Melia Cayo Santa Maria

This is the worst resort next to The Memories Flamenco that we've stayed at. First off I'll say the staff are very good, and do the best they can with what little they have to work with. Don't tell me that you don't go to Cuba for the food. People have been traveling here for 50 years. How long does it take to get it together. Beach and Ocean are spectacular, service is top notch, rooms are dated and need a revamp. No bacon at all, no bread for 4 days and no rice for 2. Lunch and dinner at the buffet were the same. At least the pasta station saved us when it was open. The only name brand liquor was Beefeater and Havana Club, beer was Cristal on tap. The only item in the mini fridge was a large bottle of water. We gave Cuba another chance and it failed miserably, last time for us. Your surrounded by those nice people from la belle province. Do not believe what is posted on Friends of Melia Santa Maria site, they make it seem like everything is ok, and when you post the truth they punt you from the group. Adios Cuba, see you never.

You can’t go wrong coming to Amelia Cayo Santa Maria. The incredible staff is what makes this place. We return year after year to revisit with so many staff members who we have gotten to know over the 20+ years we have been visiting, sometimes more than once a year. Morning coffee (cappuccino, Spanish coffee at the lobby bar, a quick trip to the buffet for breakfast and then to the beach which is one of the best, all sand, and great palapa (enough for everyone to have one). The guys on the beach are there every morning to help you find your perfect spot for the day! Lunch at either the snack bar,the buffet, one of the beach snack bars, or Ranchon, you can choose a different spot each day! Late afternoons are spent at the pool, getting a fancy pool drink from one of the super friendly and fun bar tenders (Jose, Joseet). Then a shower, and back to the lobby bar for a pre dinner cocktail or coffee, and often there is live entertainment happening. The violin player, the trumpet, the sax, all just incredible. Dinner can be prebooked at one of the restaurants, or the buffet. They are all excellent, and you can have a different choice every evening! Overall one of the best value for money places to go….but the absolute reason for returning is THE STAFF!

My daughter and I visited from April 1 to April 8 th. The beach is one of the most beautiful in the world. It was very windy for the first 4 days and it was uncomfortable being sandblasted on the beach. But that is Mother Natures problem not the resort. This year has seen higher winds everywhere. So poolside was called for. There were lots of poolside lounges and a wonderful poolside bar to either swim up to or a great bartender who came asking us what drinks we wanted. The staff were the best. Everyone was happy to see you enjoying yourself and more than helpful to ensure you do. From the lobby bar area ,reception desk, cleaning staff , to the buffet every staff member was excellent. Even the gentleman who cleans the beach area for seaweed and the men who set up your lounges on the beach were friendly and went beyond for us. It would have been nice to see their names on their uniforms. Management may want to look at this. Mayelin Dias Gallardo , who served us in the buffet area every night at supper was a great asset to this resort. She always ensured we had a wonderful experience . As a retired Bank Manager I would have loved to have her as an employee. She is a top notch employee who understands excellent customer service. Our rooms were comfortable but in both of our rooms , the patio doors lacked locks. This is a necessity to ensure personal safety during your visit, and should be attended to by Management. The front desk was notified numerous times of this problem but nothing was ever done. After my visit to Cuba in 2023 , at a different resort, I worried about food shortages. But at Melia we had lots to eat , rice and peas, fish, chicken, and even tasty beef! Frank made me an omelet every morning which I certainly appreciated. No cooking for a whole week! Our only shortage was bread for the last few days. But I always thought bread was over rated! The pizza at the 24 hour grill was excellent and made a tasty lunch every day. The musical entertainment in the lobby every evening was really fun to watch after a day in the sun. Overall it was an excellent vacation and I thank all the hardworking staff for ensuring that we had a wonderful vacation. Keep up the excellent customer service. Thank you

This was our second trip to this hotel, as always everything was perfect. The beach and the weather were just great, we only had two rains in a couple of weeks. The territory is always perfectly clean, the garden is well-groomed, the beach and the pool are in perfect condition. They added sunshades on the beach, it became even better. You could also ride catamarans on the beach. There are no uzkikh ones in the hotel - a good advantage for normal people to relax ) The food became even more diverse, I had more fruits, cheeses, different types of sausages, ham, olives. Every day there was seafood, different types of meat, omelets and pasta. The bars always have perfect service and all possible alcoholic drinks. Of course, I enjoyed the good Cuban rum the most. The rooms are perfectly clean, the staff is always very polite and ready to help. In general, what we liked most about the hotel is the friendly atmosphere, it's like you've come to visit your family. Separately, we can note the children's service - it's Juana, Nayibi and Dianna who took care of our children, it's very convenient and the children were just happy to spend time with these beautiful women. There is a dolphinarium near the hotel - a place for children, I highly recommend visiting, you won't regret it. Performances every evening, dance classes during the day, stretching on the beach and many other activities - we really liked it, we didn't have time to try everything, there was so much. I highly recommend the hotel, and we plan to return there again soon. Our ideal place in Cuba.

I Just came back form my 25th trip to Melia Cayo Santa Maria. I always get asked why I come back to the same resort. In one word “People”. The Staff at this resort is like no other. I felt this way on my first trip and I still feel the same way 12 years later. There were 64 repeat guests the same week that I was there and I think that speaks volumes. The resort is beautiful and well maintained. The gardeners work extremely hard every day to ensure the ground are well taken care of. Same goes for the two beautiful pools. The rooms are spacious and cleaned daily. Adonis took amazing care of our rooms all week. Thank you so much my friend. Your daily towel art on my bed was something I looked forward to. A big thank you to Eduardo for making sure we had plenty of water every day in our fridge. I cannot say enough about the bartenders. They are on their feet all day long and they make sure everyone has a drink. They always have a smile on their faces and are very attentive and friendly. Juan Carlos, Norge, Ernesto, Ezequiel, Yoelvi, Yaisan you are all amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the daily attention. Your coffee and drinks are delicious and I love how you remember our orders without having to even ask. The Pool bar staff is beyond perfect. I can’t say enough about Yoseet and Jose. They spot me and my sister a mile away and get our drinks to us before we can even sit down. They run around the pool all day with drinks for everyone and you don’t even have to walk over to the bar. They truly spoil us. Thank you so much. I love you both There was plenty of food and so much variety. There is a 24 hour snack bar with the best pizza and the 2 beach bars sever fresh lunch as well. The buffet has something for everyone and the food is fresh and delicious. A big thank you to Frank, Daniel and Yennier for making us special lunches and dinners. We appreciate and love you all so much. Our waiters which we call “the dream team” Ariel and Yamille take such good care of us that I can’t wait to wake up and go to breakfast just to see them both. They are attentive and loving and they work so hard. We thank you so much for always going that extra mile for us. You are truly loved. Nestor and Yosvany at the beach bar. I can’t even put into words how hard you work and how much you take care of all your customers. The drinks are always flowing and you always make us feel special. You make the most amazing lunches. I highly recommend trying the lunch at the beach bar. We had the most amazing bean soup and fish and rice for lunch last week. I could eat that every day. A big thank you to our wonderful friend from the entertainment team Darbel for organizing this lunch and for going the extra mile to ensure we had a meal we would enjoy. Darbel you are one of the most kind hearted people. You never disappoint us. You are always there and welcome us with open arms. We love you so much. You are our family. Alex the DJ always ensures that the crowd has the music the want to hear. He caters to everyone and plays a great variety of music either at the beach or at the lobby bar after the show. Alex is very hard working and up very early in the morning preparing for the day as well as the last one to go to bed as he needs to entertain the evening crowd. Alex has the dance floor full every night and he made all the guests happy and dancing every night. We love you Alex. You always play all of our favorite songs. Thank you. Yoandry and Gerly at the beach bar, thank you so much for the wonderful meal you made us last week. The meals are not only delicious they are also so well put together and look to nice to eat ha ha. Thank you for the continued amazing service that you provide to you all your guests. We appreciate you. Daymara and all the ladies at the front desk, thank you. You work long hour and you are always there when an issue arises. You take extra care of all the guest and we truly appreciate you. Thank you for always ensuring we have our favorite rooms ready. The bell boys are always welcoming and ready to help you check in and check out. Thank you for being up all night and taking care of the late night arrivals. We appreciate you I hear a lot of negative things about Cuba and I always tell people that we need to understand that the Cuban people are limited and that Cuba may not have all the things you have at home. The one thing I can promise everyone reading this review is that the people at Melia Cayo Santa Maria will always do their best with what they have and they do it with pride. I come back here every few months for that reason. Thank you so much to my second family. You are all appreciated and always in our hearts. See you soon!