What a change....

This was our 7th time to Cuba and by far the most disappointing. Where to even start. The Cuban people are usually lovely and friendly people. This was not so this time.My observation is that they appear to be short staffed or not staffing the busy areas of the resort. "Bites" is suppose to be the 24 hour snack bar. Upon arriving , our travelling companions went to try to get some food. They were met with a woman behind the counter who would not take their order. She just stared at them. T [... read more]his happened a few times during our week. It also appeared that food was being rationed. The buffet food was cold. The only choice all week at the cook station was stir fry. The al la carte's were ok. Again, short staffed. The man I booked our al la carte's with in the front lobby was rude. I asked if I could buy a bottle of wine as the room you sit in has many on display. He said that they were unable to sell any at this time. The rooms were dated and smelled of mould. Our bed had a sheet and one blanket.Our towels were not changed the whole week. There is no place to exchange your beach towel so we had damp dirty towels for the week. Our bathroom appeared to have been renovated recently and unlike many other rooms, the toilet room actually had a door! The water pressure was good and was always hot. There was not beer or soft drinks in the mini fridge all week. The pool only has a few chairs with shade. The beach is beautiful but there is definitely sand fleas. During a quick rain shower they came out and swarmed us leaving us covered for the week in bites. When it came to drinks at the bars everyday something was not available ie) no vodka, coke or tonic water. The snack bar at the beach had pizza the first 2 days which were pretty decent. The rest of the week they served soup. I feel that the pandemic and probably the crisis in Ukraine have contributed to the complaints I have made in this review. That being said, it was disappointing to spend the money and not be satisfied.

Disappointed

Sad to write this review but the reality is that Cuba is suffering from lack of everything and it’s more than likely due to conflict in Ukraine and of course Covid. I have travelled to Cuba at least 12 times and this will probably be our last. At least 50% of staff seem very unhappy and not very friendly which is unusual so can assume something deeper is going on. Alcohol and food supplies were lacking, bugs were terrible. Beach of course was beautiful but overall things have changed and I do [... read more]n’t see it turning around anytime soon. Cuba needs to move away from its alliance to Russia and change its political landscape.

Quality resort

The fabulous beach and sports facilities guarantee you will always have something to do. Great value in room quality and lovely grounds . Very clean. Caring staff. Really good service all around. Pretty good options for food / especially that the snack bar really comes through. Yes this resort is ok!!!!

Mosquitoes

One of the biggest downfalls about the resort was the abandonce amout of mosquitoes so unfortunately being cover of in red mosquitoes bites from beginning to end of stay..the rooms maintain very well except the appearance of looks very old and outdated..example no bathrooms door..

Amazing Resort

I spent a week at this resort. It was amazing.My first time at this resort. The grounds were very clean,I have been to many places in Cuba and by my experience this was the kindest of staff.They were always there to help.They work very hard to keep there customers happy. The beach was a five star +++ The pool was amazing. I realize Cuba is not known for there food but you can always find something to eat. Pizza on the beach was awesome.The snack bar had great hamburgers and fries. Would I r [... read more]eturn to this resort….. Absolutely

Memories Caribe on the beach

We had a fantastic time at this resort. This was our second time there. The beach of course is to die for. The staff are absolutely amazing. We did notice that there were Fewer choices at the Buffet. Lunch is at the beach bar, diamond club were great. The weather was fantastic and we can’t wait to go back again.

Amazing resort staff & beach !

We had such a great vacation at the Caribe. Absolutely the best staff at this resort. So happy & friendly & kind 🤗. Beautiful beach. Fun activities. Food was good. Staff made meals in front of you and just the way I wanted it. We have been on many vacations and would recommend the Memories Caribe. Upgrade to the suite. And have a delicious Cappachino at the piano bar with amazing staff 😊. Amazing vacation will return.

Changed resorts immediately

I had booked a lakeview room because I'd heard poolside was loud. I was given poolside. Nice room however, but loud. I had arrived after a long day of traveling, so was hungry. The food was cold. Ok, maybe better tomorrow. Went to grab a drink. Only beer, wine, rum I don't drink any of them. Checked online and seems to be an ongoing issue. Switched resorts the next day.

Fantastic Stay

My partner and I had an amazing stay over the Christmas holidays, met lots of lovely people including tourists and staff. The staff in particular are extremely wonderful and kind! Things I would recommend: -Bring lots of bug spray. Keep your room door closed at all times, the gnats are too small to spot but you'll get bit a lot. -Bring more cash than you think you'll need. Canadian is great, American is good also. The only currency you can get while you're there is cuban, which is fine (not as [... read more] good) for tipping but not good for much else. -The food is a little plain, as with most Cuban resorts. I stuck with fish, seafood & veggies. Some people bring ketchup, hot sauce, garlic salt, etc. if you're really picky. The beach, the coffee, the staff, the entertainment and the value are all absolutely incredible.

Pleasant

rooms were large and clean, very comfortable, would like a door on washroom The gardens were beautifully kept. The beach was perfect. The food was ok, service was sometimes poor (we waited for our silverware while our food was getting cold, they would not give any to me when i approached them.) The bars\cafes gave good service and were very pleasant. Staff were friendly, usually acknowledgeing us with a hello as we passed them. Musical entertainment was enjoyable, very talented. Pizza at [... read more] the beach was delicious. All staff practised covid protocal - wore masks and practised self distancing and sanitzing. There were no clear cut rules for wearing masks by patrons in the dining room. I was not comfortable with this . Food was put on your plate by workers while other people stood around not wearing masks right next to you. Everyone should at least wear masks when they are getting their food. Hotel needs to make this a rule. Other suggestion would be to have servers behind glass and on other side of bar.Also give cutlery out while you are gettting your food.

Wonderful break away

We have visited Cuba many times. 8 times to Cayo Coco...first time at Memories Caribe. Where to start... Cuba is an amazing place to relax. The people are educated,friendly, and work hard to make your trip enjoyable. Cuba has had a difficult time during covid since tourism is such a large part of their economy. Here we go: Arrival: airpirt was well organized in Cuba...short lineups and handled very well. (Much better than Pearson was during our departure). Just have your paperwork ready. (Th [... read more]ey are in process of switching to phone apps...watch for that) The bus: As always air conditioned and beer to buy during ride 3/$10. The resort: Check in was easy and quick. Luggage stored until our room was ready as it was a morning flight. John at the reception desk was amazing!!! Lobby Bar: loved going for cappucino and espresso with a breakfast beer every morning. In the evening they do close at 11 but start shutting off air conditioning and preparing for closing by 10...there was no entertainment there other than another traveller who played the piano a few nights. Outside the lobby bar: there are tables...they will bring you drinks from lobby bar and the mixed drinks are very good. The bugs are bad at sundown, and if you are a non smoker...there can be lots of smokers sitting out there. They did have a saxophone player out there on Sunday nights. Buffet: Best meals are breakfast!Bacon every morning...fresh cooked eggs...lots to pick from. Catherine is amazing at buffet and always wants to help. Other buffet meals are good...but pretty repetitive. We took a zip lock bag with salt and pepper and spices that we love. Also...i did not see ANY mustard ketchup etc while there. (I think this is in good part due to covid etc). Sports Bar (Route 66). Eduardo is amazing. Makes a fabulous strawberry pina colada...beer is cold. Our room: had requested a main floor room...they did not disappoint. Great location 2204. Air conditioning quiet and worked well Hot showers all week! Most comfortable bed we have had in Cuba. Entertainment: This is where they fell down...there were a couple of shows and karaoke one night...just got people into it though and shut it down. 10 pm all finished. They had a beach party and a pool party one night...but really.meant for the 20 somethings...and bugs bad. A piano player in the bar each evening would have REALLY helped. Ice cream parlour: right beside pool. Lovely treat...with specialty coffees there also. Covid tests: Well organized to get tests done before return to Toronto. Results come back 9 pm the night before you fly out. The problem is that this created high stress on your last evening. I dont know how to fix that though...may be just part of the travelling with covid thing. Pool bar: Dave at pool bar makes great drinks and quick to notuce your empty glass. Pools were pretty warm still so swimming was great. A la carte: They were ok. Staff tried to make a special event...but foid overall not memorable. My husband had steak tar tar appertizer in meditteranian and he said it was very good (but only 4 bites) Odd things we noticed: Almost NO seafood...not even much for fish. Desserts were quite good Wasrooms kept quite clean. Except for the one beside route 66 bar...ladies room never had toilet paper...hand siap ir paper towel. I would avoid this one. I checked on it a couple times to see if it was a one off...but numerous times it was not taken care of. All in all a great relaxing get away before returning to reality.

Bang for Your Buck!!

This was my 2nd visit to Memories Caribe and I will return again ! The hotel in general was kept clean and covid sanitary measures were taken.. ie sanitary gel available outside restaurants before entry, all staff wearing masks and distance measures drawn out on floors for guests to abide by when approaching front desk or buffet tables for example. No guests were able to as much as grab a plate from the buffet table, as everything was handed to you and food was served on your plate by the extr [... read more]emely hardworking and efficient staff... I agree with many of the other reviews...the staff is fabulous .. all of them.. from the gardeners to the technicians , the entertainment team , the front desk , housekeeping etc... Any minor issues were resolved quickly and efficiently.. These people need to be respected and rewarded !! Unfortunately I witnessed many guests doing quite the opposite... not following covid guidelines and restrictions .. and partying like its 1999.... Hello People! You know who you are.. its nice to have some freedom again , but lets do it with respect and safety in mind. The food was good. Always found something to eat, even with the major food shortages happening in Cuba right now. Excellent Spanish coffees as usual. I have to say if you are a wine drinker you will be disappointed with the wine at the Buffet.. there is a wine store and the Tiendo that do sell bottles, which you can bring to dinner. My room was 2105.. with a nice kingsize comfortable mattress.. which can be a challenge in Cuba. Location was a bit noisy until 11pm.. as it was close to entertainment and dining areas.. but very convenient.. The resort is small and well laid out. There are quieter sections of rooms which are still only a short walk to lobby/services. The pool was beautiful, clean and fairly empty most of the time..unless organized classes/games were held. OK. Last but certainly not least.. The Beach is absolutely stunning!! Crystal clear calm water. no red flags.. swimming was beautiful.. beautiful sandbars .. can walk it for miles. Cuba is known for their beaches... and this is one of their best!! This is the only resort that I have gone to more than once, as I like to explore other options,, and I will return again. If youre looking to party and good nightlife, this is not for you.. If you want to just chill , connect with nature and enjoy some of the most friendliest and unassuming people Cuba has to offer, you will love it here!!!

Memories Caribe

Nice resort, rooms are clean and bright, beach is beautiful except the constant blaring music from 10am- 5pm (very annoying) food a little lacklustre (there are more inventive ways of making beef and pork), but people smoking everywhere. The pool was average - circular and not very impressive. Would be nice if a) there were designated smoking areas and NO music on the beac. I was hoping to have a quiet vacation, but the whole beach was filled with noise. I managed to get a week for 520$ ta [... read more]xes incl, but would not pay more than that.

So happy to able to visit Cuba again.

This was our second visit to Memories Caribe. And it did not disappoint. We were pleased and impressed with how the Cubans have adapted to the current situation and their efforts to protect tourists. All the staff was masked at all times inside and out. We liked the changes in the buffet, tables were set quickly once we were seated, all foods were served by an employee and they tried their best to keep people back by use of a yellow line on the floor. To me it was more orderly, less chaotic.  [... read more]The a la carte restaurants were excellent. There were no shortages that I could see. They seemed to be having a problem with hot water in some buildings, so the showers were refreshing.😊 All and all an great week at our favorite get away spot. Thanks to Jenn Black for all her help.👍

Nice resort !

Beautiful clean sand beach ! People are friendly , front desk staff helpful knowledgeable with all questions. Buffet food is good but wish have more veggies. The reserve restaurant meal portion too small. The entertainment is good. Hope they can solve the mosquitoes problem . Thanks

Very good vacation

The good was the incredible beach and the amazing service all through the resort. A la carte restaurants were very good as well. Only Cuban and Mediterranean were open. The bad was the first night I was eaten alive by sand fleas in my bed. I reported it to the front desk and they sprayed my bed and that seemed to fix the problem. Mosquitoes were quite active at sunset and really bad at dawn. Overall a good vacation and I would go again.

Beach is amazing

I was not a fan of not having any doors on the bathrooms or showers. The room we had was in fairly good condition and fairly big, however the AC wasn't to cold and dripped causing us to put a towel on the floor.(Not a big deal for us) Not all the restaurants and bars were open due to COVID but we were ok with that. It was mandatory to wear a mask indoor, however all the European (Russian) travelers did not and the handful of Canadians on the resort were the only ones who wore a mask indoor [... read more] when walking around. We received a COVID test at the Cuban airport upon arrival and from our resort (30 US dollars) 72 hours before departure. It was well organized and we received our negative certificate the day before leaving. The mosquitos at this time were awful so come prepared. We went for the beach which was white sand, clear bottom, shallow for about 500m and warm water. Bring salts and sauces if you don't like plan food.

Covid Cautious

Travelled to the Memories Caribe in the month of July 2021. The staff were excellent but show outward signs of being very fearful of Covid. They follow safety protocols which I found to be comforting but what you are not told is that most of the tourists at this resort are made up of Russians who have not been vaccinated. They do not abide or follow any Covid safety measures. If this is a problem for you I suggest you stay home. Food is good but not fancy. If you are a wine lover I suggest you  [... read more]bring your own. Room was adequate and clean. Beach is one of the best in the Caribbean! Cuba never disappoints in that area. Overall I loved this resort for its quaint size and very friendly staff. I would definitely return.

Memories Caribe

Great trip to Caribe. The staff are wonderful and cannot do enough for you. Beaches are clean and ocean.COVID has greatly reduced the number of visitors which means no line ups at the restaurants or bars. Everyone on the island of Cayo coco gets tested for COVID with results the next day. New arrivals are asked to wear masks until the Covid tests come back Staff always wear masks We will be returning

Excellent Service and Wonderful Beach, some dodgey anti-COVID measures

I spent 2 weeks here. Pros: - For the most part, the service I received from staff was excellent. I would give them 4.5/5 on service. - The beach is the best one I have visited in Cuba. The water is very shallow, so you have to walk out quite a ways to reach swimming depth, but I didn't need my water shoes because there were no sharp shells or broken coral to step on. - The accommodations were adequately cleaned. - The resort is only 20 minutes from the airport. Cons: - Some of the acc [... read more]ommodations are very run down. The first room I was in did not have a deadbolt. I switched rooms (just across the hall) for the second week, and the room was much better. I would rate the rooms I saw as 2.5/5 - There is a fridge in every room, but they will not put beverages in it unless you pay the extra daily "Diamond Club" fee. They will still give you a 1 litre bottle of water every day. - There was often confusion as to whether the buffet would be open at dinner time, or if it was mandatory to make a reservation at an a la carte for dinner. Sometimes the resort would make that decision at the last minute. - none of the rooms have bug screens on the balcony doors. anti-COVID Measures: Some appeared to be effective, while others were not. - Masks were only mandatory (even indoors) until your COVID test results are received after about 24 hours. So you are staying at a resort with unmasked guests, many of whom are not distancing at all from others. - All of the staff wore their masks appropriately at all times. - At the buffet, there are yellow lines on the floor that guests are not supposed to cross, and staff are supposed to handle all of the plates and serve up the food. The yellow lines create bottlenecks so that there is often no choice but to pass very close to other guests while indoors. I even had several guests touch me and brush up against me in the buffet. I also saw several guests touch the stacks of plates. - There are hand sanitizer stations all over the resort, but only about half of them work. The one outside the dinner reservations office in the lobby stopped functioning by the second week of my stay. I reported the problem multiple times, but the dispenser was never fixed or replaced. This is the door that every guest was forced to touch at least once per day, and there was no nearby functioning dispenser to clean your hands before or after. - There are no hand sanitizer dispensers inside the buffet building. So you sanitize your hands before going in, but then you have to touch the door to pull it open, and many, many guests did not clean their hands before touching it. There are no dispensers inside to clean your hands before receiving or eating a plate of food. Fortunately, I had a small bottle of sanitzer with me that I started bringing to meals so I could clean my hands before touching my food. - None of the tables were 6 feet apart. The resort was at much lower occupancy, which should have allowed for proper distancing during meals. However, the resort closed off half of the buffet seating area, forcing us all to squish into one side. At the a la cartes, it depended on how many people had reservations at the same time as you. Sometimes there was an empty table between myself and the nearest guest, sometimes I was within 2 or 3 feet of someone else. - On the bus ride to the resort (so this would be a problem regardless of which resort you are at): They are still running a side business of selling beer. Then the conductor/guide comes on the microphone and starts asking people if they are happy to be in Cuba, and when we don't respond loudly enough, they say "come on, I can't hear you..." and everyone starts yelling and cheering. I was extremely uncomfortable being in an enclosed, crowded (almost every seat was occupied) space, with yelling people who were not wearing masks because they were drinking beer. I would recommend buying the private transfers if they are available for your trip, as the bus transfer has pretty much zero COVID safety measures. - At the airport on departure: It was standing room only in the terminal, and you are stuck there for 2 hours or more waiting for your plane with strangers, many of whom are choosing not to wear their masks until they get on the plane, and many of whom choose to sit or stand right next to you because the terminal is so crowded. There is a hand sanitzer station outside the airport, but there are none inside the building.