Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria
Cayo Santa Maria, CubaAll travelers
Our take
A lively all‑ages all‑inclusive resort with beachfront, pools, family activities and specialty dining.
- 516 rooms
- 9 dining venues listed
Resort facts & overview
- Location
- Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
- Audience
- All travelers
- Brand
- Independent
- Rooms
- 516
- Dining listed
- 9 venues
A lively all‑ages all‑inclusive resort with beachfront, pools, family activities and specialty dining.
Food & drink
WeakFood is the weakest link: buffet quality swings from acceptable to abysmal, with repeated complaints of flies on the food and missing basics like soft drinks and water. When the property is under-occupied, expect a bare-bones spread.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Occasional praise for gastronomy when kitchen is on
- Aqua bar service singled out as a bright spot
Heads up
- Flies reported swarming buffet dishes
- No soft drinks or table water at times
- Buffet bare when occupancy is low
Dining overview
One international buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner; plus specialty à la carte restaurants featuring Italian, French, seafood, Cuban grill, 24‑hour snack bar and several bars/lounges.
9 documented dining venues
Sin Fronteras
international buffet
Portofino
Italian specialty
Maison Gourmet
French specialty
Counts and access can vary by source and room tier.
Food & drink photos
Food & drink photos
Photo: Tripadvisor
Beach
StrongThe beach is the standout: soft sand, clear water, and a genuinely lovely stretch that even critical reviewers acknowledge. It is the single strongest reason to consider this resort.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Beautiful, wide beach
- Calm swim conditions
- Uncrowded shoreline
Heads up
- Beach service limited when property is under-staffed
White sandy private beach with clear turquoise waters, loungers and umbrellas with towel service and options like Hobie Cat sailing and beach volleyball.
Pools
StrongLarge, clean pools with a fun pool bar are a genuine highlight, though the pool bar closes early (around 5pm) and the music can be relentless.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Big, clean pools
- Pool bar gets consistent praise
- Lively daytime atmosphere
Heads up
- Pool bar closes by 5pm
- Nonstop loud music on the deck
Two adult swimming pools and two kids’ pools, with sun loungers, parasols and towel service; no swim‑up bar.
Rooms & suites
516 roomsRoom categories
- Superior
- Deluxe Room
- Deluxe Partial Ocean View
- Premium Ocean Front View
- Junior Suite
- One Bedroom Suite
- Premium Single or Twin
- Premium Suite
Room details here are AI-assisted, compiled from the resort's own website and public sources. Categories and names change often — confirm the exact room when you book.
What’s included
MixedPriced as an affordable Cuba escape, and when the resort is functioning it delivers on that promise; when it is not, guests have paid for a package and arrived to a closed hotel. High variance for the money.
medium confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Affordable all-inclusive pricing
- Beach and pool punch above the price when operating
Heads up
- Guests have arrived to find hotel closed with no refund or transfer
- Food and beverage shortfalls reflect wider Cuba supply issues
- Inconsistent from one week to the next
Package inclusions and upgrade access have not been collected yet. Confirm them for your room and dates when booking.
Amenities & activities
Couples
StretchBeautiful beach and quiet pockets give couples something to work with, but reception chaos, closures, and food issues undercut any romance factor. Not a reliable pick for a milestone trip.
medium confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Beautiful, quiet beach stretches
- Friendly service staff on the ground
Heads up
- Reception disorganized and often unstaffed
- Reports of dirty linens and low water pressure
- Property has been partially closed with no notice
Families
Not a fitKids club exists on paper, but families have arrived to find the hotel effectively shuttered with no food, drinks, or entertainment for children. Too risky for a family vacation right now.
medium confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Beach is calm and swimmable
- Golf-cart rides to neighboring resort market add novelty
Heads up
- Reports of nothing for kids to do when property is quiet
- Food hygiene issues (flies) are a concern with children
- Management unwilling to relocate stranded families
Peace & Quiet
MixedThe beach and grounds themselves are peaceful, sometimes eerily so given low occupancy, but the pool deck blasts loud, repetitive music that breaks the calm.
medium confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Beach described as beautiful and quiet
- Low crowds most of the year
Heads up
- Pool area plays constant loud, heavy music
- Atmosphere can feel deserted rather than serene
Includes private beach, multiple pools for adults and kids, fitness centre, tennis and basketball courts, kids club, playground, water sports, beauty salon.
What guests say
Low confidence2 reviews · through Oct 2026
Read all reviews on TripAdvisor ↗Google ↗
Based on limited recent reviews
Recurring complaints
No recurring complaint theme found in the reviews analyzed.
Best suited for
What past guests say
“All in all, a great place for an affordable holiday. I prefer the Havana/Varadero area but this resort was a lot of fun. Took golf carts to another resort which had a little market. I have a fun coconut lamp from there. Amazing beach. Food not bad. Pool bar - ‘nuff said it was good lol Lots of good entertainment and friendly staff.”
★★★★☆
“All in all, a great place for an affordable holiday. I prefer the Havana/Varadero area but this resort was a lot of fun. Took golf carts to another resort which had a little market. I have a fun coconut lamp from there. Amazing beach. Food not bad. Pool bar - ‘nuff said it was good lol<br>Lots of good entertainment and friendly staff.”
★★★★☆
“At the hotel, people were really nice they care about the clients. But the hotel organisation was average. Flies all over the food. They don’t seems to care. The beach and activity was ok.<br>I Don’t recommended this hotel, unfortunately i will not come back.”
★★☆☆☆
“there is nothing to say, it's terrible, there is no wifi in the room, the service is also absent, the food is even worse, there is a choice of pasta and spaghetti”
★☆☆☆☆
“Good family resort, beautiful bay beach almost private (shared with another resort). Nice and clean pools. Good entertainment team, food was good mostly sea food, and Cuban dishes available (rice and beans), some pasta, desserts as well. The snack bar was decent too but perhaps could add more selection, items like soda, pizza. Be on the look out for the pool lay down chairs as some are missing screws and you can easily take a fall. The weight room had a decent size, it held some free weights, ma”
★★★★☆
Latest reviews from Tripadvisor
Loaded live from Tripadvisor when you ask — the newest reviews and the current rating.
Read all reviews on Google (788) ↗
Ask Rosie
Have a specific question about Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria?
Rosie answers from this resort’s guest reviews and our research — with quotes.
Know before you book
- Check‑in delays and understaffed reception
- Inconsistent housekeeping service
- Limited food variety and occasional shortage of supplies
- Services closed during low‑occupancy periods
What you should know
What to Know
This is a remote Cayo Santa Maria property currently affected by Cuba's nationwide shortages, and it has at times been partially or fully closed without notifying booked guests. Confirm the hotel is actually open before you travel.
high confidence
What you'll enjoy
- Golf-cart shuttle to nearby resort market is a fun add-on
- Dolphin show excursion nearby
Heads up
- Reports of arrival to a closed hotel with no rebooking
- Reception often unstaffed and unhelpful with basic info
- Country-wide shortages affect food, drinks, and power
Check‑in from 16:00; check‑out by 12:00; toast and spotlight the all‑ages nature and multiple restaurants; consider confirming open services if traveling in low‑occupancy periods.
All photos
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
Photo: Tripadvisor
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What we know
Everything below comes from data we collected: here's the inventory for this resort.Updated June 2026- Photos
- 5
- Review excerpts
- 20
- Dining venues
- 9
- Menus
- Not yet collected
- Room categories
- Not yet collected
- Videos
- 3
- Editorial lenses
- 8
We aggregate. We don't trap. Verify on any of these:
Where this data comes from
We tell you what we know, and what we don't.
- Last updated
- June 23, 2026
- Sources
- Google PlacesDirect resort media
- Completeness
- 83%
Source collection snapshot
These collection totals can differ from the items available on this page. Video totals include screened results; the inventory above counts published tours.
- 5 photos
- 27 videos