This particular place was not worth spending the extra cash. Depends what you are looking for. You get: Seats by the windows and a special Location at the buffet The waiter will get you anything (make sure you tip) Private section of the beach Beach staff will reserve you a spot there A special shelf at the lobby bar Should have an area online that clarifies the rest I think you get special check in when you arrive. You don’t have to wait in line.

No esta permitido hacer snorkel en Cayo Santa Maria, no obstante todo es posible con $$ . Nosotros pagamos a los chicos de la guardia marina y nos llevaron (prohibido sacar fotos), pagamos 30 CUC por persona. Pero nos estábamos hospedando en un hotel del Cayo, si no estas hospedándose ahí, dudo que sea posible. Suerte!

There aren't any

Salve immagino di sì, sono spiagge attrezzate ed in parte libere

not sure if you can reach the beach without going through one of the resorts first... but it doesn't matter which resort you are staying, you can walk on the beach from one end of the island to the other since none of them have a private beach

Hi, the only clothing optional section of the CSM beach I know of is on the western end, after the Sol hotel part. It's a bit more than 2 km from the Playa CSM hotel. Last time I've seen the beach, it was fully equipped (palapas & co).

No. There is no access for vehicles.

Hi Alvaro. After having seen all the hotel sections on the central beach of CSM, i.e. from Sanctuary at Grand Memories, on the east, down to Sol, on the west, in July '18, I'd rate the Sanctuary part as the best. These are basically segments of the same large beach, as you can see on a map, yet there are parts that are wider and cleaner than others. The water, however, seems allover the same. N.B. I have not visited the smaller beaches, i.e. those of Melia Buena Vista, Valentin and Casa del Mar, so I cannot rate them.

Hi, there are flights between La Havana and CSM (airport is on the neighbouring Cayo Las Bruhas). Not sure which company operates these flights, but I've heard they are not reliable: Cancelations due to mechanical issues with the plane are not unusual. It it should be expensive, at least by Cuban standards. There is a way to get there by coach as well, possibly by changing coach lines in one of the big cities in-between. Last July we met a family from Spain who came to CSM from La Havana by coach. When they left CSM, they took a coach to Cienfuegos, so that might have been where they changed coaches on their way to CSM (my guess). And if I recollect well, they said that the connection to Cienfuegos is only once a week and it takes 5 hrs. Moreover, they spoke of significant hardship with the booking of one of the legs of their trip as the coach operator was nearly unreachable from abroad.