one of our most precious, if not the most luxurious (and costly) experiences in Cuba, was definitely our visit to Cayo Guillermo.
Located on the northern coast of the country between the Bay of Dogs and the Atlantic Ocean, the place is a true paradise. think perfectly blue hues, fine white sand beaches, sunsets, Cuba libres and cigars. It’s a truly magnificent coastline and a rightful star of the Caribbean.
Cayo Guillermo was the place that made us realise we want more of this and sparked the plan to create our travel lifestyle. It was a major flashpoint in our lives, which has since changed dramatically after we stepped on one of the most amazing beaches we’ve seen so far.
Idyllic Cayo Guillermo
Even though it’s not such a backpacking destination, it’s well worth visiting for some chill time. The idyllic coastline is studded with resorts and the only way to enjoy it is to stay in one. However, we can’t stress enough how worth it is to spend a few dollars more from your Cuba budget and chill by the pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Especially if you are thinking of Varadero instead. Cayo Guillermo, in our humble opinion, is a 100% nicer destination in terms of accommodation and beach quality.
We stayed at the all-inclusive Iberostar Daiquiri resort and couldn’t really fault it. The staff were friendly and helpful plus the freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner was delicious. but the best part of the resort, aside from the great food and beaches, were the bar staff, restlessly shaking Mojitos, Pina Coladas and mixing up wicked Cuba libres.
Just don’t ask us how many of those we had during our stay, we just couldn’t resist.
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The hidden Playa Pilar beach
If you find yourself in Cayo Guillermo, you must visit the stunning, 500 meter long Playa Pilar beach. It’s a true white sand and crystal clear water paradise.
The water here is so clear that you don’t even need snorkeling equipment. As soon as you stop moving, a school of colourful fish come to investigate you, pure bliss. We spent a whole day here enjoying the beach, swimming, and chilling out.
Mesmerized by the beauty of this seacoast we even missed the last bus back to our resort. luckily we were picked up by two friendly Spaniards or it would have been another long walk, doh! Don’t forget to check the timetable for the last bus back as there aren’t any taxis hanging around either.
The beach was located around 7km from our resort, but as adventurous and money savvy as we are, we decided to walk there along the coast. We checked out the map and on paper it seemed easily accessible, in reality, it wasn’t. We do not recommend this option.
While it was fun to explore, it was blazing hot and at times we had to cross construction sites, which wasn’t that nice. The winding coastline stretched into a much longer distance than 7km. Eventually, we had to get back on the main road as the shore turned into the prickly woods. Miraculously we caught a cab on a deserted road and finally reached the hidden beach.
So please don’t waste your time and energy, get a local bus from your resort or hail a cab and spend more precious time enjoying the diamond dust-like beach. There are 4 hop on hop off buses per day, going between the resorts and stopping at Playa Pilar.
Foodwise there isn’t much around, but you will find a cosy bar-restaurant built in the dunes, right on the beach. prices range from 20 CUC to 40 CUC (1 CUC = $1 USD) per main course so you might want to have a hearty breakfast at your resort.
Cruising around Jardines del Rey
Visiting one of the most amazing coastlines in Cuba calls for a tiny bit of luxury lifestyle. Jardines del Rey, an archipelago off the northern coast of Cuba is well-known amongst snorkeling and diving enthusiasts for its stunning 200 km long coral reef.
One of the easiest ways to experience this magnificent part of the world is by taking a catamaran cruise. We booked a catamaran trip via an agent at our resort but you can always check out the Marina Cayo Guillermo directly.
They offer a wide selection of all-day tours from snorkeling to deep-water fishing. We, however, were taken to the marina in Cayo Coco a bit further away but hindsight is a wonderful thing.लगभग $ 80 को लागि प्रति व्यक्ति हाम्रो क्याटमेन ट्रिपमा 2 स्नडुर्किंग र 2 पौडी खेल्नेहरू, खाजा (कुखुरा वा लॉबस्टर) र एक धेरै स्वागत, अजीव रहित रम बार।
स्टाफ साँच्चिकै महान, मैत्री र समायोजन र समायोर सुन्दर थियो। यद्यपि स्न्याकनलिंग अनुभव अझ राम्रो हुन सक्छ, हामीले आफैंलाई साँच्चै रमाईलो गर्यौं। हामीलाई बेलुकाको खानाको लागि समयमै फिर्ता ल्याइएको थियो!
Cayo गुलीरमर्लोमा जाँदै
तपाईं सीधा यार्डिरिंग डीएलए डेल रे एयर एयरपोर्टमा अवस्थित छ र तपाईंको रिसोर्टले स्टार्टमा निर्भर 45 45 मिनेट लिन सक्दछ।
यदि तपाईं हवेना वा अन्य शहरहरूबाट फेरि क्यालो गुइलर्मोमा यात्रा गर्ने योजना गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ भने, तपाईं या त कार भाँडामा लिन सक्नुहुन्छ र ट्याक्सीमा हाल्न सक्नुहुन्छ।
तर तपाईंले सरकारी ट्याक्सी बुक गर्नु अघि तपाईंको कासाआर मालिकलाई जाँच गर्नुहोस् कि उनीहरूलाई ‘ट्याक्सी चालक’ थाहा छ जसले तपाईंलाई त्यहाँ लिन सक्दछ। हाम्रो यात्राको समयमा (मे 201 2015) मुख्य भूमिबाट सिधा गुलीलेर्लोको रिसोर्टहरूमा तपाईंलाई कुनै स्थानीय ब्रहहरू उपलब्ध थिएन।
तपाईं COYO कोकोलाई मुख्य भूमिमा जडान गर्दै आयरमा पार गर्नुहुनेछ र अर्को पुललाई कयो गुलीरमेमा जडान गर्ने। यो एकदम सवारी हो, विशाल ल्यागनमा जम्मा गरिएको गुलाबी फ्लिमिंगसको लागि हेर्नुहोस् जब तपाईं विमानस्थलतिर क्रस गर्नुहुन्छ।
क्युवाको हाम्रो यात्रामा हामी जातीमा बस्यौं र सबै मालिकहरूलाई धेरै संसाधन र सहयोगी हुन भेट्टायौं। त्रिनिड्डीमा हाम्रो केराका जीवले हामीलाई आफ्नो सपनाको टापु प्रमोदवनमा लगाउन एक असल मानिस स्थापना गरे। निश्चित गर्नुहोस् कि तपाईंसँग केही अतिरिक्त नगद छ, 3.5 घण्टा यात्राले तपाईंलाई $ 120 अमेरिकी डलर खर्च गर्नेछ।
हामीले 3 दिन पछि हामीलाई लिन हाम्रो ड्राइभरसँग पनि प्रबन्धहरू गरेका छौं र हामीलाई हवेनामा लैजान्छौं। यसले हामीलाई $ 200 भन्दा बढीको लागतमा hours घण्टा लाग्यो। अन्य यात्रुहरूको साथ ट्याक्सी साझेदारी गर्नु यस मामलामा एकदमै लागत प्रभावी विचार हो त्यसैले वरिपरि सोध्नुहोस् वा रिसेप्शनमा नोट छोड्नुहोस्।
यदि तपाईं क्युबामा कासाको विशेष बुक गर्न खोज्दै हुनुहुन्छ भने, बुकिंग.कट जाँच गर्नुहोस्!
महँगो र लामो यात्राको बावजुद कारको साथ केही हड्डी र हाम्रो स्पेनिशको अभावमा, हामी अझै शानदार समय थियो र क्युवामा क्यालो गुइलर्मोलाई भेट्नका लागि सिफारिस गर्छिन्।
यो लेख जस्तै? यसलाई पिन!
अस्वीकरण: सडकमा बाख्रा एक अमेजन एसोसिएसन र केहि अन्य रिटेलरको लागि एक सम्बद्धता हो। यसको मतलव हामीले आयोगहरू कमाउँछौं यदि तपाईं हाम्रो ब्लगमा लिंक क्लिक गर्नुहुन्छ र ती retailles बाट खरीद।