Cayo Coco

As cruise ships are not able to dock here you will be tendered ashore.

Cayo Coco (Coco Kay) is an island in central Cuba, well known for its luxury all inclusive resorts

While beautiful in terms of nature, Cayo Coco is hardly part of typical Cuba. These islands are isolated from the mainland, connected only by a man-made causeway several kilometers long. Access is controlled by a security checkpoint.

The best way to get around the cays is by moped, or bicycle if you’re feeling especially fit. Most of the hotels have mountain bikes (free for guests) and mopeds that rent for CUC$25 to CUC$35 a day.

There is a tourist bus that makes the entire circuit from one end of Playa Coco to the far end of Playa Guillermo. The bus runs around every 11/2 hours and costs CUC$5.

Official taxis are pretty expensive for long distances.

Due to high demand and isolation, car rental rates are relatively expensive on the cays.

As in any third world country, most of the merchandise available is designed for tourists to take back home. The biggest Cuban exports for tourists are rum, cigars, and coffee, all of which are available at government-owned stores or on the streets. For genuine merchandise, you should pay the official price at the legal stores.

Watch out for:

Being that all restaurants are owned by the government and run by underpaid employees, the food in Cuba is notoriously bland. Within Cuba, the best food will generally be found in your casa particular or in paladares (locally owned restaurants in private homes).

• Real-looking discount cigars of dubious authenticity being offered by street touts.
• "Friendly" locals inviting tourists to bars for a drink (normally a Mojito) or to a restaurant; the tourist will be charged two to three times the normal price, and the spoils split between the establishment and the "friend".
• Short-changing in bars or taxis or giving national pesos (CUP) in change for convertible pesos (CUC).

CUC is the currency most tourists will use in Cuba. It is how you will pay for hotels, official taxis, entry into museums, meals at restaurants, cigars, rum, etc. Conversion into CUC can be done at exchange houses (casa de cambio, or cadeca). These are located in many hotels and in other places throughout the cities. The Euro is widely accepted, unfortunately the US$ is not.

ATMs are rare in Cuba. Credit cards are not widely accepted.

The official language of Cuba is Spanish.

The emergency number in Cuba is: 116.

In many cities the only way for tourists to access the internet is through the government's communications centers ( ETECSA ), it is not cheap and there is good chance that someone is "watching" your doings on the PC.