Latest Reviews for Santa Maria

Wendy(35) Mark(46) Charlotte(13) Matty(16). We all really enjoyed ourselves at the Melia Las Dunas. We booked through Hayes Travel who were very helpful and efficient. I was not looking forward to the flight but actually it turned out to be ok, the stewards were friendly and looked after us.

On arrival at Cuba we were given an envelope which contained our wristbands and rooms keys - this was great as we did not have to queue at reception.

The complex itself is very spacious and there is plenty to do for all ages. We were fortunate to meet a Scottish family who had children the same age but there were plenty of other teenages that they all became friends. The grounds were well maintained by the friendly gardeners who worked very hard in the heat. The a'la-carte restaurants were lovely - I wish we could have eaten in them every night. The buffet restaurant was good too but not air conditioned.

The pools are large, there is a family pool which is busy and an adult which is very relaxed. The beech is good but not enough parasols unless you get there early.

I went to the Spa, it was nice but I thought it was not good value for money.

Be careful which credit card you take as mine would not work as it was linked to an American bank !! Also switch cards do not work and neither does the Vodafone network and it is very expensive to ring home (£3.50 per min)

We also had need to use the medical centre - what a great service. The doctor was there 24 hours per day and it was not expensive.

We went on a trip to swim with the dolphins as everyone said it was fantastic. I'm glad we went BUT it did take 4 hours to get there - and we were only swimming with the dolphins for 20 mins. We got the DVD which is good but I personally would not recommend it, just because it took so long to get there.

On the whole I would definately recommend this hotel and we would all love to return again in the future.

We booked the VIP lounge at Santa Clara for our return home flight as you arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight is due to leave - it is air conditioned, all food and drink is free and there are nice relaxing sofas. You also get priority boarding.

Having just arrived back from the Melia Las Dunas i thought it would be a good idea to sahre our experience of this Cuban holiday. This was our third visit to The Cayos (previously to Cayo Coco and guillermo)and this was the best accommodation by far.

On arrival everything went very smoothly and check at the hotel was so easy. informative map and directions to your rooms. Your cases arrive 10-15 minutes later and have a tip ready for the bell boy. English pound coins are fine and when they accummulate enough they ask you to change it for them to an english note. The rooms were very spacious, modern, nicely decorated and very clean. Mini bar stocked daily with your request, clean towels daily and maid service. Air conditioning is very welcome after your long journey. Please ensure that the maid has locked your patio doors when you return back to your room, as we often found they had been left unlocked.

Having only opened late last year, the complex was beautifully kept, with large swimming pool and very shallow seperate childrens pool. Allthe areas were very well kept, clean and tidy. No need to take beach towels as they are provided for you to change as many times as you like during your stay.

The beach was fantastic, plenty of sunloungers but not many under umbrellas, so get to the beach early to ensure you get shade, as these are taken very quickly. There is a bar and cuban restaurant at the beach and a host of other places to eat at any time of the day.

There were 4 resturants to eat duirng the evening, The Romantica, Italian and Steakhouse/Seafood. All of which were very good. Service was first class with the odd excetion during busy times. You need to book a revervation for these at the information desk in the hotel lobby. It says that you can book 4 per week during your stay, but we found that we were able to book a table every night we were there.

If you want a bit more freedom then the buffet resturant is open for breakfast and evening. Just be prepared to fight off the Mosquitos! The buffet resturant is not air conditioned.

During the day food is served at a number of eateries, by the pool, snack cafe, beer garden which is 24 hours, the steakhouse open for lunch too, offering a buffet style platter and with the added bonus of being air conditioned.

To be honest there is plenty going on if you want to join in, mainly in the morning activities are at the beach, around the pool in the afternoon and for those who like to keep toned there is an air conditioned gym that is well equiped and a health spa for a relaxing massae or beauty treatment. 3 double tennis courts, table tennis, pool and football games are also available. The evening entertainment is anything from the piano bar in the lobby area, often with artists playing differnt instruments, a good place to relax with a cocktail or GandT before your evening meal. the main entertainment begins around 9.30 with all types of shows put on by the entertainment team. And if you still have any energy left the air conditioned night club is open til 4 am.

The thomas cook trips are in keeping with our other visits to Cuba, unfortunely you never meet English guests who can give you advice on what they have done as there is only 1 flight every 2 weeks, so as you leave new people are coming in. no overlapping. We found the Havana overnight food value, you won't see everything but it is a taster. We stayed in a 4* hotel in Havana and went to see the famous Tropicana show. The sunset cruise is also another good trip, pick up about 5pm, go to the marina just a short distance away , board the Catamaran, have some fabulous Lobster dinner, open bar, watch the sun set and then back to the hotel about 9.30pm. Didn't really enjoy the Remedios by night trip. It was a quick look round Caribre a nearby town where most of the hotel staff live. Althoguh it gives you an idea of how Cubans live, i thought it was a bit imposing driving around the streets peering at the locals going about there daily lives. This is were you also eat. A small open air place (moderate in standard) then on to Remedios where you enter an open air nightclub (nothing like here in the UK) a short play is performed by dancers which was difficult to follow and didn;t really have a storyline and then the dancers encourage you to join in the dancing, by the end of the night when you've drunk your bottle of rum (between 4) its not such a bad night. Be prepared to be watched through the bars that surround the night club where the locals peep through to watch the tourists! the final trip we did was a day on the Catamaran. Good food, plenty to drink, we had a great crew on board and a few stops to snorkle and see the reefs, and a stop off at a lovely beach, shallow warm waters to refresh you.

The reviews i read prior to going to the Melia Las Dunas were mixed, and on the whole i think these were probably teething problems. The advice i would give to anyone going is to be prepared for the Mosquitos, you are amoung the Mangroves so you will be biten. Take plenty of repelent, i used Boots aftersun with replent in the spray formula snd Avon's skin so soft woodland green spray. Citronela is also a good repelent. Keep an eye on your belongings (we had a couple of items go missing). Tipping is welcomed as wages are very low, but we found we got good service whether you tipped at the time or left it til the end of your holiday.

Most of all have a great time. Would definely go back but probably between November and May to aviod the Mosquitos.

Having spent a few months researching the Sol Santa Maria complex, we found on arrival that we had been up-graded to the 5 star Melia site next door. This was probably the first time we had been disappointed at being offered an up-grade but we needn't have worried, as things turned out we had the best of both worlds.

These two all-inclusive establishments offer excellent value for money. The Sol is graded 4 Star but the only real difference is slightly better accommodation at the Melia and the fact that booking the latter, means you can use both sites facilities.

If you are seeking a friendly environment, with excellent beach and resort facilities, a place where you can truly 'chill-out' then you have found it! You should be aware that Cuban 5 star ratings may differ somewhat from international standards but then you're not paying in excess of a £800 per night, just this amount for two weeks holiday The bungalows are clean, as are the pools, bars and food areas. Staff are genuinely friendly and helpful and (according to the information we gained) highly qualified people earning far more at this holiday complex than they could in their own professions as doctors or teachers.

There is the opportunity to take excursions from the resort but be advised that both the Melia and Sol are built on an island and you have to travel about 20 miles over a causeway to get to the mainland. For a comprehensive overview of what is on offer at the Sol visit cayosantamaria this site has been well compiled by two Canadians and is very useful. We did find the Canadians were centred at the Melia during our visit and the Sol was full of Italians but the international mix was part of the attraction.

On the down side our main criticism would be the lack of shaded beach areas. During our visit you would miss out on these if you were not on the beach by 09.30, or not prepared to make an early morning dash to place your towels on beds before then. I have to say the Italians were the worst offenders for this followed closely by the British. The sea on this side of the island can cut up a little rough as well. The local wildlife can be irritating too. Take plenty of mosquito repellent with you, as the little devils are quite vicious at dusk and dawn. (Boots extra strength was very good).

The Cubans are lovely people but by western standards very poor, they really appreciate little gifts, especially for children, of the type they cannot buy there. Or, you can tip a Peso for good service as you go along, this turned out to be our main expense.

The excursions on offer are pretty basic but the two day visit to Havana is well worth it, if just to see a little more of the country and go to the Tropicana night club. Transport in air-conditioned coaches was better than anticipated but the guides must all be socialist party members and the food left something to be desired on occasions.

Having booked, we then found we were travelling by Excel Airlines and I came across some of their reviews. Most of these read pretty negatively for this route, in fact some were quite slating. I took the advice of previous travellers and pre-booked extra legroom seats and was glad I did! Check-in was chaotic with a queue extending more than two hundred yards (and we were there early). Once on the flight service and facilities were of the typical charter standard. According to flight crew the biggest complaint relates to legroom but this has been caused by the tour operator (Cooks) insisting on three extra rows being installed. Frankly, the most annoying thing during the nine-hour journey was the unruly children running about the aircraft apparently lacking any kind of parental control.

Conclusion - Excellent value for money and a really relaxing holiday. Would we go back again? Yes we would, probably in the dry season November to March (although weather wasn't a problem even when hurricane Katrina clipped Havana) and after we have visited a few other places. I would like to see more of the Caribbean side of the island.