Imagine milky sand washed by a turquoise sea shimmering in the sun like a diamond, exotic plants around and the unobtrusive sound of the breeze. This is Pilar beach. Its location on the island, far from hotels and the bustle of the city, attracts tourists who love a secluded, relaxing holiday.

The sea near the island is shallow, and you won’t see waves because of the high sand dunes and small islands around. But the water is so clear that you can see the bottom, which also seems blue, and colored fish scurrying under the water in search of food.

Staying on Pilar is akin to “plunging” consciousness into nirvana. Just meditate for a long time under scorching sun will not work. You can hide under an umbrella (luckily they are present on the beach). Or you can visit local restaurant, bar or go conquer sea ​​bottom to the nearest diving center.

Kiting is also popular among tourists. The first kite station was opened here on the island of Cayo Guillermo. KiteLandPark can be found near the Hotel Villa Cojimar.

Fishermen are incredibly drawn to the Redonda Lagoon (between the islands of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo), where the Trout Breeding Center is located.

On the beach, near the shore, there is a boat on duty, taking vacationers to the reef for snorkeling.

You can have a bite to eat at the restaurant and bar located on Pilar. Its menu is varied, most dishes are prepared from fish products.

You will have to pay for sunbeds and umbrellas: from 2 to 10 cookies. The price of visiting depends on the place on the beach where you want to stay. The better it is, the more expensive it is.

About 20 hotels have been built on the archipelago (and construction is still ongoing). The hotels provide all-inclusive service for residents. There are no hotels on Pilar Beach itself.

Entertainment on Cayo Guillermo: visiting mangroves and palm groves, observing colonies pink flamingos, behind pelicans in pristine lagoons. Near the island there is one of the largest coral reefs, so diving enthusiasts have plenty of room to explore.

Tourists stroll on yachts, exploring and enjoying the scenic beauty of the local natural beauty. The hotels try not to let their vacationers get bored, so every evening they hold themed parties, discos and other entertainment events.

You can always diversify your vacation: if only you had the means and the desire to do so.

The beach can be said to be bad. . There is no smooth entry into the water, only from the pontoons on which there are several sunbeds, the rest of the sunbeds on the shore are on the sand and to get into the sea you will have to go onto the pontoon. There is a small part of the approach from the shore near the place where the catamarans are located, but even there it is not really comfortable to enter because of the reef. The beach is located in a bay and is shallow and has a reef in places, so swimming shoes will not hurt here. The stairs for descending into the water are normal and quite comfortable, but the entire pontoon is already old, in some places even nails are sticking out. Well, in principle, you can crawl under the pontoon and there are places with normal sandy entry). There are shells on the imported sand beach. When the tide is high, the depth increases greatly and small children will find it uncomfortable to swim. There are always enough sun loungers and umbrellas. On the beachthere is a bar with drinks. If you tip they bring you straight to the sunbed). Not far from the hotel there is famous beach Pilar. It takes about 30 minutes to walk along the path there. It’s just wonderful there! When we asked our travel agent to find us a hotel closer to Pilar beach, he warned that this hotel has some nuances and explained everything about the level of the hotel and the beach, but this did not bother us. We were traveling in a big, cheerful group. Just to get high from the beaches and get drunk, what’s there to do) That’s why everything suited us. And what about a 30-minute walk with a group to a great beach? It’s just a thrill). In the reviews, many complain about the beach at the hotel, but here you have yourself to blame. It was necessary to make the right choice. Personally, we haven’t even bothered with this for several years now and trust our travel agent with our entire vacation. We just voice our wishes and then he finds us excellent options and will always advise on all aspects, including where it’s cheaper to buy and how we can save. His name is Dmitry Mir, you can easily find him on the social network VKontakte by searching for friends by last name. The hotel staff loves tips and, in principle, in all of Cuba without tips the service is lame. Don’t be stingy, leave some money and sometimes gifts like chocolate and the conditions for you will change for the better. And the cleaning is better and the cocktails are sweeter)). Spend a little and get many times more. Tested several times). If you arrive early and need to wait for check-in, there is a room where you can leave your luggage. It’s a pity that you’ll have to change clothes in the toilet and they’re not that clean. If they made a changing room it would be great! Well, the numbers on the cube are tough. And here, choose a hotel or go online, but you still won’t find anything particularly good. The dampness is strong, and it’s not surprising because even things here don’t dry after the sea, and here the rooms are by the ocean. So if it smells musty, ventilate it here without any options. Well, the furniture and everything else in the room is old. Sleeping is ok, the bed is comfortable. The room is basically clean. Frill with tip is tolerable). There is a coffee maker in the room, but tea and coffee are rarely served, so I advise you to stock up immediately. Sugar too). They provide water and finding water in the hotel is not a problem at all. Our sockets do not need an adapter, but we always carry ours with us just in case. There is an iron and ironing board. The food is good and the main thing is that everything is fresh. The waiters serve drinks, which is a little inconvenient, sometimes you have to wait, but magical tips speed up the process). In general, they cook well, but sometimes they still manage to spoil something, over-salt it, or add a lot of spices. It doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. During breaks from the main dining room, snacks can be found in the bars. But in bars something often runs out. Either there are no cutlets or something else, but overall you can have a snack. But if you leave a tip, then again everything appears). Ala carte restaurants are nothing to talk about, you don’t even have to go, everything is almost the same as in the dining room. Drinks are the same as everywhere else. You have to ask for normal rum and there are no straws, but we take it with us). In general, the choice of food is standard, there is a choice of meat, a couple of types of fish and seafood shrimp. For the price of the hotel it is quite normal. The animation is weak and not varied. They knew about it, but we had fun anyway. Holidays with a group have their advantages).…

Pilar Beach is one of the most spectacular beaches not only in Cuba, but in the entire Caribbean! This pristine beach is located on the northwestern tip of Cayo Guillermo. Not far from Playa Pilar you can see Sayo Media Luna - small island, located approximately 2 km from the coast. Pilar Beach on Cayo Guiermo is about 1 km long and faces north. It is covered in powdery white sand and its shallow, calm waters are ideal for swimming. This is one of best places for swimming in Cuba.

At Pilar Beach you will find the following amenities and services:
1. Ranch type restaurant (beach bar and grill), where you can enjoy a cold beer or cocktail, as well as a delicious lunch affordable price.
2. A beach bar called Coco Loco that serves all sorts of cocktails, including the Saoco (served in a green coconut, it's a refreshing lager drink made with coconut water, soda, rum and ice).
3. Sun loungers for rent. One sun lounger costs 2 CUC per day, but you can rent two sun loungers under an umbrella for 10 CUC per day. Please note that Pilar Beach has no natural shade, so an umbrella may come in handy. By the way, this 10 CUC also includes 3 free drinks.
4. Center aquatic species sports, where you can rent various equipment or order some kind of water entertainment. This center also offers a trip to the islet Cayo Media Luna, where you can snorkel. The cost of the trip is 25 CUC per person, including snorkeling equipment.
5. Observation tower.
6. Showers.

Many services have appeared here only recently. Currently available pedestrian bridge 130 meters long from the parking lot to the beach, making access to the beach easier, especially for people with limited mobility.

Pilar beach on the map of Cayo Guillermo and the map of Cuba

How to get to Pilar Beach

This beach is a short walk from the Iberostar Playa Pilar (about 1 km). If you are staying at another hotel, you can rent a car or scooter, take a taxi to the beach, take a tourist bus called the Jardines del Rey Bus Tour, or buy a special excursion from a tour operator. It seems to me that the ideal option is to travel by tourist bus. Pilar Beach is the last stop of this bus and the ticket costs 5 CUC for the whole day. That is, you can ride this bus several times during one day.

Ranchon Playa Pilar

As mentioned above, there is a grill restaurant on Pilar Beach that offers delicious seafood, fish and grilled meats. This is the largest and by far the most visited private ranchon in the Jardines del Rey archipelago. It is located at the northwestern end of Cayo Guillermo, on one of Cuba's most spectacular beaches, Playa Pilar.
This restaurant is run by the Cuban group Palmares, which offers other services on the beach, including a beach bar called Coco Loco, as well as sun lounger and umbrella rentals.
Food prices in Rancho Playa Pilar are relatively low. For example, a dish of half a lobster, shrimp and fish costs 15 to 20 CUC, while a whole lobster costs 15 to 20 CUC. Shrimp are offered here for 8-10 CUC, squid - 5-6 CUC, fried chicken or pork - 4-5 CUC, grilled fish - 5-6 CUC, hamburger - 2-3 CUC, beer and soft drinks - 1 CUC , rum - 1.5 CUC.

Pilar Beach is one of the the most beautiful beaches coral island of Cayo Guillermo north coast Cubes. The beach was named after the yacht of the American writer Ernest Hemingway, which he bought in 1934 and went fishing here.

The length of the beach is about 1 km, the width in different parts of the beach has different sizes: from 30 to 100 meters.

The entire vast area of ​​the beach is covered with fine white and very clean sand. However, it is advisable to wear rubber beach shoes on the beach, as there are sharp stones that can cause pain or create a wound. The water in the sea is clean and transparent, the entrance is sandy and flat. The clear azure sea is perfect for swimming; there are no strong waves here, so the sea is relatively calm.

Panorama of Pilar beach in Cayo Guillermo:

If you look at the horizon from the beach, you can see the islands - these are the American Bahamas, which are located about a hundred kilometers from Pilar Beach.

Pilar beach is divided into 2 zones: the tourist developed part and the secluded wild one. Both parts are popular, since some people like a developed recreation system, while others prefer to be alone than to swim or sunbathe among other tourists. Many guests of the island call Pilar Beach a paradise, and one cannot but agree with this, because the beauty of these views fascinates, enchants and makes you fall in love.

Water temperature

The peak season on the beach is from November to April, during these months there is maximum heat air and water.

Minimum and maximum sea water temperatures by month:

• January: +23.4°C/ +26.7°C;
• February: +23.8°C/ +26.7°C;
• March: +24.1°C/ +27.3°C;
• April: +24.5°C/ +28.7°C;
• May: +25.2°C/ +29.4°C;
• June: +27.1°C/ +30.4°C;
• July: +28.0°C/ +30.7°C;
• August: +28.4°C/ +31.3°C;
• September: +28.4°C/ +31.2°C;
• October: +26.2°C/ +30.4°C;
• November: +24.4°C/ +28.8°C;
• December: +24.4°C/ +27.5°C.

Infrastructure

Pilar Beach can offer vacationers various services and excellent service to make their vacation memorable for a long time, and the time spent here becomes meaningful and fruitful for tourists. Almost all the infrastructure on the beach is free.

Among the services provided are the following:

• Sun loungers and canopies.
• Playa Pilar Restaurant, where you can taste a variety of fish, seafood and meat dishes. This is the largest and most visited restaurant in the area.
• Beach bar where you can buy refreshing drinks.
• Hotel Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski Cuba, which is located near the beach and where you can stay.
• Showers.
• Rent sun loungers provided various types: both single without a roof and double under one roof.
• A water sports center where you can rent equipment needed for water sports or order water activities. For example, snorkeling, which is a dive during which you can see the underwater world with all its unique inhabitants.
• Free parking next to the beach.

A pedestrian bridge in the form of a wooden deck 130 meters long leads from the parking lot to the beach. This bridge greatly facilitates access to the beach, especially for people with disabilities.

In addition to the developed infrastructure, Pilar beach also has a developed leisure. For those who are tired of lying in the sun or have already rested on a sun lounger, you can kayak, go diving or take unique boat trips on a boat or boat. Small excursions are very interesting because during this time you can see all the surroundings.

How to get to Pilar Beach in Cuba

Coordinates: 22°36’44.6"N 78°41’55.4"E

You can get to the beach in the following way:

First you need to fly to Havana Airport, then fly to Cayo Coco Internacional de Jardines del Rey Airport. The flight schedule can be viewed at this link. Next, you can choose one of the most convenient ways to get to the beach itself:

• On tasks: There are two types of taxis on the island of Cayo Coco: public and private. You can order a taxi from the airport to the beach at the airport itself; cars regularly wait for orders at the airport.
• By bus: ply around the island of Cayo Coco tourist buses, who stop at many hotels and take tourists to the beaches. These buses run every half hour.
• By car: one of the most convenient ways because you don’t have to wait for the bus. Independent trip By car will be the most comfortable option for traveling from the airport to Pilar Beach. To get there by car, you need to follow the highway to Cayo Guillermo, to the very end of the island.

Route from Cayo Coco Airport to Pilar Beach by car:

Video: Pilar Beach, Cuba (Playa Pilar)