Playa De Guanabo

Located in the Cuban town of Guanabo, Playa de Guanabo – also called Guanabo Beach, Playa Guanabo, and Playa de Guanabo Beach – is a popular beach with white colored sand and a rocky eastern part.  This beach is located in the municipality of Habana del Este.  This beach is a part of a group of beaches around eastern Havana called the Playa del Este – other beaches that are parts of Playa del Este include Playa Megano, and Santa Maria Del Mar.  

Lonely Planet featured this beach in its article "Havana's 6 best beaches are closer to the city center than you think."

Although Playa de Guanabo Cuba has a lifeguard tower, please note that lifeguard deployment here may not be permanent.  In addition to lifeguards, the beach and the area around it have rental facilities for water sports equipment, sun loungers, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas.

Please note that there are no public restrooms here – if you are a customer at one of the local restaurants, you may be able to use their restrooms.

Playa de Guanabo offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, surf-skiing, water-skiing, surfing, kitesurfing, paddleboarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here usually has gentle waves – this beach usually has calm waves in summers.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here can have dangerous waves and unpredictable rip currents, especially in winters.

This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby beaches.

Playa de Guanabo does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Playa de Guanabo is easy – this beach is easily accessible from Guanabo’s town center, and it is also easily accessible from Havana through a local highway named Via Blanca.  There are free street parking spaces near this beach.   If you want to travel by bus, you can easily get a bus to the town of Guanabo from Havana’s “Old Town” area – a bus to Guanabo costs around 0.4 Cuban National Pesos. 

We recommend being careful while visiting this beach because there is no internet service here.  In addition, we also recommend visiting this beach around the Cuban Dry season (between May and October) because the sand here is washed here by rains during other times of the year.  Please also note that this beach also has a lot of trash. 

We also recommend visiting this beach early between July and October because it can sometimes get crowded here.

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Playa de Guanabo offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Caribbean Sea and the Habana del Este shoreline, particularly at sunset.  In addition, this beach also has a festive ambiance and you can sometimes see Cuban mariachi musicians performing here.

There are many attractions near Playa de Guanabo within a 35-minute-drive – most of the attractions are located near Havana’s “Old Town” area.  Torreon de Cojimar – also called Torreon de la Chorrera – is a tower that was built in 1646 and it was one of the first fortifications to be captured by the British when they attacked Havana in 1782.  This tower now has a restaurant and it offers an interesting insight into the local history.  Castillo de San Salvador is a castle that was built between 1589 and 1600 and it currently serves as a museum – this castle offers interesting insight into the local history, along with amazing views of the Havana Harbor.  The Monument to Maximo Gomez is a set of statues dedicated to Cuban freedom fighter Maximo Gomez, who fought against Colonial Spanish authorities between 1868 and 1895.  This monument was made by Italian artist Aldo Gamba in 1935.  Plaza de San Francisco de Asis is a public square which is named after a nearby Franciscan church – this square has many interesting nearby historic buildings and landmarks including the Fountain of the Lions, the Sierra Maestra Terminal, and a statue named Caballero de Paris.  It also has many interesting restaurants.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach,  El Malecon is an eight kilometers-long waterfront promenade which offers spectacular views of Havana’s shoreline and the Caribbean Sea, particularly at sunset – this promenade has a combination of new and old architectural styles and it also has a very cosmopolitan ambiance, with many musicians, artists, and street performers gathering here. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Playa de Guanabo.  Ristorante San Francisco serves amazing Italian dishes including pasta, pizza, pollo al cabrone, lobster, and prosciutto.  Restaurante 421 is a restaurant that offers a variety of delicious dishes including pizza, ceviche, pastas, pizzas, fries, soups, and fried malanga.  Rico Rico  is known for serving good pizzas, and it also offers amazing seafood including crawfish and lobster.  Restaurant Papi Happy offers a variety of excellent dishes including grilled chicken, rice dishes, pizza, seafood, and tostones – it also offers fun live music.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Chicken Little is known for serving a variety of amazing chicken and it also offers other dishes including seafood and barbecued meats.  If you are looking for other affordable restaurants near the beach, you can also visit Paladar Maeda that serves excellent local dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Playa de Guanabo, there are many great nearby options within a 40-minute-drive.  The 5-Star Iberostar Grand Packard offers many amenities including a cigar lounge, a pool, a salon, a spa, fitness center, and multiple restaurants and bars.  The 4-Star Blau Arenal Habana Beach Hotel offers many amenities including a pool, a sun terrace, a wellness center, tennis courts, multiple bars and restaurants, a gym, and a sundeck.  Another great upscale hotel is Gran Caribe’s Hotel Plaza that has Art Nouveau-style architecture and offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a bar, a tourist bureau, and currency exchange services.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Deauville Havana Hotel that offers many amenities including a terrace, barbecue areas, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, Hotel Los Frailes has a design resembling a Franciscan Monastery and it offers a patio, a lobby bar, and a complimentary wine-tasting session.  Another great and affordable accommodation option is staying in a rental house near the beach – there are many rental beach houses in Guanabo and you can check the internet for more information about the house rentals on Playa Guanabo Cuba.