Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Beach is amazing! Overall a good vacation.

This was our first time to Cuba and to an all inclusive. We talked to friends and read many reviews before leaving for our trip. We were told that 5 star in Cuba is more like 3 star other places. With this in mind here are our thoughts on this resort and location. Beach: Amazing! Water is so clear and the sand is so fine and easy to walk on. The sand never seemed to get too hot even at the hottest time of day. We walked bare foot all the time. There are lots of lounges chairs and shade huts. [... read more] We never had an issue getting chairs and we usually headed down to beach around 11 am. The beach is also very clean. Very little in the way of any garbage. There are garbage cans on the beach and most people are good at using them. There is also 2 beach bars and a grill station if you didn’t want to leave the beach to get a bite to eat. Pool: Lots of loungers and again shade huts. We did have more trouble finding available loungers though as people put their towels on them to save them early in the morning. Pool was clean and well kept. We liked the patterned concrete around the pool as it was non slip and safe for kids. The Grounds: Lovely gardens throughout the property. Palm trees and flowering shrubs. All were well cared for by the friendly gardeners. Food: We found the buffet was ok. There was always lots to eat and a variety of foods. Lots of meat options from fish, pork, chicken and some beef. Not a lot of variety in vegetables. I have read others say they can run out of things but the times we ate there was always enough of what we wanted. The a la carte restaurants were just ok. The Mediterranean one had the best atmosphere. Staff: All the staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful. Room: When we arrived it was around 11 pm. They took us and our luggage to our building by golf cart which was very nice as it was dark. However, the room was terrible. There was an awful smell and there were a lot of things missing from the room. The next morning we went to the front desk and asked for a new room. By 5pm that day we had a new room which was 10 times better. We now had a pool view and all the things that were missing from the first room. We were quite happy with our new room and the location was much better. Close to the pool and main building. Things to know: They don’t supply Kleenex or wash clothes in the rooms so bring your own. Also toilet paper seemed to be in short supply as we were only given half a roll a day. The public bathrooms in the lobby are not great. Women’s were missing toilet seats, doors that don’t lock or close properly and my husband said the men’s always smelled. Overall for the price we found this resort to be quite nice. We would likely go back there again if we return to Cuba now that we know what to expect.

Grand Memories Holguin: Beautiful, new, clean resort!

This resort was beautiful! It was very well maintained in all areas from the pools, gardens, restaurants, bars, lobby, bathrooms and the beach areas. I've never stayed somewhere so clean. The workers were so friendly and respectful. They always said hello in greeting and passing. I highly recommend this resort. Only complaint was the language barrier. Not many workers could speak any language other than Spanish.

Grand Memories Varadero: Amazing Resirt

I found the grounds to be so beautiful. The staff is beyond helpful and friendly The pools and beach were perfect and easily accessed. The nightly sows were also very entertaining. Rooms were very clean and everything worked perfectly. I would have liked regular schedules for the carts but there were alot of benches for resting

Grand Memories Varadero: Things have changed

I stayed at this resort about 10 years ago when it was a Rui Resort and loved it. I'm sure many of the issues are due to COVID, but it was a bit disappointing. The first room was a bit run down (building 14) (balcony door wouldn't open, no towels, etc.) and it is located a long way from the beach so I paid to upgrade to building 22 which is closer to the beach. The room was much better, but the safe didn't work. It took 4 days of going to the front desk twice a day to get this fixed - a bit frus [... read more]trating since I had to carry all of our important stuff with us (passports, cash). The front desk staff didn't seem very interested in getting this fixed. The service was lacking, but I'm sure that that the employees are under a lot of stress since so many people seemed so angry and unhappy. I've been to Cuba many times, so I was very prepared for the food, but supplies seem to be in short supply so the options at the buffet were less than the last time, but still able to find something to eat. I was there with my daughter and being a teenager, she is much pickier than I am so she struggled with the food issues more than I did. There seemed to be other shortages as well - pina colada mix, daiquiri mix, towels, napkins. I hope with time, the supply issues get better and with that, hopefully the service along with it. The beach and the pool were amazing and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Great resort

Overall, we had a great stay at this resort. The beach is absolutely amazing. The water is so blue. You can walk for miles in either direction. The beach section of the resort is also very large so its not difficult to find a chair. We also loved how there was lots of cabanas for shade. We did not spend any time at the pool as we are beach people, but the pool always did look busy with activities. The food was good, there was always lots of options and we never went hungry. That being said,  [... read more]we are not picky. There was always ample bread and cold cuts, lots of fish and veggies. Coffee was obviously amazing. The a la carte options were good as well but the line up to book them was crazy busy and by the time we got there there weren't many options left which was unfortunate. We opted for the diamond club which gave us access to the diamond club restaurant which was great for breakfast and lunch. Sadly we were only able to book their once for dinner as it required a reservation and it was full for the week when we tried to book. The resort itself is huge, we were in building number 6 which wasn't too far from the lobby but if you were in building number 10 you would have to walk a bit further. The rooms were pretty dated and the bathroom was a bit run down. But the beds were very comfortable and the AC was working great. Staff was always very friendly and kind. One criticism we did have was the lobby bar was always super busy during the evening and for such a big resort it was quite small. Sometimes you would have to wait over 20 minutes for a drink, and the bar tenders would often serve people in a random order. Overall, I would recommend this resort and would likely rebook again.

Grand Memories Varadero: Poor resort

The rooms at this resort were very dirty and old. We had the same towels for 7 days and not even enough towels for the people in the room. Poor food, long line ups for food that wasn’t even very good. Pictures make the resort look way better.

Grand Memories Varadero: Disaster

The grounds, pools are excellent. It's the rooms. We had a 3 ft wall around the tub to climb over to get in tub. No safety bars in tub. Totally unsafe. Two towels for the week. No face cloths. Did not change sheets for the 7 days we were there. At the buffet they'd run out of coffee, orange juice by 830 am. Also no glasses for water or juice. No butter. To go to theater you climb about 12 marble steps No railing on either side. Just a nightmare. Very disappointed as this was rated 4.5 stars. I [... read more]'d only give it a 1 star.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Average Resort

They have limited alcohol so make sure to bring in a bottle for the week of what you like to drink. Don't pack any nice clothes or they get stolen . The hotel is average but the water is beautiful.I definitely wouldn’t rate this hotel over 3 stars .

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: "A bit disappointed"

I had very high hopes when I booked this vacation with another couple "friends of ours". This review is detailed and very accurate. Its not a bitch session. The cost of our trip was great, very reasonable. Rooms: We upgraded to the Junior Suite which was very nice, can't complain.. But our friends booked a regular room. They had to change rooms 2 times due to moldy rooms black on ceilings, an air conditioning not working. Half way through the week they upgraded to Junior Suite and go a go [... read more]od room. I spoke with one other guest, they said part of their ceiling was black and coming down on them.... yuck. They also had no hot water for 3 days until they got over to the junior suite. Diamond Club (option): This is a bad segregation of class of vacationers concept. Because you didn't pay for better food, better drinks, certain beach access and other services your treated as a 2nd class visitor. THEY RAN OUT OF RUM our 3rd day in... and it lasted for 3 days... how is that possible. France doesn't run out of wine... OMG. But the Diamond Club vacationers still had RUM in their preferred bars. We asked for certain drinks that should be part of our regular "All Inclusive" packages, but the staff says they don't have any, their out of stock, and then a Diamond Club person requests the same thing and they get served..... I feel like there's a "Back of the Bus" scenario here if you know what I mean. In order to get RUM or a drink my wife likes, I had to buy a couple bottles from the bar "slide them money" (that should be giving them to me for free)... I complained to the management and he gave me an extra bottle, I believe it was for me to shut up or keep quite. Very sad.. Food: Its Cuba,,, we expect average at best.... I found a few things to eat, never went hungry.. . But the Diamond Club got separate breakfasts, Lobster, Shrimps no limits.. the rest of us have to quickly go to buffet before they run out of food. Beach: The beach water was beautiful, clear blue water, white sands,, a bit of sea weed 1 or 2 days (high winds) understandable... They cleaned it up... No complaints there. The pool area didn'thave a lot of shade or umbrella areas, full sun . People had their towels out the night before to reserve them. There certainly were a lot of sand flees on the beach.. The other couple and my wife had a lot of bits.. I escaped it some how... Wifi: The wifi is only available in the lobby and its very limited, I believe it has a limit on how many people can connect at a time... Other than the great water we had some challenges..

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Great resort 👌

We have been coming to this resort for many years and we think the food was the best it has been. The grounds are beautiful. Very helpful staff (Idalmys, Jose, Irenia, Osmani & Uni). The maid service is excellent.

Grand Memories Holguin: Seven brand new beautiful pools in a relaxing resort

This is a brand new resort, located 2 hours from the Holguin airport not close to any other resorts in the area. The check-in process was very slow and inefficient. The staff are friendly and try hard to accommodate and entertain. It is very clean property with modern rooms. The food was good for Cuba. The internet was very slow and hard to connect. It was a fantastic location for relaxing, unwinding and recharging. great value. Kudos to Sunwing for keeping the guest in the resort until t [... read more]he return flight was confirmed. My flights was delayed for couple of hours, I appreciated that I waited in the resort rather than the airport.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Epic time here

Resort was great absolutely not one complaint. And Steve with trip central was awesome and made everything super easy. Food was great to was not expecting that but I think Cuba is trying to change that. Great time and staff were super friendly wasn’t till we got back to Toronto airport till we ran into all the miserable tarts again. Definitely recommend resort

Memories Paraiso: No complaints

Beautiful beaches, staff and grounds. As per usual Cuba style some things are in need of repair. But nothing that impacted the quality of our vacation. Pools and bars around every corner and most of all beautiful cuban people always smiling joking and laughing. Our customer service rep Yailyn LeonMartin was epic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Yusimi and Ernesto At the lobby bar parisio side were also amazing so friendly and they had ALL the good drinks!!!

Memories Paraiso: 5 star staff!!!

Grounds are beautiful and lush, beach is spectacular!! Rooms are comfortable and clean. Food is good lots of options and always something available. What really makes this resort is the staff! Yailyn at customer service is truly amazing! Such a dedicated and kind person! All of the bartenders, room cleaners, drivers are always kind and happy. Always smiling and joking. Please remember that Covid has impacted this country in a severe way and kindness and generosity goes a long way❠[... read more]¤ï¸

Memories Caribe Beach Resort: Ok resort

Beach was beautiful, noseeums are really bad, random hot water, food not so great. We got to resort at 11:30am and could not get into our room until 4pm so If your flight arrives early be prepared to wait until 4pm before you get your room. Some staff awesome, some not so much, girl booking a la carte dinners could use a brush up on customer service skills. Probably will not return to this resort.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Needs Work

The hotel is a bit run down. My safe never worked, had to bang on the door tumblers to come out so I could lock my door. My friends bathroom was full of mild. The food was the same old, same old everyday. The pool and beach was the only saving grace. Only rum and beer at the bars. Some days there was no cream for coffee. Had the same bath towels all week I would not return to this resort. Needs work!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Nice beach

The hotel, like most in Cuba, needs an overhaul. The first 4 days we had hot water and flushing toilets. Then the water completely stopped. It returned, but weak and luke warm, toilet didn't flush. The lobby toilets have no locks, rarely toilet paper and stinky. The drinks were horrible, no Pina coladas, one day of mojito, which was undrinkable. You would think the bartenders could get their national drink right. No Cola, no orange pop for the first three days. Too much rum in the drinks. No vo [... read more]dka only Russian gin. Yuck. Food was pretty good, although some meatballs were raw and chicken from the grill also. Valentine's Day buffet was really special with lobster and shrimp unshelled. No salad dressing, or BBQ sauces. Breakfast omelet cooks are entertaining and competent. The bathrooms have moldy ceilings, tiny ants, the maids do their best. But again no fresh smelling cleansers. Catamaran excursion was so much fun, the crew were awesome and entertaining. I also didn't care for the diamond club treatment. I'm not a fan of a two tier system even though they pay extra for it. I recommended the hotel because of proximity to the airport, beach and food. I would rate this hotel as a 3 star, Cuba standard.

Grand Memories Varadero: Nice gardens -rundown resort

Grand Memories was probably gorgeous when new -The gardens and palm trees are beautiful , the beach is amazing -white sand and turquoise water - although a fair hike from our room in building 14 . The hotel is very run down ,our room had a horrible moldy smell that we couldn't get rid of - We had one sorta white towel in the room - and never got a clean one for our 10 day stay -the hard bed was made twice - we had to beg to get our 2 blue beach towels -that they charge you for if you don't have [... read more] them when you leave .the sink didn't run well -the toilet ran all the time and you had to open the tank to pull the flush- the shower was nice and hot although the side of the tub was a real climb to get into .the balcony door didn't lock and the front door after the first 7 days wouldn't lock either -open all the time -at least our safe worked -many didn't . The buffet was clean and pretty and the made to order omelet in the morning was great - the other food was very bland -no beef or seafood at all , only pork and chicken in various stewed things - rice beans and mashed potatoes ,there was always olives and fresh watermelon and pineapple ,sliced spam and salami etc. very poor , and even the 3 al-la carte restaurants served just dressed up buffet fare with nice linen LOL The two pools were really nice and the swim up bars were nice - all you could get was rum -no other liquor available The 3 other bars served pina-coladas in the morning till they ran out -then only rum and coke or punch The bathrooms in the common areas -had broken seats, if they had seats at all - all the door locks were missing or broken and they were always out of toilet paper -I brought my own and carried it with me .there was hardly ever soap -no paper towels and no disinfectant anywhere My partner and I both came home with horrible colds - took tests -we are both positive for COVID. The service staff in the restaurant were very nice , the others we encountered -the maids etc.not so much . we went on a couple excursions which were affordable and fun -including a day in Havana with the TROPICANA show - amazing !! this was my 1st trip to Cuba and my partners' 3rd not sure we'll ever go back

Memories Trinidad Del Mar: Beautiful hotel!

Classic Cuban building design laid out like a mini-Trinidad! Visually stunning. Beautiful grounds. Gorgeous location. Great beach. Friendly, efficient staff. Yummy food. Good activities - special lunch on the beach on Fridays, volleyball, dance and Spanish lesson, house band...

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: YW

This was a typical Cuban 4-star....more like a 3-star everywhere else. Accommodation ok, food plentiful but ok in quality, service ok, pool ok. Beach beautiful,weather gorgeous. Grounds very large so that although it was very busy, it wasn’t in general a problem getting beach chairs etc. Staff willing but inefficient. Dining room lacked in things eg only one coffeemaker worked.