my best kept secret to Los Cayos - REMEDIOS, CUBA

June 08, 2018 3 Comments

I'm a sucker for white sand beaches and crystal clear ocean water. I mean who isn't, right?

There is nothing more relaxing to me than opening up my lounge chair in the shoreline with half of my bikini in the warm water, sipping a cocktail in my hand. So when I learned that there are more than 4,000 islands and cays (smaller islands) that surround Cuba, it was a top priority on my travel list.

Now, in order to visit the cays, you would probably need to add on a few more days to your trip to experience them without rushing. I set aside 2 nights and 3 days (which I would do 4 days next time), but it was enough time to visit a new colonial city, enjoy the beach, and go on a catamaran snorkel.

HAVANA to Cayo Santa Maria

Although Varadero is a lot closer and a wonderful alternative to experience a gorgeous beach, Los Cayos were just too intriguing to pass up on for this trip. One of the most popular cays from Havana is Cayo Santa Maria. If you were to drive direct from Havana it would take about 4 1/2 hours by day and maybe little longer by night depending how many horse-drawn carriages you had to pass along the way.

There are about 13 different hotels chains that are located on this tiny stretch of land. They all seem nice, but when I travel to Cuba, I usually stay in Casa Particulares (Air BnBs in Cuba) which have been such a wonderful experience. Since there where no small towns on this cay where Cubans lived, finding a Casa Particular was not an option. I decided to book a casa in the city of Remedios, just a quick and easy 40 min ride to the cays. It was a chance to visit a new city and get my white sand beach fix at the same time.

REMEDIOS

Remedios is the eighth oldest city in Cuba and is famous for their Christmas festival. The brightly painted houses and colonial vibe completely reminds me of Trindad, Cuba. (Another must see incredible city.)

Little did we know that we would be there on the last night of The Christmas festival, “Las Parrandas de Remedios”. Celebrations include street parades with rumba percussion ensembles, music and verses, a float display and the very dramatic fireworks competition.

REMEDIOS CASA PARTICALUAR: Hostal Buenviaje

After doing extensive research reading reviews of Casas in the area, it was a clear decision to book Hostal Buenviaje. It really doesn't get any better than this... seriously. This Casa that we stayed at and the owners were a dream to visit.

Everything was super clean and I love when the colonial architecture is kept alive. The hostal owners, Lester and Naty were incredible hosts and cooked ridiculous breakfast and dinners for us. As I began to get to know them better, turns out that they met each other while following their dreams as fashion designers. (More on their incredible story on a future post)

They are extremely proud of their Trip Advisor Traveler's Choice award. Want to read 341 more reviews of how amazing they are, Click here

Although staying in the front room is a little noisy from the street, it is actually quite charming to hear daily life go by. Every morning we would hear the bread man, the fish man, and the produce man sing their jingles as they walked through the streets selling the fresh goods to the neighborhood. "I'm the bread man, I have fresh bread ..."Fish for sale, here is my fresh fish!". Definitely a different type of wake up call...hahaha

My husband and I with Lester and Naty in their beautiful patio.

Renting a room at Hostal Buenviaje is about 25 CUC/ per night. Click here to email Lester and Naty your travel dates to check availability.

OFF TO LOS CAYOS

The drive from Remedios to Los Cayos is a little tricky to leave the city center because of all of the one way streets. But once on the main highway, it's a breeze. In order to get to the cays, you have to cross a toll road that checks your ID to make sure you are a tourist. (Crazy & ridiculous, I know! but Cuban citizens are not allowed to certain resorts) Once you pass the toll road, you will drive on this man made 2 lane highway for about 30 mins until you reach the first cay, Cayo Las Brujas.

CAYO LAS BRUJAS

We actually drove all the way down to Cayo Santa Maria first, but decided to spend our day at Cayo Las Brujas because the marina was located there. Once we arrived at Villa Las Brujas (the only hotel on this cay) we went to the bar, grabbed a sandwich and beer then headed down to this beautiful cove for some relaxation.

The bartender's sailor uniform was too cute!! (And needs to be in a Nicolita Bikini Photo shoot asap!)

Funny story, this was the first time we saw Corona Beer being offered in Cuba. The main beer offered is usually Cristal.

Remember when I said earlier that I'm a sucker for white sand beaches and sitting in the shoreline with half my bikini in the water... Well here it is. I was in seventh heaven.

I love mix n matching the Orchid Knotty Nicolita Halter Top and Rumba Ruffles Hipster Bottom.

After a little siesta and starring off into that teal water, it was time for our snorkel trip and speed boat excursion to take off from the marina. They offered a bunch of activities. For more information on all of the marina activities CLICK here.

This cove was right next to the marina & a perfect little beach for catching the sunset.

So if you are up for an adventure of authentic Cuba & chillaxing in the most beautiful beaches, this Remedios / Cayo Las Brujas itinerary is a great option to add to your Weekend In Havana.

MY 12 TOP TIPS FOR VISITING REMEDIOS AND LOS CAYOS

Set aside 2 nights/3 days (or longer) to head out to Los Cayos.
To get out this far across the island, I would recommend renting your own car. Car rentals are something you should definitely book ahead prior to your trip to Cuba. The supply/demand is in true effect here.
If you are going to make a long distance trip across the island, get a mechanic to look at your car before you hit the road. Or do a thorough walk through with the rental guy. Check you tires, water, oil, etc... AAA is not available in these parts :)

On a side note, a lot of blogs I've been reading make such a big deal about driving yourself around the island in a rental. It's not that difficult or bad at all. I drive each time unless I want to enjoy a particular area and we hire a driver for the day. You just need a map, sense of direction and a little Spanish to get by.Like: "Donde Esta ______? (Where is____?)"

You DO need to be careful and look out for pot holes on the road & and slower vehicles/ animals.

Buy a fold out map before you leave or screen shot your route via Google Maps and save the images.
Bring an auxiliary cable to jam out in car and plug into your phone.
Check out AIR BnB and book your casas online or Email Lester or Naty to stay with them in Remedios.
If you want to catch the Remedios Christmas festival, visit during December 16th - 26th.
You can also book with one of the hotels in Cayo Santa Maria, but it's pricier than staying at a Casa.
Another option to enjoy the hotel resort beaches is purchasing a day pass. Most run between 30-50 CUC for the day and includes their All inclusive offerings. Just tell the guard at the gate that you want to purchase a day pass.
Bring enough CASH and factor in the exchange rate from USD to CUC. (there is an addtional 10% cost for USD) There are some creative ways to soften the exchange rate on USD before arriving to Cuba. However, you need to check how the exchange rate for other currencies are before doing so. The below currencies are accepted in Cuba:

Canadian Dollars CAD
Pound Sterling GBP
Mexican Pesos MXN
Danish Krone DKK
Norwegian Krone NOK
Swedish Krona SEK
Japanese Yen JPY
Euro EUR.
Swiss Francs CHF
US Dollars USD (Don't forget the additional 10% surcharge mentioned above.)
Useless Credit/Debit Cards: Citi Bank, Capital One, Maestro, MBNA, AMX, any Mastercard from a Canadian Credit Union, Diners, Egg, Santander/RBS, Abbey, Abbey National, Alliance & Leicester, etc. are some of the United States affiliated cards that are useless in Cuba.

If you want to enjoy boating and snorkeling, make sure to pack a little sea sick pill just in case.
Don't forget your Nicolita bikinis for Los Cayos in CUBA!!!

If you have any questions about traveling to Cuba, comment on our Facebook page here.

For more information on Cuba's best beaches, check out this blog post from All The Rooms!

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Philip J.

April 08, 2019

Good day,

How would I travel to Cayo Fragoso? Can you take a boat to the cays a cross from Santa Maria or does Cuba forbid travel to them…

Thank you for your blog. Very informative!

Dana

March 11, 2017

Hi,

thank you for sharing your experience. My friends and me are planning trip to Cuba and Cayo Santa Maria is on our plan. I have read in other blogs that at entering the island, guard is asking you to show hotel reservation confirmation. From your blog I understand that your were not asked any papers except for ID to prove that you are not locals. So, one can enter the island and its beaches without having reservation at the all-inclusive hotel?

Looking forward to your response,
Dana

Birgit Davids

October 22, 2016

Thank you for god information.
If we stay in Remedios and Got no transportation of our own is there any beach on the mainland of Cayo Santa Maria standard (or close to this standard)

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