Amazing resort!

Nice hotel, rooms, staff. The best vacation ever!!! I loved the beach and the weather was really nice for october. I recomand the place to any one wanting peace and relaxation. Have a nice trip every one

Friendly resort and beautiful beach and ocean.

Beach was amazing until the sand was washed away from the high winds of the hurricane that hit Bahamas. Ocean is so beautiful and warm. Hotel large and staff is amazing. Rooms need updating but it look like they were doing that when we were there. Many nice pools. Buffet ok and lots to choose from but long wait at the grill sections. Alacart restaurants were fantastic. 24 hour snack bar was great. Great value for the money...

'Nice resort' not amazing but not bad by any means

Staff- great. Food - very good suprisingly (not including the buffet). Common areas were well kept. Few loose tiles in pool and some sharp areas (watchout for this with kids). Although everything was great, the rooms were my least favourite of the trip. Contemplated complaining but didnt. They were clean but patio door didnt latch (bugs came in). My friends also had bugs in their room. I wouldnt ward people away from this resort but would advise not to room on the first floor. (Good for the pric [... read more]e)

Great resort

Could use basic maintenance and paint touch ups but otherwise it was very nice and beaches are to die for Cigar lounge was fabulous and nightly entertainment was well done Food was good but there's still lots of room for improvement Customer service was A++++++++

Wonderful Vacation

The grounds are beautiful. There are lots of amenities available such as a gym, spa, playground, theatre, multiple pools etc. The food as expected overall is not great, but what is lacking in the food is made up for by the incredible staff and unbelievable beach!!

Amazing Resort!!

Everything about this resort was near perfect. The property was gorgeous and the people were amazing. We met other wonderful Canadians and some local Cubans on/off the resort. The staff were so appreciative and hard working. The server Mario was amazing. The animations team were fun, hardworking and very professional. I had a wonderful stay and I cannot wait to return to this resort again! Hasta pronto Playa Cayo Santa Maria!

Fantastic resort with good food.

I had an absolutely wonderful time at the resort, the amenities were plentiful and the staff was helpful. The food at this resort was fantastic, especially the Italian restaurant. The beach was the best that I have experienced in Cuba and there shows in the evening were a pleasure to watch.

Great Value!

Great beach, and Cuban hospitability (service with a smile all of the time)! Facility is relatively new, some of the vegetation still needs to fill in. Some of the paths and facilities need improved upkeep (surprising for a new facility). Dunes needs to be better protected from uncaring tourists, designated boardwalks, through the dunes and a designation of protected area would be a good recommendation.

All good. Just do your research and plan ahead!

I went from Sunday-Friday on a quick summer getaway in August 2015. The one thing i'll take away from this trip is that the staff was so nice and in a great mood all the time! Bus ride: Yes, there is a bus ride and it was not nearly as bad as i was expecting. We were out of the airport in about 25 minutes after landing (9:30pm) and got on the bus (1 hour, 50 minutes to Playa Cayo Santa Maria - the first stop). We arrived at the hotel at about 11:40 and were checked in by 12 midnight. They do of [... read more]fer beer for 2$ (yes they accept Canadian currency here and in the hotel too) but they only had about 10-15 beer cans available. There is a bathroom available and it looked like it worked although i didn't see anyone use it. The seats are comfy - no issue. On the way home, our flight was at 8:40 from Santa Clara airport. We had to be in the lobby at 3:40am to catch the bus. The bus came at 3:30 and left 5 of us behind - we told the lobby and the bus came back 20 minutes later - no issue. Airport: There is no longer a 20$ exit fee for Cuba at the airport. There is duty free, and it is open early (7am). Cigars are cheaper here than the hotel, but only by a dollar or two. There is a small restaurant for coffee/drink and a basic sandwich, snack or fries - all under 5$. Rooms: There are many buildings in this resort, all 3 story will about 20 or so rooms per building. Each building is closer to something in the resort. I stayed in building 7 and thought it was good. I'd prefer to be closer to the lobby/buffet/entertainment/pools than the beach. All buildings are quite by bedtime, no issue with a loud area at all. Entertainment: I wouldn't call it a party resort at all, but there are things going on in the lobby in the evenings until around 1am. You can catch a show in the theatre at 9:30 each night, then hit the lobby bar (no live entertainment in there, like guitar or piano i saw at other resorts) but busy and lively anyways then go to the Cigar Bar. The Cigar bar is their version of a 'disco', its lounge like earlier, with cold AC, a bar and low music. It gets more and more lively as the night goes (although it never gets the same as a traditional disco) on and stays open until about 2am. Yes, people smoke cigars (but typically not cigarettes) inside the room. The animation staff try hard to make things fun for everyone - they are around the buffets/beach/pools during the day and then do the show/bars at night. Mosquitoes: Bugs and mosquitoes weren't so bad. I heard they were bad from reading reviews and as a person that attracts them - i was worried. I just brought repellent and had no issues. Someone mentioned that we should bring in towels or clothes drying on the balcony around dinner time in case they fumigate. Getting Around: Transportation is available but limited. If you want a cab, you can find one around the lobby (or have them call one) between 10am-4pm - we could not find one in the evenings. There is, however a double decker bus that they refer to as the 'panorama' (its written on the side of the buss too) that goes in between the 10 or so resorts all day until about 1-2am. We asked the driver to pick us up at the resort at 1am one night, and he did. He mentioned that he worked until 2am and that a round trip was 1 hour long. This bus ride is 2$. Excursions: Excursions are offered through the lobby area, i didn't go on one though, sorry! I know one person went on a jeep safari drive. They said it was all good but to bring water, wear a hat and bring sunscreen - all the obvious things. Trips to Havana were offered and the travel was about 300 per person via plane or 200 ish for the group via taxi. There is a market area nearby that you can bus or taxi to (about 10 minutes away) for shopping (clothes and tourist souvenirs) Beach: amazing beach, of course. the actual sand area isn't very long to the water, but it easily fit the amount of people without being packed in there. Just like the pools, there were many cabanas and chairs available - there was never an issue getting a seat or place to lay down. You can take a catamaran out for a quick 10 minute ride with a hotel employee for free (2-3$ tip) or use snorkels/floaty things all for free on the beach. DJ during the daytime too. *The two main pools (one 'louder' with a small swim up bar) and one quieter (closer to the beach) were closed for one day for cleaning. Luckily the east and west areas also have pools/bars and were great. Tips: I brought my own toilet paper from home and was happy i did. There was no shortage of TP in the room or public bathrooms - but i'd rather not use the rough one ply! There are no wristbands (at least not during my stay) for this hotel, i had friends at another hotel and they visited and used the facilities/food/drinks without any issue.I also went to 2 other resorts and used all their facilities without issue - they seem relaxed about it in the area. Food: Food: I've been to Cuba before and didn't have high expectations. I'm also not a very picky eater. The breakfast runs from 7am-10am in the buffet area, so if you sleep in, you either need to go to the snack bar (burgers, chicken fingers, pizza) or wait until lunch. The pizza at the snack bar is way better than the pizza at the buffet. Note that you cannot take food out of the buffet or snack bar! I did anyways...but there are signs that say not to. If you brought tupperware or paper plates you'll have no issue. The food on the flight was decent too. Sandwich on both directions and a desert. **Try the mojitos in the lobby. Try all types of amazing coffee in the lobby too. Enjoy! Hope this helps.

Nice and relaxing

Everything was great except for night life was dead and nearest town is to far to go dancing . It's more of a family resort I enjoyed the food the rooms where good and 24h snack bar was great pools where nice beach was beautiful

Fair

Hotel could be more clean ,the only food I could eat there was just the fresh made meat ( chicken) no fresh salad, no fresh fruits, mango was awsome,the Animation Staff are the best!! Also the night shows are very good , dancers are very professional and great!!

First and last visit to Cuba

Ok hotel, but not for long. They do not know how to maintain the facilities. The food can ruin the vacation. Line-ups to anything that is eatable. Often shortages of popular items. It is not lack of food, but the way it is cooked. They need a real chef to run the kitchen and set menus.

Good resort

We were a group of 6 so we needed 3 rooms. In the first day the A/C wasn't working in one of the rooms and the technicians weren't able to fix it. Since the temperature in the room was around 34 degree Celsius we have to regroup, and 4 of us (all adults) shared a room with A/C working. The next day we did receive new rooms and the actual vacation started. The grounds are clean and maintained well (daily). Public areas are also clean. Staff at the resort are very friendly and always smiling. Room [... read more]s are well maintained and have no issues with the bathrooms or showers. The main buffet restaurant is always kept cold (nice...) and the food is quite diverse so it will be hard not to find something you'd like to eat. Personally I choose to eat food prepared fresh in front of me: pizza, pasta, chicken and fish bbq, omelet....

Playa Cayo Santa Maria was just ok

The resort grounds and pools are nice and beach is stunning. Lots of rocks to get to the beach though. Hours of restaurants are bad if you have kids. Rooms were very average. Def not a 4 or 5 star hotel.

Not Amazing :(

We booked a 7 night vacation at this resort but left after 2 days and switched to a nicer 5* resort close by. Others seemed to be enjoying themselves at the Playa Caya but it was just not for us. Positives: The beach was really great and pools and grounds were very nice. Our 3rd floor (no elevators) sea view room was decent although the shower didn't drain and would overflow if you didn't keep your showers really short. Negatives: Our biggest problem was the awful main buffet where we were expec [... read more]ted to eat most of our meals. The place was dark, dingy and extremely noisy - not an environment we wanted to spend any time in. The beach buffet was marginally better but that was open just for lunch. The resort's food was about par for Cuba we learned. It seemed awful to us but others said it was worse in surrounding resorts. We were very relieved to get out of there and enjoyed ourselves for the remaining 5 days in the other resort. The trip ended up costing a bundle because we had to pay again at resort #2 but at least our holiday was saved.

Great resort/wonderful staff

My family and I had a great time at this resort. the service was amazing; rooms were clean and kept very clean every day. The entertainment staff were incredible; great Michael Jackson show. My only issue was prior to arriving at the resort, I had requested two side by side rooms for my family as there were 7 of us. Upon arrival, we had rooms that were several room apart but this was rectified immediately. Fortunately, it was not peak season and thus the change was not difficult to make. The cat [... read more]amaran tour is exceptional....definitely would recommended. Food...overall, very satisfactory given where we were. fresh seafood everyday, fresh grilled meats daily, fried rice cooked to order....fresh fruits. Mangoes were incredible. A few days we had issues with beach towel service but we were able to improvise. at the end of the day, it is a vacation, and one has to make the most of what is available. Beach...a bit rocky before you get to the actual beach area as there is a bit of a down/up tapered climb (3-5ft) but once you are there, it is awesome!!!!

Pleasantly surprised

Resort was well maintained, staff was very friendly and accommodating and food exceeded my expectations. 24 hour snack bar and bar service was a bonus. Pool had algae 1 day but was quickly dealt with.

Worst trip ever....

Resort was nice, huge and plenty of room to enjoy. But I was sick on the third day. Diarrhea...good thing I brought some some Lomotil that fix that problem. But on the 4th day i woke up early shivering uncontrollably and need to go the emergency. We ask for hotel help but to no avail. They told us to grab a taxi and we did, though the clinic was just a very short drive outside the resort 3 CUC only. The doctor told me I was dehydrated and had infection. Stayed there for 3 hours 2 IV's and anitib [... read more]iotics for 134 CUC. 5th day was worse as my right leg start to swell up and fever was so high. Bad infection and more antibiotics from our second trip from the clinic. I tries to catch an early flight back to Toronto but to no avail. Raul, air transat rep was very helpful. I no choice but to stay in the room for the rest of my trip with my leg elevated and wrap with ice. During this whole ordeal, there wasn't a single hotel manager that came and ask me how they can help. None. Zero. Obviously, they dont care once their guests arrived and assigned their rooms. Major reason for for sickness is insect bites. Our hallway and room is infested by mosquitos and butterflies. I even killed a cockroach. Please stay away from 709 & 711. There are tons of dead mosquitos in the ceiling and walls as we killed them every night to get a descent sleep without those buzzing sound around our ears. Is you plan to stay at the lobby at night or watch the show, be prepared for some insect actions as they are all over you.... I wish they would do something about this as it is a shame for this nice resort for guesst leaving very unhappy. Oh and don't even triy to request for another room if you don't like your building as they will tell you all the lies to keep you where you are!!!

Worst resort ever

First of all its not 4 star its more like 2 star hotel. Rooms are very dirty not cleaned at all by maids, only thing they did is change towels and make you bad that is it. When eating at buffet meat station or any other station where they were making food was 1/2 to 45 min wait also glasses and cutlery that was on tables were dirty. Staff was very slow and uninterested to serve you water or anything else to drink. tips didn't make any difference. First floor rooms had bugs spiders and not small  [... read more]once they were huge. Didn't have running water every day for at least 2 hours and on last day had cold water for few hours then non so no shower until morning. Have been in Santa Maria before different resorts with less star rating but better service and resorts then playa for sure.

Just O.K.

The hotel layout is great, not too big, beach is beautiful, first time we took our family, group of 10, including our grandchildren, ages 2 and 4. I have to honestly say I wish we had gone to another resort, and will not return to this one. First of all, check in was horrible, You think they would check you in on the bus ride, which is 90 minutes, would save so much time. The buffet line ups were long, up to an hour wait, I ate mostly bread and butter and some fruit, until I tried the snack bar, [... read more] the sandwiches and shrimp and fries were good. We tried the Italian and Romantico a la carte, chicken was tough, soup and bread was good, we had gone for the lobster, but were told it was not in season. We were in building 5, located close to beach, which we liked, rooms were O.K., not the cleanest. Life guards on the beach save chairs for people, so was difficult to get shade, one family accused us of stealing their,towels and taking "their" chairs, my husband had gone out and saved 7 EMPTY chairs for us, apparently they,had this whole section saved for them for 2 weeks, there was nothing on the chairs, no towels, nothing to save them, anyway, we moved over, they were still not happy, old guy called us criminals, for "stealing their towels"' all the years we've been going to resorts, we've never moved anyone's towels, let alone steal them. I guess they gave the guard a few pesos, I brought along an extra,suitcase full of nice chlothes, shoes, toiletries, to hand out, even gave out the suitcase, to one of the waiters at the snack bar, he was so happy, said hoped to come to Canada one day with his new suitcase, the staff at this resort were all hard working and lovely people. Also, the water seemed to go off almost everyday, when we came in to shower for dinner, some days, we had to go without a shower, couple times my husband had to jump,in the pool to rinse off all the body wash soap on him, we were told it was a problem all over the island? Also, not the hotels fault, I guess at this time of the year, Mosquitos, were horrible, morning and evenings, they spray every day, but they still were attacking us, we also used our sprays, so make sure to bring,some spray, and it was extremely hot, just rained a little one day, Sorry, for the long review, just trying to,say,everything, the people were lovely, but definetly would not return to this one. We've been to many resorts in Cuba, loved them all, sorry, just not this one.