Playa Cayo Santa Maria — Hotel in Caibarién

UPDATE! We vacationed here again in March 2025 for a week and wow there has been so many improvements since we last visited in 2023! Again we loved it so much that we will be going again next year !! This place has our heart and we will continue going here for as long as we can! Everything was perfect for us 5. We brought my mother in law and sister and they want to come back asap!! -We wanted to thank some workers that helped make our stay extra special too: Yanny, Jesus, Lauren, Yoice, Eliany, yramis (our maid not sure of her actual spelling) and many more ! We will be back!!

LOVED IT! My little family of 3 vacationed here March 18-24, 2023 and we really loved it. I would say the staff members are what made it memorable for us. WE LOVE CUBA. We felt so safe any time of day or night. Security always around. It was our first time visiting Cuba but we will be back. The workers all around are so very kind and appreciative and will go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and accommodated. So generous too! We made sure to tip the landscapers, pool cleaners, and the custodians/ maids etc also. Not just the bartenders. We made many friends from the resort but also different families from around the world. The A La Carte restaurants that you make reservations for were simply delicious !!!! Gorgeous beach within walking distance!! Nice big deep pool right beside our hotel. There were no bugs either besides the random flies in the food areas. Nobody annoyed us about excursions or presentations, they just let you be and relax. The atmosphere was beautiful with live singers and/or music played everyday in the lobby/pool areas. Nice lights, swings on the side of walkways to stop and enjoy. Great vibes. Entertainment every night and they allowed children on the stage before the main event and staff would do games/songs with them. Very sweet. The rooms were very clean and the a/c was nice a cold. I believe you have to pay for Wifi but I had data. The landscape was so pretty with various plants/trees/flowers! The building looked fancy on the outside but the inside could definitely use a little TLC (scuff marks, dirty walls, outdated furniture, just minor things) There were 24/hr bars and snack bars (but food was very limited at that snack bar). I suggest to tourist to tip with bills when possible and not coins as coins are useless to the staff in a sense that their banks wont even take them. They will accept them with gratitude but having spoke to a few tourists that's what I learned.

A couple things that we were a little disappointed about: A few items listed on the resort map layout were no longer applicable but still on the paper. For example, there is no longer an Asian restaurant on site as listed. No burgers when they show 2 burger logo locations near the beach. There are hotdogs (sometimes), pizza (you wait in line for pizza) sandwiches and fries. There are less options for food in the big buffets but to be expected I would say... but the presentation was nice and the servers were always very professional and helpful. The map states that water, beer and other items are restocked in the mini fridge daily however there was only 1 bottle of water in there a day and no beer or anything else. I would think that since 3 people are staying here, 3 people should be provided with water in such a hot country. There’s an ice cream parlour on site that shows assorted nestle ice cream bars on the building however there were no bars or anything nestle. Just hard ice cream. Chocolate with no cone either. I feel the paper should reflect what is there now. You get charged 20$ a beach towel if not returned when you leave. We thought we had lost 2 of the 3 and were charged $40 then we found 1, returned it shortly after but were not reimbursed for it. They would not accept visa debit at the stores and we ran out of cash so that was a bummer (unfortunately we don't own a credit card) but we will be more prepared next year. I can't think of any other things but these are just minor things to us. The good outweighed...

My fiance and I just came back from a week in paradise! This was my second time at the resort and I enjoyed it just as much as my first time. Here is my very honest review:

The main attraction at Playa Cayo Santa Maria is of course the beach. Waters this turquoise and sand this white should be a sin. And that's why we go, right? For the beautiful beach and climate, and a break from the monotony of our day-to-day lives. Also, the grounds are always kept so nice and pristine. The resort Is very clean and well-maintained (except when rude and inconsiderate guests decide to throw cups and plates on the ground instead of discarding their garbage in a garbage can -- I never understood how people can be so lazy and gross.)

The pools are also lovely. There are 4 pools total with plenty of loungers available. The main pool was bumping with Spanish music, games and flowing booze from the swim up bar. For those looking for some relaxation and quiet, there are 2 smaller pools that look like something out of a fancy spa.

The service. For the most part, everyone was super kind and wonderful. However, the servers at the bars (lobby, coffee and beach) seemed miserable -- no warm welcome what's so ever. But in all fairness they were understaffed and maybe felt overwhelmed,

The food. Cuba is not known for the food but we didn't mind. I'm South American so I can eat rice and beans everyday and be very content. The made-to-grill foods at the main and beach buffets were always tasty. I especially loved the tilapia. You do have to wait a long time to get something grilled or an omelet at the buffet but again I think this was a staffing issue. A la carte restaurants were great, no complaints.

The room. Probably the most comfortable room I've stayed in in Cuba. A large and comfortable king-size bed greeted us every night. The AC worked perfectly. However, the toilet did give us some trouble.

The property has a very nice cigar lounge where you can buy and smoke cigars, we loved coming here after the shows to unwind with a glass of rum and a good cigar.

The animation team has a lot heart and they work hard to keep everyone entertained. They are all wonderful.

My biggest complaint was the number of local guests at the resort who quite frankly did not have much respect for others, I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing but many stayed in the same building we were at and they made noise well into the morning -- I'm talking about 2 am. Singing, banging doors, face timing family members blasting music. It was agrevating. Also, in the buffets and bars it was the locals cutting in line or holding up the lines by ordering 20 pieces of grilled steak or 10 omelettes at a time for their families.

All in all, it was a great trip. And as a repeat guests, we got some nice perks that made the trip extra special.

A very special thank you to these wonderful human beings who made the trip even better:

Denis -- our chamber maid who was always attentive and made sure our room was to our liking. He even gave us his water bottle once because we drank all of our water and needed another bottle for the beach .

Greity from the beach grill -- her smile and positive attitude was so heartwarming

Julio the gardener -- a kind and humble older gentleman who was always smiling and gracious. If you see him around bungalow 4 please say hello. He is a very special person.

Yandy form the buffet -- a gentleman and great conversationist

Martha from client relations -- Very professional and empathetic and was always willing to help with everything we needed.

Jorge from the Cigar lounge -- a really cool guy with great drink and cigar recommendations. He was by far the best bar server we met.

Dioslinda at the Internet cafe -- so patient and sweet.

Plus so many more!

If you do go, gifts are so welcome. I brought bags of gently used clothing for the workers and their families and it was so appreciated, Tipping is encouraged too :)

Enjoy your time, be kind and remember we are guests and we should treat everyone with dignity and respect....

We enjoyed our stay. This resort sits an unwelcome 2 hours from the nearest airport, but is on a controlled access island making it very safe.

Once on the resort, there are many amenities available to you for free, though there is an underlying expectation of tips (1-5 CUC). The staff is generally friendly but it's hit and miss, some times our staff would be very accommodating, laughing and smiling and other times not at all.

Made up of a series of 3-5 storey buildings, each building is within close range of it's own pool. We had an ocean facing room in building 7, which was close to the ocean and the 2 biggest pools on the site and the gathering spot known as the 'snack bar'. The room was underwhelming but charming; one of our dresser drawers were broken, the bed was very uncomfortable but the shower and washroom were great. Each room has a TV and there is a surprising amount of English/American content. Your room will have a safe for valuables.

The main source of food is the buffet, food is generally bland and luke warm, even immediately after the buffet opens. There are some gems that you will find through trial and error (churros and flambe crepes with fruit). The resort has several 'a la carte' restaurants you have to book in advance (still free). The food was generally better but still bland/luke warm. My favorite was the Italian restaurant - the spaghetti was great. The best breakfast was scrambled eggs at the snack bar with a cappuccino. The best lunch is at the Pescador next to the snack bar and dinner is always a crapshoot. Drinks are always free, but the resort has only small cups and glasses, bring big bubba cups, which staff will gladly fill for you.

There is a small market in the main building where you can buy smokes, booze, cigars, sunscreen, juice/pop, snacks, etc. Prices are on par for a tourist resort. There is a small bank telle that will change your money into the local tourist currency, 1:1 with USD. The main building also contains a few small bars, a cigar lounge and an ampitheatre that has nightly dance shows. The main attraction is the open-air 'lobby bar', with its high ceilings and warm breeze is always full of people and live music.

Each of the clusters of buildings has their own pool and in the center of the resort is the party pool. Our local pool was clean, always had enough seating/shelter and was a nice quiet place to win and relax. The main party pool is where all the drunks hang out, and there is a daily pool-zumba to keep the drunks from passing out in the pool. Resort staff dance while yelling into a microphone that can be heard from miles away ("oh my god, lets do it, 1-2-3-4..follow the leader leader"). It's oddly charming but you will grow tired of it quickly.

The beaches in Cuba are the highlight of the trip, this resort is essentially an island that is 30 miles out to sea, so you will experience warm blue-turquoise beaches and some of the finest sand on earth. There is plenty of chairs/shelters available at no cost, lifeguards and intermittent drink service. There are no rock formations or reef anywhere nearby so leave the snorkel gear at home. Kayaks and windsurfers are available to use, as well as rides in catamarans. Great beach!

There is an hourly bus service from the main building to an off-site tourist market that has street vendors, restaurants and a bowling alley(?). There is a nice lookout tower here and unfortunately we did not have time to sample the restaurants. There are some really nice cabs you can take, all brightly colored American Cars from the 50's. There is a patch of 100-200 pink flamingos about 2 minutes from the resort that we did not know about until we were leaving, but you could likely walk there is 10-15 minutes or ask a cabbie to bring you there.

In conclusion, the resort is hit and miss. There is a definite charm here, we have warm memories of some of the meals, people, pools and beaches but for what we paid, the expectation for more was always a bit of...