Great Beach

Nice Resort, perfectly maintained pool, Great Staff always friendly and willing to help, Beautiful Beach, and not the worst food (The buffet is actually better than the restaurant). I would definitely recommend this resort to a friend.

First Time to Cuba

I was happy over all with the resort , for what we paid it was well worth it.. I found the staff friendly except for the reception staff.. they were not helpful and rude when you asked them questions. Customer service staff would tell you one thing, but when time came it was never what they told us we found this frustrating .. Luckily we didn't have to deal with them a lot.. Lounge staff and buffet staff were very accommodating and friendly .. The only issues I had with the resort was the smoki [... read more]ng everywhere, everyone was smoking, for me who the smell of smoke makes me ill it was hard for me to enjoy the lounge for a drink or even the beach, smoke blowing in our faces .. and people treating the beach sand as an ashtray was disgusting .. Birds being able to fly into the buffet or grill area while you were eating was the only other thing I had a problem with.. they would practically land on your table .. not a fan .. the food was good, what you would expect for the large amount they need to make.. you never went hungry. The rooms themselves were very clean and no smoking allowed in them.. the cleaning stuff out did themselves daily washing down the rooms. I would recommend this place to friends and would go back..

Great resort for the value we would return

The hotel while a little dated was very clean with excellent staff and service,we enjoyed our stay very much. the grounds were well kept pool was great and the beach was wonderful. The food was good lots of assortment. Loved the beach it was clean and the staff were very helpful we spent a lot of time there, the pool was wonderful although of course hotter than beach but always lots going on there, the pool grill was great,good food and service. The sunwing representative was very friendly and h [... read more]elpful to us. the tour to Havanna was very enjoyable our tour guide and drivers were excellent.

It has the right amount of Stars.

Clean dining area, grounds well maintained, beautiful beach. Rooms where okay - we did have to change rooms. The staff in the Resturant and at the grill where polite and efficent. The area around the bar and pool where kept clean.

Not worth the money

I've been to Santa Maria before and it is my favorite part of Cuba, but Starfish Cayo Santa Maria was much older then my previous resort. The rooms were not very nice and there were a lot of bugs such as cockroaches. The food was not great, the snack bar served the best food including the a la cartes. The beach is amazing but there is limited shade and I found this frustrating.

Very Dated

Although the beach is georgous this resort is dated. Only half of the resort is operational so you would think that the side that was open would be in better shape. Most of the public washrooms had at least 2 stalls out of order. More then once the public washrooms had no running water at all. Buffet was very repetitive and sometimes made you wonder if food was being recycled. Security at this resort was non exsistant. This made traveling with teenagers very stressful. The lighting at  [... read more]night on the pathways was very scares and made it difficult to navigate in the dark. More Signage is needed for sure as you can become lost quite easily. Overall if you are going for a cheap getaway and the beach is what you are looking for the this is the place.

Amazing resort

Beautiful resort the grounds are well kept, rooms are nice and a good size food was good and staff was amazing. The pools are well kept, and the beach there is no words for and lots of good drinks and sun

Amazing Resort

Everything about the resort was amazing ... the energy, beach, staff, grounds !! and the ICED COFFEE!!!! The little gem, Shelley made the stay so enjoyable ! her kindness :) Definitely will go back !

LOTS OF INFO ABOUT FOOD

Ok so let's talk about this beautiful place! Beach 100% fabulous! My bed was hard as Cuba beds are all over the country. I bring a small air mattress weighs only 3 lbs; a good investment. Room was clean and bright with A/C, fridge, nice closet and a decent shower. Now FOOD; I always hear about the food....really? It's a buffet with SO many choices. Don't be afraid to think out of the box, they encourage it. Bring those fresh peppers and cheese over to the pasta man...make your own dish...be cr [... read more]eative! I Loved making breakfast; toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches with their yummy mayo, sometimes I added a fried egg for a messy delight. The salad bar was AWESOME...I made my own blue cheese dressing (mayo and blue cheese). Don't be shy! Don't worry about going to Starfish Cayo Santa Maria...we LOVED IT☺

Good resort for the price

Resort is a little bit worn down but it was what we were expecting. Well worth the money. Great service. Beaches have to be the best in the world. Fun and inexpensive excursions were available. Nice market with a great steakhouse. The repetitive music was a bit annoying.

Beautiful place

This is the third time I have been in Cuba and this hotel was wonderful. We had the best beach out of all the close hotels. It was not very busy so we always got a shaded hut every day. The staff was wonderful, everybody was so nice and helpful. The food was very good, I heard a few people complain about it but I did not have any problems with it, it was all cooked well and tasted wonderful! I would reccomend this hotel to anyone looking to go to Cuba!

Good Resort

The grounds are well kept. Staff is friendly. Food was average for Cuba there was always something. Public areas kept neat and clean. Beautiful beach and pool. No real complaints. One thing that was strange is that they had no shows at night. I had a leak in my bathroom when I arrived. I went to customer service the next morning and the problem was solved that day. Great experience!

Great resort

We stayed from March 31 to April 5th. We arrived at night, we got checked into our room than went for drinks. This is a big resort and not knowing where we were going made it difficult to find our building, but by the next day I had it figured out. I stayed in building 8, 3rd floor, room was big and spacious, clean and we had plenty of water. First placed we checked out was the beach, ohhhh, so gorgeous, everything everyone says about the beach is true. Most staff was friendly and curtioes. [... read more] The food, well yes not the greatest but I knew that. I could wrote lots more, I can't say anything bad, would I go back, yes it out hesitation

Good value, but keep expectations low

This was my second trip to Starfish so I knew what to expect. Rooms: I stayed in the older section of the hotel. The room decor is tired and needs to be refreshed. There are limited toiletries provided, i.e.: 1 bar of hand soap and a dispenser in the shower with shampoo and body wash). The dispenser did not work properly and leaked all the body wash onto the tub surround, requiring us to wash with just the bar of hand soap - not ideal but workable. The room was cleaned daily, but there was a [... read more]lways sand all over the floor. The coffee table had a glass top and was never cleaned or dusted while we were there, no was the balcony ever swept. The mattress was comfortable, but firm. There is no way to adjust the air conditioning, so your choice is on or off. Same with the ceiling fan, there was no way to adjust the speed the fan went, so again either on or off. The TV was hit and miss with channels depending on whether the satellite was working or not. Food: We ate every meal at the buffet. The food is the worst I have ever had at a buffet in Cuba. I was hoping it would have improved since my last visit, but it was exactly the same. Limited selection and frequently over cooked. I am not a picky eater, so I was able to eat well at every meal, but it is disappointing. More selection and better preparation would be substantial improvements. Beach: The beach is beautiful, and its the reason I go to Cuba. However, the beach cabanas are in a state of disrepair with many of them not having thatch roofs to keep you out of the sun. Furthermore, behind all the cabanas is where the hotel has chosen to stash broken chaise lounges and extra lounges for use at high season. It looks like a car wrecking yard with unwanted beach furniture strewn all around the bushes and dunes backing the cabanas. If you stay facing the water the view is perfect. We accessed the beach using the boardwalk near the Nautical Centre. As you approach the water you will see random chaise lounges thrown into the bushes and strewn about. Its not attractive and detracts from the beauty all around you. It would not take much effort or expense to clean this up and make the resort more attractive for its guests. Resort: The lobby is impressive as are the main buildings, but maintenance is being neglected. There are several areas where the plaster has come off the buildings and not been repaired. Many of the benches in the lobby require re-upholstery as they are badly stained and/or faded. All of the bungalows in the older section require exterior maintenance, especially painting. From the beach looking toward the hotel it was obvious that a section of a dormer had fallen or blown off and needs repairing (bungalow 9 or 10?). Airport Transfer: The trip from the airport to Cayo Santa Maria takes at minimum 90 minutes. We arrived at 8:30 pm and were through immigration in less than 30 minutes. Everyone on our bus was going to Starfish so there were no additional stops along the route. However, we did not get to the hotel until after 11:00 pm as the bus ride took 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a stop on the causeway so people could smoke and pee at the side of the road (our bus had no toilet on it). On the return to the airport we stopped at 4 resorts to pick up other passengers, adding to the time of the return. We were picked up at 4:30 pm and were not at the airport until 6:30 pm. The trip to and from the hotel add significantly to your travel time or your arrival and departure dates, so plan accordingly. I got a great deal on this trip at the last minute (booked on Tuesday, left for Cuba on Thursday). While I had a great vacation, I would not be willing to pay more than the $700 I paid to stay at this property for 7 days - any more and its not worth it!

Great Time

We really enjoyed our time at Starfish. The beach was beautiful and so was the pool. Our room had a fantastic ocean view. Staff was wonderfully friendly, and we enjoyed the feel and decor. The environment of the resort was well maintained with wonderful landscaping and offered an incredibly homey and welcoming environment. We enjoyed spending our time around the open, breezy lobby bar in the late morning enjoying cappuccino and espressos. Our room was clean and spacious, and an enjoyable place t [... read more]o get into some air conditioning on days when we found the climate was too warm for our preference and acclimation. We enjoyed wonderful nights sitting outside with other tourists we had met and had some wonderful conversations. We were close enough to some towns and cities to do some tours. The wifi was satisfactory and affordable, which was great for keeping in touch with family at home. I am genuinely glad this was our choice for our first adventure to Cuba.

Amazing Resort

First time we have been to the Starfish Cato Santa Maria, but won't be the last. We would definitely return. We loved our room which was cleaned immaculately every day. The whole resort was very clean. The staff always smiling and being so friendly. The Italian and International Restaurant food was spectacular. The buffet had a great variety of food...my only suggestion is take your condiments with you. Loved the activities at the pool, but a bit disappointed that there wasn't any salsa [... read more] lessons. The most amazing beach. My only two suggestions for this resort is more signage pointing to the pool, beach and lobby and to get coffee makers back in the rooms. We plan on returning in 2018.

One taramaya

Star Fish is a great value for you Canadian dollar. You don't go to Cuba for the food, you go for all that Cuba has to offer ... The beach was stunning, The pools fantastic The staff unbalivably awesome Just go and forget about all your troubles ....thank you trip central for being so attentive ..

Third time in a row and NO complaints

This is my third time visiting the resort.The staff is awesome,very clean and the gardens are beautiful.Food selection is very good and the A La Carte was delicious.I am already looking forward to next year.Gracias!

The worst vacation ever

We had no water. You can not use the toilet, bad smell everywhere. Dirty everywhere. Service in the buffet bad, bad food choices, no tea, no yogurt, no french toast, you should always wait in line for food. Waiters speak only Spanish. Never again...

Never again

No water. When we arrived we were met with a room without water. No mention at check in. Was told it was a broken water main that affected all resorts on island. Only to find out on bus back to airport that guests at other resorts had no water issues. Had periods of water here and there but at no specific times and went days without showering. Met guests on arrival that said it has been off 4 days prior to my arrival. I was travelling with my family, children, and air Canada vacations didn't che [... read more]ck to see if any major problems such as not have water, a basic necessity, were affecting their customers they are sending to this resort. Extremely disappointed in this resort and air Canada vacations for ruining my family holiday. I feel I wasted thousands. We were all sick as expected. How are the dishes being properly cleaned. People using buckets to fetch water from the pool to pour down their toilet. Brutal. Starfish Santa Maria don't go. Air Canada vacations don't use them. Trip central, thank you for advertising this on your website and contributing to the absolute destruction of my family holiday.