Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: OK resort

The grounds were very nice and the beach was nice. The food was about a 3 and the service at the start was about a 3. We spent 2 weeks here so by the second week some of the staff were more friendly as they got to know us. The reason we decided to try this resort is that my wife and I are both very limited to walking so we were interested because they offered 24 hour room service. When I asked for the number to call for room service they said they did not have a number for room service that I c [... read more]ould asked the butler at our building. I could only get breakfast and you had to order it the day before. There was no other room service for lunch or supper. When we arrived to book in they were going to put us in the memories section which is family's and we had booked the adult only section at sanctuary. After some conversation with a manager they got us to the adults only section were our room was already given away because we didn't show up right away. They did however come up with a room on the bottom floor were we wanted with the exception that we wanted pool view and got garden view. That was not a big problem until we decided to set out on the deck. Were we were in the back off the building you could smell the sewage all the time so we could not sit on the deck. The pools were nice but there was no service you had to go to the bar if you wanted a drink, there was no service to the tables when in the lounge. There was some service in the dining rooms but very slow. I would not recommend this resort for people with disabilities. I am sure lots of people like this resort it just didn't work for us.

Memories Jibacoa: Great resort

Wasn't sure what to expect in Cuba because I heard good and bad about it. But glad I went to c for myself,it was a good experience. The resort was great,hotel and grounds very well kept and clean,all staff were great some were amazing so happy and friendly.Food was good,good selection at buffet, went to 2 ala cart restaurants,disappointed in one because they only had one cook that night and we waited almost 1 1/2 hour for dinner,no one explained why till we asked.Over all good experience,glad I  [... read more]went,wish I was still there.

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great resort

We enjoyed our stay. Aside from the beach we love the staff at the resort. They were friendly and made us feel welcome. We got to know a few individually which was really nice and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Fun in the sun!

Just returned from memories flamenco in Cayo coco Cuba! Jay with the entertainment group was amazing!! Beach was beautiful but the resort could use some updating! Thanks to Julie Bond from trip central for arranging another great vacation!!

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: Beautiful as always

This was my fourth time back to Memories Flamenco. I travel with a child (this time my son was six), and the beach is stunning for kids. Excellent sandcastle building sand, no rocks to cross before reaching water, literally walk down the boardwalk in bare feet to the sand and into the water. Four pools, two for young up to toddlers and then one for middle years kids and finally a deep pool mainly for adults. Food was Cuban standard, pretty bland, made to please the masses, not foodies, but a [... read more]lways a selection of hot and cold foods, waiters could be a little more attentive to empty water or drink glasses but I realize they are managing a lot of tables at once. Pool side entertainment was always lively and interactive, same with the kids mini disco and adult shows in the evening. Rooms could use updates but that is to be expected, otherwise they are clean, housekeeping is wonderful, grounds crew are great. About 20 minute bus ride from the airport to hotel so close by, location is directly on the beach so no hikes just to go to the water. Overall I give a great review of the hotel otherwise I wouldn’t keep going back, it is reliably beautiful and has not disappointed me on any trip

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Great First Experience

This was my first ever all inclusive vacation. At first, I wasn't too keen on Cuba, but now I would 1000% go back. I had an amazing time at this resort. I originally chose Sanctuary because it was an Adults only, with the option to "stay at one, play at 3". We really enjoyed it. It was secluded to the back of the resort, with only 6 Bungalows. It was quiet, but would get loud and fun in the afternoons at the pool. The entertainment staff always kept us going during the day Poolside with pool go [... read more]lf, dancing, morning stretching with Lissy. They were fabulous. The tram drivers were always friendly. You will come to know the chicken man Rene. His tram was always a party! William made sure our stay was going well, Our butler, Rudy, was the best. He always made sure we had a reservation for dinner. Everyone staying at the resort were always friendly. The beach was BEAUTIFUL, clear teal waters, white sand. Just beware of sand fleas if staying all day at the beach. My partner and I are picky eaters and we found enough food to keep us going. We didn't starve. The italian restaurant was the best, but we didn't get to try the Emporium (international). We had no problems with our room, We had 5920, which was right at the entrance stairs and it was fairly quiet. The A/C worked great. Our housekeeper, Janey, always did an amazing job on our room! We did the Remedios city tour and Jeep Safari. The jeep safari was our favourite excursion. We paid extra to have our own jeep and it was worth it. We will definitely return!! Read less

Memories Paraiso: Great time

We went on 23 jan to jan 30 we stayed in room 3567 the best pool view on resort it was our 4th time at resort we were diamond club had a speedy checkin . The beach is the best hands down beautiful well kept beach the pool was clean and great too all around well kept grounds on resort.the staff on the resort are awesome we have made so many great friends there like family now .we have always had a great time at resort entertainment was great we have to give a shout out to these sweet peopleYADIR [... read more]Y VEMTURA waitress Magdalena borges (Maria) Victor was the tour guide and Alex drove the bus Rafael Tang Climent the entertainer Dayanys madina aguila our favorite Cuban lol Joel is the first face we always see when coming to resort he takes your luggage and drives the cart and is one sweet man .we had the pleasure of making friends with the dining manager .if you take your time and talk to the staff they are all very accomadating we talked with the resort general manager who wants your feedback to make the resort better over all the resort is in our opinion a great place to go we will be going for our 5th time next year anddefinetly going to try and get the same room 3567 hint hint lol .our only slight negative was the food this time but we no will improve .sorry to any staff I forgot to mention you were all great.also thank you to sunwing for a smooth flight and thank you to trip central in Bedford for you great staff and shout out to heather Macintyre our great agent will see you soon to book our next trip to memories

Sol Turquesa Beach: Wow

We loved everything about this resort. Our 9th time in Cuba but first time staying in Holguin. The staff is wonderful, food is surprisingly good and rooms are decent. Beach was clean and plenty of lounge chairs available. Would come back to this resort without a doubt!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Memories Varadero

The buildings are getting a face-lift and a nice coat of paint. Some of the buildings are even renovated. The rooms were clean, but clean towels are like gold. If there is one in your room...keep it and don't let the maid take it unless you are getting a clean one. My sister had her room clean and the maid didn't leave clean towels. She called the front desk and they told her to ask the maid. She was nowhere to be found. We had to share ours with her. The hotel was nice (a 3.5 star). The grounds [... read more] clean. The pool was nice, but there were cups and wet napkins on the ground and around the chairs at the pool. We never got a pool towel. There are not enough. The beach is okay, but rocky. I've been to much more beautiful beaches in Cuba (Cayo Coco and Santa Maria). The food... you don't go to Cuba for the food, but the buffet was a 2 star. The buffet tables and chairs need an update. The benches need to be recovered, they are all worn and broken. The snack bar was a 3.5 star. The Cuban restaurant was a 3.5 star. The people at this resort were friendly enough, but they don't interact with the guests. I've been to other resorts in Santa Maria and Cayo Coco where they are very friendly and talk with the guests. All in all, I would not go back to this resort.

Grand Memories Varadero: So much fun

Grounds/exterior facilities: Overall this is where the resort shines, in my opinion. The grounds staff are always working to keep up a great looking resort. Though not without some deficiencies, some that leave a person wondering. If you are bringing gifts of essentials for staff, do not overlook this crew! Beach: AMAZING. Get there early to claim a good space. Rooms: There were several deficiencies found, but none of them deal-breakers and overall, the room was better than expecte [... read more]d, given some of the reviews we had seen prior to going. You are not getting four-star rooms. Don't expect it and you will be fine. Minor issues encountered: Balcony door incredibly difficult to open and close. Cabinet doors coming off the hinges, no hot water at bathroom sink (valve faulty and needs replacement), a few lights burnt out, drawer missing a pull, TV remote did not work, one of two telephones did not function. Some of the reviews you will see where people are entirely disappointed with the examples noted are due to ignorance and what I would call "self-entitled middle class/upper-middle class" nonsense! Sad. That said, some of the deficiencies could be remedied with a pack of assorted screws, a screwdriver, some wood filler, creative thought and a bit of gumption. None of these things mattered to us so much; I have stayed in dozens of modern Canadian hotels over the years and rarely do I not find a few silly deficiencies. Dining/food: Not the greatest for quality and taste, but in our stay, there was a bounty of choices. Restaurants were good. The exception (in our one experience with it) was the Italian one. You should not be hungry with all of the choices. In the end, my favourite spot was the 24 hr snack bar. Bars/drink: The coffee bar is fantastic. Sure wish they had two of these bars as the line ups can be long at times. Many other bars though out the resort-- you can't go thirsty! Sometimes the limited supply of items will reduce the options for drinks, but there is always something else to have. Staff/service: Very good. Room for improvement with some processes, but staff were kind and did their best to provide. Only in one case did we feel a few staff were unmotivated or indifferent. Minor. Overall, the staff make this place run well. Management needs to step up for improvements to processes and methodology to make the work of staff easier, which in turn will improve the customer experience; this would make a substantial impact in time. Communications can be difficult. Some staff are very fluent in a few languages, but very few, most are Spanish first and only know key words of English, French, etc. Give them a break and don't try to speak in long sentences. They are all smart people. There are near no good multi-lingual signs for essential things so best to be as informed as you can before you go and talk to your tour representative (Sunwing) while you are there. I would go back again, for sure. Further comments about negative reviews: I don't doubt that people have had legitimate poor experiences, but can't help but think that in the vast majority of those we read before going and overheard while we were there were born out of a modern North American mindset of entitlement and a pile of ignorance. Many people do not understand the culture, the lack of supply-chain and the have-nots of Cuba. They seem to go to the country and this resort and think that for $140-180/a day (Canadian) they are to not experience any "inconveniences" as far as their catered to perspective allows. Before we left I suspected this, but I also spent many hours researching Cuba and know full well the tendency of the entitlement age that we live in, from all walks of life and demographics (usually middle-class and up). I overheard whining a few times when we were there. Some people have a crappy perspective that prevents them from seeing the big picture and having a good time. That can be seen in some of the negative reviews.

Grand Memories Punta Cana: When can I go back!?

We booked this resort during the Black Friday deals. Originally looking at the Royalton but were able to get Grand Memories for a better deal so we went for it. This resort is absolutely beautiful. The grounds are so well kept, it is very clean and you can tell the staff take great pride in its presentation. We stayed on the Grand Memories Punta Cana side, but you had to walk over to the Splash side for the buffet and social plaza for shows so we spent most of our time on the Splash side. The wa [... read more]ter park is so much fun, even for a 28 & 30 year old, I think the adults were having more fun then the kids! All of the staff (entertainment, servers, maids, front desk) were so friendly and helpful. Accessing the beach from the Royalton side was very easy, and if you didn't want to take a trolley the walk was very quick, and if you go early enough you get to see all of the peacocks and ducks that call that area home. The food was quite good, always a good selection at the buffet and the Italian a-la-carte was delicious. Of all of the resorts I have stayed at while travelling this is definitely my favourite and I would go back tomorrow if I could!

Grand Memories Varadero: Nice Resort but...

Overall look of the resort was beautiful as well as the beach. Food was decent but nothing too bad or too good, fresh made pasta get the high points. Entertainment was good overall but music by the pool and pool bar was barely on which would aid in the enjoyment of the areas so you may want to bring your own. The waterfall pool only had water running through it ONCE! To me that feature was the selling mark and only experienced it once. Our room was nice but service was laughable, dirty floor alw [... read more]ays, sheets not replaced even when asked and one day no clean white towels given and the restock of toilet paper was limited that it had me gather some from the public bathroom just incase as we were 3 people to the room. Also seen a cockroach by the door and heard about one in the bathroom so not sure if that was 2 or same one. What made the trip awkward from the start was as we slept apparently the fridge was restocked. Also the receptionist was not easy to approach upon arrival or for any other inquiries. The true highlights of the visit were visiting outside the resort twice and interacting with other tourists throughout the resort. What somewhat made this tolerable was great service at the MAIN BUFFET and all bars and the temperature was great with the hot sun and not too excruciating, other places with hotter heat would of made this all the more difficult. I guess you get what you paid for but I’ve paid similar to this for Dominican trips and had not as much disgust. I like walking barefoot in my room after the day out and don’t expect to see my feet all dirty going to bed... it is a friendly and beautiful place and I appreciate what they can do but I think the attention to the rooms could be better.

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great tesort

Great resort, super friendly staff! Only issue was washrooms were not always cleaned could have used more staff for drinks and service. Excellent pools, pool staff were great and the beach was amazing!

Memories Jibacoa: Small and very cozy resort

The outstanding feature of this resort is the staff, they are like family to us. This was our eighth visit there. Besides the staff we also enjoy the size of the resort, which is small and the fact that it is adults only. We really like how cozy this resort is. A great place for a relaxing vacation.

Sol Turquesa Beach: Amazing

Everything about this resort is amazing . Been here 3 times and would go back tomorrow if I could. Beach is stunning and easy to get to. Pool fun everyday with lots of entertainment and staff are excellent.

Memories Flamenco Beach Resort: ❤️ this resort.

Another fabulous stay at Memories Flamenco Beach! Resort grounds are beautifully maintained. Beach is incredible. Staff are amazing! Food is great. This resort is beginning to show its age though. Beds are not very comfortable. Plumbing is a major issue. Public bathrooms at the grill closed the entire time which left pool bathrooms only! It was disgusting! Path lighting from the unit 4 and beyond non existent Time for an uplift for sure!

Memories Paraiso: Beautiful Beach!

We had a great time at this resort! Not only was the beach magazine worthy, with crystal clear blue water and clean white sand, but the pools are spectacular as well. Everything is clean and the gardens are always being maintained by multiple gardeners. The grounds are beautiful! The room, while dated, provided lots of hot water, excellent water pressure and it was always clean. There was a large variety of food at the buffet and other options if you needed them. The staff are always friend [... read more]ly and helpful!

Resonance Blu Varadero: Great place!

My husband and I loved our stay at the Memories resort in Varadero. The staff was helpful and kind. The resort was clean and had many amenities, like pools, activities for young and older, massages, lounge, wifi, restaurants, excursions. We loved every minute of our stay.

Grand Memories Santa Maria: GOOD POTENTIAL

I have a limited review as only 2 of our 10 days were spent at Grand Memories. After arriving at the hotel at 1:00, our room was still not ready so we strolled the pizza hut, the grounds and checked out the beach - all looked very good and clean. By 5:00 our room was still not ready so we checked with our Sunwing Rep and she went to the front desk and got our key. The room was 'tired' and the door to the room looked to have been broken sometime in the past. Our linens were damp and we put tha [... read more]t down to them having been recently washed and maybe not quite dry. We tried it for the night and in the morning they were still damp and our clothes began to get damp. Then we discovered some mould on the wall, ceiling and bedskirt. We asked to be moved to a new room but the hotel was full. We told Sunwing and they asked if we'd like to go to the Ocean Casa Del Mar, 5 minutes away. We'd stayed there twice before and agreed to go there. We enjoyed our third trip to the Ocean Casa Del Mar and as a result, my ratings of the service and facilities at the Grand Memories is very limited. My rating is based on 1 day and limited exposure to the resort. /bc

Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria: Love Cuba

The resort needs some upgrades, lack of some alcoholic beverages and food at times. The overall experience was great. Staff was kind, grounds were clean, rooms clean and ocean beautiful! Marlon was our absolute favourite staff member, went above and beyond to make our stay a memorable one 😀