Guardalavaca

Guardalavaca is the main beach resort of the Holguin coast, a shallow crescent of white sand with a reef running close in, backed by hotels and a public beach at one end that Cubans use. The water is calm and clear, snorkelling is possible straight off the sand, and the surrounding country is green hills rather than the flat scrub of the keys further west. Two smaller beaches, Playa Esmeralda and Playa Pesquero, lie along the same coast with newer hotels on them.

History

Guardalavaca means "guard the cow", and there are several stories of how it got the name. One holds that it is a corruption of Guardalabarca, "guard the boat": pirates raided this coast, and the nearby Bahía de Naranjo, a shallow bay joined to the open sea by a narrow inlet, made a safe place to hide ships from them. Another says the pirates came for the cattle grazing here, and that farmers shouted "guarda la vaca" when they were sighted. The Taíno museum and village between Guardalavaca and Banes recall the island's first inhabitants (Wikipedia, Guardalavaca).

What you'll find

• The beach - a crescent of white sand with calm shallow water.
• The reef - coral within swimming distance of the shore, reachable with a mask.
• The public end - the section used by Cuban families, livelier than the resort stretches.
• The neighbouring beaches - Playa Esmeralda and Playa Pesquero along the same coast.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the peak. Hurricane season runs from August to October and this coast is exposed. Christmas and Easter fill the hotels and prices rise sharply.

What to expect

This is package resort territory and most guests never leave the hotel, which is fine if that is what you came for. The reef has suffered and is not what it was. Outside the hotels there is very little in the way of independent restaurants or shops.

Nearby

Chorro de Maita is a few kilometres inland, and Bariay bay is west along the coast.

Key facts