Magical, beautiful hotel

I have been in Cuba before, but this hotel was a lot nicer than others I've been at. Me and my partner chose this hotel because it is adult only. The grounds are clean, the staff is generally very polite and some are absolutely amazing. Our favorite was Iliana, amazing lady with great smile and enormous energy level, her smile was on early in the morning and stayed on till late at night! Everywhere was clean and most importantly there are two beaches, one small and the large one and both are w [... read more]ell kept and attended. The guy with machete that was taking care of the flowers and bushes was our favorite person to watch in action every morning. He was so polite, without understanding what we were saying to him, but he just smiled and worked. There was entertainment every night, and variety of it. The clientele is generally older crowd, mostly 50+, which was fine with us. The food was not always the best, but I'm sure it was the best they had at the time. People that work on the grounds are great, courteous, and accommodating. One complaint I have is our room staff. I don't know why, but our room got done nicely only first day, after that we never got our towels or sheets changed, and they never made some nice things with the towels as they have in the other rooms, not sure why, we were always nice to all the staff and we tipped... maybe we didn't tip enough, but in that case that is really not a good way to go about it. We took catamaran trip to see dolphins and that was amazing experience. They made sure we were well taken care of and they were really great, lots of things to drink and eat and staff on the boat was awesome! Overall it was a vacation in paradise.

Resort is beautiful

We had a different experience this time from last year - unfortunately there is no manager on site which is evidenced by lack of staff which in turn leads to frustration especially when checking in. We arrived at 1;pm However our rooms were not available until 5pm . Their are shortages of goods and wine not their fault However when you are paying these prices you expect better. Our rooms were clean and we were compensated for any issues we experienced in that we ate Ala Carte most nights.  [... read more]The pools unfortunately were murky towards the end of our stay they need to be shocked. The beach is beautiful and well looked after.

Wonderful Resort

We spent a week at Angsana It was everything we had heard from previous reviews. The staff is friendly and helpful the food was plenty and the drinks were top notch. If you are looking for a quiet adult resort this is the one for you. We would return to this resort in a heart beat!

Great time!

We had a great time at Angsana! This smaller resort was the perfect place to unwind. Stunning grounds, beach and pool. Staff were incredible and food was plentiful. We had a couple of ongoing plumbing issues with our room that didn’t get resolved quick enough.

Recommend this resort

It was my first time in Cuba, I had traveled to other Caribbean islands before. I really liked the resort. The resort is not very big, but there is everything you need to relax. Very attentive and friendly staff. The room was beautiful and clean. The food was varied and tasty. There were fresh vegetables and fruits every day. I especially liked the cheeses. The beaches and water were clean, white sand. The waves are small, you can swim. There are some rocks in the water, so I recommend bringi [... read more]ng swimming shoes. Every evening there was entertainment and dancing in the lobby bar. One compliment, no fish and seafood in restaurants and buffets. As the hotel workers explained to me, they do not have fish supplies, and they cannot give local fish, as they want to exclude poisoning. They are probably right. However, the meat was varied. I would also like to wish that the menu of the Italian restaurant be improved. All the staff were very nice, but I especially want to thank Niurka, Akydis, Yipsy, and also Ana Jauren Thanks to all the staff for a great week spent at the resort.

Above our expectations!

I had booked this hotel in 2020, mainly on the great reviews. Because of Covid I had to cancel. Sunwing refunded some of my $$ and gave me a credit which I needed to use before March ‘23. I saw that reviews were still good so I rebooked and I am so happy I did. Service was fabulous from the front desk and on! Shout out to Macey and the front desk staff who had everything from safe to air conditioning repaired immediately. Rooms were lovely, our cleaner left the most amazing towel art. Bar and  [... read more]restaurant staff were attentive, thanks Nalli, Damian, Jose-Jesus and countless others. Food was varied and good for Cuba. Two beaches to choose from, we preferred the quiet one where you could walk out into the water forever. Always plenty of loungers at both beaches and the pool. It is a quiet hotel and entertainment was good but ended at 11, but we still danced and had great fun. If you are looking for a classy, laid back, relaxing vacation this is the spot. Please bring US $1 bills as they cannot exchange our loonies and toonies at their bank. This has been my 5th Cuban trip and I usually don’t go to the same hotel twice but I’d definitely consider rebooking this one!

Amazing resort and incredible staff

We loved our stay at Angsana it was simply incredible… the private beach breathless. Food was also good compared to current reality there. We were upgraded since there was issue with room. Management was very understanding would go again 100%

Amazing vacation

The Angsana was amazing. The resort is small and quaint and everyone is so welcoming. For Cuba standards the food was really good. Lots of variety and everything was served hot. Plenty of fruits and vegetables, cheeses, breads, etc. Ice cream is the best!!!! The lobby was mid sized, beautiful view to the ocean. The rooms were nicely decorated, spacious and the shower was large with lots of hot water and water pressure. The pools were lovely and clean. 2 beaches....1 shared with the neighb [... read more]oring resort. Both were beautiful for different reason. The one is so quiet and private and great for snorkeling. Can walk out for hundreds of ft. The standout feature is the staff. So loving. They are top notch!!!! We will definitely return!!!

Class Act !!

Review of Stay 2/10-2/17 First of all if you are on the fence about going to Cuba as I was, this wonderful place will quickly change your mind. As we all know Cuba has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world but lack of good food and beverage usually creates a hurdle, for this I think that Cuba gets overlooked when people are deciding on a vacation. This was the case for I who visited Varedero Cuba 28 years ago and never went back. I decided to take a chance again and try Santa Maria. W [... read more]ow was I ever wrong for all these years not giving a place like Santa Maria a chance. I am the type of traveler that doesn't expect the utmost in luxury but just good food, drink and a clean place to rest my head. The Angsana Cayo Santa Maria does all that and much more. It's a beautiful small adults only boutique kind of all inclusive hotel that immediately makes you feel welcomed and wowed by the beautiful place it is. The grounds though not huge it certainly doesn't disappoint with the the two infinity pools, ocean right at your finger tips, and a very user friendly layout. The rooms are very updated and clean. The buffet offers a good selection of food that should satisfy all tastes but if you want a change there's a great 24hr snack bar that offers great food like, pizza, chicken fingers and burgers. Now for the staff, I can't say enough about how great and hard working they are. They are the most wonderful people at this resort and during my week there went out of their way daily to make sure my vacation was one to remember. I wish I could shout out their names but there are far to many to mention. Now for the beaches. One word comes to mind "Money Shot" They are truly beautiful on this resort and you need to see them for yourself to appreciate just how beautiful they are. Regards

Amazing vacation

This resort exceeded our expectations. The rooms were lovely and comfortable. The beaches were perfect, one quiet and one with activities. We totally enjoyed the food and found it better than expected. The pizza and hamburgers at the snack bar were very good. The staff at the Angsana were amazing and very accommodating. We had no complaints and will definitely return.

Quiet Relaxation!

Beautiful resort with an amazing staff. This resort was clean, the grounds/shrubs were well manicured and the friendly gardeners always had time to cut you a coconut. Felix was always down at the beach eager to get you a chair as soon as you showed up. Beach was always clean but water was a little cold. Hotel staff was great..from the gm down. The staff loves the gm at this hotel...this is a first.. The bar staff, and the buffet staff was great. Shout out to Nalli, Damian, Sunay, Neydis, Yipys [... read more].. The food was another story. It's Cuba so don't expect too much just enjoy!!For the price you can't beat this resort.. Would I go back to this resort....YES.. Great people!! Things are a little rough in Cuba with high inflation and shortages... If you care your can always take a few extra things with you and distribute it. They would really appreciate it.

Awesome week!

The resort is great. The staff is amazing. Nothing negative to point out, except for the beach itself being below the average quality [sand/view/water quality] for Cuba. For everything else I give it 10/10.

One of the best in Cuba!!

I will start off by clarifying that this hotel is a 5 star for Cuba. This is still a fairly new property, and I have been hearing amazing things about it since it opened. I was happy to finally get there and see if for myself. The thing that REALLY makes this property is the staff. Everyone is absolutely top notch, from the front desk employees, the bar tenders, the waiters, the entertainment staff, the maids, the gardeners... I could go on. Everyone was friendly and amazing the whole week [... read more]. That being said, the hotel is still in Cuba. So this means that there are certain expectations that travellers should have when it comes to amenities, services and food. Check-in: we arrived around noon and were provided our bracelets and a welcome drink. Quite a lot of us arrived at once, so check-in took some time. Our room wasn't ready until 4pm, but we changed and were allowed to store our bags. Room: We had a partial oceanview in Bloque 8. It was on the third floor, and was basically a full oceanview (view slightly obscured by the lattice work of the balcony to our left). We had requested a quiet room, higher floor, and king size bed. We did not receive a king sized bed, but we pushed the two double beds together. :) Our room was a little finicky, but we didn't want to bother with moving. The AC, the lights, the rain shower etc. all worked, but everything was...particular. The AC was on, but our room stayed at a consistent 22.5 degrees Celsius, even when we tried to set it to 21 one evening. The fan was a bit squeaky. Our lights would randomly turn off and then not turn on again until later, which was only annoying in the evening when I was in the middle of putting on my make up. Our rain shower shot the water up to the ceiling, which will eventually cause water damage issues. We had consistent hot water the entire trip, except for our first full day when a pipe burst and the water was cold (but still existent!) until the evening. It didn't bother us, but we did hear a lot of complaints from other guests. It was back to being hot by around 5:30 when we took our evening showers. The shower amenities included some soap and two little bottles of shower gel. We always bring our stuff from home, so again, no issues. The handheld portion of the shower was great (excellent water pressure for getting shampoo and conditioner out of your hair), but the little hook where you hang it up is only about 3 feet high, so you can't use the handheld device as the shower head, it can only be held. Another small annoyance was that we weren't provided with a do not disturb sign until our second last day. We don't normally like to have our room made up or our towels exchanged every day to save on energy use and water use, but we had no way of indicating this so our very attentive maid exchanged our towels and facecloths for fresh ones almost daily. This was in no way a problem, but a simple "please don't disturb sign" would save extra work for the maid and energy use. :) The bathroom was made up of a single room (only one person can use at a time if the toilet is in use), and we had no issues with toilet paper supply! The food: overall, very good for Cuba. I would say 3/5. There was always plenty to eat and what was available was good, but there wasn't a ton of variety. I am a vegetarian (but not a super picky one) and found that there wasn't a lot of options for strict vegetarians or vegans. The food at the 24 snack bar is quite good (delicious banana chips!), but does not have a self-serve option (you can't just grab a little slice of pizza, etc.) you have to order. We ate breakfast there in the mornings and had lunch there most days. The buffet was good to go in and grab some fruit or a salad (next time I go, I'm packing several bottles of dressing lol). The buffet had long hours: 7-10 am, lunch 1-3 and dinner 7-10 pm. There seemed to be no issues with bacon or bread (which I heard from other resorts). At this time of year, not all fruit is in season so you will find some canned fruits. There were lots of fresh bananas, guava and papaya. They had cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes to make a decent little salad. The a la cartes opened at 6pm. If you travel with Sunwing, you get 4 included a la carte reservations. The Playa Ranchon restaurant by the beach served an international menu, but not a lot of options for vegetarians (a salad, a soup, and veggies and rice for dinner). The Gourmet restaurant served an Italian menu while we were there, and the food was quite good. We asked for a map of the resort and the services, but they didn't have one. I had to use my brain on vacation to remember basic information! haha :) The beaches: So lovely!! Water shoes are recommended. Palapas can be scarce when busy. The private Angsana beach has a beautiful sand bar that you can walk out quite far, especially during low-tide. The main beach is shared with the Dhawa, and you can ask for a catamaran ride from there. I heard there was amazing snorkelling, but didn't go myself. Just walking in the water we saw jellies, starfish, and several types of fish. There is a beach bar and a snack bar at the main beach, and the private beach has a bar only. We couldn't find close-by washrooms to the private beach, so we always went back to our room when hanging out there. Other people did not and just...used the mangroves? The beaches are quite windy at this time of year, especially in the afternoon! The pools: nice but cool. No swim up bar (fine for us). Decent shade on the left hand pool closest to the snack bar for most of the day. The loungers were super comfy! Hotel entertainment: this is a quiet resort, which is part of the appeal. Sadly, the jazz bar did not open the entire week we were there. I'm not sure why, the resort definitely seemed busy enough. There was entertainment most evenings in the lobby bar, including: piano and guitar player, a "retro show" (youtube videos of AC/DC and Abba and 'karaoke" where they would hand the microphone for people to sing if they wanted), a water show, a Cuban show, and a Michael Jackson show (in the main lobby). If the resort was at capacity, there would be issues with seating. Shows usually ended around 10:30 pm Other hotel amenities: there was a new looking gym with decent equipment. It had AC and was not busy. There were no treadmills, 2 bikes, 1 elliptical and weight machines. There was also a spa that offered a variety of massage treatments, but did not seem to offer manicures, pedicures or facials (that I could tell from the menu of services). The sports area had a tennis court, as well as soccer and basketball facilities. Like most hotels in Cuba, the WIFI is not excellent. There was included WIFI that apparently worked ok in the lobby. We were not given a sign in for the WIFI on check-in but could have asked I'm sure. We used roam like home instead. We booked one excursion: a half day excursion to Remedios, through the Sunwing rep. It was interesting and nice to get away from the resort for the day. Not all excursions are being offered at this time. We did have some small issues trying to figure out when our transfer back to the airport was. I asked the Sunwing rep who gave me an estimation of 5 hours before our flight and told me to check with the front desk before heading to bed for the evening. We tried the app, but got no response. The front desk didn't really know (of course) so we just made sure to be in the lobby by 6am. Remember when they used to just have a paper with pick up times on them? I do. It was simpler! lol We got to the airport just fine in any case. We did the VIP lounge at SNU, and I will say that it really wasn't worth it at 50 dollars a person. It's apparently a little cheaper if you book it in person at the airport, but we wouldn't do it again. All in all, we had a fantastic and lovely week at the Angsana. I rarely consider ever returning to a resort I've been to once, but I would come back here in a heart beat

Wonderful resort

We loved this resort the beaches were great and the rooms were clean and spacious, the food was very good and my favorite thing was the great staff. We had 4 a la carte reservations and the food was really good, the buffet was pretty good too. The resort is small and was not full so it was quiet which was ok for us we needed to relax and unwind. The drinks were good the only thing they didn’t have was tonic water for gin and tonics. The coffee at the lobby bar was so good.

Boutique-like Resort for Relaxing!

In general the facilities where modern and clean. The grounds/gardening features outstanding. Food preparation was good for Cuban standards. Staff friendliness was truly outstanding! There was some entertainment in the evenings but this could be improved. Cuba has wonderful musicians which we did not see enough. Having two beaches made for a nice variety.

Angsana Jan 2023

We travelled as 2 couples to this adults only resort 2nd week on January. The resort is an 1 1/2hr from airport in Santa Clara. Resort and grounds are well maintained. Small resort so easy to get around by walking to everything. 2 pools (no swim up bar) with plenty of lounge chairs spread around available. Resort was only about 1/2 full. Main beach located to left of resort big and beautiful, soft sands and had plenty of lunge chairs. Second quieter secluded beach smaller located to right.  [... read more]Crystal clear waters very shallow quite far out. Some great spots for snorkeling as well for fishing. Main buffet was fair sized with variety of options for everyone. No chance to go hungry. If you do it's your own fault. Hot grill for eggs, bacon etc. At night grill for fish, beef, chicken, and pork. Also fresh pasta station. 2 ala carte restaurants ... international and Italian. Both had variety of hot and cold items not available at buffet. We enjoyed both. 24hr snack bar by pool that had a limited menu of sandwiches, burgers and pizza that was ok nothing special. Lounge/lobby bar had best drinks. Awesome staff! Made great Cuban friends! Nightly entertainment was limited. Mostly singers and musicians. We were in room 860 which was on top floor at the far right at the corner. we had partial oceanview. Corner room gave us absolutely stunning sun rises. A/C was great. No issues with hot water just had to wait for it to get to top floor. No issues with TP available (we brought some just in case and left it behind). We wanted a safe quiet relaxing get-away this resort delivered. All the Cubans we met and serviced us were very friendly and great. Would definitely recommend it.

Amazing Resort

The hotel was wonderful very clean and staff was very friendly. The grounds are well maintained. There are two beaches the larger one has lots of sandy beach front but there is some rocky areas a short distance in the water. The second smaller one is great and very relaxing. The a la cartes had great choices and the food was very good. The only issue was they had no menus, probably Covid, and you had to take a pic from their phones to see it (a bit annoying). It was windy the whole time we went  [... read more]except for one day. But if you are after a laid back and relaxing hotel this is definitely a great place to be. Highly recommend.

Cuba's Gem

Relaxing, calm Zen style resort for people looking for a quiet stress free holiday. Our ocean view room was beautiful. The 1 large and 2 small beaches were stunning and kept very clean. Seaweed is a current problem throughout the Caribbean but less so in Cuba and the Angsana keeps their beaches incredibly well. The grounds are lush, well manicured and full of colorful flowers, perfect for walks day or night. Pools are large, clean and perfectly maintained, not 1 leaf in them.The food was surpri [... read more]singly better than any Cuban resort we've been to. Plentiful and fresh and the a la cartes had some very good choices. A 24 hr. snack bar that includes a la carte breakfasts is a real bonus for late or early arriving travellers. The 24 hr lounge is also good - drinks are generous and variety is great. There is no big entertainment centre here, just local talent in the lounge in the evenings but again this is a small intimate resort not catering to a party atmosphere. The best part of Angsana is the staff - the best, happiest, eager-to-please group I've ever encountered throughout the many Caribbean resorts we've travelled to.

The best service at Angsana!

Spent one week at this amazing resort with my partner, from 28 November to 5 December 2022. I am used to travelling to Cuba and knew what to expect. This resort was super clean, well maintained and service from all staff members was 5 stars! Very relaxing adult only with a quiet private beach at one end of the resort + a long beautiful beach at the other end of the resort, for days where you prefer a little bit more activities and entertainment! The 3 à la carte restaurants were exceptional. We [... read more] also always found good things to eat at the buffet. A super experience at Angsana! Would visit again for sure! Gracias a todos por vuestro increíble servicio.

October trip

Great spot for an r&r holiday. Everybody at the resort goes above and beyond to make visitors feel welcome and pampered. Great beaches, beautiful grounds, good food. Will visit again and recommend to friends and family