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Compact and easygoing, Morón is a plausible base for shoestringers who want to enjoy the beaches of Cayo Coco and Guillermo without having to fork out half a month’s salary for the privilege. It’s also a favorite among fishermen and hunters headed for the Laguna de la Leche.

Information

You’ll find internet at Etecsa (Martí; 8:30am-7:30pm), and there are money-changing facilities at the Cadeca (Martí No 346) in the same street. Information on the Laguna La Redonda and Laguna de la Leche can be procured at Cubatur ( 50-55-19; cnr Martí & Dimas Daniel; 9am-5pm).

Sights

Ponder the cockerel, the historic railway station and animated Calle Martí, and you’ve pretty much covered Morón in a short morning. You can round things off with a visit to the Museo de Arqueología e Historia (Martí; admission CUC$1; 9am-noon & 6-10pm). Shoehorned in among the busy sidewalks and peeling colonnades, this well-laid-out museum is spread over two floors, the upper of which is given over to the city’s history. There is a mirador (lookout) on the roof with a good view out over the town.

Sleeping

CASAS PARTICULARES

‘Hospedaje Liberluz’ – Carlos Manuel Baez ( 50-50-54; Libertad No 148 btwn Luz Caballero & Padre Cabo; r CUC$20-25; ) Flowers, rockers, a patio and two well-equipped rooms spread over two floors. Morón has its pleasant escapes and this is one of them.

Tamara Companioni Medina ( 50-36-30; Martí No 247 btwn Serafín Sánchez & Sergio Antuña; r CUC$20-25; ) An old stalwart in the center of town where you’ll bump into the odd (American) fisherman. One of the rooms is in a converted garage out back; the other more spick-and-span option is inside the house.

HOTELS

Hotel Morón (Cubanacán; 50-22-30; Av de Tarafa; s/d CUC$33/42; ) Morón is famous for its cockerel, but it’s the in-house disco that’s more likely to keep you awake at this modern-ish, four-story hotel at the south entrance to town. Package tourists are the main clientele with the odd stray fisherman thrown in for good measure. The pool is a rare highlight; nonguests can ask about day passes. Maintain low expectations for the restaurant and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Casona de Morón ( 50-22-36; Colón No 41; s/d CUC$40/50; ) Catering mainly to the hunting and fishing crowd, Casona, near the train station, is a cozy enough place for those on a budget, and trumps Hotel Morón in many respects with its colonial features and cheery ambience. There are seven rooms and a small restaurant on-site.

Eating

Las Fuentes ( 50-57-58; Martí No 189 btwn Agramonte & Libertad; 10am-midnight) The surest bet for a solid meal in Morón is this place: you can get everything from a very basic salad to grilled lobster here. Fish dinners start at CUC$5 – if you can’t face another dose of fried-to-a-cinder chicken.

La Casona (Colón No 43; noon-midnight) Attached to the hunting lodge, this place can rustle up something hot and palatable at relatively short notice.

Paraíso Palmares ( 50-21-94; Martí No 382; noon-2pm & 7-9pm) This restaurant has standard chicken fare with the obligatory arroz congrí (rice and beans). The house specialty is Valencian paella.

Coppelia (cnr Callejas & Martí) While the Coppelia chain invariably offers good ice cream, the setting is often dire, and never more so than in this hollowed-out shell of a building. Get a take-out and head to the park.

On the self-catering front there’s the dependable Doña Neli Dulcería (Serafín Sánchez No 86 btwn Narciso López & Martí) for bread and pastries and La Mina de Oro (Martí) for groceries.

Entertainment

A night out in Morón is a toss-up between the traditional Casa de la Trova Pablo Bernal (Libertad No 74 btwn Martí & Narciso López) or the younger, more raucous Discoteca Morón at the hotel of the same name (left).

Getting There & Away

Five buses a day leave from the hectic train station ( 3683; cnr Martí & JF Poey) for Ciego de Ávila. Trains depart for Santiago de Cuba (CUC$22, alternate days) via Ciego de Ávila (CUC$1, twice