This is a marvelous choice for vacationers seeking a laid-back, unpretentious à la carte hotel on a lovely beach. Run by the Gaviota group, it offers a magnificent location too. Tucked into a broad cove, the narrow and curling sugar-white beach immediately east of the hotel shelves gently into turquoise shallows. The beach is never crowded, as the small hotel has it all to itself.

Opened in June 2006 with the otherwise virginal Playa Ensenachos all to itself, this massive and elegant all-inclusive has a prime location and combines superb facilities with a spectacular beach. It outdoes the rival Meliá on adjacent Cayo Santa María with a broader selection of facilities: more restaurants (including an Oriental option serving sushi and tepanyakki), more pools (three), etc. And even the quality of the food here reaches towards international standards.

The most upscale of the Meliá group´s three Cayo Santa María properties, this visual stunner rivals deluxe all-inclusive resorts elsewhere in the Caribbean, at least in ambiance and decor. The setting, of course, excels. The white sands here are stupendous, as are the turquoise waters, although there is very little shade. The grandiose lobby, with its open plan and reflecting pools with fountains, sets the tone with a dramatic welcome.

A cut above the neighboring and smaller Sol Cayo Santa María, this all-inclusive resort offers a modicum of luxury and is well worth the extra splurge. The setting on a gorgeous beach on a reclusive isle some 30 miles from the mainland tantalizes—you won´t find white sands or waters or purer turquoise anywhere in Cuba.

Hotel Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria Beach resort has a privileged location in one of most beautiful islands in Cuba.
This property will eventually be the largest hotel complex in Cuba, with a total of 4 hotels each named after a different Cuban city. The complex will be opened in 4 stages. First hotel – Barcelo Matanzas that offers 624 guestrooms is already opened.

An all-inclusive packed with European and Canadian package groups, this four-star property run by Spain´s Sol Meliá group was the first of the big hotels to open on Cayo Santa María. The hotel backs a gorgeous white sand beach and is surrounded by sea grapes and low scrub, with not a palm tree in sight. However, the beach is studded with thatched umbrellas for shade and palms shade the landscaped hotel grounds.