Traveller// Mentor / chocoholick and passionate about sport /new experiences and beautiful things!
Traveller// Mentor / chocoholick and passionate about sport /new experiences and beautiful things!
Member since:03.10.2002
Reviews:10
Members who trust:5
9 hours on a cramped Thomas cook charter flight was worth it after finally arriving at the Melia Cayo santa maria.From the airport(Santa Clara) to the hotel is an hour and a half by road across an amazing dual carriageway which joins Cuba to the island of Santa Maria.This is similar to the Florida keys road seen on many tourist photographs and meanders curling around like a snake with the sea feet away on both sides from your coach. The hotel itself has modern low rise (2 storey) blocks scattered throughout the complex all tastefully furnished and air conditioned (boy do you need that!),It has two glorious free form swimming pools with a swim up bar and plenty of places to eat.You have two reservations per week at the two a la carte restaraunts (the best by far is the mediteranean where the fillet mignon is superb!)and the 24 hour pool snack bar comes recommended too (pizza calzone! mmm). The staff (ALL) are amazing from gardners to the waiting staff are SO freindly and you WILL fall in love with at least one of them.A show every night in the theatre is of equal standards to most things in the west end (so long as you like salsa!). MUSTS; Havana / there are locally booked trips to this amazing crazy colourful city ,and the overnight excursion (£65 p/p) is real value staying at a 4* hotel and visiting the famous open air 'Tropicana show' Rum; didnt like it when arriving..love it now (the brand 'legendary' which you can buy in most Havana gov stores for around £3.50 is fabulous..bring some home!) other trips from the hotel are Trinidad (not that one but a beautiful spanish colonial town in the south) and swimming with dolphins....because the hotel is set on the island with no reachable town/village to walk to (although on a superb white sand beach) these trips break up your stay and gives you a feel of REAL CUBA.Talking of that you will not escape the revolution and Cuba's heroes (Che & Fidel) who appear on every street corner on signs and tee shirts.Cubans are proud- lovely people who's country has fallen on hard times and welcome tourists with a beaming smile..and this hotel wont let you down.Why not 5 star rating? mosquitos they bite real good !
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) All round good pick for those wanting Caribbean on a budget. Great beach! (-) Probably not quite up to 5* standards like some other hotels, but we didn't mind!
A good review, wish it was a little longer for the simple fact I enjoyed your presentation and also have fond memories of my own time in Cuba back in 2002 which you helped rekindle. Would welcome a seperate review of your return flight which sounds less pleasurable but can be no worse than my scheduled experience with Iberia!!!
chilipepper27 18.10.2007 16:54
Great review, sounds lovely (not the cramped 9 hour flight bit!) would like to visit one day in the future x
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
very helpful by (65%):
helpful by (30%):
somewhat helpful by (5%):
