Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria — Hotel in Caibarién

We just returned from 2 weeks at Sanctuary Grand Memories Santa Maria.

Food: Good - variety is average. We ate primarily at the Grand Memories buffet as it was bigger, had more food selection and it was located indoors meaning less flies. Bad - there are many ingredient shortages, the food is very bland and not usually warm/hot but they are doing the best they can. The buffet at the Sanctuary is small and crowded and partly outdoors so it has many flies. We only tried the Italian a la carte and it was not good. We did not try others as we did not hear positive reviews. Tip - bring lots of snacks and condiments and stomach meds (my husband got sick even after Twinrix and Dukoral, so if you are prone to travel sickness be prepared - you may want to only eat items that are fully cooked in front of you at the buffet); there aren't many spoons at all so maybe bring your own?

Drinks: If you like rum, this is the place to be! Shortages include: vodka, frozen cocktails such as pina coladas (there were none on our trip at all) and pretty much everything else. If you strike it right, you might get vodka or gin. They seemed to have lots of wine and champagne. Better off bringing a big mug of your own because they often won't give out cans of beer as they don't have enough to do that. They will only give you beer in smaller plastic cups in order to extend their supply. Sometimes they even run out of plastic cups.

Room: Good - we paid for the upgrade to an ocean view room and had a king bed - it was dated but sufficient and the bed was comfy plus we had good maid service - thanks Yaima. The amenity of an included butler is nice as they will book your dinner reservations for you rather than having to line up but we didn't use the service much. Bad - as of this review, Sunwing's website still states that you receive 24 hour room service and turn down service - you do not. Also the minibar is empty except for one daily bottle of water allotment. (You can get other bottles if you ask at the bar). Tip - bring stuff for the maid; medications and personal items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc) and candy.

Beach: Good - world class, spectacular and you will not be disappointed! Bad - the Sanctuary section of the beach is crammed and crowded and you must arrive very early to get a chair. Tip - walk further down the beach and use the Diamond Club area or even further at the Memories section, much less people and chairs available all morning. We always sat near the pizza shack on the beach and never had issues getting a chair.

Pools: Sanctuary Pool is busy so reserve a spot early - the entertainment starts there around 3pm, same music everyday. The pool at Grand Memories is surprisingly small. Tip - If you want a quieter scene with less people, walk down to the pool at Memories Paraiso, they have a bar and grill at that pool as well

Service: Cuba has a staffing shortage, like many other places in the world. There was a huge outmigration of people last year that has led to overworked and tired staff and newly hired staff just learning the ropes. Again, they are such lovely people and doing their best but they are putting in super long days with a lot of travel daily to and from work. This means less than stellar customer service at times (especially at the Sanctuary front desk). You do get 5 hours of free wi-fi and then you need to visit the front desk to renew for another five hours, it is complimentary. It works in your room, pool and lobby but not at the beach. The entertainment in the Sanctuary lobby at nighttime is good - on Friday's there is an acoustic guitarist not to be missed!

The grounds: The gardeners and groundskeepers were always hard at work and the property itself is well maintained and lovely.

If we had our time back, we would have booked for a week somewhere other than Cuba that was more well rounded in terms of beach, food and amenities (and we are not fussy people). We always make the best of our time wherever we go and we did this here, your time is what you make it but we wouldn't...

The value for money of this resort is the shining star. We enjoyed our week away, relaxing on the beautiful beach and moving to the pool most afternoons. We visited from January 3-10 and while a small storm brought four windy days, it was still warm and enjoyable. Beach: The beach is stunning, powdery sand with luscious teal water and a long sand bar. We would reserve our chairs about 7 am with no issue but I would recommend doing so for shade and comfort. The bugs seemed to affect everyone differently but it was very manageable by 1) using bug spray, 2) leaving the beach by 4-5 pm, 3) treating with after-bite or after-sun to soothe the itch, and 4) taking an anti-histamine to reduce swelling and itching if needed. Pool: clean, lots of chairs, solid amounts of variable shade. Swim up bar. Room: our room was clean, no issues with water pressure, air conditioning, or balcony, plus a great view from the 3rd floor of building 60. While I had no doubt in the cleanliness of the sheets and towels, they weren’t “bright white” clean. It was frequent to see stains despite fresh sheets and there was marks on the walls. It’s definitely no Mexico 4 star but it’s Cuba and I’m sure these are some of the best accommodations. Location: I wouldn’t visit Santa Maria again due to it’s distance from “real Cuba”. Employees live 45 minutes away on the main land and there’s no town closer. There is a mall next to the resort good for gifts, trinkets, and off-the-resort restaurants. Excursions: we attended the Rum, Sugar, & Cigar tour and do not recommend. It was expensive for essentially a visit to an old sugar factory facility and a demonstration on rolling cigars. This is not a drinking tour. Snorkelling: Due to the windy weather, we weren’t able to go, but apparently the snorkelling just 1 km away is fantastic. The boat hut on the beach offered to take us for 10 CUC a person for 45-60 minutes of snorkelling time but on a less windy day they said it would be better. I would recommend that if you have the gear. Food: For breakfast, the buffet was great with a lot of options and good service. For lunch, we tried the buffet but didn’t love it, so we mainly enjoyed the grills at the beach or pool. Option of chicken, fish, burgers, or hot dogs usually. All great options. Our week wasn’t super busy, so sometimes only one of two would be open, though they are only a one minute walk apart. For dinner, we tried the Grand Memories buffet. Typical buffet food, nothing more. There was a pasta, fried rice, and meat cooked to order stations. Didn’t try these as we went to the a la cartes the rest of our evenings. The a la carte in Sanctuary changes menu every night. Food was ok. It’s Cuba. Biggest issue was warmth of food, a lot of our meals would have been so much better if they were delivered hotter than lukewarm. Snack bar in Sanctuary is open 24/7 though you have to ask if you want anything more than pizza. Drinks: the pool and beach bars were great, the lobby bar frequently over poured. There was a drink menu but expect that one ingredient they won’t have that day. Try again the next day. Transfer: was about 1.5-2 hours depending on stop points (ours had to stop to use washroom), beer on board 2 for $5, enjoyable scenery and guide. Other details: on the west side of the lobby is a small building which emits a sewage stench. Avoid using the lobby bathroom in the northwest corner and you can avoid this stench almost entirely. Some dogs and cats can be found wandering the facility as is typical for these islands. All seemed friendly though. The adult only aspect was sometimes not enforced. I once saw a butler refuse a small child and parent entrance to the pool area because they inquired, but frequently saw children and parents taking a walkthrough the resort or beach area without consequence. Better signage would help with this. In summary, this was a very nice getaway. It’s not 5 stars but it is clean and comfortable. The price was unbeatable. The beach alone was worth...

We stayed with Sanctuary Memories the week of Feb 27, 2019 in Cayo Santa Maria. Yaicely, our butler was waiting to greet us and assist with check in (less than 5 minutes). She had also secured us an a la carte reservation for dinner since we arrived late in the day. From our balcony in bungalow 59 we had a perfect view of the pool and the ocean. The suite was clean, well stocked (liquor, toilet paper, robes) everything worked (in room safe, great shower water pressure/ temperature), new pillows and mattress. Every morning either Yaicely or Yadira would greet us asking what we needed for the day (bottle water, shuttle), confirming our a la carte choices and making sure we were very comfortable. We were very happy with the food here. So many options at the buffet (smoothie bar, many hot/ cold meat dishes, huge assortment of cheese and salad bar, bread/ pastries) every day offered new selections. The table service was prompt and the area well kept. Manuel was always on site over seeing that everyone was well cared for. It is my opinion that he goes above and beyond for the hotel guests. At the lobby bar, Rabello was sure to keep a full glass in our hand at all times. He was there to serve our first mojito at check in and maintained a consistent hospitality right to our last day with enthusiasm. Osmany and the entertainment team (poolside) always kept the music and activities (water aerobics, games,etc) going, while Evelyn, Carlos and the swim up bar crew kept us hydrated. We ate, drank and danced the night away at Carnival (Plaza de Estrella)on Thursday night. The Dolphin Encounter with Isaac is unforgettable. He actually swam with each of us! (if you can not swim, you can still do this.) The Topes overnight excursion was super. Guided very well by Victor and Walter (Gaviota). We made many stops (sugar cane/ coffee farm, pottery shop, markets, museum, cigar rolling demo/ shop) The Cuban National park afforded an enjoyable hike (there is a tea stop along the way) into the waterfall where we could swim or sit and dip our toes. This excursion was reasonably priced and worth the value, an excellent way to explore Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad. We did spend time at our resort beach! We chose a spot along the water and lounge chairs were set up for us. The soft white sand is easy on the feet. The shallow water allows you to walk out for some distance. Food and drink service on the beach was excellent. (Remember to pack your favourite large insulated travel cup for drinks.) We turned down the Sunwing $52 CAD VIP airport lounge upgrade for the return flight, offered at our resort (This was a mistake on our part as we didn’t realize what was included). Luckily, we gained access at the door for 20 CUC/ person. Complimentary food / drinks, 1 hr free internet and smoking area. If you are a smoker, you must know that this is the only place to smoke once you have cleared the check in at the airport in Santa Clara. Looking back, the airport VIP check in line was shorter than the Elite Plus line as well. The Sanctuary section is adult only. If you are wondering if the upgrade is worth it, we found that it was. At times we would be in the Grand section and found service at the bar very slow, and they had run out of certain cocktails. We had a different a la carte restaurant every night followed with live music, to dance the night away. Our in room bar was a variety of rum (4 large bottles, restocked when needed). Butler service was very nice. They took care of so many requests and were the first to greet us every morning. If this is your first trip to Cuba, gifts are welcomed. Toiletries (nice soaps, nylons, tooth paste, nail polish, perfume, cologne) colouring books, crayons, clothing, backpacks. Some of these items are hard to come by or are very expensive for our loving locals, the happiest people on earth. We will definitely...