Cayo Santa Maria is a small island north of Cuba in the west of the archipelago of the king's gardens or « Jardines del Rey ». This area was declared Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO. To get there, we take a causeway or « pedraplen » over 48 kilometers long. This road has required ten years of construction to finally connect to Cuba to the neighboring islands, Cayo Las Brujas, Cayo Ensenachos and finally Cayo Santa Maria. Recently, we added a new web page in this website to describe the beautiful Jardines Del Rey. You may click the lick in the right menu.
This small island has sixteen kilometers long and two kilometers wide. A beach of a fine white sand ideal for walking. The beach is located north of the island while the south side consists mainly of mangrove swamps.
During the transfer bus, English-speaking guide talks about Cuba in general and the villages of the region. You can see the living of Cubans and the beauty of landscapes. It is preferable (if possible) to transfer during the day.
The airport of Santa Clara has been completely renovated to accommodate the increasing flow of tourists. At its beginning, the military airport was totally inadequate and everybody will remember the chaos that reigned there. When flying over the airport, we can see the old « bunkers », helicopters and military aircraft. In 2011, further work expansions are under way to make passenger check-in even more fluid. They will add more check-in counter. It is a very good idea!
Cayo Santa Maria has no permanent residents. Cubans come to work in the hotels from the surrounding villages such, Caibarien, Remedios, Camajuaní and Santa Clara. To get to Cayo Santa Maria, we take an international flight to the Santa Clara (SNU) airport, then a transfer by comfortable bus to the destination (Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Ensenachos).
It takes about ninety minutes to cross the villages mentioned as well as the 48 km causeway. There is work underway to bypass the villages and to reduce the transfer time from airport to hotels. The Cuban government hopes to reach a maximum of one hour. More to come on developments in the region.
After crossing the first island, Cayo Las Brujas, you see on your left, the luxury hotel Iberostar Ensenachos located on the island Cayo Ensenachos. A concept of only one hotel on the island, like in the Maldives. This hotel is located on a small island with two of the most beautiful beaches in the region, Playa Ensenachos and Playa Megano Ensenachos. We had the chance to visit these beaches before the construction. The sea as the beach is very nice and calm.
To discover Cayo Santa Maria and the other islands, it is best to rent a Jeep or a scooter for a day. Visit our transport section for more informations on services offered on the island.
There is a small local airport located near Cayo Santa Maria (10 minutes by car), the airport is Las Brujas, it is unfortunately too small to accommodate large aircraft. As it is a protected area, there is no plan, at least in short term, to expand and strengthen the runway.
In Cayo Santa Maria, there are four hotels administered by the hotel chain Melia Hotels International. A 4-star Sol Cayo Santa Maria (the first on the island), two 4½-star, Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Melia Las Dunas (a complex of 925 rooms distributed in two sectors, family and adults only and finally, the 5-stars Melia Buenavista.
The Melia Las Dunas has a design similar to the Playa Pesquero with 927 rooms in the province of Holguin) . Both hotels have the same architect. The latest hotel to open its door (Dec. 2010) is the Melia Buenavista in the west sector of the island (Punta Madruguilla). Visit the hotels section to learn more.
Further east, the Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria Beach Colonial and the Blue Diamond hotels (Memories Paraiso Beach Resort and Memories Azul Beach Resort) divided by a small town called « Pueblo La Estrella » administered by Gaviota. The Cubans are very environmentally conscious and during the construction of the causeway, they have provided a bridge to every kilometer, to minimize the negative impact of the construction on the local marine life. The Cubans have told us that the marine life is well. Note that the causeway is not lightened, you must be careful at night.
Click HERE to see the location of Cayo Santa Maria (Cuba) in the archipelago of the king's garden, with the excellent positioning software Google Earth. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, click HERE to download a free copy. You will not be disappointed!
