Cayo Guillermo, Ciego de Ávila Province
A favoured fishing spot of Hemingway’s, this sand-rimmed key seduces visitors today with beaches pretty enough to grace the front pages of tourist brochures. The most outstanding strand, Playa Pilar, is a short bus ride from the Guillermo hotel strip, with powder-puff white sand bolstered by extensive dunes.
Bahía de Cochinos, Matanzas Province
It’s tough to resist a beach vacation in the location that was at the epicentre of some of the most infamous episodes of the Cold War. The Bay of Pigs, as it is known in English, is the theme of a riveting museum in the village of Playa Girón here. These days the area is better known for some of Cuba’s best diving, which focuses on a 300-metre coral wall so close to shore that you can swim out. The best sand is Playa Larga – a thin, shimmering stretch along from the village of Caletón.
Península de Guanahacibibes, Pinar del Río Province
The isolated western tip of Cuba is the best antithesis of Varadero that the main island can offer: 60km of green nothingness cocooned by beaches that get talked about in reverential tones by those intrepid enough to find a way out here.The pale sweep of sand at María La Gorda, in fact, almost gets overlooked entirely by its handful of visiting tourists, who are mostly here to sample the incredible diving just offshore. Some sporadic sharp rock between sand and surf might deter some from swimming but the beach itself is pristine.
Gibara, Holguín Province
This idyllic fishing town is an undeniable break from the tourist trail, populated by largely dilapidated colonial villas on a stretch of coast locals prefer to keep secret. The best beach here is Playa Caletones, a wild comma of sand 17km west of town. The bumpy access road takes you via one of Cuba’s only wind farms and several fresh-water swimming holes.
Playa Ancón, Sancti Spíritus Province
This province of Cuba is best known for the colonial jewel of Trinidad, but only 12km southwest this shimmering ribbon of sand on a curling peninsula tempts plenty away from the Unesco-listed city. The photogenic beach is good for swimming, although sunbathing too long might get you the attention of the local sand fleas, which are particularly veracious at sunrise and sunset.
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