Beaches & Cayos

Varadero is Cuba's most famous beach resort and one of the longest beaches in the Caribbean: 20 km of powdery white sand on the narrow Hicacos Peninsula, 140 km east of Havana. The water is shallow, warm, and in all shades from turquoise to emerald green. A dream beach — no question.

However, Varadero is also Cuba's most touristy place: Over 60 all-inclusive resorts line the peninsula. Here you experience pure Caribbean, but little Cuba. The hotels mostly belong to Spanish (Meliá, Iberostar) and Cuban chains. The beaches are public (also for non-hotel guests), but Cuban everyday life hardly takes place here.

Who is it suitable for?

• All-inclusive vacationers: The hotels offer solid standards (3–5★, from €80–200/night all-inclusive). Unlimited food and drink, pool landscapes, entertainment
• Families: Shallow water, well-organized hotels with kids' clubs
• Combination: 1 week round trip + 4–5 days Varadero to unwind is a popular combination

Away from the resort

Varadero also has corners worth a look: the Parque Josone (a pretty park in the city center with a lake and restaurants), the Cueva de Ambrosio (cave with pre-Columbian rock paintings, €5), and at the eastern end of the peninsula the Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos (small nature park with cacti and iguanas).

All-Inclusive Prices (per person/night, double room)

The Cayos off Cuba's north coast are the Caribbean from a picture book: uninhabited (or almost uninhabited) islands with dazzling white beaches connected to the mainland by causeways. Cayo Coco and the neighboring Cayo Guillermo (connected by a bridge) form the second most important beach resort area after Varadero.

Cayo Coco

The 370 km² island (most of which is a nature reserve) offers 22 km of beach and about a dozen all-inclusive resorts. The Playa Larga and Playa Las Coloradas are among Cuba's most beautiful beaches: fine, soft sand, crystal-clear water, hardly any algae. Flamingos wade in the lagoons inland — a surreal sight.

Off the coast lies one of Cuba's best snorkeling areas: The barrier reef is only a few hundred meters from the beach. Boat tours to the reef from €25.

Cayo Guillermo

The smaller neighboring island (13 km²) was Hemingway's favorite fishing spot — he hunted marlins here. Today, some of the most exclusive resorts are located here. The Playa Pilar is regularly voted as Cuba's most beautiful beach: 1 km of fine, white sand, sand dunes (up to 15 m high!), the turquoise sea behind. Breathtaking and less crowded than Varadero.

Getting there

Via causeway (Pedraplén) from the mainland — 17 km over the sea, a surreal drive. Toll station at the beginning (for tourists only). Cayo Coco Airport (CCC) receives charter flights from Canada and Europe. From Havana: flight (1 hour) or car/bus (8 hours via Morón).

Cayo Santa María is Cuba's newest beach resort area — most hotels were only opened in the 2010s. The 13 km long island lies off the north coast of Villa Clara Province and is connected to the mainland by a 48 km long causeway (Pedraplén) — Cuba's longest causeway, a spectacular drive over shallow, turquoise water.

The beaches are immaculate: fine, white sand, crystal-clear water, and almost no surf thanks to the offshore reef. The hotels are newer and in better condition than many Varadero facilities. About 15 resorts (mostly Gaviota/Meliá/Iberostar) line the north coast.

Special features

• Pueblo La Estrella: An artificial tourist village on the causeway with restaurants, bars, a dolphinarium, and souvenir shops — an attempt to bring some "Cuban flair" into the resort world
• Snorkeling: The offshore reef is in excellent condition. Boat tours from €30
• Day trips: To Santa Clara (Che Mausoleum, 2.5 hours) or Remedios (colonial town with the famous Parrandas festivals in December, 1.5 hours)

Prices

All-inclusive from €80–150/person/night. Significantly cheaper in the low season (May–October). The hotels are overall newer and better maintained than in Varadero.

Cayo Largo is Cuba's most remote beach location — a 25 km long, uninhabited island south of the mainland, only accessible by flight (no causeway). It is precisely this seclusion that makes it so appealing: The beaches are among the most pristine in the entire Caribbean.

The Playa Sirena (2 km) and Playa Paraíso (1 km) are of enchanting beauty: powdery white sand so fine it squeaks between your toes, shallow, crystal-clear water in an unreal turquoise, no rocks, no seaweed, no people — it feels like landing in an advertisement for paradise.

Special features

• Turtles: Between May and September, sea turtles (Green Sea Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle) nest on the beaches. The hatchery on the beach can be visited
• Nudism: Nude bathing is allowed on some beach sections — unusual for Cuba
• Diving: Excellent! Steep wall, coral reefs, wrecks. 30+ dive sites. From €35/dive
• Iguanas: Hundreds of iguanas inhabit the island — at "Iguana Island" you can observe them up close

Getting there

Only by flight: From Havana (40 min, from €80 return) or as a day trip from Varadero/Trinidad (charter flight). Few hotels (3–4★, all-inclusive). Ideal for 2–3 days of beach paradise, longer becomes monotonous.

Guardalavaca (Holguín Province) is the beach region of eastern Cuba — 800 km from Havana, but only 60 km from Holguín Airport. The name supposedly means "guard the cow" — because the Spanish colonists once protected their cattle herds from pirates here.

The region has three main beaches:

Playa Guardalavaca

The main beach: 1.5 km of fine sand in a sheltered bay. Shallow, calm water, ideal for families. Several hotels (3–4★), right on the beach. The surroundings are hillier and greener than Varadero — you see palm trees and tropical vegetation instead of hotel blocks.

Playa Pesquero

5 km west: a longer, more expansive beach with newer 5★ resorts (Iberostar, Gaviota). Often described as the best hotel beach in eastern Cuba. Less crowded than Guardalavaca.

Playa Esmeralda

Between the two, accessible through the hotels. A smaller, intimate beach in a bay with particularly clear water.

Excursions

• Bahía de Naranjo: Natural bay with boat tours, snorkeling, and a (controversial) dolphinarium
• Museo Chorro de Maíta: Cuba's only archaeological Taíno cemetery (2 km away). Skeletons of the indigenous people in situ. Impressive and thought-provoking. €3.
• Columbus Landing Site: At Bahía de Bariay, Christopher Columbus first landed on Cuba on October 28, 1492, and wrote: "The most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen." A monument marks the spot.