Hotel Playa Cayo Santa Maria

It was a beautiful resort with very friendly staff. Made a lot of new friends. I can definitely see why people keep coming back to this resort over and over. No major complaints with the food or service other than wishing they had printed menus at the à la cart because sometimes it was hard to understand what they were saying when they were telling us the menu so you get something different from what you thought you ordered. The beach and pool was wonderful and no shortage of chairs. It was nice not to have to fight to get a lounge chairs or be up at the crack of dawn trying to get a chair for the day. Also, the Wi-Fi was really good at this resort, especially in the rooms. Unfortunately, the resort is too far away to do any excursions but we knew this going down. We did take the catamaran out for an afternoon, but that was part of the hotel package. Really happy we bought the suite package because it gave us a lot of extra perks such as a free bottle of rum, fruit plate in the room, extra à la carte reservations, and four extra hours of late Checkout which was a major plus since our bus didn’t leave till 6 PM in the evening. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone and it deserves a 5 star rating. I would give it higher if they made a good margarita.

My two teenage daughters (17 and 14) and I just returned home this afternoon from our first trip to Playa Cayo Santa Maria and I wanted to make sure I posted right away while everything was fresh in my mind! I have been to Cuba nearly every year for the last 20 years. I have been to many places and experienced a wide variety of resorts. This trip was unlike the others. I am generally always overly keen to get home for lack of variety in the food, a stomach issue or just general homesickness, but this time I could have quite possibly just stayed as I was really getting to know the ropes and enjoying every day even more then the last. Now on to my review! Airport transfer - approximately an hour and a half bus ride from the airport, this bus ride is far from boring. The bus drivers in both directions gave us more information then I have ever received from anyone on an airport transfer in all my trips there. We enjoyed learning more about the culture there and the people and their economics, food sources, current challenges, etc. You pass through three towns on the ride and over the causeway to the Cayo area. The bus is well kept and comfortable and another sign they take such great pride and care in their services. The animacion/entertainment staff - I had the pleasure of getting to know Abi and Danilo of the animacion team but I know there were many others interacting with people both at the pool, the theatre area and the beach including the variety of activities they offer to the guests. Abi and Danilo quite literally changed the outcome of our trip just by engaging with us. We were keeping to ourselves, and it is because of their kindness and interaction with myself and my two teenage daughters, that they brought more smiles to our faces, and made the whole resort feel like home. Don't be shy - connect with these people - it is their job, but likewise brings joy to you as a guest and to the team as part of their work day. Danilo took time out of an already busy day to truly connect with my girls and I, offering up a game of chess at the theatre and some ping pong. Additionally, Danilo joined the Carnaval night (see below) with the guests to ensure we got to and from the event safely, and it was wonderful to see him ensure everyone was taken care of and having a good time. The night life - I will admit that I went to bed early most nights despite the offerings of nightly entertainment. This for me, was a first, getting plenty of rest while I was away. The rooms were quiet where we stayed but before we headed to bed, so much bustling activity could be found in the lobby, with offerings of great drinks, wine, coffee (we had exceptional mochas and hot chocolates) and social offerings as well as live music performances both in the evenings and throughout the day. So nice to see the lobby alive like that as a place to connect with other guests. The lobby also hosts temporary tattoos for the kids (or adults) by Rolly and I also