Grand Memories Santa Maria
Jardines del Rey, 52610 Cuba
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About
4.5
#5 of 25 hotels in Cayo Santa MariaLocation
Cleanliness
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Value
Enjoy Cuba’s blissful year-round climate, stunning white sand beaches and crystal clear waters and stay at Grand Memories Santa Maria. Elegant and spacious guestrooms are available in a variety of room categories in the child-friendly and adults only sections. Lounge by the dazzling pool, get active with a variety of land and water sports, work out at the fitness centre or pamper yourself at the luxurious spa. Children will have a great time at our Kids Club, which features a children’s play area with supervised games and activities.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Wifi
Pool
Free breakfast
Beach
Tennis court
Babysitting
Children's television networks
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary welcome drink
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Billiards
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Kids pool
Airport transportation
Car hire
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Couples massage
Massage
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Shops
Sun deck
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
Infirmary
24-hour check-in
24-hour front desk
Laundry service
Room features
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Safe
Telephone
Cable / satellite TV
Hair dryer
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Iron
Private bathrooms
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Jardines del Rey, 52610 Cuba
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 39 out of 100
39
Cayo Coco Airport
75.3 km•
See all flights
Rental Cars
3 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
Reviews
4.5
3,110 reviews
Reviews summary
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
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Grand Memories Santa Maria is often celebrated for its pristine beaches, diverse dining options, and vibrant entertainment, despite occasional resource shortages. While the hotel's location earns accolades for adding to guests' enjoyment, the value proposition is met with mixed feelings due to various service and amenity concerns. Room conditions are inconsistent, with cleanliness and maintenance levels varying.
The atmosphere is generally lively, featuring music and dancing, though some areas are reportedly in need of a refresh. The staff's attentive service is frequently commended, as is the overall cleanliness of the resort, with special mention of the well-maintained beaches.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Neglected
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Detailed Reviews
Travelling as a couple, we just came home a few days ago from Grand Memories, we stayed Jan 30 - Feb 6 2020 as regular guests, not diamond club. Our room was in building 55 first floor, the room was large but needs updating, in fact many of the rooms in the building were completely being redone while we were staying there... it is possible that our room is being worked on right now. Our room was clean, the maid did a very good job everyday. We had three issues with the room which were reported 3 times to both the front desk and customer service, it took 3 days for someone to come by and in the end only 2 items were fixed.
We are seasoned travelers to Cuba and have visited several times over the years and book last minute to get the best price and value. This resort is above average when we compare them to other Cuba resorts we have stayed at. If you find it for a good price and you are not expecting a 5 star resort for a 3 star price, then book it.
The buffet we found to be very good and it was not the same thing everyday, as they did mixed it up a bit. There is a pasta station and two grills, one for seafood and another for meat (beef, chicken and pork). The seafood grill was my favourite, everything was fresh and very good. The waiters and waitresses are hard working and are very good and some very professional.
We went to three a la carte restaurants, we enjoyed everyone of them and it is a nice change from the buffet.
The beach is very nice, and one of the best we have visited in Cuba, however the sand fleas seemed to be more of a problem here. The beach bars were good and found not having to wait very long, if at all for a drink. Nice to see that they no longer provide straws and would recommend you bring your own insulated drink cup so they don't have to use disposable plastic cups.
The lobby bar is great and our goto for morning specialty coffees, as well as drinks in the evening while enjoying the nightly entertainment.
There is a market nearby just a 10 minute walk from the hotel, along the main roadway with lots of vendors and places to eat.
Some of the walkways in the resort have missing or nonfunctional lights, so at night it can be difficult to see, maybe bring a small flashlight, or have your cell phone handy to use as a flashlight. This is something management should fix!
Be careful on the pathways, both during the day and at night as the carts are driven fast by staff and seem to come at you from nowhere, please be mindful of this especially if you are travelling with children.
Our major negative is something that the resort can not do too much about.... some of the guests are very rude and truly lack any class. As an example, we have seen individuals at the bread table in the buffet picking up sliced bread and buns only to put them back again... At the beach burger/hotdog hut we saw two individuals eating the toppings with the fork used to put them on your burger or hotdog!!
In closing, would we come back again to the Grand Memories? Yes, if the price is right!
We are seasoned travelers to Cuba and have visited several times over the years and book last minute to get the best price and value. This resort is above average when we compare them to other Cuba resorts we have stayed at. If you find it for a good price and you are not expecting a 5 star resort for a 3 star price, then book it.
The buffet we found to be very good and it was not the same thing everyday, as they did mixed it up a bit. There is a pasta station and two grills, one for seafood and another for meat (beef, chicken and pork). The seafood grill was my favourite, everything was fresh and very good. The waiters and waitresses are hard working and are very good and some very professional.
We went to three a la carte restaurants, we enjoyed everyone of them and it is a nice change from the buffet.
The beach is very nice, and one of the best we have visited in Cuba, however the sand fleas seemed to be more of a problem here. The beach bars were good and found not having to wait very long, if at all for a drink. Nice to see that they no longer provide straws and would recommend you bring your own insulated drink cup so they don't have to use disposable plastic cups.
The lobby bar is great and our goto for morning specialty coffees, as well as drinks in the evening while enjoying the nightly entertainment.
There is a market nearby just a 10 minute walk from the hotel, along the main roadway with lots of vendors and places to eat.
Some of the walkways in the resort have missing or nonfunctional lights, so at night it can be difficult to see, maybe bring a small flashlight, or have your cell phone handy to use as a flashlight. This is something management should fix!
Be careful on the pathways, both during the day and at night as the carts are driven fast by staff and seem to come at you from nowhere, please be mindful of this especially if you are travelling with children.
Our major negative is something that the resort can not do too much about.... some of the guests are very rude and truly lack any class. As an example, we have seen individuals at the bread table in the buffet picking up sliced bread and buns only to put them back again... At the beach burger/hotdog hut we saw two individuals eating the toppings with the fork used to put them on your burger or hotdog!!
In closing, would we come back again to the Grand Memories? Yes, if the price is right!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Building 55 is a short walk to the beach.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 10, 2020
Dear Costumer, Thank you for giving us the opportunity of hosting you at Grand Memories Santa Maria and for sharing your experience with us. It is inspiring to see that our efforts are appreciated as we are constantly working to exceed our guests’ expectations. We are glad that you experienced a luxurious stay and enjoyed our facilities. Also we are happy to hear that you enjoyed beautiful beach and the service provided by our staff. We look forward to hosting you on your next visit to Cayo Santa Maria. Best regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I look forward to going back to Memories ASAP!
This is a lovely large resort, with many pools, great restaurants, entertainment and the beach is dreamy pure white powder, with turquoise green/blue water.
The food is excellent, the restaurants are outstanding with a very good variety of food options.
We booked the diamond club, so was able to reserve a different restaurant each night and was very spoiled. The staff are lovely, and will go out of their way to take care of you. The Cuban people are enchanting, take a little time to get to know them, and be respectful, you will be rewarded with their warmth.
The shows at night are brilliant! High quality with some good musical bands scattered around in various places.
My take on the negative feedback is this. If you look for things that are wrong, you will find them. Don't waste your vacation nit picking.
If you look for all that is beautiful here at Memories, and soak up the great energy, food, entertainment and atmosphere you will be very glad you came.
Be generous and tip. Cuban Pesos are preferred, do not bring Canadian coins, they are useless here.
If you like tennis, find Jorge, who is friendly and will hit or give you some advice on your game. Hola Georgie!
Ricardo, many thanks to you for your assistance, patience, and kindness, making our memories vacation memorable! My thoughts are with you and your family in Italy.
Muchas Gracias y nos vemos a usted y al personal el próximo año
This is a lovely large resort, with many pools, great restaurants, entertainment and the beach is dreamy pure white powder, with turquoise green/blue water.
The food is excellent, the restaurants are outstanding with a very good variety of food options.
We booked the diamond club, so was able to reserve a different restaurant each night and was very spoiled. The staff are lovely, and will go out of their way to take care of you. The Cuban people are enchanting, take a little time to get to know them, and be respectful, you will be rewarded with their warmth.
The shows at night are brilliant! High quality with some good musical bands scattered around in various places.
My take on the negative feedback is this. If you look for things that are wrong, you will find them. Don't waste your vacation nit picking.
If you look for all that is beautiful here at Memories, and soak up the great energy, food, entertainment and atmosphere you will be very glad you came.
Be generous and tip. Cuban Pesos are preferred, do not bring Canadian coins, they are useless here.
If you like tennis, find Jorge, who is friendly and will hit or give you some advice on your game. Hola Georgie!
Ricardo, many thanks to you for your assistance, patience, and kindness, making our memories vacation memorable! My thoughts are with you and your family in Italy.
Muchas Gracias y nos vemos a usted y al personal el próximo año
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Mar 19, 2020
Dear Karen, Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review about your experience with us. We are happy to see that overall you had a nice vacation at our little paradise and you enjoyed our beautiful beach. I want to finish by thanking you for choosing Grand Memories Santa Maria for your vacation. We hope to see you again if you choose to come back to Cayo Santa Maria. Best regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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After a early morning and getting to the resort around 2pm, we checked in at the front desk, only to be told we had to go to the diamond club to finish checking in. I am assuming that because we could not get into our room until 4:30 they upgraded us. We have a 11 month old and a 3 year old and all we wanted was a room so we could get the kids relaxed.
DIAMOND CLUB.
Got upgraded for free. Would never pay for this service as I don't think its worth it. The dining room had its own Dimaond club area but they wold not sit us there the whole week. The only good thing about this club is that you have your own beach area and always get chairs.
The room was not too bad. Typical resort room. We always open the doors when we get there to get the mustiness out. Our cleaner for the week was fantastic, Best guy I have had to clean our rooms. If you go, make sure to put a towel at the door to get any sand off your feet as it gets everywhere
The beach was amazing. Even though it was windy all week with only one day of calm, the kids enjoyed it and it was nice white sand. Went on the Hobie cats for a ride on a very windy day and it was fun,
We ate at all 4 al a carts and they were all very good. Much better then eating at the buffet all week The buffet wasn't bad. Typical food for Cuba. Don't go expecting the best and you won't be let down.
Public bathrooms were pretty nasty most of the week. My son had to go to the bathroom and there's no toilet paper, which I did not realize until after. I had to run around to find some. Not sure If the bathrooms were nasty dirty due to them not getting cleaned on a regular bias or nasty dirty people trashing them.
The pizza bar was good but always lined up. My wife waited 2 hours to get a pizza one day. They need to get another oven and helper to deal with the line ups.
We didn't use anything to do with the entertainment staff, but I did notice that most of the time the Male entertainment staff were constantly talking to female guests and never any males. Wasn't sure if they were tying to get picked up or actually do there job to get them to come do the entertainment activities. . Watched a few of them talk to the same female guest for hours on end.
Over all its not a bad resort. Its a little run down, but we talked to someone who's been there 10 times and they said they're still trying to get everything back up from the hurricane.
DIAMOND CLUB.
Got upgraded for free. Would never pay for this service as I don't think its worth it. The dining room had its own Dimaond club area but they wold not sit us there the whole week. The only good thing about this club is that you have your own beach area and always get chairs.
The room was not too bad. Typical resort room. We always open the doors when we get there to get the mustiness out. Our cleaner for the week was fantastic, Best guy I have had to clean our rooms. If you go, make sure to put a towel at the door to get any sand off your feet as it gets everywhere
The beach was amazing. Even though it was windy all week with only one day of calm, the kids enjoyed it and it was nice white sand. Went on the Hobie cats for a ride on a very windy day and it was fun,
We ate at all 4 al a carts and they were all very good. Much better then eating at the buffet all week The buffet wasn't bad. Typical food for Cuba. Don't go expecting the best and you won't be let down.
Public bathrooms were pretty nasty most of the week. My son had to go to the bathroom and there's no toilet paper, which I did not realize until after. I had to run around to find some. Not sure If the bathrooms were nasty dirty due to them not getting cleaned on a regular bias or nasty dirty people trashing them.
The pizza bar was good but always lined up. My wife waited 2 hours to get a pizza one day. They need to get another oven and helper to deal with the line ups.
We didn't use anything to do with the entertainment staff, but I did notice that most of the time the Male entertainment staff were constantly talking to female guests and never any males. Wasn't sure if they were tying to get picked up or actually do there job to get them to come do the entertainment activities. . Watched a few of them talk to the same female guest for hours on end.
Over all its not a bad resort. Its a little run down, but we talked to someone who's been there 10 times and they said they're still trying to get everything back up from the hurricane.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: ask for a top floor room seaside
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Jan 24, 2020
Dear Scott, Receive a trendy regard from Cayo Santa Maria, Our principal objective is to make an unforgettable experience the vacation of our visitors and we are glad to know that you really enjoyed your stay at Memories Paraiso. We are pleased to know that you enjoyed your stay with us and that our facilities and services offered to you by our staff were to your fullest satisfaction. We are sincerely looking forward to the pleasure of welcoming you again in our paradise for every age and assure you that you will enjoy even superior services and facilities on your next visit. Thank you for choosing us. Kind regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed here for one week with my family, not the best experience. The menu at the buffet did not change the whole week same food morning, noon and night every day.Had to go out and buy food for the kids because the food was so bad they wouldn’t eat it. The bathrooms were dirty and smelly and there was no bathroom tissue most of the time. I was locked out of my room six times while I was there because something was wrong with the lock and they weren’t in any hurry to do anything about it. My tv remote didn’t work at all, there were no batteries in it, reported it but nothing was done about it either. But on the other hand the employees were very friendly, the beach was beautiful even though there were hardly any chairs at the beach or the pools. If you’re going for the sun and the beach and you don’t care about the food or the drinks then for the price it’s not bad. Just remember to bring your own face cloth and toilet paper and bring yourself some food that you can snack on.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 12, 2020
Dear guest, It is a pleasure to express our gratitude for your kind preference of visiting our resort, and especially for the valuable time that you took to let us know your experiences concerning your stay. We sincerely appreciate your comments that give us the opportunity to adjust and improve our service. It's sad to know you found some inconveniences. As we are continually improving, we will take all your insights with a profound sense of responsibility to improve these issues and address them properly. Your comment has been sent to the departments in order to investigate what might happened and give them the attention required. Thank you for choosing us. Kind regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were there in February 2020. On a positive side the beach was stunning with perfect waves and virtually no seaweed. Beach chairs were fairly easy to come by. The employees in all areas were attentive, kind and hospitable. The dancers in the shows were talented and the Cuban night show was great.
On the contrary, the customer service staff at the front desk clearly showed frustration in their body language at the simplest questions. They were not very supportive and rarely followed through on requests. Overall the resort is looking run down, and facilities are not up to par. Without warning we had no water in our building one day. There was no power in the halls one night, and we changed rooms three times due to water leaks or electrical issues. Additionally my boyfriend and I both got sick on the resort. Being my third trip to Cuba, and several other all inclusives in the Caribbean, this was my first experience with this unfortunate issue. When compared to other Cuban all-inclusive resorts I’d avoid this one - there are many others too choose from in the same vicinity.
On the contrary, the customer service staff at the front desk clearly showed frustration in their body language at the simplest questions. They were not very supportive and rarely followed through on requests. Overall the resort is looking run down, and facilities are not up to par. Without warning we had no water in our building one day. There was no power in the halls one night, and we changed rooms three times due to water leaks or electrical issues. Additionally my boyfriend and I both got sick on the resort. Being my third trip to Cuba, and several other all inclusives in the Caribbean, this was my first experience with this unfortunate issue. When compared to other Cuban all-inclusive resorts I’d avoid this one - there are many others too choose from in the same vicinity.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Dear Guest, On behalf of all Grand staff, we would like to give you a huge thank you for providing part of your time to share such a beautiful review about your stay with us. We are pleased to know we succeeded your expectations and you enjoyed our amazing beach and service. What makes us really proud is the fact all our staff was so attentive with you during your stay. Your happiness is our best reward after everyday work. Thank you for choosing us. Warm regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked through Sunwing, which stated that Grand Memories was a 4.5 star resort. To start, there was no service staff directing you to the bus at the airport and we were worried that we had gotten on the wrong bus. There was a complete lack of direction and food upon arrival at the resort. When we got to our room which was a 10 minute walk from the lobby, we were terrified as our beds were wet, and the entire room was falling apart. The air conditioning did not work, the bathroom was not cleaned and there was dirt everywhere. It was not just our room that was falling apart the entire resort was, the boardwalk to the beach was missing planks and you had to step to be careful not to fall through. The buildings were extremely old and the railings were extremely loose. The food was below average and the lineups were fairly long. The only thing open 24 hours is the pizza stand, and the line for that is always longer than 20 minutes. The pizza is delicious and saved our stomachs for the week. The beach grill food and the buffet food was bearable. The a la carte restaurants were definitely a step up from the buffet and it is good to ask the wait staff which options were best in order to avoid the bland overcooked options. We were upgraded to diamond club which had a nicer beachfront view although was not worth money nor did it improve the quality of our rooms.
Now for the good. The individual staff members (cleaners, servers, bartenders, beach, cooks) were friendly and made us feel extremely welcome and safe. Tipping is not required but HIGHLY SUGGESTED! They deserve it and it is a shame they need it considering the resort and sunwing do not pay enough. The beach was beautiful and there is plenty of available shade. From the moment we woke up to dinner time we were out enjoying the ocean and stayed clear of our rooms/resort buildings. There is no free wifi and the payed wifi service is limited nonetheless we really appreciated this aspect of our family vacation.
Overall I would say we had a nice vacation swimming in the ocean and relaxing in the sun but I essentially have nothing positive to say about the physical resort, the food, and the setup of Cayo Santa Maria+Sunwing.
Now for the good. The individual staff members (cleaners, servers, bartenders, beach, cooks) were friendly and made us feel extremely welcome and safe. Tipping is not required but HIGHLY SUGGESTED! They deserve it and it is a shame they need it considering the resort and sunwing do not pay enough. The beach was beautiful and there is plenty of available shade. From the moment we woke up to dinner time we were out enjoying the ocean and stayed clear of our rooms/resort buildings. There is no free wifi and the payed wifi service is limited nonetheless we really appreciated this aspect of our family vacation.
Overall I would say we had a nice vacation swimming in the ocean and relaxing in the sun but I essentially have nothing positive to say about the physical resort, the food, and the setup of Cayo Santa Maria+Sunwing.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Sanctuary/Diamond Club and pray
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Jan 7, 2020
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to write your opinion about your experience with us. We are glad to know you enjoyed our beach, one of the most beautiful in the world. However, we are disappointed to know we did not reach your expectations. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience that you might had during your stay. We always work hard to give our guests the best experience and your suggestions are the clue to improve everyday. We take note of your comments and we will work on a solution. We hope you will give us another chance in the future. Best regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have never written a review before. We have been at 9 all inclusive resorts prior to this one and we felt we needed to make people aware of issues at this resort. We stayed at the Grand Memories in Cayo Santa Maria February 7 to 14, 2020. This was our third time in Cuba but the worst resort we have ever stayed at and is definitely not a 4.5 star. We arrived at the resort and had to wait for our room to be ready, so we used the public bathrooms which had no toilet seats or toilet paper and were very dirty (feces all over the toilets). We finally got in to our room (took just over an hour). Our room had no toilet paper and the toilet seat was much smaller than the toilet bowl. The toilet leaked badly every time you flushed. The room was not very clean (lots of dust). The pillows were always wet and we were very happy that we brought our own. No beach towels were in the room as told by front desk. Our bed was broken. Slept in the bed that night and woke up very sore the next morning. We went to the front desk to advise them of the broken bed. There was a manager there and he arranged to have the bed repaired. We were very pleased with his response and the bed was repaired but the mattress was in very poor condition. We never did get beach towels in our room as we were told to go to the beach towel hut by the pool. This hut was never open which many guests complained about. The third day we finally got beach towels when we asked the maid again. The towel hut was finally open on Wednesday and Thursday it was closed again. The beach is absolutely beautiful, but there were never enough lounge chairs at the beach. And many of them were very worn or broken. The food at the buffet was quite often cold shortly after it was opened. We did not get to pick a la carte restaurants, they were just assigned to us. The Lobby Bar quite often had no chairs available to sit in and many people just stood around. Many drinks on the bar menu were not available as they did not have the required alcohol which was very disappointing. The entertainment was excellent and a must see. The paths at night were very dark as many pathway lights were broken. The gardens in the resort are very well maintained and beautiful. This must have been a great resort at one time but is in desperate need of repairs. From what we saw the Sanctuary and Memories Paraiso (which are part of this resort) would be a better choice as they have bigger pools as well. We will say that it was great being so close to the Plaza/Flea Market.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Dear Crish, Thank you for your review and the time dedicated to it, we highly appreciate your feedback. I certainly want to express how much I deeply regret your disappointment. We tirelessly strive to go beyond our guests expectations, so learning that your experience was not what you expected, is a matter of concern for all of us. We want to extend our most sincere apologies for any possible inconvenience you might have experienced while you were staying within us. We really hope to be able to host you in a future visit and to provide the memorable experience we are accustomed to offer. Warm regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The good.... Very friendly staff and great service especially at buffet. Carlos the pizza cook is the man! My room was great Bldg 56. Big room and very clean. The beach is incredible. There’s a market about a 15 minute walk from the lobby lots of local arts and crafts and way cheaper to buy your booze and cigars compared to store on resort.
Good entertainment at the theatre every night.
The bad..... apparently there was supposed to be beach towels in our room upon arrival but there wasn’t any and front desk never had any delivered like we requested multiple times and because of this we couldn’t get any TIL 2nd last day,we pleaded with the towel guy who is only allowed to do exchanges when he was there. It was a battle finding chairs at the pool and beach even out of the shade. Lots of rude Quebecers, couldn’t believe how these people behaved (seemed to only be the older ones) very rude to the staff and no courtesy towards other guests. The mini fridge guy comes every day at 6 and will walk right in after 1 knock. I don’t think my sheets were changed once all week, towels were dirty, one small towel that was hung up after cleaning had big loogy on the back (glad I noticed before I used it) and we tipped every day 2-3 cuc pesos and along with reading glasses and other items
After complaining about lack of chairs we were upgraded to the sanctuary side of the resort, way nicer pool and loads of beds and chairs both at the pool and the beach. One night while getting pizza at sanctuary I seen roaches all over the counter and the guy was just brushing them off like no big deal. I first thought okay maybe this is normal for Cuba as it was my first time there, so gave it another chance and at the buffet the next morning I seen a roach crawling on the sausages, so obviously this is unacceptable especially at what is supposed to be the nicer of the 3 resorts. We ate the rest of our meals at the beach/pool grills or at memories buffet where we never seen any bugs, however the place could be cleaner, walls were dirty floor was dirty.
They must have sewerage issues there as the lobby bathroom constantly smelled really bad and was flooded once, the pool bathroom had sewerage all over the floor one day, and just random places while walking outside you’d smell sewage. Lots of loose wires on the grounds with only tape over them, we overheard one guy say he stepped on some and got zapped, quite a few times I noticed open manholes with nobody around, not good for a kid friendly resort.
Good entertainment at the theatre every night.
The bad..... apparently there was supposed to be beach towels in our room upon arrival but there wasn’t any and front desk never had any delivered like we requested multiple times and because of this we couldn’t get any TIL 2nd last day,we pleaded with the towel guy who is only allowed to do exchanges when he was there. It was a battle finding chairs at the pool and beach even out of the shade. Lots of rude Quebecers, couldn’t believe how these people behaved (seemed to only be the older ones) very rude to the staff and no courtesy towards other guests. The mini fridge guy comes every day at 6 and will walk right in after 1 knock. I don’t think my sheets were changed once all week, towels were dirty, one small towel that was hung up after cleaning had big loogy on the back (glad I noticed before I used it) and we tipped every day 2-3 cuc pesos and along with reading glasses and other items
After complaining about lack of chairs we were upgraded to the sanctuary side of the resort, way nicer pool and loads of beds and chairs both at the pool and the beach. One night while getting pizza at sanctuary I seen roaches all over the counter and the guy was just brushing them off like no big deal. I first thought okay maybe this is normal for Cuba as it was my first time there, so gave it another chance and at the buffet the next morning I seen a roach crawling on the sausages, so obviously this is unacceptable especially at what is supposed to be the nicer of the 3 resorts. We ate the rest of our meals at the beach/pool grills or at memories buffet where we never seen any bugs, however the place could be cleaner, walls were dirty floor was dirty.
They must have sewerage issues there as the lobby bathroom constantly smelled really bad and was flooded once, the pool bathroom had sewerage all over the floor one day, and just random places while walking outside you’d smell sewage. Lots of loose wires on the grounds with only tape over them, we overheard one guy say he stepped on some and got zapped, quite a few times I noticed open manholes with nobody around, not good for a kid friendly resort.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Pay the extra money for ocean view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Dear Guest, We are glad to hear you liked our beach, indeed, one of the best in the world and our staff did their best during your time here. However, we feel sorry to hear we did not reach your expectations and we would like to sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you might encountered during your stay. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again at our home in paradise and prove you a longer stay here, is a dream come true. Best regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
One week ago we came back from our trip to Cuba which was our 18th time at this resort and everytime we go it gets better and better. Our rooms are always clean, well maintained and there are always pleanty of clean towels to use everyday. The staff is amazing and very friendly and do everything in their will to make your trip amazing. The pools are very clean and the bars by the pool are always open and there is a snack bar always open there too. All the bar tenders are very friendly and always have a smile on their face to greet you. The beach is amazing, very clean, the crystal blue waters are breathtaking and is hands down the best beach I have ever been to. There are always pleantly of chairs waiting for everyone that comes to the beach and the workers there instantly clean them off and bring them to where you would like as soon as you get there. There is pleantly of food to choose from at the buffet to fit everyones liking. From meats to fruits everything is always fresh and the buffet foods are always nice and hot. Costomer service is very freindly and if there is ever a problem they try their best to help you. The lobby is always clean. I would like to thank the managers Riccardo Merlo and Joana Ramio for being very professional and friendly and for making our trip nothing but amazing. This resort is honestly amazing and we can not wait to be back again.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Feb 8, 2020
Dear Tanja, On behalf of all Grand Memories Santa Maria staff, we would like to thank you for sharing your experience at our resort with the TripAdvisor readers. Trust me when I say that your review made us really happy. It was a pleasure to have you at home again and we are already missing you and looking forward to receiving you again. We work hard every day to give our usual excellent experience and your review is the proof we succeeded in reaching our goals. Moreover, it is very nice for us to see our staff was so amazing with you and we would like to thank you for mentioning every person who made you stay unforgettable. We will forward your message to all of them, we are sure they are going to be very happy to hear about you. Thank you very much for choosing Grand Memories and we hope to see you again soon at your home in paradise for another amazing experience. Warm regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Best trip ever. Excellent service - staff always smiling, friendly and accommodating. This staff observation applies to: landscape crews, maintenance, security, restaurant staff, Bar staff, entertainment teams, Guest Services and even managers [especially GM Bernardo and resort Manager Ricardo]; please be patient and respectful as their English translation is even better than our use of Spanish. If you are going for sun, beach and relaxation, this is the resort and Country! And Sunwing offers a seamless access to the Island with All Inclusive packages, planes and buses. Facilities: buffet restaurant offers a great selection of foods [you would be hard pressed to go hunger and not find something you like or different for each day; their food quality has risen since last year and the addition of canadian ground beef is a nice touch], staff are very friendly and accommodating, they get you beverages at each meal and wait patiently on you table and needs - you only need to ask and they find what you want [remember patience and understanding as they translate English to Spanish] ; a la carte restaurants also have decent food with the added benefits of quiet and intimate setting]; guest rooms are clean and efficient, the use of small blocks with open halls keeps noise to an acceptable level [if you have problems with loud guests in the hall, you have never been in a large Toronto hotel with party drunks present] and has a tropical feel with no exterior doors and balconies for each room. We had no problem with the reservation of Diamond Club buffet area seating but did find it somewhat annoying that Sanctuary [adult only resort] had access to Grand Memories restaurants, pools, theatre, beach, bar, etc but the reverse was not true for us [we could not sit by their pool even when ours was crowded]; the beach was outstanding [and the typical January winds were welcome in cutting the heat and giving the ocean waves!] The Entertainment Teams were fun and committed, they provided great backgd music and help to guests wanting to sing, dance and boogie. Our experience at the Grand Memories was outstandinglydynamic and is sure to be repeated next year. [If the changes that GM Bernardo has initiated since March 2019 continue, this resort can only continue to improve and highlight its amazing staff!!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip: the resort is compact and all rooms are the same whether you face to ocean or the gardens
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from rrssBDcuba, Director General at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Responded Jan 24, 2020
Dear guest, Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review about your experience with us. We are happy to see that overall you had a nice vacation at our little paradise and you enjoyed our beautiful beach. I want to finish by thanking you for choosing Grand Memories Santa Maria for your vacation. We hope to see you again if you choose to come back to Cayo Santa Maria. Best regards, General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi! It's funny they do look small, perhaps on account of the king sized pillows but they're actually standard doubles even though your eyes will suggest it's a twin, lol. My husband and I shared one, our teenager took the other, and they provided a cot that I suspect is a true single but looks extra small compared to the double.
Recommend big spray** I know you didn't ask but the noseums can really rain on your parade. They're tiny little pepperflake sized insects you wouldn't think bite in such a savage way but 1-2 days after you could drive yourself nuts with the exaggerated physical reaction to them. Don't worry as bug spray works, I think Vicks might too .. They don't like the mint or something.
But also bring reactin, we brought the prescription kind and it was a game changer!! Sorry for the unsolicited advice, just trying to help a fellow family
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"They often has something missing at bars and restaurant and bedrooms are a bit old"Read full review
"Bring tissues and toilet paper in case they run out of them in the public areas. If you like spices bring your own."Read full review
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LOCATION
CaribbeanCubaVilla Clara ProvinceCayo Santa Maria
NUMBER OF ROOMS
470
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Grand Memories Santa Maria
Which popular attractions are close to Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Nearby attractions include Santa Maria Beach (2.1 km), Cayo Santa Maria (5.2 km), and Playa Las Gaviotas (6.6 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a swimup bar, free breakfast, and a pool.
What food & drink options are available at Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Conveniently located restaurants include Isabel y Fernando, Le Bistro, and La Goleta.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Grand Memories Santa Maria?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Grand Memories Santa Maria have airport transportation?
Yes, Grand Memories Santa Maria offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Does Grand Memories Santa Maria offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers meeting rooms, a banquet room, and conference facilities.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Grand Memories Santa Maria?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.
Does Grand Memories Santa Maria have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.
Is Grand Memories Santa Maria accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.