Great Resort...Great people

Memories Sanctuary resort Check in at arrival was effortless well prepared on resort staff end Grounds,pool,gardens and walk ways all very nicely kept and clean Beach was stunning and a major draw for all Room and building #60 was perfect and the staff were great especially Leon and Carlo our building managers Also a big thanks to Yarisdy(spelling?) our room chambermaid who also made sure we were comfortable each day. If someone forced me to find a negative point to the resort, th [... read more]e only one thing was the holding and pre booking of Cabanas for hours upon hours with no one using them . Guests paying beach and pool staff to hold theses cabanas while others (me) baked in the scorching sun and only to be asked to not use a cabana cause it was being held for someone. All other aspects of the resort are great and will be better with stronger WiFi in the future and ATM bank machines

Grand Memories Santa Maria Awesome Resort

I read a lot of reviews before booking our trip to Grand Memories,Santa Maria. I want to thank Jenn Black from Tripcentral she answered all my questions and made my booking very easy. So upon getting to Grand Memories with very low expectations, we were greeted by an adorable Concierge by the name of Luis Milian, He was very professional and welcoming. He took us to our room and what a surprise the room was beautiful, he made sure our room was cool and clean. We had the Pool View(Should have b [... read more]ooked the Ocean View) Our maid was Aleida and she was wonderful, she left us a swan made out of Blankets and fresh flowers everyday(I left her some gifts as well) The bar on the beach was ultimately the BEST Lisandra the bartender was so sweet I couldn't get enough of her, she made me laugh everyday!!!!!!!! We met so many new friends there it was unreal, the hour and 30 minute bus ride was a killer, but the drinks made up for it when we arrived at the hotel. The A La Carte dinners were good, the Buffet was very bland and seemed to be the same food everyday- I kinda starved because I didn't like the taste of the food!!!! *******On a side note---Don't forget Peanut Butter, Jam and Hot sauce. OH AND SPF 60 yes 60 the Sun is sooo strong I burnt severely on the first full day and had to go to the Clinic..*******The pool is Beautiful and the Entertainment around the Pool was Awesome big shout out to Yanet. We are already planning next years vacation and will be at the Grand Memories Santa Maria & will be booking with Jenn Black again... The only downfall with the trip was it was too short, we will go for 10 days next year. Manager Estaban was a total sweetheart!!!! Luis Milian was too!!!! My favorite person there was Lisandra Beach Bar- Cant wait to go back and see her !!!!!!!!! The People that work at this resort are so sweet and welcoming, they should be congratulated !!!!!

Nice resort

Everything was really good except the internet connection complete crap, super friendly and helpful staff. Beaches are beautiful to say the least. Food was good even for a picky eater like myself. All in all i would recommend.

Good value for money and perfect white-sand beach

Sunwing's Blue Diamond company recently took over this resort from Barceló and have made much progress in upgrading and sprucing up this older hotel. Our room was freshly painted and kept nicely clean by our room attendant. We tipped her well on the first and last day and left a peso on the pillow other mornings and she was very anxious to give us what we needed. We had a lovely balcony looking out over the turquoise ocean and palm trees, which made up for the fact that we didn't get the first [... read more]-floor, king-bed room we requested. The exterior of some of the buildings is a bit scruffy although some have been re-painted recently. The buffet and a la cartes were presentable enough and the food was consistent with a 3-star Cuban hotel. Don't expect Alberta-calibre beef or peanut butter. The fresh lobster and fish were the best protein items, and the pastries and desserts were sublime. Fresh fruit is always on the menu. The two best features of the hotel were the exquisite icing-sugar sand beach and the wonderful, helpful staff, who were always pleasant and ready to assist.

Beautiful beach

Second time at this resort. Staff are very friendly and beach and grounds are beautiful. Rooms are decent. The only downside was the food. The food was lacklustre but you could tell they try really hard to please you.

Amazing resort

This is the first time we tried Cuba. W stayed at Grand Memoris . Were there for 1 week startig March 21,2017. A new one for me- if you hungri,you have to pay for ANY food on board!!!! Thanks SunWing!!!! Our room was huge,our air conditioning worked perfectly, lots of hot water,our bar fridge was stocked daily and our cleaning person was excellent (Aleida) always leaving us something different with our towels/blankets and flowers! We were in building 52. We were traveled with our 6 month baby [... read more] and we were pleasantly surprised,when we saw a baby crib in our room. Baby crib was good condition. Food was OK. The buffet is the buffet,breakfast was good,lunch wasn't great always the same everyday,that they need to chang i think..... The beach was one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever seen,soft powder sand,beautiful clean ocean..... just stunning!!!!! Pool was weel maintained and clean,just i think water was too cold! A good amount of haded arease if needed. Would we return,oh YES for sure! Our stay was fabulous!!!!!! Thank you Grand Memories Resort!!!!!!

Worst vacation I ever had

For the first time I try Cuba. Wanted to compare with other trips I took elsewhere. It was to say the least the worst vacation and dirtiest place I've ever been to. I could not put it in words the smell of the bathrooms especially the pool and the beach bathrooms. The beach bathroom has a septic tank right beside it that has been overflowing for a very long time because the ditch beside it was Full of sewer water. At the pool where you wash your feet Sewer Water was coming out of the drain. Sa [... read more]nd flees all over the resort and I got stung so bad I had to go to the doctors when I got back home. I really don't have anything good tho say about this run down resort except the food was not to bad considering this is Cuba. The beach is nice but has nothing to do with the resort. Actually the resort make the beach less appealing with that sewer smell. I could keep on going with this but I won't. Don't waist your money there and I will never go back to a memories or Cuba.

Pleasantly Surprised

Before finalizing our trip, we asked the trip central agent and did a lot of research online. We adjusted our expectations because it is Cuba that we were traveling to. Check in was easy and fast however the first room we got had a moldy smell and it was dirty and the phone did not work. The door to our room looked like someone had broken into it. We requested to be moved rooms the same night. Front desk immediately assisted us and had the staff help us move into a different room. Although not m [... read more]uch better, it was a little bigger and lot cleaner than the original room. We again lowered our expectations just based on this experience and decided to make the best of the rest of the trip. The next day was a totally different experience, Food was amazing, everything in the buffet area was clean, hardly any flies buzzing around while you eat. It looked like someone was inspecting the food stations before they open and during lunch and dinner time. The beach is Amazing, it was breathtaking and any bad experience prior was completely forgotten. The rest of our week went perfectly Here's our overall rating, 5 being the highest Food Buffet: breakfast (3) Lunch:(4) Dinner (4) lobster every day A la cart: Mediterranean Lunch (4) Mediterranean Dinner(2) Italian Dinner (5) Emporium Dinner/show (4) Room(2.5) All the rooms require upgrades, phones did not work, toilet seat does not match the toilet bowl, the sliding door and screen is not aligned properly allowing bugs to come in. Beds needs new mattress, springs were collapsing. Grounds (5) The workers were always cleaning and tidying up the surrounding Some pathways were not lit properly Swimming pool (4) was cleaned daily Lobby: (4) Cleaned regularly and well lit Public bathroom (1) was dirty, requires upgrade,although someone cleans regularly but for some reason it was still dirty and no toilet paper or soap. Beach (5) beautiful and clean Staff (5) All friendly, helpful and all around wonderful people. Entertainment team (5) Amazing, they were fun and very talented

NEVER AGAIN!

This was a trip from HELL!!! No water for 6 days had to share a bed, Sunwing rep was horrible and enjoyed putting his hand up in your face because you wanted answers to everything. The entertainment staff could not get the crowd involved with activities. I will give some of the staff were absolutely amazing!

Definitely not a 4+star

The resort main reception area is nice when you first get there. The staff very was helpful. We did get what we asked for as far as a suite with ocean view. Very little representation from Sunwing. The agent was there basically to book excursions. Any concerns you might have, had to be addressed to the resort staff. We booked a 10 day stay and out of those ten days we had only 4 full days of water. The other days were intermitent. Cold showers in the morning and had to fill the tub in or [... read more]der to have some water to flush the toilets and sponge bath. The smell sometimes was pretty offensive as the public washrooms were not being serviced. That brings us to the next concerns how did they wash the dishes and everything else that needs water treatment. Also no phone service in the room so no access to front desk in case of emergency. We bought a WiFi card but could not access the internet anywhere. The food was not very appetizing and we almost became vegetarian as we couldn't eat the meat. Maybe SUNWING should reconsider representing this resort.

Great stay

Enjoyed my recent stay at Grand Memories at Cayo Santa Maria. Incredible beach. It is literally breathtaking. Our maid was fantastic and provided top notch service. The restaurant, front desk, bar staff and groundspeople were all very helpful and courteous. The buffet was a little repetitive but very delicious. The evening shows were delightful. There was a nice selection of a la cartè restaurants to choose from as well as a good variety of excursions to enjoy. We had a bright, clean room with  [... read more]a great view of the ocean. My daughter and I had a very enjoyable and memorable stay.

Beautiful Beach

The resort was so-so. The rooms were clean. The bathrooms outside of our hotel room were rather dirty. Not all toilets worked. Very friendly staff. We had a pair of shorts and a backpack stolen off our balcony. We were on the bottom floor but it still would have been a workout to get the stuff. Make sure you take your stuff in at night. Hugh buffet. Same thing mostly everyday but lots to choose from. The beach was the nicest I have ever seen.

Worst vacation ever.

Hello: My husband and I returned home 5 days into a 10 day vacation to Grand Memories Santa Maria. (extra cost of $465 each for flight home). From the minute we arrived at the resort it was unsettling to us. I fell down one hour after arriving due to the bad lighting and injured my right elbow and right hip.The food was dreadful. Diarrhea started after the 1st full day and did not end until we came home. We left the resort to a nearby market to buy food to eat. We found it next to impossi [... read more]ble to obtain drinkable water. Black mold, blood on our door and hallway, caved in ceilings in the hallway with large amounts of rags on the floor, bad odor of human waste around the resort, broken tiles on stairwell, tub would not drain, toilet sometimes flushed or would not stop flushing, railing on our balcony rotted and unstable, no toilet seats and paper in lobby bathroom with urine on the floor, etc. etc. etc.

Never again!

Besides the beautiful beach and the hotel was very boring because the shows were not at the right time and we always had to go to the memories for any entertainment. The disco was far and we had to pay 25 pesos to get in, the animation was only at the beach, buffet food was repetitive it seemed like we were eating lunch time leftovers. The market was expensive for what they had. I find that the tourists there were very snobby and would either play cards or read books. The age range was eit [... read more]her very young families or elderly no in between. The staff was not bad but they wanted tips all the time for everything and not very social. Not for me, so I won't be visiting anytime soon or ever.