It was a vacation that almost never happened. It started out as a road trip to Florida, staying at a rental condo. It then transformed to an all-inclusive vacation in Cuba. It was then put on hold due to complications and it looked like we’d be having a staycation instead. At the last minute, the complications cleared up and we were off to Memories Flamenco Beach Resort in Cayo Coco, Cuba.
I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been to Cuba. I do know it was our second time in Cayo Coco and our third time at a Memories Resort. Memories Flamenco Beach Resort, it turns out, is one of the best resorts we’ve been to in the country and definitely the best of the Memories Resorts (others: Memories Paraiso Beach Resort and Memories Holguin Beach Resort).
The price is definitely right, especially if you have kids. Our six and three year old stayed free, paying just the taxes on the flight with Sunwing.
Click here for a look at the neighbouring Playa Paraiso Cayo Coco Resort.
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Image Gallery
Our Opinion
About The Resort
About Memories Resorts
Memories Flamenco Beach Resort Video
Other Videos From This Visit
On recent visits to the Caribbean island country, we’ve come away with a bit of a bad taste. First, the Americans were coming and suddenly Canadians were not so important. Second, a humble, oppressed people had discovered greed.
Well, some orange faced bastard became president of the United States and that certainly put Cuba’s greenback fueled dreams on hold indefinitely. Second, it could be just the regional difference, but we were not subject on this latest trip to the constant reminder of how little money everyone makes and the intended guilt trip that goes with the stories.
On our last three visits (twice to Cayo Santa Maria and once to Guardalavaca (Holguin)), we found the propaganda about how poor everyone was got to be a little too forced and was starting to lack sincerity. It was becoming more akin to a late night infomercial than an all-inclusive vacation.
This go around, there was no talk of an American tourism invasion. There was no talk of a new currency system to better serve the visitors from the United States. There was no talk of the horrid conditions each employee had to endure. Conversations with resort staff seemed to be sincere and didn’t become lectures on how us to the north should feel guilted into giving more of our hard earned dollars.
In saying that, there certainly is still a human rights issue in Cuba. These folks all really have one common employer. They do work six out of every seven days with a long, forced commute. Staying within more than an hour’s drive on a packed bus is not an option.
Memories Flamenco Beach Resort Image Gallery
The gallery below features photos taken around the resort. You may be asking, where’s the sunrises and sunsets? Believe me, we got lots of those. They are featured in this article: Cayo Coco, Cuba Sunrises and Sunsets.
Our Opinion
As mentioned, Memories Flamenco Beach Resort ranks very highly when it comes to resorts we’ve stayed at in Cuba. As for the Memories Resorts we’ve stayed at, this is definitely the best. Not quite on par with, say, a Sandals or Palace Resort, it was still a well-done luxury vacation. But, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. There were some areas that could be improved. However, for the most part, this is an excellent place to spend a worry-free vacation.
We did not pay the extra for Diamond Club amenities. We never have with any Memories Resorts vacation packages. The reason is we’ve never witnessed that the value matches the extra price you pay. We have two high energy young kids so anything other than the buffet simply doesn’t work for us.
In talking with guests that did go with Diamond Club at any of the three Memories Resorts we’ve stayed at, they also mostly saw that the benefits didn’t justify the cost. Plus, I’ve talked to several ‘regular guests’ who’ve stated that without the Diamond Club status, they were able to get ‘top shelf’ drinks anyway, without paying extra.
The Good
The staff were outstanding. There’s no other way to say it. It wasn’t fake. They seemed happy to serve and many remembered your name before the first or second day was over. However, this is a workplace with many, many employees. Like your own place of work, not everyone has a great day, every single day.
The check-in process lacked the usual painfully time-consuming Cuban bureaucracy and really was a pleasant experience. The money exchange was by far the most professional of any other resort we’ve visited. You did not need to drag out your passport just to exchange currency. You did not have to endure a self-important banker making the simply process of counting currency so much more complicated than necessary.
The beach was wide and had ample chairs and shelters. Those people (you know who they are) didn’t even need to get up at the crack of dawn to ‘reserve’ more than their share of chairs at both the pool and beach.
With Cayo Coco (for right or wrong) being off-limits to locals unless they’re working there, you will not be hassled on the beach outside of the resort area. This is certainly evident by the pedestrian highway that is the waterfront. You can walk west to a sand dune point that is sometimes above and sometimes below the water level, depending on the tide. If you go west, you will eventually have to cross a tidal river that takes water to and from a decent sized lagoon.
The resort is compact and space is used optimally. This means you have everything that a much larger resort has in a smaller area that doesn’t feel like everything is crammed in. The roadways aren’t a highway for those golf cart thingies they shuttle everyone around in because everything is an easy walk away. In fact, our room was so close to the beach that it was easier to go back to the room to use the facilities than to use those at the beach bar.
We never made it to an a la carte restaurant. We had reservations for one but chose a bottle of wine on the beach for sunset instead. The buffet was uncrowded and always had a fresh selection of food. As a vegan, this was by far the best non-meat buffet I’ve seen in Cuba.
The service at the buffet was above and beyond. If you go, immediately make your way to the back right corner and spend the week being served by Angel and his crew. Normally, if I did catch a server’s name, it was long forgotten by the time the bus arrived at the airport on the way home. The service was so impressive that I couldn’t help but take names.
As for the activities and entertainment, these folks didn’t stop making your stay pleasant from early morning until late at night. At other resorts, the activities crew showed up for a half hour in the late afternoon and that was the only time you saw them.
The Bad (But Not Really)
These are not game-changing items, just observations. As I said before, there are opportunities for improvement.
Because Cayo Coco is a distance from the mainland via causeway, this is not a shopping mecca. Prices at the resort store and at the nearby ‘plazas’ seem a bit high. Add to that, the current exchange rate from Canadian Dollars to Cuban Convertible Pesos is about 68 cents on the dollar. All souvenirs are exactly the same. There is a ‘shopping centre’ off toward the older resorts and it is filled with several stores with literally the exact same souvenirs.
What was kind of funny was that vendors in Cuba are starting to learn how to barter. They should be sent to the Dominican Republic or Mexico for a crash course on this art. The vendor will give you a price for an item that you’re looking at. If you hesitate at all, that price immediately starts to drop. Work it, folks – they’ll quickly perfect this art.
If you don’t take it, you won’t have it. A hair brush. We forgot to bring one. Simple stuff, right? Just go to the store and grab a new one. Well, they had everything else you would need for grooming except this item. We spent two days asking and searching for a lowly hair brush but to no avail. The BIT (buy it there) advice given by Tim Ferriss does not apply in Cayo Coco! Best to overpack…
Along the same lines, this resort was typically Cuban when it came to random shortages. One day, there’d be no straws. Another day, it would be milk or sugar for your coffee. The pool towel exchange was literally open for just the two final days we were there. There must have been an issue with the breweries in Cuba. At no time were the taps working to pour out that mediocre Cuban Crystal or Buchanero. Instead, the resort must have lost the short having to dole out Heineken from the bottle and can instead.
Another typical Cuban experience was the bar fridge in your room. Some days, you’d get a coke and a couple of beers. Other days, it would be a single beer and a can of orange pop. On occasion, you’d get completely shutout of beer or pop.
About The Resort
Memories Flamenco Beach Resort has a total of 624 suites. These come in two sizes, the junior suite at 452 square feet and the larger version at 904 square feet. Interestingly, the larger rooms have a capacity of just two adults and a child. The junior suites are more family oriented with room for a second child.
Your choice of room comes with either a tropical garden, pool, lake (lagoon) or ocean view. Ours was a tropical garden view but it didn’t really matter because it was much too hot during the day to sit out. All rooms come with a choice of either a single king-sized bed or two doubles.
There’s plenty of room poolside. There are three pools, all at the centre of the resort. The upper pool is the largest and deepest and home to the entertainment crew. The middle pool is a bit smaller and houses the swim-up bar. The lower pool is located at the kids club and is small and shallow. None of the pools are zero entry. Steps and ladders are few and far between so it does require a bit of effort to get in and out of the pools.
Like most, there is 24 hour dining and drinking. The lobby bar and snack bar stay open 24 hours. The pool and beach bars are closed at around 5pm. The theatre bar is open only while the nightly entertainment is on.
There is just one buffet restaurant but it is quite large. Specialty restaurants include Asian, Creole, Italian and Mediterranean. There is also a grill at the beach and a restaurant solely dedicated to those who paid the extra for Diamond Club service.
Tucked away in the far corner of the resort (see video below) is the gym and spa. We did not actually go inside but, judging by the empty walkway and buildings leading up to this neck of the woods, the gym will not be busy if you choose to hang out inside and workout while on your tropical vacation.
It should be noted that the electrical outlets are set for 220 volt plugs. This used to be just a give in Cuba but, I believe, some new resorts are coming fitted with 110V outlets like you’d find in Canada and the United States. Most electronic devices now come with chargers that can step down the voltage anyway.
About Memories Resorts
Memories Resorts are under the umbrella of Blue Diamond Resorts. Under the Memories brand, there are nine all-ages resorts with eight in Cuba and one in the Dominican Republic. In addition, there are four adults only properties in Cuba and a city resort in Havana.
Blue Diamond was established in 2011 and now boasts 44 resorts in ten countries (Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Antigua, Costa Rica, Barbados, Tobago, Cuba and Grenada). The brands include Royalton Luxury Resorts, Memories Resorts, Starfish Resorts, Grand Lido Au Naturel Resorts and Mystique Blue Resorts.
Memories Flamenco Beach Resort Video
This video features clips from around the resort. The buildings are designed in such a way that with a round of stair climbing, you can get multiple vistas around the resort from three stories above the ground. Other videos are on there way and will be linked up below as they’re published.
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Other Videos From This Trip
Cayo Coco Sunrises and Sunsets
Memories Flamenco Cayo Coco Walking Tour
Memories Flamenco Cayo Coco Time Lapse
