Melia Cayo Santa Maria Hotel

As soon as I stepped off the bus at this hotel the flies were everywhere. We were given a room away from all the facilities and our view was another balcony. We were told there was no other room available despite the fact the hotel was half empty. On our first night we were awoken by a rat running around the room. After a stand off in reception and threatening to call our rep at 2am, we were eventually moved to a room with a pool view. We later discovered these rooms are usually kept for the Canadians as they are bigger tippers. Despite this initial problem we never experienced any more problems with our room and the cleaners are very good.
The food is poor. It was never hot enough. The rep claimed this was intentional due to the fact we were in such a warm climate. There are flies all over it and the chefs use the same tongs to lift cooked meat from the grill and raw meat from the fridge. The quality of the meat in the buffet restaurant is terrible. However the meat in the a la carte, which you are allowed to eat in once a week, is much better. Leftovers from dinner are put back out for breakfast. I was ill three times and my partner twice. The staff were all friendly enough, although we were tipping. People who were not were left thirsty at meal times.
Thomas Cook grades this hotel as 4 star plus. It definitely isn't. If the food was good and the flies kept under control then it could be. However the standards are just too poor. The entertainment is also poor. It is dancing everynight. We were so disappointed with this hotel, especially after a 10 hour flight from the UK. The staff do try but Thomas Cook are cheating their customers with the current rating. I would advise people to avoid this place!

7 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from the Melia Cayo Santa Maria and what a fantastic time we had!!! If its a relaxing, stress free holiday you are after then this is definetly the place to go!
From the second we got onto the bus at the airport everything was taken care of. We were given our room keys and information on the bus so we didn't have to wait around checking in. on arrival at the hotel we were greeted with dancing and singing and a cocktail as well which was a nice touch, especially after the 10 hour flight and 1 and half hour journey to the resort.
The pool and beach are both fantastic. I'm not much of a beach fan but this definately changed my mind with the white sand and clear blue sea.
The food was great. There is no way you could go hungry!!! Breakfast was especially good with the made to order pancakes and omlettes. The a la carte restaurants were also good and made a nice change to the buffet on some evenings.
Rooms were clean and quite large. No bug problems either which was a massive bonus. Had a couple of small spiders and thats it. We were quite worried about the mosquitoes before we went but didn't have 1 bite between us while we were there.
The organised trips are also good. You really need to go on a trip to Havana to see the 'real' cuba but if you only do 1 trip make sure it is to swim with the dolphins. Worth every penny!!!
The staff in the resort are fantastic. Very nice,polite and helpful, nothing is too much trouble. From the bar and restaurant staff right through to the gardeners and cleaners.
All together a great holiday

4 readers found this review helpful

It was amazing! The beach was one of the best beaches I have seen. The sand in the sea was so soft! I tanned without burning (albeit I did make sure I put loads of factor 30, so I would not look like a lobster!) The food and the drinks were great. The waiters and waitresses were brilliant. The cleaners were great too.
We tried to leave tips and clothes. Cuba has a problem with getting clothes. So donations will always be welcome, especially for children.
Food was brilliant, actually too much and too good, to stop yourself from over eating!
I have come back with different views of Cuba.
The best bit - there were no Americans (yet). Once they see the Jewel of the Caribbean, they will come on mass.
No wonder the US offered the Spanish loads of money for the island and no wonder Spain refused to sell it!
We are going back!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 readers found this review helpful

Wow, what an amazing place. The beach, the pools, the restaurants are amazing. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make sure your holiday is perfect. I loved it so much I’m returning again in April 08.
The resort itself is very relaxing, although there are plenty of activities going on during the day if you’re feeling energetic. But if you’re anything like me and had too many cocktails the night before, lying by the poolside is just what you need with all your food and drinks brought to you.
I would recommend doing the trips they provide e.g. the dolphins, trip to Havava, jet skiing and many more – they’re brilliant! You have to pay for these but they’re not expensive. A place well worth seeing.

2 readers found this review helpful

This is a lovely hotel with well looked after gardens, the rooms are clean, big beds, TV, fridge, hairdryer, balcony the bedrooms cleaned daily by wonderful maids.
The buffet restaurant has plenty to offer with pancakes omelettes pasta meat cooked to order. There are 4 specialist restaurants to book the Italian was our favourite. All the bars had great staff with international drinks the air con in the piano bar was well appreciated.
The pool was clean no problems getting a lounger and plenty of things going on all day. The beach is the best I’ve ever seen white sand and blue blue sea, the coral reef is great for spotting fish. This hotel has great staff from reception to gardeners.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

2 readers found this review helpful

This resort is great if you just want to relax. There are no shops or restaurants outside of the hotel and the nearest town is about an hour away. The beach is stunning with warm clear blue seas!
The hotel is clean and very well kept and the staff are all charming. You do not have to tip the staff to get good service, as they all want to make sure you are enjoying yourself. The range of food is great with the main buffet restaurant offering everything you could want plus a fresh cooked pasta bar, separate Italian, Cuban and the beach restaurant.
The pools were clean and had plenty of sunbeds so no need to get up early!
The rooms are vary spacious, air conditioned, ceiling fan, and free safety deposit box, and were cleaned every day with fresh towels.
After reading previous reviews regarding insects we had nothing in our room for the 2 weeks we were there and we were on the ground floor, so didn’t find this a problem. Mosquitoes are a pain to some people, but just be prepared - take a plug in for the room and all the usual sprays etc before you leave the UK.
Although it was the rainy season when we travelled, do not let this put you off, as it was sunny and hot all day and rained at night (still warm at night and the hotel provided a golf umbrella in each room)
This resort/hotel offers such great value for money we will go back again!

1 reader found this review helpful

I have just returned from Cayo Santa Maria and I had an amazing time.
The accommodation, food and beach was amazing. Unfortunately a lot of Brits like to complain when they are there, over things like there being a lot of mosquitoes.
However this did not stop me from having a fantastic time.
It is just a shame that the holiday had to come to an end.