Martin um die Welt: 4) Cayo Coco in the archipelago Jardines del Rey

Dienstag, 22. April 2014

4) Cayo Coco in the archipelago Jardines del Rey

From Sancti Spiritus we drove past Moron on the large island Caya Coco which is also known as Jardines del Rey - the name of the archipelago. The island is connected to the mainland by a massive 17km causeway across the sea. We enjoyed the view of the palm trees and the sea on our way to the island. We drove straight towards the beach, parked our car where the locals parked and then went to the beach. We quickly recognized that we had found the only place that was not occupied by an all-inclusive resort. But the large beach was awesome with fine sand palm-fringed. The water was crystal clear and turquoise... just like in the holiday prospects. After a swim and some sunbathing we started looking for a hotel to stay. Unfortunately, the resorts were the only ones available. We decided to spend the money for a night in the cheapest, the Colonial Hotel Cayo Coco (~100 USD a night). The 4* hotel surely was not worth 4 stars but rather 3 and the restaurant 2... but we enjoyed the close location to the beach and ate and drank a lot^^ After dinner we were swimming while the sun set. Later, we watched the daily entertainment show by the hotel while getting drunk. In the morning (22.04.) we went straight for the beach again. After lunch we had to leave our room and 4pm we had to leave the resort area. We used up the time at the beach and then decided to visit the famous Hemmingway beach Playa Pilar at the neighboring island Cayo Guillermo. It is supposed to be one of the greatest beaches in the Caribbean. Indeed, it was a great beach... with the finest pouder-like sand we saw on Cuba... but it was not extraordinarily superior to the beach before as this was already spectacular. We left Cayo Coco when the sun set and drove to Caibarien... we made the mistake again to drive long hours after sun set, which was exhausting. We even tried to stop in a town on a way but simply failed to find a hotel to stay in. So we continued until we arrived Caibarien at night.