Peacefull Resort

This is a smaller resort, a little older, with upgrades being done, staff is great, grounds are beautiful and clean, beach is great, 2 nice big pools, some of the food was very good but other not so good. There are not a lot of activities on the site, perfect to relax and rest.

Great vacation

Traveled with a group of 8. Arrived at the resort around noonish our rooms were ready. Check in was a breeze. The grounds are beautiful well kept up. 2 big pools no problem getting chairs. Food was delicious. The French restaurant was my favourite they served a delicious lobster diner. The beach is beautiful unfortunately the week we stayed april 11-18 there was lots of wind everyday therefore the water was rough. I was nervous after ready numerous reviews about hot water. Hot was was NOT an i [... read more]ssue. We had plenty. Didn't matter what time of day it was we had hot water. The room was kept well cleaned. The beach BBQ is where we mostly ate our lunch it was delicious

Great Resort!

This was our third visit to this resort in three years, the last two times during our anniversary. We noticed that there have been some renovations to the lobby area and looks very bright and inviting to relax and listen to music and enjoy your favourite beverage. You can get great cappuccinos here. We enjoyed the dining room for most of our meals. The staff there are so friendly and helpful. Several of the staff both by the pool and in the restaurants remembered us from our previous visits a [... read more]nd we were happy to see them again. We had no issues with hot water or anything else in our room. Our maid did a great job keeping our room tidy. The only issue we had at all were bites received on our arms and legs which after doing some research looked to be bites from bed bugs. It would be good for the resort to check into this and if this is the case, do whatever is necessary to remove this problem. Other than this small issue we had a great time at the resort.

Great resort

Pros: - Nice grounds - decent food - amazing beach - nice rooms - good shows - very friendly staff - junior suite is very roomy - short walk to any place in the resort - artists in the lobby every night - if you have any problem in your room - you get assistance very fast Cons to consider: - long drive - 1.5 hours at the night and 2 hours during the day time. - waiting line to enter the buffet in the morning if you come around 9 am or later - no self-serve snack bar (only full serv [... read more]ice) - if you want chop sticks at the Japanese restaurant - bring it with you :-) - ask about size of entrees - nobody warned us at the Italian restaurant that the pizza as entree was full size (!!!) and not the slice! - people are taking lounge chairs at the pool and the beach even though did not appear for half-day. We were lucky to always find chairs at the beach though - old style a/c in the room - the cold stream can't be directed away from your bed. May be it is nice in the July, but in April we just turned off the a\c while being in the room

Great Getaway in the Sun

My daughter and I just spent a week there and we loved it. We were looking for a quiet, small resort with a great beach. That's what we got. Our spacious room was clean if not a little tired, on the second level as requested and close to the beach path where we spent most of our days. Fantastic beach, and water. Hobie cats were nearby for a quick sail. The staff were all friendly and helpful. We liked being able to walk everywhere, the gardens were pretty, with a variety of bird sounds, the 2  [... read more]pools were refreshingly cool and deep enough to swim, with plenty of chairs. We enjoyed the Beach Grill for lunch, BBQ chicken and salad or pizza at the snack bar. Breakfasts at the buffet restaurant were excellent, dinner was just ok. The specialty restaurants were disappointing , especially the Italian but I don't go to Cuba for the food. The bars were well serviced and nightly entertainment was lively. Night time was quiet and peaceful. If you want to get away and feel secluded, this resort is a good one.

Beauitful people and grounds

we had problems with our room. hot water issue was addressed. when checking out I explained our issues and they aloud us a late checkout at no cost to us. ocean was a beautiful blue/green colour. Beach was kept clean. Drink survice was great. There was a beach party one night. Lots of fun. Snack bar open 24hrs that was awesome. hot fresh made foods. over all we enjoyed our stay.

Wonderful Hotel, Amazing Service!

We stayed at this hotel from Mar.24-31/2017. We were a group of 10 (45-65 age range) that have been going to Cuba together since 2011 (so have stayed at many different resort areas and hotels), and all of us left saying that this resort was one of the best we have had the opportunity to stay in. This hotel suited our group needs and wants, and we all felt we got a lot for our money. I will write this review from my opinion (not the groups, but most felt the same as I did). When I say “we†[... read more], I’m referring to my wife and I. To start – the airport to hotel trip is long – about 2 hours. Not bad going because you’re excited and anxious to see the resort, and you can get beer on the bus for the trip. Leaving is another story. Be prepared for this. It’s not the hotels fault, so get over it. When walking in to the hotel, we immediately headed for the lobby washroom. This was disgusting and not a very good first impression. The pipes were leaking on my head as I stood at the urinal, and the second urinal was broken. Now this being said – it is the only negative thing I have to say about the resort. From that point on, nothing but good. Check-In was smooth and quick – we ended up in building 4 (all 10 in our group in the same building - which was a plus). Close to everything – this is not a big resort. The grounds are well maintained and fully mature We loved the flowers, and vegetation - beautiful. The rooms are lively colours and while dated, clean and well taken care of. Are there some things that need attention – you bet, but we have seen this in every hotel in Cuba. Not a big deal, and the little things like this don’t affect my opinion on the overall experience. I have to mention here that I was on a Transat Tour vacation, and the rep at the hotel – Daniel Begin (I believe - or Veronique when we saw her at the bar at night) was excellent! She gave us great information and was always around to help if we needed anything at all. She was great. What makes this hotel so special are the people. I can’t tell you how friendly and helpful everyone is, regardless of where or who you are talking to. You get to know the people serving you in the buffet, at the lobby bar and beach bar, the cooks – if you make the effort to engage with them!!! Food: WOW. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food in this hotel. The Buffet service was awesome. Thank you Yuneisy and Chichi for taking care of us, and pre-setting a table for 10 when you knew we were coming. So wonderful to get that kind of care. The buffet food was excellent. Did it change every day? No, but it’s a buffet, and no buffet changes everything every day. Certain food was rotated through, so it did change and the quality was always excellent. I had soup almost every day, and it was always great. The lamb was delicious!!! A big shout-out to Fredy (Mudo) on the fish station who went above and beyond to ensure we were satisfied with his special dishes. He was spectacular. My wife loved the crepes she had for breakfast at the buffet. Always plenty of fresh fruit and yogurt. You could get eggs cooked for you (omelets, fried, scrambled). The ham was juicy and tender, and the chicken was always good. We ate at two a-la-carte restaurants – Japanese and Italian. We found the Italian to be better that the Japanese. The Japanese is an entertaining meal as it is cooked at the table. The chef was funny and entertaining. Chicken was a bit dry, and the beef was tough. The Italian was really good. Surprised us. Beach: Again, WOW. Spectacular. This is the most beautiful beach we have seen in Cayo Santa Maria (and we’ve been here three times). Wide beach, plenty of chairs. Thank you Earnesto for taking such good care of us and setting us up each day. He always had seats set for us as a group and brought us little tables. The water in Cayo Santa Maria is so spectacular – the colours! Amazing. The Beach bar staff is amazing! Our two friends JuanHavani and JuanGiovani (or something like that - I never did get that straight) were spectacular. Always friendly, always attentive. Whether serving behind the bar, or doing the beach delivery runs, they joked with us and were always pleasant. Thank you so much!!! There is also a fellow at the beach bar who cooks sandwiches (ham and cheese, chicken, etc.), so you can grab a quick meal from him. He’s great too, but unfortunately I didn’t get his name. Beach Restaurant: There is a restaurant down near the beach, only open at lunch time (11:00-5:00). Here they do Barbeque foods (chicken, pork, kebobs, etc). The Cuban people certainly know how to barbeque, and the food here was always tasty. Pool: We are beach people and only occasionally go to the pool. We managed two trips to the pool. There are two pools side by side. One has a pool bar, the other doesn’t. Both are nice. The area surrounding the pools is pretty (vegetation, trees, flowers). The pool snack bar is open 24 hours. It serves a good omelet for breakfast. The pizza here is good, and so are the burgers. Lobby Bar: A great place for coffee in the morning, drinks in the afternoon and evening. Entertainment is provided nightly – some nights better than others. One night (Thursday) they had a band playing older rock music and a lot of dancing was going on. We loved it, and I’m assuming everyone else did as well, due to the number of people dancing. The hotel should do more of this type of entertainment. I don’t remember the server’s names here, but there were a few that got to know us, and treated us well. A big thank you to all of them as well. Excursions: We did two: Speedboats/Snorkeling and Santa Clara/Remedios. The Speedboats/Snorkeling was great. Well worth the money. Do yourself a favour, and do this one. You won’t regret it. The Santa Clara/Remidios trip gets you out amongst the Cuban towns and people. Well worth the visit. The church in Remidios is spectacular (built in 1551). It’s a pretty little town as well. This was a long trip, so not sure I liked all of it. Overall, we felt that this hotel is one of the best we have ever stayed at in Cuba. We were worried before leaving because of the reviews we read here on Trip Advisor, but we saw none of the things others were complaining about. The water problem has been fixed, always had hot water, the food (in our opinion) is excellent, no problem with towels, rooms was well maintained and cleaned, and the staff are so amazing it makes up for anything that was missing or wrong.

Great resort!

We stayed at this hotel during the week of March 19th and thoroughly enjoyed it. The rooms are outdated and are not fancy but they are very clean and all the staff are fabulous. A huge thank you to Daniel at the buffet who went out of his way to make us happy and made our last day at the resort a memorable one. The beach is so amazing. It is the best beach in Cuba that we have been to. We have been highly recommending this resort to all our family and friends. Ifor you want a clean and [... read more] casual hotel this is the place!

Awesome Resort!

The hotel itself is very nice. One of the better resorts I've stayed in in Cuba! The rooms were great, the grounds were very nice. The people there were amazing! Couldn't ask for better service. The beach was the best part, so beautiful. As well as the pools!

Not to be recommended for tripcentral clients.

The following are a few things that occurred on our trip to Cuba. We went March 18-25, 2017. I would honestly never recommend this hotel to anyone in the future. We arrived and were the first in line to check in. The receptionist said she got us the same room as last year and we needed to pay 25 pecos per night for an upgrade. I said No, we never asked for that. We only asked for a room on the second floor if available. The woman kept pushing for us to pay the upgrade to which I refused. An [... read more]other woman came over and said she would give us another room but it wasn't ready. We were told come back in an hour. It was pouring rain and we now were up over 30 hours and not impressed. Luckily we had been to this hotel before so we went to the buffet to catch the end of lunch in hopes of something to eat. Everything was cold or empty. We returned one hour later and realized we were the only ones waiting for a room for some reason. We were taken to our room and it had not been recently cleaned. The room was musty and had an odd smell. We just wanted to rest so we began to unpack. There were ants but this is Cuba, I wiped them up, and went to have a shower. Wow, not only no hot water but no warm water. It was freezing. Okay we needed air, the rain had stopped and went to walk around. There were broken light fixtures, lamps and a lot of glass on the ground. I was told that the day before a large group of High school seniors had left. They obviously left quite a mess in their departure. We understand Cuba, we understand they are limited in resources but to have no hot water until Wednesday then only that day and Thursday is insane. Every time we asked we were told they are working on it. We were polite, we understand that it isn't the front receptionist fault but no one could speak English to answer anything. Our Transat rep tried to get us to switch rooms but when we went to inspect it the water situation was the same there. Why move then? The last time we visited the Melia Cayo there were many staff who spoke english but this time there was literally no one we could ask for assistance no matter what we needed. The people in charge of entertainment never spoke a word, the maids couldn't answer why our sheets were soiled and why when I asked for them to be changed they were not. We woke 3 days to ants in our bed. Trust me when I say this was not fun. We then proceeded to spray everything down with bug spray, the walls, bed, floors, door, bathroom, you name it. I literally emptied an entire can of bug spray. This seemed to help but the sheets were never cleaned. The same goes for the towels. Beach towels could not be exchanged as there were never any to switch with. I think this attributed to all the sand flea bites I came home with and the bad rash I now have. The food was awful. Again I am sorry and I don't mean to complain but it was so bland and tasteless. Unless you stood up to 15 minutes in line to have a man make you an omelette for breakfast, pasta at lunch or bbq meat for dinner everything was cold and reheated. I brought condiments to cover the taste but I have to say it was quite bad. I was shocked not to find a banana all week. There was no variety and nothing changed day after day. Language is a huge factor. We were told that transat is looking to replace the Canadian representative who is bilingual to a Cuban resident instead. This is a very bad idea. When even the managers can not speak english you are now taking away the only person who can help. Coming home we were bumped from our priority seating because they changed planes. We had paid for extra leg room for a reason. I have a knee issue and was actually at the Doctors today getting fitted for a new brace and physio. I needed the leg room to keep my knee bent but we were given different seats and I arrived home in a lot of pain. The worst was the empty seat in the front row being used for a woman's purse. I wasn't impressed to say the least. We do enjoy Cuba and the people but to pay so much money for a holiday like this was simply not worth it. We know we will not be returning to Cuba in the near future and in truth we have lost faith in Transat if they put their names behind a resort with such low and poor standards. Respectfully, A very unhappy traveller

3 out of 5

Not terrible. Food was good. Service was so so. Have to tip to receive adequate service. Beach was gorgeous. Weather was perfect. Resort was dated but mostly clean. Big problems with water pressure. Excursion in the mountains was the highlight.

Happy and Disappointed - S Trip Ruined the End

Just came back from Melia Cayo Santa Maria! Flew with Sunwing Airlines. Stayed 03/06/17 to 03/13/17. To sum it up the resort was OK - not the best but not the worst I have been to. But honestly, to be able to enjoy a week's worth of sunshine and drinks at the beach in the middle of a Canadian Winter, this place was great. With that said, here is my 2 cents about my stay and impression of this resort. The Good: 1. Staff: The staff (including servers, bartenders, front desk, ground keepers, [... read more] entertainment staff, and chambermaids) were all very friendly for the most part. All the staff said hola or hello when they walked by. 2. Cleanliness: The grounds were well maintained and were clean. Lots of lush vegetation and the beach was beautiful. The rooms were cleaned every day and I never came back from a day at the beach/pool to a dirty room. Yes, the room did appear dated but it had its Cuban charm. 3. Food: Let's be honest...nobody goes to Cuba for the food. But that being said, the food was very good at this resort. The lunch beach side grill restaurant was 10/10 (You HAVE to try the grilled chicken and sausages).The buffet offered a very good selection and variety of food items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The a la carte restaurants for the most part were great. We were lucky enough to try 3 out of 4 restaurants (Japanese, Italian and French). We had a very fun teppanyaki chef at the Japanese restaurant. The food at the Japanese and Italian restaurants were great. Definitely try the deep fried cheese at the Italian restaurant. As for the French restaurant, stay away from the lobster bisque and lobster entree. No amount of salt/pepper could have saved those lobster dishes (this was seen with many of the people who ordered the bisque and lobster). But I was impressed that a lobster entree was offered for no additional cost. 4. Transfer from airport to resort/Sunwing Nexus rep: The bus transfers were well organized. I never felt confused as to what was happening or how I was going to get to and from the airport. The Nexus rep (ODaisy) was very knowledgeable and kind. She is at the front lobby everyday from 14:30 to 16:30. So definitely go find her for all your questions. Also based on the geography of this resort, I wanted to point out that the bus ride from the airport to the resort is about 90 mins each way. If you have motion sickness...you have been warned! 5. Entertainment: Definitely a quieter resort (which I wanted). There was aqua fitness at the pool in the afternoons, daily evening live bands at the lobby bar, and a dance or show every night at 21:30 (usually for about 45 mins). Overall well organized activities. The Bad: 1. Tipping/Gifts: For the most part, staff were very grateful for tips. However I did notice on a few occasions that if my tip was less than $5 CDN, staff wouldn't even bat an eye. What did upset me though was one occasion where I saw a resort guest bring presents/gifts to the staff at the snack bar, and it appeared once the guest left the area, the staff were making fun of the quality of the presents (in front of all the snack bar patrons)...found that to be quite disrespectful. The gifts were by no means cheap either (sunglasses, baseball jerseys etc). 2. Maintenance/Water Pressure: The buildings at the resort are starting to show its age. Exterior walls are peeling off, room curtains were dangling by a thread etc. But we went to Cuba to enjoy the sunshine and good weather...you could have put me in a mud hut and it would still beat the brutal Canadian cold/snow. We also noticed some issues with water pressure. The water essentially trickled out of the faucets. Hot water is hit and miss. But apparently this is an ongoing issue among all the resorts in Cayo Santa Maria. We met a family staying at a neighbouring resort and they did not have water in the showers for 2 days. 3. As another reviewer mentioned, S Trippers and March break party groups began to arrive the Friday. The groups were loud (but what did you expect with unsupervised high school students with access to alcohol). Loud parties in the rooms were heard. Drinks were spilled on walk ways etc. 6. The biggest disappointment was that this trip was supposed to be our honeymoon. We are a low key couple but did appreciate the fact that there would be additional incentives as a newlywed couple visiting the resort. Well...not the case when we arrived at the resort. The reception staff claimed they did not receive a copy of our marriage certificate and/or indication that this trip was our honeymoon. In fact staff was rather rude when we inquired further about the mix up. Our travel agent in Canada had photocopied and faxed our marriage certificate to the Melia, and indicated on the booking confirmation form about the request. We decided to just let it go and enjoyed the resort as regular patrons - fine by me and to be honest, we kind of expected a slip up with this. Overall my resort stay was a 3 out of 5. I was pleased with the stay, and would recommend this resort to those seeking a quiet retreat (outside of the March Break time frame).

Past the best before date.

Spent 2 weeks there. Public area washrooms were pretty bad. Water supply was sporadic, when there was any it was usually cold. We had hot showers on the last day, so maybe things have improved. Beach was good, pool was excellent but not enough loungers until you figure out the system. The pool guys have a stack behind the washrooms, available on request. Pool towels were in the room, but only managed to exchange them once & that took some wheedling. Restaurant menus were frequently a list of wha [... read more]t MIGHT be available. Bar service was good. House keeping was fine

Beautiful Resort

The resort was beautiful. The staff was very friendly. There is no water pressure in the rooms and there is a problem with no water at times. The rooms are also very big and decorated very nice. They are dated but very nice. The pool was very clean and maintained well. The pool bar had the best bartender!

Wonderful trip

Accomodations were great. Quiet building close to everything, but far enough away for quiet time if needed. Pool area, and grounds were beautiful, beach was gorgeous. Staff were all awesome. Helpful to a fault, and very friendly.Supplies for "activities" very limited ie bring your own tennis raquets and balls etc. Overall great

Not greatgrounds

Grounds beautiful,pool a d beach gorgeous,food is disgusting in buffet and restaurants,rooms very dated,not cleaned well,no hot water all week,no water pressure,would not go back,waiters at bars and pool awesome

Just what we needed!

We enjoyed the homey atmosphere of this smaller resort - walking through the well kept gardens, friendly service, the late afternoon live entertainment, quiet morning coffee outside the lobby bar. true R&R. Some problems, but hey, this is Cuba - just relax.

Melia Cayo santa Maria / 2 stars

The grounds were fine . Beach was amazing. Rooms clean but dated. Staff were friendly for the most part however there are many areas requiring attention: insufficient hot water. , water pressure , Lack of fresh beach towels , procedure for booking al a carte dinners , variety at buffet unless present when it first opens. We both came down with an intestinal bug from this resort . They would be better off not offering wifi at all rather than promoting a service that works so poorly . This r [... read more]esort is in an impoverished area ; not having access to an abundance of supplies or services, however they are also competing for the same tourism dollars with other resorts all over the world so they must look for ways to improve on the product that they deliver ..

Wouldn't go back

Grounds and beach were beautiful. Understaffed so many of the servers are not friendly. It's clear to see that management is bleeding the property. Ceilings falling down, furniture and fixtures breaking. Toilet seats in public washrooms are scarce. Had to use a flashlight while reading in bed because lamps were shorting out. No water two evenings and no hot water most of the time. Buffet ran out of plates constantly. We could go on and on. We never complain but for the price we paid, it was  [... read more]a really unfortunate holiday.

Very nice small resort

Rooms could have been cleaner and light fixtures could have been brighter for reading at night. The pool and beach area were very nice. The buffet restaurant could have had more of a variety in food. The other restaurants were ok. The staff were courteous.