TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Honest review from a Canadian who came with low expectations. Context- I have a background in cooking and hotel service industry. I would not reccomend this resort, and here's why: The resort is very large, and dated. Food is decent at times and questionable more often than not. Rooms are bad unless you get lucky. May is the beginning of low season, and very few amenities were open due to low customers. Our favorite lunch and dinner restaurant "gourmet," for diamond club members closed partway through the week. The disco, beach restaurant and second buffet all closed. The highlight of this resort is the beach, the staff, and because of low buisness, the quiet pool was so empty that many times we were alone there. Although the quiet pool bar and bar Cubano were both closed. Upon arrival, they didn't acknowledge us as Diamond Club, and therefore didn't any of the benefits we were expecting. Eventually this was resolved. I would not recommend paying extra for this service, unless the lunch restaurant re-opens. Many staff made our trip pleasant, most notably the ladies and cooks of the Gourmet restaurant, the coffee bar ladies, the omlette cooks and the diamond club staff. My observations about the rooms- Our first room smelled terrible and we were put in a double instead of king suite. They moved us to another room. Second room smelled musty too, and had an uncomfortable bed. The AC worked but was very noisy and woke me up many times. I assumed this was what we would get anywhere else and settled for the room. When raising concerns with staff, Alfredo promised us that the maid would clean extra well before seeing if there were other rooms. Room smelled of bleach after cleaning, which was an improvement After a week I couldn't take it anymore and asked for another room, the night time front desk service was terrible and pretended they didn't have any rooms. It was finally Jesus and Adria who helped us get a better room, and it was night and day. (24329). Clean, cool, new bed. My observations about the food- I came to cuba with low expectations on food. I do suggest bringing hot sauce, or other sauces, if you prefer those flavors. The beans and rice were awesome, omlettes at breakfast were great, and the bread an pastries surprised me with quality and freshness. Although often they served day old buns which were dissapointing. Dessert was usually not great although some cakes were good. Lots of fresh fruit on the buffets, only pineapple, watermelon and papaya though. The cold cuts and cheese were pretty good, quite salty. My main concern though, is a complete lack of proper food handling. I am a culinary instructor, and would fail any student who oversaw the buffet. No ice under the cold perishable foods, and the hot food was not hot or kept hot. Spatulas would touch raw chicken, then be used for cooked chicken. No sanitizers or soapy water to keep things clean. Lots of items on the buffet would sit at room temperature for hours, then be reused later. I realize that this is cuba and there are limited resources here, but it would have been much better if they just cooked food closer to service and put out less at a time. They had all the proper ingredients to make good food, yet due to lack of training or ignorance, many items were either not particularly good or safe to eat. My observations on the drinks and service- Many very generous bartenders, although the diamond club beach bartenders were either not wanting to do anything or didn't have much available. Don't expect any extra service there. Usually they had mint, and the mojitos were usually very good. Pinacoladas were decent overall, unless you go to the pool bar. All the rum was good, and much of the wine was good. Especially the Spanish red and Brute. My observations on the extras- Entertainment was dissapointing. The shows were okay at best. The beach crew was not for everyone and the pool music was obnoxious. They cater to young drunk people. On the other hand, the live music was often very good. There was often live music around dinner time, a small cuban band would come around to tables and play. Cuban musicians are incredible. The special dinner was very romantic, with live trumpet serenade and great service. TLDR: I would not recommend this resort due to food safety and room quality.

We had a great stay, thank you very much. They did a great job. Thanks yamaysis and Désirée everything was perfect ???????? I had such a perfect birthday ??????????????????????????????was my first experience and will not be the last thanks

We have been there more then 4 times now ! The people there are amazing ! YAMAYSE ! DESYRÈ ! HILDA ! GEORGE! so so many nice people that help you and welcome you from their heart! They make your vacation so special ! Hotel is very clean ?? service is very good ?? And we eat also pretty good ! I also had the experience in the Sanctuary adults only and it's also amazing ! They also made a special decoration for my aunt 78 th birthday in her room was super !We will gi back for sure ! Here are some pictures of the amazing staff ??

Absolutely amazing. Beach parties on Saturday (so fun) and everything else was just amazing!! We initially stayed at another resort and were super upset with our stay there and got moved to Grand Memories, they restored our faith in Cuba, it was so much fun! thank you!!

Grand Memories feels like a second home. The wonderful staff, the beautiful grounds, and the well-kept beach keep pulling us back there. We want to acknowledge the dedication and support of the following staff: Lorena and Andy (receptionists), Amy (the barista), Yamaysi (planner), and Lily & Elicer (welcoming greeters). Lily and Elicer are the sweetest greeters who make us feel special and welcomed every time we go. We're looking forward to connecting and laughing with them again soon! Yamaysi is also generous and a great planner who made us feel special! The buffet has improved a lot and the drinks are delicious- we definitely recommend going with your family :) Grand Memories has a stunning beach and we want to shout out the gardeners' hard work to keep the grounds well-kept grounds. The new boardwalk is also really beautiful, especially for pictures or for small celebrations.