Melia Buenavista

The Buenavista is a small adults-only all-inclusive resort with beach front on 3 sides. And in July, this small resort was maybe 25% full at that.

There is one breakfast and lunch-only restaurant, and 2 x a-la-carte restaurants for supper. If you stay on the resort grounds for supper, you must make a reservation through your concierge for supper at one of them. However, a major advantage offered by this hotel is full access to the 2 other Melia properties in Cayo Santa Maria, the eponymously-named resort and Las Dunas. You can go to the beach or the swimming pools there, dine at any of their buffet or a-la-carte restaurants, generally use and take advantage of any facility there, just as if you were a guest at these properties.

The room was great - ocean view, spacious, very comfortable (bed, AC, wash facilities), and impeccably kept by the cleaning staff.

The beach - the reason we go to Cuba - was great, with small colorful tropical fish swimming with you and around you. A word of caution, there's lots of coral there, so beach shoes should be packed although they're not essential.

The Buenavista has 2 small relatively unshaded pools, more for soaking and cooling after a day at the beach than for swimming. There's a bar and a 24 hour grill poolside by one of them. The grounds are extremely-well kept.

The staff was amazing, always very friendly and very accomodating to anything we needed. If I could give them 6 stars out of 5, I would. I guess it helps though that there weren't that many other guests to attend to while we were there.

I thought the food was good and well-prepared - disclosure, I'm not a picky eater - and again staff there was extremely accomodating to any food or dietary requests that we made. But, by the end of our week, the meals started to have a sameness to them that took away from the experience. And caution, anything with "tomato" sauce actually contains BBQ sauce. However, again, the staff came through for us in this regard by offering us a couple of excellent going-away meals that saved the experience. Bravo.

Internet connection was (still) choppy at best, but when I go to Cuba this is more a plus than a negative.

There's a gym and a spa on the property, but we didn't use either. The beach was our focus.

Overall, we very much enjoyed our experience here. If you want an intimate, quiet, beach-oriented vacation, with the option of more activity and "noise" offered with the aceess to the other 2 Melia properties, this is a great place to go. [Details]

As a smaller adults only resort, the atmosphere was definitely one of relaxation. There are 3 beautiful beaches to choose from, 2 restaurants for dinner, a la cart breakfast/lunch and pizza oven. Staff was amazing. [Details]

I have been to Cuba over 25x and have stayed in many Melia and Sol hotels to give you an idea of what I'm accustomed to

This was by far the most $$ I ever paid to visit Cuba so I did expect a little more for my visit

The hotel, the room, the choice of beaches, and the service by staff were exceptional - I have no complaints!

My biggest complaint is the food or lack of food I received during my stay. There is something obviously wrong when sister resorts in close vicinity who charge $500 less a week have better food choices and variety. I know as I visited and ate at another nearby Melia on two occasions!!

Lack of hand sanitizer available and toilet paper for napkins - this is what we received. many of the workers were sick coughing and sniffling so be careful folks! [Details]

La semaine dernière, nous avons séjourné dans une merveilleuse station recommandée par nos amis, Melia Buenavista, qui a dépassé toutes nos attentes. Nous comprenons la situation du monde après la pandémie, mais nous ne nous plaignons de rien, cet hôtel a la capacité incroyable de surmonter tout type de crise. Dans notre cas, nous avons passé un bon moment. Nous apprécions tous les détails que vous nous avez communiqués depuis notre arrivée. Chambre spacieuse et proche des commodités. Reconnaissance pour notre ami Andres du Beach Bar, merci pour tant d'amour et de cocktails faits avec le coeur, également pour les gars du Lobby Bar, merci pour chaque expérience qu'ils nous ont donnée et pour les moments de spectacle qu'ils nous ont offerts. La nourriture était spectaculaire, je n'ai pas à me plaindre, nous avons adoré les crêpes salées pour le petit déjeuner, spectaculaire dans son ensemble. L'élaboration des plats a été très réussie ainsi que les desserts, dont nous nous sommes régalés lors d'une des soirées de gala à la piscine. Étant à Cuba, nous ne pouvons nous empêcher de parler de sa gastronomie, pour l'amour de Dieu, la nourriture cubaine ici est très bonne. Je recommande vivement l'hôtel. Nous vous souhaitons bonne chance, vous êtes des travailleurs acharnés, nous vous reverrons bientôt. [Details]

Possibly the best unknowned place for it's scenery and friendly staff. I will keep it short and sweet, I've traveling in the carabean since mid nineties and it is for sure the best place I've been so far. Looking to go back soon.Thanks to all overthere. [Details]

Love the hotel, staff is great. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Pools were looked after, plenty of chairs . Beach was great. Food was okay. Sometimes the meals were cold. Like a better selection. [Details]

Excellent service began the moment we stepped off the bus and continued throughout the week. This is a quiet resort, no blaring music, but the musicians playing in the evening were great. With three beaches and two pools, there was always a place to escape the wind, catch some sun or enjoy a quiet read. [Details]

My wife and I stayed at Melia Buenavista for a week in June 2018.
First off the weather, despite being super worried about going there during the low season, the weather was awesome. Warm enough, sunny the whole day and chilly in the evening, with spare thunderstorms at night.

The three beaches are all beautiful, with the best being in our opinion the one located over the main pool, perfect during mornings with a crystal clear water. The beach on the west side (sunset beach) is beautiful and always empty, ideal for pictures and long walks. The beach on the east side is the most busy and a little windy but perfect for bathing.

The main pool is the busiest place in the resort with Latin music, food and drinks all day long. I personally don't understand why so many people choose to spend the day at the pool when there's such a beautiful sea and stunny beaches... If you want to spend some time at the pool pick the secondary pool, always empty.

Room are super big and comfy, we got upgraded to an ocean view room (thanks to the low season the resort was half empty, a plus for us). You have everything you need and they clean them regularly (including a turn down service at night). The only minor downside is that they take care of the service so much that they enter in the room very often (minibar refill, room cleaning a couple of times a day, towels, butlers...), but you're supposed to be out and enjoy the sun anyways, so it doesn't bother.

The overall service is good, everybody smiles and is willing to help. We had a couple of issues (hairdryer stopped working, no umbrella in the room) but they reacted quickly.

Butler service is convenient although not super helpful. We've used them only to book the restaurants at night and to organize a car for us for a day to Santa Clara and Remedios...

One weak point is the food. We luckily love seafood so we enjoyed fish every single day. We found vegetable selection being very poor though. Carrots, potatoes and beets and really nothing else for a week. In the mainland we found abundance of tomatoes, peppers, salads...
I can easily assume that if somebody doesn't like fish it might be really tricky to have good meals. The service at the restaurants was good though. In my opinion they should focus more on authentic Cuban food (which is really good) and avoid trying to please everyone with 'international dishes' that are really not great.

Finally, I must point out the tip issue. I understand that everybody see it differently and that Cubans have such a low income that they probably survive on tips. But I felt that towards the end of the week, some staff members started to treat guests differently based on their tendency to tip or not... I'm probably wrong but that's what it felt like...

Overall we are happy with our choice, and we'd go back again. What made the difference is definetely the fact that the resort is small and intimate, that it is adults only and that we went during low season. I wouldn't be this satisfied without all this conditions. [Details]

A quite resort where the sound wave and the winds keeps you company for a full recharge of energy without the noises of big hotels.not a true 5* but close. [Details]

Fantastic stay. Top of the noch. [Details]

Definitely a step above anything we've experienced before - as relaxing as we wanted it to be and very nice and quiet!
The let down could be the food but we feel they do really well with what they have. [Details]

The Melia Buenavista is one of the most beautiful resorts in Cuba. The staff are incredible and work very hard to please the guests. There is a butler service that is quite convenient which makes making dinner reservations quick and easy. Anything you might need throughout the evening will be brought to your room in a matter of minutes. The pizza by the pool is another wonderful feature for lunch. There are three very different beaches that create variety and scenery like you wouldn't believe. I would highly recommend this resort. [Details]

It was our second time to Cuba, but first time staying at Melia Buenavista. It was exactly the type of vacation that we were looking for. Very well kept and clean. The service was excellent. It is a small resort and it never felt crowded or overly busy. We would definitely go back. [Details]

Background:

I'm a System Administrator, in my mid 30s, and I spent the new year's eve, solo, at the Melia Buenavista.

In a nutshell:

* The main playa was never crowded, it almost felt as if I had my very own, private, white sand beach! The most beautiful beach I've seen, so far, in my life. I have spent 80% of my vacation week on it :)
* The service was very warm, and personalised. Everyone remembered who I was, even after meeting me just once! Also, my butlers were great, and very easy to find.
* The room was as big as a 3 1/2 appartment in montreal, it was also bug free, and super clean. The AC worked flawlessly during my stay.
* The food was great. Especially the special menu the Buenavista offered on new years' eve! I also particularly enjoyed the Ropa Vieja, so much so that I can now pronounce it correctly in spanish! The Buenavista langostina was also extremely tasty.

Special thanks:

* The staff of the playa bar are super awesome, and I never ran out of Bucanero!
* The day time waiters at the Rancho los marinos, lots of heart warming smiles while I was practicing my very poor spanish skills :)
* My butlers, for making reservations on my behalf when I missed the deadline.
* The evening waiter, who served me every evening. I can't remember his name, but he is in his early/mid 20s, very short hairs. That guy really delivers a solid, classy, 5 stars dinning service! [Details]

very boring , very small resort, hardly any music, suposidly all adults , but a general from the army showed up with his family and kids . very very pleasant staff except hardly anyone speaks english including the front desk . [Details]

Nice hotel in a nice location. Some neat points like Sax player on Sunset Beach ecery evening, butler service.Free shuttle service to other hotels and markets. Small and quiet so staff was same and got to know them. Food a little repetitive unless you go to sister hotels to eat and then options open up. Dinners scheduled so you had to be there on time which some days was harder. Awesome staff though friendly and personable. [Details]

we stayed here last week, just flew back today and so impressed, that I wanted to write this review now ( despite the jet-lag!

If you are looking for a completely relaxing break, attentive staff, good food and a range of facilities and locations, then this is the place to go. I will not repeat the things already said in the
Last few reviews, only to validate that they are completely accurate and reflect our experience too.
The staff are ALL fantastic, and I mean all, from the Service staff to the Manager, constantly checking you are happy, and responsive to requests. You will see David the Manager in the early morning and late at night, in fact, I'm unclear if he sleeps or maybe has a twin, as he was always around.
So, a big thank you to all the staff and well done The Melia group for providing such a well run, service oriented, "can do" operation.
I can not comment on the other Melia hotels in Cayo Santa Maria, as I was so happy at the Buenavista, I did not want to leave, so stayed for the whole time at this resort. [Details]

The Melia Buenavista is a great location to relax and be taken care of at every turn.
From the moment you arrive and you meet your butler, to the sad moment you are leaving, you are taken care of.
Great food, great beaches, great pool bar...and wood fired pizza, great staff [Details]

This was our fourth Cuban resort visit.
This Resort is Well maintained and the staff are friendly and helpful.
Cuba is not known for great tasting food. Unfortunately this resort falls to the bottom of that list. The menu was narrow, and meals although quite often aesthetically pleasing fell short on taste.
On the plus side you won't gain any weight while on this resort.
If you visit during rainy season bring lots of insect repellant. [Details]

My wife and I had a great time at this resort. Met lots of great people. The food was very good, great beaches and all of the staff was friendly and helpful. Clean, well kept, modern resort. Love the fact that there are about 100 units, no crowded beaches, pools or food areas. Nothing negative to say. We would book here again. [Details]

We arrived late on the Wednesday night. The front desk receptionist was incredibly efficient and friendly. We were brought to our room by Diego. He was very helpful. We were amazed to say the least when we entered our suite. We had read other reviews of this resort prior to booking. We really enjoyed the outdoor shower.
Our first full day at the resort, we explored our surroundings. We were very impressed! We met the gardener Armando on our walk around. We introduced ourselves to him and he remembered our names several days later. The Sunset Beach area was very well taken care of by Julio and others. Julio always had a smile on his face despite needing to clean the beach after some large waves.
We had two butlers as do all visitors. Gustavo was AMAZING!!! He was very attentive to all our needs. He was a personable butler. He really made us feel like we were the only people he needed to help. One night we asked for room service, and were astounded by what he provided for us! We got a 4 course meal, a drawn bath, and a trio to sing for us.
We also appreciated the service of Mary at the breakfast/lunch restaurant. She always had a smile on her face. We sat in her section one day and ordered water for both of us and coffee for myself. The next day, she knew to bring those items without being asked. She did double check if I wanted coffee that morning.
We stayed at the main beach for most of our stay. I regret to not have paid more attention to the gentleman that assisted with the beach chairs. His name was Della, something. He was very friendly and helpful. I think he would have traveled the entire length of the beach to get us settled had my wife requested that.
If you are looking for a beach where sunbathing topless is allowed, this is a good one. Because of it being adult only, it was very natural. There were even some women who swam without a top on.
The bartenders at this beach were very friendly. Luis, made a point of getting to know us. Felix was very good as well. I could not believe that they would serve us on the beach. I've never been anywhere where the bartenders come to me to serve anything!
We had dinners at Los Caribes and Los Navegantes. Food and service were good at both restaurants. We really enjoyed our server, Yunior, at Los Navegantes. After being in the sun all day, we were always quite thirsty. As busy as he was, he never let our water glasses go empty. He was incredibly attentive to our needs. One night he had been busy, and we were in no rush. He kept apologizing for being so busy. Our last night here, we requested to have him as our server. When we thanked him for his service, he was genuinely grateful for being able to assist us and wished that we would come back and perhaps see him again.
We also enjoyed the piano bar. Yadi was always smiling and helpful.
We saw the hotel manager and his wife a few times. He made a point of introducing himself and asking how we were enjoying our stay. We did venture out to another Melia resort for dinner one night. We saw the hotel manager there, and he asked what we thought of this other resort. It was larger and busier since it was for everyone. Ours was an adult only, so it was quieter.
We really appreciated the fact that this was an adult only resort. Our reason for vacationing here was to relax, unwind. We did just that. I was disappointed that we did see a family at this resort. A family with a couple children, perhaps 13 and 16. The fact that you must enter your date of birth to make a reservation is not a deterrence to some people to fudge that.
This was a dream vacation for sure! We were blown away by the professionalism shown by all the staff. The entire resort is amazing! We felt very pampered by everyone. Like we were the only ones on the resort. Would we come back? In a heartbeat! We didn't want to leave! [Details]

Amazing vacation, we will be back [Details]

Very good experience. Friendly service and staff. Wonderful facility. Food was below the overall standard of the resort [Details]

Loved the location if this resort! Beach was amazing and room was beautiful. Everyone at the pool bar, beach bar and piano bar was amazing! Nadiuska was fantastic at Los Marinos. The best there. Unfortunate because her section was always full and there were a couple times we had to sit inside. Server there just stood around. We got no service and had to pour our own oj while she moved out of the way! Not a smile on her face. Royal service? What is that? We didn't get any! Butler service non-existent. Don't get me wrong, we are not spoiled brats but if we paid for it, why didn't we have any of it? Getting a dinner reso was near impossible. Royal service line always busy and when you did get through, we were hung up on or talked to rudely. If this is the case, have a sign up book that I can make my own reso in. Some people talked about how great their butler was, lucky for them. Couldn't even tell you who ours was. Overall, we enjoyed our trip, but that's mostly because of the perfect paradise setting. We were at Royalton last year, same set up but soooo much better and cheaper. I guess Melia Buenavista did not live up to our expectations:( [Details]

The staff were very good. Especially,our butler Gerardo. The food was not good at all and I should have complained when we got back but it's not something I usually do. We would need a very good incentive to try this hotel again. [Details]

There is not one thing I could complain about...everything was great from start to finish. I wanted a quiet resort, a place to unwind and forget reality...WE FOUND IT!!! The food, the people, the area....all so great [Details]

Finally a 5 star that is really a 5 star. Fifth time in Cuba and this was by far the best hotel and service. Absolutely no complaints about the food, lobster whenever you wanted it and even delivered to the room. Beautiful beaches. And the staff were always helpful and friendly and took a personal interest in our enjoyment. No line ups for anything! Peace and quiet, not the place if you want non stop activities and loud music. [Details]

Clean rooms and spacious. Our maid took great care in cleaning our room everyday and we had turn down service each night.

We had 2 butlers who alternated and one of them was never around. We had to look for him most of the time to book our restaurant reservations.

The food was good. We didn't have any problems. Lots of choices for everyone. Los Caribes has a different theme each night so the menu changes daily. Navigantes restaurant has a set menu and you can also order room service.

We found the pool grill to be the best and had lunch there everyday. I loved the paella.

Room service was great but make sure to order it well in advance (at least 1 hour before). It's slow and make sure you let them know if you want ketchup with your fries otherwise you won't get it.

Most of the staff were wonderful especially Orestes and Osmany from the pool bar.
The General Manager was very friendly and talked to all the guests especially during dinner.

The best part of the resort is having 3 beaches. The resort is great for snorkeling. The water is so shallow and clear. We saw a lot of different types of fish.

Overall, it's a great resort but checking in was slow and our luggage took a long time to arrive in our room. [Details]

Very nice hotel, staff (most of the staff) are very nice and helpful. Butler service is useless! Our room wasn't clean properly even after speaking with management. I guess our standards are so different.
We had a "guest" Mouse for the all trip (7days) and a thief.
Beautiful beaches, very privet. [Details]

This was a very small resort (105 rooms)and each room is assigned a butler who looks after all your need/wants 24/7 and then some!!! What more could you ask for? We would return to this hotel. [Details]