More Traveller Reviews of Melia Cayo Guillermo Hotel
Melia Cayo Guillermo - relaxing and beautiful
from A TripAdvisor Member
Recently, January (4-11) 2004 my bofriend and I stayed at the Melia Cayo Guillermo. The resort was amazing and so was the ocean. There are two other resorts near by and out of all three resorts the Melia Cayo Guillermo had the best stretch of beach. It was well maintained, pure white sand and crystal clear water. In the mornings it was clock work - there was basically no beach due to the tide but around 10:30 a.m. the tide went back in. After reading several other reviews from "Debbie's" reviews we were alittle leary about staying at this resort. In the reviews it stated several times that the masqotis were terrible and that the wind was way too strong to walk on the beach. However, this was not true at all. Ya it was a little windy at times especially after dinner time but you could still walk outside with a thin sweater on, and the masquotis, well they spray for them every night. I may have had a total of about 10 bites the entire week. The Melia has a lot of tours avaliable to tourists. I would highly recommend the "Jungle Tour" its $39.00 U.S. This tour includes a speed boat of which you are able to drive your self and you get to go snorkling with at least 20 different fish. If you can hold your breath long enough to swim to the bottom your able to look inside caves where baby sharks live. Its really worth the money. It lasts for approx. three and a half hours. Also, horsebacking riding at sunset is beautiful. It's $20.00 U.S and you horseride along the beach and on the street(s) for two hours. Theres nightly shows and a boom'in bar where everyone stays up till atleast 2 a.m or so. The weather was awesome the entire week 28-30 C. January is jelly fish season but you were still able to swim in the ocean. The jelly fish were way out in the ocean. The only time we spotted them was when we went paddle boating. The ocean was packed with people swimming and no one was stung! The only downfall with the resort for us.... was the fact that seafood was served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This resort would not be good for couples with children - nothing for them to do other than swim and there was no "kid" food to eat. Seafood sauce was on all of the "so called normal food" such as turkey, chicken etc... The rooms, the pool, the pond - the overall resort was kept in immaculate shape. I would recommend that people bring old clothing, pens, paper, shampoo, jewerlry - basically anything that they no longer need or want to the resort for the staff. They really appreciate it - I garentee that it will put a smile on their face. Overall, if you are looking for a quite and relazing trip and you really enjoy eating seafood then the Melia Cayo Guillermo is the right choice for you.
Fabulous! Relaxing and beautiful!
from A TripAdvisor Member
What a fabulous trip!! My husband and I just returned (Jan 4-11/04) and we miss it there already! The staff was so friendly, and the people that we met were so nice! Our room was very nice and very CLEAN!! We enjoyed the food quite a bit as there was lots of variety (I LOVE seafood, and there was plenty! My husband HATES seafood and still had tonnes to choose from!) Make sure that you go the the International restaurant, it was beautiful and a very nice night out! The shows were really good and the disco was fun, but if you are looking for a big party trip, this is not the resort to pick. For a relaxing week at a beautiful resort surrounded by friendly people, I would definately recommend the Melia Cayo Guillermo! We would go again in a second!
A horrible experience at a nice hotel...
from A TripAdvisor Member
My first vacation in a long time was not a pleasant one. The fact that we had to change rooms 3 times in 4 days should say it all. We had nothing but problems and the staff we not very helpfull. In following, Air Transat and Melia Resorts have been made aware of our problems. They have disregarded my concerns and a satsifactory conclusion has not been reached...... Hope you have a better experience if you are planning to go there....
Very Relaxing!
from A TripAdvisor Member
I'll do this in point form to make it easy to read. Resort: Melia Cayo Guillermo Travel Dates: 14 - 21 Dec 03 Check-in: We didn't wait because our plane got in late, but like any all-inclusive you may end up waiting a couple of hours for your room. Carry a backpack with your bathing suit, towel and sandals so you can change and relax while waiting.Check-out: No problem. Room: Humid (it's the Caribbean, it's going to be humid) but after we opened the patio door, it was fine. The bed was huge; TV had a couple good movie stations; bathroom was new and clean; minibar was stocked with pop and beer; overall very good. Grounds: Very nice setting with palm trees, water gardens with fish, very tropical! Pool: Single large pool with a shallow kids area and a swim up bar. Very clean. Small hot tub. Bars: We've been to places with more, but there's enough for a small resort. Activities: The one weak area. Not many. Beach: Narrow, but the water is very nice. The beach is cleaned of seaweed each morning. Windsurfing, cayaking and paddleboats are available for free. There's a really nice "dock" that extends a football field's length out from the beach. It has benches all along so you can read, relax, fish, whatever. Trips: We went on the Jungle Tour (little speedboats you get to pilot, then snorkle with the fish). It was great fun. It's only a few minutes from the resort, takes a couple of hours and is relatively cheap. We also took a cab to Playa Pilar ($5 per person), about 7 km from the resort. A must see beach....very remote, shallow water, with small sailboats for rent. Staff: All the staff were very helpfull and friendly, especially Ana (waitress) and Maria (wedding coordinator). Drinks: Premium drinks are available for a cost, but the inclusive drinks are all very good (made with international brands). Food: All inclusive style. Breakfast buffet is good, but the food is the same each day. The lunch and supper restaurant food is very good for all-inclusive. We had no problem booking into the restaurants for all but 2 of our suppers. Weather: We wouldn't go again in December, we were hoping for warmer temps (it was only low 70s). We think Oct or March would be great. Overall: I've read some of the bad reviews (and heard complaints when we were there) and it sounds like those people hadn't done their research and didn't know where they were going. We did our research and got what we wanted...a high quality vacation for an inexpensive price ($1200 is *** cheap). This resort is for a RELAXING vacation, not a shopping vacation (there's no towns within 2 hours), not a party vacation (most people are married and in bed by midnight), not a gambling vacation (there's no casinos), not even a Cuban culture vacation (there's nothing around).All in all, we'd definately go back to Cuba & we'd recommend the Melia Cayo Guillermo if you want a relaxing week.
Wonderful Honeymoon location
from Rach069
We chose Cuba as the place to spend our honeymoon in mid September 2003, and we were extremely glad we did. In the Melia, we had everything we wanted.As the hotel was so quiet at this time of year, it meant no queueing for sunbeds or meals etc - drinks were served quickly and waiters were keen to assist in the restaurants.We met many other young British couples staying at the same time and were glad we had each other to chat to in the evenings.Evening entertainment was OK- although cannot expect so much variety when we are so sar away from main towns or cities in Cuba. The most entertainment we had was chatting to the bar staff who were fabulous - really made us feel welcomed as friends.Scenery was just breathtaking.Trip we would recommend 100% is the Jungle Tour - such a laugh!! Well worth the money.Would love to return, but perhaps next time may stay one week in Havana and one week at the Melia for variety. Having said that we're both quite happy to lie on the beach or by the pool all day!!
Visited Dec 14 to 21 2003
from A TripAdvisor Member
Recently returned from Melia Cayo Guillermo. We visited from December 14 to 21. We enjoyed the resort and had a very relaxing time. The staff were very friendly and went out of their way to make us comfortable. The food was very good considering that we were in Cuba. (Lots of good quality food) Our children missed typical Canadian condiments (Heinz Catsup, mustard etc). The Hotel rooms were comfortable. Cleaning services were very good. Weather was very warm during the first part of the week, but the temperatures dropped to 21C during the later part of the week. The Hotel had a first class cigar shop with pricing that beat the duty free shop. Local beer and wine was excellent. This is a resort that one should visit for a relaxing vacation. If you like to visit bars, restaurants and shopping go somewhere else. If you plan on visiting in December or January bring some warm clothes the nights do get cool (17C). Overall we would return anytime.
Cry Babies!
from A TripAdvisor Member
Since my girlfriend and I recently booked our 2 week vacation at the Melia Guillermo (and also spent 2 weeks there last year) we are begining to become more exited as the days tick away towards what Im sure will be another great vacation! Because of this, we have been monitoring the reviews being posted about the resort, and I have this to say...For the amount of money it costs to spend 1 or 2 weeks there, it is by far one of the best resorts Ive been to. Good people, good food, good BEER and most of all, good BEER! But do yourself a favor before you book a trip to this hotel...If your the kind of person who'll give a bad review even if 50 people before you gave exellent one's, you might not like it there, (or anywhere at that).Just use your head and dont get your expectations up to high, after all its not a $5000.00 a week resort, it is however a great value for the price.
Five stars my eye
from A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I were in Melia Cayo Guillermo on the first week of december 2003. Having traveled all over the world, we can say it's the worst vacation we had at this day. First of all, we had to wait three hours for our room at arrival ( we were there at 1.30 p.m. ) Room: have not been refreshed for about 10 years. air conditionning not working. Hotel: no atmosphere. no music, no dancing except a minus disco at 11.00 p.m. poor gardens around the pool. flat and dull. beach: narrow beach ( about 20 feet ) dirty By the time we were there, always windy and cloudy, rain. Just one sunny day. Excursion to Moron : poor Absolutely nothing outside the hotel. You're in the middle of a swamp. Rude people at Cuban customs. We'll never go back to Cuba.
we got married in melia caayo guillermo
from A TripAdvisor Member
we have recently returned from this resort and we can safely say the experience was nothing but a positive and unforgettable one. the staff where very friendly, hard working, provided a high standard of service and went out of their way to be helpful, (saving do nuts for my do nut eating son) mary the wedding co-ordinator was a godsend, it took us half an hour to sort out our requirements and the rest of the time up until our wedding was our own. there was a slight problem in the hairdressing department, my wife stated that the hairdresser was a barber and could only do barrel curls. there was also a vast difference in price for the wedding extras between wedding brochure and resort so take the brochure as they will honour this price. the settings for the ceremony and photographs where breathtaking and the cuban six piece added the final touch. it was quite simply the perfect way and place to start married life
Relaxing time!
from Sweetee Pie
We went to Melia Cayo Guillermo for a week (Nov. 23 - 30) and it was a relaxing time!All went well from the departure in Toronto to Cayo Coco airport. We splurged a little and got Club Class on Air Transat and were very delighted with what we received.About a 45 minute bus ride to our Melia Cayo Guillermo resort which was very bumpy! If any of you are sensitive and get travel sickness, might I suggest some Gravol prior to boarding the bus. They had alcohol available on the bus which some indulge in to get the party started early. Plenty of Cristal beer which is a Cuban staple.The resort was great! Lots of lush vegetation around the property with ponds that have fish. They like eating bread! There are Oscars, Black Mollys, Angel fish, crabs and more. Also there are a few Herring type birds who will skillfully stand by when you feed the fish to try and grab one.The only 2 things that could use some improvement would be the room and food. When we arrived we had to wait about 45 minutes for the room to be made. When we got to our room, the humidity was vary apparent but that was because the air conditioner was turned off. We let the air conditioner run and even as the day passed it was still very humid and damp in the room. If you had any items that had wrinkles, they were definitely gone the next day if you hung them up. The night before I would blow dry my hair and wake up with a damp head. The bedding was also very damp. We opened our screen door at times since the air outside seemed to be better than in the room.The food as previously mentioned by others is very bland. Lack of spices and creativity would be part of it, but I am assuming this is because of the resources they have for cooking. The food is good in the Italian and International restaurant (which requires reservations in advance) however you can also get a nice Lobster dinner in the main buffet restaurant for dinner if you ask Albert (one of the chefs) hush hush. For a small fee of $10, you will get a nice big piece of Lobster. Down the beach front, another place sells it for $15.We did not attend any of the shows nor the disco as we saw and heard about the mosquitos that 'ate people alive'. We got our share of mosquito bites when we went horseback riding but it was worth it! $20 for 2.5 hours and we rode on the beach! Amazing! All this while seeing the sunset too!Note: Deep woods off and brands that contain deet do not work on the mosquitos down in Cuba. Apparently, a Cuban veteran tourist told me that only Avon Skin So Soft works. She had no bites. I counted 47 on myself when I left. Bring Antihhistamines (generic brand is fine) so that you take it when you get bites and won't scratch them. One poor couple got bit so badly I saw his bites oozing. =(If you have your own snorkel gear, bring it. You will be glad you did.Excursions that we loved: Horseback riding, Jungle Tour and getting dropped off in the ocean ($15 USD) at the reef to snorkel for 2 hours!It's worth the money but if you are hoping for a 5 star North American resort....you will be disapointed. Just remember you are going to Cuba, not the U.S.Have fun!P.S Tips are not required but everyone down there was tipping. Bring plenty of $1 USD.
This is our 6th trip to Cuba,the 4th to Cayo Guillermo and the first and last to this hotel. The Melia is the most expensive of the 4 hotels on the island, previously we have stayed at the Iberostar and thought we would give this one a go. The rooms were most probably on... more