7DaysinParadise
Cuba => Cuba => Topic started by: lukefisher on June 02, 2005, 12:39:00 PM
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Hi Has anybody stayed at the Melia in Cayo Santa Maria that opened in Dec '03 (and if so would anybody have an email address to contact them on) I cannot find an email address on any websites and I was hoping to ask for an ocean view room as it's my first holiday with my girlfriend and I'm trying to make it romantic - but i'm quite hopeless at these things.
Would love to here what people thought of the place and what the best excursions are as i've never been to Cuba before and was looking forward to swimming with dolphins.
Thanks guys
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Hi Luke and welcome to the board.
Bellagio just returned from the Melia Cayo Santa Maria.
You can read his review here (http://www.7daysinparadise.com/tripreports/cu-mcsm.html).
You can view his photos here (http://www.7daysinparadise.com/gallery/Cuba)
I'm sure he'll be along shortly to answer any questions that you have.
Heather
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Hi LukeF:
Welcome to the board. Flopnfly has passed on the links to my review and photos but here are a couple of other links that you might find useful:
The email address of the hotel is:
reservas1.msm@solmeliacuba.com
You may have to email several times before you get a reply - it took me four emails before I received a response. If you are looking for a ocean view room I would suggest bungalow 7 to 10 and make sure you request a second floor room. Ground floor room views to the ocean are obscured by foliage.
Another site you might find useful is:
http://www.cayosantamaria.info/melia.htm (http://www.cayosantamaria.info/melia.htm)
If I can help in any further way, please let me know.
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Hi Bellagio! I emailed them after you posted the address. I requested an ocean view on the second floor, 2 seperate beds. I included my itinerary information...what are my chances they'll actually honour the request??
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Well this is the reply I received back:
Dear Mr Holmes
It's a pleasure to have clients as you who find in Sol Meliá the perfect destination for their vacation.
We' ve taken your request and we will do all posible to fulfill it. We will make of your holidays a memorable experience .
In Sta María you find all you need........!!!
At your disposal
Yusimi
Booking Manager
It took me four emails to get this response and I am a MAS cardholder are you?
I would suggest if you do not get a reply you send another email on Monday during their working hours.
I had almost given up hope of hearing from them I must admit. I did get my ocean view room in Bungalow 7 on the second floor - no kingsized bed though, but that was unimportant. A small plate of fruits and my a la cartes were booked just as I requested.
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Originally posted by bellagio:
I am a MAS cardholder are you?
Afraid not, do you think my SSG membership will work??
LMAO :D
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Sunluvr:
You've lost me with your SSG membership, obviously humourous hence the :rof: but I just can't work that one out.
Now the Melia has the following:
358 rooms comprising 18 bungalows of 16 rooms plus 9 bungalows of 8 rooms.
176 rooms with king size bed, 177 rooms with twin size bed.
20 ocean view rooms with king size bed
Now my room 0723 would have suited you down to the ground, that had twin beds.
Be persistent, I'm sure you will get through to them in the end. Be sure to let me know though when you do, as I have to admit their response was not anywhere near so swift as that of the Playa Pesquero.
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Mr B
SSG stands for Sandals Signature Guest membership. You collect points for every stay at a Sandals/Beaches resort, and after 70 paid nights you get a free week at Sandals. The Cuba resorts don't count towards your free nights, but you do get points which can be cashed in against the cost of your trip.
I am still waiting on a response from Playa Pesquero re my email. They obviously received it because I got everything I asked for, but they didn't reply to me.
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Heather:
OIC - well never having stayed at a Sandals resort, and never likely too either - (I suppose they are still couples only resorts, are they not?) I wouldn't be knowing that.
That's something new I've learned again tonight - you people are a mine of information I must say.
:wi: :wi: :wi: :wi: :wi:
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Originally posted by flopnfly:
I am still waiting on a response from Playa Pesquero re my email. They obviously received it because I got everything I asked for, but they didn't reply to me.
That's surprising Heather. I had a reply inside two days, so I emailed them back and thanked them for their speedy response.
Maybe because you only booked a week before you flew (I was away at the time but I know you left it very late indeed before you booked) that may have been the reason they didn't get back to you.
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Sandals is couples only. They did change their policy to allow same sex couples now. I think they were being pressured.
Beaches is for families, except in Varadero where it is adults only. I can't honestly recommend it to anyone though. :(
I'm trying to think if there are any other adults only resorts in Varadero? Maybe Breezes. ?
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Thanks Heather, for coming to the rescue with the explanation!! I hear you about Beaches Varadero. I think the Breezes Varadero is 16+ and Jibacoa is 14+, or is that vice versa??
My friend was at Paradisus Varadero, and while it's not adults only, he said there were hardly any children there...if Bellagio is looking for more upscale places with fewer little darlings, that might be an option for him (or yourself!)
After this trip in Oct. we'll have 3 more weeks before we're up for our free week. It's a shame the Cuba properties don't apply, cuz we could be going for free this time!!
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With Paradisus and the MAS program, isn't it the case that you have to book the hotel directly with them in order to get the points? That's my understanding, but I could be all wet :hotub: on that one.
But at Sandals/Breezes you don't have to book directly with the hotel?
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Originally posted by millybess:
With Paradisus and the MAS program, isn't it the case that you have to book the hotel directly with them in order to get the points? That's my understanding, but I could be all wet.
No you are quite right on that millybess, you can only get the points by booking direct with them, but the hotel prices are far too expensive to do it that way. Also with the flight, transfer and package deals we all get it would be totally uneconomic to go down that route I would think.
However being a MAS member does give you the opportunity for a free late check out up to 4pm and also it helps IMHO when emailing ahead for a room - plus fruit bowl and bottle of wine or rum in your room on arrival. Just a few little perks that's all, Personally I'm not bothered about the points.
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I agree with you bellagio (hooray!) that the points aren't of much use.
We were able to use our MAS card for a free, late check-out 'til 6:00, which was a nice surprise.
We didn't get a free bottle of rum, etc. in our room. :( However, by the time we got to the hotel (after our airport fiasco) the night auditors were on the desk. Night auditors are notoriously unfriendly and I think we got the wrong room. There was supposed to be a welcome letter with our a la carte and anniversary dinner details, etc., which we never did get.
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Millybess:
I didn't get the rum either, but when I asked about it at custonmer services they said I'd get a bottle on leaving. Well the next day there was a bottle of red wine in my room, so I assumed that they had given me that in lieu of the rum.
I was quite happy with that so I never went back to ask for the rum. I agree with you (hooray) about Night Porters though, they never seem to be the friendliest of people.
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Well bellagio, I didn't even know we were supposed to receive the rum. Wish I had. Well actually if DH agreed, I would have traded it in for a bottle of red wine.
Having worked with night auditors/porters, some feel it is "beneath" them to check people in. They specialize in accounting and spend all night correcting the mistakes the front desk clerks have made all day long.
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Originally posted by millybess:
Well bellagio, I didn't even know we were supposed to receive the rum. Wish I had. Well actually if DH agreed, I would have traded it in for a bottle of red wine.
Millybess:
I only read about it in someone's post (I can't remember who or when). They were MAS members who had previously stayed in a Melia hotel. They emailed a room request to the hotel and when they arived in their room they had a bottle of rum waiting for them.
It probably isn't standard procedure, but it certainly is a good idea!!!
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Thankyou ever so much, i'm going to email now
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LukeF:
Good to see you again. When are you actually visiting the Melia? The reason I ask is I would leave it until two or three weeks before you fly before emailing them with your room request.
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Originally posted by bellagio:
However being a MAS member does give you the opportunity for a free late check out up to 4pm and also it helps IMHO when emailing ahead for a room - plus fruit bowl and bottle of wine or rum in your room on arrival. Just a few little perks that's all, Personally I'm not bothered about the points. [/QB]
I became a MAS member after I booked the Melia Las Americas. I wasn't aware of the fruit bowl and bottle of wine or rum on arrival and needless to say did not receive it. Luke F, I did email the Melia 2 or 3 weeks before our departure with a request for a room on the second or third floors and I received a very gracious response the next day stating that they would do their best. I had done this at the suggestion of other posters on Debbies, and had asked for a non ground level room as I had read stories about bug problems at other resorts.(ants, etc) They must have had a good chuckle at the Melia as when I got there I found there were no ground level rooms in the Hotel.
:o :o
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Milli and Millybess:
Well obviously I was lucky then, mind you a did drop a few hints that I was a personal friend of Cubaking, so that must have helped!!!!!
Joking, of course!!!
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we arrive there on 26th June and can't wait - the beach looks amazing in the pics and the rooms look of a good size and clean etc - so hopefully should be a good trip.
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Thanks for replying Luke F. Yes the time is definitely right for you to send that email off to them.
BTW please do come back and post about your experiences at the Melia, which you will love. If you are a beach person you will just fall in love with it completely, and once you walk about 50 yards away from the Melia in the direction of the new hotel the beach is better still as the sand is firmer and easier to walk on.
Please let me know your experiences with Excel Airways also. I need to know whether or not you had to refuel in Gander and whether your aircraft was the Boeing 767 200 series or the 300 series.
I am curently engaged in correspondence with Thomas Cook with regard to Excel Airways being their choice of carrier for this route so any further information I can glean could prove to be useful.
You will be totally blown away by the Melia I can assure you.
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Bellagio
I'm under the impression that Excell were flying direct to Santa Clara with no stop in Gander. That's what I understand talking with some Brit's?......Although it was at the bar.. after a couple Cervesa's... :1:
Cheers.....F&T
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Well Fred the first ever flight into Santa Clara was the one I was on (May 1st via Gander) the next flight was on May 15th (that was via Gander also) the third flight was on May 29th and that flight I have no information about.
Now you would have been there when this third flight arrived so maybe Excel have the 300 series Boeing on the route now and that will be able to fly non stop.
Thanks for that info though, so maybe the Cervesa's hadn't affected you as much as you thought.