, I would expect more entertainment and more music during the day, even recorded music in the lobby zone. The evening formation that was playing in the evening at the entrance could be a better one... I will probably come back because I love the location and the resort, and I am expecting a nicer reception. By the way, in our last day, we leave at 12AM. A group of tourists already came in with the autocar and they were received with all their rooms ready! So, this is possible. How cam only for us was not?!

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Varadero: Not so great resort

overall, the resort was ok. Missing toilet seats in the majority of women's washroom and no soap. Buffet at breakfast was terrible. no bagels, muffins, toats, jams and juices taste nothing. A la carte restaurant: same menu throughout , fish, chicken, porc with litlle vegetables and rice. Some of the nights, they didn't have any wine. beaches were awesome and temperature was amazing. air conditioning was working quite well and not noisy as some of the resorts. i felt safe dur [... read more]ing my stay. some of the staff didn't care of people.

Memories Jibacoa: Great

Second visit at this location. Somethings have changed, but that’s expected due to CoViD restrictions on travel and the lack of people visiting. All in all, still a fantastic place to visit. The people are of the upmost gracious, friendly, helpful and helpful. Food was good, no shortages. Beach great, rooms are cleaned daily, grounds are well manicured. If you expect more than what Cuba can offer, then don’t go. You’ll just ruin it for potential visitors. My closing comments, I will most d [... read more]efinitely visit again. The staff here is top notch. Please go with an open mind.