Rented a car to Cayo Coco

Some of the best beaches and islands are a bit tricky to get to. Cuba's infrastructure isn't fully developed everywhere. Some local buses aren't allowed to take tourists, and the Viazul bus doesn’t go there either. So, you might need to rent a car or take a taxi to reach those spots. The car rental companies are state-owned, which means the prices are the same across all cities and companies. It’s about 55 CUC per day for a small car, including insurance—but just a heads up, the insurance doesn’t cover tires and car radios, which are highly sought after in Cuba. So, it’s recommended to always park the car in monitored parking lots. We want to check out the islands of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo and see more of the "countryside," so we’re now zooming around in a little car we rented in Santa Clara. Hitchhiking culture is widespread here. There are always hitchhikers by the side of the road. State-owned cars are required to pick up hitchhikers, and we’ve given a couple of them a ride too! :o) The back road from Santa Clara to Cayo Coco is beautiful. We drove through Remedios - Caibarién - Yaguajay - Chambas - Morón. Cayo Coco is connected to the mainland by a bridge. From Cayo Coco, you can drive further out to Cayo Guillermo, which is also linked by a bridge. Both islands have many all-inclusive hotels, and you won’t find any Casa Particulars here. Budget travelers can stay on the mainland in the town of Morón. There are also almost deserted beaches that aren’t developed with hotels. The most beautiful one is Playa Pilar, located right at the tip of Cayo Guillermo. The water is shallow and a stunning turquoise color. The sand is fine and white. There’s one small restaurant that gets unusually busy around lunchtime—so expect to wait. We had chicken for 3 CUC, but the lobster for 16 CUC looked way better than our little piece of chicken! :o) Don’t forget to bring your passport, as you’ll need to show it at the checkpoint when entering the island—why, I have no idea. The locals didn’t have a clue either about why you need to show your passport—you’re not leaving the country after all… It costs 2 CUC each way in tolls to and from the island.