Cuba - Lonely Planet [299]
PLAYA ESMERALDA
Three megaresorts line this superior stretch of beach 6km to the west of Guardalavaca and accessed by a spur just east of the Cayo Naranjo boat launch. Esmeralda occupies the middle ground between Guardalavaca’s economy and Playa Pesquero’s opulence.
Sol Río Luna Mares Resort (Gaviota; Map; 43-00-60; s/d CUC$104/170; ) This two-in-one hotel is an amalgamation of the former Sol Club Río de Luna and the Meliá Río de Mares. Rooms are large and come with a few additional extras (such as coffee machines), but the main advantages for luxury seekers over Guardalavaca is the superior food (Mexican and Italian restaurants) and the better beach (beach toys are included in the price).
Paradisus Río de Oro (Gaviota; Map; 43-00-90; s/d CUC$185/311; ) Elegant and environmentally conscious (a tough combination), this 292-room resort has five-star written all over it, and would stand up against anything in the Caribbean. There’s massage available in a cliffside hut, a Japanese restaurant floating on a koi pond, and garden villas with private pools. Paradise is the word.
Rooms are also available in cabins at Villa Cayo Naranjo. Enquire at the hotel desks for details.
Eating
Los Amigos (Map; 9am-9pm) At the epicenter of Guardalavaca’s liveliest strip of beach (accessed via the flea market just west of Club Amigo Atlántico), Los Amigos is a bog-standard beach shack with beer, music and enough ingredients to muster up a sand-free fish and rice lunch.
Vicaria Guardalavaca (Map; 9am-9:45pm) You’ll feel like an outcast eating at this place, beside Centro Comercial Guardalavaca, while everyone else tucks into the all-you-can-eat buffets a couple of hundred meters away. Nevertheless, pizzas are big and service is quick and amiable. A good meal for two won’t break CUC$10.
El Ancla (Map; 43-03-81; 9am-10:30pm) Somehow El Ancla, which is situated on a rocky promontory of land at the far western end of Guardalavaca beach, didn’t get blown away by Hurricane Ike and has survived to serve its excellent lobster in front of magnificent sea views.
Cayo Naranjo (Map; 43-04-33; Cayo Naranjo) On Gaviota’s theme park of a cayo (coral key), this will be your only lunch option. Fortunately, it’s pretty good with a signature plate of Marinera Especial pushing the fish theme.
Drinking & Entertainment
Disco Club La Roca (Map; 43-01-67; admission CUC$1; 1-5pm & 9:30pm-3am) This establishment just west of the Centro Comercial Guardalavaca has a pleasant open-air locale overlooking the beach. It’s a bar-restaurant by day with video games and karaoke. On weekend evenings it hosts cabaret shows good enough to lure clientele from the posh resorts.
La Rueda (Map; 7am-11pm) A Palmares bar (next to the craft market) that provides a welcome haven from the resorts. Small snacks and ice cream are also available.
Shopping
There’s a small handicraft market next to Club Amigo Atlántico – Guardalavaca and a couple of shopping arcades, the Centro Comercial Guardalavaca and Centro Los Flamboyanes.
Other options:
Casa del Habano (Map; Centro Comercial Los Flamboyanes) All the smoke you need and then some.
Photo service (Map; Centro Comercial Los Flamboyanes) Does everything from film processing to passport shots.
Getting There & Away
Club Amigo Atlántico – Guardalavaca can sometimes arrange transfers to Holguín for CUC$10; ask around. A taxi from Guardalavaca to Holguín will cost a heftier CUC$35 one way for the car. For radio taxis, call Cubataxi ( 43-01-39) or Transgaviota ( 43-49-66).
Marina Gaviota Puerto de Vita (Map; 43-04-45) is an international entry port for yachts and boats and has 38 berths. There’s a hardware store, restaurant, electricity and customs authorities on-site.
Getting Around
A new hop-on/hop-off minibus has been installed in Guardalavaca to link the three beach areas and surrounding sights. The red-and-blue bus is run by Transtur. Theoretically it runs every 30 minutes daily between 9am and 7pm, but