Lots of shortages

Beach is awesome. Even the black market had shortages. Not only are there shortages of food, the food was meh at best. But you don't go for Cuba for the food. Staff was pleasant throughout and tried to the best with what they had. You have to remember they work up to 14 hours a day, 6 days a week. The stay was made difficult as members of our party got covid and were hospitalized. Hola Sun rep was good for the 1st week but then washed his hands of any responsibility as soon as the schedu [... read more]led vacation was over even though 2 were still in hospital. The hotel was no better and kept passing the buck to the rep. saying it's not their responsibility and offered no help whatsoever. This meant I had to coordinate, make arrangements, and advocate on my own which was extremely time consuming and frustrating to manage.

Good times

Best cuban resort so far! Beats all the many 3-4* Varadero hotels I've visited. Beach is second to none Rooms are very good Resort is clean and friendly Service is adequate Food is typical cuba, but more limited options Bug bites for some, but most had none. I will definitely return, and go to Lenny's for $25 lobster more often...

Cuba is Cuba

This being our third time there, the last 3 years ago pre covid we weren't expecting a lot. The grounds are well maintained. Being the rainy season everywhere was very green. Lots of bugs at the beach. People calling them sand fleas. I am not a bug expert but was bitten more than a hundred times the first week at the beach. My skin did not react but my wife really suffered. We were there for 2 weeks and after the first she just wanted to come home. Luckily we had Reactine & Benadryl whic [... read more]h helped her. The second week we adjusted our schedule and would only go to the beach to go in the water and then back to the pool. The pool area was very well maintained and clean. We kept away from the bushes and zero problems. We also kept in the windiest areas areas to put the chances of bugs on our side. We paid for an upgrade to a suite and really enjoyed it. The bathroom was redone and the main area was 2 levels with lots of room. The A/C worked perfectly with a large TV that pivoted from bed to sofa. As there are just 4 units in the suites we had zero problems with noise. The personnel were in general very friendly and helpful. Money! Don't change your money into Cuban pesos. They don't want it. Give regular tips in loonies & toonies. Still no good, because the Cuban banks don't accept them. But... Take 5,10,20 bills and change them for loonies and toonies to carry on giving tips. With the bills they can go to their bank and change it for US$. The US$ is then put on a debit card and then they can go buy things. With the abolishment of the CUC the US$ is now essentially the currency of the country. The resort workers who have access to us are the rich of the country. I asked a barman if I were a teacher in Cuba how much would I make in US$. He said about 30$. Per day I said. He laughed at my ignorance. No per month. The average Cuban is really suffering under inflation which has hit them hard. By comparison the resort workers are paid about 8-10 US$ per month. Because they have access to us. So essentially slave labour but they thay want the jobs because of us. As well Cayo Coco being an island all the workers go back and forth every day. Access is controlled by the military. Every bus of workers is taxed on its way out of the island. But enough is left for the barmen and waitresses to be the nouveau riche of Cuba. Food. So all this background to come to food. So no hamburgers at the snack bar for the 2 weeks we were there. No coffee for 3 days. Crisis for my wife but I drink tea so... No wine for 12 days and the last 2 they had but not drinkable. No Sprite/7 Up for drinks at all. No juice for drinks. A few days Gin but no tonic. Cuban lemonade syrup or powdered Pina Coladas with Vodka or Rum but the Vodka is pretty horrible. And beer but we are not beer drinkers. The buffet is essentially the movie Groundhog Day if you have ever seen it. The one exception being one day I smelt BBQ. Followed my nose and my wife and I each got a rib. Last 2 of the resort. 1 rib each. Checked around with other travelers and that was it. First come first served and everybody got 1 rib. Not a question of do you want a full or 1/2 rack. Went to the Asian restaurant one evening. Rolled up rice they called sushi and pork with mystery sauce same as in the buffet. But at least it was quieter. Funny/pathetic situation. They have sittings at 6 7 8 o'clock. We were at 6. Lots of empty seats. Client comes by and sees empty tables. Wants to come in and eat. Oh no. Have to have a reservation. He was upset. So as my title suggests Cuba is Cuba. I never go for the food or drinks. I am the cook of the house here and have never seen such a lack of effort with making things good. They have great potential with their lean meat but it needs to be simmered to soften it up. Anyway if you go to Cuba go for the sun and the beach. Even that isn't a guarantee. Perhaps in a year things will be better. We have been there 25 times and this was by far the worst. I am just sorry for the Cuban people. A place with so much potential!

Fantastic beach & wonderful staff

Although the beach is the most beautiful in Cayo Coco and the staff is always so friendly and ready to help the best they can, they have so very little ressources available, especially now with all the shortages of goods of all types. They run out of food and drinks everyday and if things break, they try to fix them the best they can with what they have. The buildings desperately need a fresh coat of pain as mold shows everywhere and doors and furnitures in restaurants and at buffet are all so [... read more] dirty (black marks) and would really need to be deep-cleaned. Many air conditioning systems were poorly functionning... The plandemic has had a devastating impact on Cuba and it is not going to get better soon, unfortunately for them. I pray for a brighter future for them!

Amazing beach, resort ok

This is my second time at this resort and was disappointed this time. Positives: Can't say enough about the beach, beautiful white sand, turquoise blue water and lots of beach to walk. Negatives: Did not get the room I paid for initially, thank goodness I had my hotel voucher. I had paid for an Al Fresco room with Diamond Club and they gave us the cheapest room with no Diamond Club. It was a shit show, and arguments to get the room I paid for. Room was beautiful but no hot water in the sho [... read more]wer all week. I don't know if you have ever tried to take a cold shower, it's quite unpleasant. Food: no change in menu all week. Usually we see some variety, not this time. One day there was no coffee at all. For 4 days no Cola to mix with drinks. Rum and sprit is not very good! I understand that Cuba has supply issues sometimes but I spoke to ppl from other resorts and they did not have this issue.

Memories??? You mean Playa Coco!!!!

We never made it to Memories Caribe. We were greeted at the airport in Cuba by reps from Memories and were told that we would be going to another hotel because Memories was having issues with A/C and electricity. After two moves, we ended up at Playa Coco, which is right beside Memories. The people and staff were sooooo friendly there. We will definitely go back to Playa. Not one bit happy with what Memories did to us. Not good customer service at all. Looking forward to going back to Pl [... read more]aya Coco real soon. I have told all my friends and family about our experience. Started off bad, but ended up fantastic. Thank you to Playa Coco for everything. You were all amazing. I have seen a lot of complaints about Memories Caribe. Not good. I feel we should be compensated by Memories Caribe. Thankfully Playa Coco stepped up to the plate and totally welcomed us and made us feel like VIP all week long. Thank you soooo much Playa Coco. We really appreciate everything you did for us. The reviews below are for Playa Coco. Memories gets "Very Poor" all across the board. We won't be going back to Memories. Many of my friends won't either after hearing our experience.

Very nice

The resort is old but very well kept, rooms large and clean, food at beach and alacarte good, buffet same every day. Beach is beautiful. The people that work there are great, so friendly and polite even to the rude people, it is not their fault there are shortages on items, they do the best they can.

Good vacation

Beach was good, a little weedy because it was windy. Room was good, food was ok, but shortages of cola, bacon, and eggs on 1-2 days. Anywhere in Cuba shortages will be similar. I still enjoyed it, there for the beach, not the food.

Memories Caribe

This resort was just the right size, not too large and not small. It was very well laid out. The rooms are very nice. There are plenty of washrooms around the resort which were kept clean and well maintained. The pools are lovely and refreshing and the walk to the beach is nearby with a snack bar and bar. Some of the staff wore masks and kept social distancing from customers. There seemed to be a shortage of some of the food such as chicken so we had pork, fish and pasta or rice. Overall, it [... read more] was great to be able to travel again and feel safe.

Wonderful resort minus the mosquitos!

Beautifully landscaped grounds, spectacular shows, spacious rooms with balcony, table and chairs, ocean view, friendly staff, lovely presentations of dinners at the specialty restaurants with good Spanish wines, super chef in Selections buffet restaurant who made every meat taste delicious, great variety of desserts with ice cream etc.and meats but bring your own spices if you select per-prepared dishes, lovely beach, excursions available to Moron and local double-decker bus to Gaviota Shopping [... read more] Centre but avoid the meal hour as many shops close over the noon hour, many activities available, including pétanque, variety of alcoholic beverages minus any Coca Cola mix so no Cuba Libre, mosquitos in abundance biting everywhere though. Mosquitos risk killing the tourist industry as they are so pervasive in that area and on that site which has a huge lake/ pond of stagnant water so a breeding ground for mosquitos. The mosquitos there are so small that you seldom see them. I had been in Santa Maria in April and never experienced any mosquito bites, so perhaps the season makes a difference too. I was a little disappointed that there was no welcome drink and no porter to take my carry-on to my room and explain everything until later.

Nice resort but food issues

Beach, pool and staff a 10! Food really lacked in variety. It appears there are food shortages as menu same all 7 days and even fries non existence after day 1 of 7. Very little variety ever. Would not recommend at moment to others but if food improved I would recommend resort.

Good Value for the 'Off Season Price' I paid

I have been travelling to Cayo Coco for over 24 years, have stayed at 8 different resorts. Have stayed at other Memories (chain) Resorts. This was my first stay at Memories Caribe. PROS: Staff: were extremely helpful, would go out of their way to accommodate you, they were always extremely attentive to the needs of the clients. Grounds: Lush and beautiful, very well maintained, aesthetically pleasing. Walkways and pathways in good repair and 'Accessible'. Rooms: The Deluxe Superio [... read more]r Room I had on the ground floor was one of those recently renovated, it included an upgraded 'open concept' bathroom ...a sleeping area (mine had two double beds) ,and separated by a low partition a small sitting / dining area. There was a full balcony outside of the patio doors equipped with to arm chairs and a small table. Dining: Could be done in the Buffet which had a good variety of food, a bit repetitious, but tasty and well prepared. There is also a 24 hour snack bar which served the usual fare i.e. burgers, fries, or sandwiches and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. While there I dined in two of the a la cartes .. both were pleasant, the food was enjoyable. Bars: There were a few of them, I stuck to mostly the Lobby Bar, an air conditioned enclosed area, great for those hot or humid nights, or nights when you just want to escape the mosquitoes* Patio Area: Nicely appointed, runs the width of the lobby and lobby bar, a great area to gather, especially when there is entertainment provided which there was some nights. Pool System: It was one of the nicer ones I experienced, with the larger pool visible to the smaller area where the swim up bar is located. Other Special Features: There is a neat little 'coffee shop' / ice cream parlor tucked away beside the larger pool ... it is not to be missed (I missed it the first few days) The Amphitheatre: provided nice cultural shows, and for those who needed ... A More Lively Setting: there is night time entertainment in the form of visiting musicians and bands who are only too happy to have you interact with them .. i.e. dancing, singing along .. creating a party atmosphere if you choose to. The Beach: Like all others in Cayo Coco does not disappoint, however, I was there during the heavy weather as Hurricane Fiona and Ivan 'passed by'. While that area was not directly impacted and we were still able to enjoy nice sunny days with the odd 'brief' shower .. the ocean was a bit 'irregular' with seaweed washing up and schools of Jelly Fish near the shore in the more shallow area, you would have to navigate past them, but one you got to the open deeper water, it was fine. THE ONLY CON: The Mosquitoes in that area were 'relentless', the only reason I would not return to Memories Caribe is because of this nuisance. Being located between two lagoons, it is a natural breeding for these pests. It became just too much for me to constantly be applying repellent .. much of which didn't work against them anyway. I would only recommend this resort to those who are O.K. with battling mosquitoes, or are not bothered by them.

Great place to stay with amazing staff.

We have travelled to this hotel several times this year, but, I leave honest reviews. Our most recent stay was at the beginning of September. Overall the grounds and gardens are well maintained. There was a couple small areas in the sidewalks down by the beach that were under repair which appeared to be from adding some new pvc drainage lines. It rained extremely heavy 1 day while we were there and it was apparent why they were installing additional ones. Secondly the beach. We have been travel [... read more]ling to Cuba for 20 years and I will say that the beach here is beautiful. Pure white sand and always clean. There were lots of chairs available. There are 2 separate areas. As you enter the beach from the main walk to the far right is Diamond Club only and to the left is for anyone. Diamond Club has exclusive bar and food offering sandwiches, burgers etc. The "anyone" side also has bar and food, offering pizzas. We have experienced both sides and have no complaints. The food here is always good. If your up for a walk, wait until the tide starts to go out. You can go either to the right to the point or to the left around the bend. Towards the point, when the tide is out there are small pools of water left behind. Lots of starfish, small crabs. Very interesting to see. Make sure to take lots to drink because it is a fair walk and can get quite hot. Thirdly, the food. The buffet is a typical buffet. It does change slightly from day to day. They do have stations for cooking pasta, meats and fish as you choose. The dining room was always clean but they also offer outdoor covered dining area. Snack bar food is always good! They offer the burgers, fries, hotdogs, etc. over by the pool. A la Carte restaurants food was good as well. They are small portions so if your a large eater, hitting the buffet or snack bar as well isn't a bad idea. The bars. Lobby bar, sports bar, snack bar and beach bars. All offer pretty much the same. My wife and I really don't drink much so can't comment on them to much. They did run out of draft beer for a couple days but it was replaced by bottles and cans. So beer was still available. There is also a small building in the pool area called Beans. It serves specialty coffees and ice cream during the day. 10-4 I believe. A must to visit! Lastly, the staff. I will try to keep this area short. Amazing! Plain and simple. With the current situations in Cuba these people will and do give 110% to make your stay the best possible. Some things are simply just out of their control but you can bet they will do everything they can to make things right. My theory is "a vacation is what you make it" Things can always go a bit sideways in any destination. And if things do and your determined to have a great time, you will. I recommend taking the time to get to know some of the staff. They always have great stories and share some laughs!

Memories are special

This is my second time at this resort. Go with an open mind and enjoy what Cuba has to offer. Remember that Cuba does not have access to the supplies most countries have, however they seem to make the best of their situation. Beach is second to none and people are also fantastic. If you are going for variety at the buffet pick a different country. The junior suite is perfect and the resort is very good for walking.

Amazing people Amazing resort

Hola, I think I have stayed at at least 7 other resorts in the Cayo Coco area and by far this is my favourite, great food, beaches, ponds, cottages and the layout. it’s now under new management, Alba is the greatest…young, energetic, cares for the staff, customers, cats, dogs and even the resident Pelican. Speaking of, I saw a bad review from a Nikki Beach I think her name is…. Crazy, totally wrong information especially about her comments about the Pelican. I have worked with Y [... read more]adira and Paula Baptista from DEPAM animal rescue out of Moron for a few years now at other resorts, and will do so again at this one soon… trying to get dogs and cats spayed and neutered…plus I have had the pleasure of bringing back 6 puppies and a kitten who had been adopted by loving Canadians. About the Pelican; The Pelican looks like the ones from Florida, it likely got caught up by hurricane Irma when it was quite young, and dropped in Cuba, because the pelicans that are natural to this area look prehistoric. This Pelican, he or she has resided rent free at the Caribe all these years to my understanding…Alba the manager now has certain kinds of fish fed to him every night near the buffet by the chefs, I’ve seen it myself… he is picky and will spit out the kinds he doesn’t like… he gets feisty at night and will grab at the ladies legs if you get close enough…FYI; as long as you don’t pull away, you won’t get scratched by his hooked tooth at the front of his beak. He does not know how to or can’t fish for himself (or is really lazy lol) … it’s probably because he’s suffered from a broken wing for so long… either from the hurricane or a dog got to him. He’s doing much better now thanks to Alba the manager, allowing Paula’s group, the DEPAM volunteers and the Vet access to the resort to do his surgery. I am so proud to know all of these loving, caring, amazing, wonderful people. I would highly recommend visiting the Caribe, I’m planning on it again next month, enjoy… I know I will

Staff were great

Staff were great and the beach was beautiful. Unfortunately we did not get a Lakeview room that we upgraded too. Our room had very little warm water let alone hot water. We had a leak in the ceiling causing me to slip and hurt my ankle. The a la carters were good however the buffet was something else. Tons and tons of flies over everything and the food was all cold. The pool itself was nice however the water was cold. The beach was absolutely beautiful and that made the trip.

Very clean resort!

This hotel was very well priced. The grounds are beautiful and clean. Lots of food at the buffet. Our room was kept very clean, no shortage of fresh towels. Pizza at the beach is amazing. Not sure why they didn't have churros at the resort this time. This is our 5th time at this resort. I really like this resort because its not too big. It has the most amazing beach in all of Cayo Coco. The tide goes out during the day and its spectacular. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I will  [... read more]return to this resort again.

Lovely Resort

Nice, pleasant vacation spot. Easy size to access all the amenities, staff are very welcoming, pleasant and helpful. Rooms are ok, could use a bit of updating but due to current conditions it is difficult to get necessary materials in Cuba. This was my second visit to memories caribe and I would definitely return

Memories caribe Cayo coco

We were ther in January, 2020 and march 2022. We found that quite a bit changed since our last visit. The shows although still good we’re not they use to be. We found the food was ok but really lacking variety. The staff was still exceptional and helpful. The resort ran out of draft but provided cans, not quite as cold. They put nespresso coffee machines in the rooms but did not provide the coffee needed for them. Our room was fine but our friends did not have hot water, and our other friend [... read more] did not have more than a trickle of water in the bathroom sink, also his air conditioning was warm at best. They did not report these things to the front desk. I was disappointed that the churro machine was not operating and that we had the same beach towel all week as did all other guests. I got chewed alive by mats and sand flees, could not go to the beach or sit out on the deck. Fly’s were pretty thick also, I don’t think they are spraying as much. I get bites everywhere I travel but this was bad. Many people were covered from head to toe with big red marks. The trip home was a nightmare with Sunwing. Would not have been as bad had they communicated with us. 6 and a half hours at airport.

Not up to expectations

I travelled to Memories Caribe from Mar 30-Apr 6. After reading many relatively positive reviews I was looking forward to a week here. I had previously travelled to nearby Memories Flamenco and had an awesome time but was looking forward to Caribe's adults only experience. I chose to again spend the extra $130 on Diamond Club for the additional amenities, however in hindsight I cannot say it was worth it here at Caribe. The exclusive Diamond Club (DC) check-in and welcoming cocktail was ju [... read more]st a temporary sign propped on the check-in desk which disappeared afterwards to never reappear. And all people arriving regardless of status received a cocktail (DC actually got theirs last) The room 2107 was OK, but I did suffer from 2 floods in the room and a cockroach problem. More about that later. Let me start by listing the Pro's and Cons: Pro's: - The Beach is amazing. It is very busy but that is what a trip to Cayo Coco is all about. You will have to get there early to find a chair, but often staff have them hidden in the trees and a tip will have one miraculously appear for you. Sand Fleas are a problem, but the advice is to put on plenty of deep woods off when you go down to reserve your spot and then not go to the beach before 9:30 when it gets hot enough for the sand fleas to hide away. -The waiters on the DC beach are amazing. There were two who constantly made the run from the beach bar to thirsty travelers weighed down with a dozen bubba mugs and they never got an order wrong. Now they earned their tips. -Snack bar at the DC beach was well above par. Burgers and Fries were some of the best meals of the week. -Food at the Buffet was pretty good by Cuba standards, but you did have to wait. Masks were mandatory and you had to wait for staff to serve you with tonges. There really were not enough staff and you had to wait. Con's: -Staff not overly friendly. Even leaving a tip didn't seem to elicit much in the way of a smile from most. -Waiting for a waiter in the main lobby bar was torturous. Could take 20 minutes or more to get your order if it wasn't forgotten. -No real DC bar. There was just a tiny shelf at the end of the lobby bar with a sign that read Diamond Club bar. It offered one level up in Rum, and a bottle of Jamieson's Irish Whiskey, Ballentine's Scotch, & Chivas. Now I do drink Jamieson's regularly, but this was definately NOT Jamieson's. It tasted more like a cheap ligueur, like a watered down drambuie. I asked for an unopened bottle, but they didn't have one. The Balentine's wasn't much to write home about either. (If you drink your whiskey neat, skip diamond club and bring your own.) -The Sports bar remained closed throughout the week, so no pool table or TV's or games. -The entertainment was a little lacking. Afternoon activities at the pool were seldomly joined by guests. (who wants to do aquafit in the pool at 4pm after drinking all day) Animation host yells at full volume in rapid spanish and english that is barely understandable. Most folks around the pool just winced since the volume was so loud. -Nightly entertainment was so-so. The saxaphonist was amazing, he played all over the resort on multiple days. The folk dance shows were underwhelming. There was a singer one night and she was good (in spanish). There was a Michael Jackson Show one night and it was pretty good, but afterwards the introduction of the participants took longer than the show as they each had to show off their break-dancing abilities. -As usual in Cuba you have to get up early if you want a decent spot by the pool or beach. People usually put their towels on pool deck chairs to reserve the prime spots by 7:30am and they never show up until around 4pm as they spend the day at the beach. It is frustrating but that is the game I guess. -Had a flood in the room (2107) twice!!! First time the maid said they would send by a repair team. When I got back tot he room it seemed all dried up so I thought nothing of it, but the next day it was back and I could hear heavy dripping. Turned out the repair was a towel behind the suitcase tressel to soak it up. The towel was soaked through and water was everywhere again. I called for service and they showed up within 30 minutes and tore open the ceiling to find a burst pipe. There was mold and crap etc everywhere. He managed to repair the pipe and the maid came back to mop up the suite. They did not offer to move me though. -The pond you see in the pictures apparently had a problem. they had to drain it and the smell was horrific. Imagine 35 degree heat and a sewage lagoon. Staff were squeegee'ing up black sludge and other foul smelling goop for days right outside my room. smell was very rough but thankfully did not permeate the room. -Cockroaches: I killed one on arriving at my room. No big deal. there were 3 other dead ones feet up in the room over the next couple days. The maids swept them up. But my last night as I was trying to sleep I felt an itch on my head and ran my fingers through my hair to find a cockroach crawling across my head. Yikes. had the body itches and heebee-jeebee's for much of the night. Then I finally fell asleep around 3am after a full room search and repacking all my clothes and shaking them out several times. Sprayed by suitcase with deep woods off and left it outside for 3 days after I got home before washing my clothes in hot water twice. I told them when checking out and they marked the room for fumigation. -And finally the WiFi. Worst experience of all. Took 2 days to get on to the system. I have an iPhone 7 and was told by front desk staff after repeated tries that the internet will not work with iphones. I know that is BS as its the highest selling phone in the world. Also others with iphones or ipads were working. After 2 days of repeated tries, I finally found a desk clerk that knew how it worked. You need to sign on to the Caribe wifi, you will see that there is "no internet service" listed, then you must go out and back in through Safari to log in again. This will work eventually. It can take 7 or 8 attempts before it works. but usually works best if you turn your phone off and on again to reset it before each attempt. Even then however, many of your functions will not work. I could only text with one person, the rest of my contacts had to go through messenger. No email and no facebook. This is the Caribe system that has the problem. At the airport you are given a card with a user number and code and it works just fine. In summary, The weather was amazing, as was the beach. I would not recommend the Diamond Club at this resort as it is just not worth the money. I really loved Flamenco three years ago, but would not likely return to Caribe. I love Cuba and the Cuban people, but I notice that there has been a definate change in the past 2 years. Perhaps its COVID or there is another reason, but smiles are at a premium.