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Sign in with FacebookLatest Guardalavaca hotel reviews
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Everything you need in one place
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the food
In a nutshell
buy the package and get out to see what's out there
SWFC_Fan Says: Guardalavaca souvenir market dominates the small town of Guardalavaca in eastern Cuba.It is here that the open top buses disgorge hundreds of hotel guests a couple of times a day and where lines of taxis and horse-drawn carriages queue up to transport visitors back to their...
SWFC_Fan Says: Playa Guardalavaca is the main public beach in the small town of Guardalavaca in eastern Cuba.It is a long stretch of soft white sand, with warm turquoise sea and even the occasional palm tree to give Playa Guardalavaca that quintessential Caribbean appearance. There are a...
SWFC_Fan Says: Playa Yuraguanal is a sandy beach located around 15km west of Guardalavaca in eastern Cuba.It is the beach upon which the hotel we stayed at, Sirenis Playa Turquesa, is located. Although the beach is not exclusively for hotel guests, its relative remoteness means that the...
Camping_Girl Says: Across the street from the lobby at the west end of the resort (the one closest to Brisas resort) there are a few shops. The cafe at La Flamboyan is a good place to get a cold Cristal or an ice cream or cigarettes. The shops next door to La Flamboyan are the place to find...
Camping_Girl Says: Right next to Club Amigo is the local Guardalavaca market where you can find souvenirs to take home with you. It is adjacent to the main lobby, where the swim-up bar is located. You will find a variety of items available for purchase - jewelery, paintings, wooden sculptures,...
2 Reviews and 2304 Opinions We can resommend this hotel to anybody. The room, the gardens, the pool and the beach were all...
2 Reviews and 1842 Opinions My two friends and I stayed at this hotel for a week in August 2003. It was our first vacation to...
El Ancla: Seafood overlooking the beach
SWFC_Fan Says: My girlfriend and I ate lunch at El Ancla seafood restaurant during a visit to Guardalavaca in November 2011.We walked along Playa Guardalavaca beach to reach this restaurant as it is located on a rocky headland at the far western end of the beach. It is quite remarkable...
TOFFY Says: Not particularly cheap, but excellent seafood, El Ancla is a nice change from your hotel, and if you are lucky, you may catch their local fig leaf playing musician!
This outdoor bar (a tent on the beach) hosts great night time parties most nights. You will find tourists and Cubans alike on the beach in the evenings. They have huge speakers set up, you will listen to traditional Cuban music and even be able to see someone traditional dances before they open up the dance area to everybody. Get ready to dance the night away. The party goes till 2:00 am most nights. You can get cheap drinks at the bar on the beach, or bring your own with you.
Dress Code: It's a beach party - anything goes!
Written Sep 12, 2011
Address: The large public beach
SWFC_Fan Says: Prior to our stay in Guardalavaca in November 2011, we had read that hiring a car with a driver for the day was a cost effective way of seeing the local region.We wanted to visit the local city of Holguin (65km away) and the seaside town of Gibara (30km+ away) and this was...
SWFC_Fan Says: My girlfriend and I enjoyed a horse and carriage ride from the town of Guardalavaca to our hotel, the Sirenis Playa Turquesa, during our visit to Cuba in November 2011.We had arrived in Guardalavaca, some 15km from our hotel, on an open top double decker bus, but the last...
SWFC_Fan Says: The Guardalavaca open top bus is a modern red double decker bus that connects the various all-inclusive resorts that are located along the coastline with the small town of Guardalavaca. It is for the sole purpose of delivering tourists from their hotels to the souvenir...
Taffster Says: Found an awesome little craft market just down the road from our hotel which appeared every day! Most of the crafts are very similar but you can find some really cool souveniour type stuff that helps to fund the locals. Craft markets are spotted around all over the place!...
Artists'Market - Guardalavaca: Lots of good art
TOFFY Says: If you are staying at one of the hotels outside of Guaradalavaca i.e. Playa Pesquero, Playa Esmeralda or Playa Turquesa, make sure you take a taxi into town to see the Artists'market, where you will find local arts and crafts, T-shirts, jewellery and leathergoods. Be sure to...
Helpfulness
If you are considering buying an oil painting on canvas, YOU MUST OBTAIN an official receipt. When you leave, your baggage will be xrayed for rolled up canvasses. You will be asked to produce such a receipt, and if you do not have one, your painting will be confiscated. No amount of tears will impress the authorities, and they don't take money in lieu of the receipt.
This applies to oil on canvas only.
Updated Feb 21, 2005
Helpfulness
Ha! you may be scooped into paying a dollar or two to a local if they take a picture of you with your own camera or if you take a picture of them.
This happened to me in Santiago de Cuba - argh!
Unique Suggestions: A dollar isnt a lot to me or you, but can mean a lot to a local. However this is NOT compulsory!!!!!!!!!! Cute the first time, can get tedious quickly! Decide at your descression.
Written Jun 25, 2005
Helpfulness
Photo Equipment: I was unfortunate enough to lose the use of my (brand new) camera on my first day!?!!! luckily i had a spare just in case, but the batteries ran out (OH MY GOD). Tried all over to get disposables and ended up paying an arm and a leg for a couple. Worth it for the pics but just keep in mind that such things are not so readily available. I purchased a couple of spare batteries but these seemed mnicro-millimeters smaller than our batteries. Argh! Be prepared! Gutted that i only came home with a few rolls of film as opposed to a bajillion! needless to say ive now upgraded to a digi cam :oP
Written Jun 25, 2005
TOFFY Says: Outside Guaradalavaca, on the road to the Hotels Rio Mares and Rio Lunes, are two little understated sites. Just beside the Hotel Rio Mares is an eco-walk with signage, Las Guanas, which takes you to the peak of the pennisula from where you can overlook the ocean, the bay...
TOFFY Says: Going east from the front door of Las Brisas Hotel in Guardalavaca, follow the paved road for 3 or 4 minutes. You will note the road turns south. Just before this turn in the road, you will see a car path to the left, leading to the beach. Follow this path for about 200...
Nanumi Says: The area of that monster tourist compound consisted of three huge hotel complexes. It was beautifully landscaped, clean, an eye pleaser. Every few meters a security guard was spending his 12 hour shift sweating his brains out in a soaring sun. Guarding tourists from what?...
Nanumi Says: Most tourist spent their time between beach and pool, snack bar in a pool and snack bar on a beach, followed by beach and a pool...
Guardalavaca - a great place to start
Guardalavaca, advertised in the package deals as "Holguin", would be my choice for the first time Cuba traveller. Not only does this area offer you the comforts you are looking for - the white sand,...
My two friends and I spent a week at Brisas Guardalavaca, which is a resort directly on the Guardalavaca beach. You can read my hotel review and tips for more details. Please don't hesitate to message...
Most Beautiful Place in all the World...
The beaches at Guardalavaca are so beautiful. Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 and declared it "the most beautiful place in all the world". I think he was right about that.
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