For a center town hotel, it is amazingly accessible to many of the museums and attraction places in Santiago de Cuba, If you like to walk. The staffs are very helpful and professional. The room was clean and bed comfortable. The breakfast was very good with a variety of meal for every taste. The only thing, the coffee was not strong enough for those of us who like strong coffee. However when request espresso was promptly serve.

The first time I stayed at the Melia hurricane Sandy arrived our first night and pretty much totaled the city. We moved on but we're sad to leave the hotel after they had worked so hard to keep us safe and happy. We returned last February and stayed in the same room and enjoyed the help from the same staff. We found them very gracious friendly. I took a few very modest gifts and they were well received. You can't go wrong with baseball stuff or computer peripherals like mice or keyboards. For me the highlight of the visit to Santiago was hearing live music four out of seven nights. If we go back to Santiago we will definitely stay with our friends at the Melia.

I would expect much more from the Melia hotel chain but since we are talking about Cuba, the hotel is certainly the best option for travelers to Santiago. The rooms are tired with dated furniture. Bathrooms are moldy and the tap water is yellow with a pungent earthy smell. Service is decent and the staff is generally friendly with the exception of the security guards by the elevators who look at everyone with suspicion. The best feature of the hotel is the swimming pool which clean and generally quiet except when the locals invade the premises. Overall an ok experience.