Just back from a week (Jan. 26 - Feb. 2) at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria. Been to Cuba seven times in six years and this was the best experience yet.

We have been to Cayo Santa Maria before and loved the beach and wanted to return. This hotel was recommended by friends who had stayed there and we went for it.

Checked in at 10 p.m. and asked for a room change to be closer to our friends from England who had arrived earlier that day. No problem, got a first floor room in bungalow 17 by the walkway to the beach.

Room was fine. Food was great. Buffet was never boring. We flew Transat Canjet from Montreal and arrived to find that our bookings for the a -la -carte restaurants were already made. No problem adjusting them to include our friends from the U.K.

My husband is a musician and Cuban music is an important part of our vacation. There was live music everywhere, in the bars, restaurants and on stage at the theatre.

Service was excellent. When the latch on our patio door broke, it was fixed within 15 minutes.

The beach was spectacular. It was windy for a few days but the intrepid beach-goers hung in.

All in all, it is a resort we will go back to and recommend to others. Quiet enough if you want to relax yet with enough activities to keep you moving should you choose to. Learned the salsa and Tai-Chi (watched it, actually, but my friend Frances is now a pro!).

So a big thumbs up for this resort and we will definitely be going back.

Chris

We have just returned from the Melia Cayo Santa Maria, Feb 3-10 and we will definitely be returning!!!! The resort is beautiful and clean, the food is Great and the staff are absolutely Wonderful!
There is an hour and a half bus ride from the airport to the resort but the tour guide on the bus made it seem not too long at all, they were more than happy to get you a Cristal for $1 and even though it was dark they still did a great job telling about the towns we were driving through explaining the causeway ect. Once at the resort there were smiling faces to greet us with a rum punch! Our check in was already completed on the bus all we had to do was enjoy our drink and explore the resort, the bellboys handled our luggage with no issues (and this was around 9 in the evening!!) Because it was dark when we arrived it was a little difficult to find our way around the resort but Jenny was there to help us out! I believe we even roped a gardener to drive us to our room when we forgot the directions, everyone there was more than willing to help us. Osbriel & Yobi at the pool bar really work hard to keep everyone hydrated. Nestor at the beach bar makes the best Banana Mama's ever! Yaneisy & Adonis did a terrific job tidying our room and creating some of the best towel art ever!
Our only disappointment was that there were two days our mini fridge was not restocked which meant we had to go and try and find somewhere to get a bottle of water but fortunately for us Reuban at the snack bar was always quick to help us out.
The buffet was fabulous and we just can't say enough great things about the chefs (although I think we may send them some oven mitts or some sort of heat protection for their hands)
A special thank you to Jenny for making our stay extra special!!!!
We were very impressed to see that the Managers of the resort went around pitching in when ever needed, picking up discarded glasses, bringing drinks ect to the guests.

We just come back from the resort last night Feb.10 2012 .Our stay at the Melia resort was very nice and thanks to all staff there very memorable holiday.

Just to let you know flight with Air Transat was very nice and on time. When you get there at the small airport customs was good and pretty fast.
Then get on a nice coach to get to resort which is aprox.1.45min ride but time is going very fast and the tour guide on the bus very good and lots of Cristal cold beer . During the ride you get all info and check in so when you get to resort just take your carry on and go to your room Bell boys will bring you language to your room.There is only one thing you may experience problem to find your room if you arrive late night .The buildings numbers and lights are not as good as they sholud be.Buildings numbers are on small boards by the walkways keep eye on them.

Rooms are nice and very clean. Lots of space and bright.

Food service thank to Fernando Rodriguez Luis and his staff is great. Buffet Santa Maria is always fresh and clean, then there are other restaurants which are very clean and good food .would recommend El Portulano , El Almirante and Sakura which we had our La,carte dinners Very good job . Then there is the Casa Da Vinci very good fast food and great service by the staff .Good burgers and sandwiches, but also for coffee lowers espresso. Very close to pools and central Location of the resort.
Then there is a beach and the ocean .If you don’t see it then you don’t believe .Water is so clear and blue as you see it on the traveler’s pictures.
Then there is and lobby bar and very good selection of drink include coffees.

It is very nice and kept resort .Lots of green and flowers all over.

Our experience it was well spend money for time at The Melia Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba.

Thank you all the staff for friendly welcome and stay at Cuban hospitality .

I stayed at the resort from Jan 28 – Feb. 5 and my overall impression is that the employees work extremely hard to ensure their guests have a wonderful experience and that they make the most of the resources that they have. We had a fantastic holiday.

Food: plentiful and well prepared – I think that most people would enjoy the food. “Foodies” however may not be satisfied as they use canned or frozen vegetables/fruits for items that are not in season e.g., bruschetta that is made with canned tomatoes does not taste the same as bruschetta made with fresh tomatoes – but it was fine for me. I don’t have children but I’m guessing that parents would find plenty of options their kids would enjoy. I’m also guessing that your experience with the food will vary depending on what time of year you visit the resort (i.e., they may have more fresh fruits and vegetables when it is not their “winter”). My favourite a la carte restaurant was the Japanese – loved the sushi and tempura! I also appreciated the live music at some of the restaurants – particularly the clarinet/acoustic guitar duo at the Mediterranean restaurant.

Beach/Water Activities: The beach is wonderful – but was very windy during our stay (not that the resort can control this – just something to consider and pack accordingly). I believe that we had 2 yellow flag days and the rest were red flag days – not sure if that is typical for the time of year (late January/early February). We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to use their kayaks or paddle boats (the boats can only go out on green flag days). On the yellow flag days one of their guides will take you out for a brief ride (10 minutes, 2-3 people) on one of the catamarans – which was A LOT of fun (free but they accept tips).

Atmosphere: the staff were very friendly and we thought the size of the resort was perfect – everything was just a short walk away and it wasn’t a big deal to return to our room if we forgot something. I was surprised that I had far more opportunities to practice my French then to practice speaking Spanish (many of our fellow guests were Francophone)! Most staff seemed to know at least some English and some staff were either bilingual or trilingual – which we thought was very impressive.
Tip – there are no washcloths in the room (just hand towels and bath sheets) – so if this is important to you bring your own – you also need to bring your own Kleenex.