Showing posts with label melia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label melia. Show all posts
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Melia Long-stay Photos Uploaded
Ta-dah! The photos are HERE. As always I will promise to do captions, but...
More from the Melia
Random notes again.
1. On Xmas day
there was a water ballet display in the main pool. It was combined with a display of excessive
tolerance of small children as three 10 year olds were allowed to pretend to
join in. The team, from the uni at Santa
Clara, did a nice job of avoiding them but their parents deserve a whack. I wouldn't have minded seeing one of the
performers crush one of the kids by the time they were done, so long as none of
the ballet types were injured of course.😃
2. Years ago, in
Veradero so must be 25 years ago, we remember seeing a man standing on the
beach with his hands over his head rotating in the sand. Rotisserie tanning we called it. Saw someone doing the same here. Gotta admire the dedication. 😃
3. Another of the
'I enjoyed many years ago' books that I brought along to re-read before passing
along to the stepson who owns Toronto's best second hand bookshop, Re: Reading
on the Danforth just west of Pape on the north side, is Orhan Pamuk's The Black
Book. Not just still a great read but
also, as with others I brought, a very different read as I have now spent time
in Istanbul. Even has a scene on
isstikal Caddesi. Found memory of
walking along it just after dark and hearing the tiny tap-tap of dozens of
shoemakers at work.
4. I have well and
truly fallen into a daily rut. Nice to
have a (quite good) cappuccino waiting for me each morning at 0700 though. At my table even.
5. The server
providing poolside drinks started a conversation with the folks sitting next to
us one morning. Turns out they live
literally a stone's throw from us in Cobourg.
Small world.
6. Another book to
get a positive notice even if recently published is The Tailings of Warren
Peace by Stephen Law. Look for it.
7. Lots of great
weather but a couple of days really toasty.
The afternoon of one we retired to the lobby bar and sat in the shade
and breeze, read and directed new arrivals off the airport bus to the bar's
washroom. In the old days the busses had
their own and a bar at the back to boot.
Getting old...and so is my bladder. 😳
8. One of the
reasons we so love building 17 here is that with an Oceanside room on the 2nd
floor you can get a blistering breeze by opening both doors. Much better than a/c.
9. I'm reassessing
my plan to get a bus pass when I retire.
I think maybe an electric golf cart.
Had a couple of runs in one.
Quiet, feels fast in confined spaces and clean.
10. Scorned Woman Sauce a great general purpose sauce for
adding a bit of zest to resort food and drinks.
11. The Mambi Lounge on the Danforth in Toronto comes
highly recommended by folks here as a Cuban bar and restaurant. Music pretty good too they say.
12. We slid over the Sol for their weekly suckling pigs
BBQ. Kinda fun, they make a bit of a
party of it. Kinda reminded me of 20
years ago at the Guitart Cayo Coco when they would roast a few on the beach
once a week. A Cuban navy patrol boat
would always anchor off the beach that morning, causing much anxiety among the
tourists. The crew would paddle ashore
in an inflatable and spend the evening flirting with tourists and enjoying the
party. The boat would be gone the next
morning. 😄
13. Who says beach
vacations aren't learning experiences, a chance to expand your mind? Today I learned that before it became a
mouthwash Listerine was a topical treatment for gonorrhoea. 😄
14. Shared a table at lunch with the cutest young couple
from a village near Munich who are on a beach stop in the middle of their tour
of Cuba. Much fun. A reminder to always take advantage of a
shared table. In the dozen times we have
we've never had a bad time.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Melia Cayo Santa Maria 2004 Visit
I spoke with
Jose Carlos as soon as we arrived in Santa Clara and he informed me that
O’Daisy was now working at the Melia and he would arrange for me to go
and see her. Jose Carlos is also stationed at the Melia with designated
hours at the Sol.
We arrived on the Monday and so it was Thursday before I was prepared to leave the beach and go to the Melia.
Jose Carlos arranged for one of the golf carts to take me over to the Melia from the lobby at the Sol. There is a path from one resort to the other and it is easily walked from one end of the resort. There is always a security guard in attendance, as the Sol guests do not have privileges at the Melia. Any Melia guest may use the facilities at the Sol.
O’Daisy is now working at the tour desk in the lobby at the Melia. The hours are better for her with the baby. She had a picture album to show me and the baby is absolutely beautiful. She is the exact replica of Jose Carlos. There is no resemblance to O’Daisy whatsoever.
O’Daisy then took me to meet Maite, who was also public relations at the Sol, when we were there last time. Also Vivien. What a treat to see all of them. We were standing in the lobby chatting away and we were talking about the 1st anniversary of the Sol where I met all of the VIPs and Maite then introduced me to a VIP at the Melia. He was the assistant General Manager, (very good looking) He was very pleasant and did I mention very good looking?
They offered me a tour of the resort and of one of the rooms. Very good PR. I was totally impressed with the resort; the facilities and the rooms are the best I’ve seen.
LOBBY:
very large and open, they are still adding things like 2 fishponds, leading into the lobby. There is vegetation and the lobby is well set out and very artistic.
ACTIVITIES:
The 6 tennis courts are nearly completed. They will be world class. The initial intent was to share the courts at the Sol but that was not working out and so they proceeded to build their own. They are to the right of the lobby as you go out to the pool area.
The pool is very large and spread out. The lounge chairs are wood and they have the most fantastic gel filled lounge pads. I fell in love immediately.
The entertainment center is very large and it has walls that can be raised or lowered so that it can be an indoor or outdoor area. The band shell is huge and so is the seating area.
They were setting up for the ceremonies to celebrate the 1st anniversary and the official opening. Although it is still a work in progress dignitaries were arriving for the ceremonies and it was to be declared officially open.
There is a pool grill and a swim up bar and next to that is the Italian Restaurant. Farther down toward the ocean is the International restaurant (more about that later).
Closer to the ocean there is a wedding center/gazebo and on the beach several palapas.
There is a lobby bar and a piano bar off the lobby, there was a meeting going on in the piano bar, but we looked in and it looks very comfortable. There is a patio outside the lobby bar with wicker chairs and tables, looked like a very relaxing place to sit outdoors and have a drink. The piano bar has a jazz trio every night.
There is a 24-hour café, of course.
There are plans for a spa.
ROOMS: we went to look at one of the rooms and I was very impressed. They are the nicest I have seen to date. There is a small foyer as you enter the room with artwork on the wall. The rooms are very large with a king size canopy bed, a couch and comfortable chair beside a window. The sliding glass doors out to the balcony are screened. This is a first. It is brightly decorated.
There is a desk, TV, stocked fridge CD player.
The bathroom is split. Shower and toilet in one room, the sink and vanity in another with the closet and drawers. There is of course a full-length mirror.
We all did the tour and then sat and had a cool drink in the lobby bar before I went back.
Maite, with the approval of the assistant General Manager, invited Derek and I and our friends to come to the Melia for dinner one night. We decided we would come the following week when our other friends arrived. We chose the International restaurant. I will do a separate review of that night.
They are building 2 new restaurants that will be open during the high season.
The staff and management have been working very hard since the Melia opened. They have had some growing pains and made many changes but they appear to have everything under control. It has been a very hectic year for all of the staff, but they work together as a team and are very proud of the work they have done and with good reason.
I decided before I left the resort that I wanted to come and stay at the Melia a.s.a.p. We are hoping for June, 2005.Our friends Sue and Gaby decided 10 minutes after arriving and falling in love with the Sol, that they would come back with their kids for March break. I contacted my travel agent as soon as we got home to get available times and as it turned out they will be going to the Melia. The times worked well and the price was lower than the Sol.
We arrived on the Monday and so it was Thursday before I was prepared to leave the beach and go to the Melia.
Jose Carlos arranged for one of the golf carts to take me over to the Melia from the lobby at the Sol. There is a path from one resort to the other and it is easily walked from one end of the resort. There is always a security guard in attendance, as the Sol guests do not have privileges at the Melia. Any Melia guest may use the facilities at the Sol.
O’Daisy is now working at the tour desk in the lobby at the Melia. The hours are better for her with the baby. She had a picture album to show me and the baby is absolutely beautiful. She is the exact replica of Jose Carlos. There is no resemblance to O’Daisy whatsoever.
O’Daisy then took me to meet Maite, who was also public relations at the Sol, when we were there last time. Also Vivien. What a treat to see all of them. We were standing in the lobby chatting away and we were talking about the 1st anniversary of the Sol where I met all of the VIPs and Maite then introduced me to a VIP at the Melia. He was the assistant General Manager, (very good looking) He was very pleasant and did I mention very good looking?
They offered me a tour of the resort and of one of the rooms. Very good PR. I was totally impressed with the resort; the facilities and the rooms are the best I’ve seen.
LOBBY:
very large and open, they are still adding things like 2 fishponds, leading into the lobby. There is vegetation and the lobby is well set out and very artistic.
ACTIVITIES:
The 6 tennis courts are nearly completed. They will be world class. The initial intent was to share the courts at the Sol but that was not working out and so they proceeded to build their own. They are to the right of the lobby as you go out to the pool area.
The pool is very large and spread out. The lounge chairs are wood and they have the most fantastic gel filled lounge pads. I fell in love immediately.
The entertainment center is very large and it has walls that can be raised or lowered so that it can be an indoor or outdoor area. The band shell is huge and so is the seating area.
They were setting up for the ceremonies to celebrate the 1st anniversary and the official opening. Although it is still a work in progress dignitaries were arriving for the ceremonies and it was to be declared officially open.
There is a pool grill and a swim up bar and next to that is the Italian Restaurant. Farther down toward the ocean is the International restaurant (more about that later).
Closer to the ocean there is a wedding center/gazebo and on the beach several palapas.
There is a lobby bar and a piano bar off the lobby, there was a meeting going on in the piano bar, but we looked in and it looks very comfortable. There is a patio outside the lobby bar with wicker chairs and tables, looked like a very relaxing place to sit outdoors and have a drink. The piano bar has a jazz trio every night.
There is a 24-hour café, of course.
There are plans for a spa.
ROOMS: we went to look at one of the rooms and I was very impressed. They are the nicest I have seen to date. There is a small foyer as you enter the room with artwork on the wall. The rooms are very large with a king size canopy bed, a couch and comfortable chair beside a window. The sliding glass doors out to the balcony are screened. This is a first. It is brightly decorated.
There is a desk, TV, stocked fridge CD player.
The bathroom is split. Shower and toilet in one room, the sink and vanity in another with the closet and drawers. There is of course a full-length mirror.
We all did the tour and then sat and had a cool drink in the lobby bar before I went back.
Maite, with the approval of the assistant General Manager, invited Derek and I and our friends to come to the Melia for dinner one night. We decided we would come the following week when our other friends arrived. We chose the International restaurant. I will do a separate review of that night.
They are building 2 new restaurants that will be open during the high season.
The staff and management have been working very hard since the Melia opened. They have had some growing pains and made many changes but they appear to have everything under control. It has been a very hectic year for all of the staff, but they work together as a team and are very proud of the work they have done and with good reason.
I decided before I left the resort that I wanted to come and stay at the Melia a.s.a.p. We are hoping for June, 2005.Our friends Sue and Gaby decided 10 minutes after arriving and falling in love with the Sol, that they would come back with their kids for March break. I contacted my travel agent as soon as we got home to get available times and as it turned out they will be going to the Melia. The times worked well and the price was lower than the Sol.
Melia Cayo Santa Maria May 2005
PART 1: Flight (Westjet vs Air Can. from Toronto) / arrival / NJT supplies / rooms.
(Here is the 1st section of our report. Derek took copious notes all week (on tiny bits of paper, I might add) and so he will do the next section and I will add any impressions I have, as he has done in this section. Teamwork.)
Geri has done most of the work here, Derek’s additional comment appear in her text.)
FLIGHT:
We flew with West Jet and were at the front of the line at the airport. They did not open till 12:30 and the flight was at 3:40 We spoke with the ticket agent re the NJT suitcases and she had to go and speak to the WOV representative, who was stationed nearby. There was no problem with those suitcases. There was also no problem with the heavy load in the other 2 suitcases.
Left on time and it was a good flight. Leather seats, very comfortable. We slept for part of the trip. Dinner was a box lunch. Enough to satisfy your hunger but …. It did mean we did not need to run to the buffet upon arrival at the hotel.
(Derek): I missed Air Canada. The cutsey things that Westjet makes their staff do I just find irritating. And the food’s better on AC. Westjest seats somewhere between regular charter and AC I think.
We had seats in the 2nd row and so were through customs and security very quickly. I had our luggage well marked and so it was very easy to identify. We had 5 suitcases and 3 arrived in good time but------when all luggages had been collected an agent came out of the “back room” with the last one and asked us to open it. I had taken one of the NJT and put it inside one of ours and added gifts.
N.J.T = "Not Just Tourists" (humanitarian (medical) aid.):
They asked me to take out the smaller suitcase and I explained to them what was in the case and gave the woman the letter from the organization. She read it and looked through the suitcase, then showed the letter to the security person beside her, he read it and looked at the items in the suitcase. Then she called 2 more guys over and they all he read it and she took everything out of the suitcase again and looked at each item. Again someone else arrived and she went through the whole process again. I asked if there was a problem and she said no. Then they asked me what all the other stuff was and I explained they were for tips at the resort. They smiled and said that was good and finally they allowed me to put all of the stuff back in the case and smiled and said it was good for the Cuban people.
(Derek): We weren’t quite the centre of attention at the customs examination table. A young man found himself having to explain the function and purpose of what is often called a ‘marital aid’. A powered one with several parts and some electrical cord between the parts. Ahem. I was very impressed with (a) his straight-faced explanation using gestures and minimal Spanish, and (b) the fact that the customs folks kept their straight faces on until he had left for the parking lot. After that, well, you can imagine! He asked for our assistance in the explanation, but other than 'sex toy' what can you say?
At this point we were of course the only people left in the airport and other than a few who were in getting money everyone was waiting in the bus. We had to travel in the back of a small van type bus and I was sick. Gravol helps and so I popped a gravol and tried to concentrate on keeping my head steady and my eyes focused, in the dark. It is always a longer journey when you can’t see anything. We did arrive after 10:00 pm and decided to just head to the lobby bar and fortify ourselves with a few drinks and let them get our luggage to the room.
(Derek): I find it gets better after you’ve been over the same route a few times and have a sense of what’s out there in the dark, but I still prefer daylight arrivals. On the upside, we got to see a fair bit of nightlife in the towns we passed through. Remedios ain’t Sudbury, but still the dance clubs and bars are pretty lively. Not to mention the streets.
ROOMS:
We were registered in the bus and so we knew our room numbers. We looked on the map and were very happy to see we were in a unit close to the beach path and the beach grill.
We were very pleased with our room. The location was perfect and the room was beautiful. We had an ocean view from the balcony and I sat out for a few minutes before bed. There was a great breeze and we decided to leave the door open for the night, to hear the ocean and feel the breeze. There were no mosquitoes and the balcony doors were equipped with screens. The balcony was small with 2 wicker chairs and a small table.
(Derek): RE. THE MOSQUITOES:
we didn’t see any the entire week and there was no spraying or smoking of them either. But we were told that the Sol had the usual dawn and dusk experience of them that we remember from previous visits. Apparently it has something to do with the extra shade provided by the more mature foliage over at the Sol, compared with the ‘just planted’ look at the Melia.
Inside there was foyer as you entered with 2 shelves and a mirror, an umbrellas stand and some art. It was a good place to put empty suitcases and the beach gear we are always carting around.
A couch as you entered the room piled with cushions and very comfortable. A coffee table and a chair completed that side of the room. There was a large window behind the chair, that was covered with a bamboo curtain and roman blinds. One portion of the window could be opened and with the balcony door opened it was a beautiful cross breeze.
(Derek):when we first arrived there was a bottle of rum and a fruit plate (guavas!) waiting for us. I think this might be a Happy Face thing, so be sure and tell them you’re coming.
We also received a card from the room manager welcoming us “home”. Three was an envelope with 2 dinner reservations that were most welcome. One for the Mediterranean and 1 for the Italian.
On the wall opposite the bed was a wall unit with the TV, coffee maker and a shelf above. The shelf was handy for many things.
Below were 2 doors and one held the fridge, (stocked daily with 2 beers, 2 pops, 1 large water and 1 small water with gas) and the other door was for storage.
(Derek): STORAGE, STORAGE, STORAGE:
This was the best room, both in terms of the decoration (all walls painted with patterns and nice bright colours) and storage that we’ve had I think. Nice to have enough space to completely unpack even 2-3 weeks’ worth of stuff and not have to use suitcases for storage while the gift-tips are slowly distributed.
The door to the bathroom area was opposite the foot of the bed. It had a curtain that could be closed and the bathroom itself was divided into 2 rooms. The anteroom had a long counter with a full-length shelf and to the right of the vanity was the closet. There were 3 large shelves on top and 4 drawers below. The hanging closet was a good size with lots of hangers and a shoe rack on the floor.
To the left of the sink and vanity was the actual bathroom. It had a door (not all resorts do have a door that separates the 2 areas) and it contained the toilet, bidet, shower and tub. The tub was very deep and the shower was the type that you could remove and use it as a hand held shower.
(Derek): The tub had a sturdy handhold around and over the soap dish. Handy if you have trouble getting in and out of a deep tub.
The water was always hot, although the pressure was not great. Towels etc were good quality and were changed as required. Same for the bed sheets. If you did not require the sheets to be changed every day there was a card on the bedside table you could place on the bed and the bed would be made but not changed. I think that is such a good idea. We do not change our sheets a home each day and it is a waste of water soap and time as well as wear and tear on the linens.
To the left of the door to the bathroom on the same wall opposite the bed was a desk and chair with a mirror over the desk.
There was a safe in the closet and it was self programmed. The toiletries provided were very nice. They were in a basket on the counter and I found it very handy for my makeup and creams.
(Derek):Separating each section of the room (i.e. foyer from sitting area, vanity/dressing area from sleeping area) was a curtain rather than a door or nothing. Added some elegance. As did the unneeded mosquito netting over the bed. Though I got tangled in it one night and woke thinking a fog had moved into our room off the ocean sometime during the night.
There was a small coffee machine with coffee supplied each morning. Leaving a note will get you more than one package of coffee of course, but decafe is unknown, so bring your own if your so inclined. The machine is equipped with a nylon mesh filter, so loose coffee grounds will work fine.
The bed was a KING!!! Not two twins that had to be pushed together (and which are guaranteed to slowly drift apart in the night).
Lots of lamps and lights everywhere. More than we’re used to.
On the down side, a bathroom scale was provided so I could track an increase of 2kgs over the course of our week there. Bad, bad, bad scale!
Part 2: BARS, RESTAURANTS, BEACH, STAFF etc:
The lobby bar is open 24 hours a day. Comfortable enough, open to the lobby and with several exits into the central pools area of the resort. It also has a patio area that is fully exposed and which has a reasonable view of the theatre where the nightly entertainment happens (but get there early for a seat). The chairs and tables are wicker and quite comfortable.
(Geri): it is quite a large bar with several tables as well as bar stools. I found the chairs too large for me to be comfortable. The seats were very deep and if I sat to the back of the chair, my feet were straight out in front of me. If I sat so that me feet touched the floor there was no support for my back. The tables were a nice size.
Pool table and Cuban music on CDs.
Bucanero and Cristal on tap, Mayabe in bottles and cans. The margaritas are highly recommended! There were brand name drinks of all kinds available as well as champagne at all times (except when they ran out)
Snack table in the lobby bar over by the door to the piano bar. Cheeses, breads, ham etc. Fruit.
Swim-up pool bar. Looked fun but we’re beach people and use the pool only to cool off on the way to or from the lobby.
Off the lobby bar is the piano bar. Great live music when we were there. Acoustics are actually not bad, and it’s a much smaller space than the piano bar at the Sol. Service is not as good but I am sure that changes as the staff does.
Snack bar, at the pool has great thin-crust pizza and snacks, full-service bar but the servers double as bartenders, so something on the complicated or arcane side might stump them. Open 24 hours. Love those pizzas!
RESTAURANTS:
Italian was very good. All the usuals, plus I would highly recommend the salmon carpaccio (thinly sliced smoked salmon drizzled with olive oil and dusted with herbs). I had, at the server’s urging I should add, two orders one night. Yum.
The Mediterranean restaurant was dandy too. The filet mignon was nicely done and the portions were not small either. They do a very nice cheese appetizer of shredded lettuce or cabbage (we had one with each on the two nights we were there) mixed with feta and pressed into a bowl shape, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction.
We weren’t much impressed with the buffet however. The food was OK, but not up to Sol standards let alone what you’d expect at a 5-star. Among other things we didn’t see the variety and quality of breads and pastries that we’ve come to expect at any Cuban resort.
The layout of the place is also odd, with just one exposed ‘island’ in the eating area. The buffet itself is behind a wall that runs across one end of the room. There are three entrances/exits, making the traffic pattern chaotic. And slowing the process of getting your food.
(Geri) STAFF:
Great staff, although there were a lot of students who appeared to be very hesitant to approach your table. They appreciated being asked to do something and there did not appear to be anyone in particular directing them. There was bacon everyday and the usual omelettes etc. at breakfast, pasta station at dinner.
The only badly-prepared food we had was courtesy of a (Spanish) manager who was trying to compensate for the badly-designed layout by showing the omelette chef how to speed up the line, reduce the line-up, one morning. His omelettes suck. They were not cooked through and we noted many still sitting on plates at the tables.
We didn’t have to eat there more than the once we needed to for a review, so we didn’t. A Happy Faces Guest visit to the Sol’s international Restaurant to see Ramon and the staff there plus reservations at the Meiia’s a la carte restaurants keep the numbers on that horrible bathroom scale climbing.
A word about the Melia’s restaurant captains. Eduardo at the Mediterranean is of the chatty host variety and very pleasant. The fellow at the Italian (whose name I didn’t note, apologies) is more of the efficient type, helping staff with wine etc., but otherwise out of view unless you’re at his tables.
There’s a dress code in effect, but not always enforced while we were there. I must be getting old, but I think shorts, tank-tops and baseball caps worn throughout a meal kinda detract from the experience other diners get.
Staff at these kinds of places always have my admiration for making you feel like you’re at a pricey joint while at the same time meeting the management’s expectations in terms of turnover, tight seating times etc.
Both a la cartes had chairs neither of us found terribly comfortable. At the Mediterranean the chair arms butted perfectly against the table ledge, making it difficult to eat comfortably without perching on the edge of your chair.
The beach bar and grill does all the usual and was fine, but I have to say I prefer the charcoal BBQ at the Sol. Everything gas or electric at the Melia.
Fine place to eat though. The windscreens came in handy, as there was a fairly steady wind off the water most of the time while we were there.
All indoor bars and restaurants are now non-smoking.
The wines on offer were a cut above what we have seen at the Sol.
Champagne always around except for one night when I think we drank them dry.
The Creole restaurant was closed while we were there. A Japanese restaurant is opening soon. How soon seems to vary depending on whom you talk to.
The Creole restaurant (beach grill during the day) was open the last few nights that we were there (it was outside our room, so we could see it) but we were not notified and it appeared that the guests were all British. Perhaps it was opened due to a large contingent of Brits that arrived during the week.
BEACH and POOL:
The beach gets sculpted by the water of course, but it was nice and wide while we were there, though with a small cliff along parts because of the storms and wind the week before we arrived. Mebbe 2m high in the worst spots. We watched it change during the week.
(Geri): it is a very wide beach and allowed for a lot of room for everyone. There are many palapas. They are so close they almost touch each other. Anyone who wanted one was accommodated. Since it was so hot and the sun was very hot and stayed directly above for a long time, we all needed the palapas. They run along the top of the beach.
There is enough room on the beach to have 3 rows of chairs.
Lots of chairs.
We didn’t do any real pooling while there. Two side by side in the open area at the centre of the resort off the lobby. As mentioned above, one has a swim-up bar. Close to the 24-hour snack bar.
Lots of very nice wooden lounge chairs though, and these wonderful foam mats/cushions for them. Trouble was, there weren’t enough of the cushions for more than about half of the chairs. I tried lying on a chair without a cushion and it was worse than the plastic chairs on the beach. They seem designed for the cushions to be used with them.
A few of the cushions were down on the beach (but not enough to make up for the lack at the pools). They’re not only really comfortable, but they float!!!
OTHER:
Cybercafe charges $6 per 30 minute session, but there was never a connection when I tried to check on the shenanigans in Ottawa. Though the very nice woman who runs it swore they did have connections occasionally. Part of the problem may have been the occasionally EXTREMELY windy weather we had.
(Geri):It was great to see all of the friends we have made at the Sol in previous visits. When I went to the PR desk to make dinner reservation the PR staff (and 2 students) were very excited to see my “happy face “ pin. They had been notified that we were arriving and had been watching for us. Marialus approached me and said you are Sheedy and said she had been looking for the guest with the happy face badge. I got a full report on where all of my friends were and was able to set up times to meet with them. The grapevine works well as it was barely minutes before we were running into our friends. Some of them have changed positions but all were eager to do anything to make our stay a fun and pleasant one.
The admin for both the Melia and the Sol are now run out of the Sol.
(Geri):Jose Carlos was at the airport and at the Melia for orientation for a wedding party that was travelling with Sunquest. He explained that it was the last time Sunquest would be coming into the Melia. Apparently, Sunquest and World of Vacations have reached an agreement with the resorts, (government?) that Sunquest will be the exclusive wholesaler for the Sol and WOV will have exclusivity for the Melia. That is for flights out of Toronto. They also will be night arrivals.
Gym is under construction. Melia guests have gym privileges at the Sol until it is ready. It is to include day-spa facilities.
Beach showers are an odd thing to mention, but the Melia has some very fancy ones, sculpted really. And the similar if more ambitious one at the Sol’s beach grill is worth the walk down. Really! We watched the artists completing the one at the Sol and we were fascinated. Beautiful work.
Melia guests have drinking but not eating privileges at the Sol. Not reciprocated.
One shop with a walk-in humidor. But aside from cigars I think the Sol’s shop has a better selection, even of t-shirts and souvenirs. Worth the walk over if you need to buy for the grandkids.
CONCLUSION:
It was great to see the place, and while there are still some kinks being worked out, it’s headed to becoming a full 5-star.
The rooms are a real highlight and if we were going at a time of year when we might have to spend some time indoors (September say, when he prices are dirt cheap but there’s always the chance of a hurricane wandering along), I’d want to go here.
But overall and on a ‘bang for your buck’ basis, I can’t help but compare it to the Sol next door.
When I do that the food comes out even (though the Melia wins on pizza!!!), the champagne is something we can bring or buy there. And, truth be told, we know so many of the staff at the Sol that it’s like visiting friends rather then a resort hotel.
Price will determine if we return I think. With Geri retired we not only need to pay a little more attention to such things than we used to, but she’s now home and surfing the web for cheap package deals. If she can get us to the Melia for less than the Sol, great. If not I’d expect you’ll find us at the Sol.
(Geri): I really liked being able to wander around both the resorts anytime. [/b] It was also very easy to get a lift over on the golf carts, if you were tired or hot. We walked the beach to the Sol as well as in the evening we went through the complex. It is a short enjoyable walk. It may sway us for the next trip.
As usual the staff remembered us. They have amazing ability to recall faces. Staff who had previously worked at the Sol recognized us at the Melia. I wore my happy face at all times and that may have helped but they are still uncanny. They would approach us and ask if we had been to the Sol and mention that they remembered us. It feels good. We also remembered most of them as well.
(Here is the 1st section of our report. Derek took copious notes all week (on tiny bits of paper, I might add) and so he will do the next section and I will add any impressions I have, as he has done in this section. Teamwork.)
Geri has done most of the work here, Derek’s additional comment appear in her text.)
FLIGHT:
We flew with West Jet and were at the front of the line at the airport. They did not open till 12:30 and the flight was at 3:40 We spoke with the ticket agent re the NJT suitcases and she had to go and speak to the WOV representative, who was stationed nearby. There was no problem with those suitcases. There was also no problem with the heavy load in the other 2 suitcases.
Left on time and it was a good flight. Leather seats, very comfortable. We slept for part of the trip. Dinner was a box lunch. Enough to satisfy your hunger but …. It did mean we did not need to run to the buffet upon arrival at the hotel.
(Derek): I missed Air Canada. The cutsey things that Westjet makes their staff do I just find irritating. And the food’s better on AC. Westjest seats somewhere between regular charter and AC I think.
We had seats in the 2nd row and so were through customs and security very quickly. I had our luggage well marked and so it was very easy to identify. We had 5 suitcases and 3 arrived in good time but------when all luggages had been collected an agent came out of the “back room” with the last one and asked us to open it. I had taken one of the NJT and put it inside one of ours and added gifts.
N.J.T = "Not Just Tourists" (humanitarian (medical) aid.):
They asked me to take out the smaller suitcase and I explained to them what was in the case and gave the woman the letter from the organization. She read it and looked through the suitcase, then showed the letter to the security person beside her, he read it and looked at the items in the suitcase. Then she called 2 more guys over and they all he read it and she took everything out of the suitcase again and looked at each item. Again someone else arrived and she went through the whole process again. I asked if there was a problem and she said no. Then they asked me what all the other stuff was and I explained they were for tips at the resort. They smiled and said that was good and finally they allowed me to put all of the stuff back in the case and smiled and said it was good for the Cuban people.
(Derek): We weren’t quite the centre of attention at the customs examination table. A young man found himself having to explain the function and purpose of what is often called a ‘marital aid’. A powered one with several parts and some electrical cord between the parts. Ahem. I was very impressed with (a) his straight-faced explanation using gestures and minimal Spanish, and (b) the fact that the customs folks kept their straight faces on until he had left for the parking lot. After that, well, you can imagine! He asked for our assistance in the explanation, but other than 'sex toy' what can you say?
At this point we were of course the only people left in the airport and other than a few who were in getting money everyone was waiting in the bus. We had to travel in the back of a small van type bus and I was sick. Gravol helps and so I popped a gravol and tried to concentrate on keeping my head steady and my eyes focused, in the dark. It is always a longer journey when you can’t see anything. We did arrive after 10:00 pm and decided to just head to the lobby bar and fortify ourselves with a few drinks and let them get our luggage to the room.
(Derek): I find it gets better after you’ve been over the same route a few times and have a sense of what’s out there in the dark, but I still prefer daylight arrivals. On the upside, we got to see a fair bit of nightlife in the towns we passed through. Remedios ain’t Sudbury, but still the dance clubs and bars are pretty lively. Not to mention the streets.
ROOMS:
We were registered in the bus and so we knew our room numbers. We looked on the map and were very happy to see we were in a unit close to the beach path and the beach grill.
We were very pleased with our room. The location was perfect and the room was beautiful. We had an ocean view from the balcony and I sat out for a few minutes before bed. There was a great breeze and we decided to leave the door open for the night, to hear the ocean and feel the breeze. There were no mosquitoes and the balcony doors were equipped with screens. The balcony was small with 2 wicker chairs and a small table.
(Derek): RE. THE MOSQUITOES:
we didn’t see any the entire week and there was no spraying or smoking of them either. But we were told that the Sol had the usual dawn and dusk experience of them that we remember from previous visits. Apparently it has something to do with the extra shade provided by the more mature foliage over at the Sol, compared with the ‘just planted’ look at the Melia.
Inside there was foyer as you entered with 2 shelves and a mirror, an umbrellas stand and some art. It was a good place to put empty suitcases and the beach gear we are always carting around.
A couch as you entered the room piled with cushions and very comfortable. A coffee table and a chair completed that side of the room. There was a large window behind the chair, that was covered with a bamboo curtain and roman blinds. One portion of the window could be opened and with the balcony door opened it was a beautiful cross breeze.
(Derek):when we first arrived there was a bottle of rum and a fruit plate (guavas!) waiting for us. I think this might be a Happy Face thing, so be sure and tell them you’re coming.
We also received a card from the room manager welcoming us “home”. Three was an envelope with 2 dinner reservations that were most welcome. One for the Mediterranean and 1 for the Italian.
On the wall opposite the bed was a wall unit with the TV, coffee maker and a shelf above. The shelf was handy for many things.
Below were 2 doors and one held the fridge, (stocked daily with 2 beers, 2 pops, 1 large water and 1 small water with gas) and the other door was for storage.
(Derek): STORAGE, STORAGE, STORAGE:
This was the best room, both in terms of the decoration (all walls painted with patterns and nice bright colours) and storage that we’ve had I think. Nice to have enough space to completely unpack even 2-3 weeks’ worth of stuff and not have to use suitcases for storage while the gift-tips are slowly distributed.
The door to the bathroom area was opposite the foot of the bed. It had a curtain that could be closed and the bathroom itself was divided into 2 rooms. The anteroom had a long counter with a full-length shelf and to the right of the vanity was the closet. There were 3 large shelves on top and 4 drawers below. The hanging closet was a good size with lots of hangers and a shoe rack on the floor.
To the left of the sink and vanity was the actual bathroom. It had a door (not all resorts do have a door that separates the 2 areas) and it contained the toilet, bidet, shower and tub. The tub was very deep and the shower was the type that you could remove and use it as a hand held shower.
(Derek): The tub had a sturdy handhold around and over the soap dish. Handy if you have trouble getting in and out of a deep tub.
The water was always hot, although the pressure was not great. Towels etc were good quality and were changed as required. Same for the bed sheets. If you did not require the sheets to be changed every day there was a card on the bedside table you could place on the bed and the bed would be made but not changed. I think that is such a good idea. We do not change our sheets a home each day and it is a waste of water soap and time as well as wear and tear on the linens.
To the left of the door to the bathroom on the same wall opposite the bed was a desk and chair with a mirror over the desk.
There was a safe in the closet and it was self programmed. The toiletries provided were very nice. They were in a basket on the counter and I found it very handy for my makeup and creams.
(Derek):Separating each section of the room (i.e. foyer from sitting area, vanity/dressing area from sleeping area) was a curtain rather than a door or nothing. Added some elegance. As did the unneeded mosquito netting over the bed. Though I got tangled in it one night and woke thinking a fog had moved into our room off the ocean sometime during the night.
There was a small coffee machine with coffee supplied each morning. Leaving a note will get you more than one package of coffee of course, but decafe is unknown, so bring your own if your so inclined. The machine is equipped with a nylon mesh filter, so loose coffee grounds will work fine.
The bed was a KING!!! Not two twins that had to be pushed together (and which are guaranteed to slowly drift apart in the night).
Lots of lamps and lights everywhere. More than we’re used to.
On the down side, a bathroom scale was provided so I could track an increase of 2kgs over the course of our week there. Bad, bad, bad scale!
Part 2: BARS, RESTAURANTS, BEACH, STAFF etc:
The lobby bar is open 24 hours a day. Comfortable enough, open to the lobby and with several exits into the central pools area of the resort. It also has a patio area that is fully exposed and which has a reasonable view of the theatre where the nightly entertainment happens (but get there early for a seat). The chairs and tables are wicker and quite comfortable.
(Geri): it is quite a large bar with several tables as well as bar stools. I found the chairs too large for me to be comfortable. The seats were very deep and if I sat to the back of the chair, my feet were straight out in front of me. If I sat so that me feet touched the floor there was no support for my back. The tables were a nice size.
Pool table and Cuban music on CDs.
Bucanero and Cristal on tap, Mayabe in bottles and cans. The margaritas are highly recommended! There were brand name drinks of all kinds available as well as champagne at all times (except when they ran out)
Snack table in the lobby bar over by the door to the piano bar. Cheeses, breads, ham etc. Fruit.
Swim-up pool bar. Looked fun but we’re beach people and use the pool only to cool off on the way to or from the lobby.
Off the lobby bar is the piano bar. Great live music when we were there. Acoustics are actually not bad, and it’s a much smaller space than the piano bar at the Sol. Service is not as good but I am sure that changes as the staff does.
Snack bar, at the pool has great thin-crust pizza and snacks, full-service bar but the servers double as bartenders, so something on the complicated or arcane side might stump them. Open 24 hours. Love those pizzas!
RESTAURANTS:
Italian was very good. All the usuals, plus I would highly recommend the salmon carpaccio (thinly sliced smoked salmon drizzled with olive oil and dusted with herbs). I had, at the server’s urging I should add, two orders one night. Yum.
The Mediterranean restaurant was dandy too. The filet mignon was nicely done and the portions were not small either. They do a very nice cheese appetizer of shredded lettuce or cabbage (we had one with each on the two nights we were there) mixed with feta and pressed into a bowl shape, drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction.
We weren’t much impressed with the buffet however. The food was OK, but not up to Sol standards let alone what you’d expect at a 5-star. Among other things we didn’t see the variety and quality of breads and pastries that we’ve come to expect at any Cuban resort.
The layout of the place is also odd, with just one exposed ‘island’ in the eating area. The buffet itself is behind a wall that runs across one end of the room. There are three entrances/exits, making the traffic pattern chaotic. And slowing the process of getting your food.
(Geri) STAFF:
Great staff, although there were a lot of students who appeared to be very hesitant to approach your table. They appreciated being asked to do something and there did not appear to be anyone in particular directing them. There was bacon everyday and the usual omelettes etc. at breakfast, pasta station at dinner.
The only badly-prepared food we had was courtesy of a (Spanish) manager who was trying to compensate for the badly-designed layout by showing the omelette chef how to speed up the line, reduce the line-up, one morning. His omelettes suck. They were not cooked through and we noted many still sitting on plates at the tables.
We didn’t have to eat there more than the once we needed to for a review, so we didn’t. A Happy Faces Guest visit to the Sol’s international Restaurant to see Ramon and the staff there plus reservations at the Meiia’s a la carte restaurants keep the numbers on that horrible bathroom scale climbing.
A word about the Melia’s restaurant captains. Eduardo at the Mediterranean is of the chatty host variety and very pleasant. The fellow at the Italian (whose name I didn’t note, apologies) is more of the efficient type, helping staff with wine etc., but otherwise out of view unless you’re at his tables.
There’s a dress code in effect, but not always enforced while we were there. I must be getting old, but I think shorts, tank-tops and baseball caps worn throughout a meal kinda detract from the experience other diners get.
Staff at these kinds of places always have my admiration for making you feel like you’re at a pricey joint while at the same time meeting the management’s expectations in terms of turnover, tight seating times etc.
Both a la cartes had chairs neither of us found terribly comfortable. At the Mediterranean the chair arms butted perfectly against the table ledge, making it difficult to eat comfortably without perching on the edge of your chair.
The beach bar and grill does all the usual and was fine, but I have to say I prefer the charcoal BBQ at the Sol. Everything gas or electric at the Melia.
Fine place to eat though. The windscreens came in handy, as there was a fairly steady wind off the water most of the time while we were there.
All indoor bars and restaurants are now non-smoking.
The wines on offer were a cut above what we have seen at the Sol.
Champagne always around except for one night when I think we drank them dry.
The Creole restaurant was closed while we were there. A Japanese restaurant is opening soon. How soon seems to vary depending on whom you talk to.
The Creole restaurant (beach grill during the day) was open the last few nights that we were there (it was outside our room, so we could see it) but we were not notified and it appeared that the guests were all British. Perhaps it was opened due to a large contingent of Brits that arrived during the week.
BEACH and POOL:
The beach gets sculpted by the water of course, but it was nice and wide while we were there, though with a small cliff along parts because of the storms and wind the week before we arrived. Mebbe 2m high in the worst spots. We watched it change during the week.
(Geri): it is a very wide beach and allowed for a lot of room for everyone. There are many palapas. They are so close they almost touch each other. Anyone who wanted one was accommodated. Since it was so hot and the sun was very hot and stayed directly above for a long time, we all needed the palapas. They run along the top of the beach.
There is enough room on the beach to have 3 rows of chairs.
Lots of chairs.
We didn’t do any real pooling while there. Two side by side in the open area at the centre of the resort off the lobby. As mentioned above, one has a swim-up bar. Close to the 24-hour snack bar.
Lots of very nice wooden lounge chairs though, and these wonderful foam mats/cushions for them. Trouble was, there weren’t enough of the cushions for more than about half of the chairs. I tried lying on a chair without a cushion and it was worse than the plastic chairs on the beach. They seem designed for the cushions to be used with them.
A few of the cushions were down on the beach (but not enough to make up for the lack at the pools). They’re not only really comfortable, but they float!!!
OTHER:
Cybercafe charges $6 per 30 minute session, but there was never a connection when I tried to check on the shenanigans in Ottawa. Though the very nice woman who runs it swore they did have connections occasionally. Part of the problem may have been the occasionally EXTREMELY windy weather we had.
(Geri):It was great to see all of the friends we have made at the Sol in previous visits. When I went to the PR desk to make dinner reservation the PR staff (and 2 students) were very excited to see my “happy face “ pin. They had been notified that we were arriving and had been watching for us. Marialus approached me and said you are Sheedy and said she had been looking for the guest with the happy face badge. I got a full report on where all of my friends were and was able to set up times to meet with them. The grapevine works well as it was barely minutes before we were running into our friends. Some of them have changed positions but all were eager to do anything to make our stay a fun and pleasant one.
The admin for both the Melia and the Sol are now run out of the Sol.
(Geri):Jose Carlos was at the airport and at the Melia for orientation for a wedding party that was travelling with Sunquest. He explained that it was the last time Sunquest would be coming into the Melia. Apparently, Sunquest and World of Vacations have reached an agreement with the resorts, (government?) that Sunquest will be the exclusive wholesaler for the Sol and WOV will have exclusivity for the Melia. That is for flights out of Toronto. They also will be night arrivals.
Gym is under construction. Melia guests have gym privileges at the Sol until it is ready. It is to include day-spa facilities.
Beach showers are an odd thing to mention, but the Melia has some very fancy ones, sculpted really. And the similar if more ambitious one at the Sol’s beach grill is worth the walk down. Really! We watched the artists completing the one at the Sol and we were fascinated. Beautiful work.
Melia guests have drinking but not eating privileges at the Sol. Not reciprocated.
One shop with a walk-in humidor. But aside from cigars I think the Sol’s shop has a better selection, even of t-shirts and souvenirs. Worth the walk over if you need to buy for the grandkids.
CONCLUSION:
It was great to see the place, and while there are still some kinks being worked out, it’s headed to becoming a full 5-star.
The rooms are a real highlight and if we were going at a time of year when we might have to spend some time indoors (September say, when he prices are dirt cheap but there’s always the chance of a hurricane wandering along), I’d want to go here.
But overall and on a ‘bang for your buck’ basis, I can’t help but compare it to the Sol next door.
When I do that the food comes out even (though the Melia wins on pizza!!!), the champagne is something we can bring or buy there. And, truth be told, we know so many of the staff at the Sol that it’s like visiting friends rather then a resort hotel.
Price will determine if we return I think. With Geri retired we not only need to pay a little more attention to such things than we used to, but she’s now home and surfing the web for cheap package deals. If she can get us to the Melia for less than the Sol, great. If not I’d expect you’ll find us at the Sol.
(Geri): I really liked being able to wander around both the resorts anytime. [/b] It was also very easy to get a lift over on the golf carts, if you were tired or hot. We walked the beach to the Sol as well as in the evening we went through the complex. It is a short enjoyable walk. It may sway us for the next trip.
As usual the staff remembered us. They have amazing ability to recall faces. Staff who had previously worked at the Sol recognized us at the Melia. I wore my happy face at all times and that may have helped but they are still uncanny. They would approach us and ask if we had been to the Sol and mention that they remembered us. It feels good. We also remembered most of them as well.
Melia Cayo Santa Maria 2005
"My update to our previous reports is minimal and is mostly about the Melia next door, so here goes...
As we had access to the Melia I used the gym there. I've posted some photos of the gym (and others of the spa etc. to go with Geri's report) on my photoblog at
the best hotel gym I've seen anywhere, bar none. I include in that comparison all the hotels I stay at for work purposes here in Canada.
Some will have noted (passed over might be a better way of describing it!) my complaints about most other resorts gyms. On doctor's orders I started attending gyms regularly some years ago and have found myself addicted. Don't feel up to par anymore unless I get to one at least a few times a week. So gyms are something I notice, even if they aren't the determining factor in a decision to go somewhere in particular.
The new Melia CSM gym has lots of cardio equipment, alll TechnoGym stuff, brand new. Lots of space between the machines. Treadmills, bicycles, rowing machine and two of the best stairclimbers I've ever used.
The weight room has top-of-the-line machines (TechnoGym again). Some of the stuff beats anything I've seen before and very little would be missing if you were to compare it to my YMCA or a commercial health club. And again, lots of space between stations.
And really big windows too, making for a steady breeze.
There's a central courtyard. Washrooms.
Roman bath theme to the place.
Outside there's more of the Roman effect with a statue in a colonnaded seating area.
Some spectacular tennis courts that include a ball launcher, shaded benches and even small bleachers for an audience.
Most unusual feature is the climbing wall. I didn't get a chance to try it out as I never had the time (you must get a safety harness first, get basic instruction), but there will definitely be a note on the experience after our next visit.
Back at the SOL, the only update I have to add is to the effect that all the fish pools have been re-stocked. So whomever visits between now and 3 February, please feed them (grab some bread after breakfast) and pass long my best!
One perennial complaint: there's still no Canadian news channel,
despite the fact that 75% of the guests must be Canadian. If you work
at it you can get the RDI feed to TV5 at 07:00 (as I recall), but that's
it."
By Geri - Comments on general entertainment at SOL: (as reply to Justin)
"You will arrive on the Sat if you are going to the Melia and so you will have to wait until the following Friday night to get to go to the beach party at the Sol, but it is good fun and not to be missed. It immediately follows the show and the dancers lead you down to the beach for a big party at the beach Grill and dancing in the sand.
Also be sure to make your way over to the Flamingo bar at the far end of the Sol. It can be a lively place and has a hot tub and serves pizza and fries etc. There have been some good parties there.
have fun and get to know the entertainment staff. They will assure you have a great time and they are always looking to meet up with young people for fun.
Do not miss the volleyball in the pool. It's a hoot and the play will stop while you get a drink or take a sip. And you don't even have to be good."
"My 2 cents re: the fun club/disco---- It opens once the nightly show is over. The show always ends with the entertainment staff dancing with the guests to the Sol Melia songs, and the dances. They are taught during the day, usually twice, at noon and about 4 pm. Be sure to check the schedule for the entertainment for the day as you will then meet the YOUNG staff members and they will ensure you have a good party time if you want to party.
The disco stays open as long as people are thre and willing to party. If you have your favorite dance music, bring it with you and the DJ is always happy to play it for you. In fact if you make him a copy of a few CDs they will play you anything. Sometimes it is only open for 1 hour as us old folks have trouble staying awake. I think if they had the disco before the show it would be good as it is more energising to damnce than to sit and wach a show. Just my opinion, of course."
Spa and Gym etc.
We were very lucky to be at the resort when they opened the Spa. Alexander Martin is the manager, and O’Daisy is the Sales Promoter and so Judy and Derek and I received an invitation to explore the facilities.
We were very - very impressed. I will try to walk you through the entire facility. Then I will get Derek to post all of the pictures I took and hopefully you will get a sense of how fabulous it is.
I would suggest that everyone set aside some time to enjoy a day at the spa. If you are staying at the Sol, you may enjoy the spa by calling and making an appointment. The gym and massage facility at the Sol is closed and may be renovated, but for the time being guests may use the Melia.
The Spa has definite Roman, Pompeii theme. It is beautiful to see as you walk up to it. There is a large lobby with a reception desk and Carlos will greet you with a big smile and will inform you what is available and cater to your every wish. There are 2 roman style couches to lounge on in the lobby, if you have to wait for any reason. They are very comfortable.
To the left of the lobby is the hair salon, quite large and well appointed.
To the right is an office and a supply room, where fresh towels and other supplies are stored.
Behind the reception is a marble counter with fresh fruit and juice available and then the pool is in front of you. We have pictures of Judy and I at the pool. There are chairs available if you wish to sit in the sun or you can have a swim. On either side is a hall leading to (separate men and women’s) locker rooms, with showers, washrooms, lounge chairs, special private sunbathing area, dry sauna, steam sauna, sensation showers, 3 multi hole shower heads, a whirlpool with an open window looking out to the pool area, all decorated in the roman bath theme.
There is a separate room with marble benches and footbaths for pedicures and a small massage room right off to the side. This is followed by a sunroom/lounge with comfortable full-length loungers where you can rest after your “Wellness Through Water Journey”
There is music everywhere and it is soothing and we found it to be very relaxing.
Towels and bathrobes are supplied for the journey as well as lockers to keep your clothes.
To view Geri's SPA photos, please click here!
As we had access to the Melia I used the gym there. I've posted some photos of the gym (and others of the spa etc. to go with Geri's report) on my photoblog at
the best hotel gym I've seen anywhere, bar none. I include in that comparison all the hotels I stay at for work purposes here in Canada.
Some will have noted (passed over might be a better way of describing it!) my complaints about most other resorts gyms. On doctor's orders I started attending gyms regularly some years ago and have found myself addicted. Don't feel up to par anymore unless I get to one at least a few times a week. So gyms are something I notice, even if they aren't the determining factor in a decision to go somewhere in particular.
The new Melia CSM gym has lots of cardio equipment, alll TechnoGym stuff, brand new. Lots of space between the machines. Treadmills, bicycles, rowing machine and two of the best stairclimbers I've ever used.
The weight room has top-of-the-line machines (TechnoGym again). Some of the stuff beats anything I've seen before and very little would be missing if you were to compare it to my YMCA or a commercial health club. And again, lots of space between stations.
And really big windows too, making for a steady breeze.
There's a central courtyard. Washrooms.
Roman bath theme to the place.
Outside there's more of the Roman effect with a statue in a colonnaded seating area.
Some spectacular tennis courts that include a ball launcher, shaded benches and even small bleachers for an audience.
Most unusual feature is the climbing wall. I didn't get a chance to try it out as I never had the time (you must get a safety harness first, get basic instruction), but there will definitely be a note on the experience after our next visit.
Back at the SOL, the only update I have to add is to the effect that all the fish pools have been re-stocked. So whomever visits between now and 3 February, please feed them (grab some bread after breakfast) and pass long my best!
One perennial complaint: there's still no Canadian news channel,
despite the fact that 75% of the guests must be Canadian. If you work
at it you can get the RDI feed to TV5 at 07:00 (as I recall), but that's
it."By Geri - Comments on general entertainment at SOL: (as reply to Justin)
"You will arrive on the Sat if you are going to the Melia and so you will have to wait until the following Friday night to get to go to the beach party at the Sol, but it is good fun and not to be missed. It immediately follows the show and the dancers lead you down to the beach for a big party at the beach Grill and dancing in the sand.
Also be sure to make your way over to the Flamingo bar at the far end of the Sol. It can be a lively place and has a hot tub and serves pizza and fries etc. There have been some good parties there.
have fun and get to know the entertainment staff. They will assure you have a great time and they are always looking to meet up with young people for fun.
Do not miss the volleyball in the pool. It's a hoot and the play will stop while you get a drink or take a sip. And you don't even have to be good."
Melia Cayo Santa Maria Comments on the DISCO
by Geri - Nov. '05
by Geri - Nov. '05
"My 2 cents re: the fun club/disco---- It opens once the nightly show is over. The show always ends with the entertainment staff dancing with the guests to the Sol Melia songs, and the dances. They are taught during the day, usually twice, at noon and about 4 pm. Be sure to check the schedule for the entertainment for the day as you will then meet the YOUNG staff members and they will ensure you have a good party time if you want to party.
The disco stays open as long as people are thre and willing to party. If you have your favorite dance music, bring it with you and the DJ is always happy to play it for you. In fact if you make him a copy of a few CDs they will play you anything. Sometimes it is only open for 1 hour as us old folks have trouble staying awake. I think if they had the disco before the show it would be good as it is more energising to damnce than to sit and wach a show. Just my opinion, of course."
Spa and Gym etc.
We were very lucky to be at the resort when they opened the Spa. Alexander Martin is the manager, and O’Daisy is the Sales Promoter and so Judy and Derek and I received an invitation to explore the facilities.
We were very - very impressed. I will try to walk you through the entire facility. Then I will get Derek to post all of the pictures I took and hopefully you will get a sense of how fabulous it is.
I would suggest that everyone set aside some time to enjoy a day at the spa. If you are staying at the Sol, you may enjoy the spa by calling and making an appointment. The gym and massage facility at the Sol is closed and may be renovated, but for the time being guests may use the Melia.
The Spa has definite Roman, Pompeii theme. It is beautiful to see as you walk up to it. There is a large lobby with a reception desk and Carlos will greet you with a big smile and will inform you what is available and cater to your every wish. There are 2 roman style couches to lounge on in the lobby, if you have to wait for any reason. They are very comfortable.
To the left of the lobby is the hair salon, quite large and well appointed.
To the right is an office and a supply room, where fresh towels and other supplies are stored.
Behind the reception is a marble counter with fresh fruit and juice available and then the pool is in front of you. We have pictures of Judy and I at the pool. There are chairs available if you wish to sit in the sun or you can have a swim. On either side is a hall leading to (separate men and women’s) locker rooms, with showers, washrooms, lounge chairs, special private sunbathing area, dry sauna, steam sauna, sensation showers, 3 multi hole shower heads, a whirlpool with an open window looking out to the pool area, all decorated in the roman bath theme.
There is a separate room with marble benches and footbaths for pedicures and a small massage room right off to the side. This is followed by a sunroom/lounge with comfortable full-length loungers where you can rest after your “Wellness Through Water Journey”
There is music everywhere and it is soothing and we found it to be very relaxing.
Towels and bathrobes are supplied for the journey as well as lockers to keep your clothes.
To view Geri's SPA photos, please click here!
Melia Cayo Santa Maria 2006
Here is the start of my report.
Getting there and Flight:
We took a van taxi from Cobourg for the first time and it worked out quite well. A stop at Tim’s and we were on our way. Arrived at the airport with piles of luggage. Judy and I spent Thursday and Friday repacking and resorting suitcases in order to get the right number and weight in each. We had the bathroom scales set up in the foyer and kept weighing suitcases until we got it right.
We arrived at the airport with 11 bags. We had a quick check in and they insisted on weighing our carry on first, as it needs to be checked if it is too heavy or too large. I was okay. Transat rules are any number of suitcases as long as the total weight is not I=over and each case is not over a certain weight. It worked out well for us as we had 3 cases medical supplies and a sports bag.
We were traveling club class and in addition to double the weight you can pre-board and we did so. While everyone else is boarding we were served champagne and orange juice. Very relaxing, especially for someone like me who loves champagne.
The flight was turbulent and so it slowed the flight and meant seat belts were on for a good part of the trip and service was halted a few times. Breakfast was eventually served and although we don’t recall what it was we enjoyed the meals both ways. Drinks were served during the entire flight. Very early morning to benefit but they were available.
Airport
We arrived and due to our club seats were the first off the plane and through immigration. No problems. The luggage was tagged “Priority” and so some of them came off immediately. Ken and Thea and Judy were out and on the first bus. A few of ours arrived but then there was a hold up. Derek had agreed to claim all of the medical supply suitcases so only one of us would be held up. The staff were moving the suitcases throughout the space at the airport rather than just on either side of the conveyor belt. Derek was identifying our bags and a porter was bringing them out to me near the door. At some point I started to worry as everyone had left and I was still waiting for 2 suitcases. I went to ask Derek if he knew what the problem was and he was no longer there. The suitcases were sitting all alone and Derek was at customs with all of the medical supplies spread over the desk. I grabbed the suitcases and someone to help me and finally got outside. By then the 1st bus was leaving and the next 2 were full. Judy saved the day. She was waiting with a cold beer. We found the last bus as we knew Derek would likely be the last guy out. ( He wasn’t, but I’ll let him tell you about that).
Check in on the bus, before we left the airport:
There is no longer a police escort but local vehicles were pretty good about allowing the bus to pass. Made a stop in Remidios for Geri to use the facilities in the local bar. Arrived safe and sound to music dancing and a rum punch. Judy did not know and did not ask if it had rum in it and so she took the drink and drank it down, got a surprised look on her face and then asked, is there alcohol in here? Ken and Thea were waiting in the lobby bar for us to join them. They had been there for 1 hour.
Miscellaneous---
While we were on the bus to Santa Clara, etc the guide was very informative. He showed us the Dolphin pen being built along the causeway. They expect it will be finished this summer. They will have a Swim with the Dolphins program. It is closer to the island than the mainland.
He also explained in great detail that there will not be a causeway built from Santa Maria to Cayo Guilliermo as planned. They have done ecological studies and found it would be destructive to the marine life. It is the deepest water and even with the bridges they did on the Santa Maria causeway it would not work. The good news is they have decided to expand the airport in Santa Clara. We saw evidence of work underway at the airport. No time frame for completion.
They have done studies of the marine life and spawning habits on the Santa Maria , (award winning ) causeway and determined that they have in fact increased. Due somewhat to the new shelter the causeway provides.
Weather:
We had a great vacation in spite of the bad weather. There were 3 cold fronts while we were there. It gave us a lot of time to visit with friends and to enjoy the spa. We have never been to Cuba when it has been so cold. I used to bring some warm clothing, just in case but I stopped because I never used them. I sure wished I had some with me this time. I had brought a soft cotton pant suit for a friend and I ended up wearing it for several days before I gave it to her. I wore the jeans and jacket I wore down to Cuba and home for a few days as well.
Even so, I got burned and I peeled and I got sun blisters, so when the sun was out it was hot and powerful. I am home with only a slight tan, (Derek is really brown) and a lot of peeling.
The Spa:
The spa was a godsend, as we could go there to get warmed up. Our package included the water journey once a week and it was included each time you had a massage. We had several massages. They had a special for Valentine’s Day and it was a great success. They had more than 400 people through the spa in one day. They offered a 25% discount for couples massage. This included ½ hour or 1 hour massage and the water journey. More on that later.
There are some changes at the resort and I will detail them all when I get a moment.
Adventure at Customs on Departure Day:
I had an interesting experience on our exit from Cuba this time. As you know we have always asked them to stamp our passport as we arrive and leave Cuba. We like to have that reminder of our visit. We found it interesting in the past that the immigration people almost always asked us if it was our 1st time in Cuba. With all of the stamps in the book they would know it was not and we figured they were just asking out of courtesy, chit chat or perhaps to see if we would be telling the truth. Since we get new passports every 5 to 6 years we do not have all of our trips in one book. This year, they did not ask as I arrived but on departure, they asked how many times I had been to Cuba. I answered 35-40 and the officer then called out to someone else to join him in the booth. It was a tight squeeze, I can tell you. They then proceeded to ask me why I came to Cuba so often, how many times I had been to Cayo Santa Maria, where else in Cuba I had visited, and did I ever leave the resort. They then asked if I left the resort on this trip and where I went and how long I stayed and if I visited friends in Santa Clara. When I said I had not, they asked if I had friends in Cuba. I said I had many friends at the resort but did not see them outside of the resort. They asked if I was traveling alone and when I responded I was not they asked if I had a husband. They asked what I did for a job and I said I was retired and thay wanted to know what job I retired from. Well it is always fun to explain to someone here in Canada what my job was, let alone to someone who doesn't understand the language or the issue I deal with. I made an attempt with the short version, "I worked for the Government" Doing what job? I replied "Senior Review Officer, investigating pay equity complaints" Blank!! So they asked me to write down my job title on part of a form they produced and seemed to be satisfied with that. I imagine there were some discussions about that after I left. Perhaps in the future it would be a good idea to not ask to have the stamp and to answer the question, yes I have been to Cuba many times. I am sure they have it in the computer. I guess we have been there (Santa Maria) 6 times in 4 years. Interesting. Judy thought they were going to keep me and was very jealous.
More later...
Geri
================================================================
The Meliá CSM Spa: Personal "Water Journey & Massages" Experience.
Photos of the Melia CSM SPA.
"It is time I told you all about our spa experience. We enjoyed the spa very much. It was even more enjoyable since it was cold and wet for a lot of the time.
It was lovely to see the staff again and we couldn’t wait to experience the whole water journey and get a massage from Roberto.
Judy and I decided to be the first. We arrived and were welcomed with open arms. Maria, (reception) Beatrice (who works in the beauty salon) and Carlos (reception) remembered us and were happy to see us. Once the paper work was completed we were escorted to the locker room. There are lockers, washrooms and showers. Slippers, towels and amenities are provided. There is an option of having your shower in the outdoors. It is a small private area where you can have your shower in the sunshine.
Once you have changed and showered, you are then escorted to the dry sauna. It is very hot and there are wood benches where you can sit or lie down for 15 minutes. The attendant then comes and escorts you to the showers for a cool shower prior to going into the steam sauna which is very dark and all tiled with marble. It also is very hot and there is a thin layer of water on the floor that keeps the marble cool.
15 minutes later you are then escorted to the shower again to cool off and there is a private small jacuzzi tub to relax in. It looks outdoors and is painted in pastels and is very relaxing. Water (to drink) is offered at each stage.
Near the area is a sensation shower. I used it each time. It is a 3 headed shower, (very large shower heads) in a tiled area and it is quite a treat.
Then you are escorted to the Jacuzzi outdoors. (there are pictures we have already put on the forum) Again water is offered and you can stay here as long as you wish, Then if you wish to stay longer you can pull up a lounger and sit by the pool in the sun and just reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelax .
The water journey is separated, that is men on one side and women on the other. As are the Jacuzzis. Once back at the pool you are reunited.
While we were there all guests could do the water journey once a week without charge. Also, it was included if you booked a massage.
Then comes the massage.There are 4 buildings, where the staff work their magic. We chose Roberto for our 1st massage. The rooms are tranquil, with soft music and the sound of the ocean playing while every part of your body and mind relax and float away. You could stay at the pool when you were finished or the staff escorted you again to the locker rooms to change.
We found that once we were finished we were very warm and could face any cool temperatures that came our way.
Derek and I went for couples massage twice and really enjoyed it. They put 2 tables in the same room, side by side and you have your choice of massage staff and type of massage. I always enjoy the relaxing massage but it was fun to listen to Derek get the shiatsu massage. A lot of slapping and some groaning and some giggles while the foot thing was happening.
Derek must have enjoyed it a lot as he talked Ken and Thea into going and we went a second time. Judy, well, I think she was there every day, but don’t quote me on that. If she wasn’t with me I was asked where she was and when she was coming.
I think I may have missed a few days but not many. I would recommend that everyone go a few times a week. It adds to the delight of the resort and gets out all of the kinks from lounging all day on plastic chairs.
Valentine’s day was so busy there were more than 400 towels used. The staff were pleased that guests were enjoying the spa.
The water journey is included with all massages and they range from 30.00 to 60.00. The water journey on it's own I think was $25.00 but I will check in the brochure when I have a minute. 1 hour couples massage is $120.00 and they had a special on Valentine's day of 90.00.
You could make a great day and have your hair done, a manicure, pedicure, water journey and a massage. You would have to have someone carry you back to your room but you would be relaxed.
Geri"
Getting there and Flight:
We took a van taxi from Cobourg for the first time and it worked out quite well. A stop at Tim’s and we were on our way. Arrived at the airport with piles of luggage. Judy and I spent Thursday and Friday repacking and resorting suitcases in order to get the right number and weight in each. We had the bathroom scales set up in the foyer and kept weighing suitcases until we got it right.
We arrived at the airport with 11 bags. We had a quick check in and they insisted on weighing our carry on first, as it needs to be checked if it is too heavy or too large. I was okay. Transat rules are any number of suitcases as long as the total weight is not I=over and each case is not over a certain weight. It worked out well for us as we had 3 cases medical supplies and a sports bag.
We were traveling club class and in addition to double the weight you can pre-board and we did so. While everyone else is boarding we were served champagne and orange juice. Very relaxing, especially for someone like me who loves champagne.
The flight was turbulent and so it slowed the flight and meant seat belts were on for a good part of the trip and service was halted a few times. Breakfast was eventually served and although we don’t recall what it was we enjoyed the meals both ways. Drinks were served during the entire flight. Very early morning to benefit but they were available.
Airport
We arrived and due to our club seats were the first off the plane and through immigration. No problems. The luggage was tagged “Priority” and so some of them came off immediately. Ken and Thea and Judy were out and on the first bus. A few of ours arrived but then there was a hold up. Derek had agreed to claim all of the medical supply suitcases so only one of us would be held up. The staff were moving the suitcases throughout the space at the airport rather than just on either side of the conveyor belt. Derek was identifying our bags and a porter was bringing them out to me near the door. At some point I started to worry as everyone had left and I was still waiting for 2 suitcases. I went to ask Derek if he knew what the problem was and he was no longer there. The suitcases were sitting all alone and Derek was at customs with all of the medical supplies spread over the desk. I grabbed the suitcases and someone to help me and finally got outside. By then the 1st bus was leaving and the next 2 were full. Judy saved the day. She was waiting with a cold beer. We found the last bus as we knew Derek would likely be the last guy out. ( He wasn’t, but I’ll let him tell you about that).
Check in on the bus, before we left the airport:
There is no longer a police escort but local vehicles were pretty good about allowing the bus to pass. Made a stop in Remidios for Geri to use the facilities in the local bar. Arrived safe and sound to music dancing and a rum punch. Judy did not know and did not ask if it had rum in it and so she took the drink and drank it down, got a surprised look on her face and then asked, is there alcohol in here? Ken and Thea were waiting in the lobby bar for us to join them. They had been there for 1 hour.
Miscellaneous---
While we were on the bus to Santa Clara, etc the guide was very informative. He showed us the Dolphin pen being built along the causeway. They expect it will be finished this summer. They will have a Swim with the Dolphins program. It is closer to the island than the mainland.
He also explained in great detail that there will not be a causeway built from Santa Maria to Cayo Guilliermo as planned. They have done ecological studies and found it would be destructive to the marine life. It is the deepest water and even with the bridges they did on the Santa Maria causeway it would not work. The good news is they have decided to expand the airport in Santa Clara. We saw evidence of work underway at the airport. No time frame for completion.
They have done studies of the marine life and spawning habits on the Santa Maria , (award winning ) causeway and determined that they have in fact increased. Due somewhat to the new shelter the causeway provides.
Weather:
We had a great vacation in spite of the bad weather. There were 3 cold fronts while we were there. It gave us a lot of time to visit with friends and to enjoy the spa. We have never been to Cuba when it has been so cold. I used to bring some warm clothing, just in case but I stopped because I never used them. I sure wished I had some with me this time. I had brought a soft cotton pant suit for a friend and I ended up wearing it for several days before I gave it to her. I wore the jeans and jacket I wore down to Cuba and home for a few days as well.
Even so, I got burned and I peeled and I got sun blisters, so when the sun was out it was hot and powerful. I am home with only a slight tan, (Derek is really brown) and a lot of peeling.
The Spa:
The spa was a godsend, as we could go there to get warmed up. Our package included the water journey once a week and it was included each time you had a massage. We had several massages. They had a special for Valentine’s Day and it was a great success. They had more than 400 people through the spa in one day. They offered a 25% discount for couples massage. This included ½ hour or 1 hour massage and the water journey. More on that later.
There are some changes at the resort and I will detail them all when I get a moment.
Adventure at Customs on Departure Day:
I had an interesting experience on our exit from Cuba this time. As you know we have always asked them to stamp our passport as we arrive and leave Cuba. We like to have that reminder of our visit. We found it interesting in the past that the immigration people almost always asked us if it was our 1st time in Cuba. With all of the stamps in the book they would know it was not and we figured they were just asking out of courtesy, chit chat or perhaps to see if we would be telling the truth. Since we get new passports every 5 to 6 years we do not have all of our trips in one book. This year, they did not ask as I arrived but on departure, they asked how many times I had been to Cuba. I answered 35-40 and the officer then called out to someone else to join him in the booth. It was a tight squeeze, I can tell you. They then proceeded to ask me why I came to Cuba so often, how many times I had been to Cayo Santa Maria, where else in Cuba I had visited, and did I ever leave the resort. They then asked if I left the resort on this trip and where I went and how long I stayed and if I visited friends in Santa Clara. When I said I had not, they asked if I had friends in Cuba. I said I had many friends at the resort but did not see them outside of the resort. They asked if I was traveling alone and when I responded I was not they asked if I had a husband. They asked what I did for a job and I said I was retired and thay wanted to know what job I retired from. Well it is always fun to explain to someone here in Canada what my job was, let alone to someone who doesn't understand the language or the issue I deal with. I made an attempt with the short version, "I worked for the Government" Doing what job? I replied "Senior Review Officer, investigating pay equity complaints" Blank!! So they asked me to write down my job title on part of a form they produced and seemed to be satisfied with that. I imagine there were some discussions about that after I left. Perhaps in the future it would be a good idea to not ask to have the stamp and to answer the question, yes I have been to Cuba many times. I am sure they have it in the computer. I guess we have been there (Santa Maria) 6 times in 4 years. Interesting. Judy thought they were going to keep me and was very jealous.
More later...
Geri
================================================================
The Meliá CSM Spa: Personal "Water Journey & Massages" Experience.
Photos of the Melia CSM SPA.
"It is time I told you all about our spa experience. We enjoyed the spa very much. It was even more enjoyable since it was cold and wet for a lot of the time.
It was lovely to see the staff again and we couldn’t wait to experience the whole water journey and get a massage from Roberto.
Judy and I decided to be the first. We arrived and were welcomed with open arms. Maria, (reception) Beatrice (who works in the beauty salon) and Carlos (reception) remembered us and were happy to see us. Once the paper work was completed we were escorted to the locker room. There are lockers, washrooms and showers. Slippers, towels and amenities are provided. There is an option of having your shower in the outdoors. It is a small private area where you can have your shower in the sunshine.
Once you have changed and showered, you are then escorted to the dry sauna. It is very hot and there are wood benches where you can sit or lie down for 15 minutes. The attendant then comes and escorts you to the showers for a cool shower prior to going into the steam sauna which is very dark and all tiled with marble. It also is very hot and there is a thin layer of water on the floor that keeps the marble cool.
15 minutes later you are then escorted to the shower again to cool off and there is a private small jacuzzi tub to relax in. It looks outdoors and is painted in pastels and is very relaxing. Water (to drink) is offered at each stage.
Near the area is a sensation shower. I used it each time. It is a 3 headed shower, (very large shower heads) in a tiled area and it is quite a treat.
Then you are escorted to the Jacuzzi outdoors. (there are pictures we have already put on the forum) Again water is offered and you can stay here as long as you wish, Then if you wish to stay longer you can pull up a lounger and sit by the pool in the sun and just reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelax .
The water journey is separated, that is men on one side and women on the other. As are the Jacuzzis. Once back at the pool you are reunited.
While we were there all guests could do the water journey once a week without charge. Also, it was included if you booked a massage.
Then comes the massage.There are 4 buildings, where the staff work their magic. We chose Roberto for our 1st massage. The rooms are tranquil, with soft music and the sound of the ocean playing while every part of your body and mind relax and float away. You could stay at the pool when you were finished or the staff escorted you again to the locker rooms to change.
We found that once we were finished we were very warm and could face any cool temperatures that came our way.
Derek and I went for couples massage twice and really enjoyed it. They put 2 tables in the same room, side by side and you have your choice of massage staff and type of massage. I always enjoy the relaxing massage but it was fun to listen to Derek get the shiatsu massage. A lot of slapping and some groaning and some giggles while the foot thing was happening.
Derek must have enjoyed it a lot as he talked Ken and Thea into going and we went a second time. Judy, well, I think she was there every day, but don’t quote me on that. If she wasn’t with me I was asked where she was and when she was coming.
I think I may have missed a few days but not many. I would recommend that everyone go a few times a week. It adds to the delight of the resort and gets out all of the kinks from lounging all day on plastic chairs.
Valentine’s day was so busy there were more than 400 towels used. The staff were pleased that guests were enjoying the spa.
The water journey is included with all massages and they range from 30.00 to 60.00. The water journey on it's own I think was $25.00 but I will check in the brochure when I have a minute. 1 hour couples massage is $120.00 and they had a special on Valentine's day of 90.00.
You could make a great day and have your hair done, a manicure, pedicure, water journey and a massage. You would have to have someone carry you back to your room but you would be relaxed.
Geri"
Melia Cayo Santa Maria 2010
Melia Resort Report 2010
Flight southbound: No problem at the airport. We were quite underweight and so no concerns there. No line-ups for the Club Class. That is good. Flight was a little late but we made it up. Smooth flight.
We arrived at 9:00 pm and got thru immigration very quickly. Luggage was very fast and we were on the bus with our bags in less than 15 minutes, giving us lots of time to sit and have a beer. Very nice not to be checked and questioned about our luggage. Dark trip across the causeway but we did notice about 3 detours. The road was under re-construction due to the damage from the hurricane winds 2 years ago.
The bus stopped at the Melia and everyone but us got off. We went on to the Sol and checked at the desk. They seemed very surprised to see our room voucher and then remembered there was a note left for us. We had been upgraded to the Melia and they were waiting for us.
They drove us over to the Melia and they were prepared for us. We were given a room in our favorite building. #17 is close to the beach grill and the boardwalk to the beach as well as the pool. We were in Judy’s room, 1723. There was a welcome note from our maids and a bottle of rum to welcome us.
Beach towels are waiting in the room for you. New place to change them. The building that used to be the child play center is now a games room and fresh towels. At the end of the stay you leave the towels in the room. If you have to check out and require the towels for the afternoon, you can hand them into the front desk when you leave and you will get your ticket for the bus.
Derek did the briefing. The mini bar refills are done using the same process. We did find this time that they did not come into fill the bar if you were not there and the time each day was not consistent. Some days it was early in the morning and some days late afternoon. You also get your coffee from the bar guys.
Derek will tell you the rest.
It was very nice to have both resorts to use. We got set up on the beach on day one and it was soooo beautiful. I keep forgetting how wonderfully wide the CSM beach is. There were 3 long rows of new chairs. All set up along the beach. They were plastic framed but with the woven bearing surfaces and were quite comfortable. There is now bar service on the beach. Amazing to watch the waiter pick up everybody’s mugs and orders and getting them all back to the right people with the right drinks in them. The beach bar very close to the beach is all finished and functions very well. It has all of the drinks available as well as little tables and chairs if you wish to sit out of the sun and have a drink. The posts are all hand carved like totem poles. Quite impressive!! I think Derek has pictures.
[Derek: very nice spot to sit in the shade and have a drink now. Only 6 or so tables, but never full]
The beach grill is very busy everyday and service is excellent and the food and beer and wine are also very good. They serve a basket of toasted, crusty bread with red tomato salsa and hummus or green tomato salsa. I had red snapper one day and it was very good.
You will be happy to know the boys in black are still entertaining at the grill. Same routine and lots of fun. Someone actually asked them to sing “Hotel California”. Lo and behold they knew it. I think it is part of their routine as they replaced the title words with “Hotel Cayo Santa Maria”.
[Derek: Though if you ask, as I did, they’ll play requests straight-up, without the comedy]
The 24-hour pool restaurant is serving breakfast and we ate there every day after the 1st day at the buffet. It is a very good breakfast and they serve cappuccino as well. Bacon and eggs and the bacon are crisp and they serve 3 slices. Toast is a little pale but we loved it every day. The tea water was boiling. What a treat.
[Derek: The one thing I missed from the buffet at breakfast was the thinly-sliced cured ham. Yum]
I have mentioned before how dysfunctional I find the buffet. When people are lined up the have something cooked, they completely block all of the pre-cooked food. So, if you didn’t want an omelet you still had to wait behind 5 to 10 people to get to the rest of the buffet. Only one person at a time has room at the toaster and when you are at the toaster and the line up is at the buffet, no one has room to pass through without bumping into one side or the other. AND
It is so noisy in the dining area. You can’t hear yourself talk, let alone listen. The acoustics are awful. The 1st day was the only meal we had for the whole week.
The 24-hour pool restaurant serves as the Caribbean restaurant at night. They dress it up and then reopen as the snack bar. They also serve pizza. Not as good as the Los Flamencos at the Sol but okay.
2 reservations per week
We walked the beach to the Sol and noticed immediately that the steps at the end of the boardwalk, near the beach grill were missing. The walk was blocked off at the shower and then there was a cliff. Also on the other path to the beach grill the steps were missing. We had to slog up the hill of sand beside the missing steps. Vivien (La Piqua) said there was a huge wind 2 weeks prior and the entire Sol beach went to the Melia. I asked if they would be trucking it back and she said, no, it would come back on its own. They have several new picnic tables in the sand.
Saw some old friends who questioned why we have been away so long. Makes us feel guilty. Also visited the Los Flamingos, where Elsa presides. It now serves pizzas only. Very, very good ones I might add. We enjoyed walking through the Sol Grounds. The vegetation is fully-grown and quite beautiful all in bloom.
To the east of the pool there is a cleared area where they have put up several hammocks. It is in a quiet shady glen and very inviting. Everything else appears to be the same.
[Derek: It was lovely to be back there, felt like coming home, but while everything works and is far from decrepit, things have faded a bit. But even so (and without having seen any of the rooms) I would be happy to find myself there for a couple of weeks. ]
AT THE MELIA????? The lobby bar had entertainment at various times. A 3 piece band played one evening and people danced. The champagne table was set up but not always kept stocked. You could order from the bar, however. Did not try the disco. Also did not attend any of the late shows.
La Fontanella at the Sol has had a new face. They now have seating outside. One evening there was a table made up for a group of 12. They have a self-serve antipasto table that was very appealing. Menu has changed a bit. Staff has also changed. Vladimir (formerly Melia lobby bar) is now Captain. Derek ordered rare steak and got rare steak. He was thrilled with that.
Piano Bar at Sol is well preserved and we spent several evening there. It was a week of students and they are always fun to get to know. University students back to school to take a 3-year tourism course. They are trained in every aspect of the field, from chambermaid to bartender and everything in between. There were students at the piano for a couple of nights as well. The regular pianist was back on Thursday and told us she is playing 3 nights a week and the students are playing the other nights.
[Derek: The fish in the ponds seemed to remember me as whenever my shadow hit the water they came running…err…paddling up]
Spent some time at the Spa. Beatrice, hairdresser and cosmetician just had a baby on April 9th and so was on maternity leave. Some new and some old staff at the Spa. We enjoy the pool there as it is so quiet and is usually quite warm. Derek worked out at the gym and I lay around the pool. He would join me for a swim and some sun.
On day 3 the wind came up on the ocean and it was quite rough. Derek though it was a lot of fun to challenge the waves. I watched. I watched him go for a header and come up with no glasses on his face. Very expensive ray ban prescription sunglasses gone forever. We do have a rule to leave our glasses at the chair, as they are so expensive to replace but Derek likes to see the waves coming sooo.
Red flag for the rest of the week. I am always so sad when I can’t play in the ocean but it did give us a chance to enjoy the pool and use our floaters. We would go down and you can actually watch the beach change shape. It pushed a lot of sand onto the beach and created sand bars in the ocean. You never know what the beach will be like for one week to the next or in fact one day to the next.
We were quite surprised to see a young couple with 2 very small children wandering around the resort. I thought they may have just taken a walk over from the Sol, but then we saw them for several days. Many people commented about it.
Note: Jose Carlos, who is working at the Sol and Melia, mentioned that they were allowing liquids in your carry on. I was surprised but he said there was no official declaration but he knows they are allowing it. This was in regard to a question by a client regarding buying rum at the airport. I took that to mean all liquids and packed our carry on accordingly. Needless to say Derek was stopped and had to show the liquids were within the limits allowed. Thankfully they were okay.
The airport on the way home was chaos. There was a full planeload of people waiting in line, unable to check in because the passenger manifest had not arrived from the airline. Another line was Sun Wing and they were very late and so our line up had to give way to any Sun Wing passenger, including Transat Club Class.
[Derek: Even so we had only a brief wait. It really does pay to pay for Club Class with Transat]
Once they were all checked in, our bus passengers had lined up behind them as it appeared the line was moving quickly. It was one line but all desks were checking in only that line. Once all Sun Wing passengers were checked in, they closed the desk. Anger broke out as passengers did not then want to go to the end of another line, even though the sign above the desk clearly said Sun Wing. I am always amazed at how little attention people pay to signs and instructions. No matter how many times we are reminded there is a departure tax and that it must be cash, someone ends up at the airport unaware of the tax or expects to pay by credit card.
There was no VIP check in. We were okay as there was a club class line.
[Derek: again – it pays to fly Club Class.]
There was a lot of confusion there as well. The staff had to make the switch to Transat passengers. That took several minutes as tags etc had to be changed. The supervisor was on the club class desk and so had to go and set everyone up for the change. We were 1st in line and so had a good view of the chaos and tempers flying. Apparently there was some kind of upgrade or special seating offered and people paid an additional price to choose the seats. Not sure what that was all about, but people had to show confirmation of the reservation made on-line and there were duplicates and they all thought they would be traveling 1st class. We were sitting on the plane and they were still fuming as they passed the club section and moved to the rear. Once the attendants checked a few reservations they explained it was not for club class but some additional privileges were included. There were seats available but they remained empty.
[Derek: the confusion was over Club Class (Transat’s first class seating) and something called Club Privilege I think. The latter is supposed to get priority check-in and a drink or two on the flight itself, but regular seating. The last bit seemed to come as a surprise to people. Which is odd unless they only paid for it on the return leg as they must have been in
What a different airport. WOW. I recall our 1st trip to CSM and the tiny inefficient airport. This is 1st class.
VIP lounge is beautiful. Pastel coloured lounges and small and large couches. Chairs and small tables. The service was great. Only complaint was the sandwich was not grilled but miked. I love those grilled sandwiches. No champagne, no wine. They had a sweet rose but that was it. Disappointed.
Random notes from Derek:
1. Geri makes the point that we ate breakfast at the pool grill. It was very nice, all a la carte. A better choice we think. Can’t see why anyone would use the buffet unless for the cured ham. Next time, now that I think of it, I will leave the room early and grab some ham, ask the chef at the poolside grill to do me a prosciutto omelet. J
2. The band in the lobby bar was very good, especially when they got off the muzac playlist.
3. MAS cards are no longer accepted at beach resorts.
4. Tips for non-direct contact staff (i.e. gardeners, maintenance and cleaning staff other than room maids) are clearly not common given the reaction. Remember these folks when you tip, they have as much to do with you fine vacation as the wait staff and room cleaners.
5. Parts of the Sol, like La Fontanella, have clearly been recently reno’d and the railings and latticework on many of the buildings was being replaced while we were there.
6. Obiel at the pool bar makes very fine pina coladas from scratch. All the other bars seem to use the pre-mix.
7. Back of the spa/gym is a nearly-complete Centro Commerciale.
8. Also nearing opening are an Asian and a French restaurant at the Melia, both just south (beachside) of the Mediterranean restaurant.
9. Vivian (whom we’ve known for 9 years now), knows and mentions an assortment of Happy Faces.
10. Geri mentioned beach bar service as she is a beach person. I’m a little more eclectic, so I would also add there’s poolside service. As with the beach, Elvis the pool server has a remarkable memory for what drink goes in what mug and is returned to which guest.
11. Barefoot lunches are still possible in the sand at the Sol’s beach grill. Still a really lovely spot with decent food by any standard. Though the days when you got a large half chicken with the skin done JUST right are gone I guess. Quarters are the rule. L
12. The pool bar at the Sol is still the best place to spend time out of the sun. Nice and high, it catches a good breeze off the ocean.
13. The surprise disappointment at the Melia was the Mediterranean restaurant. I thought it had faded a bit fancy-service-wise, but as well the menu just didn’t grab me. Resort food being what it is the Melia was unusual in that there were actually a couple of things on this restaurant’s menu that I recalled with fondness. They’re gone. And what’s there is fine, but…’
14. Near the Barceló is a craft market. We didn’t visit, but there’s a shuttle bus for $1CUC each way and it’s possible (though very hot I should think) to walk it.
15. The Water Journey at the Spa was still a freebie for all Melia guests. But needed to be booked.
16. Melia guests can visit the Sol and drink, but technically can’t eat. Ahem.
17. There’s a pay-for gourmet meal option. Served by the pool in one of the curtained gazebos.
18. Standard are two a la carte reservations per week. But show without and if they have an
empty table…
19. Internet access was a whopping $6CUC per HALF hour. I resisted mostly but o the day I tried it was down. I was warned that when up it is slow. No change there, but the price is a little hard to take.
20. People with mobiles seemed to get seamless roaming service, so I guess the days when you had to set up a roaming account are gone. Gotta say I could do without the ring tones by the pool or the guy shouting at his kids back home.
21. Can hardly wait to go back, but am torn between the Sol and the Melia. The former a sentimental favourite, the latter has bigger rooms and more restaurants to choose from.
Flight southbound: No problem at the airport. We were quite underweight and so no concerns there. No line-ups for the Club Class. That is good. Flight was a little late but we made it up. Smooth flight.
We arrived at 9:00 pm and got thru immigration very quickly. Luggage was very fast and we were on the bus with our bags in less than 15 minutes, giving us lots of time to sit and have a beer. Very nice not to be checked and questioned about our luggage. Dark trip across the causeway but we did notice about 3 detours. The road was under re-construction due to the damage from the hurricane winds 2 years ago.
The bus stopped at the Melia and everyone but us got off. We went on to the Sol and checked at the desk. They seemed very surprised to see our room voucher and then remembered there was a note left for us. We had been upgraded to the Melia and they were waiting for us.
They drove us over to the Melia and they were prepared for us. We were given a room in our favorite building. #17 is close to the beach grill and the boardwalk to the beach as well as the pool. We were in Judy’s room, 1723. There was a welcome note from our maids and a bottle of rum to welcome us.
Beach towels are waiting in the room for you. New place to change them. The building that used to be the child play center is now a games room and fresh towels. At the end of the stay you leave the towels in the room. If you have to check out and require the towels for the afternoon, you can hand them into the front desk when you leave and you will get your ticket for the bus.
Derek did the briefing. The mini bar refills are done using the same process. We did find this time that they did not come into fill the bar if you were not there and the time each day was not consistent. Some days it was early in the morning and some days late afternoon. You also get your coffee from the bar guys.
Derek will tell you the rest.
It was very nice to have both resorts to use. We got set up on the beach on day one and it was soooo beautiful. I keep forgetting how wonderfully wide the CSM beach is. There were 3 long rows of new chairs. All set up along the beach. They were plastic framed but with the woven bearing surfaces and were quite comfortable. There is now bar service on the beach. Amazing to watch the waiter pick up everybody’s mugs and orders and getting them all back to the right people with the right drinks in them. The beach bar very close to the beach is all finished and functions very well. It has all of the drinks available as well as little tables and chairs if you wish to sit out of the sun and have a drink. The posts are all hand carved like totem poles. Quite impressive!! I think Derek has pictures.
[Derek: very nice spot to sit in the shade and have a drink now. Only 6 or so tables, but never full]
The beach grill is very busy everyday and service is excellent and the food and beer and wine are also very good. They serve a basket of toasted, crusty bread with red tomato salsa and hummus or green tomato salsa. I had red snapper one day and it was very good.
You will be happy to know the boys in black are still entertaining at the grill. Same routine and lots of fun. Someone actually asked them to sing “Hotel California”. Lo and behold they knew it. I think it is part of their routine as they replaced the title words with “Hotel Cayo Santa Maria”.
[Derek: Though if you ask, as I did, they’ll play requests straight-up, without the comedy]
The 24-hour pool restaurant is serving breakfast and we ate there every day after the 1st day at the buffet. It is a very good breakfast and they serve cappuccino as well. Bacon and eggs and the bacon are crisp and they serve 3 slices. Toast is a little pale but we loved it every day. The tea water was boiling. What a treat.
[Derek: The one thing I missed from the buffet at breakfast was the thinly-sliced cured ham. Yum]
I have mentioned before how dysfunctional I find the buffet. When people are lined up the have something cooked, they completely block all of the pre-cooked food. So, if you didn’t want an omelet you still had to wait behind 5 to 10 people to get to the rest of the buffet. Only one person at a time has room at the toaster and when you are at the toaster and the line up is at the buffet, no one has room to pass through without bumping into one side or the other. AND
It is so noisy in the dining area. You can’t hear yourself talk, let alone listen. The acoustics are awful. The 1st day was the only meal we had for the whole week.
The 24-hour pool restaurant serves as the Caribbean restaurant at night. They dress it up and then reopen as the snack bar. They also serve pizza. Not as good as the Los Flamencos at the Sol but okay.
2 reservations per week
We walked the beach to the Sol and noticed immediately that the steps at the end of the boardwalk, near the beach grill were missing. The walk was blocked off at the shower and then there was a cliff. Also on the other path to the beach grill the steps were missing. We had to slog up the hill of sand beside the missing steps. Vivien (La Piqua) said there was a huge wind 2 weeks prior and the entire Sol beach went to the Melia. I asked if they would be trucking it back and she said, no, it would come back on its own. They have several new picnic tables in the sand.
Saw some old friends who questioned why we have been away so long. Makes us feel guilty. Also visited the Los Flamingos, where Elsa presides. It now serves pizzas only. Very, very good ones I might add. We enjoyed walking through the Sol Grounds. The vegetation is fully-grown and quite beautiful all in bloom.
To the east of the pool there is a cleared area where they have put up several hammocks. It is in a quiet shady glen and very inviting. Everything else appears to be the same.
[Derek: It was lovely to be back there, felt like coming home, but while everything works and is far from decrepit, things have faded a bit. But even so (and without having seen any of the rooms) I would be happy to find myself there for a couple of weeks. ]
AT THE MELIA????? The lobby bar had entertainment at various times. A 3 piece band played one evening and people danced. The champagne table was set up but not always kept stocked. You could order from the bar, however. Did not try the disco. Also did not attend any of the late shows.
La Fontanella at the Sol has had a new face. They now have seating outside. One evening there was a table made up for a group of 12. They have a self-serve antipasto table that was very appealing. Menu has changed a bit. Staff has also changed. Vladimir (formerly Melia lobby bar) is now Captain. Derek ordered rare steak and got rare steak. He was thrilled with that.
Piano Bar at Sol is well preserved and we spent several evening there. It was a week of students and they are always fun to get to know. University students back to school to take a 3-year tourism course. They are trained in every aspect of the field, from chambermaid to bartender and everything in between. There were students at the piano for a couple of nights as well. The regular pianist was back on Thursday and told us she is playing 3 nights a week and the students are playing the other nights.
[Derek: The fish in the ponds seemed to remember me as whenever my shadow hit the water they came running…err…paddling up]
Spent some time at the Spa. Beatrice, hairdresser and cosmetician just had a baby on April 9th and so was on maternity leave. Some new and some old staff at the Spa. We enjoy the pool there as it is so quiet and is usually quite warm. Derek worked out at the gym and I lay around the pool. He would join me for a swim and some sun.
On day 3 the wind came up on the ocean and it was quite rough. Derek though it was a lot of fun to challenge the waves. I watched. I watched him go for a header and come up with no glasses on his face. Very expensive ray ban prescription sunglasses gone forever. We do have a rule to leave our glasses at the chair, as they are so expensive to replace but Derek likes to see the waves coming sooo.
Red flag for the rest of the week. I am always so sad when I can’t play in the ocean but it did give us a chance to enjoy the pool and use our floaters. We would go down and you can actually watch the beach change shape. It pushed a lot of sand onto the beach and created sand bars in the ocean. You never know what the beach will be like for one week to the next or in fact one day to the next.
We were quite surprised to see a young couple with 2 very small children wandering around the resort. I thought they may have just taken a walk over from the Sol, but then we saw them for several days. Many people commented about it.
Note: Jose Carlos, who is working at the Sol and Melia, mentioned that they were allowing liquids in your carry on. I was surprised but he said there was no official declaration but he knows they are allowing it. This was in regard to a question by a client regarding buying rum at the airport. I took that to mean all liquids and packed our carry on accordingly. Needless to say Derek was stopped and had to show the liquids were within the limits allowed. Thankfully they were okay.
The airport on the way home was chaos. There was a full planeload of people waiting in line, unable to check in because the passenger manifest had not arrived from the airline. Another line was Sun Wing and they were very late and so our line up had to give way to any Sun Wing passenger, including Transat Club Class.
[Derek: Even so we had only a brief wait. It really does pay to pay for Club Class with Transat]
Once they were all checked in, our bus passengers had lined up behind them as it appeared the line was moving quickly. It was one line but all desks were checking in only that line. Once all Sun Wing passengers were checked in, they closed the desk. Anger broke out as passengers did not then want to go to the end of another line, even though the sign above the desk clearly said Sun Wing. I am always amazed at how little attention people pay to signs and instructions. No matter how many times we are reminded there is a departure tax and that it must be cash, someone ends up at the airport unaware of the tax or expects to pay by credit card.
There was no VIP check in. We were okay as there was a club class line.
[Derek: again – it pays to fly Club Class.]
There was a lot of confusion there as well. The staff had to make the switch to Transat passengers. That took several minutes as tags etc had to be changed. The supervisor was on the club class desk and so had to go and set everyone up for the change. We were 1st in line and so had a good view of the chaos and tempers flying. Apparently there was some kind of upgrade or special seating offered and people paid an additional price to choose the seats. Not sure what that was all about, but people had to show confirmation of the reservation made on-line and there were duplicates and they all thought they would be traveling 1st class. We were sitting on the plane and they were still fuming as they passed the club section and moved to the rear. Once the attendants checked a few reservations they explained it was not for club class but some additional privileges were included. There were seats available but they remained empty.
[Derek: the confusion was over Club Class (Transat’s first class seating) and something called Club Privilege I think. The latter is supposed to get priority check-in and a drink or two on the flight itself, but regular seating. The last bit seemed to come as a surprise to people. Which is odd unless they only paid for it on the return leg as they must have been in
What a different airport. WOW. I recall our 1st trip to CSM and the tiny inefficient airport. This is 1st class.
VIP lounge is beautiful. Pastel coloured lounges and small and large couches. Chairs and small tables. The service was great. Only complaint was the sandwich was not grilled but miked. I love those grilled sandwiches. No champagne, no wine. They had a sweet rose but that was it. Disappointed.
Random notes from Derek:
1. Geri makes the point that we ate breakfast at the pool grill. It was very nice, all a la carte. A better choice we think. Can’t see why anyone would use the buffet unless for the cured ham. Next time, now that I think of it, I will leave the room early and grab some ham, ask the chef at the poolside grill to do me a prosciutto omelet. J
2. The band in the lobby bar was very good, especially when they got off the muzac playlist.
3. MAS cards are no longer accepted at beach resorts.
4. Tips for non-direct contact staff (i.e. gardeners, maintenance and cleaning staff other than room maids) are clearly not common given the reaction. Remember these folks when you tip, they have as much to do with you fine vacation as the wait staff and room cleaners.
5. Parts of the Sol, like La Fontanella, have clearly been recently reno’d and the railings and latticework on many of the buildings was being replaced while we were there.
6. Obiel at the pool bar makes very fine pina coladas from scratch. All the other bars seem to use the pre-mix.
7. Back of the spa/gym is a nearly-complete Centro Commerciale.
8. Also nearing opening are an Asian and a French restaurant at the Melia, both just south (beachside) of the Mediterranean restaurant.
9. Vivian (whom we’ve known for 9 years now), knows and mentions an assortment of Happy Faces.
10. Geri mentioned beach bar service as she is a beach person. I’m a little more eclectic, so I would also add there’s poolside service. As with the beach, Elvis the pool server has a remarkable memory for what drink goes in what mug and is returned to which guest.
11. Barefoot lunches are still possible in the sand at the Sol’s beach grill. Still a really lovely spot with decent food by any standard. Though the days when you got a large half chicken with the skin done JUST right are gone I guess. Quarters are the rule. L
12. The pool bar at the Sol is still the best place to spend time out of the sun. Nice and high, it catches a good breeze off the ocean.
13. The surprise disappointment at the Melia was the Mediterranean restaurant. I thought it had faded a bit fancy-service-wise, but as well the menu just didn’t grab me. Resort food being what it is the Melia was unusual in that there were actually a couple of things on this restaurant’s menu that I recalled with fondness. They’re gone. And what’s there is fine, but…’
14. Near the Barceló is a craft market. We didn’t visit, but there’s a shuttle bus for $1CUC each way and it’s possible (though very hot I should think) to walk it.
15. The Water Journey at the Spa was still a freebie for all Melia guests. But needed to be booked.
16. Melia guests can visit the Sol and drink, but technically can’t eat. Ahem.
17. There’s a pay-for gourmet meal option. Served by the pool in one of the curtained gazebos.
18. Standard are two a la carte reservations per week. But show without and if they have an
empty table…
19. Internet access was a whopping $6CUC per HALF hour. I resisted mostly but o the day I tried it was down. I was warned that when up it is slow. No change there, but the price is a little hard to take.
20. People with mobiles seemed to get seamless roaming service, so I guess the days when you had to set up a roaming account are gone. Gotta say I could do without the ring tones by the pool or the guy shouting at his kids back home.
21. Can hardly wait to go back, but am torn between the Sol and the Melia. The former a sentimental favourite, the latter has bigger rooms and more restaurants to choose from.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Melia Cayo Santa Maria Dec 2012
This review
will be a bit different as this time I (Derek) will write the bulk of it while
Geri will add her thoughts here and there in italics.
We won’t be
covering everything in a lot of detail.
We’ll just note the things that are new (to us at least;). It has been a
few years since we have stayed at the Melia, (though we have spent a day or two
there whilst registered elsewhere) and those things that have changed, those
things that have not changed but which we think should or shouldn’t - if that
makes any sense.
The trip was
a portent of things to come: it was by far the best travel day(s) we have had
in a long time, perhaps ever. We booked
though our local CAA agency and as a result had a night at the Sheraton on
Dixon Road near Toronto Pearson (not the one built into Terminal 3) and free
parking for the whole trip included. We
avoided rush hour on the way into Toronto, had no trouble getting to sleep
early, caught the shuttle in leisurely fashion, enjoyed our (paid-for) priority
check-in and had a fine flight down.
Airport in
Cuba as always, save for the near-complete expansion of the parking lot bar.
Geri: They had a temporary bar set up
and luckily it was set up in front of our bus.
No chance of missing that bus.
This time
(unlike our last trip to CubaJ) we managed to catch the right bus and were
established by 14:00, glasses of champers (OK, sparkling wine, leave me with my
holiday illusions).
Geri- ‘established’ means slightly
unpacked, long pants shed, and back to the lobby bar.
Speaking of
champagne, there’s an alcove off the lobby bar that has champagne and fresh
orange juice available all morning.
There’s the same in the buffet restaurant, but it only goes into the ice
about the time the restaurant opens and so it can be warmish, depending on your
eating time.
Geri:
Our reservations for the 1st week were in the registration
package we received by the airport. It also included room number and bracelet. It
is my preferred way. No lineups.
The room was
as always. Showed a bit of wear here and
there but nothing serious. From our
first stay back the year the resort opened we’ve always thought it odd that a
high-end resort like the Melia doesn’t provide facecloths and facial tissues in
the rooms.
We were in
1722. Building 17, as far as we can
recall, has been the only building we’ve ever stayed in. We like it and will request it again. Close to the beach (right across the walkway from
the Ranchon restaurant) and pools and most importantly, the poolside grill.
Geri: The towel and book exchange is
also right there.
The
important stuff first: all the bars we tried, and I think we tried them all
save for the one in the waiting room outside the French and Japanese
reataurants, make pina coladas from scratch, not from mix. Yum.
Not so the margarita mix unfortunately.
Margaritas have also been a problem for us in Cuba going back to the
early 90’s when we were served them in glasses rimmed with sugar. :-)
We expected
the restaurants to be pretty empty given that the hotel was less than half full
while we were there. But even so, few
people seem to have figured out that the pool grill served great a la carte
breakfasts. We had it to ourselves most
mornings. We did eat at the breakfast
buffet a couple of times (once to test and once while on a bacon safari) and it
was fine. Much improved really. They have removed or cut down much of the
wall between the serving and eating areas and that has done a great deal to
improve traffic flow. Of course the
resort was nowhere near full, but still we think it is much better.
The Ranchon
serves as the beach grill at lunch, no change there. The food was quite good by any standard I
think. A charcoal BBQ cooked meats and
veg while the fish was done in the kitchen.
I’m no fan of their little buffet hot table.
Geri: there is also a buffet with a
salad bar and various hot dishes, including poutine. They always had 2 or 3
choices of potatoes incl sweet potatoes.
I have to
say that each time we visit the Mediterranean restaurant the menu has gone
downhill. When it first opened I thought
it was one of the best if not the best a la carte at any of the Cuban resorts
we’ve visited. Now it’s a spot I would avoid.
It is also
showing some wear and could use some ceiling repairs.
At the other
end of the spectrum was the Japanese restaurant. It was quite good with a pretty good show put
on by the chefs at each of the tables.
The sushi was even real sushi, not some concoction made of canned
tuna. The soy sauce way salty: of the VH
variety rather than the brewed kind (Kikkoman et al).
In between
are the Italian and the French. The
Italian isn’t as good as it was in the days when you got a really nice beef carpaccio
with olive oil (which then evolved into carpaccio with mayo masquerading as
aioli and thence off the menu entirely) and you had a choice of pasta and a
choice of perhaps 5 different sauces, but it was otherwise acceptable.
Better than
the Italian, the French had an acceptable chateaubriand and a choice of wines. The veg overcooked.
A nice
feature is the waiting room/bar that serves the Japanese and French
restaurants. Up to about 20 people can
wait in a lounge area for their service time to come up.
There’s a bar and bartender who will announce
when each restaurant is ready to receive guests. Wine, beer, liquor.
Because (we
think) the hotel had so few quests the buffet was open every second night, the
a la carte spots the other days. And the
Mediterranean restaurant had a fixed menu the even we ate there, no
options. Dinner at the buffet was pretty
standard. I found it easy to make up a
light mean of cold cuts, olives, cheese etc.
Regardless
which restaurant we ate in, we were always grateful for having remembered to
bring our humidity-proof travel salt and pepper shaker (from Lee Valley). As is now my habit I brought along a bottle
of hot sauce. Though, on a visit to the
Sol we noticed a bottle at each table at the beach grill.
What we
didn’t remember to bring were our coffee mugs.
And we only had one water bottle for beach bar use. The latter a special pain as the plastic
glasses used at the pool bar and the beach are not only wasteful but tiny. And seemingly getting smaller every
year. We have some Cristal plastic beer
glasses at home from years ago that we use for the odd BBQ at our place. They’ll hold a full 330ml bottle of
beer. Five years from now thimbles? :-)
For morning
cappuccinos I would use the ceramic mugs that sat next to the room’s coffee
machine. Refills not problem given how
close we were to the snack bar.
Bars all
good, as always. Beach and pool bars
offer chair service. Order 4-5 of
whatever you drink would be our advice unless you remember to bring your own
insulated mugs or cups. There’s only the
one server at each and so it can be a while between tours and these plastic
cups are near thimble-sized. :-)
The bank
service was unchanged. 200CAD got us
196CUC.
A new (to
us) development was the number of guests from Latin America. Canadians were a majority, but there were
also folks from Germany and Spain and Russia.
Staff and regulars report that the summer is busy with an increasing
number of Cubans using the resorts.
The beach
was as always for the most part, though on the day we walked down to Memories
Azul we noticed (couldn’t help it really) that was no real beach at the
Barcelo. Instead there was a 3-4m
limestone cliff dropped straight down to the sand. There was literally no way to get the beach
there unless you brought your own ladder.
Clearly Sandy was responsible.
See some photos I took for details.
There were
afternoon and evening entertainments of course.
Around 4 there were fashion shows, trick bike demonstrations, music etc
by the pool. Music and one night a
magician in the lobby bar leading into the evening stage show. The show was a cut-down edition as the resort
was so empty. ‘Black and White’ were
part of it. Bit disappointing as their
usual humour-and-music approach was directed out (though it was back when we
saw them at the Ranchon at lunch one day).
The
animation staff was blessedly quiet for most of our stay. Though if I could find the person (I use the
term loosely) who set up both the beach and poolside playlists to blare out
‘The Big Bamboo’ every twenty minutes or so I would happily strangle them.
Week 2 of
our stay we refer to as The Week the Yobs Arrived. They calmed down after a day or two, but a
bunch of boys from Toronto spent their first week out from under their mothers
doing things like having contests to see if they could jump in the pool after
downing one drink while not spilling another in the other hand.
The one real
downer was four days with little or no hot water. It was fixed before we left after a team of
plumbers went close to 48 hours straight.
No great crisis however: even ‘cold’ the water was warm enough to shower
in, if a bit bracing.
Otherwise
the worst I can say about the place is that the new bits of the resort (the French and Japanese restaurants for
example) or a visit to the Las Dunas next door make parts of the Melia,
especially the lobby bar, look a little in need of some freshening.
Misc:
My standard
leave-me-alone-I-don’t-want-to-talk bar ploy by leading the person approaching
me to think I am a cricket fan, fell down badly when it was a Windy supporter
who sat down next to me. Works well in
Canadian hotel bars though. “Sorry, am
not a hockey fan, but did you see the latest India-England test?” usually gets
me back to my book pretty quick. :-)
Ernesto from
the animacion staff held tai chi classes on the beach every morning. 20+ participants not unusual. I like this not because I participated, but
because a tai chi class is a lot quieter and easier to deal with when you’re
trying to read than are dance classes, aquafit etc.
The nude
beach at the far west end of the Sol’s section of the beach was fine. And for a change the bar service extends to
that area.
Sol Visit:
Lots of old
friends to see. We’ve heard people talk
about how, though it is technically not as highly-rated (3.5 stars I think,
compared to the Melia’s 4 or even 4.5 rating), the Sol remains busy full
year-round and has way more regulars than the other hotels on CSM. The ‘atmosphere’ is what does it. The lack of staff turnover is both an
indicator of this as well as a reason for it.
The dialectical nature of the hospitality biz? J:-) Anyway, the Sol was clearly busier than the Melia.
One
important note to regulars: Elsie at the pizza restaurant is retiring in May.
Each time we
pop into the Sol, whether to stay or just to visit, we are struck by the more
‘wild’ approach to landscaping there.
And by the quality and variety of the food at the buffet restaurant –
which now offers pogos!!!
A sign of
age: I can remember when the beach grill at the Sol was a bunch of stumps and
palapas. Now the last of the stumps are
gone, replaced with decking and picnic tables.
News of
Other Resorts:
We ran into
two couples who had stayed at the Buenavista.
One couple loved it, especially for the snorkelling nearby. The other complained about weedy beaches and
the food not being as good as the other resorts. Both mentioned being outside having a shower
when the bug sprayer went past.
The Memories
resorts continue to get decent reviews, especially with regard to food.
Las Dunas
was as always. We were again impressed
by the lobby bar and the buffet’s food.
But a word of warning: it was almost as empty of guests as the
Melia. When packed, as it was when we
last stayed there, things move slower and can be more complicated. We’re talking about perhaps going again,
despite its size, and trying for a slow period.
The Return:
Mostly went
well, but there was much-heightened security entering the departures area. Geri had to dump her water and lost a
lighter. I lost a jeweller’s screwdriver.
No biggy but it was as tight as at home, which is to say a little
tighter than normal for Cuba. I mention
it only because repeat travellers might want to be a little more careful about
what they pack where.
The best
part of the last day? After 14 days of
perfect weather, about an hour before we got onto the bus for the airport it
started to rain. Makes leaving a little
more bearable. :-)
Happy to
answer questions. Look for some further
comments from Geri below.
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