OUR FAVORITE RESORT

OVERALL THIS IS ONE OF THE NICEST RESORTS FOR SERVICE AND HOSPITALITY. YOU ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF IF YOU NEED ANYTHING.THE BEACH IS AMAZING AND THE DRINKS ARE COLD. THEY SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH. EVERY YEAR WE END UP HERE WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Best Girls Trip!!!

We had 5 ladies (40-60) in age, celebrating mother in laws birthday. This resort was well kept, had great food; the playa on the ocean had lobster, steak and the Asian was excellent. We had the best customer service lady Yielte who took care of ALL our reservations and went over and above her duties to make sure we were taken care of; including champagne and a cake at the Italian restaurant our first night, I can not say enough how amazing she was!! We met new people there and felt like family.  [... read more]Chinto and Freddy from the entertainment crew made our "Cuban cigar lounge" a time we will NEVER forget!! Lenier at the front lobby made sure our drinks were never empty. We did the catamaran, fantastic!! This place is amazing and DO NOT HESITATE to go here. It is not a party place, but you can have a great time at night if you choose. Pools are beautiful too. We were in building 4. April from Trip central rocked.

Great Resort

The hotel was great but when arriving at the hotel (late around 9:30 PM) we where greeted poorly. This was the first time we saw a snack bar open 24 hrs and it add great food for a snack bar. Rooms where excellent and clean. There was great pools you can walk around the site with ease.

Fabulous vacation

We travelled here Feb. 26/16. Our first visit to Santa Maria. We couldn't have more pleased!! The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The service was excellent from the bartenders right to the maids that clean the rooms. Our room was always cleaned quite early and always towel art!! The food was great and many different places to choose from. We had a superb vacation.

Amazing Resort!

The rooms were big and clean. Staff was very friendly. The food was excellent in the buffet, as well as the A-La-Carte restaurants. Good selection in food. The pools were clean and the chairs were very comfortable. I would go back tomorrow. :)

Great resort

The resort was clean, The staff was friendly and the food was really good. The beach was fantastic , And best of all there was hardly any flies. And a special thanks to Marta and the staff for making our stay very very enjoyable . Best hotel in Santa Maria.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria

We liked this resort. The food was exceptional! Cubans were friendly, service was good and the beach is beautiful! The rooms could be a little better but overall, our experience was a good one! We recommend it!

Good value

I felt this resort was a good value. We travelled with our almost 3 year old and 6 month old. We met the grandparents and cousin family with 2 kids the exact same age as ours. The kids club was just getting going when we were there but unfortunately our kids are still too young to be left there without having meltdowns. The travel day to get there was long as our plane left at 6am. If you have kids under 4, then I'd highly recommend a flight no earlier than 8am. Our toddler was beside herself fo [... read more]r about 2 days because of this interruption. The bus ride, although about 2 hours long, was actually one of my favourite parts. Kept us and our toddler entertained just to look out the window. Pools & Beach: The beach is gorgeous and there are many huts to sit under for shade. We never had a problem getting shade. The water was only calm 1-2 days of our stay though. Pools are nice too and you can mostly find a place to sit but not as easy as the beach. Food: Ice cream station was always great for the kids (and adults). I'm sorry we forgot to tip the ice cream lady, although I have a suspicion that tips are shared at the very best. The beach restaurant was convenient and food mediocre, except for the pizzas which were amazing and spaghetti which was great too. Get there when it opens or there is a long line up for pizza. Lots of high chairs for the kiddos. If you have more than 1 kid under the age of 3, I wouldn't even try to book a restaurant. We tried the second night and ended up getting our food to go. We found it best to sit outside for the buffet (very loud inside) and went to the snack bar 2 nights as it opens earlier than the buffet. Also, if you have picky kids I'd suggest bringing some food that is familiar to them. The grandparents brought peanut butter which worked well for sandwiches on the beach. The few things the kids did like weren't available everyday so it's nice to have a backup. People: Everyone was nice. Some were much happier than others. I found getting our baby to smile actually brightened up workers more than tipping them. The standard for customer service doesn't appear to be as high as in north america, but we expected as much. For instance, I small happy birthday message was sent to our room, which was nice but it was delivered after 10pm when all 4 of us were finally sleeping. We ordered a crib and cot for our room so they knew we had kids. Rooms: Nice and clean. I'd suggest changing your room is you have kids and get a ground floor unit. Ours was very dark and we couldn't sit out at night and enjoy ourselves. Luckily the grandparents arranged for us to change rooms after 2 nights to an ocean view room for a reasonable fee per night. It was well worth it as the kids went to bed around 8:30-9pm and we wanted to enjoy an hour to ourselves on the balcony.

Terrific Resort!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this resort. A wide variety of food is offered at the buffet, with a beach resto buffet available for lunch daily. The white sand beach is inviting, although Hurricane Sandy took out a sizeable chunk. The pools are all large and a good alternative to the windy coastal beach. Overall, the resort service is very good. Any issues we had were resolved quickly.

Friendly and clean resort

This was my 2nd time to Playa Cayo Santa Maria. I will go again! The staff are great, the pools clean. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The food is average Cuba food. Overall it was a very nice stay!

Great Holiday

My family and I visited the Playa during March 1-8th.. Our two sons , two daughter-in laws and four granddaughters two aged three and one 5 months and one 6 months....we spent a fun week enjoying all the resort had to offer. The pools were wonderful, the beach was a little difficult to get down...it has a rocky ledge in some parts that makes it a little harder for little ones to reach but the beach, but within a day they managed to figure it out..and spent hours playing in the waves and buildin [... read more]g sand castles. We didn't have any problem finding a shady area to sit with the girls. Marta at customer service was very helpful in making reservations for dinners for us before we arrived ...and called to make sure our rooms were fine. We did upgrade one of our rooms to an ocean view room because the views were amazing and we wanted the girls closer to us. The staff at the front desk were very accommodating and friendly. The Buffett restaurant had lots of food to offer and there wasn't a night we couldn't find something good to eat....from the pasta bar, to the pizza stations, the pancake and omelet stations, to all the fresh breads we enjoyed the food. My son did get sick shortly after arriving but the staff assisted us in finding the clinic which was just down the road, and the Doctor was quick at diagnosing the problem and with meds and a shot my son was feeling better that afternoon and within a day back to his old self. The cost to see the Dr. Including the shot and meds was 55.00 CUC. Which was well worth it. The drinks at all the bars were great, the specialty coffees in the front lobby were fun to watch them being made, and the wine was very nice too. We loved the beer garden where you could get bottled beer and enjoy great conversations. We did spend several meals at the snack bar enjoying their pizzas, try the four seasons pizza! We did watch a few shows and found them very entertaining! The only negative is the long bus ride from the airport as we soon discovered we have one granddaughter that has motion sickness ...but all in all it was a great holiday with my family!!

Great value for the money

This was our third time back to Playa Cayo, and each time we return the level of service gets better and better. Grounds,pools,rooms etc kept very clean and well maintained. We have been to several resorts in Cuba, and this resort has, by far the best food. Special thanks to Marta in customer service who helped us greatly, and to Jaima for her exceptional service in the buffet.

Amazing customer service

I had contacted customer service before hand and was not disappointed. She had filled my requests and more and we were also invited to a VIP lunch while we were there. The food was typical for Cuba. The buffet was repetitive and the a la cartes were very good with excellent service. The service throughout the resort was amazing. We had booked a suite and it was beyond my expectations. We even had 2 bathrooms and a extremely large balcony that extended the length of our rooms. The beach was a lit [... read more]tle rough while we were there, but absolutely beautiful with once again exceptional service by the chair handlers to the beach butlers!

A Good Resort

Playa Cayo Santa Maria – Cuba Very friendly welcoming in the Lobby upon arrival, laid out drinks were refreshing after a long journey. Clowns were a nice touch for the children. Check-in was smooth, rooms not available upon arrival, but, that is to be expected as any hotel has a 3:00 o’clock check-in. Good thing the Buffet was open where we could unravel, relax and have a meal. Grounds looked well taken care of, the caretakers did a great job. Layout of grounds was quite central and easy ac [... read more]cess to everything. Pools were very clean and every morning someone was vacuuming and cleaning the pools. I would only suggest that Visitors not take bottled beer to the pool as someone can cut their feet when a bottle breaks. Perhaps staff should only allow cans to the pool area. Cloth loungers could be replaced they’ve had their day. Towels, because of the high influx of guests towel exchanges were not possible 1 day. Perhaps this can be addressed. Beach, I did not like the Rocks you had to climb up and down to get to the water. But, on a positive note the beach and water were exceptionally beautiful. Fun for everyone around. Nice touch also that there were staff to position your lounge chairs in your chosen location and brush the chairs off from the sand. Bar and hot dog, sandwich stand were great by the beach. I didn’t experience A La Carte but, I heard they were very good. The buffet was our choice. Food was alright you couldn’t go hungry, but, long wait lines at the Pizza, Stirfry and Pancake sections. Maybe could use more staff. Waiters and waitresses were more than happy to serve you. Dining room was always swept clean and tables were clean. Rooms, hmmmm, bungalows hallways and rooms could use some paint. Maid service was super! Room towels have also seen their days. Fresh towel still needed washing. In our 1 week stay they never changed the sheets. Only straightened them out. Entertainment, Excellent. The performers work so very hard and long hours. Hope this helps. Overall one very Satisfied Customer. Playa Cayo Santa Maria – Cuba Very friendly welcoming in the Lobby upon arrival, laid out drinks were refreshing after a long journey. Clowns were a nice touch for the children. Check-in was smooth, rooms not available upon arrival, but, that is to be expected as any hotel has a 3:00 o’clock check-in. Good thing the Buffet was open where we could unravel, relax and have a meal. Grounds looked well taken care of, the caretakers did a great job. Layout of grounds was quite central and easy access to everything. Pools were very clean and every morning someone was vacuuming and cleaning the pools. I would only suggest that Visitors not take bottled beer to the pool as someone can cut their feet when a bottle breaks. Perhaps staff should only allow cans to the pool area. Cloth loungers could be replaced they’ve had their day. Towels, because of the high influx of guests towel exchanges were not possible 1 day. Perhaps this can be addressed. Beach, I did not like the Rocks you had to climb up and down to get to the water. But, on a positive note the beach and water were exceptionally beautiful. Fun for everyone around. Nice touch also that there were staff to position your lounge chairs in your chosen location and brush the chairs off from the sand. Bar and hot dog, sandwich stand were great by the beach. I didn’t experience A La Carte but, I heard they were very good. The buffet was our choice. Food was alright you couldn’t go hungry, but, long wait lines at the Pizza, Stirfry and Pancake sections. Maybe could use more staff. Waiters and waitresses were more than happy to serve you. Dining room was always swept clean and tables were clean. Rooms, hmmmm, bungalows hallways and rooms could use some paint. Maid service was super! Room towels have also seen their days. Fresh towel still needed washing. In our 1 week stay they never changed the sheets. Only straightened them out. Entertainment, Excellent. The performers work so very hard and long hours. Evenings were spent in the Lobby. Very busy, fun, great drinks and great coffee was served. Overall one very Satisfied Customer

Superb Vacation

What a perfect vacation! I have to say this resort exceeded my expectations. The beach is gorgeous! We were able to try all 4 a la cartes and they were all excellent. The grounds were beautiful and well taken care of. I would visit this resort again and again!!

Great trip spent here

The resort was absolutely beautiful and very clean. Service was good and everyone working on the resort was extremely friendly . I would definitely recommend this resort ! As many people know , the food in Cuba isn't quite what we Canadians are used to , but it was quite good here . This was the first time I flew with air transat and wouldn't hesitate to book another flight them ! Had a great vacation !

Beautiful location, lovely resort

This was a very nice resort - very clean, the service was very good, the staff were friendly, the landscaping was beautiful and well cared for - the food was for the most part buffet style - it is never really good when this many people are being fed, it was bland, often overcooked, we picked a couple of the snack bars and found that they were a better bet. The service at the front desk was very helpful when we needed it which always makes you feel better about where you are staying - the only d [... read more]ownside for this resort from my point of view was the distance from the airport - two hours in a bus at the beginning and the end of your week is not wonderful - it was a swaying trip during which myself, my daughter and my granddaughter were motion sick - I cannot believe that during the past years 'no one' has ever had a problem - no washroom on the bus so the best that could be done was a plastic grocery bag that was provided by another passenger - this is really the only reason that I would not recommend this resort to a friend - if the transportation to and from the airport was a little better equipped I would feel differently.

Good Resort!

The service was great! The people were always friendly and the rooms were always clean. Good food but definitely got sick of it after a week of being there. Nice amenities, tennis courts were in good shape and the pool was always clean.

Friendly and comfortable resort

Spacious grounds, clean, great food, lots of variety. Good entertainment. Lovely pools, ice cream house/bar. Great coffee bar. Pleasing staff, special thanks to Octavio at the evening buffet and Saidy at the all day buffet. Thank you to Raoul and Asmin of Transat for hands on service.

Would not return

Positive: Beach was beautiful and entertainment was good Negative: Cockroaches in our room even after spraying - and there a lot of them! Pools are freezing cold Food is absolutely terrible - I had low expectations but it was worse than I could have imagined. Completely unsanitary, recycled food, meat left out in sun etc. I travelled with 9 people and we all got sick with food poisoning. Wait at airport was over 3 hours when leaving the country just to get our plane ticket and apparently this is [... read more] typical of the airport