Beautiful Cayo Santa Maria

Playa Cayo Santa Maria is a great resort for families, couples and singles. It has something for everyone, kids club, gym, quiet pools, main pool with swim up bar and an amazing beach. The resort is well kept with comfortable rooms . The buffet was well stocked and the a la cartes were also very nice. Claudia went out of her way to ensure we had a wonderful vacation.

Fantastic time

This place is beautiful. Friendly staff. Big clean pools. Amazing beach with plenty of lounge chairs and shaded areas. Water is so clear. I saw jellyfish for the first time. Can't wail to come back in April.

Great time

I enjoyed my stay at Playa Cayo Santa Maria. Staff is friendly - The server who typically works by the beach buffet named Raul was amazing. He was so friendly and welcoming, he really made mine and my groups time at the resort a pleasant experience.

Waste of Money.

If you like long walks, and no food and feel like dropping weight go here. You will definitely not eat. I've been go cuba many times and have stayed in resorts and never had an issue until now. They have no buffet only a la carte. They are "redoing the kitchen" lies. There are no guests. I moved hotels. Go to Melia cayo.. much better never failed me once. Playq Beach is rocky. Pools are meh. Rooms are clostorphobic. The playa is gov owned, so that explains it all. Oh and the roaches are every [... read more]where, nightlife is blah. If you want directions to things good luck. At the Melia I had not seen one roach and never had mosquito issues. Staff is great buffet is full and hotel is live, rooms are big and Clean. Don't let them think you need to pay to move cuz you don't! I'm saving you from a disaster decision.

Amazing Resort..!!

It is a highly recommended hotel.I must highlight the excellent quality of service by very professional people. Top quality food. I am a very satisfied customer for the stay that I enjoy my vacation 100%.

Awful Resort

So so sad. I went to this resort in 2012, 14 and 17 and had a wonderful time. To say this time was a disappointment would be an understatement. This resort is literally falling apart. Nothing worked - our. air con, the keys, the toilet, you name it we had to go back to reception almost every day with a new problem. The food, which was never a strong point, is now abysmal. My daughter got food poisoning on her third day and couldn't eat anything but bread and sprite after that. There used to be a [... read more] really good pizza and pasta area, not anymore. Just some guy preparing overly salty fried rice and another who served me undercooked chicken (no joke). The beach is just a sliver of what it used to be. And the people, well let's just say that Cuban hospitality was not on show. People who work here are often angry and resentful (with a few notable exceptions). The only thing I enjoyed was the wonderful pool and the weather. Never never again. On the way back to the airport we spoke to a couple that stayed elsewhere (the Valentina) snd they had a spectacular time, for less money too! So it's not Cuba - it's this poor resort, that has totally been allowed to go to seed. Not 4 stars, hell I'd be hard pressed to give it 2. Date of stay: May 2023

6 Years Between Stays. Some things stay the same and others dont

We spent 2 weeks at this resort almost exactly 6 years ago in May 2017 and again just got back in May 2023. Im often surprised by people being surprised when they fly in to Santa Clara and didnt realize there is a 1 hr and 40 min bus ride to get to the island if Santa Maria and the resorts. Its not the hotel staff's fault! We loved the staff, the specialty resturants and a la carts are good. The things that stayed the same was the entertainment staff's level of engagement is still incredible. Le [... read more]o is a hoot and a half! The resort is well run in that the grounds are clean and well card for, and there wasnt anything not open for business despite the resort only at about 20% capacity. The only concerns we have with this resort since our last stay is the buffet. The food is often cold even if you go in right when lunch or supper starts. Many times Id go in and pick something simple like potatoes and a chicken dish, its under warming lights but the food is barely at room tempeture if not still seeming cold as if just pulled from the fridge from the previous offering. That and there is no effort to control the birds coming in the buffet. The entrance doors are broken so when someone enters if the door isnt closed manually behind you birds come in and start walking all over the counters, pick at the cold meats and veggie plates and walk all over the bread station breads amd desserts! Something needs to be done about this from a sanitary perspective let alone appearances when no staff try and shoo the birds out. The work around here is they always have fresh cooking stations for omletts, fish, beef etc, and those cooks work so hard. Just avoid the cold food section and bread section due to the birds crawling over everything if you care about that. It is a well laid out resort. If you want a party pool the have that. If you want a quiet pool they have 3! 2 of the quiet pools are almost olympic pool length if not exceeding if you like swimming laps. They work hard and we tipped for everything as it was always earned. The beach is amazing and I have never been to a resort with better shade structures. There is so much shade from the cabanas built there is always sun or shade for everyone at the beach. Shade at pools is tougher. They have some nice cabanas but not alot. And some of them have just some cloth running through posts with gaps so sun is still gonna get you. Those could be updated with solid roofs which would increase shade offerings by the pools. The pools are big and they really want you to have a good time. They just need to get the buffet issues sorted out which I think are easy fixes by changing the re-heating food process and fixing the door hindges on the entrances. Would return, but likely not eat much like this trip if buffet issues remain. If you dont care about food that much and your fine with the bus ride (its long but pretty) its a great vacation spot and Ive been to many resorts in many countries since 2005.

Always great to go back to this amazing resort

It is Cuba, and they do suffer because of the embargo on the country, however this hotel provides great food, very clean and beautifully landscaped grounds, very clean pools, amazingly clean rooms and the staff is always ready to help make your stay a great experience.

Love this resort

This is our 4 th time at the Playa Cayo and and love it..people that work there become like family..husband even likes the food and he is fussy. Looking now to book in December..hopefully renting a suite next time

Don’t go there, not even a 3*

This is the worst vacation I’ve ever been on. Here’s all the things that were wrong : - no mini bar even though they claim they offer it. - everything is dirty and the room cleaning service is sub par. It still looked dirty - no vegetables and fruit variety: the only ones they offered were cabbage, tomatoes (green), cucumber, passion fruit, pale pineapples and white watermelon. Only one day they offered bananas and people were taking a lot of them for their room because there’s nothin [... read more]g to eat. - no service at the buffet. Only one morning out of the 7 days I got water and coffee. Never had any service and I had to spend 5 mins to find a place to sit with cutlery. - staff are super harassing towards female guests. They whistle and yell at us to get our attention. It’s disgusting - staff looks miserable it’s super depressing - staff went out with some guests and left one of them to find the resort by herself in pitch black middle of the night on the beach. She came back crying cause she was so scared. This was unacceptable. - if you want coffee in the morning, prepare to wait for 20-30mins at the coffee bar. Only one machine and staff member there.

Beach is not assessable for mobility challenged

The beach itself is amazing and the water is beautiful and clear, however the beach area is almost 2 tiered and you have to go down a steep slope over rocks to get to bottom level. It is not walker, cane or wheelchair assessable. If the resort built a short wooden walkway down like neighbouring resorts have it would be. The remainder of the resort is easily assessable with ramps, grounds easily assessable. The hotel itself could use a good pressure wash to brighten it up. That being said worke [... read more]rs were always painting and repairing around the resort. The grounds are beautiful with gardeners working hard to maintain its beauty. There are a number of pools to choose from, from the lively main pool to a few quiet ones. The room was dated but clean and firm but comfortable bed. The food was edible but very little change from day to day, interesting enough resorts nearby had a greater selection of food and less shortages.The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Staff 7 stars. Resort 3 stars

I’ll start by saying we have had great vacations twice now at this resort . The staff in general are amazing people who will go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable . The resort itself is aged and not accessible at for for rooms other than ground level . The food in the buffet was not very good , other than the omelette station in the AM which were made fresh in front of you . Good food can be found at the market which is a short cab ride away 10 bucks americano each way . The fo [... read more]od in a la carte was much better than the Buffett but you’re limited to 2 of those in yur week long stay . A great and enjoyable can be here if expectations are kept low and reasonable . At best the resort itself is a 3 star with easily 7 star staff .

Great resort. AAA+++

Awesome place in paradise. Great staff, friendly, safe and fun place. Lots of amazing food for everyone. Will definitely be visiting again. The Cuban people are so helpful and hospitable. Highly recommend this resort as a destination vacation.

Not so great resort

This hotel is runned down! We where day for 1 week and the food was horrible! I know Cuba has a shortage of food but if you cant feed your people with quality food close your doors! Pool was dirty and service was not that great! There was lots of cubans and they where served first and they took over the resort! Staff had a big fight in lobby in front of everyone! Usually Cuba had the best service around but not here! I was speaking with returning guest and was told this place had gone down alot! [... read more] I would rate this place a 2 star!

Great Holiday!!

Nicest beach ever!!!!! Staff was very friendly, food was as expected. Highly recommend hotel and Monique at TripCentral for organizing the trip. Will recommend it to friends. If only the food was a little better it would be a 10/10

Overall it was very good

Most people were friendly and the resort was in OK shape. During the week you could find things that needed fixing/replacing, and the buffet is not 24 hrs. BUT, great pools and beach made it worth it.

Family get-away

Everything was wonderful. The staff are exceptional. They work so incredibly hard to make sure everything runs smoothly. The pools were awesome too. They gave us relief when the waves in ocean were too strong to swim in.

Good resort but lots to improve

Lots of rooms and space great facilities but at night there are no entertainments, for people who only stays in the hotel it is annoying, also the people act like they are bothered so much u if u don’t speak Spanish, it changes when u left a tip, obviously lol I have no problem with tipping but please show your hospitality to the guests, food is always the same, certain people are good but they should at least explain to you how the tip works if the workers are sharing

Nice Resort

Great People. The lobby receptionists weren't as welcoming as we hoped, and didn't go out of their way to address concerns. Specifically keys that wouldn't work and getting maintenance to fix an air-conditioning issue. The grounds were well kept and clean. Rooms were cleaned every day with new bedding, night life was good, they had something for all ages. The Gym could use some work, one treadmill was down all week making it difficult to get on, some equipment was broken. Food was ok, lots of va [... read more]riety and the staff and cooks in the buffet areas were awesome.

Amazing amazing

A great hotel with all amenities, vey clean rooms, well divided and separated, to have either 2 quiet pools away enough from the main party pool, or a beautiful beach, the choice is yours. Amazingly friendly and competent staff