Cuba - Lonely Planet [263]
Although getting to Cayo Coco is nigh on impossible without a car or taxi (or bike), getting around has got infinitely easier with the introduction of a Transtur ( 30-11-75) hop-on/hop-off minibus. The service is still in its infancy and varies according to season, but expect a minimal service of two buses per day in either direction. The bus ferries east to west between Meliá Cayo Coco and Playa Pilar, stopping at all Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo hotels as well as El Parque Bagá. Tickets cost CUC$5 for an all-day pass.
A taxi to Cayo Coco from Morón will cost in the region of CUC$30; from Ciego de Ávila closer to CUC$55. You pay a CUC$2 fee to enter the causeway.
You can rent a car or moped independently at Cubacar ( 30-12-75) on the second roundabout between the Meliá and Tryp complexes. Cubacar also has a desk at all the major hotels.
Bicycles are in short supply at Cayo Coco’s hotels. The NH Krystal Laguna (opposite) is your best bet.
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CAYO GUILLERMO
Cayo Guillermo is the definitive ‘island in the stream.’ Linked eternally with the name of Ernest Hemingway – who, though he didn’t discover it, inadvertently stuck a CUC$3 ‘levy’ on every drink – Cayo Guillermo was a prized deep-sea fishing spot long before its first hotel opened in 1993. Just west of Cayo Coco, to which it is connected by a causeway, 13-sq-km Guillermo is a much smaller key that supports four all-inclusive hotels and the jaw-droppingly beautiful Playa Pilar, arguably Cuba’s finest beach. The mangroves off the south coast are home to pink flamingos and pelicans, and there’s a tremendous diversity of tropical fish and crustaceans on the Atlantic reef.
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Playa Pilar is considered to be one of the top 10 beaches in Latin America and its 40m-high sand dunes are the largest on the archi-pelago. They say the sand here is so fine that if you drop it from your hand it will float away before it touches the ground.
Reynaldo, Cayo Coco
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Cayo Guillermo remains the number-one sport-fishing destination in Cuba. The deep-sea fishing facilities are unequalled, and several freshwater lakes on the mainland are within commuting distance.
Activities
The Marlin Marina ( 30-17-38) on the right of the causeway as you arrive from Cayo Coco is a certified international entry port with 36 boat berths. You can organize deep-sea fishing for mackerel, pike, barracuda, red snapper and marlin here on large boats that troll five kilometers to 13km off-shore. It’s CUC$290/450 for a half-/full day, and you can keep some of the fish. There’s also a professional dive center charging CUC$45 for a dive with equipment. You can book at the hotels or go directly to the marina. Cubanacán Náutica ( 30-17-60) has two dive centers running dives for around the same price.
The popular Boat Adventure ( 30-15-16) has its own separate dock on the left-hand side of the causeway as you enter Guillermo. For CUC$41 you are treated to a two-hour motorboat trip (with a chance to man the controls) through the key’s natural mangrove channels. Trips leave four times daily starting from 9am.
Cayo Guillermo was a favorite fishing spot of writer Ernest Hemingway, who mentioned it in his book Islands in the Stream. Its best beach (and possibly the best in Cuba) is Playa Pilar, named after Papa’s famous boat. It’s a lovely, unspoiled strip of sand backed by huge sand dunes and situated at the far western end of the key. You can sail and snorkel off nearby Cayo Media Luna; regular boats provide passage (CUC$11), or you can partake in a day-long catamaran excursion for CUC$49 including bus and boat transfers, snorkeling and lobster lunch. The hop-on/hop-off bus Click here stops at Pilar twice daily in either direction and there’s also a bar-restaurant (right).
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JARDINES DE LA REINA
Jardines de la Reina are a 120km-long mangrove and coral island system situated 80km off the south coast of Ciego de Ávila province and 120km north of the Cayman Islands. The local marine park measures 3800 sq