Just OK

The resort was beautiful, the beds are rock hard, Not alot of English speaking people. Gorgeous pools breathe taking beaches.We were placed in bungalow 12 and we were facing a drive shed so that was very disappointing as I requested a pool view room so I could watch my children, they did have better views I just didntt get one and don't know how you can

Great Resort!!!! fabulous trip!!!

Had an amazing TIME! Only advice is to take your own towels. Lots of food variety! Amazing beach, staff very friendly, great entertainment team! I would go back again, I wouldn't get an ocean view room coz the ocean is far and there is a joint door with the room next to us we could here everything they say.

Great Resort!

The food and beach were both great at this resort. The beach is a nice walking beach. Lots of pools and bars. The Japanese restaurant was our favorite. The resort is not huge so everything is close at hand.

Could be better.

Returned Mar 18 with family. Hotel is fairly new and the grounds are clean and tidy. The rooms were large and the maids kept them tidy and were friendly. Usual stuff with broken fixtures in the bathroom. The a la cartes near the buffet were very good, but the buffet was not. The place is big and the service at the bars is generally slow. Tipping the bar staff did not seem to matter as you would still have long waits even with nobody else asking for drinks; they didn't seem to care. Our teenage c [... read more]hildren had a good time and there was lots for them to do. The beach is beautiful, but rocky and not very wide....it is much wider just two resorts east. Overall, we had a good time, but would we go back? No.

Amazing resort and a beautiful beach

The staff was very attentive, service was great and staff always friendly and helpful. The resort was always kept clean, food and drinks were always good, the beach and water was beautiful. I would definitely return to Cayo Santa Maria!

Rest & Relaxation at its Finest

The Playa Cayo Santa Maria was just what we needed for a week of rest and relaxation. We visited the resort (3 women) during the Canadian March Break. There was plenty to do all day and the evenings were filled with traditional music and spectacular shows. This resort allows you to move at whatever pace you choose. There are plenty of pools so whether you want a party good time pool experience or to just relax and soak in the sun, the choice is yours! The resort employees were very friendly and  [... read more]took care of our every need. The rooms were very well appointed, clean and modern. There were plenty of food options all day long with seat service snack bars and an ice cream shop! The 24/hr lobby bar was the place to be during the evening hours and the cigar lounge turned into a night club. The beach while breathtaking and turquoise with plenty of seating and activity was hard to access for my mother who is a senior. There was a very rocky entrance to the beach which sat below the resort. Once on the beach however it was well worth it! Trips into the local towns were very enjoyable and gave us a bit of the fascinating Cuban history. The open air bus ran to the market and back every hour so buying souvenirs was easy. There is a bank onsite in the hotel as well as a gift and snack store. The Wi-Fi was a bit spotty but we were able to text and call a couple of times. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this resort and would highly recommend it to others who are considering the white sand beaches and beautiful culture of Cuba!

Getting better

Mosquitoes are a problem, went home with 20 or so bites on legs and arms. Food is also a bit under par, but better then other resorts in Cuba, it looks like they are working on improving this. Beach is great, pools are great, rooms are good. Entertainment is .... Cuban (lots of dancing to a bad sound system).

Such a pleasant surprise!

Going to Cuba for the first time, we had heard it all-the food is awful being the main complaint. We decided that if you were hungry at this resort, then there must be something wrong with you. There was so much to choose from in the buffet for all meals. And yes there were line ups but how else can you serve hundreds of people at the same time? Rooms were comfortable and spacious. Nice walk in shower which always had hot water. And there is nothing we can say to describe the beach! Glorious whi [... read more]te sand and crystal blue water.

GREAT PLACE TO STAY

friendly and accommodating staff--entertainment staff where amazing. resort had plenty of room to move around you could be in the center of the action or find a nice quiet place. We were there during march break resort was busy but you never waited in huge line ups. Rooms where average and kept very clean. No pressure to tip you did it because you wanted to --the service was excellent. always found something good to eat good selection and you could always ask to have something specially prepared

Great resort!

The resort is beautiful and very well maintained. The pools are a real highlight - very clean and lots of options for swimming. Staff was very friendly as well. Our 5 and 8 year old had a fantastic time!

Another good trip

This was our second time staying at this resort and we had another relaxing holiday. We were originally put in Bldg 1 but asked to move to Bldg 7 where we had stayed last year. They were able to move us the next day which was fantastic. Our room in Bldg 7 was in better condition than Bldg 1 plus closer to the beach and pools. Staff are very nice and friendly at this resort. The beach is beautiful but was really windy during our stay - more so than when we stayed in January last year. However, we [... read more] were still able to get into the water. There are a number of different pools and we were always able to get a chair without too much bother. As for the food, we were always able to find something good to eat. They have a new seafood restaurant beside the snackbar in which we had a wonderful meal. We did not have as good a meal this year in the Romantica restaurant but it may have been the dishes we ordered. We did have a good dinner last year. Typically I am not a fan of the buffet however, we ended up eating our lunches there - the selection was great and if you went at 1:00 when the buffet opened, everything was fresh and there were no line ups. For breakfast we chose to eat at the snack bar rather than the buffet - it offered eggs, bacon, fresh fruit , juice and cappucino - what more could you want? The only disappointment was that someone stole my Coach sunglasses from my beach bag - I thought I was fairly careful with keeping the bag with me at all times but either way they disappeared. All in all we had a wonderful relaxing trip - we would definitely recommend this resort.

Super great service

amazing vacation, super nice people, a little bit far from airport but was still a great trip.also the beach was also a short walk from the resort and access to and from beach was not the nicest walkway.

Beautiful beach, worried about the food safety

The Playa was the fourth all-inclusive resort I have visited, and all have been within a comparable price bracket. In comparing the four resorts, I would rank this one as the best for the lovely ocean/beach, which was perfect for swimming, but the worst for food. In regard to the beach, this resort was really good if finding shade is important to you. I traveled with a group of 7 (with kids) and we managed to find a shaded area for all 7 chairs in a row every day. We did not have to do the ritu [... read more]al of reserving the chairs first thing in the morning, but would wander out to the beach at about 10:00 am and find a spot. If you want to be right next to the beach bar however, this might not be the case. Like many people have mentioned, the spot with the shade is set above the beach by a couple of feet, so you have to carefully make your way down some slightly rocky areas in order to get to the ocean. It is fine for anyone who does not have mobility problems. The water was fantastic- next to no seaweed or rocks in the water, just lovely white sand and very turquoise water. In regard to the food, there was significant issues with the heating and cooling systems for the buffet trays at the main buffet. The food that should be hot was not, and the food that should be cold was not and some items that should have been in cooling trays (appetizers with egg salads or pate on top) were left on the counter. This lead me to be concerned about the safety of the food, so I stayed mostly to meat/fish that was grilled and skipped the items in the trays. Even at the grilling stations, there was some concern, as the raw fish and meats were not in a refrigerated area before cooking, but rather sat on the counter beside the grill for whatever length of time before they got cooked. As the week went on, we found some additional spots that provide freshly grilled or deep-fried meat and fish (next to the snack bar) but having such a limited choice of food over the week became tedious. On the plus side, none of my party got sick, so despite our concerns, it turned out OK (but we did not eat much other than fish and meat :). On the plus side for food, this resort did have great coffee! So, while I really enjoyed the beach, because I was concerned about food safety ( and I am not picky at all about the taste of the food) I would not go back to this resort, but would choose a different resort on this beach. I regret this as the people who work at this resort do a really good job, and the food issue could be resolved with some food safety handling training as well as some better buffet heating/cooling systems.

Wonderful stay

The resort was full but we never had to wait it lines. The staff was very well equipped to out you first even though they had other to look after. The food was great and the ice cream parlour a real treat. Great beaches and weather.

Excellent Family Resort - ranked as a favourite!

We have travelled to Cuba many, many times in places ranging from 5 star adult-only (Royalton Varadero- formerly Sandals - and Melia Buenavista) to family-orientated resorts (Pestana, Brisas Santa Lucia, Breezes Jibacoa etc) for a family vacation this ranked in our top two places. We were worried about it being crowded as it was fully booked for March break (we travelled 9th - 17th March 2015) but the design of the place is such that there are different pools, different sitting areas, different  [... read more]bars and places to get snacks, different restaurants, that we never found it that busy. It is quite contemporary, with beautiful landscaping pools and lighting. A big, comfortable open air lobby with musicians playing subtly in the background in the mornings was so inviting for coffee. Food at the buffet was very good for Cuba and we only went to one of the many a la carte (Asian) and the sushi etc was surprisingly good! Lots and lots of loungers by all the pools and when you go to the ocean, the guys there hurry up to bring you a longer, brush any sand off it and lay out your towel. The sand isn't like sugar - it's like talcum powder, it's so soft and white and while the beach isn't deep as they are in Varadero, it still is beautiful, with crystalline blue water. The buildings are low rise and the rooms were great. Pretty spacious and contemporary with modern, lovely bathrooms. As seems to be the case in most Cuban resorts, service can be hit & miss, but overall was acceptable. The best was the bartender at the pool in front of building one. The usual entertainment that you find in most Cuban reports. We loved it. The teenagers loved it and we're planning two weeks next March break!

Such a Relaxing Time

Loved this resort we were in building 15 ocean view and was week worth the additional fee. No complaints at all about the food service or the facility. Was the perfect get away for the week. Loved the personal service at the beach. Never a problem to get a chair. Water was perfect and we could walk the beach forever. Gorgeous sand

Not worth the time or money.

The resort was clean but under staffed it took forever to get something to eat other than the buffet. Towel service for the hotel room was terrible the hand towels were never changed. The beach was vary rocky and dangerous to walk we saw a lady break her leg in front of us and the bartenders would to busy talking it took forever to get service not good.

Very good resort

We just returned from Playa Cayo Santa Maria on Tuesday after a 1 week stay. This was our 15th trip to Cuba since 1995. We have stayed at many different resorts in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Santa Maria and Santa Lucia. This resort had the best food of all the resorts we have been to. The A la Carte restaurants were excellent. The buffet has great selections but very large and noisy so we chose to sit outdoors. Excellent service from all staff. Lightbulb in bathroom replaced almost immediately after w [... read more]e called. For a large resort lots of shade at the beach and less busy spots on the beach and around the resort easy to find. Some nice amenities such as a Mojito bar, beer bar and ice cream stand. Would definitely return.

Great Vacation

Had a wonderful time, hotel was very accommodating. Food was good and was happy with our stay. It was my Birthday during my stay and Hotel staff delivered a Birthday greeting to my room, was a lovely touch.

Fine

This place was fine.... It has a perfect layout. Very easy to get to everything. The rooms are nice and the deep tub was lovely. Lots of bars and the food was pretty good. The Italian alacarte was great. The cigar bar is the best place to get drinks. The only drawbacks were 1 the location ( so far from the airport) 2 we had a few light bulbs burned out the entire time we were there. All the staff were great.