Beautiful beach, amazing staff

My fourth trip to Cuba, third time to Cayo Santa Maria. First time to Melia las dunas. The resort staff was incredibly friendly from the front desk clerks to Gardners all making an effort to get to know guests and help in any way possible. The pools were perfect always lots of chairs and shade. Beach was beautiful as usual. The staff on the beach always made an effort to find us chairs and Palapas If available. The room was clean and comfortable staff did an incredible job at cleaning eve [... read more]ry day, always leaving a fun towel creature on the bed. The restaurants staff was incredibly friendly. Buffet had an omelet bar for breakfast and pasta and rice etc. cooked fresh for lunch and dinner. Had a wonderful week. The hospitality of the staff is what made our vacation as excellent as it was :)

Fantastic resort!

Hotel was great, rooms (standard) are okay (nothing outstanding but nothing to complain about either). Food was fantastic (Lots to choose from and spices!!) Staff was friendly and welcoming. Bar service a little slow.

Great Resort

Overall, my husband and I were extremely happy with the resort. It is quite large with many different buildings so if a lot of walking is not for you, then you will need to utilize the free shuttle service they have within the grounds. Our room was a bit dated and the water pressure in the shower a bit lacking, but it was functional and clean. Our housekeeper was super friendly and took very good care of us. The adult pool with the swim up bar was amazing. Treat yourself to the daily massag [... read more]e by the pool. They are free of charge but you will want to tip afterwards. The family/activity pool is a good distance away from the adult pool so you almost feel like you are at an adult only resort. The beach is breathtaking! The sand is white and the water is the most amazing colour of blue I have ever seen. You can walk for miles in either direction. Again, it is a bit of a walk to the beach, and no shuttle service available but we didn't mind that. The one thing that would have been nice would be bathroom facilities closer to the beach area. The food was great. Everyday I asked my husband how anyone could complain about the food. Each morning I started my day with a freshly made omelet with my choice of add-ins plus fresh fruit from the buffet, and a delicious cappuccino from the lobby bar. How does it get any better then that? Sometimes there was a line up for the omelets but that is to be expected. Lunch was usually fresh grilled meat from the bbq down by the beach and dinner was meat or pasta from the buffet with salad. We did try two A La Cart restaurants. We were not impressed with the Cuban one. Much of the food was the same as what we could get at the buffet. The Italian one was really good. We both had the Calzones and enjoyed them. If burgers and fries are more your thing then the beer garden is great. There was one day during our one week stay that the resort ran out of a lot of things including burgers, fries and hot dogs. But, their shipment came in the next day and everything was back up and running. The resort is on a small island off of a larger island. Sometimes shipments are going to be delayed. This should be expected and is not worth losing your mind over and certainly not the fault of the wait staff. The staff is great. We tipped occasionally, not every time we were served, and always received service with a smile. If you tip well, you will receive exceptional service. For example, a good tip at the beginning of the week to one of the waiters in the buffet guaranteed us an available table in his area each night for dinner. We left a small tip and small gift for our house keeper each day and she took very good care of us all week. I also tipped the omelet cook occasionally as she really worked hard every morning and was always super friendly to every one. We will definitely return to Melia Las Dunas!

Execellent location

This is my second time to this lady location, Hotel is clear and service excellent...food good... drink and beautiful beaches... valuable package highly recommended for weekly package is the best choice ,

Well manage resort.

We had a great stay at the Melia. I was up early most days. Beaches were raked daily in the morning. The gardens and the staff that ket the the grounds where alway so cheerful. Frank was our favorite. Our room was amazing. Clean clean clean. Thank you Melia and all your staff ... Would defiantly come back. Bob and Shari.

Loved every minute of it

We found this hotel to be lovely and clean. Bright airy huge lobby with friendly bartenders 24 hrs at the main bar. Entertainment was excellent every night with many different options for a la carte restaurants. Resort was neat and well looked after. Pool area was beautiful and we never had a problem with finding a lounger. No having to reserve at 6 in the morning. Beach loungers were plentiful as well. Beautiful beach area and shade available if needed. Beach bars and restaurants were awesome.  [... read more]People were amazingly cheerful and always willing to help make our stay the best possible experience. The offsite excursions were good as well. This was our second stay in Cuba and the people did not disappoint.

Superb Resort

We stayed at Las Dunas for the 16th time last week and we are already booked to return at the end of March. We have excellent food and accommodation.The gardens are beautiful and the beach is superb. Every evening, they have a different ban in the lobby playing Cuban Music. It is followed by beautiful daily dancing shows at 9:30PM in their large theatre.

Hotel

The rooms where large and the beds very comfortable and big, they clean every day the towels you need to put in the bathtub if you want fresh ones, we were on the first floor but we didn’t have any bugs, there is a big variation of fish and meets at the buffet, the best way to eat fresh is to stay in line and cook it on the spot,there is not a lot of fruit or vegetables, do not expect to eat exotic food or spices because they don’t have it,we tried the restaurants a la carts and the best one [... read more] was International, the ice cream is good and the bar makes a great capuchino, if you want to get good service be ready to tip everyone, they will remember you the next day !

Wonderful resort. great staff, attentive and friendly and accommodating.

we are writing this after the fourth visit to this resort in the last three years. nothing bad to say about the location, the cleanliness, the staff and the food--especially the new a la carte arrangement, the lunchtime outdoor bbq buffet and, the piece de resistance, the amazing pastry table following the evening buffet. but two things have changed--for the worst. 1. during our most recent 10-day stay, all the evening entertainment was staged in the lo [... read more]bby area. sometimes, two musical bands playing at the same time at each end, and, other times, in competition with musical activities on the theatre stage. It seemed like a battle of the bands--at uncomfortable ear -piercing levels. this created a loud, noisy, dumbfounding atmosphere that made it impossible to endure for those not interested in the music. or, perhaps, interested but not at ear-deafening decibels. and it was impossible to find quiet refuge for those wanting to engage in conversation over drinks and/or coffee. 2. The second complaint --and this is a recurring one for me -- is the lack of drinking water in the resort's rooms. with two people sharing a room, we need more than the standard one or two 1.5 litre bottled water left daily, and usually in the early evening. No amount of coaxing--and extra tipping--of the chambermaids, the front desk staff or the men delivering the water-- succeeded in getting them to leave the four bottles daily that we required. I do not understand their practice: i advised the man who delivered drinks to our room that we did not want soft drinks or beer (nor the complimentary bottle of rum found in our room the first night). I ADVISED HIM ALL WE WANTED WAS THAT HE ENSURE WE HAD 4 1.5 LITRE BOTTLES OF WATER DAILY. EVEN A GENEROUS TIP DID NOT PERSUADE HIM. For health reasons and long stays on the beach, we require larger amounts of water. i just don't get it.

I cant wait to go back 😁

The hotel was nice very clean ..we been there before and cant wait to go back...staff were so nice...we had the garden room looking over the beautiful palm trees and flowers...i loved our balcony...we were so happy.

Amazing resort!

Beautiful resort! Very clean. Staff was very friendly. Beaches were amazing. White sand , couldn’t ask for anything more. I was happy to see that the buffet had more of a selection in vegetables.

Where to begin??!!

We arrived at our hotel at 2 am. Getting to our room we were greeted with a towel on the floor wer from the ceiling and air conditioning leaking. This was how they dealt with the problem all week. It rained pretty much the whole time and umbrellas were limited and if you had one it was broken. Trolley cars were not running in the rain and thunder so you had no choice but walk in the downpour to your room. Apparently they had no fries milkshakes or sparkling water?? At the 24 snack bar. The [... read more] resort and service is run down, water leaking everywhere. Just awful! Just happy the sun finally appeared and made the resort somewhat decent for a day or two.

Great trip!!

overall good experience. had a bit of a wait sometimes for drinks at the lobby when it was busy but other than that great staff and a lot of great things for a great week away!! A La cartes were a little underwhelming.

Amazing resort and definitely worth it!!!

Before flying out to the resort, I was reading a lot of the negative reviews and was concerned about this resort. But after a 6 day trip, the resort was fantastic and exceeded all expectations. Food: There was something I can always find to eat at the buffet that I liked (e.g., pizza, fries, beans, pasta). Breakfast was great as the lady that made the omelette was awesome. Lunch and dinner was good as long as you went to the chefs to get freshly cooked sea food, variety of pastas and meats ( [... read more]e.g., chicken, pork, beef). Beach/pools: The beach and pools were nice and clean. There was more than enough chairs to lie down and there was a bar right by the beach. The only complaint was if you were hungry, it was a considerable walk to get to the 24/7 snack bar. Rooms: I was initially worried about the rooms after reading some reviews about bed bugs and a bad smelling odour. But there was nothing to worry about as the room was clean, had no distinctive smell, AC worked perfectly, and a good quality television. Service: One of the best part of this resort was the service my friends and I received at this resort, it was probably because we would always tip like one peso each (4 people) after every meal. Our waiter Roger was the coolest and went above and beyond as he would always reserve a table for us during breakfast and lunch. Additionally, Roger would always provide us the 2L water bottle free of charge or without even asking for it as he always said this if for when you go to the beach. His service was outstanding. Then our housekeeper Dlianna was awesome as our rooms were very clean and would try to engage in conversations with us. Location: The location was okay as there's not that much to do outside the resort as it's not like Varadero where you could visit Havana or local markets. But if you rent the scooters there for 10 pesos for the first hour (3 pesos for every additional hour) to travel across the city was amazing and filled with great picture moments. You definitely have to try this out as some scooters could reach up to 105 km/h.

Our Cuba Cottage resort

We love this resort when we go for an all inclusive. The site has beautiful landscaping, zero outside vendors on the large and well kept beach, and the staff delighted to see Canadians and share there famous hospitality. The food this year was much better than years before as the site is under new management. Cuban music played live every night and the usual tourist dance shows, both in the pools! and the theatre stage. On each edge of the resort large pools with bars - one for adults and on [... read more]e for families. And the energy is great too - families come here and it is very common to see all age groups interacting and partying. There is a spa attached to the resort which gives the best massages we have experienced in any country for a fraction of the cost... Cuban weather, hospitality and decompression - what more can you ask for? :)

Will definitely go back!

We loved this resort. The entertainment staff was amazing and the hotel staff were very friendly. The beach was beautiful, the room was clean, the meals were good with a great amount of different food to choose from.

Nice place

All around it was a nicer resort than some of the ones I have previously stayed at. Some of the buildings are a bit older than others but it did the job it needed. The staff were amazing they remember who you are right away. And it was nice to have a shuttle service cause our room was the farthest away from the lobby.

Good place !

Well, the experience was 4 / 5 ! Beach, animations, employes and environment were very good. Lot of space made de place suitable for many hundred people. Kitchen and lobby are spacious and very convenient for activites and chilling and when raining. But, seemingly, the buildings (kitchen and rooms) are slowly but surely deteriorating. When raining, water leaks in the kitchen. It was sad because the place look very nice. First room we had, it smell mold coming from air conditionning. We decide t [... read more]o turn it off for the night with the window open (hello moskitos !) In the second one, the air conditioning water start leaking in the ceiling of the bathroom and drop on the floor... so mold is predictable in the air conditioning. About food, it take two days to make good choices for our taste ! Plenty of vegetables and fruits ! Chickens were good. Grilled chicken and meat ok ! Diversity for sure ! Staffs makes efforts to made some variety during the week. Apparently, they don't use enough soap for plates dishes and floors when washing. Beach: wonderful but chairs are over used and sticky, towel is needed. Air Canada Rouge: ok ! Tripcentral.ca : Thanks a lot to our agent, Mr. Fred Pongracic ! More to say, but nevertheless, 4 /5 is our feeling, no more !

Great resort

This is our 7 time to melia las dunas it is a great resort the cuban staff are outstanding and cant do enough to make your vacation a wonderful experience. Since its been just over 7 months since Irma hit this amazing island there recovery was more than one would think,they have rebuilt the beach to its beauty. And grounds on resort are being restored you cant imagine the devastation caused by the hurricane. Yes its getting a bit dated as being an older hotel,but no issues hot water,clean rooms, [... read more]no bug problem as they do spray twice a day around complex. Would recommend in a heartbeat

Amazing

The best thing about this resort is the beach. Amazing!!! It is a very large resort, but not to worry because you can always jump on one of the trolleys, driven by Manuel and friends, also I cant remember the gentleman's name ,he had grey hair , very funny always doing his beep beep, when coming near people walking. The girls at the adult swim up bar were always very accomadating trying to make sure everyone got what they wanted. Frank and Manuel in the buffet were always great too, making s [... read more]ure that we got our wine at room temperature, which sometimes they had to go elsewhere to get it. You can tell that management treats everyone good, because all the workers seem to be very happy. We had a very nice room, clean and always done up in the morning. We never had any issues with our room. Some people did not like the fact that you cannot flush tissue down the toilet, but they are on an island and it really wasn;t that much of an inconvience, there was never an odor, because the garbage was always taken care of. I love the new palapas on the beach. I guess they lost all the other ones in the hurricane. You sure could not tell that there was a hurricane few months before. I find it very conveinent to have the bank right on site to convert money for you. The food was good for Cuba, always something different to eat, possibly not tasting the same as home, but still good. It was always nice to see Frank ( the gardener) every morning with his pleasant smile and Hola! The entertainment team was amazing, such talented people! Better than any that I have seen at any Other resort! This was our second time back to this beautiful place! We travel once or twice every year and have never before gone back to the same resort twice. But decided to , and were not dissapointed. Thank You Melia!