Caya Coco

Introduction

Cayo Coco (Coco Key) is an island in central Cuba, known for its all-inclusive resorts. It lies within the Ciego de Ávila Province and is part of a chain of islands called Jardines del Rey ("King's Gardens"). The cay is administered by the Morón municipality, has a surface area of 370 km2, and is named after the white ibis, locally called coco (coconut) birds. The island is known for its long beaches and many resort hotels.

Used as a hideout by buccaneers in the early colonial period, the island was home to a small settlement of fishermen and charcoal producers until 1955, when the freshwater supply was exhausted and the market for charcoal ended with the spread of electrification after the Cuban Revolution. A causeway connecting the island to the Cuban mainland opened on 26 July 1988, and resort construction began. The first resort, Guitart Cayo Coco (now the Hotel Colonial Cayo Coco), opened in 1993. The Cuban exile group Alpha 66 attacked the resort with machine guns in 1994 and 1995, but there were no injuries.

Cayo Coco and the neighboring Cayo Guillermo provided settings for Ernest Hemingway's Islands in the Stream and The Old Man and the Sea.

On September 9, 2017, Cayo Coco was devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Getting There

There are direct year-round flights to Jardines del Rey Airport (CCC) from Havana, Montreal, Toronto, Milan, Moscow, Manchester, Paris and seasonal flights from Halifax, Hamilton (Ontario, Canada), Quebec City, Ottawa, Bagotville, Calgary, Edmonton, London (Ontario, Canada), North Bay, Saint John, St. John's, Val d'Or, Windsor, Winnipeg, Glasgow and London.

Getting Around

From the airport to resorts, your transportation is already organised in big comfortable buses. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the hotels which are all located around the same area on the north shore of Cayo Coco island. Your resort sometimes may organise disco to other resorts (so all the tourists of different resorts can party together) or go to the only night club located on Cayo Coco island, the bat cave. They provide the transportation in vans or buses for a minimum fee.

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