Absolutely Perfect

If you are looking for a low key, restful vacation then this is the place to go.This hotel was absolutely perfect. The resort area is quiet, but the hotel made sure that there were enough activities to keep you occupied. The suites were very nice, especially the balinese shower. The staff was terrific especially our butlers (Joel and Dyami) who took care of things before we even thought about them. The food was good, and a there was great effort to change up the menus every night. What stood out [... read more] the most though, was the beach. It is spectacular. Clear beautiful water, clean sand, lots of space. I will definitely be making another trip to this resort.

Quiet resort

People are very friendly. Food was hit and miss, every morning for breakfast the bread was hard. I ordered the same chicken tenders three days in a row and I got something different each day. Weather wasn't great it rained most of the week, and the tv and Internet cut out. So there was nothing really to do....

Beautiful beaches

I recently stayed 7 days at the Melia Buenavista, in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. The 3 beaches at this resort are beautiful, and also very quiet, so it's perfect to unwind and relax. The 2 pools are also great. What I loved most was the small number of guests (100 rooms), therefore the grounds/beach/pools were never crowded. The room was amazing, we had a view on the sunset beach. The restaurants were good, but it's Cuba, so definitely not the best food in the Carribean! In conclusion I would recomm [... read more]end this resort.

Best Trip Ever

Beautiful resort! Soooo much choice (especially for such an intimate resort) with 3 beaches and 2 pools to choose from. Three great restaurants and a wonderful poolside bbq and pizza oven. Best food I've had in Cuba. VERY service oriented staff from our wonderful butler (yay Jorge!), the bartenders (Lester, Osmany and Laily), the grounds crew and the maids. The most wonderful snorkelling right at the resort. Nice to have the option of the free shuttle to the two other Melia properties. The room  [... read more]was spacious, well appointed with the BEST outdoor shower!

Beautiful, peaceful and quiet resort

exactly what we were wanting at this point in our lives. Beautiful location with 3 beaches of varying character bordering a mangrove estuary with lots of birds and coral outcrops right off one of the beaches that offered great snorkelling. The EAST beach was often windy with high waves but safe which gave you fun waves to play in and the NORTH beach had coral outcrops and shallow waters that were teaming with curious fish and the WEST beach offering shallow waters to wade through rimmed by mangr [... read more]ove trees. You were never left without a beach chair no matter what beach you were at! The suites were beautiful with their exterior BALINESE shower that allowed us to open front and rear doors to let the cool March wind move through the suit. The grounds were impeccably kept, pool areas quiet and sparsely occupied. The bars were staffed by wonderful, courteous and attentive people who were eager to serve you and make sure everything was to your liking. The butler service was good but we never seemed to get the butler who was originally assigned to us as we were never sure what days he was on or off but the service was not diminished. We always got what we wanted when we needed. The restaurants I would rate as average in food quality, much better than most buffets but this was only the quality and variety of the food, beef being not very high quality but well prepared however the service was excellent. There should be a full time salad bar as salads seemed to be very limited with supper meals. LOS MARINOS offered great lunch salads but that was it and it was the buffet restaurant for breakfast which was excellent and had a toaster that was rarely occupied! The LOS CARIEBES and NAVIGANTES repeated their menus which on a stay of 10 days or more would be an issue. MELIA has the right idea with this and certainly there is a niche for these types of exclusive hotels that would cater more to people looking for a more peaceful experience. We're not butler people and there might be a choice for that as room service seem to be quite efficient. Cuba can do 5 star very well and Melia Buenavista attests to that. Touché MELIA BUENAVISTA and HASTA LA PROXIMA! Adios

Taste of Paradise

This resort is the ultimate getaway if you're looking for rest and relaxation. We stayed for a week in mid February 2015 and got exactly what we were looking for: a small, quiet resort with beautiful beaches and accommodating and attentive staff. I've done a lot of traveling throughout the caribbean, mostly to the islands, and the staff at the Melia Buenavista were by far the friendliest that I've ever encountered. From our Butler, Lucas, to the chambermaids, pool and restaurant staff, everyone  [... read more]took such great care of us. The resort itself was stunning, with three beautiful beaches and an abundance of available loungers. Our room was exactly as the website's pictures had depicted it, the perfect combination of modern and cozy, and the outdoor shower was one of our favourite features. Even on colder days, it was a nice way to feel a little more connected to nature while experiencing 5 star comfort. Even though we purposely sought out a smaller resort, there was still so much for us to do. We visited the Los Dunas market, the two sister resorts (which were nice, but far too large and commercialized for our liking... we couldn't wait to get home to Buenavista), as well as took advantage of the excursions made available to us by our Nexus representative; our trip to Trinidad being one of the highlights of our vacation. Overall, our stay at the Melia Buenavista was a wonderful and memorable experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a little bit of luxury and a break from their regular day-to-day.

Beautiful little paradise

nicely kept gardens, clean, beautiful, courteous, extremely helpful staff. So many to thank starting with Dayme plus those keeping our room clean, restaurant staff and gardeners. Small place specifically aimed to please an older crowd. Quiet, not a lot of activities, so if you are looking to rest and enjoy a good book on the beach then this is the place .

Another Great Relaxing Stay

Our second Christmas vacation here and it did not disappoint. We had such a great time the first time and were looking forward to another great stay. We started off on a negative thanks to our service provider CanJet Vacations (not the resorts fault) as they changed our flight times from an afternoon departure from Toronto to a 6am departure with a stop in Jamaica first. Once we arrived we were warmly greeted by the resort staff who switched our room to accommodate our request. The resort was ab [... read more]out half full with guest, like the last time. We go here for the quiet and intimate atmosphere and were very happy again. It is great going here as you can snorkel at the beach and you are away from the other resorts on the island. Our favourite activity was our nightly champagne on the beach watching the sunset. The food is some of the best on the Island, and does not disappoint. The nightly entertainment is great, we especially enjoy the Spanish dancing. We will definitely return again!

Our 7th stay and possibly the best yet!

Why you should be booking a trip to the Melia Buenavista: Amazing Scenery. Excellent Service. Conscientious and Caring Staff. Clean and modern rooms. Quiet and laid back atmosphere with sophisticated service. Greatly improved food quality and service. (Not "for a Cuban resort", the food stood up against any other country we've traveled to) Amazing snorkeling (and fishing if that's your thing) right from shore. Sergio, the food and beverage manager is welcoming and genuine and wants your feedback [... read more]. A really great guy and a bit of a character as well! Simply said, you should try it out. A very solid value. We're planning to be back in June.

Mother/Daughter Trip

My Mother (57) and I (31) had a wonderful stay at this amazing resort. I was a tad apprehensive prior to leaving, because I had heard of poor food in Cuba and mostly vacation in Mexico. I assure you that this is NOT the case with MBV. My mother has a seafood allergy and our butler made all the resturants aware prior to our dinners for worrie free dining. We relaxed around the pool in a beautiful cabana each day, and enjoyed the pool floats that they provided. The pizzas by the pool bar is a must [... read more] for lunch. Delicious!! We each had three spa treatments (2 different massages and a facial) the Estheticians a were wonderful and the prices were very comparable to back here at home. It was very relaxing and just what we were looking for. My only complaint was that the wifi was not working most of the week and made it difficult to communicate with my husband back home and to do a few work emails. I will most definitely return.

Prime Service

From the beautifully maintained grounds to the large suites, this is a simply amazing getaway! With such a small resort and the choice of three beaches there is always a lounge chair waiting for you! Snorkeling right from the beach is great. The restaurants are good and the staff is very attentive! People often complain about the food in Cuba, not so at this resort!

Parents visited and loved it

I booked thia vacation for my parents. They got a great rate, had sun 85% of the time. Loved the beaches. Their room was pristine. Spa tub a bonus. Maids cleaned twice a day. Welcoming staff. Food dispels the Cuba food myth. Lots of seafood. Small service issue with a waitress was solved immediately. They said it was many times more enjoyable than Antigua. Thanks Melia! Stayed October 2014, travelled as a couple

Beautiful resort

My husband and I have been to Cuba around 15 times. Naturally some of the hotels that have been our favourites are getting older now, so we decided to have a change. And wow, are we glad we did. At the Melia Buenivista, the room we had was beautiful. We loved the outdoor shower area. The bed was big and cozy. And it was soooo clean. The staff was amazing, helpful and friendly. We preferred the big beach....it is like being in an island paradise. One pool was a great area to socialize and play vo [... read more]lleyball. The other a short distance away was deliciously quiet with some shade.....perfect for just lolling in the water. Night-time was quiet, which was just super, because we don't party much. We looked up at the stars instead. All in all...I would recommend it to anyone who wants a nice, quiet vacation in a beautiful place....all the while being wonderfully cared for by the staff.

Outstanding service

Extremely clean and decorated beautifully. The service was the best I have ever received in 22 all inclusive trips. The room was beautiful and huge. Loved the extra touches like slippers and bathrobes. 24 hour room service was great. I will go back.

Amazing place.

Great place for people who are looking for nice quiet vocation. Excellent beach, rooms, service. From the moment you enter you will be pleasantly surprised. Almost everyone is there to make you vocation great experience. From gardener to the manager. I would definitely go again.

Amazing quiet time.

The hotel was beautiful, clean, spacious room and very nice hotel staff. I must say the 24 butler service was key where we were able to order food to our room. I say this because the A-la-carte restaurant were aweful from appetizer to desserts. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was always on point. Lunch at the pool grill was fantastic, as my wife and I had delicious burgers, stone oven baked pizzas and amazingly delicious grilled snapper fish. On our last night we were able to have a romantic d [... read more]ine-in lobster dinner in our room with a spread of avocado salad. Overall amazing quiet time on what seemed to be three private beaches. Everyone for bus drivers to taxi cabs said we were at the best resort and it's like paradise. I definitely agree. It was away from all the other resorts but part of two others resorts so if we wanted to take a free bus we could hang out at the other busy Melia resorts. Expect greatness from the hotel but don't expect anything good from the food at the a-la-carte resort at either hotels that's part of the Melia chain in Cayo Santa Maria.

Great Experience!

This resort is fantastic! The staff definitely made the difference! It is a small intimate resort. This was definitely a vacation where we completely relaxed. The grounds are beautiful, the food is fantastic and the staff is amazing! They really cater to you and make you feel special. Very friendly, accommodating, and they go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need. My husband and I have been here, and then sent our parents there.... they also had an amazing time and plan to g [... read more]o back! If you are looking for a truly relaxing experience, this is the place!

AMAZING property, beaches, rooms and staff.

This place just wows you the moment you walk into the lobby. Truly secluded with 3 very different beaches, some truly in their natural state with wildlife and vegetation. If you want crowds, this is not the place for you. The rooms are the best we've seen in Cuba and truly superb. The staff welcome you and attend to your needs, especially the servers, gardeners, and butlers. Great traditionally made drinks and bar locations. Just loved the fresh coconuts on the beach! The gym was very nice an [... read more]d stocked even though small and you have a wonderful Zen-like area just outside. Unfortunately, there was not enough variety with the food. It was fresh and delicious, but it lacked the variety from day to day as well as traditional recipes, be they Cuban or Italian. This is a small resort and it seemed to be difficult to keep 3 restaurants open at all times with a variety of food. This area needs improvement. The entertainment was very, very good. Small groups and bands that were very professional. Could use a few extra bands ; )

Amazing Vacation

This was our first time to Cuba and Melia Buenavista and it was more than we expected! Food was fantastic, staff are so friendly and resort itself was perfect! We are planning on going back this year!

Loved Melia Buenavista

We really enjoyed our stay at the Mesia Buenavista. I liked that it was an adults only smaller hotel. The hotel was not at full capacity so we felt like we had our own private beach...our own private pool. It was wonderful. Our room was one of the best we have stayed in....very large and comfortable. It also had an outdoor shower. The butler service was a nice touch, however, we didn't use it very much. We found the food to be good...not great...but everyone has differing opinions on the food. W [... read more]e would definitely return to this hotel!!