Best resort ever visited

Great customer service, staff went over and beyond to help make our stay enjoyable, very clean. Have been in many other resorts but Melia Cayo Santa Maria is on the top of the list of best experiences we ever had in Cuba. Rooms are large and comfortable. Beach is very clean and beautiful. Strongly recommend this resort.

Wonderful stay at our favorite resort!

We have been coming here since 2014 (this being our 10th time) and we totaly enjoyed ourselves. Friendly and courteous staff, cleanln rooms, beautiful grounds, excellent beach, etc.. Great place to relax and enjoy Cuban hospitality.

Melia Cayo Santa Maria

My wife and i spent our honeymoon here 16 years ago. We remember the resort being in better shape than it was. The staff are awesome, they try very hard to be helpful. We had a water leak in our room, the mattress we slept on was terrible, the resort ran out of rum, tia marie, chocolate liquoir, baileys and coke by midweek!! lucky we were not heavy drinkers, and the resort is getting to a point of needing a little TLC. The food at the Japanese restaurant was outstanding, and lets fac [... read more]e it no-one goes to cuba for the food, its the beach!! and its awesome (and the food was not too bad) We would rate this resort a 3 out of 5 but could easily be a 5 if the TLC was looked after

Not the Best Trip

I will start with saying I will never travel with Sunwing again. The trip began with poor check-in service at Pearson, followed by very slow in flight service. Our trip was supposed to be a direct flight but when our electronic tickets were sent, it was discovered there would be a stop in Camaguey before going on to Santa Clara, I wasn't too concerned as I thought it must be on the way but turns out it added over 2-1/2 hrs to our travel time. What happened on our trip to Cuba was the biggest iss [... read more]ue, we were forced to disembark the aircraft and were told we were going to a holding area but was actually forced to go through the Cuban security where stuff from our flight was confiscated. Luckily for us it was just snacks and unopened pop, others lost duty free items purchased in Toronto. Our trip home seemed a little more seamless as we had to return via Camaguey, as we departed from Santa Clara there were open seats in the Emergency Exit isle, I asked if my wife and I could sit there until Camaguey but was told I wasn't allowed as they were an additional cost to sit there, I said that was fine but the same flight attendant then minutes later allowed a woman who was ahead of us whose husband was sitting in the very same row behind us to move and sit with him for that part of the flight. The issue I have is that after Camaguey 2 of those seats were still available and they then moved another passenger from the front extra leg room seats to 1 of them, making it impossible for anyone else to have an opportunity to sit there. The problem here is that on day 2 of our trip, I attempted to book seats in the Exit Rows and was told by the Sunwing Rep there was none available. Food on the return flight was very limited and what was available (pizza) was not edible, and that's coming from Cuba. As for Melia Cayo Santa Maria, the staff in the resort and the Cuban people we met were fantastic, the maid service was great, Janice is so nice. The resort is fairly clean and the grounds are well kept. The pool and beach areas are always well maintained and the fellas bringing the lounge chairs work tirelessly. Public washrooms are well maintained except for the lack of bathroom tissue. The bartenders, servers and all kitchen staff are always fun and happy to serve you. Unfortunately the food was very mediocre and had no variety from day to day. The pasta chef and meat and fish chef Freddy were the most popular, as was the Japanese alacarte which could have been offered more as there were several nights where it wasn't full. The worst part of the trip for us was the bed in our room, and it seemed apparent it was a resort/Cuba wide issue. The mattress we had and then was exchanged for the same, was very poor quality. We could feel the springs digging into our body. It wasn't until after I took apart a day bed cushion made up of 2 four inch pieces of foam and put them on the bed were we able to get a somewhat decent night's sleep. Other than this, the resort was nice. The entertainment was good on certain nights, I just wish they would use the theatre for more of the performances, the lobby just isn't the best place for a Rock Band to play, although they were awesome. The beach was quite beautiful although the weather was not the best, during our 14 day stay we only got in the ocean 4 times, it rained several days, was cold several days and it was windy all but 1 day. Cayo Santa Maria is a great area as long as your not planning on doing anything outside of the resort and we knew that going there. Excursions that don't last 10 or more hours are very limited but worth the trip. All in all the trip was ok, a good bed, a little variance in the meals in the buffet and a hassle free flight could have made it a great trip. We met several people who have returned many times, 1 couple has been 22 times and they said this year was the worst in all aspects but I guess it must be worth going back, just not for us.

A nice older resort with the excellent staff!

The rooms were decent for the price. Air conditioning worked very well. The food was decent for the price we paid. The beach and bars were EXCELLENT! The staff was very friendly, and they were very appreciative of the gifts we brought. I would go back again just for the beach and booze!

Great Resort

Great week! Staff very welcoming! Beach was incredible, that was the best!! Nice entertainment at the lobby at night! Food was ok .....for Cuba!! The only thing that I can complain about is the booking of « Restaurants à la Carte ». You have to go book every morning and never had the time I wanted so it was always late at night. But we had an awesome week and would probably go back!!

Melia Cayo Santa Maria

7 day trip with 8 in our party. 4 adults and 4 children. Resort was easy to get around and not a ton of walking for small children. We loved the small units with minimal stairs. Beach was beautiful and well maintained. Pools clean and great swim up bar. Internet never worked and had to pay 2-3 times over even though we never connected. If you have work to do, dont bother going to this resort as you will be in trouble. Food typical for cuba.

Relaxing resort

Amazing beach , grounds well kept . Friendly staff , always willing to help . This resort is getting a little old and some rooms need attention . Good variety of food at the buffet . Lacking real fruit juice , compare to last year . Very pleasant stay overall .

You get what you pay for

We just returned from a one week stay ( 2 adults, 1 teen and a six year old). Beaches are beautiful naturally and the workers keep them spotless . Ernesto, Alexi and Yunior prep your lounges for you. Stellar service Beverages are cold, service is quick, and there is plenty to go around Nestor, Osbiel, Jose take great care of you Buffet always had a variety of food, servers were efficient and bldg was clean. A la cartes were simple- line up to reserve your spot early if you want to go to on [... read more]e Snack Bar and Beach grills were our fav. ( pizza and hot dogs) .. Ingrid, Henri Lusy and John take great care of us Rooms were clean, air conditioning worked and never had a cold shower. Beer Fridge was full, Eduardo and Delio are stellar are keeping it stocked. Alfredo best pool dude ever- pools were clean and lounges to be found. Kids Club was solid- our 6 year old loved the ladies...Tune, Danna & Nayi Speaking with other tourists in the region, our hotel was a good one. The people who work there are what make the resort - being around all of them make it easy to be there

Our Cuba Cottage

Our second trip to what we now refer to as our Cuba Cottage. Wonderful place if you like sparse crowds, stunning beach, good food, excellent music entertainment, and a Rock Star staff. We have made many friends here and will return again. Built in 2004, it is one of the older resorts on Cayo Santa Maria, but it is spotlessly clean, and you are quickly made to feel welcome.

Our favourite resort for "down time" and sunshine.

We have now been to this resort three times. This time we returned in numbers. Six adults and two children over a two week period. The staff are genuinely lovely and very kind people. They aim to please you with their service. Most staff will go well beyond expectations. That's if you are kind and respectful to them as well. The embargo affects some things, but we are not bothered by substitutions. Generally very clean. Beautifully landscaped, amazing beach. There is a small biting midge (nosee [... read more]um) around. (They like some people more than others)

Mediocre at Best

Just stayed at Melia Cayo Santa Maria December 2019 for one-week. Overall: 2 1/2 stars Beach: 5 stars Room: 3 stars Food: 1 Star Pools: 3 1/2 stars Serving staff: 3 1/2 stars Location: 2 stars Reception staff: 2 stars Animation Team: 4 stars Value: 3 stars Got a decent price for the time of year and decided to take our 2 thirteen year olds. We had a very early flight and arrived at 10 am in Cuba. Bus transfer was very long, almost 2 hours. So the location wasn’t the best but the [... read more] beach made up for it. Not a lot to do around there and not a lot of choice in shopping. Can take a can ride in an antique car or 2 dollar bus ride to another resort where there are more market shops but barely. In general, the resort needs a massive overhaul. The rooms are dated. Beds are hard. Found bugs in our bed. Tubs have no plugs so you can’t take a bath. Shower has weak pressure. Smells musty. Fridge and room not stocked very well. Had to push for more water and soda pops instead of just beer. Reception staff rude and not very well trained. The one staff - Adriana - took issue with me watching her as she billed my credit card for spa services I purchased for the kids and my wife. She was palming my credit card and after scanning it through the debit machine did not want to return it. She recorded the MasterCard numbers separately which gave me concern as I didn’t want my card defrauded. When I asked her to return it she laughed and said don’t worry. I found this to be infuriating and rude. It’s my card. It’s my money. Be respectful. And the billing was of concern. I was quoted one price at the spa for 3 massages and then billed 12 USA dollars more when I had to pay. The food was sub standard. We have stayed at many melia resorts before and this resort does not compare. The food was bland and tasteless. There was very little selection at the buffet and it was the exact same for 7 days in a row. Like, change it up a bit. It’s not a huge deal if it’s the same but then increase your buffet stations to give some variety. Breakfast was terrible. No standard selections. No bacon. No pancakes. No waffles. Only a small selection of cereal. The restaurants were also low quality. The only restaurant that was good was the 24 hour bar/restaurant near the pool. Pizza was amazing. Burgers were amazing. Staff was really friendly. We went there every night after the restaurants because we were so Dissatisfied with the other restaurants. The entertainment team was good. Pool is in desperate need of repair. Grout is coming out all over and it is not being cleaned. It collects at bottom of pool. Beach was incredible. We tipped over 100 Canadian dollars during our trip and still felt the service was lacking. In any case, it was under average and in desperate need of an overhaul. I tried talking to managers on several occasions but the staff would give me the runaround so none of the other issues we had ever got resolved. Disappointing. Would not recommend.

Simply the best

This hotel is fantastic. I've been to multiple hotels throughout Cuba but this is the first one I've been to more then once. The beach is incredible, the pool and grounds are always clean. But what sets this hotel apart from every other one is the staff. They are simply the very best group of people and I'm proud to call them my friends. Most of them recongnized me from my first trip in February 2019 (7days), & the majority even surprisingly remembered my name. In both visits to this hotel  [... read more]all the staff was extremely friendly, helpful & wonderful. Yoandry, Yoseet & Luis at the new beach bar are the absolute very best of the best & make the best drinks on the resort and best lunch BBQ, they will even serve you right on the beach. Juan Carlos, Yasin, Ernesto are always wonderful when you are at the lobby bar. Osbiel & Alfredo will always keep you well stocked by the pool. Marlon & Gennry are wonderful at the snack bar & will keep you fed & unthirsty 24hrs a day even at 4am with a warm smile on their faces. Victor in client relations is absolutely amazing and is always concerned & willing to help whenever he can to make sure everything is going well with your stay. And last but not least the entertainment team is incredible. Yoanny, Filipe, Nayibi, Alex, Darbel, Daniel, Ernesto & Mikael. They will have you entertained the entire week either Tai Chi, volleyball or dance lessons on the beach. WaterPolo, aqua aerobics, dance lessons by the pool and just dj and dancing after the evening entertainment show. Mikeals mad violin skills are a definite not to be missed. The only thing I have to complain about is the airport is too far away from the resort and that February is too far away for my 3rd trip back to this resort this year.

Beautiful

We were very lucky - wonderful weather throughout our whole stay. the layout, the natures .. all beautiful for the eyes loved the convenience - everything was close by (within the resort) ie beach, pool, bars, restos, ice cream bar - super friendly chef and service ~ little delight of the day in restos, food variety sometimes seems to be a bit limited but can always find something to enjoy :)) entertainment - always can have something to do (ie streching/taichi fusion facing the sea, or ju [... read more]st chill & enjoy the sun & the breeze, dance, nightly shows/concerts etc... even watching great movies in the room (try to limit that..^^") we were happy to have brought our thermo/cup (especially going to the beach & pools) ---- or the plastic cups would have mounted up incredibly a bit turn down at the end of the trip - & new to us (helpful to you) we were changing more money to CUC the day before our departure to do some purchase, it would have been much appreciated if the information staff could have informed us that we will have to change the CUC back in airport prior check in. We would have adjusted the amount that we changed. Because at the airport, we had to exchange the CUC back. (Sunwing staff did not inform us about it ahead either ---- we only obtained this info on the bus on the way to the airport..hmm) not lot of money but felt cheated... & that's not how we wanted to feel after a relaxing week. So let's give the benefit of the doubt that they really did not know... and we should have known. Hopefully this info can be helpful to you ---- so able to finish a beautiful trip on a beautiful note

A great resort

A smaller resort compared to others on this ‘key’, Melia Cayo Santa Maria is nevertheless a beautifully restored gem. The foyer is open and airy, and there is nightly entertainment which includes acrobats, guitar and violin music, and of course Cuban music and dance. Besides a dining room offering good food with many choices especially for fish lovers, there is a 24/7 grill bar beside the pool with thin crust pizzas and another near the beach serving fresh fish. Its manicured grounds ho [... read more]ld a few surprises with art displays and sculptures attached to large stones. Exploring the grounds, you will also find a spa, fitness building, tennis court, and market area with a unique ship-shaped bar. One can easily walk into the other Melia (on Dunes) which shares some of the facilities. Of course, the beach is simply beautiful and one can walk for miles. Service is very good and surprisingly prompt. The room was very comfortable, clean and had TV and A/C. I would happily recommend this resort to family and friends.

Great resort and Great Vacation

The resort is older but extremely well cared for. The grounds and walkways are wonderful! Rooms are older but clean. If you’re going to Cuba for a food experience, then you are going to the wrong country. Fourteen days and I was never hungry. Never tried the dinner restaurants but the buffet has something for everyone. The food at the pool bar, especially the pizza is unbelievable! Beach restaurant amazing BBQ lunches! Drink selection was fantastic, sometimes they ran out of some items like to [... read more]nic or cola but there was PLENTY of other choices. Front desk staff and the bosses are not much help and beyond lazy but that seems to be a standard for the Cuban resorts I’ve gone to. The other staff, bartenders, wait staff, cleaning staff and gardeners are spectacular! Always willing to help with what is available to them. Really disappointed that I didn’t get my complimentary repeat guest bottle of rum regardless of how many times I said I didn’t get it.... but that’s the bosses/admin staff, lazy and really don’t care.

Great destination

The hotel and grounds were great although there was a shortage of food. Beaches are always fantastic! Nothing compares to the Cuban waters and beaches. The staff is wonderful, very nice and accommodating.

Will Not Return

We have been to Cuba over 25 times. I have had bad experiences and great experiences. This resort by far was the worst. I’m trying to be positive but all I can say is this resort is stunning! Very beautiful. I have read negative reviews and thought people were being too picky. Trust me I have never ever been this sick in Cuba. The rooms were not cleaned well whatsoever. 3 cockroaches even climbing on the walls. I was sick all 7 days of stay due to food. Breakfast didn’t have many choice [... read more]s. Restaurant by the beach menu was not tasty. Dinner buffet was never open you had to attend El a Cartes and the food options weren’t good. Even now thinking of the food options I feel sick. I’m not a picky eater. As mentioned I’ve been to Cuba over 25 times. My family has been there many times in the past and they too were stunned. We later found out the resort now has different owners who are not inspecting what they expect. If attending this resort bring the following Lysol Raid Bug spray Benadryl cream- you will be eaten alive. Peanut butter Nutella Crackers Jam Munchies that can get you by. Best of luck if you have already booked this resort. By the way the bus we were on for our 1 hr and half ride did not have a washroom. Not impressed

Disappointed!!!

I have been to this resort four times. I had a group of 12 with me. They all decided to go based on my raving and recommendations. Ten out of twelve were ill within 24 hrs. I found the selection of food was horrible this yr, the same beach towels used all week due to "no more towels", suites not cleaned properly, early wake up calls to attempt a clean of the rooms, resort ran out of certain drinks, no potatoes all week, same menu all week at the beach grill...ALL WEEK. it was a huge mess. Appar [... read more]ently they were very limited on transportation on the island due to lack of gas. Staff was being transported in to work give days straight and sleep at resort. The explanation of the lack of food selection was very limited delivery of supplies. I was told that a Spanish company has taken over this resort. Being to Cuba 13 times, when this happens you can kiss the resort goodbye. It's a Melia... unfortunately it doesn't deliver like a Melia. Will not be returning.

You pay for what you get.

The beach and the pool were amazing! However those were the only good things at this hotel. The service was not what I was expecting for a 4/5 star hotel. You would have to call the waiter over like 3 times before they actually came over. The rooms were like a motel room, not a hotel standard room. The shower had cracks in it. I think the most disappointing aspect of it all, was the food. I’m vegetarian and there was practically no options for me except pasta and fries. It’s kind of difficul [... read more]t to live off of that for 5/6 days straight. The food was incredibly bland. The only thing that made this hotel sort of worth it, was the amazing beach and the fact that the staff are generally pretty nice, despite the incredibly slow 2 star service. Also, things like milkshakes aren’t available. Ice cream is only available at dinner and lunch, not whenever you would like, which is surprising considering it’s all inclusive.