Amazing

This trip was amazing from the beginning. The travel agent, who was over busy, was extremely helpful. The respite was beautiful. We were treated the best and always felt like rockstars. One work amazing!

1 good thing - beach

This hotel is in dire need of repair and care. Railings are falling apart. Bathrooms aren’t working. Roaches are in the bathrooms and food areas. Linens need replacing. Locks need fixing. Beds need replacing and attitudes need adjusting. The only thing I wouldn’t change is the beach and sun. Sunwing needs to send undercover representatives to this location to get a true testament of the conditions.

Solid Value, Excellent Staff, Unbeatable Beach

Just back from 19 days at the Sanctuary. Had a wonderful time. This was our second visit to this resort, 7th visit to Cuba. As always, the staff make all the difference. They are nothing short of fantastic. Friendly, courteous, helpful, warm people. Food was very good and we noticed the use of more spices this year as compared to last year. Quantities of food were very good as well. Bar drinks were very good as well. The lobby bar did run out of my favourite rum, but made up for t [... read more]hat shortfall by ensuring my glass was never empty. We had a couple of days of cooler weather, a little too cool in the morning to be either on the beach or by the pool. The Entertainment staff did a terrific job of breaking out the board games, cards etc, turning a not-so-great day into one filled with laughter. We noticed a distinct reduction in the number of electric shuttle carts available this year. Several were seen in various states of being scavenged for parts to keep the rest of the fleet in operation. The state of the resort is a "plus and minus" story... The hand rail around the main lobby patio is just about to fall completely off and is badly in need of replacement. Meanwhile, the much-sought-after additional shade on the beach is on its way with 9 new palapas being built - these will cover at least 4 chaise lounges each, representing nearly a doubling of available sun shade. We witnessed the frames being erected and thatching of the roofs was just about to get underway when we left. The beach is as spectacular as ever, definitely a rare gem, making any shortcoming of the resort fade into a distant memory as soon as one's toes touch the sand. All in all, the Sanctuary is on our "we will visit again" list; in fact, it's at the top of the list of places to stay in Cuba. Travel arrangements made by Janet Merrill at tripcentral were excellent - Janet is a true professional, courteous, efficient and a pleasure to deal with. Janet merits 5 stars for her handling of our booking (wish there were a place on this form where we could rate our agent & tripcentral experience).

So/so

Like many others have said the staff are wonderful people. The landscaping/pool/beach are very nice. They don’t keep the ac on when no ones in the room and also turn it down or off after cleaning, so the bedrooms have a very musky smell. Linens are washed but never really all that clean, with stains and smells of Cologne and perfume still present. The rooms themselves were very comfortable including the bed, wasn’t hard as a rook but also not to soft. Had one pillowcase that had mold on it  [... read more]but was changed as soon as we spotted it. As soon as you get close to any washrooms near restaurants/pool/lobby your meet with a very strong sewage stench, depending on the day from quite a distance as well. We never experienced it but others had said the 3 days before we arrived there was no beer or certain alcohols and our last two days you could tell they were runny short on pop as it was not available at certain bars/restaurants. The wifi worked just fine in our room, was good enough to FaceTime without lagging. We never used more then the 3 hours included but you can buy more time for 1cuc/hour. The food was ok especially for Cuba, but if you wanted variety your best to go to the buffet at grand memories. All in all we enjoyed our stay. Not enough to go back but enough to leave with good memories.

Great resort, great staff!

The hotel was in good shape. Bungalow 59 could use some updates compared to our friend's bungalow (61). Water pressure failed one day, but was fixed the following. No great concern. Overall, kept very clean and tidy. Butler service was amazing and very helpful. Food was good, no issues at all. Beach grill awesome. The grounds were beautiful and very well maintained. Actually feel it could be marketed as an eco hotel due to all the lush vegetation and trees present. We never experienced  [... read more]any concerns and would return.

Beautiful place

The ground where well kept beautiful flowers everywhere Food was great except for the coffee it was terrible Beach and pool area very clean Beach could use more shaded areas to sit Staff was excellent and very helpful Hotel rooms very clean

Good resort

Beautiful gardens the beach was amazing the rooms need to be upgraded furniture too old entertainment was good the only problem is the mosquitoes . The Buffet was good the first 2 days we ask for white wine and they don’t have but after they start to serve

Excellent Resort

We thought this resort rated fairly well, however there are some areas that require attention. Mostly public washrooms on the site ie: pools, theatre. The mens washroom at the pool was closed the entire week we were there, forcing men to use the womens washroom. Lack of toilet paper at all public washrooms. A little extra care and attention to this would go a long way and would not be difficult to fix. Rooms were clean but dated, and could use some TLC. Staff were excellent and willing to help  [... read more]however sometimes you wondered if they even understood your request. Dining was good, food was average, however, one must keep in mind the country you are in and the different methods a food prep. Very disappointed that, despite several reminders, we were forgotten on checkout morning and were left scambling at 6am to get our luggage to Grand Memories to meet the airport bus. Overall rated at 7 of 10

Great Time!

The resort was very nice and clean. Food was good and drinks were cold. Would go back again! One of the best resorts I’ve been to in Cuba and we go every year. The wine and cheese were our favourite... we enjoyed every night.

Wonderful resort

Already recommend to 2 couples. What we like the most was the people working in the resort. They always go that extra mile to help resolve problems. That from our observation because we did not have any problems during our stay. We stay in number 60 Dyane and Michael were super professionals. We are not funs of A LA CARTE restaurants so we did not try them.

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.

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.

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

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 😀

Sanctuary at Grand Memories

Stayed at Sanctuary at Grand Memories from January 18 to 25 Room: perfect Staff: very friendly but they do not speak English. Cuba needs to invest in teaching kids English at early stage, if tourism is their main income. Hotel Lobby: Small for Sanctuary but you have access to Grand memories and other resorts owned by the same company which are much larger Entertainment: perfect WiFi: 3 free hours are offered, you may buy more at 1 CUC per hour. Signal is poor at Lobby, much better in the r [... read more]ooms and Grand memories Lobby. Problem is the one hour disappears in much less time. Restaurant: Very good food, but no investment in good Chiefs. What is good about Salmon, if it has no taste? Restaurant ventilation is very poor and the small in hallways around restaurant is not very good. Currency: rate is different from one location to another, also internet rate is 1 US = 1 CUC, Hotel Bank rate is .87 while the market rate is higher but over charges you. You would be asked to return any CUC at the border so you would line for a while to have it exchanged to find out that Duty Free prices are CUC!!! and they would profit every time exchange is involved. Insects: invisible ones, you feed after and no treatment for it in Cuba, you have bring your own repellant and after bite. Health Care: Also the company owns 4 or 5 resorts side by side and very good percentage of visitors are seniors, it does not have a clinic on site. I have not even seen a First Aid kit. Pests: Cuba is tropical country, you cannot eliminate this but it is a concern if they are around food. My comments are meant to help the company and Cuba improve, I just shared facts. .

Worth the price!

A great resort with lots of dining and snack options over all 3 resorts. Italian restaurant was fabulous! Private beach was easy to get to and very beautiful. Our butler took good care of us to make sure we were having the best stay possible. For under $800 it was a deal! The bus ride was a bit long but we got to see lots of countryside. Only downfall, the bug bites I kept getting-take lots of repellent.

Relaxing!

The hotel was a bit dated, could use some updating & freshening up. However the bed was very comfortable & housekeeping was very good. The grounds were kept clean & the pool (2 levels) was also very clean. Staff always pleasant & helpful. Beautiful beach! The food was as expected for Cuba but you never went hungry. We got what we paid for & had a relaxing time. Quiet environment. Only complaint is sand fleas - bring bug spray!

Beautiful Beach

Resort as a whole very nice but Sanctuary in need of sprucing up. Dining area outdoor patios blocked off and outdoor furniture needs to be replaced. Room doors have large gaps, noisy at night, locks don’t work properly, phone never worked. No fault of the people who work there who are trying their best but the owners should do something.

Great location

beautiful grounds... terrific gardens everywhere! lots of good food choices, beautiful beaches. all staff was consistently cheerful, efficient, and anxious to be of service, especially our butler, isabel. i would gladly return there. the only complaint i have is communication ... when i called several times ahead of time with a question, the phone was never answered. also when i sent an email to the contact person shown on their website, there was no response. it would be good if some gluten-fre [... read more]e bread was available, as lots of people have a gluten allergy/intolerance.

Not for handicapped

There was no bars in tub so I couldn't shower for three days. However I was given a mat for the tub which helped the provider for this trip said it was good for handicapped people. They would provide a new room at the resort but it was not nearly as nice