I stay at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria from June 23-30th 2007. 5th time to Cuba.

Flight: Normally never comment on the flight but this was the 1st time flying with WestJet and I must say I was impressed. Very friendly staff, cushy seats and Satelite TV. You must pay $5 for pay per view but didn’t’ need it.

Airport ; Painelss. Heard so much about the airport being so slow and crammed. Perhaps it was the time of year. Bus ride to MCSM is 1 ½ hours. . Went through a few small villages & towns, then across the causeway. There is talk about building an international airport in Santa Maria but I was told they are hesitant because they have learnt from Cayo Coco airport that the extra traffic can harm the bird migration. I don’t mind the scenic tour. Let’s leave nature alone.

Hotel Check-in; Received a envelope with your room keys and registration cards that could be filled in later. They kept the buffet upon longer for the new arrivals while the bell boy took your luggage to your room

Room; Love the room. I had 2nd floor ocean view building #11 which was convenient to the beach & pools. Great location. King size bed & day bed, mini bar, iron, lots of closet space, CD player , separate bathing & vanity area, NO musty smell. My room smelled sweet. Don’t know what they did but for the whole week there was some type of freshener. The décor was nice too.

Resort : There are around 2 storey bungalows. There is a Spa you share with Las Dunas. Gym. Very nice grounds. Beautiful floral arrangements in the lobby that smell so sweet.

Beach; STUNNING!!! Have seen many photos of the beach but until you get there you don’t realize how beautiful it is. No rocks nor seaweed in the water. White sand. There were papalas & chairs available.

Food; Good. I just got back from Paradisus in Holguin 6 weeks prior where the food is excellent so I was a bit spoiled. Tried the Mediterranean al la carte – ok . Lunches are the best. Buffet not open for lunch do to low season. 24 snack bar near the pool had pizzas & sandwiches. The beach restaurant had a small buffet and sandwiches & hamburgers from the grill.

Staff: Very friendly. They have a lot of student staff due to the up & coming hotels to this area.. Next door to the new Las Dunas is going to be a 2000 room Barcello resort. They are getting prepared for this. The staff were great. Ariel & William at the beach bar were great. Xiomara & Junier at the beach restaurant were so sweet. Can’t say I met any unfriendly staff. All were very pleasant. Service was great.

Excursions:

#1- Catamaran $72 CUC– 2 snorkel stops with lobster lunch. These are always nice. Marina is about 15 minutes away.

#2 – Trinidad $72CUC – I so wanted to do this trip knowing it’s far. Pick-up 7:30, was back by 7:15. Love the scenery. Made a couple of stops on the way. One stop was at a potter shop where you can get great clay pots & things. Another was a tower & souvenir shop. Trinidad is very different than other cities in Cuba that I have seen. Very unique. I loved it. Once we got there we did a walking tour around. Went to the Romantic Museum and had lunch. You had time to buy souvenirs from the vendors at the market. You can barter there (which I hate) . There was more begging then I was used to. I spent 4 days in Havana alone & never experienced it as I did in Trinidad. Four or five kids would surround you asking for anything they could get. They had a “hustlish” attitude. In Cuba it is mandatory to go to school so this is their choice. They will be the future hustlers of Cuba for sure. They did not intimidate you it was just annoying.

Summary : Melia Cayo Santa Maria is a great resort. It will be adults only starting November. Take your kiddies to either Melia ‘s next door , Las Dunas or Sol Cayo Santa Maria. Beautiful beach , nightly shows ok – Tues Micheal Jackson is a hit.

One thing I will say if you don’t like cats…… felines……DON”T GO!!!! There are organized cat gangs there. Beware. 2 beautiful small tabbys will greet you with an Hola once you leave the buffet. If you feed them, another orange tabby will jump out of a vase. Morning & night there were there. The black cat family works the beach restaurant. They get the smallest one to meow to you … once you feed them the other 2 come out. Then Miss Priss shows up … I called her that because she was more fussy and had good table manners.

There is another family that works the 24 hour snack bar. There you’ll see a cat with really slanted eyes that will jump up on your lap. Of course you excuse the cat because it’s strange slanted eyes & you will feed it. The others come out & you end up feeding them all.

I had 2 cats work my bungalow. Saw them every morning & night.

We stayed at the beautiful Melia Cayo Santa Maria from March 30 - April 13 2007.

We enjoy the resort reviews & have decided to post ours.

We arrived at the Santa Clara airport late on March 30 we were in & out in good time. No problems were encountered at the airport and soon we were on board a comfortable bus heading to our resort.

Although we arrived late at night check in was very smooth, the best we have experienced thus far. We were given an envelope containing our room keys and a registration form which we were told to complete and drop off at the front desk at our convenience. We had no problem locating our room and our luggage arrived shortly. We found cold salad plates and beverages awaiting us in our room.

The rooms were spacious and very clean, we had no problems receiving towels and face cloths. The mini bar, we soon learned, was restocked in the afternoon, we sometimes missed it but if we called there was no problem receiving the requested beverages.

Staff are very helpful and the maids did an excellent job keeping the room clean and making towel creatures as well as providing fresh flowers. We tipped and also provided small gifts. Overall we found the staff to be helpful and friendly; some really enjoyed practicing their English and would carry on conversations in the dining rooms if it wasn't terribly busy.

The grounds were beautiful and very well maintained. Although we had heard the lighting was not great we had no problem and although we did bring flashlights as suggested, we only used them once and that was due to a power outage in the entrance way of our building.

We took advantage of the excursion the resort offered to Havana from April 5 - 7. It seems they had over booked and made the offer to anyone staying 2 weeks we had thought about taking the Havana trip anyway. However, the Resort offered an extended trip (from that normally offered) and at no charge. This was certainly an unexpected bonus! We had an excellent guide (Carlos) and a very clean comfortable bus. The driver was very good and did all he could to accommodate each and every one of us. Thanks guys! We toured many points in Havana, witnessed the Cannon ceremony at the old fort, shopped at at open market and ate at some traditional restaurants. While in Havana we stayed at the Melia Habana, a beautiful hotel. Having to move out of our original rooms was a minor inconvenience and we were provided with similar accommodations upon our return. Any problems that came up upon our return were quickly remedied.

We also took the Catamaran snorkeling excursion, we had so much fun! Well worth the price, the food was excellent. Drinks were plentiful and the music was awesome. The beach we visited was so beautiful.

We noted prior to leaving their were some complaints about the food. We especially enjoyed the Italian and Pizzeria a la cartes. The buffet had a good variety and we could always find something to our liking. We were not especially fond of the meat as we found some of it tended to be very tough! The breads were the best! Kudos to the bakers! Calamari at the Beach restaurant was good, in fact we ate most of our lunch time meals at the beach restaurant. Sadly, we only discovered how good the pool snack bar was at lunch time toward the end of our stay. Even the ketchup was so much better, can't figure why they wouldn't use the same kind at the beach as well!

Lots of cats we don't dislike cats but prefer they not be around the tables at the open restaurants. Hard to prevent that I guess.

We love the beach and this resort had the best we have visited. You could walk for long distances on either side. However walking to the right past Las Dunas afforded you an opportunity to enjoy an absolutely beautiful beach with sand like fine powder packed hard which made walking so easy. This area was practically deserted; WARNING a resort is being built and this beach will in all likelihood be inundated with tourists in no time! Swimming here was great as well. You do have to get up early in the a.m. to reserve palapas at the beach. But the bonus was you got to see the beautiful sunrises...not a bad trade!

Although we came armed with lots of bug repellant and after bite remedies we never had to use it.

We were disappointed in the nightly entertainment it was not anywhere near to what we have enjoyed at other Carribean resorts!

My wife and I stayed at this resort from Mar30 - Apr13/07. What can we say we'd go back in a heartbeat. It was wonderful. Here's our impressions;

Flight: As some of you know we had to fly out of Toronto due to the fact that AirTransat does not fly from Western Canada to this resort. Having said that Melia was well worth the extra time it took. Flight was OK. Had no issues with them. We did however pre=book our seats so we were not jammed in. Left on time, arrived Cuba early.

Airport and Transfer; The Santa Clara airport must be experienced to be believed. Its very small. It does have about 6 - 8 passport control stations, but only 1 security screener,and1 luggage carosel. It was to say the least slow. Bus ride to MCSM was nice. Went through a few small cities and then across the causeway. Total trip time from Airport to MCSM was about 90 mins.

Check-in; Fastest we've ever had in our 4 trips down. Dancing girls met the bus along with a very welcome rum punch. Recieved a envelope with your room keys and resort registration cards inside and was told " fill them out at your leisure and return to the front desk" Quick and smooth. You can take your own luggage or have the bellboys deliver for you. We took ours.

Room; We were in bldg #8 next to the path to the beach. Great room. Very large, bright, and spacious. Room was very clean. 1 bug was found the entire 2 weeks. First day on curtain, after that none. Asked for a kingsize bed and recieved it. It was very comfortable. Plenty of towels and face clothes daily. Air-conditioner worked great all 2 weeks. It ran pretty much all the time. Plenty of hot water all day every day. Maids did an exceptional job in keeping the rooms clean and fresh.

Food; You will not go hungry at the Melia. There is 1 buffet and no less than 4 al a cartes. The only glitch here is that as the resort gets busy so does the buffet and some times it very hard to get a table. There is an abundance of dishes every night including turkey, pork, fish, shrimp, salads, fresh fruit, and desserts. If you can't find something to eat at this resort, maybe this resort's not for you. The al a cartes are reservation only and the staff pretty much stick to that. No reservation, you don't get in. Al a Cartes are Italian, Meditaranean, Creole, and Pizzaria. All of them are good.

Resort; The property is wonderful. Very lush and green. The staff work very hard at keeping the grounds clean. There are flowers and flowering shrubs everywhere. Coconut trees are in abundance, as are other fruit trees. The resort has 2 pools separated by the walkway to the swimup bar. They also have a separate kids pool at the kids club. The are never enough palapas around the pool to keep everyone cool, but there are certainly enough chairs. When you're staying at Melia you have access to its sister resort the Sol. You can use there gift shop and bars as well as the disco. You can't however use their food facilities. The resort offers a number of excursions in and around the island as well as further away. For example Havana, Trinadad. Scooters, cars are available for rent. Resort also offers bikes to its guests.

Beach; What can we say. It is simply stunning. The turqoise color of the water, the white sand, its a postcard. The beach does have a bit of a drop to get down to the water due to the erosion, but remember you're on a island so erosion does occur. You can walk miles in either direction if your so inclined, we did numerous times. Its an adventure every time. Palapa, again are hard to come by when the resort is busy, but again there are certainly enough chairs. If you have mobility issues its quite a stroll to get to the beach.

Staff; What can you say about the staff. They truly are the ones that make the Melia the resort it is. They are so friendly. I don't think we passed a staff member that didn't offer a friendly smile or Hola the entire time we were there. There are far to many to mention, however you must introduce yourself to Henry at the pool bar, Ozzie and Elvis at the Swimup bar, and all the rest who made our stay most enjoyable. As far as the entertainment or shows go they were disappointing.

Preface:
A long time ago, while attending my second alma mater, I wrote a very pro-Castro article in The Dalhousie University Gazette, (Halifax, Nova Scotia) which was decidedly anti-Batista - (the puppet leader supported by both the US and the US Mafia, when the latter usurped 95% of the Cuban sugar crops, 100% of all the gambling casinos, 85% of the power, and on and on). I have a great love and respect for the Cubans, their Leader, (Castro- I cried when he came to Pierre Trudeau's funeral), and their trials & tribulations brought on by the efforts of the US and the Cuba extremists in Miami, to do them harm - hey remember the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and other attempts, and the fact that Cuba cannot trade a single thing with the US?

I am now 66 years old, and my better half (wife) being some 16 years my juinior, almost guarantees us to have a divergence of opinions. This was our second trip to Cuba, and our third resort to have stayed at - 4 star Beeches and 5 star Paradisus Princesa Del Mar at Varadero at Varadero last year, and this past year, Melia Cayo Santa Maria, Mar. 16 - 23.

Our Findings and Opinions:
Right off the mark, the mostly young Cuban Staff working here are just the most genuinely friendly people one could ever hope to meet!! The rooms are very clean, bright and spacious. The maid service excellent, the mini-bar service (once you find the truck which only comes in the afternoon) needs a little work. The buildings are situated very close to the beach and/or pool, which is great as well. Almost everyone you encounter speaks fairly good English (French as well). The layout of the resort is excellent, the grounds stunning. There is no problem in getting a beach palmeto as long as you tie your towel to one early in the morning. So what are we complaining about?

Well, the wind blew gale-force every day except one that we were there. This simply meant that one could not swim in the Ocean as it was too rough, even for quite advanced swimmers/sailors such as ourselves. So one is forced to do the "pool thing or eat and here is where the problem of management at this resort definitely comes into question. The food offered is simply in very short supply, totally devoid of any taste (not even garlic), and guaranteed to be served cold, regardless of what "hot" dish you are eating. You couldn't find any warm rice at all, and no microwave. Don't waste your time looking for beef, there isn't any worth looking for, including at the two a la carte restaurants which are simply horrible, and a disgrace to the resort, and there were never line-ups to get in, now I realize why. All the wine is Spanish of low quality, both reds and whites. (One can purchase a nice bottle of Chilean Merlot in the gift shop for 4.50 pesos, and worth the purchase.) Even the soups are horrible! How can one screw up a soup? To be fair, the omelette's are great and they always have eggs. The buffet bacon is available with 1/2" of liquid fat lying on top of it. Replenishment of food in the Buffet was seriously wanting and if you didn't get there early, you had much less choice. There was no lobster at anytime except on the Catamaran trip - the best meal we had by far!!! All this is the fault of management. They don't want to serve anything decent and in quantity, because it will be gobbled up, and that means more costs for them, it's that simple! The Calamari was good, the pizza's fair.

Just got back from Melia Cayo Santa Maria on March 31. Cannot say enough great things about this spot! This was my third trip to Cuba, my first traveling alone. I had stayed at Melia Cayo Guillermo two years ago so chose this resort due to the small size and basic similarity.

Flight out of Halifax was uneventful. Small airport, took a bit of time to unload baggage but well organized and we were on our way fairly quickly. Bus trip was long but time passed quickly. Even at night it was an interesting trip. We passed through several small towns with the guide telling stories and noting points of interest.

Check in was awesome, though it was after midnight when we arrived. They had envelopes for each of us containing registration card to be completed the next day and room keys. Bellboys took room numbers and our bags arrived in our rooms shortly. Friends I had made on the trip and I were in the bar having a few drinks before settling in.

The only downside to the weather was high wind. No rain, some clouds first few days but sand blasted on the beach. We still managed to spend long hours on the beach each day though.

The facilities were beautiful and as always the staff was accommodating and friendly. The rooms were very large and quite lovely. The buffet was decent though we ate in the a la carte restaurants most evenings. Note: though they indicated two a la carte meals, we just kept booking them and no one seemed to mind. The pizza was great at the Italian Snack Bar (open late for a la carte) Feta cheese salad was wonderful at the Mediterranean, and the Creole/Cuban was nice as well. The Ranchon by the beach served good lunches and the Italian was happy to pack pizza to go. People seem to complain about the food ant any resort. I am not terribly fussy and can usually find something to keep me satisfied. Bottom line, I did not go away for the food, remember where you are, relax and enjoy!

The night life is limited which was fine with me but may make this a poor choice for those looking for more excitement. There is the option of going to the disco at the Sol next resort over but I heard some mixed reviews and did not bother.

We did the snorkeling Catamaran excursion at about $80 US. This was a great day, even being from Halifax, had some of the best lobster of my life. I had scheduled a massage at the spa at Las Dunas beside us. Beautiful facility. Cost was $28 for 25 mins or $58 for 50 mins. I cancelled as I ended up pretty sunburned and did not think a massage would be all that enjoyable, but my friend went, raved about it, best massage of her life...ask for Roberto!

The shop at the resort had a very limited supply of alcohol to bring back. I waited for the airport, hoping the selection would be better but it wasn't much better.

A note on traveling alone. I was somewhat nervous, ok lets say terrified at the idea. Any reservations I had soon passed. I met wonderful people quickly, never felt vulnerable in any way, was completely comfortable at all times. So, if you are considering it, just do it!!

Unfortunately the area is building very quickly. There will apparently be another 5000 rooms there by 2010. I think that would deter me from going again. Part of the appeal was that it was small and relatively un crowded. I cannot imagine that many more people.

My wife and I visited Melia Cayo Santa Maria in March Break for our Honeymoon. We were looking for a laid back, relaxing trip in a tropical paradise, and that is exactly what we found! It was the first time either of us had been anywhere South of Canada, and we were absolutely amazed with Cuba and with the resort.

We had e-mailed earlier for a room upgrade, and although we did not have an upgrade upon our initial check-in, we were moved to an upstairs oceanside condo within 10 minutes of our request to the front desk. The view of the resort was spectacular, the room service-both the maids and the in-room bar- was first class. Our privacy was respected and the maids did a wonderful job of cleaning and leaving towel art.

We marveled at earlier complaints about the food, because we always found something to our liking at the buffet, except perhaps when we showed up with 20 minutes left and the fresh food was running out.....We wish we had discovered earlier on that fresh omelettes, crepes, fish, and meat are cooked to your specifications in front of your eyes(in the buffet) at various meal times; be sure you take advantage of this service! The fruit especially was better than any product we can get at our local grocery stores.

The Catamaran/snorkeling trip is a must-do, even if you don't snorkel.
The scenery is amazing, the fish are plentiful, the beach where you stop for lobster lunch is gorgeous, and the booze flows nonstop if you wish it. We quickly made friends with many of our other shipmates, which made the trip even better.

The Santa Clara day trip excursion was also fantastic. The sugarcane plant, cigar factory, Church in Remedios and Che Guevera Monument were all worth seeing. If you are going expecting to shop-don't. If you are going to see the Cuban countryside and immerse yourselves in a small bit of real Cuban culture-do. We took a bottle of rum along to pass the time, but we also stopped at a bar or two. However, clean toilets were scarce, as was toilet paper.....so take your own! Our bus driver and tour guide, Luis and Simon were great!

The beach was simply amazing. The waves were great fun to play in and swim. Do take advantage of the Hobie-cats-they are a blast, especially when the wind is up.

The nightly entertainment was excellent- beautiful costumes and a very well-trained dance troupe. The four vocalists were also first class. It is evident that the staff works very hard to provide a varied and entertaining concert for each night we were there.

The ?water journey? at the spa was really relaxing, though the steam bath was extremely hot! Apparently I was the lucky person who received a foot massage as part of my journey; no one else I spoke to received this treatment. The gymnasium staff are helpful and friendly as well. I made use of the gym on occasion. There is a decent selection of weight training equipment, as well as a room with bikes, treadmills and rowers. The gym use was free with our all-inclusive package.

The aqua bar (and Elvis the bartender) was definitely a favorite spot to hang out for a few hours when we had spare time. Nothing was more relaxing than laying on one of the floating cushions with a cold Cuba Libra!

The staff at all levels are very polite and helpful. They are also quite poor, and sometimes lack daily necessities that we in Canada take for granted. If you have room in your suitcase, pack extras like toothpaste, soap, etc., and good used clothes, sneakers, ball gloves your kids have outgrown, etc.- if your maid or bell boy can?t use them, I guarantee they know someone who will be able to!

Before I take you to the hotel it's important to know some things about the airport in Santa Clara. While it had been slightly enlarged from the previous year apparently, it was, to sum it up, a madhouse. The airport is not designed to handle a plane load of over 300 people. It took way over an hour to go through the process of checking in and picking up our luggage. We've come to expect long line-ups at security but once we were through that, we all congregated in a too-small room to pick up our luggage and it was slow slow slow. One small cart with one employee unloaded the plane, 15 pieces at a time, every piece which had to be x-rayed and then put on the conveyor belt. Being polite Canadians, we kept our surliness to a reasonable limit but it tried the patience of everyone to the max. (We didn't exchange our dollars for pesos here because there was a long lineup and we knew we could do it at the hotel.)

Once out of the airport, though, we got on the waiting buses which looked new and were very comfortable for the one hour and twenty minute ride to Santa Maria.

We had looked forward to seeing some 'real' Cuba in the daylight and were not disappointed. An excellent tour guide plied us with information all along the route. With mixed feelings we observed the small towns and villages where poverty appears to abound.

The trip over the 48 km causeway, which took 10 years to build, was amazing. We were pleased to hear that they considered the ecology of the area very carefully when making decisions about its location. This made it possible for several hotels to be built on the key. And this, in turn, provides employment for several hundred people.

Check-in was fast and our luggage was in our room shortly afterwards. In no time we were ready to head to the pool for the afternoon,

We were immediately impressed with the beauty of the entire surroundings. The rooms are spacious, with the separate bathroom divided in two - sink and counter in one, tub, toilet and bidet in the other. Closet space was adequate and there was the welcome safe for valuables. (If you're afraid of slippery tubs like I am, pack a rubber bathmat.) There was always hot water and the pressure in the shower was adequate. The staff kept the rooms immaculate and made us laugh with their various towel sculptures. The beds are firm / comfortable. I like a feather pillow and there were two in the room, (as well as the usual kind,) plus blankets which we needed at night. Two comfortable chairs and a small table on the balcony made a good area for reading. when I wanted some alone time. (Unfortunately, as in a lot of hotels, the bath towels were as scratchy as emery boards.)

Some complain about the food but I enjoyed it, especially the bread and buns and suckling roast pork. I certainly didn't go hungry. Both the Mediterranean and Italian restaurants were easy to book and worth the visit but even without them I would have enjoyed most of what was on the buffet. The other snack bar sites had good food as well. The coffee I can take or leave but the cappucinos were wonderful. Sad to say, we tourists very likely sit down to meals that are much better than what the average Cubans have.

The beach is splendid - long, and when the tide is out, easy to walk on.

The hotel can accommodate 750 people (I think they said) in 2-floor buildings. We enjoyed the fact that only about 400 tourists were there so nothing felt crowded and there was no scurrying for chaises on the beach or at the pool. (The pools are never heated in Cuba but after the first couple of days, this one warmed up and was most refreshing on the hots days. There were two sections that were over five feet in depth making it possible to do my daily water-treading exercise.)

The staff is more than happy to transport people in electric carts if walking is a problem.

We love cats (having two of our own) so we enjoyed the few 'wild' ones that knew exactly when meal times were and waited, almost patiently, for us to give them nibblies at the buffet doors. One had a batch of kittens lodged in a nearby pottery urn.

There's a small market daily where Cuban hand-crafted souvenirs can be purchased, plus a small store on site.

Like many others, we take small gifts for the staff that are hard to purchase in Cuba.... soap, toothpaste, brushes, etc. and leave them on a pillow each morning. And we don't hesitate to tip the staff. It's a small way to tell them we like them and thank them for all they do. I saw one person give a welcome cold can of pop to one of the gardeners on a hot afternoon.

The highlight of the week for me personally was the musicians in the piano bar. Sandra, a pianist extraordinaire, plays on weekends. A jazz trio, equally talented, play the other nights, along with a young woman who has a fabulous voice. Most went to listen and were aggravated with the few people who didn't. With that kind of talent, it's rude and a shame to not be quiet and give the musicians full attention.

Another thing we REALLY appreciated was that there was no smoking in any of the restaurants, including the buffet, and no smoking in the piano bar. There are other places to do so if you must.

The overall atmosphere at this hotel is relaxed. I particularly enjoyed the fact that classical music was played at times, and that other background music was played softly throughout the day, except for a couple of brief periods and during the evening shows when it was considerably louder. One day I heard a flautist practising in the distance.

We often wish there was such a thing as a 10-day vacation. Then we would be tempted to take the odd excursion either out into the sea or into one of the small towns.

A friend and I both arrived home with several insect bites on our legs. >From what I don't know. I never did see them. "After Bite" is a good thing to pack in your suitcase.

Be careful of what look like comfortable seats in the lobby. When you sit down, your butt almost touches the floor.and they are hard to get out of. In fact the bottoms of some of them have fallen out.

We stayed at this hotel from Feb 9-16th 2007 and want to ditto the comments totally of Roy from Ottawa who stayed there also in Feb. 2007 and who has posted a review on your site.

My husband and Brother and his wife went to this resort from February 2-9, 2007. What a beautiful resort. This is my second time to Cuba and my 4th time to an all inclusive. I must say that this is by far one of the best vacations ever. The place is breathtaking. The rooms are amazing, clean and spacious and the chambermaids go above and beyond to make sure all your needs are met. I felt totally at ease leaving my belongings out. They put a smile on our face each day we entered our rooms with their creative art left made out of towels. The staff were unbelievable. Friendly sevice and always with a smile, tips were never expected but always given because they were so wonderful.

we went to all the ala cartes, all were excellent, Italian I would not go to again, it was not bad but not the greatest. The buffett was good but replenishing of food did not happen alot. In the morning omlettes were cooked one at a time so that got rather time comsuming, but go see Daniel for crepes, they are made from his heart and are magnificent with the vanilla sauce.

The beach is simply breathtaking, no way to describe the beauty of it. You have to see it to believe it.
The pool was also wonderful, and we spent most afternoons there, never a hard time getting a lounge by the pool and the resort was filled. Getting a lounge at the beach on the otherhand is hard, we went at 6.30 in the morning to play the saving game like everyone else so we could have a spot, but well worth it to see the ocean that early in the morning.

We did one excursion, the catamaran, it was nice 72 Pesos a person, you had 2 snorkles, lobster lunch and a trip to a secluded beach. Nice but now that i have done it once would probably not go again. My husband and brother found great snorkling off the beach, saw an octopus and beracuda, right there.

Met many wonderful people while there, Margo and Jane from Vancouver, Duane from Burlington, Kenny, Deb, Nick and Matt from Montreal, hello to you all and you helped to make our vacation even more fun.

Go see Elliot at the activity centre, fabulous, help you with anything, and Elvis at the pool bar also fab and Yuri at the lobby, great ppl and I will not ever forget Maria and her husband, Maria works in the internet cafe and her husband is a bellboy, amazing and the cutest couple ever.

Internet expensive 6 dollars for half hour, but cheaper then phones, but connection down alot so be prepared, let family know sometimes hard to stay in touch.

We are from Ottawa, Ontario & have stayed with the Sol Melia hotels last year & this year previous to our trip to Santa Maria in Jan 2007.

Sad to say they have gone down hill. They may be expanding too fast.
Melia Santa Maria has everything going for it EXCEPT the buffet which, unfortunately, is where you have to eat most of your meals. Compared to other hotels this was the worst we have experienced. We also heard 4 other couples saying the same thing. I think the chef should be fired. I believe the best food & the best employees went to their new, larger, Dunes hotel, next door.

It was even difficult to find good food for breakfasts except for eggs. College & hospital food has more variety, quality & heat.

Every meal had a whole tray of boiled onions; others with food no-one could recognize & half the food counter never seemed to have real food in it. A great roast of beef had blood running from it & went uneaten (at least that night); a fly was stuck to the bottom of the soup ladle & when mentioned, the staff wiped it off with her finger & put the spoon back in the soup. So overpowering was the smell of fish that one night my wife had to leave the restaurant. Fruit was old & with poor selection (unforgivable on this island). Plates had to be carefully inspected & were often dirty. Items in steam trays were usually cold as if they were put in frozen. Desserts were always just those little junk cakes. Chocolate was never seen. There were many inspectors but still no-one seemed to be watching for empty trays or lack of plates, etc. There were also many 'trainees' which may have been the case in the kitchen as well. Something was wrong. It appeared that they were short of good food. I complained to the customer service desk & the head chef, with no results. Also, the Air Transat woman just shrugged but their man who was there on the last day said he'd look into it.

If this had been our 1st trip to Cuba (rather than our 3rd) & if no-one else had complained, I'd never write this, but when 5 couples agree then you can bet this is not just a grumbling few. We spoke to people from the Sol Hotel on the other side & they said their food was no better.

I have written several reviews for Debbie's of the resorts my husband and I have stayed at in the Caribbean. We gain so much information by reading others' reviews here that it is only reasonable and fair that we return the favour. That being said, we are a couple in our late 50's, early 60's. This trip to Melia Cayo Santa Maria from Dec. 29 - Jan. 5 was our eleventh trip south for holidays since 2002. We usually prefer a smaller resort (max. number of rooms: 400) and one that is done in the "bungalow" style, three floors at the most. This resort certainly fit the bill.

Arrival: Fortunately, our Air Transat flight was the only one arriving at the Santa Clara airport from Toronto when we landed. Still, from the time we disembarked the plane until we got our luggage and were on the bus, it went slowly. However, the drive to the resort was a pleasant one affording us a good opportunity to view the countryside and the various towns we drove through. The trip across the 42 km. causeway to the island is scenic. It is a wonder how it was built! The only negative I want to mention is that there was no Air Transat "host" on the bus to explain about the area, geography, culture, etc., as we were on the journey to the resort. This always is such an educational feature of the drive that it is a real shame that A.T. didn't provide us with this!

Check-in: Having a MAS card, I had emailed the resort prior to our trip to request a room and make ala carte reservations. What a disappointment to discover that the email had not been received. There is a problem with continuous Internet access on the island, however... One thing I want to comment on is that we have never had a Melia resort which actually carried through with the advertised perk of "separate check-in" . I wonder why they include it in the list of advantages that come with the MAS card! Anyway, it took awhile for everyone to get the keys to their room but the rooms were ready for us, which was great as it was just the early afternoon.

Room: We were delighted with the location of our room in Building 18, Room 1825 on the second floor. We were on the outer rim of buildings, closest to the ocean. Although we did not have an ocean-view room (and what a view those rooms had!!), our side window afforded us a peek at the ocean. :-) In the late afternoon, we could sit on the verandah and catch the warm rays from the sun before getting ready for dinner. The bathroom was very attractive and the maid service fine. The king size bed was comfy but the mosquito netting placed at the bed was an ominous hint of what to expect! The one thing that makes us positive that we will not return to this resort is the smoke that comes through from the next room. The seals in the air-conditioning were leaking between the two rooms and therefore blowing the smoke from our neighbours' cigarettes into our room. Aaaaargh! We have never encountered this at any other resort and we heard that this is an ongoing problem for the MCSM. I did make comment to the Resort Manager there that it would be very positive for them to reserve some buildings for non-smokers. I doubt that this will be done, however. The mini-fridge was filled with bottled water, pop and beer daily.

Pools and Beach: Both are excellent! The winds were up particularly since it was winter, but we were still able to play in the surf half the time. One can walk a good distance on the beach in both directions. Down towards Melia Las Dunas, the sand becomes firmer and it is easier to walk upon. Moreover, there are shoals in the water there which allow a person to walk out into the ocean further and swim, when the water is rough back at the MSCM. There were "palapa wars", which I had read about in previous reviews. Some people just don't get it~~ get up late and the palapas will already be taken. If you don't make an effort to be at the beach early, then don't be surprised if you have to lay on loungers in the direct sun!! This is a no brainer, but every day we saw people taking (or at least trying) sun-beds out from other people's palapas. The beach bar is quite adequate. We stayed poolside on our first day and last day at the resort. Both times because it was too windy down at the ocean. There are a good number of umbrellas available and the blue foam mattresses on the loungers are comfortable. Also, using the blue mattresses in the pool to lay on and paddle around on is fun! The pools are large and the swim-up bar was a nice feature.

Entertainment: The music entertainment (I'm not talking nightly shows) was the BEST we have ever experienced at a resort! In the lobby bar for three nights was a "chamber music" trio: two violins and a bass that were heavenly!! We tipped them generously since we had not heard a group so accomplished as they. We also had a a wonderful young woman on the grand piano play during cocktail hour in the dark bar behind the lobby bar. Fabulous! Finally, we also enjoyed Frieda's Trio in that same bar. Frieda plays selected songs without music sheets beautifully. She is also accompanied by a man on the drums and another on the guitar. What music they created together! We also did the New Year's Eve entertainment at the theatre. The house band went on too long, but the dances were good and the champagne toast for all at midnight was fun.

Food: At lunch, the beach restaurant has calamari to die for! Get there early when it opens to get a seat as it is a popular place. Also, the pool restaurant has great pizza! We could usually find something to eat at the buffet for dinner, but it was only adequate. However, as per usual, the desserts were decadent, esp. the bananas flambe. Breakfasts were fine with a good variety. We enjoyed the Mexican, Mediterranean and Steak ala carte restaurants.

Spa: Absolutely gorgeous! However, it most definitely needs some better organization as per bookings, etc. But, I thoroughly enjoyed my back massage for 28 CUC. With it came a "Water Journey", which normally costs 18 CUC. Because it was "free" with my message, I went ahead and enjoyed the experience with the sauna, steam bath, whirlpool (much too lengthy), etc. I

Flight: Air Transat, made memorable by the fact that I got upgraded (for free!!) to Club Class. Definitely changed my experience to "enjoyed" rather than "endured"! If you are considering this upgrade and can afford it, I think it is definitely worthwhile. The food was good, service very attentive, and of course the seats have more room.

Santa Clara Airport: The new Arrivals terminal is open, and there is much more space inside. We landed in a rainstorm, so they supplied small buses from the aircraft to the terminal. I didn't bother waiting, and walked through the rain. Consequently, I checked through immigration quickly, but then of course had to wait for my bag. While waiting at the luggage conveyor, I was singled out by a Customs Officer and asked for my passport. She took it and consulted with some of her co-workers, then returned and asked me a few questions (occupation, number of times I'd been to Cuba, whether I had any friends I was planning to visit off the resort). She was very polite, and after she noticed I was travelling on my birthday she wished me "Happy Birthday" several times. Although this encounter could have felt intimidating, it didn't bother me and helped pass the time until my luggage was unloaded.

Transfer to Resort: The usual bus trip, made after dark this time. Lots of glowing colour TV screens to be spotted in the houses we passed. For some reason, the resort did not give out the check in package on the bus, as was previously the custom. However, on arrival the package was readily available and we were asked to fill out the registration form at our leisure and return it to the front desk. This certainly helped make things go quickly, and I was at my room in no time. This was my first visit to Melia, although I have stayed at Sol next door several times and my husband has visited Melia three times, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Room: I was very pleased with my room location.....building six, second floor, right by the pathway to Sol and close to the path to the beach. Unfortunately Sol was closed for renovations, but I enjoyed walking through the grounds, which have become amazingly lush. Melia's landscaping is also becoming more mature, giving more ambiance to the resort.

Weather: It was nice and calm the first morning, so I immediately took advantage of the weather to go snorkelling off the beach at the far end of Sol. There are a number of areas where there are rocks close to shore and you can always find fish. There is also some coral extending from the point west of Sol. The first day and a half, it was possible to snorkel, but after that the winds increased and stayed high for the rest of the week. I had a very good sail on a Hobie Cat just before the red flags went up, and that was it for sailing.....red flags for the rest of my stay! Perfect weather for walking the beach, however, and I managed to get to both ends of it on successive days. I also climbed over the rocks on the east end of the beach and continued for a little ways on Playa Perla Blanca, which is an uninhabited natural beach.

Food: I ate at the Mediterranean and Italian a la carte restaurants, finding the food and service excellent. I am vegetarian, but do "cheat" a little on vacation and ate fish three times, once at the Mediterranean and twice at the Snack Bar, and every time the fish was tasty, fork tender, perfectly prepared. The flutist at the Italian restaurant was very good, and I enjoyed her playing immensely. The buffet restaurant is just fine. I used the Pasta Bar quite a bit, and always found enough to eat. The chefs cooking omelets in the morning do a great job as well.

Staff: Friendly, helpful, lots of fun. My chambermaids had a great time making towel "art" every day. They did some inventive things with my hat and glasses a couple of times, which made me chuckle when I returned to my room. I checked out the archery one day and met some interesting guests from Paris who were learning to use a bow and arrow.

Pools: I don't usually bother much with swimming pools, but since it was so windy I did make use of them a couple of times. I appreciated very much that there were areas deep enough to dive into (colour coded.....darker blue means deeper water) The pools are fresh water which I discovered after diving in, turning on my back, and crossing my ankles to float, only to have my feet sink. (I love floating in salt water pools) The temperature was perfect.....cool enough to be refreshing. I just hate "bathwater" temperature pools!

Piano Bar: My favourite place of an evening. Sandra, the y