CAYO LARGO del SUR
Area: Cuba
Country: Cuba


Location:
In Caribbean Sea, some 35 mls off SW coast of mainland Cuba. 111 mls SE of Havana. 87 mls E of Isla de la Juventud. Island has its own airport.

Telephone code from UK:
53 61

Position:
Largest "cay" (key or low, flat island) of Canarreos Archipelago, lying at its E end. Much larger Isla de la Juventud, at far W end, is genuine island.

Description:
Measuring 16 mls from tip to tip, Cayo Largo is narrow, low lying and shaped like a "tick". Most of the hotels, marina, airport and best beaches are clustered at the W end. The E end, narrowing to a width of less than 800 yds in places, is virgin beach. The cay was virtually uninhabited until 1989 when the state began to capitalise on the fine, white sands on the S and W sides and its nearby coral reefs. The strip of hotels on the S side form the resort area but the marina is the focal point for tourists. With no indigenous infrastructure, contact with locals is negligible; the only Cubans on the island are hotel staff, whose quarters are in the "village" near the marina. This has been dressed up a little to include a few contrived but pleasant restaurants/bars, although many guests prefer to avail themselves of the food and drink provided at their all-inclusive hotels.

Suitability:
Crystal waters and some superb beaches attract sun seekers. Water-sports enthusiasts are well catered for with several prime dive sites around cay.

Accommodation:
Exclusively all-inclusive properties, with shared facilities. Limited infrastructure away from hotel belt. Check tour-operator's brochure carefully with regard to "all-inclusive" promises as "luxury" items like motorised water sports and imported drinks are often excluded.

Shopping:
No real shopping facilities exist outside hotel complexes, which have deeply ordinary selection of boutiques offering souvenirs, sun lotion and cigars. For important information on Cuban currency regulations, see under Currency section in Cuban country report.

Beach:
Two main beaches _ Sirena and Paradiso _ on W hook jutting out from mainland and accessible from Marina Puerto Sol by ferry (and with difficulty on foot). Both are poster-perfect expanses of well-maintained sand, each about 1 ml long, shelving into calm waters. Blanca Beach, skirting hotels on S coast, is less well cared for but offers 11 mls of sugar-white sand; big waves and undertow can make swimming here dangerous. Halfway along island, Cocos Beach is nudist.

Entertainments:
Daytime: turtle farm in village; otherwise, very little outside beach-based hotel activities and water sports including diving and wind surfing. Nightlife: hotels have their own entertainment programmes, often led by boisterous entertainment teams; beyond this, there's a few bars and a disco 1­ mls from main hotel belt.

Eating:
All-inclusive hotels offer good, albeit unexciting, international cuisine. A few independent eateries but standards are not very high. Food everywhere in Cuba is restricted in choice and often of comparatively poor quality so it is definitely not a destination for gourmets.

Public-transport:
Courtesy bus does regular circuit around hotels. Ferry from marina goes to 2 prime beaches. 35 mins by air to mainland. Taxis available. Moped, sand-buggy or cycle hire.

Local-excursions:
Half/full day: deep-sea fishing. Full day: nearby Cayo Iguana to view iguanas; Cayo Rico for beach; snorkelling and diving trips to reef; catamaran trips. One/two days: sightseeing in Havana (by air).