So, this is my attempt to WRITE MY OWN REAL-GENUINE REVIEWS based on MY OWN SINCERE EXPERIENCES. Please keep in mind that I PAY out of my OWN pocket TO GET these products or services and then I write my TRUE reviews (of these various products, services, companies). I am trying them ON MY OWN TIME AND ON MY OWN MONEY, so expect TRUTH, HONESTY, GENUINE THOUGHTS AND THE ABSOLUTE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT IT ALL. Thank you for reading! If interested to hear my opinion about “something”, please contact me!
MY EXPERIENCE AT MEMORIES AZUL RESORT-CAYO SANTA MARIA, SANTA CLARA, CUBA
(2012)
I have to say this at the very beginning: THIS IS NOT A PAID ARTICLE (as always, I try services and products on my own and review them honestly). This is truly my sincere opinion about my experience at Memories Azul Resort, Cayo Santa Maria…where I’ve spent a week (SunWing Airlines and SunWing Vacations were the main “providers” of this amazing trip and experience).
Memories Azul, Cayo Santa Maria in Santa Clara, Cuba.
This was my third trip to Cuba, and this time I was travelling with my family and a group of friends.
The Resort: The resort Memories Azul is AMAZING, just a little hidden paradise, probably larger than I had anticipated, especially if you include the Paraiso side. The rooms are nice, spacey and very clean.
The check-in happens at the airport (more pros than cons to this, but make sure you have your carry-on with lighter clothes with you as they take all your luggage to your room – however this didn’t’ take long).
A small hill takes you up to the livelier pools and sports center –and yet no chair saving or long line-ups at the bars. These other rooms were incredibly clean too and the “move” happened quickly and without any complains. For our very short lived “inconvenience” (switching rooms because WE DECIDED TO, not because they have made a mistake or anything), they’ve upgraded our resort bracelets to Diamond Club, which was a very nice gesture we did not expect at all. But Diana Hernandez Sanchez , the onsite coordinator and Customer Service Manager was just such a kind, pleasant, helpful person, a dream to deal with.
We put our valuables in the safe provided and it worked perfectly. The doors have card keys and they worked perfect. The entire time I was leaving my watches and gold jewelry around and I have found them all in the same spot every time after our rooms were clean. I wasn’t asking for trouble, but I simply felt so very safe in this resort, never experienced feeling in my other trips to other Cuban resorts or even in the Dominican Republic resorts I had been to in the past.
POOLS: We jumped in the pools, just to say we had been in it. They are big and clean. There were always chairs available and the area surrounding the pool was very clean. But we spent a lot of time on the beach, it was simply just soooo beautiful, you could not possibly trade it for the pool. And Miguel, the service person there, was such a sweet man, always bringing flowers to the ladies around the pool, always having a stash of books and magazine (or water inflatable toys for the kids) to spend the time with.
Food: Food was very good, fresh eggs for breakfast, fresh pancakes, grilled fish, steak and chicken, ready under your eyes. There was also a beach grill for lunch and burgers (AMAZING HAMBURGERS, I might add!) or pizza from the main buffet was very good. Fruits and veggies were light some days, but then again, this is Cuba, expect bananas, guava, papaya, ananas, watermelon in abundance and not so many apples, pears, etc. I think one can live with this “shortage” of apples for a week.
Dinner was a variety of dishes; you will always find something to be satisfied with. The juice station was awesome, fresh juices each morning, fresh crepes, grill, fresh scrambled eggs and many many more choices. The Italian A-La-Carte and Tex-Mex (the Mediterranean) was our favorites. Dress code was not monitored too closely but usually everyone who went to “a-la-carte” restaurants was very nicely dressed. We ate at both buffet and a la carte restaurants and overall I was very impressed. The services were absolutely …inspiring. The staff at both the buffet and the a-la carte restaurants were extremely helpful and very efficient. A very pleasant experience.
Beach: The beach is most scenic – turquoise waters and white sands, makes you realize that there is more to life than…computers and I Phones! Snorkeling just to the right of the resort (on your own- amazing), but even without any such “gear” my child got see so many different fish even star fish in the water. Putting a little piece of banana in the water attracted hundreds of little fish at our feet, such an amazing view and feeling!
The beach, again is absolutely stunning with water cool enough to refresh you but still warm. None of the Cuban beaches I had been to before had the glorious beach that Memories Azul has! The water is so shallow and warm that you can swim in it for hours. My sister and I, along with my entire group of friends and family truly enjoyed this beach the best of all!
We took stunning pictures every day, the combination of turquoise water, white sands, blue sky and white clouds is so gorgeous, I totally loved it. We took pictures on the beach, the pictures were absolutely flawless and we did not have a professional photographer with us, just my lovely sister taking pictures with a “point and shoot” camera.
Night Entertainment: We only went to the mini-club show and evening shows. It was quite astonishing. The “opening act” was great, too! The singers were simply “naturals” with such brilliant, talented voices; the main show was like an array of dances with different themes (Cuban, International, Michael Jackson, Grease, etc). You MUST see the performers, such talented young people, amazing professional dancers you, we could not get our eyes off them. They sure were good and certainly worked hard, the choreographies were simply fabulous and flawlessly executed! Far more than I expected.
And watch out for this beautiful young dancer, MAY (Maidelis), she was wonderful and I think she will go far in her career. Such a pleasure to meet her and chat with her on a few occasions. She made quite a sweet impression on my daughter as well…(my daughter thought she was a real princess after seeing her on stage).
We’ve never made it to the “disco club”, but they have one in the Paraiso side and I heard good reviews about it. Instead, we enjoyed our evenings at the non-stop open bars and enjoyed the live music, fashion shows and all sorts of entertaining activities held in the hotel’s lobby…
Children Club: Kids club was lovely, air-conditioned and three rooms with different toys and ways for kids to spend a few minutes or hours away from the strong sun. Children were nicely entertained, at least, my daughter loved it!
Love the band at the Theater and “Ciao Ciao Mickey Mouse” show!! My daughter was in love with Marlies, the kind, caring young lady working there!
Staff: The staff is very attentive and friendly and they always make sure that you are taken care of! Diana, the on-site Customer Relations coordinator was simply amazing, she solved all our questions with such dedication and kindness. I witnessed many situations where the staff went above and beyond normal service and I am convinced that they were not doing it for tips, but rather because they tried to make our vacation…a memorable one. In terms of tipping, I didn’t find that the staff expected a tip every time and they were providing the same great services regardless if you gave them something or not.
Market: Market was just a short walk away – felt safe at all times. We walked over a few times and bought some souvenirs. Vendors were nice, polite and not aggressive sellers, I really loved it there!
Trips: The double decker bus is 1 peso per person, it’s a good change of scenery but there really isn’t much to see except the foyer of the rest of the resorts. We did get off at the Dolphin area, there was no show, it was 3 pesos per person to get in, we saw the whales and the dolphins. But the Sunwing desk had a few more other trips for the tourists, including the boat adventure, deep sea fishing, horseback riding, a city tour and catamaran trips and swimming with dolphins. All were excellent tours and the prices were very reasonable. The tour operators and the staff at the venues were very professional and courteous, like all other Cuban people we’ve met there.
So, all in all, an amazing experience in a beautiful resort!
Thank you, Emma, from Memories Weddings, Diana H. Sanchez, from Memories Azul, SunWing Vacation, SunWing Airlines and all other people involved in helping us have such a beautiful stay!
All in all, we had an amazing time in this resort and we’ve made the best memories at Memories Azul, Cayo Santa Maria!
Thank you Sunwing Vacations and thank you staff and management of the Memories Azul resort! I will be back there, for sure because I have left in this place a piece of my heart!!!
BEAUTY: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Nars Blush, Too Faced Mascara
(November 2011)
First of all, for those who asked “where can I find Shu Uemura curler in Canada?” here is the simplest, truest answer. At Sephora in Montreal and Toronto, for sure! Now, Shu Uemura Eyelashes curler has captivated a lot of attention, so I decided to try it out when my MAC curler broke. Well, I paid for my Shu Uemura Eyelashes curler a little over $20.00 and I expected miracle eyelshes, as promised on their website and as a lot of (fake?) testimonials claimed. Well, the truth is…Shu Uemura is a GOOD CURLER, but NOT GREATER AND NOT WORST THAN…MAC curler or even..L’Oreal eyelash curler. Shu Uemura curler, tho’, it did not impress me much, I saw almost NO DIFFERENCE between the curlers I used before and this one. So, it is a GOOD curler, but nothing spectacular. You can probably obtain the same results with a …Maybeline eyelas curler. I DID.
The other two products I tried this afternoon:
NARS BLUSH- SIN SHADE (although the sales representative kept on trying to make me buy the ORGASM shade, apparently the most popular shade by NARS). Anyway, I ended up with the shade: SIN. Cool shade, kinda’ berry shade, blends nicely, shows great and strong on your skin, so go easy on it (or not!!!:). I find it a bit too expensive tho’, you can get the same results with similar shades from not so expensive brands.
TOO FACE PINPOINT LASH INJECTION MASCARA.
This is a good mascara, I might say, after I tried it…It is, indeed, very precise, goes on the tiniest lashes, however, if you look for curves and volume, look somewhere else. What I did, I used the VIBRATING BRUSH from a Lancome Mascara (or Maybeline vibrating brush mascara) and dipped it into the TooFaced Lip Injection tube….VA-VA-VOOM…GREATER RESULTS INSTANTLY! So, TOO FACED should maybe pay me for giving them this idea…:): COME UP WITH A VIBRATING BRUSH AND SELL YOUR PRODUCT WAAAAAAAAAY BETTER than it is right now.
All in all, a good shopping day!
MY EXPERIENCE AT “OFFICE DENT” DENTAL CLINIC, ROMANIA
Am facut cea mai fericita si buna decizie cand am ales sa calatoresc din Canada in Romania, la clinica Office Dent din Ploiesti, pentru a rezolva cateva probleme dentare .Toate aceste servicii mi-au fost oferite la clinica Office Dent de catre Dr. Raluca Draghici, Dr. Mihai Dorobantu, Dr. Cristian Nicolae, doctori care au dat dovada, zi de zi, de un mare profesionalism (fara insa a uita latura umana a meseriei dumnealor si compasiunea de care un pacient are totusi atata nevoie). Experienta mea la Office Dent a fost extraordinara! Daca vrei sa stii mai multe despre experienta mea, contactati-ma.
LIP FUSION GLOSS PLUMPER & LUSCIOUS LIPS
(Tried in JUNE, 2009 and in August 2011)
LIP FUSION: Oh, the vanity of us girls…of any age who are not friends (yet 🙂 of plastic surgeons. We would try almost anything to get that little “oomph” while looking in the mirror. So, I have tried the said lip gloss. Lip Fusion works…a little…kind of. The tingle is there, some “sort” of plump is there but it is worth the pricey price? NO. Does it give you Angelina Jolie lips? NO. Does it show ANYTHING noticeable, any plump at all? Kind of…but nothing to write home about…
LUSCIOUS LIPS: Ok, so you’ve seem tens and maybe hundreds of mirror sites with reviews on the product claiming that IT IS THE BEST OUT THERE…After I personally wasted my money on this product, I can say that these are fake testiomonials. I bought this product not long ago after I read a lot about it and its developer, Cynthia Rowland who claims she went to plastic and cosmetic surgeons to have it tested to see what they thought! Apparently one of the doctors is a woman and she tried it on herself — after all —seeing is believing and what better scientist than one who tests it on herself.
Let me tell you something…I don’t know how much money these people invested in advertisment, websites, TV SHOWS and so forth but… Luscious Lips DOES NOT WORK AT ALL! I tried it for a month, all my girlfriends did too, I even tried it on a few men….:)-SAME RESULT: IT DOES NOT WORK. The product is actually some sort of a small PUMP with a vacuum like effect. Of course, “vacuum-ing” your lips, you draw blood to one area and this area will become red and A LITTLE BIT SWOLEN, BUT…this effect was gone in 20-30 SECONDS!!! The “plumping” effect of this product does not even last for one minute !!! So, go figure if this is worth $70.00 USD. NOT! Thank God, I got my money back!
EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY
(a big fan since Spring, 2009…)
Ok, so I had been searching and searching and searching for TRUE SAFE-ORGANIC-BIO-NATURAL products for babies forever. I go to a lot of baby showers and I always wished I could offer a NATURAL gift that comes with no worries for the precious baby. I have seen and tasted (on my own and with my mammas’ friends) too many Johnson and Johnson, Aveeno Baby and Gerber products for babies containing a lot of sulfats and chemicals that makes my heart break (just read the ingredients’ list, you will see what I mean!). Those products, on a hazzard/high risk of chemicals scale from 0-9, have a HIGH risk factor of 7-8 or 9 producing damages to babies’ bodies, even cancer. “C’mon, people, try something BETTER for babies“…I feel like screaming in the stores to those continuing to buy those products.
So, I FINALLY FOUND the perfect products produced by a company called EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY. I tried the Angel Baby baby wash and shampoo and Angel Baby Lotion. Beside the fact that they smell and feel HEAVENLY, they are TRULY organic, bio, vegan, cruelty free, free of any chemicals and artificial colors/preservatives. I can’t say they are especially cheap (a bottle of 120 ml Angel Baby Lotion costs between $17.00-20.00) but they are AMAZING products I would recommend to all mothers/aunts/sisters/fathers etc out there. They also make GREAT GIFTS for your little precious babies (yours or the ones in your family or of your friends’).
For any reviews, comments, questions, events appearances and media matters…please contact me.
Roxana-Canada 