9 Best Resorts in Cayo Santa Maria [2024 Hotels Guide]
One of Cuba’s most popular beach destinations, Cayo Santa Maria has all the postcard-perfect beaches and tranquil turquoise waters you’re dreaming of. As locals, we’ve been to nearly all of Cuba’s most famous beaches, but Cayo Santa Maria stands out as having some of the most pristine and untouched shores we’ve seen on this paradise island.
Planning your getaway to one of the stunning new resorts in Cayo Santa Maria that is putting this island on the map? These are the best Cayo Santa Maria resorts to consider for your dream beach vacation in one of Cuba’s most beautiful cays.
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Best Resorts in Cayo Santa Maria
Unlike neighboring cays in Cuba’s Jardines del Rey like Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa Maria is generally known for its smaller resorts, many with less than 350 rooms, offering a real boutique feel and experience for visitors. It’s part of what makes the island a real hit with most visitors.
Looking for our top picks of the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria? These are the options that all kinds of travelers will love:
- Best Resort in Cayo Santa Maria: Royalton Cayo Santa Maria
- Best Family-Friendly Resort in Cayo Santa Maria: Paradisus Los Cayos
- Best Adults-Only Resort in Cayo Santa Maria: Melia Buenavista
Take care if you’re booking one of the Melia properties on the island; there are several on the island to choose from and many people get them confused when booking, though they’re all among the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria.
Read on for our full breakdown of these resorts in Cayo Santa Maria and other impressive options, including the best family-friendly resorts on the island and the most romantic destinations for an adults-only retreat.
Cayo Santa Maria Resorts
1. Royalton Cayo Santa Maria
Best Resort in Cayo Santa Maria
The Royalton Cayo Santa Maria was awarded by TripAdvisor as the number one all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean in 2023, and it’s easy to see why. At just 122 rooms, this adults-only resort, with its boutique-like feel, impeccable service, and next-level amenities, is one of our top picks for among the best resorts in Cuba.
The resort’s smaller size is refreshing, especially considering the usually oversized nature of the resorts found along the pristine shores of the cays of Cuba. Among the best all inclusive resorts in Cuba, it’s one of the smallest.
Despite its smaller size, three restaurants and four bars, plus a signature spa and fitness center, offer significant variety for travelers. Unlimited access to non-motorized watersports on the resort’s untouched white sand beachfront makes it a winner for travelers looking to enjoy the most of their beach stay in Cayo Santa Maria.
Reviews and Bookings: Royalton Cayo Santa Maria
Plan a Trip to Cuba’s Beaches
2. Paradisus Los Cayos
Best Family-Friendly Resort in Cayo Santa Maria
Paradisus Los Cayos is more than just our top recommendation for the best family-friendly resort in Cayo Santa Maria – it’s our top choice for the best family-friendly resort in all of Cuba, and is one of the best all inclusive resorts in Cuba.
A fantastic kids’ club and plenty of spaces around the resort dedicated exclusively to families are highlights. Exceedingly calm waters on the beach and the extensive choices of food and activities really help the resort cater to families with kids of all ages.
Paradisus Los Cayos is among the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria, even for travelers without kids in tow. Rooms are modern and stylish – many with swim-up access – and the resort’s numerous restaurants, bars, lounges, and beautiful beachfront are unforgettable. The resort also offers excellent options for upgrades in club rooms, both for families and exclusively for adults, which include private outdoor space and club-level-only amenities.
Reviews and Bookings: Paradisus Los Cayos
Cuba Accommodation Guides
3. Melia Buenavista
Best Adults-Only Resort in Cayo Santa Maria
Melia Hotels & Resorts has numerous properties in Cayo Santa Maria, but its adults-only Melia Buenavista resort in the Buenavista Biosphere Reserve is by far the most impressive. Newly designed villas are some of the only of their kind in Cayo Santa Maria, though even the standard rooms at this newer resort are impressive.
Melia Buenavista offers all the amenities you could be looking for in an adults-only beach stay: two gorgeous swimming pools with plenty of space for whiling the day away, three pristine stretches of beach, and seven restaurants and bars. The resort’s YHI Aguas Frescas Spa is arguably the best spa in Cayo Santa Maria.
Reviews and Bookings: Melia Buenavista
What to Pack for Cuba
Check out our Ultimate Cuba Packing List to help you pack for your trip – we’re sharing exactly what to bring to Cuba and what we never travel without.
4. Grand Memories Santa Maria
The 342-room all-inclusive Grand Memories Santa Maria offers the personalized service and attention of a boutique resort while boasting incredible amenities across its expansive coastal property, making it one of the most popular resorts in Cayo Santa Maria. Colorful, breezy Caribbean design throughout the property and in updated rooms makes for a welcoming touch.
Grand Memories Santa Maria features an excellent kids club and plenty of family-friendly spaces and dining options, making it another one of the most popular family-friendly resorts in Cayo Santa Maria. Guests at the resort also get access to the amenities and spaces at the neighboring Memories Santa Maria, giving even more space to spread out and enjoy tons of options for entertainment and enjoyment.
Reviews and Bookings: Grand Memories Santa Maria
Resort Guides in Cuba
5. Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria is the all-inclusive, adults-only side of the larger Grand Memories Santa Maria resort. It offers a kid-free environment and unique amenities like butler service and even more dining options, including complimentary 24-hour room service, on top of those already available at the adjacent Grand Memories Santa Maria property.
For travelers looking for a little more luxury, the upgrade is well worth it. The personalized attention and service, as well as even more spacious and well-appointed rooms and suites, are highlights for guests. Of course, the white sand beachfront characteristic of the entire Cayo Santa Maria is the ultimate star of the show.
Reviews and Bookings: Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria
Travel Insurance
Cuba requires that all travelers have proof of a comprehensive travel insurance policy in order to enter the country. Check out our guide to travel insurance for Cuba for more details. We recommend these brands for Cuba travel insurance:
- Visitors Coverage: Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries, though not currently available to residents of New York and Maryland in the United States.
- Insubuy: Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries and states of the United States.
6. Melia Cayo Santa Maria
Melia Cayo Santa Maria is the prestigious resort brand’s family-friendly five-star resort on Cayo Santa Maria, rivaling only its nearby adults-only Melia Buenavista. Among the resort’s highlights are its bungalow-style accommodations, which lend a natural feel to this pristine beachfront location and give families and couples alike even more seclusion than at a traditional resort layout.
With six restaurants, five bars, two swimming pools, and an extensive beachfront with unlimited all-inclusive nonmotorized watersports, there is plenty to do and see here. While some areas of this slightly older and slightly outdated resort are starting to show their wear and tear, the facilities are impeccably clean and have much to offer.
Reviews and Bookings: Melia Cayo Santa Maria
7. Melia Las Dunas
Perched along one of the most untouched stretches of white sand on the island, Melia Las Dunas is one of the largest resorts in Cayo Santa Maria, a five-star all-inclusive resort that is ideal for both families and couples.
Dedicated family-friendly and adults-only spaces at the resort make it popular with all kinds of travelers, while its incredible range of amenities (a total of 17 different bars and restaurants – wow!) means that it really does have something for everyone.
Melia Las Dunas is one of the more affordable five-star resorts in Cayo Santa Maria, which makes it a popular option with more budget-conscious travelers or those looking for an extended stay. Access to some of the amenities at the neighboring Melia properties, including the YHI Spa at Melia Cayo Santa Maria, are added pluses.
Reviews and Bookings: Melia Las Dunas
8. Sol Cayo Santa Maria
Sol Cayo Santa Maria is part of the Melia Hotels & Resorts brand, a more affordable all-inclusive, adults-only experience for travelers in Cayo Santa Maria. In our opinion, it’s one of the best resorts in Cayo Santa Maria for budget-conscious travelers.
The four-star Sol Cayo Santa Maria offers excellent amenities like three different swimming pools, nine different bars and restaurants with different styles of cuisine across the expansive property, and cheery, colorful rooms with modern luxuries that make for quite a comfortable stay. Access to some of the amenities at the neighboring Melia properties, including the YHI Spa at Melia Cayo Santa Maria, are added pluses.
Reviews and Bookings: Sol Cayo Santa Maria
Travel Essential
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9. Starfish Cayo Santa Maria
One of the larger resorts on the island, the much-loved Starfish Cayo Santa Maria has long been among one of the most popular Cayo Santa Maria resorts. Stunning beachfront and pool areas, along with a good array of watersports to choose from and a robust entertainment program, make it a great destination for a beach vacation in Cuba.
While the food tends to be nothing to write home about and rooms slightly outdated style-wise, the resort offers great value in one of Cuba’s most beautiful destinations, making Starfish Cayo Santa Maria a popular destination with budget-conscious travelers and plenty of return guests.
Reviews and Bookings: Starfish Cayo Santa Maria
Carley Rojas Avila is a bilingual travel writer, editor, content marketer, and the founder of the digital travel publications Home to Havana and Explorers Away. She is a serial expat and traveler, having visited 40+ countries and counting. Carley has written for publications like Travel + Leisure, MSN, Associated Press, Weather Channel, Wealth of Geeks, and more. Find her front row at a Bad Bunny concert, befriending street cats, and taste-testing every pizza in Havana.