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Several trains depart daily from La Coubre terminal, Estación Central, Havana (40 pesos) and buses also. If you are short of time however it is best to take a taxi, US$12-15 each way, or an organized excursion
This is the all-encompassing name for a truly tropical string of beaches within easy reach of Havana, which arguably surpass Varadero’s brand of beach heaven. The only blot on the picture postcard landscape is the ugly concrete mass of hotels, which erupt sporadically along the coastline.
Travelling east, the first stretch is the pleasant little horseshoe beach of Bacuranao, 15 km from Havana and popular with locals. At the far end of the beach is a villa complex with restaurant and bar. Then comes Tarará, famous for its hospital where Chernobyl victims have been treated, and which also has a marina, and El Mégano.
Santa María del Mar is the most tourist-oriented stretch of beach. A swathe of golden sand shelves gently to vivid crystal blue waters, lined with palm trees, and dotted with tiki bars, sun loungers and an array of watersports facilities. With bronzed bodies, cooling mojitos and swinging salsa on tap, it is the hip spot to chill out, flirt and play. For more undistracted sun worship, continue further eastwards to the pretty, dune-backed Boca Ciega – a pleasant, non-touristy beach 27 km from Havana. At the weekend cars roll in, line up and deposit their cargo of sun worshippers at the sea’s edge transforming the beach into a seething mass of baking flesh. For a more authentic seaside ambience, head to the pleasant, if rather more rough-hewn, beach of Guanabo. The sand is rather murky, the sea not so sparkly, and facilities are geared towards Cubans. The quietest spot is Brisas del Mar, at the east end. For watersports.
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