Playa Giron
When we first arrived in Playa Giron, it was mid afternoon, blazing hot, dusty and empty. We were pretty sure we had made a critical error. The town had a weird abandoned feeling where nothing was near the water? I thought this was a place known for its beach and snorkeling? The waterfront, it appeared, was completely taken over by what looked like a trailer park that accidentally got dropped into a beach paradise. The streets were disjointed and shadeless, separated by large rocky fields criss-crossed with dirt paths. And, it was so so so hot. Had I mentioned that it was hot? How were we going to spend 48 hours here?
Beach bummin’
When we arrived, sweating, at Coco Beach, we breathed a sigh of relief. There was hope! And life! It was a nice beach with ample palms for shade and little beach shacks selling drinks. There were other people there, but despite the beach being on the smaller side, it wasn't crowded. We donned our snorkel gear and swam off the beach, happily concluding that two nights in Playa Giron was a good choice after all! Our contentment was cemented by the gorgeous sunset! It was the first one we had seen in Cuba! Although we had great weather throughout the entire trip, it seemed that every afternoon around 4pm low clouds would roll in and block the setting sun from view. Playa Giron was surprising us at every turn!
On our only full day in Playa Giron we pretty much transported ourselves to a one-day-all-inclusive and loved it! There are two such “all-inclusives” that the very useful ‘hop on, hop off’ bus will transport you to for a very reasonable 3CUC (round trip)! We chose Caleta Buena because the bus stopped almost right outside our casa and it all seemed so very easy. We could have also biked there, but took the bus instead. Sometimes just what you need is a vacation from your vacation. Caleta Buena cost 15 CUC per person and included everything all day. There was a buffet lunch, a burger stand, shady beach chairs, a cove for snorkeling and unlimited mojitos. (Among other drinks, of course, if you haven't hitched your beverage wagon to the mijito train as we so loyally had at this point.) The bus conveniently drops you off right as they open (10 am) and picks you up right before it closes (5 pm). Its called a ‘hop on, hop off’ bus, but that is only accurate in the sense that you “hop on” in the morning and then “hop off” when the bus brings you back home in the evening. Still, that is exactly where and when I wanted to hop, so call it what you will Cuba Tourism!
Caleta Buena
Caleta Beuna was a wonderfully relaxing day. .. mostly.. There were those unfortunate hours when a Russian tour bus deposited its unruly inhabitants into our tranquil afternoon crushing everything happy with their terrible loud pop music and vain unending obsession of taking pictures of themselves from every possible angle, wearing every possible version of a cowboy hat. I sincerely hope that one day I get to discover what these people do with the hundreds of photos of themselves in g-strings, gazing off at the horizon (apparently) in thought, with their butt cheeks securely wrapped around a not-so securely affixed railing at the edge of the water. I have never seen anything like it. In a flash of genius we doubled up on those unlimited mojitos and with all that excess soothing mojito magic,we were almost able to ignore…..i
J enjoying one of many mojitos!
There is another all inclusive place in the opposite direction of Playa Giron called Punta Perdiz. Unlike the rocky cove of Caleta Buena, this one is on a beach,but like Caleta Bueana, Punta Perdiz is also on the “hop on, hop off” bus route. So really, if you were so inclined, you could do 2 days of “all inclusive” drinking, eating and snorkeling until you’re ready for some action again.
Where the snorkeling magic begins…
Where we stayed: at the Sunset Lounge (booked on Airbnb). We recommend it! All the reviews on airbnb reported amazing food at Sunset Lounge. We splurged and ordered lobster dinner. It was worth every single penny.. ahem.. peso! It was the best food in Cuba for sure. Like, really, I’m drooling just thinking about it
Where (else) to Eat: El Crocodile
Lobster! Totally worth the splurge!
Transport: The bus stop, Viazul ticket office and internet are all in the plaza across from the museum with the big planes outside of it. You seriously can't miss it. Buy your bus ticket early, because unlike other direct routes this one has multiple stops with people getting on and off- which Viazul seems to have trouble keeping track of. Note: we were heading to Trinidad from Playa Giron. We had arrived via share taxi from Vinales. We have a full blog on Cuba trasport here!
