Melia BuenaVista

Have only been home 6 days and cannot stop sharing how amazing the week was. Just what we both needed! Super relaxing, great weather and superb staff made the week so great. We came for the R&R and got it. This is a place for travellers not tourists, if you need to be entertained all the time then other resorts might suit you best. If, like us, you came for some peace and pampering, you will love it. Enjoyed swimming at main beach and centre beach and the view from Sunset beach. Loads of comfortable spots around the resort for relaxing, reading and quiet conversation. Enjoyed sauna, jacuzzi and massages at the spa and they were excellent. Highly recommend. Main beach was the fav but the waves can be intense depending on the wind so pay attention to the flags and use discretion if you are not steady on your feet. Room was large and very comfortable, loved the private balcony and the outdoor shower was a big highlight. Food was good and we enjoyed a wide variety of meals. Love the soups. No big shortages, one day with no bread is all we noticed. Cuba is wonderful for the weather and landscape, but it is the Cuban people that make it a favourite destination. This was our first time to Buenavista and we plan to return. Want to give recognition to fabulous Concierges Armando and Daymi, who looked after our stay so beautifully. Lester is the virgin mojito master, he and Ernesto and Andres kept us well hydrated all week! Thanks guys! Pedro at main beach was gracious and attentive. Danny gave me the best massage and unwound months of work stress. Our dinner server Jan Carlo was so amazing we just kept going back there every night to enjoy his beautiful energy. Sorry to the housekeeper and lobby bar morning coffee server whose names i forget! Muchas Gracias! Big thanks to you all!

Another wonderful time at the Buenavista. This was the 4th time coming and not the last. It’s been 6 years since our last visit and we were so happy to see some familiar faces. From Lester and the crew at the pool bar and bbq, Levan every morning, and Manuel with his top notch service at dinner. We met some great people from all over this time and enjoyed the nightly entertainment. A special mention to the groundskeepers who keep the property immaculate. Hope to be back again soon.

This the second time we come here, and we'll be back again. A great nice little retreat that has no equal. Their best asset is the workers. The Cubans in general are great, and you have a proof here at this hotel. They go beyond the standard. They make your stay much better. The rooms are good, some show some age, still great, and they are being renovated. Always quiet, large and clean. The beds are real North American queen or king size beds, and comfortable. If you have something damaged, the staff, repair technicians, cleaning, ... will be there within 10 minutes. Food is good to great. Just as good or better as any restaurant in the Caribbean. Some will tell you there is "only" two restaurants, but they change their menus every day. So it's like you have a ton of restaurants, with the same great staff that gets to know you. They deal pretty good with the various supply difficulties. Bread is always fresh. The little pizza bar at the pool makes it awesome. Beaches are excellent!! You can't find a better setup than this: 3 totally different beaches. All with chairs and palapas, and served. Chairs are always available. No need to get up early and reserve, there will be chairs to sit on at any time. The one facing east is huge, next hotel is 5km away, stays belly dept for infinite distance, there is a small island. But windy and could have big waves. That's when you switch to the second beach: small, secluded and protected by old above water coral reefs, facing North. It's quiet, shaped like a W, soft sand, perfect. Not easy to bathe at low tide. If it's still too windy for you, go to the west beach. Much warmer, sand is even softer, even more quiet. The water is good for swimming only at high tide. The sunset time is to die for. They even have a musician come play some classics: heavenly! If you walk west again you will see the houses for rent by Melia. Only downside: no sports equipment. There are life guards, some will take you snorkeling at one of the 3 beaches. The snorkeling is great. You can choose according to the wind/waves, tide, depth,... But nothing else. You can go to the next Melia hotel by scheduled bus and use their sports equipment (catamaran, ...). Animation is good. Marcos does a variety of activities, not just dance in the pool. Nabi (?) does great rum and Canchancharra presentations. Some of the great employees: Manager: Louis Butlers: Yanis, Daymi Breakfast: Cristiano Entertainment: Marcus Bar pool: Yeikel, Nabi Pizza bar: Alexandro Bar center: Lady, Manuel Restaurant: Geovel. Bar West: Jesus. They are all great, there are many more, and I'm bad at remembering names. Note: this is not a party place. It's a nice quiet retreat, the best one at it. If you want to be noisy and party, go somewhere else.

Another visit to my home away from home, this being the fourth time, and it never ceases to amaze me. It really is a very special place. The views and beaches are one of a kind and leaves me in awe every single time. This resort offers the perfect mix of relaxation and activities to participate in if you so choose to. I can’t say enough about the amazing people who work here. They all work very hard every single day but yet they greet you with a smile and will do anything for you. Special shout outs to Yaikel, Lester, Marcos, Navi, Leidy, and Andrenxon (to name a few) who brought joy to my holiday and always do. A huge thank you to Lanni who kept my room clean and always added something special. She left me a sweet gift the night before I left but I didn’t have a chance to say thank you to her in person. Please pass along my thanks and gratitude to her for me. The food was tremendous all week long and I thank the restaurant staff for their service and hard work. The return-guest dinner was a great success and it was a lot of fun hearing others stories and experiences over the years. I will definitely return and hopefully sooner rather than later. Cheers and hugs to everyone at Buenavista. Xo

Our first time at Melia Buena Vista. Friendly helpful staff. Wonderful location. No power outages. Some flour shortages. We will come back!