Melia Las Dunas - 2011-2012

[Capucine26]

Hello csho,

 

In which month will you get married ? High season for weddings is from April to August... Other than that, I presume you won't experience 6 weddings a day ;o)

 

Capucine26 (wedding travel agent)

[csho]

@Capucine26 - I plan on getting married in May 2014... so definitely within high season...from what I understand April and May are the busiest. But its really the only option for us as we have some accountants and professors coming and they can't travel til May and from where we leave we can't go during the summer months... nor do I really want to since I live in Canada! I am guessing that 6 a day isn't the norm but I guess its just something to think about!

[Capucine26]

@scho - Hummm... well... you're right. There will maybe be more than 1 wedding a day in May... but, if you want, I can ask my Sol Melia Partners in Montreal if there is a week in may where wedding are less popular... maybe there is... I don't know... Or, what about the Melia Cayo Santa Maria (the neighbor of MLD) ? He's kind of cute too and on the exact same beach. And I just love his beach gazebo... which is smaller than the one on MLD site...

 

BTW, sorry for the mistakes, my first langage is French ;o)

[csho]

@Capucine26 Thanks! I am sure all of May will be busy and we really want to go the first week anyway! Its fine! From what everyone says they make you feel like you;re the only one anyway! I ahven't checked out the Melia Cayo Santa Maria but thats definitely something to look at! I know there isn't quite as much info out there about it but that might be because there are less weddings there! Thanks so much for all your advice!

[csho]

@Capucine 26- I just checked out the Melia Cayo Santa Maria... it is gorgeous but now I remember why I can't go there... its adults only and my sister and SIL will both have babies between 18 and 24 months.

[csho]

Ok so now I am confused... I just read that it wasn't adults only! Capucine 26 do you know?

[Capucine26]

I think it was, but now, it is not... it's a family resort ;o)

[Tonia Bruyns]

Hello ladies,

 

My Fiance and I are planning to get married January 2015 (I know.. I'm being eager), but it is important to me to hash out the details about where the wedding will be ASAP so that my guests can start saving I am just wondering if any of the brides on here are able to give a quick review of the resort, flower selections, hair and make-up, steel drum band possibilities and any other helpful information about this resort? A lot of my guests have never been out of Ontario and I really want our wedding to be a memorable first vacation somewhere sunny and beautiful! Any help you cuold give would be awesome!

-Tonia

[ceecee2014]

While I didn't get married here, I did end up getting engaged at this resort! My partner and I traveled here at the end of March 2013 and we really loved it. I honestly don't understand the negative reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

- Beach is beautiful. Lots of room for walking (we love to walk). It seems to go on forever and it's truly fabulous. It can be wavy with 'red flag' days, but we actually had more of blast jumping in the waves. The calm days were a bit duller. Though weak swimmers should be very careful.... The sand dunes are lovely though and stretch out so far.

- We absolutely spied many weddings and everyone seemed happy. The gazebo by the beach if rather small though and people pass by it to go to the beach. It's really pretty though, so the backdrop is incredible. I can try to post a picture if I can figure out how! There is no space for sitting though, which could be an issue. It wouldn't probably only hold 30 people or so.

 

- Staff was lovely! Again, we were surprised that anyone would have anything bad to say about the staff at this resort. They literally couldn't do enough for us. Manuel (who works in the larger buffet - to the left hand side when you walk in the main door) is the nicest man. He even randomly gave us bottles of champagne... for no reason. Truly, all of the staff was kind to us. The only thing that really bothered us was the behaviour of other guests who were rude to the staff. I think some people like to fly south and walk around pretending to be a bigshot. They take out there everyday frustrations on the staff in Cuba, just because they can. Just relax and enjoy the ride. Don't sweat the small stuff and you'll have a great time.

- I saw a lot of flowers being prepared for weddings and they always looked great. There are lots of beautiful flowers on this resort and the garden is well-maintained.

 

- It's a large resort with a family section and a adults-only section. Fantastic pools and lots of bars. We stayed in a superior suite near the adult pool and it was perfect. Our maid was the sweetest. Anyone who complains about having to walk 'too far' must be incredibly out of shape or lazy. It's not far at all! And they do have carts for older people and those who, for medical reasons, cannot walk far. Any healthy adult who complains is just pathetic.

- Cayo Santa Maria isn't really near anything. It's all resorts, but if you like relaxing, it's the place for you. We also went on the day trip into Santa Clara and Remedios and had a fantastic time. Our tour guide, Adriana, was fabulous. I would recommend that trip if you like culture, history, and learning a bit more about Cuba.

- The little things. At the end of the day you can either enjoy yourself, or complain about little things... We actually brought our own towels from home because we had heard horror stories about Cuba (it was our first time when we went). When we first went to the adult pool area to get our towels for the week, the gentleman told us they hadn't quite arrived yet... Fair enough, it opens at 10:00 a.m. and it was like, 10:02 a.m. We just shrugged and went to get a drink. We came back 1/2 an hour later and the towels where there. We never bothered to exchange them all week because that just seemed silly.
While we were sitting around by the adult pool we watched people who would started waiting for the towels at 9;30 a.m. They would stomp around and pout. Then, at 10:00 a.m., when the towels weren't ready, they would cause a scene... I mean, really?! Calm down. You're in Cuba! Just wait it out and everything will be fine - but some people just like to complain, I think.

 

- Food was pretty good. There was lots of choice at the buffet and we never got sick. We felt great. Selection was really good, actually, for a buffet.

 

- I would recommend the Las Dunas in a heartbeat. For our wedding we are looking at Varadero, to try something new and because we like the idea of being closer to Havana for our guests, but Las Dunas is a nice place, so don't worry when you read horror stories on TripAdvisor... Some people are just not cutout for Cuba!

- When we went on our trip to Santa Clara, we stopped by many other resorts and were so happy with our choice of Las Dunas. Other guests complained about things like water shortages, no hot water, etc, which was never an issue for us.

 

Hope this helps!

[Tonia Bruyns]

Thanks so much for the review! We are now looking more closely at this resort for our wedding. I was wondering if anyone had an idea of extra costs when it came to decorations, reception and dinner? Their website really only has the basic wedding package information with no details about what can be added