Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria

Hi... I am an avid Trip Advisor reader and rarely post but since there is so little information available on the hotel thought I would let everyone know that we just returned from a family vacation with my husband, myself, 4 year old and 3 month old. I agree there are a very MINOR things that the hotel is working out but trust me it will be double the price next year. It was a wonderful vacation, beautiful beach, beautiful people, great pool area and got most of the "Prestige Club" offerings that I cared about -close to beach, rum and... more

We just returned from the Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria, and my husband and I would have to say that we cannot recommend this resort at this time as we feel there are serious safety issues. There is a "lip" as you enter your room. However, this lip or ridge is hard to detect and can vary from 1 1/2" at one end to 1/2 at the other. I tripped 3x the first day going in. Every room seems to be different in this regard. I was not the only person that tripped. This same irregularity in the level of the tiles is all over the resort.... more

We were at the resort from Jan 4-11. My husband and I are in our 30's. We've been to Cuba twice before, staying at the Sol Cayo down the road once. Here are our thoughts: ROOM: Spacious and clean rooms with a very comfy bed. A few mechanical problems from the get go with the shower leaking and an outlet malfunction. Excellent maid service every day. Let's be honest, who spends all their time in the room? One little problem especially earlier in the holiday was the power constantly going off. Up to 4 times one day. Mostly... more

We just returned from Barcelo, on January 12th. Comments: The most beautiful of this Resort is the beach, with its blue clear sea and the white and soft sands. Never mind that the weather was a little bit windy, because they are in the winter time also. There's always the opportunity to enjoy amazing sea. The rest - is an hotel like many in the Caribbean. Only in this one the mattresses, blankets and other things are new. The staff tries to be nice as possible, though at times, you can see the amount of stress on them... more

I have mixed feelings about my vacation at Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria. The cayo itself is just awesome, the beach looks like a paradise (though the Atlantic Ocean can get rather rough at times) and Cuban people working at the hotel are friendly and cheerful. The hotel is not up to the standards though. The food is eatable, but it does not go far from there. It is the same every day. Every day, every single day. Eggs, broccoli, cabbage, some cheap sausages and ham for breakfast. You can wait in line for waffles and crepes. In most cases... more

Please use caution when you're thinking of booking at Barcelo!! I just got back from 1 week vacation - January 4th - 11th. We arrived at 1:00 a.m.... and right off the bat the hotel lost my luggage somewhere between the bus ride and the hotel lobby. The staff kept telling me it was on another bus, even after I told them countless times that my boyfriend and I had both watched the bus driver put both our suitcases onto the bus. He had his luggage, where was mine? After a long night, a bellboy rang our room at 7:30 a.m. saying my luggage... more

Booked 3 all-inclusive Transat Prestige packages with two rooms for the new Barcelo Cayo Santa Maria for January 2009. Overall, it is was an OK property that could become a good property with work. We encountered two different types of problems: 1. Air Transat Prestige services and amenities were not delivered 2. Many problems with the hotel itself Air Transat Prestige services as advertised/represented but not delivered include - rooms were functional (mostly) but not elegant as promised - no beach grills - no... more

We came back from the Barcelo on Jan. 10, 2009 and really had a difficult time accepting the fact that we have to leave this increadable place. I will be very honest in my review and we'll try to be very detailed. Rooms: The rooms are very spacious and well kept. There are everything that they mention on the site for the description of the room and even more theck the pictures for better view of the rooms. Even though they say there is only 220V electricity, there is one outlet with 110V in every room in the hair dryer holder. The... more

Just returned late last night and know that there are a lot of people waiting to hear about this hotel. Arrived on Jan 1 and was quite surprised how organized they are. Beach is one of the best I have ever seen and staff are friendly and working very hard to make the guests happy. Of course still a few bugs to iron out but all in all pretty good. The two a la carte restaurants were very slow, 2 to 3 hours for a meal but buffet is huge and working well. Also kind of nice to be at a brand new hotel with new beds, linens, etc. Feel... more

We just got back from the Barcelo Hotel, We were there on our Honeymoon...we booked the hotel thinking it was going to be open in November but we learned soon before our departure that the opening was postponed to December 25. We arrive on the 28th, 3 days after the opening. It's pretty but not ready... Room: Clean, nice looking, Full bathroom with bath and shower (no bidet). Air Dryer, Iron, Room Safe, Mini Bar. - really noisy though, perhaps due to the fact that the hotel was not full capacity but people tends to yell in the corridors... more