Starfish Tropical Cayo Santa Maria Vacations

Everything is wonderfull ! Thank you 🙏 😊

Was here for a weekend with my people and it was such an amazing experience and we actually enjoyed so much. It was one of the best times here specially the staff they work so hard to make everyone to feel like home and comfortable. Entertainment team was so good they actually hype so much and made sure everyone was enjoying their time at the resort. People at the bar were true party people and staff at reception were so helpful at all times. Special thanks to people in kitchen.

Cuba is suffering from food and beverage shortages all resorts

March 2024
Just came home from a girls trip for 7 days to Starfish. When I tell you this hotel is the BEST I mean it! The rooms were accommodating and beautiful. I love how they still have the cuban flare and arnt so modern like some of the other hotels around. The hotel landscape is very well kept. Lighting could be a little better on some of the walk ways. Entertainment staff are always on the go, day and night. Very friendly and if you are wanting to learn more about cuban culture they are always willing to update your knowledge. We will be back next year, can't wait to see the upgrades/ renovations happening now. Thank you Starfish for the memorable trip.

The beach is extraordinary! The foarm party activity on Friday with the entertainment team is super cool. The romantic Tuesday evening show by fantastic Cuban dancers. The food was adequate, you couldn't starve, but nothing spectacular.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly,

I write from the perspective of paying $995 CAD (solo traveller), flight+7 days all inclusive, flight included. That means I went knowing Cuba has supply issues (coffee, toilet paper and so much more) and the food quality at many resorts is not great.
THE GOOD:
The good, is a beautiful white coral sand beach that seems to go on forever. The shallow blue water that goes out for a few hundred meters provides a spectacular view and enjoyable swimming. There are a lot of beach chairs (chaise lounge) and shady areas for those who need it. The buffet food offerings were commensurate with fees paid. Bread, rice, peas, chicken strips, pork, potato, pasta, etc.
THE BAD:
High risk for illness from poor food safety practices! Several hot dishes @ buffet are room temperature, ineffective serving utensils are a disaster, handled by many people falling into food then taken out, and so on. Despite only drinking bottled water (no juice) and coffee, not eating fruit or salad (washed in local water), washing my hands frequently, I still acquired a GI illness. Count on it.
RESORT CONDITION: Generally, the place is run down, with a few well-maintained areas like the pools that look quite nice. The beach simply takes care of itself mostly. They do maintain the gardens, well swept, no debris.
NOISE: I understand that this resort has transitioned to an Adult only resort which is one of the reasons I wanted to try it. The problem is many adults behave like children and there is no apparent interest of resort staff to ask rowdy folks with portable Bluetooth speakers to dial it down. So, in the end this isn’t really an adult only resort. I think a family resort might have been a better experience.
CHECKOUT: Check out is Noon. My return flight was at 10:30pm (ish). The airport bus comes to get you 5 hours early, at 5:30 pm. There is no place for you change from a bathing suit to your travel clothes other than the dirty common bathrooms. This is really a failure for the resort.
THE UGLY:
MEDICAL: I spoke to this one older gentleman. He and his wife both got extremely sick (GI) and saw the resort doctor. The doctor gave him two injections in his butt, $150.00 USD. He stated he was not sure what the injections were for. I was shocked to hear this, be aware and be informed!
LEAVING THE RESORT: Once you get on that bus, the only other very limited food options will be found at the airport by one vendor, where it is sub-standard (even by Cuban standards), offered at New York prices. Somehow, plan ahead and have food.
FINAL WORDS: If don’t want to spend a lot, want an amazing beach (breathtaking at times) and warm sunny days on and do not care so much about the condition of the resort, level of service, noise and quality of food, this place is a great option to consider.

The best vacation where we had great trips. I recommend it to everyone

Hotel under renovation. All areas closed with no availability of activities other than beach and pool. Buffet with food without variety and terrible presentation and flavor. In 3 days without cleaning in the room, without changing bed linen or towels, without replacing basic cleaning products. Events of sexual harassment with frequent hotel guests. Terrible employee attention
Terrible experience. the hotel was under renovation, all the entertainment area were closed. No room services cleaning for the 4 days I was there. Not many options of Food. The staff is not prepared. Even there was a sexual harrastment case With a frequent guest and the hotel didn't Take any actions. ALL WRONG.

Good location and recreation

Despite a good location, the catering is very average. Recurrent and industrial. Without flavors.
Furthermore, if unfortunately someone "borrows" your towel, above all, I repeat, above all, do not say it. They will make you pay only by credit card 5 times the price of it.
And when trying to argue, they increase the price.
Impossible to chat with them.
Ultimately, you can't be honest.

I stayed at the Starfish Resort from February 26 - March 2, 2024. I had an amazing time at this resort due to the friendly staff, good service, and many amenities. Some areas of the resort were under renovation, however, this did not disturb our experience at all. I found the rooms to be quite comfortable and the cleaning staff were very accommodating and kind. On our first day we were pleased to meet entertainment staff member, Leonel, who checked in with us each day following our arrival making us feel very safe and welcomed at all times. The buffet and snack bar were somewhat limited at times which is not abnormal in Cuba and I still managed to eat well each day. Special thanks goes to Jonathan, Yulianny, and Yuliet, who happily served us at the buffet all week long. They were so very kind and helpful to us each day while maintaining professionalism as well. The beach front at this resort - breathtaking. It is a windier spot than other places but this was actually quite nice for us. Overall, my stay was amazing and I cant thank the staff enough for how very kind and welcoming they are. I have been to a resort in Varadero previously, and although it was a great experience there as well, I would love to return to the Starfish during my next trip back to Cuba.

This resort was amazing. The staff are absolutely wonderful and create the most fun and relaxing vacation. The hotel is located on the most beautiful section of the beach and has a massive pool that is stunning. The rooms are clean and the cleaning staff are amazing at making sure it is perfect for your whole stay. At times food options were relatively limited, however this is the case for a lot of resorts in cuba. Nevertheless the food was delicious, especially the at the grill in the buffet and the snack bar. Part of the hotel is currently under reservation so the theatre was closed and the grill as well but it did not make much of a difference for our stay. I would 100% go back to this resort. Absolutely wonderful place and beautiful people through and through. Special shout-out to Leonel, Yulianny, and Yuliet who made our stay extra special. Can’t wait to go back!

Literally just got back today i would give the resort a solid 4/5. everyone said the food was awful it was not. they had everything you’d have at home, bread, meat, pasta etc. the drinks were great service was great. rooms were fine! hot water worked, maids did a great job in the rooms. half the resort is closed from hurricane but the other half is still massive. every day at 3pm at the pool music and shows would happen, lobby at night things would be going on, it’s not packed. no kids. the beach is stunning! would 100% go back! again you get what u pay for but most these reviews lie. 4/5 for sure!

The experience was great, despite the limitations of infrastructure and food.

Everyone welcomed us very well. I recommend and would go back.

We have activities all the time, we feel at home

Best service second time here and ❤️ it people are amazing !!! Entrainment team awesome Yazzy, Rodrigo, Eduardo, Lionel and Juan Carlos amazing bunch !!!!!

All the workers were super caring. The animation was super spectacular. The bar was very fast. The housekeeping, every day cleaning our room. The restaurant was great service. Aroma was delicious. The beach is super clean and there is always a lifeguard to take care of us. There is always food and water when we need it. The reception was very informative and the service was fast. The bell boys are super helpers. Rodrigo, was spectacular, he taught us dancing, Leonel, always reminding us of the activities program

Very good hotel. Amazing beach, pool and bar. All the staff are very friendly, including the animation guys, like Rodrigo and Lionel. Everyone very attentive and friendly. Very good shows and entertainment activities. I would love to come back.

The best thing I saw in my life. Everything is very good, the beach, the pool, the people who work there. And the best of all are the animators, they are very funny. ✌🏻🇦🇷🇨🇺❤️

The beach here is absolutely gorgeous! The entertainment staff works hard to make the stay extra enjoyable. Muchas gracias, Rodrigo y Eric y Lionel!
Really enjoyed the foam party!
Can’t wait to come back next year!

We booked our resort in the off season so it was under construction. It wasn’t too bother some , and the noise was minimal from our experience. This came with the perk of affordable pricing.
We met a lot of great friends along the way and nearly everyone agreed the experience was a 7/10. The people are great.
I loved the entertainment team, they are extremely funny and friendly outside of entertainment hours (shoutout to rodrigo and big papi).
The first couple days however we’re disappointed. We arrived at around 2 on Wednesday and didn’t get our room until well past 4pm. When we did eventually get the room, we received no beach towels or even water until noon of the next day.
The public restrooms have little toilet paper and aren’t restocked often, especially the women’s. The soap and toilet paper always run out in the lobby by the end of the day.
Our room however always had toilet paper and water bottles restocked after the second day. They also always made an effort to make cute figures out of the towels/blankets which always brought a smile to my face.
The food was just as expected for Cuba. It wasn’t great, but edible. They did have good options on the grill however. The crepes were amazing as was the fish. I also have a love for Cuban tomatoes. Everything else is hit or miss. Also the coffee was the best I’ve ever had.
The beach was wonderful and always clean. The staff taught salsa dancing and water aerobics in the morning/noon at the beach and after noon they entertained the pool. There was always a place to have fun and always a place for quiet space.
It is true that tipping gets you more recognized but most of the time we were very happy to tip due to the friendliness of the staff, especially keeping in mind the poor economy.
When we were leaving the hotel we were asked to write a review, which is common, but I was disappointed to see that my boyfriend was forced to give 5 stars and was told exactly what to write by the staff. We were never going to write a bad review, but we’re going to be honest. Being told exactly what to write while being watched left a poor taste in our mouths, wondering how many other reviews were not genuine.
Overall it was a great experience for the affordable price (due to the off season and construction).