Sol Cayo Santa Maria Reviews

Just returned from two weeks of total relaxation.What a fantastic place and such wonderful people.From our very first Hola to our farewell handshake,hugs and Adios on our departing coach from the entertainment team we were looked after like royalty.These folk have next to nothing but we feel they would give you the shirt of their back if you wanted it.Food was very good and plenty of it.Tables are set out with two sets of knives and forks because they know you will want to try something else.The beach was amazing,Robinson Crusoe came to mind.As the other reports have stated,the resort is in a biosphere,full of wildlife.Large frogs and land crabs crossing your path.Although the mosquito's are a pain it will not put us off going again.After reading previous reports i took my own mosquito net so at least we could have a good nights sleep.Trips are inexpensive and well worth taking as you can see the real Cuba.The entertainment team put their heart and soul in to the evening shows.The relaxing ambiance of the piano bar was excellent too.We have had many all inclusive holidays but Cuba and its charismatic people have stolen our hearts.Cannot wait to go back.

This was our 3rd trip to Cuba, and it was brilliant! We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cayo Santa Maria consists of 3 hotels set amidst an eco friendly nature reserve.
We stayed at the Sol Cayo Santa Maria. We had a family room - two seperate rooms joined by a connecting door.The rooms were huge, and so were the bathrooms. We were delighted to find a spa bath in our bathroom, but unfortunately it didnt work. But hey, never mind.

We couldnt fault the food in any of the restaurants.The buffet restaurant had a vast selection to choose from, which catered for most tastes - even my fussy 13 year old, and thats saying something!
The Italian restaurant was lovely, and the food was delicious.You had to book this as it was al a carte, and only open in the evenings.During the day you could get a snack from the pool bar, or a light meal from the beach grill or Creole restaurant.The fresh fish was amazing!There was also a pizzaria, and the pizzas were all freshly made in front of you.
The staff were all polite and very friendly, although the language barrier could sometimes be a bit of a problem, but we all managed with a bit of sign language and gesticulating - staff included.

The maid service was good, we didnt have any problems, although many people werent having their bed sheets changed for 3 or 4 days, but a quick word with the rep soon sorted it out.

The weather was superb, considering we went during the rainy season. It rained twice, and that was during the night or evening.We were caught out one evening,sitting at the lobby bar when we had a sudden torrential downpour, but we all ended up singing in the rain, and made the most of it. It was a good laugh!
The daytime entertainment was the usual water aerobics, and games on the beach, but the entertainment team seemed to favour the Italians more for this type of thing, and didnt really involve the English much, so we let them get on with it.The evening entertainment was a nightly show, but we didnt see it so cant really comment on that.
If you wanted a spot on the beach with shade you had to get up at the crack of dawn, and put your towel out, as the Italians got them all. Not good if you have kids.This did annoy us as you dont expect to go somewhere like Cuba and have to get up at 5am to get a good spot on the beach!

I would recommend out of the excursions:
Swimming with dolphins. You get 20 mins in the sea with the dolphins, and everyone has a turn. Very exhilarating
The Key safari:
A day out on the ocean on a Catamaran. You stop off to snorkel a couple of times, visit a beach that is from paradise, and have a lobster lunch on the boat.You spend about 7 hours on the boat. A word of warning though. Do this trip on your second week, because you fry on that boat. Even with factor 50! But it finishes off the tan lovely.The tour guides are good fun, and up for a laugh and joke.
These were the trips we did, but others did the Havana trip, and said it was great.

The only problem we did have was the mosquitos. From the moment we got off the plane we were bitten all over.And none of the products you take with you work. I had Autan, Tropical Jungle spray, citronella, anti-histamine pills and creams. They dont work. Even the rep told us this at the welcome meeting.She said if we go back to buy products with 70% Deet in it. Jungle formula had 50%. It didnt help with the rain either, that makes them worse as this is when they breed apparently. There is a Dr on site, but he will give you all of the above, but many people said it didnt work either. The only saving grace was in the 2nd week, we werent bit as much. God knows why?

All in all we had a fantastic holiday, met some lovely people, and would definitely recommend it.

We booked with Thomas Cook and flew out from Gatwick on Excel Airways on Sun 26th June - after a 4hour delay we finally took off for sunny Cuba!
The flight took us 8hours 45mins - shorter than what we were expecting (in the broacher it said it would take anything between 10 and 12).

We flew into Santa Clara Airport which was very small - we were waiting beside the plane to go through customs because there was such a large queue! You have to go through individually (small children are allowed to go with one parent) whilst they check your passport and visa.
It gets very crowded around the luggage collection point, some of the staff were taking the cases off the belt and placing them at either side - bit of a nightmare trying to find anything in there!

The transfer from the airport to the hotel took about an hour and 30mins - we arrived just before 10 in the evening so couldn't really see that much of Cuba. When we arrived at the hotel there were dancers at reception to greet us - lovely but seeing as we'd been up almost 22hours didn't really spend too long looking around (the coach guide handed out the room keys and safe keys along with a small map of the hotel on the way there). The main buffet restaurant was open so went straight there!
Took us a while to find our room - unfortunately for us some of the lights along the paths weren't on so was a bit difficult to see where we were going. We ended up asking a member of staff who gave us directions! 30mins later the bell boys brought up our suit cases - they're very friendly and so grateful for any tip you give them.

The next morning we went down to the pool which is clean but after our 2 weeks there it ended up with leaves from the palm trees, dirt and other bits floating around in it! Make sure that you put plenty of cream on - even if it's cloudy - I didn't realise just how strong the sun was at 10am and burnt the tops of my shoulders! Very painful! And spent the next 2days under the umbrellas (which are dotted all around the pool)!

The beach is lovely - just how it looked in the broacher - white sand and crystal clear sea. There are umbrellas down there but it can get very busy and on 1 day we weren't able to get one. There's a beach restaurant/snack bar which does burgers/fish/chicken which was good. I wouldn't recommend that you eat there in the evening as we got attacked by hundreds of flies and mosquitoes and ended up leaving just after the main meal was brought up. (We brought insect repellent from Tesco's (Autan, in the yellow spray) but it didn't really do much, a few of the people we meet out there said they'd brought the ";jungle"; one - they were hardly bitten so buy that. And LOTS of it!!)

We aren't keen on pork so we didn't visit the Cuban restaurant but I heard that it had the same problem as the beach restaurant - lots of mosquitoes. We ate in the Italian restaurant which was lovely. The food was amazing and the service from the staff was excellent.
The main buffet tended to serve a lot of the same things each night - pasta, chips, prawns/shrimps, jacket pot's but the quality of the food was excellent - couldn't complain.

There are lots of activities to do during the day - cannoning, basketball, table tennis, pool, volleyball etc. The staff organised a couple of games of water basketball and volleyball and gave salsa lessons as well!

We went on the Dolphin and the Sugar and Rum trip. The dolphins were amazing - it's a 3hour coach journey to the south of Cuba (so take snacks!) but def worth it. We were in the water with them for about 30mins, you're able to stroke them and ";kiss"; them. The trainers then get you to lay on your front with your legs and arms out straight and the dolphins push you up and out of the water! We both loved it - def worth the money.
The Sugar and Rum trip was also very good, you start the day off by visiting a sugar museum then go on the stream train and then onto the rum factory. In the afternoon we stopped off at a farm where were had lunch, saw a cow being milked, rode a horse and watched an old man climb a palm tree with just a few bits of rope! It wasn't that expensive but wouldn't suit young kids.

We were booked in to go on the catamaran but Hurricane Dennis meant that the trip was cancelled! The Tomas Cook Rep's had arranged for us to be evacuated to a hotel in Holguin (which is where we finally ended up taking off from). The Rep's Avril and Yasmin were both really friendly and had a good knowledge of the hotel/Cuba and it's history.

I visited the doctor at the hotel 'cause of an ear infection and have to say that I wasn't expecting him to speak much English but he was very friendly and he's English was good. You have to pay a consultation fee of 20 pesos and the treatment is on top of that.

As I said before we took off from a different Airport leaving Cuba - this was bigger although there isn't much to buy there so I'd recommend that you change up most of your money before going through. The flight home took about 8hours 50mins - because of the move to the new hotel we didn't take off on time but Excel were good to us because they had arranged to fly into Holguin - otherwise it would have been another long trip on another coach back to Santa Clara!

We both had an excellent holiday here and would def recommend this to anyone - just make sure that you buy some good repellent!

Just returned from 2 weeks in Cuba, first time to this beautiful Island.

THE FLIGHT
XL com should be ashamed of themselves for laying on a plane that had us packed in like sardines, to the point that many people couldn't pull down their trays. Not great on a 10.5 hr flight. They ran out of food and some of us didnt get any food. The couple next to us drank 8 bottles of red wine EACH and the crew just kept serving them until the woman threw up everywhere. The in flight entertainment failed on the way out. One of the crew also mistakenly opened a door incorrectly and inflated the escape chute, thus the plane was then stranded in Cuba, bad luck to the 300+ waiting to get on to return home. Great start.

THE AIRPORT
Tiny, expect queue's. Has a little duty free shop that sells cuban cigars at half the price charged in the hotel.
THE TRANSFER
About a 90 min drive, we had a police escort both ways. You will be stunned by the humble existance that Cubans lead.
THE HOTEL
Room was spacious, very clean, SAT TV with about 6 US stations. Best chambermaids Ive ever come across. The towel statues have to be seen to be believed.
Bars all excellent, plenty of soft drinks and variety of beers, cocktails and wines. Cannot fault one bit. Clean Pools.
THE BEACH
Absolutely perfect. Crystal clear water and soft sand. Loads of free watersports.

THE FOOD
Breakfasts consisted of ranges of breads, croissants etc. Scrambled eggs, spicy sausages, bacon, other cooked options. Freshly cooked pancakes, fresh fruit and juices, cerials, yoghurt drinks, cheeses and meats.
Lunch was grilled chicken, chops, beef, veggies, chips, salads, pasta, pizza, prawns, etc. Best Pizzas at los cocos.
Dinner was a carvery, with a variety of options, fish, meats, some veggie, always pastas etc. Desserts excellent. We heard mixed reviews on the italian restaurant but didnt go ourselves.
In general, the food was fine, bit limited for vegetarians, which my partner found challenging. You have to be careful with food left unattended as flies can be a problem. We tended to ensure we watched food being cooked to ensure it hadnt stood too long.
The toasted sandwiches at the pool bar are excellent.

THE SERVICE
Absolutely first rate. The cubans were very friendly and couldent do enough for us. We knew about the poverty and shortages of certain items in Cuba and went well armed with paracetamol, pencils, childrens clothing, adult underwear etc and we gave these away instead of tips. The staff were extremely grateful and we made some great friends and were glad we could help them out.

IN GENERAL
Always able to get a sunbed either on the beach or at the pool, no queue's in restaurants, hotel never felt overcrowded at any time, mosquitoes a problem at certain times, take strong repellant and afterbite and antihistamine.

Overall this was a great holiday, good value for money but you should do a few trips to see the real Cuba, as on Santa Maria, you are hidden away in paradise.

Just arrived back from the best holiday we have ever had, Sol Cayo Santa Maria was marvellous a true 5 Star resort hotel.

Our only complaint would be that Excel Airways are a crap airline, and that Santa Clara Airport is small and not really ready for international flight services, but lets not dwell on the negatives.

Money

Although the resort is all-inclusive, you will need some money for excursions and bits n bobs, take as much sterling as necessary to cover this. The conversion rate for sterling is quite good, extra charges are made for traveller's cheques and credit cards are not widely accepted.

Also note, Scottish and N-Irish notes are not accepted, it has to be English mint money.

Santa Clara Airport

A small former military base that is only really equipped for internal flights, there is only 1 luggage conveyor and because of very strict immigration and contraband checks (drug sniffer dogs everywhere) it took us over 2 hours to get through the airport.

Once out of the airport you can go back into departures where there is a small kiosk for changing money, the rates are generally better here than at the resort.

Sol Cayo Santa Maria

Simply the best resort I have ever stayed in, as you arrive a full Cuban band and dancers, along with the usual Coctail, welcome you. We had been given an envelope on the bus to resort with our key cards and other details in it, so there was no need check in at the resort.

The resort is very large with bungalows and apartments spread around quite a large area so finding your room can be a little difficult at first, however you do get a map. You don't need to worry about your cases as they are brought to your room by a convoy of stretched golf buggies after you arrive.

Rooms

Very good standard, we had adjoining cabana bungalows, the maid service was second to none, with elaborate towel and flower displays and handwritten notes every day.

Take an old loyalty card with you (it must have a magnetic strip on the back), as your door key card operates the electricity. You can then use this card to keep your air-conditioning running while your out

Food

The food at Sol Cayo was excellent, my two girls are very picky, but never complained once as there is such a vast selection. We only really used the buffet for main meals because the choice was so good; however friends we made at the resort used the Italian al-a-carte and the Cuban Creole Barbeque and said they were very good.

Snacks are available throughout the day at the pool bar, beach bar and club flamencos all of which were very good.

Drinks

The best all-inclusive we've had yet, the beer was not bad and there was an excellent selection of spirits and cocktails. Tea and coffee was available at the patio bar, which was open 24 hours a day, very good cappuccino.

Pools and Facilities

There is 3 very large pools which are cleaned daily, surrounded by lush tropical gardens and palm trees, the whole Cayo is part of a Unesco nature reserve so the complex is low impact, built into gardens and mangrove jungle. There is plenty of sunbeds so no need to get up too early, and there are no Germans there to do the 5am towel run anyway.

There is also a gym with sauna, water sports centre on the beach (non motorised), hairdressers, beauty therapist and massage centre, activities centre (pool, table football, games, books table tennis etc) very large kids club / crèche.

Beach

The beach and sea is marvellous, looking seaward the beach to the left-hand side of the resort is clothing optional (nudist) and it is not well signposted so you can wonder into the naked ones without knowing, particularly traumatic if you have kids with you as the naked ones are generally ugly people who need ironing.

This was also a bit of an issue as the best snorkelling is around a rocky outcrop past their end of the beech, someone suggested jokingly blindfolding your kids to lead them past this part of the beach so they don't suffer any long term trauma.

You must try the Hobbie Cats, they are free but you are expected to tip your skipper.

Trips

We went swimming with Dolphins, deep-sea fishing and on the Catamaran, all of which were excellent.

Weather

June to October is the rainy/hurricane season, we had very good weather, it was very hot. It only rained on 5 occasions and that was mainly in the evening, some excellent electrical storms with breathtaking lightning, the last couple of days of the holiday were a little bit rough as we caught the tail-end of tropical storm Arlene (that was cool, lightning hit one of the complex's lightning conductors and you could feel the charge in the atmosphere)

Hints and Tips

Take a romantic walk to the beach bar (which is closed) on a clear night, take a torch to help you navigate if you're a bit timid, then look up, you will never see as many stars as you do on Cayo Santa Maria, its breathtaking.

Cuba still has lots of problems; the population are better educated than us (everybody can go to university fee of charge) and have a better national health system, and whilst their rationing system guarantees them the basics necessary for survival there are lots of other things they just cant get hold of.

The national wage in Cuba is 20 Convertible Cuban Pesos per month or £12.50; this converts to 500 Cuban Pesos (still £12.50). Deodorant at the shop at Sol Cayo Santa Maria (the only shop for 45 kilometres) costs 6 C.C.P or £3.75, so you can see the problem.

Don't for one minute think these figures are some kind of con to get more tips out of you, I saw their wage slips, and even the 2 qualified doctors who are permanently on site get the same. 7 of the 10 bar men I got to know very well had degrees, 4 of them Masters degrees, all of them spoke at least 4 languages fluently. They will all tell you that they would kill for the jobs they had as the tips make a massive difference to their lifestyles, tourism is a real way out of poverty for them.

So keep up the good work we started, as the Brits are new to this resort. We are not wealthy but we gave out over £300 in tips, and don't forget the gardeners, cooks and ancillary staff, give them something, bartenders and maids tend to fare well because you interact with them more.

We also gifted people many of our clothes, toiletries, baseball caps, fishing tackle, watches even batteries. One of the animation team summed it up for us, what we consider cheap crap can change a Cubans life.

Critters

June to October is also mosquito season, so take lots of repellents, cream and antihistamine with you, you will need it. The resort is fogged regularly but this only keeps the numbers down as does repellents, we saw people with literally hundreds of bites.

Also beware if you're not a nature lover as the complex is full of land crabs, frogs, lizards, birds and bugs, we loved it.

All in All

The best holiday we've ever had, we made some good friends from England, Scotland, N-Ireland, Wales, Canada and Cuba, there were also a lot of Italians at the resort but they tend to keep themselves to themselves.

We will go back to Cuba, and would go back to Cayo Santa Maria if we can get direct flights from Manchester next year (don't fancy the long trip to and from Gatwick on top of the 9 hour plus flight again)