(Approximate distances performed with the excellent positioning software Google Earth)
The beaches of Cayo Santa Maria are located North of the island. When you are facing the sea, the sun is positioned behind you. Cayo Santa Maria has five sections of fine white-sand beaches for a total of approximately thirteen kilometers out of the sixteen kilometers of the North area of the island. These sections of beach are fragmented by ancient coral reefs, now emerged. It is recommended that you bring, in your luggage, water shoes or sandals if you want to walk between these sectors of beach.
The section of the longest beach (approx. 6.2 km) is home to (actually) all hotels in Cayo Santa Maria. Regarding the quality of sand for walking, Melia Las Dunas, Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria and the Blue Diamonds hotels are best positioned followed by the Melia Cayo Santa Maria and the Sol Cayo Santa Maria. Cayo Santa Maria is known for its long beaches and very popular with walkers. Pack a good supply of water and sunscreen for your walks in the sun, especially in summer.
All beaches of Cayo Santa Maria are public. Therefore, the accesses are unrestricted. The landscape has changed since the opening of the first hotel (December 2001). At that time, we could walk miles and miles of unspoiled beach. The beach is always the same, but much more crowded now, and it is impossible to take long « Au Natural » walks from the Sol Cayo Santa Maria. Click HERE to learn more about the history of Cayo Santa Maria. Your all-inclusive package includes non-motorized watersports. The hotels have their own nautical centers located on the beach.
To get to the areas #4 and #5, you may rent a scooter, a Jeep (car) or simply by taxi. This is where you find the unspoiled beautiful beach of Playa Perla Blanca. As the road is not paved, it is difficult (almost impossible) to get there by bicycle. However, there is a hotel project in Perla Blanca, when it will be done, it will be easier to get there. Indeed, a new road was recently built to go to Perla Blanca as you can see from an aerial photo we took onboard a flight to Jamaica in July 2011.
The slope to enter the water is slow. There is no need to swim hundreds of feet before to get water at the shoulders level. Please note that the sea is sometimes rough (yellow or red flag) with strong winds but no undertow. It is rare to see a calm sea without wind in Cayo Santa Maria, but it was much appreciated this wind, especially during hot days in the Caribbean! Those looking for a calm sea and shallow water, should consider going to Cayo Guillermo or Cayo Coco instead. These are neighboring islands of Jardines del Rey.
IMPORTANT! For your protection, avoid wearing your watch, rings, necklaces or any other jewelry that sparkles in the sun. These objects can attract the attention of the barracudas.
To minimize the environmental impact on the mangroves, all hotels have footbridges to access the beach. Some of them have a height over 2 meters as is the case for the Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria Beach Colonial. The dunes and mangroves are natural defenses against hurricanes. This explains why the beach restaurants (ranchon) do not have a nice sea view, except at the Sol Cayo Santa Maria « La Picua ».
