Sol Cayo Santa Marie

The resorts is a very good resort the staff is very friendly and helpful. The only complaint I had was the area we were first staying in was not very well maintained but the staff moved us to the room we stayed in last year and the whole area was very clean.I would recommend this resort to anyone.

Good hotel for the price

There shouldn’t be any saving of chairs on the beach and people who are registered at the hotel should get priority on chairs on the beach. It was very difficult to get a chair on the beach and it was annoying to see people walking down from other resorts and having some of the best chairs saved.

Tired resort

My partner and I were at the Sol May2 - May 9, 2024. It was our 4th visit at the Sol and were very pleased with the renovations. The bungalows were all freshly painted on the exterior and the rooms were updated and very modern. Unfortunately,the hammock style chairs on the balcony were very uncomfortable making it very difficult to get up from, so we hardly made use of the balcony. Furthermore, we encountered a strong smell in the room due to strong sewage fumes coming into the room through the  [... read more]AC unit and also in the bathroom. I had to hold my breath as long as possible in order to use the bathroom. My partner was ill from inhaling the fumes during the night as well. I'm guessing that the renos were mostly cosmetic, but the infrastructure needs revamping as well. On the positive side, the beach was fantastic and the staff very accomodating. This will be our last visit to Sol.

Naturalist Cuban Paradise

We had a fantastic, unforgettable, time in Cuba, March 27-April 7, 2024. (long review, multiple Sub-Topics). Beautiful beaches and fantastic weather. In regards to the resort, we can only compare it to our experience from last year at a 5-Star Resort, Melia Buenavista. Both resorts are small and are Adult Only. SOL changed from family after Covid. Both have Naturist beach sections. Of course it is an unfair comparison but the resorts are near each other and both operate by the same Foreign C [... read more]orporation. First, I should point out I did a surprise Marriage Proposal while in Cuba. A country we are both truly happy and ecstatic to visit. EXCURSIONS We met the Air Transat Representative the first morning. The times he is there are posted beside the lobby desk. We immediately booked the Tuesday, Sunset Lobster Dinner Catamaran Cruise and it is when we got engaged to be married. NOTE, sunset was on the Catamaran and dinner was at One Gallery Resort at 9pm. (bring snacks). A heads up to everyone regarding the Saturday, Havana Bus Excursion. We spoke to the Air Transat rep, Rusbel Santiago, and told him we wanted to go to Havana. He said there was a Saturday bus tour going. We said we would prefer to fly there. He said Air Transat does not support that tour. We asked how long the bus ride is each way and he said 4.5 hours, in fact it is closer to 5.5 hours. Again we said we prefer plane. The total excursion was 21 hour trip (Rusbel had suggested it was 15 hours). I asked for link about the tour and I never received it. I also asked if the price was Canadian and he said yes. After the credit card alert came through it was US$. During the trip we spoke with our tour guide, I discovered that the SAME TOUR GUIDE does the Wednesday Havana Plane Tour Excursion, 12 hour total trip! And the difference in cost was only about $20 more each. I was furious that Rusbel did not have the courtesy to tell us about it. He knew about it because he is friends with the tour guide as the tour guide joked that Rusbel has a huge appetite. The guide kept referring to Rusbel as one of his Salesman! You cannot believe everything Rusbel tells you. He skirts on the truth, I believe he had personal interests in having us book through him on the bus verses on the plane through someone else. I kick myself for not doing research and having blind faith that everyone is looking after your best interest. That is certainly not the case in this experience. My Fiance did not recover from the grueling long bus ride for another whole day. For the Havana Plane Tour go next door to Melia Cayo Santa Maria (CSM) at 9am and speak with their Excursion Representative at their desk in the main lobby. ROOMS The rooms are newly renovated, they look fresh and modern. They have these cool blue LED lights around the room, NOTE, they can be turned off; there is a small metal button on the wall (near the lights) that looks like a dime inside a quarter. You need only TOUCH them to turn OFF/ON the lights. (capacitance switch). NOTE, they are still running on the infrastructure of 70 years ago (I do not think the sewer stacks were changed inside the building; an oversight they may regret in the near future). The hot water supply/pipes are old, one room barely had luke warm water. Unfortunately, we had to change rooms at SOL three times for various reasons. Yes, an inconvenience but was worth it as we finally were happily settled after the fourth night. WIFI Unfortunately, WIFI signal strength varied, room to room. If you require a good signal, check it before you unpack. WIFI was great in the general lobby area and buffet restaurant. FOOD I did not have any issues with food there for both years even though I'm a fussy eater; I go to Cuba expecting less due to possible shortages and prepared for it. (more later in this). My beautiful Fiance on the other hand had issues last year at the 5-star and no issues this year. We were there for 11 nights and eggs were not available on only two mornings. That's incredible considering the neighbour Melia CSM never seemed to have any eggs! Bring your own Ketchup. SHORTAGES Items mentioned below occurred during our stay but keep in mind that things change on a daily and weekly basis. COFFEE Coffee on the other hand was less available. We knew this might be an issue because we joined an active FB group, "Friends of Sol CSM". So in preparation we purchased a 220V portable kettle and McDonald's instant coffee from Amazon. Best thing we ever did. Made coffee in 4 minutes every morning! PIZZA I give this a separate topic because it was something that was mentioned numerous times by many repeat guests. The SOL has an actual Pizza Building on the resort with tables and chairs. Unfortunately, it was not open during our stay. We heard it was open earlier in the year but it closed because they lost their water supply to that location. The SOL main restaurant/buffet building also had a Pizza Oven! But again it was not being used. A guest that was there in December said it was working then and there were constant long lines for their delicious pizza. WATER There is another shortage that was not mentioned. Bottled water. Our first day, we were provided in the room, a large bottle of water, the next day, two small bottles. After that none. Each night we had to scout places and ways to get water. Not the easiest task. There appears to be internal struggles between the front desk, bar and restaurant. Instead of helping front desk with client requests, they do not share the valuable commodity. So seek your own source of water and remember a tip goes a long way. TOILET PAPER Toilet paper is a rare item throughout Cuba as we discovered on a day trip to Havana. Bring a couple of rolls for back up, even for your room! Ladies may want to carry the Kleenex travel packs with them at ALL times. FRESH BREAD/BUNS Fortunately, this is baked daily at SOL and there were never any ingredient shortages. And wow, their buns are delicious. REPAIRS Repairs /maintenance seems to be hit or miss. Usually miss, but that is expected as it is a small resort and it is likely not feasible to have a full time handyman. FRONT DESK Speaking of front desk, the STAFF really tries hard to help you but it seems that they are not given the AUTHORITY to actually get things done. Each request seems to pass through one manager to another and then await approval. Unlike last year at the 5-star we had two butlers assigned to our needs, (alternated days but they communicated to each other); there, all of our requests were taken care of immediately without question. DOCTOR There is no doctor on-site. The on-site Doctor at Melia CSM next door is available for SOL guests; ask front desk for a shuttle ride; 24/7. I used this service for a broken blood vessel that kept getting bigger and also had a cut on my foot that needed disinfecting. There was no charge for the service but the Doctor glady accepted the $5CAD tip that I insisted she take. And since the bell boy, Raul, waited for me and drove me back, he got a tip too; it was late evening and the Melia CSM 24 hour restaurant was not busy so I got two pizzas to go! Staff & TIPS Take the time to talk to the staff and learn a bit of their way of life. It may open your eyes to their struggles and it makes your minor inconveniences seem petty. We were constantly looking for ways to tip and which dollar store gift to give to whom so they appreciate it more because they really needed it. You can really tell when you give a gift that they needed; their reaction and smile is very heart warming. Currency When it comes to money, bring bills that have NO CREASES, rips, cuts, pen marks, etc. The Cubian banks are very, very fussy and will not accept bills with visible worn creases. One guest we met actually ordered new uncirculated $5CAD bills from the bank a week before going. LOONIES & TWOONIES Sure, you can bring loonies and twoonies for tips but you better buy them back with bills when you get asked. Personally, we prefer using US$ bills as it is less weight and cumbersome. Just before you leave to come home to Canada, go around and offer to purchase old bills or coins from the staff to help them. So bring extra new looking $20 bills for this purpose. FLEA MARKET WARNING, if you go to the Flea Market, they do not have credit card POS terminals. Cash only, US cash to be specific. Most places will charge you DOUBLE the US price if you pay in CAD$. CREDIT CARDS Oh, all purchases with credit cards will require your signature even though you have to use a PIN. I suppose the banks want that extra security in case you dispute the charges. And they do not give you an itemized POS receipt like they do here. It's just a copy of the credit card slip. If you like keeping track of purchases, bring a pen with you. PALAPALAS ON NATURIST SIDE A strange thing started happening on the Naturist beach. There was always overflow in the number of people verses Palapalas. We started waking up at 5am to reserve a place we preferred. Each time I ran into 4 or 5 others at that time of morning doing the same! The Naturist sign position has become Dynamic in that it seems to move daily. But each day you can see there is overflow into the Textile section. The Naturist side has grown significantly compared to last year. It spans almost to the Beach Bar now. REIKI MASTER If you have a minor health issues, book a Reiki treatment with Roberto in The Gym. He is a 19-year Reiki Master and receives yearly, a two week refresher/update training, from his Master. Without knowing in advance Roberto told me of what he found with my body! He even mentioned something I did not know and will have to get checked by an MD here. GYM If you are a fitness fanatic, they have a state of art Gym with the latest new equipment! Super surprising considering the shortages of consumables they experience on a daily basis. New equipment arrived while we were there! EVENINGS There are biting insects when the sun goes down; bring insect repellent with you. We used Muskol, others had Off. If it has 15% Deet, it works well. ENTERTAINMENT There was no April calendar of events (saw one for March). It seemed hit or miss if there was going to be a 9:30 show. It seems they try to book shows but they may not show up. At the minimum there was usually music and line dancing lessons. YES, We recommend going there if you are a Naturist. Remember, you are going for the sun, beaches, weather and kind hospitality of the Cubans. Do not expect to have unlimited options in food choices. Do not expect to have all the amenities you have in Canada. Be thankful for what you do get and enjoy yourself. SOL, has the potential to be much more for Naturist. But limitations from the government may not allow it.

Nice small resort.

Rooms very comfortable, freshly renovated ,modern bathrooms, Hot water -no problem. Fantastic beach, with long naturist section. Plenty of palapas and sun beds. Food; repetitive and could use some improvement. Zero eggs for breakfast for whole week. Same everywhere in Cuba. Bar; relaxing but not always fully stock.

GOOD

Hi there how are you i love all you people the bar staff is great to me always i love them my room was better the food is a big thing with me a lot of other people i am sure it will get better were i am naked a lot i in joy the nude beach i meet you the last time i was there you seem like a great person they keep my room nice who ever i meet there are so nice to me i am a kind happy guy always i hate to say it but the washrooms need some help other then that say hi for me BOB to the lobby staff [... read more] and i hope to see you all in JANUARY SO BE HAPPY CHEERS .

He best birthday ever

the Staff, the food, the rooms every thing was super, This was my 3 rd time and didn't disappoint me. I can't say enough about the staff they are always there to help you no matter what it is and always with a smile.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria 2023

Well....Cuba beaches are still the best....for sure. Drive was smooth to the resort....good tour guide on the way to the resort and back as well. The food was basic and very limited...breakfast was good...outside of that...the next 2 meals ...noon at the beach bar and supper was different every night due the low numbers of people at the resort. Room were nice ...basic but nice... Entertainment was nice...very limited but they always had something at the lobby bars. The bartender were ex [... read more]cellent...quick service...minor issue ran out of beer one night and rum another night but was filled up by next morning . Question...would I go back,,..I am one to always go elsewhere but what this resort offers and the nice quiet time... I would go back.

Decent resort

This review is strictly our personal opinion. We do not recommend anything to anyone because every person has its own priorities and ideas about good and bad vacation. My wife and myself had stayed at this resort 10 years ago. It was in a very desperate condition. Recent reviews were saying WOW about newly renovated hotel SOL. It is a way exaggerated. The resort was reopened at the end of Nov.22 and it seems that everything was done in a hurry. Everything was repainted with ugly white pai [... read more]nt which seems to be just super cheap or expired primer paint. In many places you touch the painted surface and you can see traces of paint on your fingers. Inside the room ( We have seen three) the surfaces of the entrance doors and sliding doors to the washroom are all hand stained and maids do not care to do anything about it. The rooms however were renovated. It is true. Only some rooms have new AC. Most AC are old and it is a good chance that you get a bad one. We had to change our room once due to non-functional AC. In general, if everything is functional, we do not care much about rooms and grounds. Our priority is deep enough ocean to swim. This is the oldest resort on CSM and it has the best spot in regards of the ocean. Beach is cleaned very badly. Over two weeks period we have seen only one person that tried to clean the beach which is probably about 500 m long. He seemed to be more preoccupied to hang around naturist beach to collect his tips for cleaning beach chair. The beach of neighbouring resort Melia Cayo Santa Maria was cleaned by 7:30 every morning. Probably 80% of tourists are going to naturist beach but they have only 20% of the hotel beach dedicated to them. Why not let people enjoy the whole beach the way they want. Btw, there are many tourist that coming to sunbath on SOL naturist beach from other resorts. We stayed at textile section of the beach which was mostly empty, no loud music at all but gentle whisper of the ocean - perfect! 32 times in Cuba (all over Cuba) and we have never had any problems with food. In fact, we consider Cuban food way better that Canadian food which is full of artificial flavors, antibiotics, trans fats and God knows what other chemicals. The official statistics says that 65% - 70% of adult Canadian population is obese. Maybe it is because of "great Canadian food"? Everyone is tipping with Canadian coins, which workers later exchange to bills with the help of tourists. A quite efficient system. The choice of alcohol was very satisfactory: rum, beer, red whine, "river" of Spanish champagne. We do not care much about mixed drinks. This is not party resort, thanks God. Mostly older people. Again, no kids. We do not care about pool. With resort capacity of 300 something rooms there was about 90 -100 tourists according to the receptionist. The number is going down as she said. Again, perfect for us. It is was a very first time that we have ever seen managers eating in a buffet (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and drinking in the bar. I guess, everything is perfect at the resort and there is absolutely nothing else left to do. One more thing. The English of the personnel is extremely limited or nonexistent. Not sure about French. Most tourists are from Quebec. Despite all the mentioned negatives, we will return to this resort when the price is right.

The Newly Renovated Sol, Cayo Santa Maria

If you are looking for relaxation and utter beauty, than the newly renovated Sol, Cayo Santa Maria should be considered as your next holiday destination! We travelled at the end of February, beginning of March. I will share my impressions with you. The Beach: aquamarine ocean, cool, soft, white sand beach, blue/lilac sky...perfection! You can walk along the beach to find your own private spot, or settle down on a lounge chair under one of the palapas....no need to play the ''towel game'...the [... read more]re were plenty of chairs to go around, when we were there, at any time of day! The Resort: The gardens were lovely, colourful and well maintained. The pool was beautiful with a unique snack bar located in its centre! The Restaurants: The buffet was spacious, the Italian Ala-Carte had an intimate feel, and the beachfront Ranchon had the most amazing view of the ocean and beach! Service was professional, yet warm and personable. The lobby bar also needs a special mention for creating wonderful cappuccinos and mojitos, (they always had mint when I was there!) The Food: When I travel to another country, I always try to dine on the food of their culture. I absolutely enjoyed the Cuban choices. Favourites included the homemade soup, homemade bread with plenty of cheese and butter, (no butter shortage here), rice with beans, bbq chicken and pork, guava, watermelon, pineapple and other fruits, stirfried vegetables and plantain...not to mention the delicious, creamy icecream. I enjoyed the buffet, more than the Italian restaurant, but that is just my preference. On one evening they had a Cuban dinner by the pool, with entertainment! The Rooms: The rooms are completely renovated! There is a walk-in shower with a rain-head, a true kingsize bed, a balcony with comfy chairs. The room was always cleaned each day My only suggestion: I would appreciate if management could post daily, at a convenient spot, if there was going to be special entertainment, or food. Twice I missed something special, that I would have made an effort to be at. This small, boutique resort offers quality service and a stunning location. I would not hesitate to recommend it!

Newly renovated resort

The nicest room I have seen in my many trips in different area of Cuba. The workers worked hard to embellish the landscape. The staff was friendly and attentive to our needs. The food was good but little selection. It’s Cuba, it’s to be expected. The beach was amazing Overall it was an enjoyable trip

Run down resort desperate for renos

staff was very friendly and helpful, always smiling and genuine. the beach was great, quiet (no annoying music by the water) and really enjoyed the nudist side. beyond that, everything else is a bummer. many things broken in the room (outlets popping out of the wall, sink not draining, sheets with holes, moldy smell) and all around the resort (none of the fountains work, planks missing from the boardwalk, half the resort cut off with sheet metal fencing...). food was ok during lunch bbq, b [... read more]ut quite bland and very few fruits and vegetables.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria

Amazing place. You got three pools to jump into plus the beach not too far. Diversity of foods is awesome. There's markets around for you to go browse some souvernirs. The staff is really nice and helpful.

Quiet resort and wonderful beaches

This was our 4th visit to this resort and I have to admit that the resort is in need of lots of upgrades. None of the water features such as fountains and pools were not working, but the landscaping was beautiful and lush. The lighting in some areas was poor making it a bit dangerous walking along the walkways at night. With the American embargo being in place and being in the path of hurricanes, one can understand the slow progress of renos and the lack of some food items. Staff is always accom [... read more]odating, friendly and ready to help. I'm not sure if I would go back to be honest until upgrades are done.

A little tired.....

Unfortunately this resort fell a little short. Having travelled extensively to Cuba, we know what to expect and decided to venture here as we couldn’t pass up the price for a quick getaway. We keep returning to Cuba for the amazing beaches and this resort is situated on one of the best beaches in our opinion. The people at the resort are beautiful, however we would not return nor can we recommend it. Too many negatives to list here. The grounds are very lush and mature, however some serio [... read more]us investment is needed to bring it back to life!!

Horrible

This Trip was my husband and my first trip by ourselves. We got to the resort the room was not ready but that was okay with us we could go to the beach or pool until ready. When we had got the room there was the Bathroom window was a floor to ceiling with a white thin shower curtain that didn’t cover the window at the sides and you could see in when going to the bathroom or showering so showering needed to be in the night with the light out. The porch and pathways had no lights to room and fea [... read more]r of tripping on the stairs. Bathings in the resort either had no toilet paper or smelled or urine. They had no pool towels for 3 days after we got there. In the mornings they had no coffee at the resort many times ran out of beer and liquor during the day (there was water luckily but even that was running low) Room keys had to always be reset in order to get in the room. The staff was great but not knowledgeable about much. The food was the same and not too good. We ended up spending days at the Melia and only sleeping at Sol. This is an all inclusive resort that did not have sail boats and snorkeling as they didn’t pay the contract. The resort needs a major update. Not a enjoyable trip also hola sun reps were never there to sign up for the excursions(waiting for 3 hours after the time they stated they would be there and no show day after day. We didn’t bring children and I’m glad we didn’t there was a nude beach right beside us and absolutely nothing for kids to do. Same Cuban music over and over. I do not recommend this resort to anyone we are not picky at rooms or resorts but this was a total waste of money. Pictures are definitely from years ago.

Disappointed in this resort

We visited this resort back in 2015 and that is why we chose to return to this specific resort but we were disappointed this year.... Half the resort was closed which translated to at least half the services..... it should have been advirtised that it was half closed. A lot of the staff were busy on their phones or talking to each other....We didn't get beach towels for 4 days, had to fight to get bottled water in our room, had to change rooms twice because the first one wasn't what we had booke [... read more]d and the toilet wouldn't flush in the second one, and after 4 days of calling reception for maintenance (very unpleasant experience) with no resolve and the sewage smell all over our bungalow - we had to file a formal complaint with the resort's customer service and had to request to be moved again. Staff also didn't change the bedding. We also had to walk out of the a la carte créole restaurant where we had reservations as they refused to serve us!!! never heard if this happening before!! we had to go to the buffet!!!! It was more stress for us and back to customer service!! We enjoyed the beautiful beach, the pizza restaurant and the staff at the beach and pool bars and the buffet but might not return to this resort

Disappointed in this resort...

We visited this resort back in 2015 and that is why we chose to return to this specific resort but we were disappointed this year.... Half the resort was closed which translated to at least half the services..... it should have been advirtised that it was half closed. A lot of the staff were busy on their phones or talking to each other....We didn't get beach towels for 4 days, had to fight to get bottled water in our room, had to change rooms twice because the first one wasn't what we had booke [... read more]d and the toilet wouldn't flush in the second one, and after 4 days of calling reception for maintenance (very unpleasant experience) with no resolve and the sewage smell all over our bungalow - we had to file a formal complaint with the resort's customer service and had to request to be moved again. Staff also didn't change the bedding. We also had to walk out of the a la carte créole restaurant where we had reservations as they refused to serve us!!! never heard if this happening before!! we had to go to the buffet!!!! It was more stress for us and back to customer service!! We enjoyed the beautiful beach, the pizza restaurant and the staff at the beach and pool bars and the buffet but might not return to this resort.

Enjoyed sun and beach

After an absence of a few years since my last visit to Sol Cayo Santa Maria, I found the resort a bit tired and in need of upgrading. Almost all the water features (fountains etc.) on the site were dry and needed upgrading. Of course, I'm sure the resort suffered much damage from Hurricane Irma and maybe this could have been the reason. Nevertheless, the grounds were beautiful and well manicured, the staff was wonderful and friendly but the food was mediocre. The only annoying thing I found were [... read more] the multiple fly bites I suffered while there. The itching became unbearable. I had previously planned for a two week stay but glad I was only there for one week.

Great people, fun times

Everything was clean and tidy, staff very friendly and always trying to improve your day. Lots of restaurants and bars. There is also a pizza place. The nude and standard beaches are clean. If you get a chance it's a nice place to visit.