Hotels - Playa Larga

About  Playa Larga

Playa Larga is a budget hotel on a pretty beach which will particularly suit bird-watchers, military enthusiasts & those who enjoy diving & snorkelling.

Playa Larga is a good choice for anyone wanting an inexpensive base in this relatively remote area. The austere bungalows are brightly painted, maintenance problems are swiftly addressed & the standard of food & service actually belies the hotel’s 2-star rating. In short, don’t believe the hype.

Playa Larga’s reception & restaurant are right on the beach so you can step outside to picturesque views & a cool ocean breeze. The beach is small but never feels crowded while the hotel buildings are nicely spaced out around well maintained gardens. The standard of food is more than adequate though the restaurant menu is limited. There is also a snack bar & bars at the lobby, pool & beach, with more bars & restaurants in the nearby town of Playa Larga.

In addition to the hotel’s swimming pool there are organised activities such as hiking, bird-watching & volleyball on the beach. The area is also ideal for snorkelling & scuba diving with particularly memorable cave diving. Playa Larga hotel sits at one end of the Bay of Pigs & there are dozens of reminders of the famous action & a museum along the coast in Playa Giron. However, Playa Larga is arguably most popular with bird watchers exploring the Zapata national park.

Hotel Playa Larga has so many places of interest on its doorstep &, with limited facilities, is likely to attract only those looking to use it as a base for exploring them. But this is a good, inexpensive 2-star option which is surprisingly comfortable & has great access to the area’s attractions.

Península de Zapata, Matanzas

Guamá Crocodile Breeding Farm

Approximately 10 000 specimens of the 16 species of crocodiles are raised at the Crocodile Breeding Farm in Guamá, Zapata peninsula, approximately 100 km from Varadero. The original enterprise was the idea of Celia Sánchez, one of Fidel Castro's close companions and advisers, who was determined to restore the failing crocodile and caiman populations in the Zapata Swamp. Visitors may view the Cuban and American species as they sleep in the mud or taste its meat at the neighboring restaurant that specializes in exotic dishes.

Península de Zapata, Matanzas

Caleta Buena

In the Zapata Peninsula, the sea has formed a series of natural pools by entering through underwater caves, creating the largest flooded cavern in Cuba. It has large colonies of different kinds of coral, plus a great variety of yellow-, violet- and orange-colored barrel-, tube-, basket-and cup-shaped sponges. In addition, there are many kinds of marine plants, large gorgonians and many tropical fish. Experienced, well-equipped divers can follow a 25-meter (83-foot) tunnel through the limestone leading out to the sea. There's no need for boats as the dive area is close. Night dives can also be arranged. The on-site restaurant is open until 5 and specializes in shrimp and lobster. 

Carretera Playa Giron, Península de Zapata, Matanzas

Fiesta Campesina Farm

Fiesta Campesina is a casual farm-cum-zoo where visitors can see two of Cuba's distinctive animals: the manjuarí, a primitive water creature with an alligator-like head and a fish body, and the jutía, a large-eared, muskrat-like tree rat, once prized for guajiro stews. Around the farm yard there are other animals such as: deer, peacocks, rabbits, ducks, and guinea fowl. There are souvenir kiosks scattered around, and an open-air restaurant mostly set up for tour-group buffets. At the guarapa bar, you can buy a glass of fresh-pressed cane juice, with or without rum. The musical entertainment is provided by a caged Cuban Bullfinch, a small black bird, so prized for its song that Cubans organize bird-song competitions. 

Playa Girón, Matanzas

Playa Girón Museum

This museum is devoted to the Cuban victory against the Bay of Pigs’ mercenary invasion financed by the United States government on April 1961. Propaganda aside, this museum celebrating "the first rout of Yankee imperialism in Latin America" is a sobering testament to the harsh social conditions that provoked the Revolution, especially in this historically poorest part of Cuba. Here are exhibited photos of fallen Cuban soldiers, documents, testimonies, occupied weapons, and other objects related to the invasion. There's also a 15-minute film to watch. For military buffs, a restored British Hawker Sea Fury plane, used by the Cuban Air Force, stands guard at the museum entrance.

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