playas de este

哈瓦那主城区外东部的沙滩范围很广,从Tarará城到Santa María海滩再到小镇Guanabo都是美丽的海滩。从哈瓦那中心Parque Central有旅游巴士T3可以直达Santa María，票价3CUC，30分钟一趟，乘车30分钟左右抵达。想廉价出行的话可以乘坐公交车400路，票价1peso cubano=0.05CUC，在Santa María站下车，但要步行15分钟才能到海滩。这里是古巴人常去的公共海滩，水清沙白，鱼类也很丰富，常见到穿着潜水服拿着鱼枪下海打渔的年轻人，有兴趣也可以向他们购买新鲜海鱼。不过这里的景色还是比不上古巴的各种小岛，只是想在哈瓦那附近来个日光浴或者游泳的话足够了。

The beach is beautiful! There a re chaise lounges for $2 CUC/day. Plenty of inexpensive refreshments. The water is beautiful! You can take a bus from old Havana for $5. Or you can barter with a taxi driver, this way you don't have to leave at a certain time. I highly recommend this beach!

On our fifth day in Havana, the weather began to improve slightly. The sun flashed occasionally and at times, the blue sky even appeared. It was time to check out what there was to the Havana’s beaches! We had neither the time nor the desire to take the four hour trip to Varadero. After all, have we not seen the same beaches elsewhere in the Caribbean? But the beach where not only the tourists went, but also the locals, I had to visit. A 20-minute drive from the center of Havana there is located Playas del Este - a chain of beaches, where we decided to go.The bus to the beach left every hour from Central Park, across the street from the hotel Inglaterra. Double-decker buses that give tours around Havana stop at the same spot. The bus stops at several locations and by buying a 5 Cuc ticket, you can ride it all day, hopping on and off. We stopped at El Morro and spent about 2 hours there.Then we returned to the bus stop and waited for the bus for about 20 minutes, bought two bottles of water at the bar at the bus stop and went to the bathroom, where there was no running water, so we used the bottled water to wash our hands. Perhaps these are not the most interesting details, but still very useful for those who are going to Cuba. Toilet paper and water you should always carry with you. Especially the first one. Water can still be bought.The bus had air conditioning, from the windows hung net curtains to shield from the sun, and we were not without interest gazing around. We comfortably reached one of the hotels on the Santa Maria Beach, and went down the path to the sea. Pretty soon, we went to a very nice beach with white sand. There were chairs for rent, and a little further away – cold beer for sale. We had a quick snack with crackers, cheese and olives, brought with us from home and drank remnants of rum and water. It was windy and the waves were big. On the beach, red flags fluttered showing storm and life guards frantically whistled, if someone tried to go beyond the line of the second surf. Close to the shore it was knee-deep water and swim was simply impossible. Here would be very nice to spend the day when sea is calm. After splashing in a rather cool water one at a time, we wandered up to the next beach and walking the sand we met a lot of Portuguese Man ‘o’ Wars beached. This is a very poisonous jellyfish, and God forbid you have the displeasure of meeting with their subtle violet-blue tentacles.Here, the sea threw right under DH’s feet a Cuban coin from the early seventies. It was the first time something like that happened to him and he was very happy with such amazing luck. I have much more luck finding sea treasures and coins even under water while snorkeling.After few hours on a beach we went to the hotel to catch the bus back. The bus brought us back to Central Park – with our still soaking swimsuits, with sand in flip-flops. On these beaches there were no showers, no toilets, no cubicles for changing. After short stop at Inglaterra for beer and bathroom we took a ricksaw to our casa.

I took a bus (#T-3 from Parque Central - there is a sign with the bus # labelled on it, which is rare in Havana!) and it was only 5CUC round trip. Great value. Based on my guidebook description of the beaches, I was expecting exquisite beauty. Maybe if I hadn't had my hopes up I would've been happy, but as it turned out the beach was far from impressive (dirty sand - garbage and lots of seaweed). Still, I enjoyed my day in the sun and the water was beautiful and refreshing. If you are staying in Havana these beaches are your best option (according to everything I've read), but don't expect the combed, pristine beaches you see in some other Caribbean locations. There are little restaurants and bars if you want to buy drinks/food.

When people think of going to Cuba they certainly know about their beautiful, crystal clear beaches. Tourists think of Varadero not knowing that there are beaches of equal beauty in Havana. Unlike Varadero, there is much history and much to see in Havana. The food is cheaper in Havana and the beaches are a quick 20 minute drive. Traffic, as we know it in North America, simply doesn't exist. A cab ride will cost around $15.CUC (or $15. US) but one can take a tour bus for $5.00 CUC. Additionally, many hotels in the Playas de Este area have shuttle buses to and from Havana. If your hotel doesn't provide a shuttle you can take one from another hotel providing there is space available on the bus (and there usually is) and that the wheels are greased with a $1.00 CUC tip to the driver.There is a public beach where local Cuban people go to as well as beaches exclusive to certain hotels. You may need to pay $2.00 CUC per day for a chair. Certain months of the year can be colder than others so if you are in Varadero during a cold spell there is not much to do. At least in Havana you will have many restaurants, bars and sites to visit if this is the case.Havana is very close to Varadero so there are not any significant differences in weather. Once you have been to Havana and have been to their beaches you may not want to return to Varadero. For extreme beach lovers you can stay at a Playas de Este hotel and spend all your time in the sand and water.For your next visit to Cuba consider going to Havana to enjoy the combo of beach and history. Now is the time to go before the embargo is lifted and the McDonald's and Burger Kings replace the beauty and the architecture of this great historical city.Playas de Este beaches are first class and should always be considered when travelling to this unique Caribbean island.

For 5 CUC round-trip (about $6) the T3 Transtour bus from Parque Central will ferry you, at forty-minute intervals, to a drop-dead beautiful beach. On a weekday it's surprisingly quiet, though its proximity to Havana makes it the go-to beach for the locals at weekends. Santa Maria is little more than a deserted street reminiscent of an old Western movie, with the occasional grocery store and food stall, but the bus drops its passengers at Don Pepe's Grill; you could be forgiven for passing up the short walk to the beach and opting to rest here in the shade and breeze sampling the excellent pina coladas and mojitos, or a plate of luscious grilled shrimp, all at very good prices. For the more ambitious, the breathtaking beach appears at the top of a short sand dune. It has beach chairs and the usual straw umbrellas for shade, and swimming is good; beware, as at any beach, of the occasional blue jellyfish and sometimes high waves if it's windy. When you've had your fill of sun and sand, head back to Don Pepe's for a refresher while you wait for the bus back to town.

The beach at the Tropicoco Hotel is lovely. The Atlantic is very wild and sadly when we went in early December is was very very windy and we had a lot of rain. That aside, the beach is nice, we saw no pollution, just a bit of seaweed and there are restaurants on the beach, a little shop on the road and it is very easy to get there from Havana. We took the T3 Havana Tour bus for its 5 CUC and got out at the Tropicoco. Actually we stayed at the Tropicoco. Quite an experience - lovely staff but Soviet concrete architecture and a room so very basis I can't even describe it. Still the coffee was great, the rum ok and we met some fantastic local Cubans and learnt so much about Cuba that it made up for the lack of luxury. If the weather is good and you fancy a trip to the beach close to the city, this is a really good choice. Had the weather been better we would have stayed on for a lot longer.

I,ve been a little spoiled in the past regarding nice beaches so I had no expectations on this one. We jumped on a bus from downtown Havana and for 6 peso got a return stub. There are a few people that you can get a chaise from and umbrellas if you desire, it'll cost a few peso, worth it for us. The beach itself was quite nice , fairly clean and wide with a nice surf and wavey and warm. We were there on a hot day during the week in october There was a great mix of tourists and locals which I enjoyed. For lunch there are several vender stands all offering food for a fair price. Worth the trip if you want a break from the city life.

Dozens of trips exploring Cuba over the years.Finally centered & focused on Havana ...first stays at El Nacional & 'El Commodoro" in Havana central & Miramar areas 4-5*hotels more central to Havana scene... unfortunately Havana has no true beaches, some small coves at best, man made via break wallsThus the "Best of both worlds....Playa del Este No 4-5* hotels here....only a few 2-3* hotels at best and some local "Casa Particulars" for lodgings and limited restos for dining in area. "Ah" the beach...it is miles long starting say in the West at Tarara down to Guanabo and beyond...not that powder white coral beach that is a must to some but a warm breezy beach facing northYes there are areas along the stretch that are strewn with garbage from the beachgoers and the shore break undertow can get dangerous at times This is a public beach so you're mingling with the locals and on weekends families and crowds come from Havana for the day.In the fall & winter if a big cold front over Texas pushes in temps can drop from 75-85F to 50-60F with big wind &waves out of NWEST...brrrr!! Good times for watersport crew....kiters & windsurfers....a nice reef a couple of 100 meters out pumps the waves with a "side on-on"wind....bring your own gear as there is limited rentals if any & a shorty could come in handy?!! don't forget your harness!!Both WorldsOur routine was to spend day at beach then catch last bus into Havana usually 6-7ish ...too hot in Havana in afternoons...bus/shuttle is free from a few of hotels if your a guest... then spend evening enjoying the city & nightlife... then taxi back...usually the wee hours of the morning after breakfast in Havana.. then wander down to beach early with plenty of fluids & munchies... chill under a palapa/umbrella and hope the wind comes up for another day of windsurfing/kiting.So beach it all day & Havana at night, soulful fun....fun... Definitely not for everyone....demanding 5*++ tourist should probably stick to the big gated "all in" "Riu" "Secrets" "Sandals" style chains.... Plata del Este is chillin at the beach with historic soulful Havana on the near horizonHope this helpsCiao

Public buses are only a couple CUV's from Old Havana to the beaches. We prefer the T3 Havana Tour bus for its 5 CUV all-day pass. It runs as far as the Atlantico Hotel about every 40 minutes until 6 pm. The beaches start about 20 km east of Old Havana, and extend eastward for more than 12 km. The rather large & dreary Tropicoco Hotel is at the western end of the beaches. Their beach is across the street from the hotel. There are several nearby restaurants and bars. The smaller Atlantico Hotel is a kilometre further to the east and is right on the beach. The Atlantico offers all-inclusive day passes with food and drinks for visiting their beach. There are several public access points to the beaches with parking and concessions. Don Pepe Park next to the Atlantico is about a half km long with watercraft rentals. The condition of the beaches varies with the storms. Heavy weather means lots of flotsam and dead jelly fish. The beaches are continuously being cleared of debris. On a calm day the water is clear and beautiful. You can easily walk for many kilometres along the beaches at lower tides. They are also well patrolled by the Havana Police - Playas Esta still being part of Havana. Towards the eastern end of the beaches is the town of Guanabo. Its commercial area is just inland from the beaches and runs for a couple of kilometres. It has just about every service and product that you would find in old Havana. Horse drawn cabs are a good way to explore the area. Plus there are quite a few restaurants and bars for your enjoyment. Guanabo also offers a variety of accommodation for long terms stays.

Easy to get there and back by bus (2 cuc two ways), nice beach even if not splendid. There is a small resaurant, but bring water and snacks if you don´t want drinks or a full meal.

We stayed in Playas de Este area at the Hotel Tropicoco, and it was a pretty good beach. The water is clear, but it can be quite rough and wavy on certain days. The beach is fairly dirty in certain spots with seaweed and human garbage, and it sometimes has a bad smell.

Any time of the year there are areas of Playas del Este that are visitor ready. Especially if you go to the stretch that belongs to Tropicoco Hotel.

lovely beaches, friendly locals, but noisy at night. very very noisy at night. hard to sleep. hard to find good food.

a very relaxing day at the beach..cuban style. salsa bands dragging their cellos through the sand, fruit sellers with pineapples on their heads. pina colada out of coconuts...and we had the best lobster at a little cafe set off the beach called MIRAZUL CAFE..$10 for lobster and beer-it was delicious! we were in the gay russian section of the beach..which was interesting!!