Cuba - Lonely Planet [296]
Parque Rocazul (Map; 43-08-33), off the link road that joins Playa Turquesa with the other Pesquero resorts, is a protected bio-park that offers the usual hand-holding array of outdoor activities under the supervision of a nonnegotiable government guide. It’s a commendable environmental effort in a major resort area, but the limitations on your right to roam can be a little stifling (and costly). Leisurely walking excursions go for CUC$8/10/12 for one/two/three hours. You can go horseback riding for CUC$16 an hour or fishing for CUC$25. An all-inclusive package costs CUC$40. The park is extensive with hills, trails, ocean access and an ostrich farm. There’s a friendly bar at the entrance where you weigh can up the financial pros and cons.
Sleeping & Eating
PLAYA PESQUERO
Playa Costa Verde (Gaviota; Map; 43-05-10; s/d/tr all-inclusive CUC$150/230/327; ) Stuck somewhere between the elegance of Hotel Playa Pesquero and the simplicity of Villa Don Lino, the Costa Verde feels a bit faux, not that top-notch facilities are lacking. There’s a Japanese restaurant, a gym, colorful gardens and a lagoon you cross to get to the beach. Good diving trips are run out of the confusingly named Blau Costa Verde next door.
Hotel Playa Pesquero (Gaviota; Map; 43-35-30; s/d CUC$175/300; ) Once upon a time Cuba’s biggest hotel, Playa Pesquero had its mantle stolen in 2007 by the precocious Sirenis La Salina in Varadero, but who cares? With 933 rooms, the Pesquero is no slouch and no ugly duckling either. Beautifully landscaped grounds spread over 30 hectares include Italianate fountains, fancy shops, seven restaurants, a classy spa, a floodlit basketball court, and enough swimming pool space to accommodate a school of whales. And then there’s the beach…in a word, beautiful. Opened in 2003 by Fidel Castro, the great leader’s speech is reprinted on a wall in the reception area. Fortunately, it was one of his shorter efforts.
The other two resorts on this strip are Grand Playa Turquesa and Blau Costa Verde, both all-inclusive four-star establishments in a similar price range.
WEST OF PLAYA PESQUERO
Campismo Silla de Gibara (Cubamar; Map; 42-15-86; s/d CUC$11.50/17; ) This rustic campismo (camping installation) sits on sloping ground beneath Gibara’s signature saddle-shaped hill. Reached via a rough road between Floro Pérez and Rafael Freyre, it’s 35km southeast of Gibara itself and 1.5km off the main road. There are 42 rooms sleeping two, four or six people, but come for the views, not the comfort. There’s also a cave you can hike to, 1.5km hike up the hill, and horses for rent. It’s best to make reservations with Cubamar (www.cubamarviajes.cu) in Havana rather than just turn up.
Villa Don Lino (Islazul; Map; 43-03-08; s/d CUC$50/60; ) The cheap alternative to Playa Pesquero’s ‘big four,’ Don Lino’s 36 single-story cabañas (bungalows) are planted right on a small white beach, and make for a romantic retreat. There’s a small pool, nighttime entertainment and an element of Cuban-ness missing in the bigger resorts. Villa Don Lino is 8.5km north of Rafael Freyre along a spur road.
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GUARDALAVACA
Guardalavaca is a string of megaresorts draped along a succession of idyllic beaches 54km northeast of Holguín. Glimmering in the background, a landscape of rough green fields and haystack-shaped hills remind you that rural Cuba is never far away.
In the days before towel-covered sun loungers and poolside bingo, Columbus described this stretch of coast as the most beautiful