Great resort, especially for families

We've been to Cuba a few times, this one had the best food we've tried so far. My extremely picky son was always able to find lots to eat. They even had peanut butter at breakfast! Lots for kids to do - giant chess, billiard's, ping pong, basketball and everyday from 5-6:30 there was a soccer game. The activities staff always made sure the kids were involved. The kids were so exhausted that they were asleep shortly after 8 so we didn't see the nightly entertainment but were heard it was great. [... read more] Everyone was really friendly. Very nice resort The beach is narrow and a little rocky but there is nothing the resort can do about that. Once you got past the rocks - we were fine without water shoes - it was a nice sandy bottom. If you walked on the beach to the left of the resort down and around the corner (go in the afternoon when the tide is out) you can walk out for ages and you'll find all sorts of fun shells, hermit crabs, snails, sand dollars and starfish - the kids thought this was great.

Okay resort

The locking of rooms is not very safe. We had things taken out of our room plus others that booked with us. beach was okay but definitely needed water shoes at shoreline. lobby bar was good and so was the nightly shows. The food was just okay but not great.

WOULD NOT RETURN

NOTHING WORTH 4 STAR. MAYBE 3 STAR AT THE MOST. NOBODY SMILES EXCEPT THE PERSON MAKING THE EGGS AND THE WAITERS. NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. THE IBEROSTAR RESORTS ARE MUCH BETTER. Activities are very limited.

Memories Flamenco staff go the extra mile

Likes: Pool Beach Cleanliness of resort A la carte restaurants Staff Dislikes: Uncomfortable furniture Buffet (very noisy, cold food, little fresh fruit) Rude people "saving poolside & beachside loungers all day without actually using them. We definitely enjoyed our stay - great place for the price!

Nice resort, nothing to brag about!

The resort itself was very nice & clean. There was 3 pools, kiddie, party & a third one that was a little quieter. The food was ok, the service was very slow. This is not the resort for you if you are a beach person.

Can't wait to return

The grounds are beautiful and very clean. The rooms are nice, beds are firm (typical for Cuba), but the beach and the smiles from the people who works there makes up for any and all imperfections . Had no complaints!!!

Great Resort

Rooms spacious & clean, grounds well kept, eating areas and washrooms clean, food good, staff attentive, helpful and friendly. Beach could be a little less rocky (coral) and need more palapas for shade, plus the palapas already there need repair, as in Palm leaves on the top....

Beautiful resort

Very nice resort. Grounds were lovely, service was good except the 24 hour snack bar , couldn't get ice cream a few times but overall very friendly staff. the shows were great esp Michael Jackson show

Another great Cuba eperience

This resort was a good value . The grounds were manicured and the flowers really nice. Great care was taken to look after the whole complex . The beach was a walker's dream . On the right we saw starfish , rays , conch and more. The sand was great . There was lots of good food . We have been to Cuba 9 times now and this was one of the most enjoyable. The staff was very friendly at all times. We have already recommended the resort to our friends and relatives

Memories FLamenco

It was very nice, We felt welcomed as soon as we arrived. THe beach beautiful unforgettable, room was fine always well cleaned , food was okay but their own culinary food was good. I loved the entertainment ! Cubans are very sociable and funny too! I recommend it !

Fabulous resort!

The grounds were very beautiful. The flowers were amazing. You had your choice of an activity filled pool or a more quiet relaxing pool. The entertainment was the best of any resort that we've ever been to. The Michael Jackson night which we thought would be ho-hum and like most resorts turned out to be a "sell out" crowd and rightly so as it surpassed all expectations. The dancers were outstanding and the choreography was exceptional. Oh, and the ocean was beautiful to behold!

LOVED IT!!

This resort, the people, the beach, the water AND the food were amazing!!!!! Close to the airport, was great too! The treatment from the staff was amazing, they were so caring! We went with five kids under 6, and they didnt want to leave...they loved the club house, lots to do a nice hour to get out of the sun, the staff there are very nice ...there is so much to do at the beach, the ocean was full of treasure for them...rooms were big adn cleaned daily- drinks replenished daily too...the food w [... read more]as amazing, great flavour and lots to chose from! We didnt care to do the dimond club, didnt think it was necessary- we were treated like royalty regardless! you can walk for hours along the beautiful white sandy beach- we highly recommend this hotel!!!!

Relaxing ambiance

My review will focus on three things we liked and three things we didn't appreciate. Thumbs up: 1. Updated rooms, public areas, dining areas combined with good food. 2. Friendly and involved staff (serving, and smiling to you, even if you did not tipping them in advance). You ca sense the effort is made for you to feel in vacation 3. You can do snorkeling right of the beach, variety if fish and marine vegetation. Thumbs down: 1. Pool parties little to noise and too long for my taste, (my advice  [... read more]if you have kids or you like to take a noon nap, avoid pool facing room). 2. The beach is little rocky than expected, therefore bring some water shoes. 3. Beer cups are too small, I’m not a beer drinker but still to feel that I am drinking a beer I had to order 3-4 cups (150 mll each) at the time. (higher environmental impact)

Wonderful Vacation!

Super resort. Beautiful beach, great for walking and swimming (beach shoes recommended but you can manage without), lot's of chairs and shade. Grounds were well maintained and resort is easy to get around. Food was better than expected. Excellent staff who are always smiling and welcoming. Very family friendly atmosphere. Would definitely return!

Definitely not Star 4 or 5

Memories Flamenco Resort, Cayo Coco, Cuba Review March 5-19, 2015 Orientation: On our first morning we attended the hotel orientation. Mr. Murphy is knowledgeable but speaks double speed with an accent so we understood almost nothing. It's a pity, because this information is critical to begin enjoying your week. You are well advised to learn at least a dozen common Spanish words because the Memories Flamenco staff understand very little English. Ola, ... Room Facilities: An excellent Combin [... read more]ation Lock Safe is provided in the room for your valuables Coffee Maker & Sometimes coffee in room Beer in fridge sometimes (catch them if you can) Bottled Drinking water in room sometimes (Catch them if you can) Passing Security Guards often talked all through the night keeping us awake. These rooms have poor acoustic design and sound echoes in the hallways for 2 seconds with a clap of the hands. Cuban maids can be heard throughout the day chattering constantly from the other end of these concrete residential buildings. We opted for no air conditioning with the patio door open instead, but this didn't work the last couple of days because of the poorly fitting, difficult to move screen door. There were quarter inch gaps from poor door design. The mosquitoes were hungry. The small room fridge was so noisy that we put it out on the balcony for our entire visit. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner switching off and on every 5 minutes so you couldn't hear the TV. The TV programming was above my low expectations. There were several English speaking channels and we sometimes got Canadian news and weather. We had nearly a meter of snow at home in the two weeks we were in Cuba. Did I mention the weather was perfect in Cuba :) Our balcony view (Building 5) was of bushes and trees with a sliver of Atlantic Ocean at the horizon. Still beautiful when you can walk inside and out without sensing a temperature change. Good beach views are limited in Cayo Coco since the entire island was developed in the last 15 years, after Cuban beachfront environmental laws prohibit removing the beach trees so the shoreline will remain intact. There are 10 residential buildings, each with 21 rooms per level, or 63 rooms per building. Building 1 sits the highest above sea level and therefore has the best beach view on the ocean side. The resort-side view is also better because of this height advantage but these rooms are near the theater that will produce great noise till late at night. The buildings decrease in height above sea level gradually from building 1 to building 5 and the remaining 5 buildings are located inland. From Building 5 it is a half kilometer walk gradually uphill to the main lobby and cafeteria but it was a pleasant walk except for reasons mentioned later. Buildings 1-4 are more central, have a better view of the ocean or pools and the ocean side would also be quiet. The bathroom shower was warm at best (Building 5)if you picked the right time of day. The sink facet barely trickled water at busy times. There was a hair blower (it worked on max only) by the sink and it had a power converter for a 110 Volt razor or cell phone charger. You will need a 220V to 110 Volt power converter for curling irons, etc. Our room had an iron and ironing board (220V). Safety: Walking on the walkways to move from place to place was very dangerous here. The service people were constantly zipping by with silent electric vehicles on a walkway that is just a foot or two wider than their vehicles. When one of these electric Honda-Civic-sized vehicles speeds by you unannounced from behind at 15 KMPH it leaves a very unsafe feeling. I spoke to two of the hotel managers about this and many of the vehicles slowed down, but not all. We walked next door to the Pestana Resort and further over to the Jardines Del Rey Resort and walking on their walkways was wonderful. All their service staff stopped and alerted you that they were going to pass, before proceeding. Beside Building 5 there is a large gazebo that is hazardous to be around. The boards are rotten and large broken holes are surrounded with rusty protruding nails. There were hundreds of young children that would be at risk if attempting to play on this decayed structure. I suggested to SunWing staff that this should be immediately barricaded and torn down very soon. Several of the wooden walkway boards going down to the beach were also rotten and the rail was quite loose. Part of it is now barricaded and bypassed near the beach. Most of the walkway lights were either broken off completely and missing with wires sticking out of the foundation or the lights were just not working. It was very dark at night walking between Buildings 6-10. Food: The Snack Bar is your around the clock place to eat if you miss other venues. I ordered a Club Sandwich and got 2 slices of fat on a burger bun. The Snack Bar is home to dozens of birds that fly onto the tables before and after people eat, gathering up leftovers. They perch on the large light fixture suspended over top of the self-serve food table and these birds don't wear diapers. We went there twice and never went back which meant we were hungry several times but waited for the cafeteria food. The cafeteria food is fair. Best to make a pre-check of each item with a small sample and go back for what is cooked properly that meal. The beef and pork are often severely overcooked, tough and dry. Try the fish and shellfish at your own risk. We live on fish at home but not in Cuba. Sometimes the fruit was good but they seem to pick their fruit before it ripens? The pineapple was always tough, tastless and completely inedible. The breakfast omelets are made while you wait and are worth waiting for (Ringo makes a good omelette. Get your drinks quickly because the glasses do run out. We each lost 6 pounds on our 2 week trip and we are small people. The acoustics are also poor in the cafeteria. Humming motors, people talking and live entertainment at supper add up to a rumbling environment. Sit on the sides for less noise. There are 4 A La Carte restaurants. Be sure to book them all. Their food is excellent. You will need to get to the booking desk early (the one that says "Diamond Club Only" but ignore that misnomer). Three of these excellent restaurants are connected to the cafeteria. The fourth is connected to the Snack Bar. This one has no sign so it took us 2 days to find it. We were booked to the A La Carte by the Snack Bar for 6 PM but they didn't open till the line-up was long at nearly 6:30 PM. The next day we were 15 minutes late (as per Murphy's apparent joke at orientation about relaxed Cuban time) and we were almost refused service. Be on time to those A La Carte's by the Cafeteria. Bar Service: Very poor. After 2 pina colada's with no alcohol, I asked for more alcohol. The bartender sprinkled a tablespoon on the top of the drink and pushed it my way. The 4th time I asked to have an ounce of rum in the glass before adding the mix. He poured half a glass of rum and added (now warm) pina colada mix. Every bartender has his own rules for mixing drinks. If you find a good one, hang onto him. Cerveza was our only recourse. Weather: Perfect with no rain. Every day was 87 F (30 C) with a nice breeze. Cuban weather is absolutely perfect in mid-March. It can be cool in February and too hot starting late April. Our last 2 days saw mosquitoes coming out in the evening. This resort is surrounded by swamp so April is likely a great time for mosquito eating birds when the rainy season starts. Beach: The beach in front of the resort has sand next to the trees/bushes but all along the beach there is sharp outcropping coral as you go out into the water for a few dozen feet before sand reappears (like most resorts in Cayo Coco). However, going down to the beach and walking to the left (northwest) about half a KM is very rewarding. Here at low tide, just around the cove point, is the most perfect beach we've ever seen. Fifteen acres of pure white fine coral-based sand that you can walk on to your hearts content. We spent hours walking this beach and there's another 15 acres of knee-deep-in-water area to be explored. The white fish birds and the pelican type birds are courteous to people as the birds soar and dive to capture numerous small fish from minnow size up to 7 inches. They add another great dimension to the most beautiful beach in the world. And though we never saw it advertised, there are 7 beautiful catamaran sailboats and several kayaks and paddle boats that are included in your all inclusive package in the Memories Flamenco and the Pestana Resort next door. They are located between the two resorts in a beach enclosure. Here is a great opportunity to sail with or without an instructor with perfect daily breezes on the warm south Atlantic. Money Exchange: Some people bought Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC's) at the airport for a better rate before coming to the hotel. We had no time as our arrival was near midnight and all was a rush. We were charged 40% on CAD and 20% on USD at the Memories Flamenco bank. Strange because the CUC value is locked to the value of the USD. But you are on the island of Cayo Coco. In Veradero several years earlier we got par exchange for USD because independent exchange facilities were near the town of Veradero. This shouldn't be a major factor unless you wish to spend CUC for excursions. We took the 5 CUC per person (7 CAD) bus ride to the island market. This market is much like a small garage sale but does allow you to see several gateway entrances to other hotels on the island. No room left here for second half of review- Sorry

Nice resort, great staff

Had a nice time here, traveling with a 6year old and a 4 year old. Food was hit and miss, kids club was not very active and would only be good for very young kids. Rooms were kept clean and were nice overall. Pools seemed a little dirty and run down as did some other items on the grounds. Staff were very kind and accommodating everywhere. Beach was very nice and with coral reef near by for snorkeling.

Nice resort

the resort is great the only thing was the food cold and a lot if fish and the beach is hand to get in the room are clean and the staff is very nice and the service was good and the location in only 15 min a way from the air port

Beautiful Resort

Just returned from the beautiful resort. We truly enjoy our stay right from the lovely clean room to the beautiful gardens and amazing beach. The pools were also lovely we truly enjoy the time we spent at the resort. Many thanks to Omar and Noella Diamond club is certainly the way to go. David was also very helpful. Will return in April with my husbamd loved the resort.

Clean resort

This is a very clean resort nice staff but little show security staff around rooms nice and large Top floor building two has the best view yes the beach is not wide but very long can be windy but feels nice yes there is coral but come on you are in the sun sand and a week away think about that . only thing some of the food areas should have better was to keep it from the heat friends became sick and needed Iv and a shot in the butt.not only one . Diamond club well worth it. But there was some pe [... read more]ople in building 10 someone was helping themselves to stuff from the rooms while people where at supper NOT GOOD,,,,,, and they took clothes iPads and cameras and money BUT left passports that so police are not called. Than tried to turn the tables and say it dosent happen well yes it does you have a problem .

An enjoyable vacation

I stayed with my 2 girls march 4-11. We stayed in bungalow 7 , it was very clean . I recommend the catamaran day trip and also spend the day at pillar beach , both are so worth it . We found the snack bar better for breakfast and the Italian a la carte behind it had a beautiful buffet for lunch everyday . It was a challenge to have money changed so if you have time to change it at the airport it's a good idea, also cheaper . Overall it was a wonderful week , I would do it again tomorrow .