This morning our plan was to arrive in Holguin and spend sometime there but… as many fellow travellers would know, sometimes plans change very quickly ! On the bus from Trinidad to Holguin, we meet two funny germans that started talking about this Playa Guardalavaca so well… that we felt the need to go and check it with our own eyes ! Once in Holguin, we decide to take a taxi with them (with us spending only15CUC) and go explore the Playa. Hasta pronto Holguin !
Luckily, thanks to Michael and Manuel having their casa already booked, we also manage to get a room with the same owner literally just next to their room. Easier than expected ! Although the casa is a good 10-15min walking from the beach (in the area of casas particulares), beachfront hotels like the Hotel Club Los Amigos (you have to go through it to get to the playa) are at least six times more expensive with standard rooms starting at 85CUC per night !
Another positive of the casas is that they’re close to the tiny super-budget restaurants where only cubans go. Just next to our house we discover the “Fonda de Don Pepe”, a …mhm… relaxed open-air restaurant (?) where with as little as 3-4CUC we can both eat & drink like kings. Rice, beans, salad, sides, chicken, fish, a couple of beers and ready for a full day at the beach.
So what about Guardalavaca ? Well, kms of white beach, turquoise crystal clear waters, palms, fresh coconuts, sunny days, beautiful seashells and plenty of sea-life… What a breathtaking place ! On top of all that, we even manage to rent a couple of snorkel masks at 5CUC for both that we can use all day. Thanks to low season, even getting your lunch served at your spot on the beach by those beach-sellers can be as cheap as 1.5CUC per person ! At the end of the day, we found that Guardalavaca can be the perfect destination for those (like us) that are tight on a budget but still want to enjoy amazing beaches.
Just 6km away from Playa Guardalavaca, you can find the equally beautiful Playa Esemeralda. The main problem here though is that ALL SERVICES e.g. bars, shops, equipment rental etc… available are exclusively available for those people staying overnight at one of the all-inclusive beachfront resorts. No food, no drinks, no nothing, the only option is to try befriend somebody (that’s what we did !) and gently ask them if they can get you a round as for them everything is free !
It has to be said: if you want a place where to relax and chill among the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, this is the place. Here, problems seem to just fly away…
Additional Info: 1. The Hotel Club Los Amigos (and most of the beachfront hotels) are covered by the ETECSA network making it very easy to get access to some quality internet !
2. Before the entrance of the hotel (Club Los Amigos) there is a CADECA and even an INFOTOUR.
3. Just next to the same hotel, in the area of the artisan market, you can find an official ETECSA point where to buy internet cards
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