Melia Las Dunas

Adoré notre séjour au Mélia Las Dunas. Le personnel fait la différence. Merci ! [Details]

Melia Las Dunas Hotel is a great one. I'm so happy that I discovered this hotel. I highly recommended.
But the price is little bit high. [Details]

We just returned from a week at Melia Las Dunas. This was our second time. I had emailed ahead and requested an accessible room as both my husband and I have some mobility concerns. We arrived to find we were booked in a lovely accessible room in building 44. The room was clean and bright, close to the read pool and the beach access. Thank you so much for so graciously taking care of our request.
We ate exclusively at the buffet as my husband likes plain things. We always found enough to eat and the staff were fabulous. I would love to see more cooked vegetables but realize they may not be readily available. Tip: go at the start of mealtimes for a quieter experience with shorter lines for the cooking stations.
This resort is large but we were on vacation and took our time.
Tip: Go enjoy your vacation, the Cuban staff work hard, be polite and cheerful...relax and don't stress the small stuff. Enjoy the beauty!
Thank you to all your staff for a relaxing time, just what we needed and hoped for. [Details]

Resort too big. SOOOO much walking to get to any where. Too many people. Buffet loud and large line ups. Mini bar in room suppose to stocked daily....never happened, even after several complaints to maid and special services. Coffee pot and cups in room but no tea or coffee even after several requests. [Details]

The biggest thing for people to remember is that this is an older hotel that had been struck by a hurricane over 2 years ago and is constantly under renovation. The people that work in the resort consistently go out of their way to make your trip special. Not everyone you meet will have a connection with you, but there are several that will.

The room, there are problems with it. There is a mouldy moisture smell which happens in older buildings and ones where high levels of humidity are. The air conditioning worked, the shower had warmish hot water most of the time and the mini bar was always stalked up. The maids are always helpful and around if you need them.

In the regards to the buffet, the only negative I have is the repetitiveness of the food, but it was always edible and tasty. There are several stations that cook food at the moment and the line ups are long, that got frustrating but understandable for most people. The fresh juice station is amazing and the ladies that work their are beyond friendly and courteous.

The a la carte's were great as long as you don't go in expecting too much, for example the Pad Thai isn't the same as we eat in Canada but still good. The Mediterranean is my favourite more for the service than the food but still amazing.

There are two pools, one on the adult only section which is super quiet and serene. The family pool can get a little loud but is a great time. Seats can be limited at busy times, best to get your seats early.

The beach is amazing. Probably the most beautiful in the whole world. There is nothing more stunning than there.

To be perfectly honest there are probably several nicer resorts in Cayo Santa Maria at this price point, but you can't go wrong here. The people at the Las Dunas are some of the nicest and loving people on the planet. If you want to be safe with good food, a clean resort, and great service this is the resort for you. Looking forward to going back for my fourth time next year. [Details]

I enjoyed my stay. The hotel is a little dated and worn but extremely clean. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The beach is the nicest I've seen. White sand . Plenty of beach chairs and towels. I was told that the food in Cuba is bland and not very good. It was the opposite. Plenty of variety at the buffet and you get to choose 3 complimentary restaurants. Many of the meats and fish are cooked to order. Planning to visit again next year. [Details]

We travelled as a family of 4. 5 year old and a 7 year old. Great for families lots of entertainment for the kids. Line ups can be long at the buffet but if you time it right it's fine.
Rooms were great. We stayed on the second floor. Beds were comfy always had clean towels. We always tipped our maid and left her some goodies.
Was our first trip to Cuba and we enjoyed it [Details]

Hotel location and general condition is quite good. my MAJOR dis-appointment was in the food quality and verity, even to Cuba standard this hotel restaurants was extremely bad, it is clearly much below average. Clearly it not a 4.5 stars standard I would give it 3.5 just because of the food. Both the buffet and a la carte restaurant food quality and verity is a major disappointment. restaurant staff were outstanding, the main problem is in the kitchen, the head Chef (if we can say they have one) has clear taste problem..... If they want to stay as 4-4.5 star they need to address this issue. the Buffet organization make it very difficult to get get egg or olmec for breakfast or grill anything for lunch unless you are willing to wait more than 30 minutes. Clearly, because of their food deficiency, they should not be classified as a 4.5 star hotel. [Details]

We are a family of 4 and stayed from December 24-31st at Melia Las Dunas. This is our 6th time to Cuba. Are first time during x-mas, ..The food was good, the a la carte restaurant Asian was the best, after Isabel y Fernado, Italian was pizza, but for the Cuban resto not good, the beach was very nice, the staff was very nice, the red wine was not good, but in general it was very nice to be on vacation with my family, I would go again in Cuba. [Details]

We got a nice deal for this vacation because of the dates (returned on Christmas night), and kids stayed free. I would be so much more disappointed if we paid the regular price.

Overall experience was negative. This was our first time in Cuba. Before that we were in 3.5 stars in Egypt, 4 stars in Turkey and Greece [Details]

I've been to Melia Las Dunas many times now with my family.

My favourite things about the resort:
- The beach is really incredible
- The lobby bar is open 24hrs which makes checking in and out very pleasant no matter the time of day
- They ofter have follow-along style dancing after dinner under the open sky
- Live Cuban music on some days
- Amazing cappuccinos

Least favourite things about the resort:
- Service isn't consistent across the resort. In the buffet, depending on which waiter you get, you might have to wait a while before your table is served, while other waiters are very timely. Most of the restaurants have terrific waiters, but the Italian Pizzeria should have remained a snack bar in my opinion (they don't have enough staff or room to act as a restaurant).
- The last time we went, they didn't always have ingredients for all the drinks. Sometimes it wasn't possible to get a mojito or a pina colada for part of the day.
- They have some delicious food options, but you have to know what they are. Otherwise you'll be sampling a lot of things before you find what's good.

For me, the beach is the main reason for going to Cuba, so this resort is great. For the price I paid, I am happy with the value I received. [Details]

me and my wife had a great time made some good friends wiyh many of the staff and other vacationers [Details]

Hotel was clean and comfortable. Pool and beach area was clean and comfortable.

The restaurants staff and food was very good
The bar staff was very attentive and friendly .
At no time did I feel unsafe.
Good Experiene [Details]

Great experience. First time at the resort and we had an amazing time. [Details]

We first experienced this resort back in 2015. We've now been back in 2016, 2017 and 2019. We'd stayed at another resort in 2014.

From the moment you arrive, be it the smiling staff or the sounds of Cuban music drifting through the air, you know you've arrived in paradise.

The lobby of the Melia Las Dunas is quite impressive. Comfortable couches, a bank, store, wifi/computer room onto the lobby bar where you can sip cafe con leche or the famed, Varadero Sunrise.

The lobby bar is the spot every night after dinner with music, dancing, flaming coffee and theatre shows right beside it. There is no lack of opportunity to let yourself be immersed in the Cuban culture.

The moat area with cabana-like structures where you can be slightly away from things but still enjoy yourself. It's a beautiful area.

The main square is where everything either spills out into or comes from. Professional dancers, Cuban bands and the best is Cuban Day. Mojito Bar, pulled pork sandwiches and an old car to take photos with.

The A-la-cartes are the best way to eat for the highest quality food, however, please remember, this is Cuba; it's like home cooked meals or backyard BBQ's. We never go hungry though. Always have been satisfied.

The buffet, this is where you can get cooked meats, seafood, etc. Here, this is where we met our best Cuban friend this far, Sandy. He is a definite 5* waitor who is famed because of it.

The rooms, depending on classic or premium are truly all the same. However, after a couple times, we discovered the "suite". All this is, are two adjoining rooms with the door open. One side has a California King and the other two doubles. It's nice to have with a family! We've always been upgraded to it ever since.

The pools, both the adult side and family side have their respective pros and cons. The adult side is much quieter for those that enjoy that where the family pool is lovely, entertaining and always has some sort of event going on.

The swim up bars are great and typically staffed with high energy people. We've never had issues getting a drink there.

The beach.... Oh the beach! This, along with the local people, are why you come to Cuba! It's absolutely paradise. Lots of activities like 20 minute Hobbie Cat rides to aqua aerobics in the ocean to volleyball and so much more.
Many cabanas to enjoy or just lay out on a chair or towel! The beach bars have everything you need as well.

Now we get to what is the absolute best about Melia Las Dunas... It's people! We have never had to deal with someone without a smile or not happy to meet and greet with us. We like to travel and respect folks and their cultures. Although we pay good money to be there, we recognize that we don't need to be "served" by lowly people. They are human and live the struggle everyday. We know this as we've spent many a day off the resort mingling with the locals in Caiberien, Remedios and Santa Clara.

Cubans are happy even though they live in a dictatorship styled government and they make miniscule amounts of money per month. That coupled with the fact that they don't have access to nearly a fraction of what we have, are why we respect them as equals when we are there.

The people we've met have truly become friends and family! Last week, we attended Sandy's baby's baptism in Santa Clara. Wow, what an experience!

To make a few and our apologies if we miss anyone, here are the folks we've come to love and keep in touch with:

Sandy from the buffet
Sandra assistant manager at front desk
Ramon the general manager (previously it was Laurant Label)
Yunsel in the buffet
Wilson in the buffet
Victor from room services (used to be buffet)
Kenia the housemaid from building 23
Tatiana (used to be at the pool bar)
Leidy from the kids club
Junior one of the yellow taxi drivers (use him every time)
Livan rep from Air Canada Vacations
Maidelys rep from Air Transat

There are so many great people and if you are kind to them (noni don't mean tipping), generously kind, attempt to speak a little Spanish, don't be rude, treat them how you'd want to be treated and between the people, culture and those beaches, you can't have a bad trip.

We absolutely love this place and consider it home away from home for going on 6 years now! Can't wait to go back!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful culture with us MLD! [Details]

This is my 5th time staying at Melia Las Dunas in 4 years. That in itself should say everything. This is my second home. It is by far the nicest looking hotel out of them all. I can't say enough about the hotel staff, and that includes everyone from the servers to the grounds keepers. I have NEVER had any bad experiences from the Santa Clara airport to the bus trip to Melia Las Dunas. I have made lots of friends who work there and still make more everytime I go there. The food isn't bad at all. It's not like home but I enjoy it when I'm there. It's fun to eat different dishes. THE BEACH IS THE GREATEST! if you like to walk the beach you will love this one. What else can I say but, ITS MY PARADISE! Go and enjoy, you will not be disappointed. I cant wait to go back in February, I wish I could go back now. [Details]

j'ai beaucoup aimé cette hôtel. Pour la dieuxième fois, j'y suis comblée. Le seul bémol, pour ceux qui n'aime pas trop marcher le site est très grand. La bouffe trouve preneur. Il y a même de la poutine pour les plus...QUÉBECOIS! Oui, il y a moyen de très bien mangé et le service est excellent. visite dans une ferme et repas cubain, ainsi que baignade en rivière et cheval, très agréable, vraiment une belle journée. La plage, la plus belle, eau azure, cristalline. Pour ceux qui aime les fleurs vous serez comblés. Il y a de l'animation toute la journée, soit a la piscine ou la la plage. Les spectacles en soirée sont aussi très bon. Moi j'ai vraiment aimé et j'y retournerai sans aucun doute, seulement pour revoir mes amigos! [Details]

Première fois à Santa Maria et c'est magnifique! L'hôtel a dépassé toutes mes attentes! Personnel très sympatique.

La nourriture était très bien! Beaucoup de choix, restos à la carte délicieux.

Chambre, propre et très confortable. Service au chambre impeccable.

Plage magnifique!!!
Palapas et chaises à profusion.
Superbe semaine!!!

Je vous le recommande à 100% !!! [Details]

We liked our staying in general. The beach was great, lobby and entertainment were fine. But the room was great disappointment. I expected clean and safe place to sleep, but we had all the variety of insects in the room. Flies, cockroaches, bugs, spiders.. At the last night we've seen huge spider looking more like tarantula. I was afraid to sleep that night, can you imagine being in the room with huge spider who can be anywhere while you are asleep.
Although we ;eft tips for the cleaning lady every day, she was not managing to do her job carefully and qualitatively. She just cleaned the floor in the middle of the room, corners were extremely dirty. Once we were left without any clean towels.
The food in the buffet was mostly fine, but there were always very unpleasant smell.
We would not go to this hotel again [Details]

We really loved this resort beautiful mature grounds. Very friendly staff from room cleaners, gardeners, waiters and bar staff.

We were four people 2 adults and two girls 15 years and our rooms were next door to each other bottom floor. All buildings are two story. We had a king size bed very comfortable. Bathrooms are a bit dated but really I am there for the sunny weather 25 c and above.

Beach very wide and if you go to the left or the right you will realize this resort has a great beach. Always chairs available no need to set out towels.

Two pool areas both nice and each have pool bars and restaurants behind serving chicken, fries, poutines, hotdogs, ham cheese grilled sandwiches and other food.

One is a family pool and other side is adult and did have day beds on the adult side.

Buffet restaurant good, mornings, omelettes, fried eggs, hard boiled eggs, crepes, toast, bacon doughnuts, cereal fruit, and coffe, tea , juice.

Lunch only once and just had salad other things to eat.

Dinner pasta bar, fish cooked for you and meats all kinds of other food salads. Deserts, ice cream for lunch and dinner.

Also ice cream shop and they had toppings and served in a plastic dish so could take with you.

Also 24 hours sports bar that served food.

Lobby big lots of seating and great bar and drinks. Cappuccino, served with sugar and sugar cane sticks to stir with.

Had special drinks and coffees being made. Cuba music, rock band one night. Cotton candy and tattoos for kids. [Details]

First trip away from the baby & Melia Las Dunas made it all so perfect! Weather, location, even the food for cuba, was great here. Resort is huge with a cute market attached, with cool local hand made souvenirs and restaurants. And this look out, with 360 views.
Beautiful beaches, 2 separate pools, lots of activities, but space to relax and not be bothered. Al a carte were actually descent (meditrainatin, delish) and the snack bar had chicken sandwiches poutine and even mozzarella sticks and more. SO much to do on this island. Best excursion no one advertised, 40 CUC got us a scooter for the day & we got to tour the island, saw pink flimgos, hiked at a natural reserve, swam at private beach, visit other markets on island. The coolest experience ever for only 40 paso & no long bus guided tour needed. Highly recommend this resort and this part of cuba. Even the bus ride in, over the sea is so beautiful. More touristy set up compared to Varadero. We will be back Cayo Santa Maria! [Details]

Very beautiful, very LARGE resort. [Details]

Food sucks, rooms dirty, they ran out of beer/vodka/sprite. Same beach towel for 4 days, room key door never worked, safe didn't work, washrooms on resort were dirty no toilet paper, bugs in room..beaches and water are the best i've seen though ever. [Details]

I have been to fancier all-inclusives, but never to one I enjoyed as much as Melia Las Dunas, Cayo Santa Maira, Cuba.

I have previously stayed at 4 and 5 star resorts in Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Each resort and country excelled in some things, but overall, my favorite is Melia Las Dunas. Beyond the first class beach, analyzing why I enjoyed my week here so much, it comes down to these items:

2) Great Entertainment:
I have never stayed at a resort that offered so much great ongoing entertainment. You really don't want to leave the resort (although we did and were happy we took day trips to Cuban towns and cities).

3) The Main Lobby Building:
The main lobby building, is the center "heart" of this resort. Most all inclusives have coffee and wifi in room. Melia Las Dunas had neither, and as I had to work (using wifi) a few hours a day, I would rise at 8-am, head for the lobby and drink great coffee while working. Late afternoon I would return to the lobby to find a small music group or singer. When that ended there might be a fashion show, then another band. When something ends, something else starts. Usually around 8pm the entertainment shifts outside to the small grandstand, a band playing often accompanied by a dance lesson. Then at 8:30 some entertainment for small children on the main stage, and then most nights at 9:30, a very impressive dance based show for all ages on the main stage.

4) The Staff: Because I spent hours in the main lobby area, working and relaxing, I began to recognize and be greeted by the staff in a way I have never not experienced at other resorts. Initially, having to go to the main lobby for wifi and coffee, seemed a curse, but very quickly it became a blessing. This lobby area, is a wonderful place to pass time, be it over coffee or beer or rum, with trade winds blowing through the open air, with singers singing, musicians playing, a fashion show on display or some other diversion.

The food overall at the resort was good but not great. I had one meal at the Latin restaurant, a roast pork dish, that was delicious, (better than any meal I had in Paris in a recent one week stay). I was somewhat put off by the main buffet, but over the week it grew on me. All of the soups were very good. The made to order entrees were very good. These are the places where people are lined up. The desserts were very good. I did not try the breakfast or lunch buffet, but instead had omelets and sandwiches and hamburgers at the 24 hour beer garden near the ice cream parlor. The ice cream is great, the coffee is great, the omelets , hamburgers and sandwiches are ok, but not great. The food is not lacking in quality of ingredients. If I owned this resort if I would cut 3/4 of the food menu offerings and concentrate on a much smaller menu and make those items really well.

One complaint. I requested a room with Wifi and was not given one. After visiting the resort, I realize that any room close to the pools would have had Wifi. The person responsible for assigning my room, obviously did not read my request or did not care. When I return I will book a room by the pool.

In summery, this is a great resort and while not the fanciest all-inclusive, it was a wonderful week and the best all-inclusive experience I have ever had. I hope to return. [Details]

Beautiful clean beaches with shade areas. Clean hotel and rooms however old. Good variety of « à la carte » restaurants. Nice grounds and efficient staff. [Details]

This is the second time we have stayed at Melia Las Dunas resort. We returned because, although there are some small complaints, the overall experience is very good for the cost.

The main draw, of course, is the fantastic beach. Turquoise water, phenomenal view, white soft sand, no rocks, no prickly sea life, and continuous waves that keep it from being dull. The beach on Cayo Santa Maria is second to none.

The resort itself is very large, with excellent landscaping. Because of its size, it doesn't feel crowded, there's so much room to breathe and it makes you feel like you are the only ones there. That's excluding the lobby piano bar and buffet, of course.

The food is never top notch in Cuba, but this resort always had plenty to choose from, with the main buffet offering a large variety and several a la carte restaurants, guaranteeing you get at least a couple chances at a change of eating venue.

There are two huge pool areas, one “relax” pool, mainly for adults, and an “activity” pool which was more lively. Both were fun to hang out at, and both immaculately clean.

The rooms are quite dated and showing their age. Last time we had a room with no problems at all. This time: broken shower curtain rod, broken toilet seat that moved when you tried to sit on it, the third bed bent oddly by the second night, the sliders on both sides of one drawer cracked completely (they had clearly been repaired in a hurry recently and poorly), the hair dryer installed in the room kept cutting out and the water in the shower was barely above freezing. Treacherous to try and shave your legs when the goosebumps are that big.

Since there is so much to do while we are there, we don't spend that much time in the hotel room, but all of these little things added up to cause frustration.

Overall, I highly recommend this resort and location as a spot where you get a lot for the price you pay. [Details]

This is a lovely hotel situated on one of the satellite islands of Cuba. Main land is an hour away. Pros: Staff was friendly and most were tri-lingual (English, Spanish, and French) to a certain degree. Property is kept clean, beaches were immaculate. Entertainment provided at the resort is varied and very good. Buffets and grills were delicious and snack bars were varied Cons: Spoons were hard to come by in the mornings for cereal or yogurt, not sure why. Everything is trucked in, including towels (no laundry onsite), so something ran out most days. A la carte restaurants were cold and had minimal serving staff - most food arrived cold. Even with all the cons, this was a great stay. Would be great for adults or families since there are 5 pools, with 2 geared mostly to adults, 2 for both adults and kids, plus a wading pool. [Details]

This was our first time traveling out of the country. The bus ride was over an hour and a half long to the resort. The food was good, staff were awesome! Concerns with the hotel is they give you a limited amount of ammenities ie tissue and towels are only replaced every few days. The rooms are not fully cleaned each day, they make the bed empty the garbage give you some tissue and another bottled water. The room smellled very musty. Lots of ants and some type of sandflies that bite hard. It would be good to know that Items are limited when you get there like tissue because the front desk won't give you any, have to wait for the maid to come the next day. It would've been nice to know towels aren't replaced every day either so we could hang them to dry. You also have to buy wifi. Need to make sure you have enough Canadian dollars to exchange as the internet is down a lot so difficult to get peso's [Details]

Hotel is a 2hr bus ride from the airport. Check in was quick for us, but did see lineups during the day. Resort is clean with very nice grounds. Rooms are standard and we didn't have any issues with AC or water. Staff are mostly very friendly. Pool was very nice and beach was the best I've been to. Food was good, could always find something to eat. [Details]

Excellent resort with great beach and food. Entertainment was enjoyable for ourselves and our kids. Pools and beach were more than what we expected. Biggest disappointment was the room as first impressions are always the most important. The room smelt moldy as soon as we entered but slowly got better as the week progressed. Resort was very clean and very well maintained. Would be great if there was more "Family" excursions available on more than 1day. We would definitely go back!! [Details]