Fantastic time had

This hotel is awesome. Food was the best I've had in Cuba. Resort is in beautiful condition, landscaped and cleaned every morning. Rooms are very comfortable. Great beds and pillows. Beautiful showers. Air conditioning works great. Staff are amazing. Fantastic public areas. Great bars.

The best one! 😍

Entertainment is great, best food in Cayo. Everything is very very good. Good service and very nice employees. I recommanded this hotel to all people. The beach is perfect, good location and a lot of chairs

Awesome Resort

Very clean grounds. Great beach with soft white sand. Excellent service which was safe and friendly. Covid protocols were followed and enforced. Wifi was free and very fast and reliable. Food was amazing. A la carte service and food was excellent. 5 star 🌟 resort. We'll be returning.

Very nice resort

Everything was very fine except the food. No variety of choice or themes. Service was fine, cleanliness as well. Nightly shows fun. The beach was gorgeous even though we couldn't swim in it for the first couple of days due to the wind

Good resort

The rooms are cleaned every day... The resort is maintain quite good... The pools are amazing, the beach is great... The service at the buffet is poor... Servers are very slow, some don't speak English... The restaurants a la carte are much better ....

Fantastic Stay

I enjoyed my stay at playa cayo santa Maria! Everything was perfect! Only thing that would have made it any better was sun all 7 days! The room was clean, the food was great, beach and pool was perfect! I'd highly recommend it!

Great Cuban Resort

We went to Playa Cayo Santa Maria from February 28 to March 6, 2020. Here are the great things we have to say: Viktor - the best pool entertainer, funny and just an amazing person. He made us feel like family. Reuben- pool bartender is great, super nice and understand/speaks English very well. Jose-pool bartender when Ruben wasn't there is also really great. Dailyn- Mojito bar at night she was super nice. Strawberry mojitos are amazing but this bar is not open in the day. Only ope [... read more]n at 6pm by the lobby Karel and Rey- buffet waiters were really nice Hot water and pressure in the room is awsome-building 11 and we had friends at Building 8 and 15 and they had same comments The beach/water is super nice, clear and no seaweed. The pools are also great... depends on what you like.. the pool bar is loud with music but fun and entertaining. The relaxation pool is nice to swim and sit in the water. Hot dogs at snack bar and beach is great Here are the things we didnt like as much: No Ketchup No Coke..(so no rhum and coke) Montecristo upgrade is not worth it. We got a pink bracelet (instead of green like the rest of our friends) we got 1 additional A la Carte and a 26oz bottle of Rhum. So the extra $70 per couple is not worth it. Private bus transfer is not accurate... we had a big bus full.. private transfer means we get dropped off first and then other resorts. We did not get any of the other things it included like the private check-in, ect because we got in too late. Snack bar- First night we had hash brown then none for the next 5 days. No fries or any kind of potatoes. Bed- older bed with spring. They only gives you 2 flat pillows. We ask for 2 more but they only give 1 extra per room. So bring a pillow from home! Pool chairs- some need to be upgraded. And you do have to wake up ealry if you want to reserve a chair.

Great Resort

Extremely friendly staff, all around. Very accommodating whenever we had an issue or concern. The only negative thing about the resort was the fact that they were running low on some items, but Trumps fault not the resorts

Playa Cayo Santa Maria Resort

This resort was/is billed as a Four Star (4*) Resort, in my opinion, it barely deserves the Three Star (3*) rating! The food was terrible. The rooms are tired. The lobby crowded and smoke filled. The entertainment was the worst we have ever experienced. We won't return. We were glad we travelled with a group, it made the stay a little more tolerable. Live and learn :)

Great!

The resort is unbelievable! The grounds are gorgeous and very neat. As for the food, always a big question mark, it was very good. The buffet was well stocked, carvery was awesome and the deserts were tasty and well displayed. Never made it to the beach, but was told it is amazing. The golf cart shuttles were always prompt and the drivers very polite. The only problem we found was the lack of of use of the transfer buses. Empty buses going to the airport with folks 'waiting' to go [... read more] to the airport. Sunwing must do a better job of co-ordinating transfers. The ride to the airport was supposed to be one and one half hours, we took the scenic route, which was most interesting, and took three hours. On the whole, a most enjoyable vacation with lots of food and libations!

Not impressed

Rooms were moldy and dirty. There was hardly any fruit and they didn’t have much variety at all. We were referred to this resort since it was kid friendly which it really isn’t. They have a kid area but I only saw it open once, the rest it was locked up and not kept well. The pool was amazing and the beach is stunning but even the service wasn’t great. They seemed rather annoyed that you would ask them for something even with a tip being given. I know this resort is given 4.7 but it should [... read more] be a 3. If you have young children I wouldn’t choose this resort.

Good resort.

The beach at this resort is excellent. Great swimming and beach walking. The grounds are clean. The staff is friendly. The food was good for Cuba. The rooms are basic and the cleaners do a good job. Good value for a reasonable price.

Beautiful Beach

The beach was beautiful and the weather perfect for Feb. The resort, Meh! First time to Cuba,and all the usual things were true. Food not so good. Beach was nice. We were not impressed enough to go back but I cant say it was an awful stay. There was nothing really to do but stay on the resort as most excursions were far and didn't look all that exciting.The pest fumigation at the end of our stay while we were waiting on our bus back to the airport was like being in a Oliver Stone movie as we wer [... read more]e totally smoked out. Bit of a lack of sensibility to the guests. Overall it was alright to get away on the cheap.

Wonderful time.

Grounds, were cleana fn well maintains, they were working on walkways to the beach while we were there. Bedroom, clean with enough space to relax . They had a cot without asking while was ideal . Main negative, the beds were rock hard, the cot was the most comfortable. Did not think until we returned, but I'd ask if they has bed toppers. Reception, fast but not informative. They did not tell us were to sign up for restaurants, or taxis could be taken to the market for the same price as t [... read more]he best which never showed following an hour and half of waiting, they said every 45m. Pools,Beach .... perfect! Drinks .... amazing, a little stong at the beach. Bus ride might be 2 hours, but it's a tour in itself, we all enjoyed it and drinks the whole way, two beer for 5 canadian. Note money in the fridge does not get you more, or for us did not. Food was great, seafood restaurant we enjoyed the most. Buffet was always great, stone oven pizza sooo good. I do not suggest the Asian restaurant.

Amazing view of the beach!!

Our very first family trip with our girls and it was amazing we all enjoyed the hotel and the friendly staff. Cuba is well known for their beaches and no disappointment there! It was an amazing family trip that we will cherish forever.

Amazing Resort

Very pleasantly surprised. Beautiful resort. Excellent accommodations. Beautiful white sand beach that extends for miles. Plenty of choices for dining & food. Buffet restaurant Manager-Gloria was very helpful & looked after all your needs. All staff at the resort were very helpful & smiling. They really loved their job. Special thanks goes to the following: Victor; Lang; Julio; Lisdania; Rodney; Yadirka; Marlanis; Mildrey; Claudia; Pecho and many others who made our stay enjoyable and memorabl [... read more]e one. Thank You Playa Cayo Santa Maria. Cuba

Amazing resort!!!

I give this place 10 stars!!! The staff were all wonderful. Despite all that is said about the Cuban food, I also rate the food a 10!!! This was my ninth visit to this resort and plan on boing back in April with a different group of friends. Until we meet again...carrie

Pleasant resort

The pool was great that we hung out at daily. Lots of shade which was important to us. The grounds were well kept and tastefully planted. The beach was amazing! Upon request, our needs were met by the housekeeping staff. The room was clean and comfortable. The food was unappealing and it was nice to have sit down a la cartes. We knew not to expect too much from the food. The furniture around the pool and in the lobby is not made for comfort. Why are there never chairs around the pools? Only low  [... read more]saggy loungers.

Alway count on Cuban Weather

We had great weather between Jan 24 - Feb 6/2020 in Santa Maria, Cuba. Must say we were disappointed in the lack of services this year. We have been at playa cayo Santa Maria 3 times previously and this time brought 2 other couples. We were very disappointed. Had to ask for service a few times in the buffet and lobby. At the a lacarte I couldn’t even cut my beef dinner and had to leave it. At the Italy a la crate we walked out as there was only one girl working all by herself. I heard one [... read more] night in the buffet they ran out of red wine, glad I drank white. Staff were short staffed thought out the resort. First week our rooms were cleaned mid day but second week the room was cleaned around 5-6pm. We had to leave room when they came to clean. I mentioned this to our air transat rep and all he could say was “embargo was the problem”. But overall weather and beaches were wonderful.

Playa Cayo Santa Maria Jan 27-Feb 3

We are a family of 5 and travel yearly to various destinations. In the 25+ years of travelling I have never taken the time to provide a review except to close friends and family. The reason for this review is because I think people considering a trip to Cayo Santa Maria, would benefit from an honest review. We have been to various places in Cuba about 5-6 times but most recently to Cayo Santa Maria 3 times in the last 2 years. We highly recommend this destination. The beautiful white sand  [... read more]beach is breathtaking and worth every penny and the 2 hour drive from the airport. We have all heard that Cuba is not known for its food but for its beaches..this is true to some extent. January 2019, my family (and my brothers family) stayed at Melia Las Dunas. It was great. The service, the variety of food and the options of different lunch areas and of course the beautiful beach. To be honest, the rooms were a little outdated but how much time so you really spend in your room?? We loved our trip so much that my brother and his family returned in June with his inlaws and nephews. they had a great experience. This year we decided to go back to Cayo Santa Maria but to my brothers request (he wanted to try a different resort) we choose the next hotel over -Playa Cayo. The reviews were good and the rating was positive. We had 24 people in our group. We arrived at 9:30 pm with Air Canada and arrived at the hotel at 11:30. Even though we were basically the only guests arriving at that time, checking in took forever. Only 2 people at the front desk to register 24 people into 8 rooms. We have small children, elderly people and we were hungry and tired and just wanted to settle in...but no one is in any hurry to get things going. As a group you'd think they would have put us all in the same block or at least close by to each other..nope! We were scattered and unfortunately the elders in our group (total of 6 people) were put in the block furthest to the central area of the resort . It was too late to make any changes and no one wants to move the next day when you have already settled in? Everyone stayed in their assigned rooms. The only thing open to get some food at that time is the snack bar. The selection of food was limited and not appetizing. The burgers looked like they were processed meat covered in a thick batter. No fries just a teaspoon of what they call salad. the pizza was made with a dough that was a thick pita bread and the cheese used is what I know now to be the extact cheese used at every buffet at lunch and dinner. they use cut up hotdogs for pepperoni. This was not a good start . We are not picky eaters and just thought tomorrow would be better. Well it was. The buffet at breakfast was typical except no bacon, no hashbrowns to brown bread no jam or peanut butter and the coffee was absolute garbage. Cuba typically has awesome coffee so we were perplexed to be given this dark water. My review of this place will never end if I continue so in a nutshell here is what our next 6 days consisted of. The food is circulated for lunch and dinner. There is no difference EVER from one day to the next. Same food items all day. The coffee in the dining room is awful. Its good at the coffee bar but the line up crazy. There are a few lunch option areas although they to repeat. They are not towel crazy and are quite liberal with beach towels. The palapas in this area of the beach are limited therefore you need to get there by 7:30 to secure chairs and palapas. There are always guys on the beach willing to get the chairs for a fee. The beach buffet has the most god awful feces smell. We think their sewage system is not maintained. You can actually see the water seep thorough the ground in this area. The wait for a pizza at the beach buffet is 45 mins-only 1 person working and he does not hustle. The hotdogs on the beach grill are great but the wait is also long with only 1 panini press and 1 person working it. The service at this lacking, especially in the food areas. There were limited people working and they really don't go above any beyond to get you drinks or clear the tables-this was disappointing. Our big concern was the alcohol being served at the beach bar. 5 of us drinking the same vodka/soda, rum and cokes and mojitos all got major headaches the first night. we noticed that the alcohol being poured into our bubbas was from 2 different bottles at the same time. Hard to explain but witnessed by a number of us. I think they use some of the "real" stuff to make it look legit but top it with "crap" or tainted stuff..this we cannot prove but coincidence that we all felt the effects and we are all social drinkers. The animation team was great. Had the guest participating on the beach and pool all the time. The night shows were a little disappointing and boring. Rooms were very nice. AC worked great, Great showers and nice set up. Never in our past travels did we have anything taken from our rooms. Unfortunately, this time 3 of our families had something taken from our rooms. A bracelet, face cream and a container with dish soap (to wash out our beach bubbas). We were told that the simple things like dish soap, laundry detergent are limited on the island and locals fight over these things at supermarkets when they do become available. These items taken were not essential and important to us and did not merit a complaint just so that someone would loose their job but we were diffidently disappointed and afraid that other things would go missing. The trust was lost. Will I return to Cuba? Yes. but not for a while. Will I return to Playa Cayo? Unfortunately not.