A Locals Guide: Travel To Cayo Santa Maria Cuba (2024)

Cayo Santa Maria Cuba is the name of one of three small paradisiacal Caribbean islands, or keys, that makeup what is called Cayos de Villa Clara, off the northern coast of the Cuban main island.

I spent a couple of weeks here, and it is truly a tropical haven with nothing but dreamy beaches and all-inclusive resorts as long as the eye can see. Maybe that is what you are looking for in Cuba?

Be aware, though, that Cayo Santa Maria is quite far away from most other interesting Cuban destinations. Read on to find out if Cayo Santa Maria is for you.

Summary Cayo Santa Maria In The Cuban Keys

• Island triplet off the northern coast of Cuba
• Completely dedicated to all-inclusive resorts, there is no town center
• Close to the Jardin del Rey coral reefs
• Airport: Abel Santamaria International Airport
• 1,5-hour drive from Santa Clara on the main island
• Perfect holidays for resorts, water sports, beach life
• Far away from other interesting destinations in Cuba

Where is Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

This little secluded island paradise in Cuba is situated north of Santa Clara town, a few hours east of the capital, Havana, along the northern shores of the island to the Atlantic Ocean.

The keys are about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from the city of Santa Clara, and in order to get out there, you need to pass a 48-kilometer-long stone causeway running from the main island out to the keys.

Cayo Santa Maria Cuba Map

To put you in the right place on the map above, Cayo Santa Maria is number 1.

I also put in some of the most popular and well-known destinations in Cuba, like nearby Santa Clara, Varadero, and the capital, Havana, to give you an idea of direction and distance!

Los Cayos, the keys are, apart from Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Las Brujas, and Cayo Ensenachos, and they are all interconnected by bridges and causeways.

This small island group is also part of a larger archipelago called the Jardines del Rey (the king’s gardens), consisting of hundreds of coral reefs and islands off the northern Cuban shores.

Out here in this low archipelago of Caribbean nature, there is nothing but large hotels and all-inclusive resorts.

What Is Cayo Santa Maria Known For?

In tourist and traveler circles, Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba, is mainly known as a paradisiacal tropical island that is part of the Jardines del Rey archipelago.

It is also full of all-inclusive resorts, gorgeous beaches, a long pedraplen connecting it to the main island, and healthy marine life.

The first hotel was built on Cayo Santa Maria in 2001, and by 2021, there were 17 large hotels and all-inclusive resorts on the islands.

There is no city center, and no locals are living on the islands; it is simply a kingdom of resorts for tourists who want to experience Caribbean life with beaches, palms, pools, and afternoon salsa with a mojito in hand.

Where To Stay Cayo Santa Maria

In Cayo Santa Maria, there are only all-inclusive resorts available; there are no Cubans living on the islands offering Casa Particulares or hostels.

There are no other options out here, as there is no city center, restaurants, or bars outside of the resorts on the islands.

You can find different levels of service, amenities, and more or less luxurious options among the hotels that have created small separate worlds here on the keys.

Some of the resorts specialize in adult-only facilities for people traveling without children who prefer a more tranquil poolside experience.

Across the pedraplen to the main island, you find the villages of Caibarien, Remedios, and the province capital, Santa Clara. In these destinations, you can book hostels and casa particulares via Hostelworld, Expedia, or through Airbnb.

If you choose to stay here, you can take day trips to Cayo Santa Maria, get a day pass, or pasa dia, to one of the resort beaches instead of staying in one if you prefer the more authentic hostel or casa life.

Cayo Santa Maria Resorts

Many large worldwide hotel and resort chains have resorts, such as Iberostar, Melia, Royalton, and Starfish.

Cayo Santa Maria’s secluded world of all-inclusive resorts will take care of your every need for a week or two on your holiday.

Also read: 3 Best Cayo Santa Maria Cuba All Inclusive Resorts From An Expert

Filled with blue pools, nice restaurants and bars, white, fine-grained beaches, and someone to serve you at your left and right, this is a bubble of luxury to enjoy for a while away from your own busy life.

Be aware, though, that if you stay in a secluded all-inclusive resort the whole of your Cuba holiday, you really have not visited Cuba at all.

But for a traveler who is only searching for relaxation, a beach, palms, sun, and some Caribbean TLC, this will probably be absolutely perfect.

Beaches In Cayo Santa Maria

There are plenty of beaches in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba, and the two other islands in the little island group in all cardinal directions.

There are, however, no free public beaches in Cayo Santa Maria. All the beaches around these three interconnected keys are connected to one of the resorts on the islands.

You can go for a day trip out to the beach on Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Las Brujas, or Cayo Ensenachos, but you need to buy a day pass, pasa dia, in one of the resorts to access any beach areas.

If you do this, you will also get access to all the hotel amenities for the day, including beach sunbeds, pools, pool bars, and restaurants, and all the services the hotels offer.

If you are staying at a casa particular in one of the villages on the main island, this may be a nice way to invest in a day of luxury and pampering without spending your whole holiday on an all-inclusive planet.

Things To Do In Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

In each of the hotels in Cayo Santa Maria, in-house activities are organized every day.

This ranges from yoga in the mornings to salsa classes by the pool, water exercises, and shows in the evenings, among other things.

Outside the resorts, Marina Gaviota on Cayo Las Brujas is where all the organized water sports and activities start.

The Marina Gaviota offers different types of day cruises with lovely catamarans, with or without lunch, and stops at the delfinario for a dolphin show and close encounter with the dolphins.

Also, you can go scuba diving from the marina and book a day trip for deep-sea fishing if you are into that.

Any hotel you stay at can help you contact the marina to organize day trips during your stay, or you can contact them via their Facebook page before you get to Cuba.

Scuba Diving In Cayo Santa Maria

There is one scuba diving center in Cayo Santa Maria, which operates out of Marina Gaviota on Cayo Las Brujas. I went diving with them when I spent a couple of weeks here, in different resorts.

Whenever you go scuba diving in Cayo Santa Maria, you will be picked up from your hotel in the morning. The bus will drive around, collect all the divers for the day, and take you to Marina Gaviota.

When you get there, you will sort all your equipment from the dive center, which to me seems very well organized. The gear was neatly stored, and the equipment I was given was in good shape.

The dive tour was also well organized, pre-dive briefings were thorough, there was a small group of divers with every dive master during the execution, and the attention underwater was good as well.

Cayo Santa Maria scuba diving center offers an almost infinite number of diving destinations outside the islands in this area.

Most dive spots are normally calm and quiet, with little current and depth from 7-8 to 14-15 meters.

The coral reefs here seem healthy and full of life, which is really good news. On a sunny day, a nature dive here is a zen underwater experience!

For further information, contact Danny Perez Diaz at the Dive Center with Marina Gaviota. Whatsapp: +53 54219563.

Deep Sea Fishing Cayo Santa Maria

In the year 2000, Cayo Santa María was declared a Biological Heritage of the Biosphere Reserve of Buenavista Bay by UNESCO.

It focuses on the preservation of marine life, research, and control of a healthy ecosystem, along with conservation efforts.

You can fish the deep waters surrounding the Cayos de Villa Clara from comfortable and fully equipped powerboats at Marina Gaviota, all organized by an experienced crew of local fishermen.

According to connoisseurs, the area around Cayo Santa Maria is known as a Shadpole paradise on Cuba’s north coast and a world-class destination for Shadpoles.

Day Trips From Cayo Santa Maria

There are two different types of day trips you can do from Cayo Santa Maria.

One option is to join one of the excursions arranged by the Marina Gaviota as described above, which is where all the sea-oriented activities on this island triplet are organized.

The other option is a day trip to one of the villages across the bridge to the “mainland” or the main island of Cuba.

Your hotel can help you organize any day trip, as they have access to a myriad of guides, taxi drivers, and local Cubans who work with tourists in some form or another.

I chose to go on a day trip with a catamaran, which is simply my favorite kind of vessel. This one had a super crew, vibrant snorkeling stops in the warm Atlantic, and a great ambiance on a beautiful white catamaran.

You can also visit the smaller villages of Caibarien or Remedios on the mainland, closer to the Keys, and learn about architecture, history, and life in a typical Cuban small-town environment.

An important revolutionary city is the province capital, Santa Clara, which is one and a half hours away.

Remember to bring cash for payment, preferably Euros, US, or Canadian dollars. Although US dollars are not officially legal currency in Cuba these days, many places accept them anyway.

Cayo Santa Maria Nightlife

As Cayo Santa Maria consists of only large resorts scattered around the three islands, which consist of a small archipelago, there is no “nightlife” in Cayo Santa Maria.

The different hotels have shows, bars, entertainment, and activities for their guests, which normally finish at 10-11 p.m. at the latest.

Here, you can participate as an audience or join for a bit of dancing with or without a teacher. But after at least midnight, everything is quiet in Cayo Santa Maria.

Best Time To Visit Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

The best time to visit Cayo Santa Maria generally coincides with the best time to visit Cuba, with a bit of extra emphasis on the weather.

There is a warm Caribbean climate all year round here, with a bit colder and dryer weather in the winter months and super hot and humid summers, which also have rain.

The wet and rainy season runs from late May through November. A thunderstorm is loud and fascinating in Havana, but it might be a bit more furious out on the unprotected islands.

Although the hurricane season runs from June through November, the fiercest hurricane months are September and October.

With this in mind, the travel advice for Cuba, in general, is still valid also for Cayo Santa Maria. It really comes down to what you prefer.

Travel To Cayo Santa Maria

Currently, there is no public transport facilitating travel directly to Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. However, that may change as the number of tourists increases.

For the time being, you can take the Viazul bus to Santa Clara and find a taxi for the last hour’ish from Santa Clara for the rest of the trip.

Cayo Santa Maria Cuba Airport

If you are flying directly, the closest international Cayo Santa Maria airport is the Santa Clara Abel Santamaria (also referred to as Cayo Santa Maria airport).

The Cayo Santa Maria Airport is a small international airport located about 10 km (6 mi) outside Santa Clara, the capital of Villa Clara Province in Cuba.

This airport has both international and domestic flights and serves mainly the popular beach resort destinations of Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Ensenachos, and Cayo Las Brujas.

Traveling to this airport, you can also visit destinations like Santa Clara city and the central regions of Cuba, such as Trinidad, Playa Ancon, etc., on the southern shore.

If you are traveling with a travel agency on an organized tour, they will probably provide your transport from the airport to your hotel. If not, you need to find your own taxi onwards!

Distances To Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

Distance and travel time by road from Santa Maria Airport to:

• Santa Clara City: ~10 km (6 mi), about 20 minutes
• Cayo Las Brujas: ~100 km (62 mi), about 80 minutes
• Cayo Ensenachos: ~105 km (65 mi), about 85 minutes
• Cayo Santa Maria: ~115 km (71 mi), about 90 minutes
• Trinidad: ~88 km (55 mi), about 2 hours
• Playa Ancon: ~118 km (73 mi), about 2 ½ hour

If you travel from Santa Clara city or other destinations in central Cuba, you will need to take a taxi for at least parts of the way out to Cayo Santa Maria.

For my visit, I paid $60 for a taxi privado, a taxi just for me, from Santa Clara to Cayo Santa Maria, which takes around 1,5 hours.

If you travel from (or to) Havana, you can take the Viazul bus (online tickets available) to Santa Clara and a taxi from there out to Cayo Santa Maria.

Driving from Cayo Santa Maria airport to Havana takes around three and a half hours in a taxi.

FAQ’s Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

Is Cayo Santa Maria Or Varadero Better?

Cayo Santa Maria is a paradisiacal island group that feels “far away from everything.” Maybe apart from Santa Clara, which is around one and a half hours away and around four hours to Trinidad.

Also, on Cayo Santa Maria, there is no town center or even village; the whole of the island is scattered with large, all-inclusive luxury resorts – and that is it.

Varadero is a town on the Hicacos Peninsula that does have a city center, where the award-winning Varadero Beach runs along the whole of the town center.

In Varadero (the peninsula is often just called that), you can choose between accommodation in a casa particular or in one of the luxurious all-inclusive resorts.

Varadero is a more central destination than Cayo Santa Maria, situated just over two hours drive from Havana, four from Vinales, two and a half from Cienfuegos, and around four hours from Trinidad.

Is There A Town In Cayo Santa Maria?

No, there is no town in Cayo Santa Maria.

Out on Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba, there is nothing but large, all-inclusive resorts and beaches.

Who Lives On Cayo Santa Maria?

No one lives in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba.

All the local people working in the tourist industry out on Cayo Santa Maria travel to work every morning on buses from the nearest town on the mainland.

Almost all the workers on Cayo Santa Maria resorts or tour agencies live in Caibarien over in mainland Cuba.

Cayo Santa Maria Cuba Weather

The weather in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba follows the same general seasons as the rest of Cuba. There is a wet season from around May through October and a dry season from around November through April.

The risk of hurricanes is biggest in August and September, within the wet season.

In the winter months, the evening temperatures can get chilly in December and January, both in the air and the water.

The summer months are high season in Cayo Santa Maria, but be aware that the temperatures in the summer are sizzling hot, and humidity high.

My favorite months in Cuba are March through May (June) and the end of August through the start of November. They are warm enough to enjoy the Caribbean climate but not excruciating!

Wrap-Up Cayo Santa Maria Cuba

The key takeaway you need to know about Cayo Santa Maria Cuba is that it is a Caribbean all-inclusive resort paradise.

You can travel straight there for your holiday and straight back home rested and recuperated, and ready for your life with lots of new energy if that is your holiday goal.

You also need to know that if you stay out here on the keys for the duration of your holiday, you will not be able to experience any of the other amazing things about Cuba without covering long distances to reach destinations like Havana, Vinales, and Trinidad.

Related blog posts:

Is Female Solo Travel In Cuba Safe? A Local Woman’s Advice

Cuba Travel Hacks: Travel To Cuba From Canada From A Local

Cuba Accommodation: Where To Stay In Cuba From A Local