Playa Cayo Santa Maria

The hotel grounds were kept very nice and clean. The rooms and the public washrooms however could do with some upgrades. Both the day and night entertainment were great and so were the staff. Over all we had a good vacation.

Awesome Resort, we will definitely rebook!

The hotel was more than we anticipated. We loved the food; there was variety and plenty to eat. The bars were well stocked, many of them with premium liquor. The staff were friendly and helpful. The grounds to the hotel were very well maintained and had beautiful and mature trees and shrubs. The beach is beautiful. The pools were crystal clear and very well taken care of and had lots of access to pool side lounge chairs. The entertainment staff were engaging and lots of fun. We attended a family [... read more] destination wedding on this trip and the staff did an awesome job for a beautiful wedding.

Second trip

Second time staying at this resort. Beautiful grounds- lots of chairs at pool and beach. Rooms are clean. Food is typical of Cuba but resort has multiple stations at buffet for fresh pizza, pastas, rice, crepes, etc. Had our wedding here and was very pleased with service outcome.

Disappointed

Good size resort but not too big. Enough pools, bars and beach that you could always find a place to lounge. Lobby not big enough nor is it laid out well to accommodate events in the lobby nor all the guests. Same food for lunch and dinner with no variety. They need some theme nights. Rooms need a coat of paint. Lisdania (entertainment) and the evening dancers were top notch professionals. Worth seeing the shows each night. Liked the Italian a la carte (Garibaldi) but the rest not so much. Not m [... read more]y first time in Cuba and have enjoyed other resorts better. Yami in the Italian restaurant, Sergei in the lobby, Karl, Ypsey and Yanetsky in the buffet were wonderful.

We Really Enjoyed Ourselves

We really enjoyed our first trip to Cuba. It met our expectations but to be fair, we were not expecting Jamaica in terms of food and resort. The grounds, restaurants and room were always clean but your beach or bathroom towels may have a stain or two (but still clean). The bed was not the most comfortable but we still slept well. Staff were great and always ready to help. The food was what we expected, nothing spectacular but nevertheless good. None of us, including our children, got sick but we [... read more] were very careful and were all vaccinated prior to departure. The beach, the reason we chose Santa Maria, was amazing. We would recommend it to someone who knew what to expect from Cuba. The kids loved the ice cream bar!

Nice, Clean Resort

The resort was very clean and well laid out. No matter where your room is, you are only a few minutes walk away from the beautiful beach, or the restaurants, lobby, and everything else. The food was my only complaint, everything was overcooked and cold. Before we left we knew that you don't go to Cuba for the food, but even still. Having been to a different resort in Santa Lucia a few years prior, The food at Playa Cayo was awful, even by Cuba food standards. Also there really wasn't much going  [... read more]on once the sun went down. We found ourselves spending a lot of time in our room relatively early out of boredom in the evenings. All in all the trip was very enjoyable and the beach was absolutely breath taking. We did go on the Catamaran Excursion which was a lot of fun as well.

Amaizing resort

This is our first trip to Playa Cayo Santa Maria, but not last one for sure!!! Everything was perfect. Nice and clean rooms, beautiful beach, helpful service and the best entertainment team ever. The food was really good, well equipped bar in the lobby and delicious coffee.We enjoyed very nice kids and night entertainments every...

Beach is the only good thing about this place

Poor food quality, poor hygiene, rooms not clean right, dirty bedsheets, disgusting. Beach was the only good thing about this place. spend some extra money, go somewhere else, and enjoy your vacation.

Good get by

The beach was excellent. The cleanliness and the hygiene of the hotel room and the restaurants and eating areas was very poor. the utensils were not clean property, the people preparing the good didn't follow hygiene procedures (gloves, hair guard etc). The selection of food was fair but since it never changed by the end of the week we were sick and tired of eating the same food. will not return to this resort.

A really nice resort

Beach was amazing, some of the rooms were in disrepair though... Nice resort layout not too big. Lots of pools, snacks were good also. Food at buffet was a little repetitive. Fried rice cook banging his spatula was annoying while eating. Resort distance to airport was a little far (2 hrs to drive back, but had to kill time anyways, since 3 hrs was required at airport for international departures....)

Nice resort but in need of some TLC

The outside grounds were lovely and well kept, but unfortunately many tourists don't care and they leave cups, straws and cig butts anywhere. The hotel rooms (we saw a few) were in need of some extra cleaning and touch ups (to be considered a 5 star). The food was difficult to get used to at first but we found things that worked for us like egg stations in the mornings, hot dogs/sandwiches on the beach with Rodney (great guy) at lunch and stir fries at supper. The snack bar was also a nice break [... read more] from the buffets. We would go back just for the beach - it was so beautiful. Overall it was a good 1 week experience. Stayed Jan 25 to Feb 1.

Fourth time, and will definitely return!

This resort has become our favourite, and for many reasons! The rooms are well-equipped and spacious, the resort layout is perfect size (not too big), the beach is unbelievable, and the service is excellent. We were pleasantly surprised on the improvement of the food choices and quality this time around; tasty beef, bacon many mornings, grapefruit and pineapple available daily, along with smoked salmon. The daily soups were delicious. The drinks were made with much more care than in the past, wi [... read more]th bartenders pouring the right proportions to make great pina coladas and various coffees. The service in the lobby was excellent - it seemed that there were double the number of servers walking around taking drink orders than in the past. All in all, a great vacation. Can't wait to return for our fifth time!

A Good Trip

Playa is a great resort with a very large and plentiful buffet!! You will definitely not starve and be pleasantly happy with all the food choices/ staff members in the buffet area. Raul our Transat rep was absolutly amazing! do not miss the welcome meeting because he will actually give you some great tips and he's quite entertaining. Also, if you have ANY concerns at all? Raul is there from 9-6 almost every day. He will take care of you. We did have a few hiccups while there. The lobby washroom [... read more]s were constantly broken. One day both women's washrooms with ALL 16 stalls were broken! And a giant tip for you ** pay attention** bring your own stash of toilet paper in your purse just in case. TRUST ME. I often found all the stalls without toilet paper, which was really frustrating. Make sure to book the Romantico A la Carte. It was so yummy! also, book your a la carte the day you arrive or the next day because they book up fast and all the early reservation times get taken. So, if you happen to get a 9pm reservation?? be careful. We had one and they didn't bother with us at all. No drink refills, no one checked on us. They were too busy cleaning up, which was very disappointing. We were told that in the wine room you could purchase samples of wines from around the world and have some nibbles, ie. cheese, meats. When we went in the woman at the counter literally totally ignored us and played on her phone. I kept looking at my husband to see if this was for real? When I asked her if she had samples for sale? she said No, nibbles? she said NO. I bought a bottle of wine and left. I was really looking forward to that feature of the hotel to be honest. The Lobby staff is great and they have live music in the morning and in the evening. IT's a great place to hang out and play cards while having a cocktail or cappuccino. The rooms are very clean and well set up. We were in building 3 which was close to pools, buffet, beach and snack bar. The beaches here are absolutly amazing too. Turquoise water and white sands.

Melia Las Dunas Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

First time in Cuba it is a nice resort beautiful beach but a 90 minute drive from airport. Food is very repetitive and cold coffee was awful. Some staff very friendly others not so much. Won't be going back to Cuba I like Punta Cana Grand Palladium much better

Beach is awesome ! Resort needs touch up.

I have been to this area before so I kind of knew what to expect, was disappointed that we held the bus at the airport so people could go to the bank there. There are banks at every resort so why hold that long bus ride for a certain few. I knew I was in trouble at the resort when the first thing the young lady at the front counter asked me was if I wanted to upgrade my room ?? I said thank you I haven't seen it yet but how much to upgrade if I would like too ? I had asked for an upper floor poo [... read more]l or ocean view and when I was shown my room I got a ground floor view of the walking trail. I considered the upgrade but my wife talked me out of it. The room was clean for the most part and close to the beach so we kept it. I noticed right away a piece of dental flus hanging from the bathroom mirror so I thought I would use this as a test to see how the maids did. After 4 days my wife removed it, other than that the room was clean and well kept. The staff at the buffet were nice and we sat every morning in the same section (leuis's section) he was great. We did our two al carte meals and the sea food was good (overcooked the lobster) and the Italian was a joke. Meal portions were tiny and trying to pressure you to buy over priced "special" wine. The snack bar was great for service and food 24hrs a day. The ice cream was a nice treat also both at the buffet and the ice cream bar. The beach was awesome and what we went for and it didn't let us down. The staff at the beach bar and sandwich bar did a great job and the lines were large but everyone for the most part were great . There were a few form eastern Canada that speak something other than English that were rude,never tipped and liked to smoke in your face and thought they were special but say le vey. In closing would I go back to this resort ? No. Would I go back to the area ? Absolutely !!! The beach is awesome and the water is nice and I already am planning my next trip.

A lovely resort.

Enjoyed my stay. Hotel was nice......we had a lovely ocean view. Friendly staff, nice layout of the grounds with everything very accessible. The food was good, as well as the drinks. Would definitely return!

Great place!!

Bar tenders and waiters/waitresses were very attentive. Food was great. Entertainment staff were fun...this resort is an overall great trip!! more than half the people we met were returning guests and we can definitely see why...we would return.

Resort very impressive

Grounds excellent,lobbies excellent, food not bad the room service like cleaning terrible very bad experience.Very nice people around .Very friendly special the people working in the grounds.Not well organize even to get the beach towels was a nightmare. I have bee in Cuba twice before and the experience this time it is not to go back.

[not Playa] Hotel Cayo Santa Maria

To validate my comments, I am a mature, omnivorous world traveller and have NEVER had ANY gastro issues on any of my travels. Almost all other travellers we spoke with also had gastro issues within the first 48 hours. 1. Wrong Hotel: The airport transport took me to the wrong hotel where the wrong hotel checked me in [Hotel Cayo Santa Maria instead of Playa Cayo Santa Maria]. My relative joining me the next day was also taken to Hotel Cayo SM instead of Hotel Playo Cayo SM, but was hassled when [... read more] trying to check in. Without consultation, Transat agent and hotel agent decided we should stay in Hotel Cayo SM. We were not given the option of actually seeing or transferring to the hotel we had reservations for. Note that I was not greeted with any rum drinks, and rum was not present in the room. 2. Orientation: The transat agent did not show up on either of the two days we had reserved to receive orientation and make al la carte reservations. Other days a la carte lines were hours long and we had activities planned. We were only able to eat at the buffet. Offsite trips were expensive and involved long bus rides, as Cayo is a key connected to the mainland by a 48 km narrow manmade spit/road. 3. Food: One word - Inedible. Food safety is non-existent. Within 48 hours we were both experiencing 6-8 imodium per day gastro. The buffet is dirty, cross-contaminated [witnessed], and everything is PORK. Even what is labelled "turkey" turned out to be pork. Oh, but there was fish, cooked in the same dirty oil day after day. A noxious cloud of dirty fish oil stink surrounded the buffet building during the last 4 days of our trip. I was unable to eat for 3 days of the trip due to gastro. Home for a week now, I am still sick and undergoing multiple lab tests to determine the toxin, virus, bacterial infection. Do not eat at the snack bar--as grilled food sits for hours and hours. The beach pig roast beach grill is unsanitary. Pork renderings were spilled (gallons) onto the trail leading to the beach and plates of pulled pork were left out in the open and COVERED with flies.Note also that milk is not pasturized. 4. Rooms: We luckily had an okay room with cross breeze, so bugs did not blow into our room. Beds are hard as rock. Although I had no trouble locking the patio door [which turns on A/C], room service was negligent in locking this door, so we returned to a hot room every day. Staff helped themselves to personal items, but returned them when we left a note [in Spanish] that these were not tips. Mold and mildew were present. Upon arrival, room fridge contained no water and only 1 old beer. Room service brought minimal drinks 48 hours later and despite leaving copious tips and requests, were negligent in providing regular drinking water, soda, coffee, and tea. 5. Public bathrooms are disgustingly dirty. Restroom behind the check-in was dark, filthy, had liquid faeces on the wall and toilet seat on the vanity counter. The door handle was missing and I was stuck in the bathroom until I could push myself out. 6. Do not touch the cats! Feral cats are present in the bushes to control mice, etc. In spite of signs not to touch the animals, guests were seen touching the cats who likely carry campylobacter and other illnesses, which guests are then taking to food areas and pool areas. 7. Beach: The beach and view is nice, but the beach is very narrow. Passages to beach are not accessible to anyone with disabilities, and you have to carry your own lounger to the beach. 8. Internet: WiFi is a peso or two for half an hour, but takes 15 minutes to log on and is extremely slow. Most of the time, WiFi was not available at all. Better to use your cellular "roam like home" options. 9. Staff: The bartenders in the main lounge are personable and provide great service. Most other staff seemed indifferent or arrogant and were unhelpful, particularly a few behind the front desk.Not many attempt to speak even rudimentary English. 10. Air: Air travel to Cuba was fine. Trip home was fraught with delays, reloading, in both Santa Maria and Varadero. Trip home was elongated by 5-6 hours and NO FREE FOOD was offered. I would recommend not staying in Cayo Santa Maria. It is a disaster waiting to happen. Better to stay at a NON all-inclusive in Varadero for a more pleasant Cuban experience.

Potentially your best vacation!

Hotel exceed our expectation and potentially the best vacation for everyone. Beach: nice sugar white sand with low grading that extended 200ft away into the blue. Beach has narrower dry potion compare to other hotels in the area. most chair and shades was high up on the rock. Getting bettweem your shade and water can be difficult for young kids and grand parents. The open Water has nice days, but can be dramatically choppy that no one is allowed to going into it. Pool: best pool I ever been. T [... read more]here is shallower main pool for family and children. There is also a 60 meter long swimmers' pools near the building blocks which I used for my 1000 m routine exercise. Clean, beateful and close to bars drinks and snacks. Food: food was blend in buffet, but they did good job cooking everything, there is always something you like. The cook to order food could take times due to long line up during the high season. Nice and clean! Resteraunts are all amazing. Bar snacks and beach hot dogs were nice, we had no need to go to buffet during lunch time. Room: room is nicely renovated and clean. We were give an extra single bed and a crib for our preschool and one year old. Comfortable. Mini bar was stocked daily, but has only two beers, two pops and one bottled water in it, which is barely enough for a family of four. Staff: most staffs were friendly and very helpful except for the front desk girls. They just want to sign people in and out and ignore that they have much bigger duty at the front desk, the first line of impression for customers. Special thanks to the service manager Pedro, he is very professional and helpful getting the best located and equitted room for our family with small kids. I think I had great vacation with my family here that we should put Cuba ahead of Mexico for our winter vacation Spots. For all my friends, Playa Cayo is a pretty good one to stay in.