Beaches

The gorgeous beaches of Cayo Santa Maria cover almost the entire length of the north coast of the island. They are divided into nine sections for a total length of approximately 13 km of sand on a total coastline of 16 km.

They are from West to East: Playa Matamoros (300 m), Playa Madruguilla (200 m), Playa Canon (2.8 km), Playa La Estrella (3.5 km), Playa Las Caletas (1 km), Playa Las Coloradas (1.9 km), Playa Perla Blanca (550 m), Playa Los Delfines (1.4 km) and Playa Las Gaviotas (800 m). See a BEACH MAP here.

Follow these links for a description of:
Cayo Las Brujas Beaches
Cayo Ensenachos Beaches

The east end of Playa Canon is where you'll find the Clothing Optional beach. Guests staying at hotels Sol Cayo Santa Maria and Melia Buenavista have direct access to the CO beach which extends for about 2 km between the two hotels.

Follow this link to learn more about Clothing Optional beaches in Cuba.

The entire archipelago is part of the UNESCO recognized "Reserva de Biosfera Buenavista", and the section of beach located at the eastern tip of Cayo Santa Maria, Playa Las Gaviotas, is part of a protected wildlife refuge where no hotel will be built. On this virgin beach you'll only find some sun shelters available to everyone (tourists and locals).

Type of beach:
First word that comes to mind to describe them: STUNNING! They're made of very fine white sand, with crystal-clear turquoise waters. Some stretches of beach are separated from each other by short Rocky sections (emerged coral reefs). We recommend that you wear shoes or sandals if you ever have to cross these natural obstacles in order to access a next sandy section.

The entrance into the water is not too steep nor too gentle, so no need to walk hundreds of feet before having water at shoulders level. Along the western and central part of the island (Playa Canon, La Estrella and Las Caletas) the sea can sometimes be choppy (yellow or red flag), especially on windy days, but there's almost no undertow. While the sea is generally calmer along the eastern part of the coast (Playa Las Coloradas, Perla Blanca, Los Delfines, Las Gaviotas). Those who prefer a sea that is always very calm can also opt for a hotel on the neighboring islands, Cayo Las Brujas or Cayo Ensenachos.

All beaches are public, but lounge chairs and palapas can be used only by the hotel guests. The beaches are mostly facing north; it means that if you sit on the beach facing the sea, the sun is behind you.

A walker's paradise!
The longest walkable stretch of beach without any obstacle is from hotel Melia Buenavista up to the Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria. The sand is finer and more compact between the Melia Cayo Santa Maria and Sanctuary at Grand Memories Santa Maria hotels, which means that your feet don't sink as much, compared to the section of beach between the Melia Buenavista and the Sol Cayo Santa Maria where the sand is a bit coarser. Don't forget to bring water, a hat, and sunscreen lotion for long walks under the sun!

Shore snorkeling
The few corals accessible from the shore and strong surf sometimes make snorkeling a little difficult in many areas along the coast of Cayo Santa Maria, and entrance into the water is mostly sandy. But there are still a few Rocky patches and some coral heads that are reachable from shore, please visit our Snorkeling page for more information about the best spots.

The dunes
The hotels are all oceanfront but the majority of them have been built a little back behind the dunes. The latter serve as a natural protection against tropical storms and hurricanes, thus minimizing damages to hotels. Note that in the central section of Playa La Estrella (in front of Playa Cayo Santa Maria hotel), the beach being narrower, the palapas and chairs were then installed a little higher on the sand dune.

Lily & Normand
© cayosantamaria.info
© destilino.com