Cuban beaches: A Magic of Foam and Color
Cuba is blessed with perfect lucidity in its over 200 beaches, in which world-class Varadero, the Eastern Havana Beaches or the unexplored keys are good cases in point.
Out of Cuba's 588 kilometers of beaches, 256 of its foreshores are comprised in the country's twelve major tourist circuits, all of them outfitted with great hotel and nautical facilities, plus an assortment of development plans in place for broader recreational choices.
Besides being the right spots for basking in the sun, reading a good book under the shadow of an umbrella, or simply taking a catnap, Cuban beaches are equipped with the right infrastructure to practice a variety of water sports such as sailing, aqua bikes, kayaking and water skiing, with gear provided by a number of nautical centers.
Therefore, we might as well get this show on the road now. An imaginary trip –that could turn out to be real- down that wonderful realm of magic and blue-hued waters so perfectly well preserved. We've handpicked ten of Cuba's premiere beaches just for you. Enjoy the ride.
Eastern Havana Beaches Some of Cuba's best-known beaches are sort of an extension of the island nation's capital. These special strips of sand and sea lying just a 20-minute drive from downtown Havana show up in order of appearance as you barrel down a picture-perfect road and leave the Bay Tunnel behind. First you drive into some of Havana's eastern suburbs in the outskirts of town like Eastern Havana, Alamar and Cojimar. Shortly after that, a sand-like silhouette meets the eye.
The beach area stretches out for at least ten miles worth of great lodging and recreational facilities, chiefly for the practice of nautical and water sports. The beaches are called Bacuranao, Tarara, Megano, Santa Maria del Mar, Boca Ciega and Guanabo. A tad further to the east down the same coastal road, you'll chance upon Arroyo Bermejo.
As easy as it might be to travel to these beaches while you're staying in any of Havana's hotels, the beach area is outfitted with adequate resorts and inns such as Tropicoco, Club Arenal and Atlantico, coupled with an array of apart-hotels and much smaller bed-and-breakfasts, all of them with excellent conditions.
Varadero: The Blue Beach In the western province of Matanzas, Varadero is by and large Cuba's best-known and most distinguished beach of all. Varadero –as many foreigners who visit Cuba on a regular basis put it- is a world-class beach.
The island nation's premiere sun-and-beach destination is dotted with numerous hotels, and counting. It also features great conditions for the practice of a good deal of nautical and water sports.
Varadero is located in a legendary piece of land known as the Hicacos Peninsula whose northernmost tip –and Cuba's, too- is Punta de Morlas.
Nicknamed The Blue Beach, Varadero is some 89 miles east of Havana and is connected to the capital by a good mesh of roads and highways. Its crystal-clear waters, its powder-thin sand and the beauty of the surrounding nature –among other attributes- make it one of the world's finest beaches.
There are three marinas in Varadero: Darsena Varadero (Marinas Puertosol S.A.); Chapelin (Cubanacan Nautical) and Gaviota, this one on the tip of the peninsula. That's why it's so commonplace to see yachts, sailboats catamarans and scuba diving enthusiasts around. As a curiosity, the end of the Hicacos Peninsula shows off ten lesser keys. One of those keys is Monito, where flocks of seagulls nestle every year.
As far as hotels are concerned, the Meliá Varadero and Meliá Las Americas, Sol Palmeras, Iberostar Bella Costa, Barceló Solymar, Iberostar Taino, Paradisus Varadero, the Beaches Varadero and the Sandals Royals Hicacos Resort and Spa are some of the most luxurious. However, lodging possibilities are plentiful with top-notch cuisine and drinks.
Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo...) Ciego de Avila Cayo Coco is at the head of a pack of highly coveted keys among tourists coming to this neck of the woods. Commercially speaking, the area is called Jardines del Rey. Besides Cayo Coco, other major islets are Cayo Romano and Cayo Paredon Grande.
One major attraction here is the 15,000 pairs of flamencos and other critters of the zone's typical wildlife that rove around the coral reefs, places all you can take a firsthand look at from motorboats.
The 370-square-kilometer Cayo Coco is connected with the main island (the province of Ciego de Avila) by a 17-kilometer-long dirt road stretching over the sea known locally as pedraplen. The place has a variety of hotels and tourist centers that make your stay on the premises a whole lot nicer. Chances of getting in touch with nature are really too many.
The beaches feature vast extensions of blue-greenish waters and very thin sand. Waters are extremely shallow near some points off the key, a condition that allows access to family groups with kids in tow.
Las Coloradas Beach, with the Sol Cayo Coco Hotel jutting out, is blessed with a great environment for those with a laid-back attitude who look for the ideal getaway with no cars, no noises and no trace of the big city life.
Santa Lucia, Camaguey The northern coast of eastern Cuba has Santa Lucia Beach, a 10-mile-long strip of thin sand that stands for one of the most sought-after destinations for nautical buffs and those eager to get a good-looking suntan.
One top choice for any traveler there is the Cuatro Vientos Hotel, named after the airplane used by a couple of Spaniards who flew all the way from Spain to Cuba some years ago and were forced to crash land off the province of Camaguey.
This is the province of the tinajones, huge earthenware round vases widely used by residents here to collect rainfall and spruce up every nook and cranny of this eastern province.
Guardalavaca, Bariay, Esmeralda, Pesquero... Holguin The very first curiosity that meets the eye (better yet the ear) is the name of the beach. Many people call it Guardalabarca, thinking the etymology stems from some sailor who used to hide his boat there. The real name is Guardalavaca, an eastern beach of striking beauty hubbed in the province of Holguin in northeastern Cuba.
Guardalavaca is propped up by a top-rated hotel infrastructure featuring the likes of Cubanacan Turey, Las Brasas, Gaviota Marina del Naranjo, among other resorts, besides trading on such facilities in downtown Holguin as the Pernik Hotel. Scores of direct flights from Europe land in the city's international airport every week.
For its part, Playa Blanca in Bariay is another pretty long, powder-thin sandy beach hedged with a gorgeous environment.
One major historical event occurred right here on October 27, 1492. The Great Admiral from Genoa, Christopher Columbus, landed here on that date. Sited in the Bariay Peninsula, the beach is highly coveted for being such a historical and celebrated land.
Also in the eastern province of Holguin, travelers find Esmeralda Beach, right in the heart of a tourist region known as Estero Ciego that features such hotels as Sol Rio Luna and Sol Rio de Mares, among others.
In the meantime, Pesquero Beach witnessed the grand opening earlier this year of Cuba's largest hotel, a 944-room megabuck compound perched on the beach bearing the same name.
Marea del Portillo & Farallones, Granma Driving westbound to the province of Granma, in the village of Pilon, travelers are hailed by Marea del Portillo and Farallones, two fledgling tourist circuits not far from the mountains.
Two state-of-the-art hotels there were named after the geographical sites. Their rooms overlook the magnificent nature of the surroundings and provide spectacular views for onlookers and shutterbugs alike.
This is no doubt a great place of quasi-mystical quietness featuring roadside crags and cliffs. A development plan is currently underway to ease access of larger number of vacationers to the area.
For those who want to stay away from the mundane noise of the big city and are bent on taking a good rest or embarking on sailing adventures of all stripes, the search is over.
Maria Aguilar, Ancon, Trinidad Maria Aguilar is a beach located in the Ancon Peninsula, in Trinidad, one of the first seven villages founded by Diego Velazquez as far back as the 16th century.
The Ancon, Costa Sur and Las Cuevas hotels are waiting just for you with great lodging conditions and a marina run by Puertosol S.A., a company that plans trips and tours of all kind for anyone.
One particular landmark here is the International Diving Center, a place Canadians and European seek after all year round. Students first get some pool training here and then are taken on a spectacular ride through warm waters of up to 40 percent vertical visibility, something dry-behind-the-ears scuba divers praise constantly.
Sirena, Cayo Largo del Sur A passion-packed world rises before our very eyes in Cayo Largo del Sur, an exclusive key some 177 kilometers from Havana that's becoming an increasingly coveted asset in the world market.
Some valuable treasures are thought to be still buried there, hidden by English pirate Henry Morgan more than 300 years ago.
The legend is making the rounds and still giving a few goose bumps to those who get there. Dusty logbooks and ancient records, including some documents still kept in the Bahamas, traced over 200 shipwrecks on the premises between 1563 and 1784. For instance, a hurricane that played havoc with the area on October 3, 1780, dragged several gunship commandeered by Captain Sir Haig to run aground there.
Los Cocos Beach is another popular site were people say a canoe turned up unexpectedly some six miles off the Pirate Plaza. The rustic boat is seemingly over 500 years old and today decorates the bar lounge of that recreational center.
The tourist compound counts on over 25 kilometers of thinner-than-thin sand. There are even some Eolithic formations on the beach that keep water temperatures warm despite the sweltering sun. The fact of the matter is the soil's chemical composition keeps the land cool and protects it from the sunrays. Sirena Beach is the most emblematic foreshore there.
These places invite guests to ramble down the beach for hours, discovering the surrounding silence and the marvelous vegetation.
Daiquiri and Baconao, Santiago de Cuba Daiquiri Beach counts on a motel named after the place. The site lies on the southeastern side of the Santiago de Cuba province in eastern Cuba.
This small beach is worth taking a look at for a number of reasons. Two of them are its nearness to Cuba's second-largest city and its linkage to the noble history of the Cuban cocktail bearing the same name (daiquiri). This drink is made up of Cuban rum, frappe ice, sugar and lemon. The story goes that sometime during the past century, a thirsty engineer was looking for a drink that could really quench the hot temps and his experimentation led to the famous drink. Other versions take it straight to a high-ranking U.S. officer who fought during the 1898 Spanish-American War.
Bibijagua, Isle of Youth The Isle of Youth is south of Havana. Among the different names it once had were the Treasure Island and the Isle of Parrots, the latter stemming from the countless flocks of these birds that once nestled there.
Its top landmark is no doubt Bibijagua Beach and its black sands. That unusual color is traced all along the sandy coast, making a unique contrast with the sea. People from everywhere under the sun come to see this oddity and take a swim in its calm, balmy waters, bask in the sun or just take a good rest.
The beach is inhabited by a community of Cayman Islanders and a colony of Japanese residents.
Young people migrated to this place searching for fortune, even some American citizens who settled down there and formed families of their own.
Cuba is blessed with lots of other beaches in which tourists can revel in the privileged weather and natural conditions this lovely island nation has to offer. The aforesaid list is good enough to lay bare the diversity, history, conditions and values of Cuba's sun-and-beach destinations.
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