Welcome to the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria Beach Resort Cuba

Tropical getaways to Cayo Santa Maria include dreamy Cuban beaches, balmy cocktails, dazzling turquoise water, lush scenery and endless sunshine. Those are just some of the ideal ingredients needed to cook up that coveted Cuba vacation from Toronto. Just off of Cuba’s northern coast lies the tiny island of Cayo Santa Maria. Its lush coastline is total bliss for adventure seekers and the ultimate haven for beach lovers!

Home to the lovely all-inclusive Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria resort, travelers from all over come to this small island to bask in the sun, swim in its sparkling blue waters and be pampered at all-inclusives. The Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria is a great choice as it offers up its own sultry charm while dazzling visitors with Cuba’s natural beauty! 

So whether you’re looking for a great vacation from Toronto, the best place to stay in Cayo Santa Maria or a relaxing beach getaway in Cuba keep scrolling to see how I spent a week at the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria! 

Checking-in to the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria

A short 3.5 hour flight from Toronto to Santa Clara and a comfortable 90 minute bus transfer later, we wound up at the breathtaking Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria. With its extravagant far reaching pools, lush gardens and endless beachfront views, my excitement couldn’t be contained. I was back in the heat for an entire week. Back in the heat and soaking up all the gorgeousness this all-inclusive had to offer. What a dream!

This tropical haven is the ideal spot for that relaxing beach getaway we are all seemingly needing these days. Set on a beautiful and secluded stretch of white-sand beach the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria offers a quintessential Cuban getaway of modern elegance and comfort. Checking-in to the beauty of this beachfront escape, we couldn’t help but feel the excitement soaking in as the wonderful staff showed us to our room!

A Beautiful Room Overlooking the Ocean

As we walked into our boutique abode, I threw open the balcony doors to the ocean and inhaled that tropical air! We stayed in the Dhawa’s Premium Oceanfront Room which came equipped with crisp clean linens, a rain-head shower, air conditioning, flat screen TV, mini-fridge and a complimentary bottle of Havana Club rum. 

While we soaked in our oceanfront views and relaxed from our balcony we were itching to explore the pool and of course … the beach! 

Cuban Beaches Were Made to Relax on

The island of Cayo Santa Maria has pristine white sandy coastlines and sparkling turquoise water for miles and miles! It’s no secret that Cuba is famous for its breathtaking beaches, but the Dhawa’s alcove is picture perfect! 

There are more than enough umbrellas, beach chairs and drinks from the beach bar to go around! The amazing Yordan is sure to be your bestie as he’s always on top of drink orders and delivery. Such a sweetheart, Yordan always goes out of his way to make sure you’re happy. He went above and beyond when I asked if the beach bar was serving up Bloody Marys and although they weren’t, he showed up bright and early the next morning, tomato juice in hand! Yordan you are the man!

If you’re feeling adventurous, Dhawa also offers catamaran rides with Rahul, who will take you on the ride of your life into the open water!

Breakfast Buffets, Snack Bars & a la Carte Dining

Your morning cup of Cuban coffee is about to come with a splash of Dhawa’s scenic grounds below! Talk about breakfast with a view. Every morning we started our day nibbling away at our tasty breakfast bites. The buffet typically had freshly baked bread, tropical juices, sausages, kidney beans in tomato sauce, croquettes, crepes and fresh fruit. There was also a cold cuts and sliced cheese table, an omelet bar and a hot table with various options that are changed daily. There was always something we could find to satisfy us early in the morning!

Lunch typically took us to the incredible Randy and Mary at the poolside Snack Bar. Here they’re serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips, sometimes croquettes and even tacos. You can, of course, head back up to the buffet for more options, but we loved lounging in the Snack Bar and sipping on Randy’s epic gin and tonics. Trust me when I say you need to ask Randy to make you one!

For dinners we loved opting for the A La Carte Restaurants as much as possible! Right now, the Dhawa offers bookings for both the Italian Restaurant and French Restaurant which typically alternate each night. You can book these at the front desk.

Both A La Carte Restaurants are serving up exquisite three course dinners all while being host to excellent service thanks to William and Giancarlo. They truly showed us an amazing dining experience which kept us coming back for more! To give you a glimpse into the wonderful dishes prepared by the in house chef, I’ve captured the Mediterranean bruschetta, shrimp and parmesan risotto, tiramisu and more in the photos below! Yum!

Lay the Day Away Poolside 

Seven days spent by the pool, napping under the sun, swimming up to the bar and soaking up those much needed vacation vibes is a week well spent. A pool this stunning makes you just float away the day, I don’t think we ever left the water. Endless views and a beautiful backdrop make it next to impossible not to chill-out under an umbrella until the sun goes down.

Our afternoons would be spent swimming up to the bar, visiting the infamous Henny and sipping gin and tonics until the sun went down. We weren’t sure if we’d leave the beach for the gorgeousness of the pool or because we just wanted to hangout with bartender Henny. Either way our days at the pool were filled with laughs, sangrias and tons of fun thanks to Henny and Yadiani.

Get Off the Resort & Experience Cuba

It’s easy to spend your days sipping your all-inclusive drinks, laying endlessly in your beach chair  and making your rounds through the buffet, but really, there is no better way to get to know Cuba than by leaving the resort. I mean at least for one day. To give you a little bit of direction on how to spend a day outside of the resort, here are a couple fun things to do in and near Cayo Santa Maria:

→ Spend an afternoon roaming Remedios

Trust me when I say you don’t want to pass up an afternoon exploring the streets of Cuba’s 8th oldest city. This small colonial town is colourful, rich in history and over 500 years old! And one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in Cuba! Read my Full Day Excursion: Remedios to Santa Clara blogpost!

→ Hop on the double decker bus to Pueblo La Estrella 

With pickups directly from the lobby of your hotel, $2.00 USD will let you ride the double decker bus around the island of Cayo Santa Maria. They even drop you off at the cute little market Pueblo La Estrella where you can grab a beer and do some shopping.

→ Take a full day tour to Villa Clara

One of the best tour experiences I’ve had here in Cuba was on a full day excursion with Ariel from Gaviota Tours. We visited the ancient town of Remedios, a Sugar Cane Mill, the capital city Villa Clara, the Che Guevera’s Mausoleum and much more. For $75.00 USD per person, the tour lets you explore the real Cuba and I absolutely loved that! Read my Full Day Excursion: Remedios to Santa Clara blogpost!

→ Rent a motorbike and explore the island

Nothing is better than island wind rushing through your hair while you crank the throttle on your motorbike. Explore the island at your own pace, catch a glimpse of the flamingos or find a secluded beach!

Checking-Out of the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria

No matter how much time you spend in Cuba, it never seems to be enough. The charming people, beautiful beaches and charismatic colonial buildings truly make it one of the most magical places to getaway. Our time was slowly coming to an end at the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria as we cheers-ed our last cocktail from the pool bar.

Our week in Cuba came and went so fast, but we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect way to enjoy our mother-daughter vacation than in the company of the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria’s incredible staff. Our time here was truly unforgettable and we are so appreciative of everyone at the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria who made our trip one to remember! I mentioned all the amazing staff we had the pleasure of meeting at the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria above, so if you run into them make sure to say hi! You are in good hands!

Getting From Toronto To Cuba

We booked our 7-day all inclusive vacation to the Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria through SellOff Vacations where we also bought our COVID Manulife Travel Medical Insurance. You must have travel insurance while visiting Cuba (at least for Canadaians), costing an extra $40.00 for myself and $60.00 for my mom as she’s over 60. 

Cuba’s Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Tourism have also implemented a new online form which must be completed prior to entering Cuba. You can find it HERE and must be filled out 72 hours before departure. If you can print your confirmation QR code I’d recommend having the paper copy as their scanners weren’t working very well and weren’t able to pick up QR codes on phone screens.

Tipping & Currency

When it comes to tipping, yes you should tip. 

We all know a tip is an appreciation for good service and just as you would do at home you should also do on vacation. Be generous, you don’t need to go overboard, but I always like to leave a tip at meals, at the bar, on the beach and wherever I feel I want to. A dollar goes a long way!

Tips can be in American (USD) or in convertible Cuban pesos (CUC). You can leave Canadian (CAD) too, although don’t leave toonies and loonies. Bills only.

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If you have any questions or just want to see some more travel content find me on Instagram at @agirl.enroute! I’m always happy to chat!