Why nobody lives on the cays
A resort cay is infrastructure, not a community. Cayo Santa Maria and its neighbours contain hotels, service buildings, utilities and roads, connected to the mainland by causeway. The people who work there are largely bused in from Remedios, Caibarian and beyond, on shifts. There are no residential neighbourhoods, no private homes for sale, and no civic life of the kind a town has. Even Cuban citizens do not buy or own homes on these cays. So the idea of settling on a resort cay does not correspond to any real arrangement, foreign or domestic.
The legal pathways that do exist
Living in Cuba for the long term is possible, but through defined channels, not beach purchases. The recognised routes are residency (often via family or other qualifying grounds), marriage to a Cuban citizen, inheritance of property, and long-term rental of a home on the mainland. Business investment runs through the state framework, including Ley 118 for approved projects. United States persons must also weigh OFAC regulations and the Helms-Burton Act, which bear on certain property dealings. Each route involves Cuban legal and immigration processes and realistic timelines. None of them delivers a condo on a resort cay.
The realistic version of the dream
If what draws you is the sea and sun of the Villa Clara coast, the achievable version is to visit, and to visit well: stay in the resorts on the cays, or in casas particulares in Remedios and Caibarian, and cross the causeway for beach days. If your interest is deeper and long-term, look to the mainland towns and the legal residency and rental pathways rather than the cays. Being honest about this is not discouraging; it points you toward the trip and the plans that are actually available under Cuban law.
The worst outcome is arriving with expectations that no rule or reality can meet, then feeling misled. The better path is to understand the model up front: the cays are for staying, the mainland is where life and any long-term legal arrangement happen, and every route runs through Cuban institutions on their own terms. Set against that honest picture, the Villa Clara coast still offers one of the Caribbean's finest beach experiences, which is reason enough to come.