Playa Jibacoa
A String Of Small Coves Backed By Low Hills Halfway Between Havana And Varadero, With Reef Close Enough To Snorkel From The Sand And Almost No Development · Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque
Halfway along the Via Blanca between Havana and Varadero, the flat north coast briefly stops being flat: low green hills come down to the sea and break the shoreline into a string of small coves, with reef close enough that you can snorkel out from the sand. This is where Havanans go for a weekend rather than where package flights land, and the difference is the whole character of the place - a domestic campismo of simple cabins, one or two hotels, and long stretches with nothing on them at all. Just east, the Bacunayagua bridge carries the road a hundred metres above the Yumuri valley and is the standard stop on the Varadero drive. Inland are the limestone crags and caves of the Escaleras de Jaruco, and at Santa Cruz del Norte the plant that makes most of Cuba's rum. There are no lifeguards, very little to buy and no shade on the quieter coves, so you bring what you need; in exchange, on a weekday in February, you can have a whole bay to yourself an hour from the capital.
Playa Jibacoa, Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, Santa Cruz del Norte, Mayabeque, Cuba
The beaches are public and open at all times. The campismo and the two hotels operate year round; the campismo is aimed at Cuban domestic holidaymakers and foreigners can usually stay but should arrange it ahead. The Bacunayagua bridge mirador keeps daytime hours. The Escaleras de Jaruco park is open in daylight. Transport along the Via Blanca depends on fuel.