Cuba - Lonely Planet [261]
Since 1988 Cayo Coco has been connected to the mainland by a 27km causeway slicing across the Bahía de Perros. There are also causeways from Cayo Coco to Cayo Guillermo in the west and to Cayo Romano in the east.
Information
Euros are accepted in all the Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo resorts.
Banco Financiero Internacional At the Servi-Cupet gas station and Hotel Iberostar Daiquirí.
Clínica Internacional Cayo Coco ( 30-21-58; Av de los Hoteles al final) Provides medical treatment, and is located next to Villa Gaviota Cayo Coco.
Havanatur ( 30-13-29) This travel agency is on the main roundabout next to the Servi-Cupet gas station. There’s a small, handy store (read: insect repellent) and an El Rápido here too.
Infotur ( 30-91-09) Has a helpful office at the Jardines del Rey airport. There are also desks at most of the main hotels.
Sights
Parque Natural El Bagá ( 30-10-63; admission CUC$12) is a commendable eco-project where the Cuban government has juxtaposed environmental reclamation alongside lucrative but controlled tourist development. Sited on what was Cayo Coco’s original airport, this 769-hectare natural park is a sublime mix of dense mangroves, small lakes, idyllic coastline and winding trails. A three-hour tour with a guide costs CUC$25 (no minimum), but these guys are flexible, knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. You can see jutías (tree rats) and iguanas here and handle a live croc (mouth taped of course), but the real highlight is the 130 species of bird that frequent the area. Slightly lower down the authenticity stakes are a reconstructed native village (including shows) and the on-site restaurant, which specializes in rabbit.
East of Cayo Coco, a road crosses Cayo Romano and turns north to Cayo Paredón Grande and Faro Diego Velázquez, a 52m working lighthouse that dates from 1859. This area has a couple of beaches and is good for fishing.
Activities
The Marina Marlin Aguas Tranquilas ( 30-13-24), near the Meliá Cayo Coco, offers deep-sea fishing outings (CUC$290 per four hours).
The Marlin Dive Center ( 30-12-21), on the west side of Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco, is accessible via a dirt road to the beach. Scuba diving costs CUC$35, plus CUC$5 for gear. The open-water certification course costs CUC$365, less in low season. The diving area stretches for over 10km mainly to the east, and there are six certified instructors with the capacity for 30 divers per day. Blue Diving ( 30-81-79; Meliá Cayo Coco), and Coco Diving ( 30-13-23; Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco) offer similar services. Dive masters are multilingual and there are live-aboard options here.
Tours
There’s no shortage of day excursions available from the main hotel information desks, which are usually staffed by Cubatur or Cubanacán representatives. Highlights include Por la Ruta de Hemingway (CUC$29), a journey through the keys mentioned in Hemingway’s novel Islands in the Stream, a motorboat cruise around Cayo Paredón Grande (CUC$25), as well as a flamingo-spotting tour (CUC$29).
Sleeping
BUDGET
Sitio La Güira ( 30-12-08; cabaña with/without bath CUC$25/20) A simple abode situated on a small farm 8km west of the Servi-Cupet gas station, La Güira rents two rooms sharing a bath and a couple of Cuban bohíos (thatched huts) with private bath. Facilities are rustic and there’s a ranchón-style restaurant on-site.
Motel Villa Jardín Los Cocos ( 30-21-80; s/d/tr CUC$30/35/45) This is one of Cayo Coco’s few cheap options. Don’t expect much – it’s primarily designed for Cuban workers – but, if budget’s your main consideration, one of the cheap musty rooms here could work.
TOP END
Cayo Coco’s all-inclusive resorts are policed pretty diligently. Unless you’re wearing the ‘access all areas’ plastic wristband, think twice about sneaking in to use the toilets. Room rates are all-inclusive.
Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco (Cubanacán; 30-13-00; s/d CUC$108/172; ) The Tryp is a quint-essential all-inclusive resort with