Trinidad is known as the most beautiful city in Cuba, but few tourists visit the local beach Playa Ancon.
Cuba has 300 beaches. Most travelers end up at Varadero because it is the one that shows up in every brochure, every package holiday, every “best beaches in the Caribbean” list.
And Varadero is genuinely spectacular. But if you want to go where Cubans actually spend their weekends, where you are as likely to be surrounded by Cuban families amongst European tourists, you want Playa Ancon.
I went with my friend Osmany, who grew up in Cuba and has been guiding people around the country for years. He knew exactly where to go and what to skip. This beach was his suggestion and he was right.
Why Playa Ancon Is Worth the Trip
Playa Ancon sits on the Ancon Peninsula, about 12 kilometers south of Trinidad. It is considered the most beautiful beach on Cuba’s southern coast and it is one of the very few resort beaches in the country that actually draws a local crowd.
When we arrived on a weekday morning, Cuban families were already setting up. I saw one young girl was celebrating her birthday. By midday the beach had a real mix of people and that is exactly what I want when I travel.
Most of Cuba’s beach hotels are built along the northern Atlantic coast. The south coast gets far less international traffic which means Playa Ancon still has a local rhythm to it.
It is not remote or undiscovered but it is relaxed in a way that Varadero simply cannot be anymore.
The beach itself stretches about four kilometers of pale sand with calm turquoise water. There is no significant surf here which makes it ideal for swimming.
The water temperature stays around 26 degrees Celsius year-round so the only Canadians complaining about it being cold are the ones who have never actually been cold in their lives.
How to Get There From Trinidad
Stay in Trinidad. I cannot say this strongly enough.
The all-inclusives on the peninsula are fine if that is what you want. But Trinidad is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.
You do not save money when you’re eating Cuban food. I stayed in a great casa particular for $15/night. Breakfast is $5 and food and drinks in Cuba aren’t expensive at all.
And the quality is much better on par with the best restaurants in Havana.
Staying there and visiting Playa Ancon as a day trip is a much better idea.
The taxi from Trinidad’s main square runs about $20 return. You negotiate before you get in, get the driver’s WhatsApp number and arrange a pickup time. There is no free wifi so make sure your phone has data in Cuba.
Our driver did not want payment until he came back for us at the end of the day which I found to be a lovely gesture of trust.
If gas is scarce in Cuba when you visit, which it often is right now, do not haggle too aggressively. The driver is spending hours of fuel to get you there and back and $20 for a half-hour each way is fair.
Internet in Cuba
Although I prefer to use local taxis and put money directly in the hands of Cubans, there is one other option.
If you want to save money, a Transtur bus runs from Hotel Maria Dolores in Trinidad several times a day and makes stops along the route to the hotel zone. It costs a few dollars and takes about 30 minutes. Your casa particular owner will know the current schedule.
You can also rent a bike. It takes about 40 to 45 minutes and the road to the beach goes through the small fishing village of La Boca which is worth a stop on its own.
Just be aware that the return ride is mostly uphill.
What to Do at the Beach
All beaches in Cuba are public. So while the Ancon Peninsula has hotels, you are not locked out of anything. Between the hotel zones there are smaller local spots that rent chairs and umbrellas at very low prices.
If you want to use one of the hotel beach areas, a palapa and chair costs around 300 pesos for the day. If you are converting US dollars to Cuban pesos (especially with the El Toque rate), as you absolutely should be, that works out to about 75 cents.
Always exchange to pesos first. Everything becomes dramatically cheaper. Read my tips about exchanging money in Cuba.
Snorkeling
The swimming is the main event. The water is calm and clear and there is a reef offshore that is worth exploring. Snorkeling from the shore gives you colorful reef fish and sea grass but the better coral is reached by boat.
Look for the catamaran guys near the first hotel or head to Marina Marlin at the far end of the beach to arrange a boat trip. A guided snorkeling excursion to the reef runs about $10 per person and includes gear.
If you have your own mask and fins, bring them. Rental quality is inconsistent.
What to Pack for Cuba
Scuba Diving
The diving here is genuinely good. The underwater world includes coral gardens, sea fans and sponges along with reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles and parrotfish.
There is a dive center at the beach but you need to reserve in advance. The best approach is to ask your casa particular owner the night before to call ahead and book. Diving includes all equipment but reservation is essential.
Boat Tours
If you want to go further, Cayo Blanco is a tiny island about 25 kilometers southeast of Playa Ancon that can be reached by boat from Marina Trinidad.
Boat tours include the transfer to the marina the boat ride lunch and drinks. It is worth doing on a clear day. If it is overcast or windy, the boat cannot stop at the coral reef and the whole thing loses its point.
Havana Beaches
Beach Activities
Water sports are available at the hotels including kayaks, paddle boats and small catamarans. It is an easy beach to spend a full day on.
A Word About Vendors on the Beach
You will be approached. Fishermen walk the beach selling conch and starfish. I get it. A man with two kids trying to make a living in a difficult economy deserves empathy.
But buying a starfish harms the reef and buying conch when you do not know whether the local population is being sustainably managed means you are part of the problem.
The kindest thing you can do is decline and buy your food at the beach restaurants instead.
Speaking of which: the food at the restaurants at the far end of the beach is average and overpriced relative to what you will find in Trinidad.
A lifeguard near Hotel Ancon was offering lobster with rice and salad for $10 which is genuinely good value and worth grabbing if you get hungry mid-afternoon. Otherwise I would recommend eating lunch back in town.
But other than that I didn’t see a lot of beach vendors. Usually someone is selling tamales, coconuts with rum or Cuban fruits. To be honest I was disappointed!
Jellyfish and Sandflies
Two things nobody tells you about:
1) In winter months jellyfish are more common in the water around Playa Ancon than in summer. Ask a lifeguard before you swim. The water is not always clear enough to see them from shore.
2) Sandflies are the bigger issue. They are everywhere at Playa Ancon and they are aggressive. Bring insect repellent. Not as an afterthought packed at the bottom of your bag but in your hand the moment you sit down.
They appear mostly at dawn and dusk so I didn’t have any issues going during the day. But they are small enough to be invisible. You will not know you have been bitten until you are back at your casa that evening wondering why your ankles look like bubble wrap.
The Best Time to Go
December through May is the best time to visit this part of Cuba. The humidity is lower, the weather is more consistent and the beach is at its most pleasant.
I went in December and the water was warm enough for a Canadian to swim in happily for hours, which is really the only benchmark that matters.
Summer months bring more humidity and more rain but also more Cubans at the beach on weekends, which has its own appeal if the local atmosphere is what you are chasing.
Why You Should Go Even If You Only Have One Day
I have been to Trinidad four times now. Every time I tell myself I will skip the beach and focus on the city. Every time I end up at Playa Ancon and every time I am glad I went.
Trinidad is extraordinary but it is also intense. The cobblestone streets and colonial architecture and the constant stream of tourists and hustlers and music pouring out of every bar can wear on you by mid-afternoon.
Playa Ancon is a nice getaway. You swim, you sit, you watch Cuban families have the same argument about whether to get in the water that families everywhere have, and you remember that this is why you travel.
It is 15 minutes from one of the most beautiful cities in Cuba. The beach is free. The water is warm. Half the people around you live on this island and chose to spend their day exactly where you are sitting.
That is the whole point of coming to Cuba in the first place.
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