Beaches | Jibacoa, Cuba

The Beaches

Playa Jibacoa | Playa Arroyo Bermejo | Playa de los Artistas | Playa Amarilla and Penas Blancas, Mayabeque, Cuba

Playa Arroyo Bermejo

The two all-inclusive hotels, Memories Jibacoa and Starfish Jibacoa (aka Villa Tropico), share the same beach called Playa Arroyo Berjemo which is approximately 1 km long. The two hotels are separated by a little stream flowing towards the sea.

Playa Jibacoa

This is where you’ll find the hotel Villa Loma which consists of 14 independent houses for rent, and also a 4 Campismos (camping sites): Campismo Los Cocos, Campismo Las Caletas, Campismo El Abra and Campismo La Laguna. Playa Jibacoa is located west of Playa Arroyo Bermejo and has a length of about 3 km of alternating sandy areas and rocky areas. Near the western end of Playa Jibacoa there’s a small cove called Playa Los Enamorados (lovers’ beach).

Playa de los Artistas

This small secluded beach is located west of Playa Jibacoa, at the mouth of Rio Jibacoa. It’s mostly visited by locals.

Playa Amarilla and Penas Blancas

These more rocky beaches are located east of Playa Arroyo Bermejo and stretch up to the Canasi river mouth. Two other campismos are located on these beaches, Campismo Playa Amarilla and Campismo Pena Blanca.

Here's an aerial view of Jibacoa showing the location of the hotels, beaches, and other points of interest.

Jibacoa will appeal to people who want a decent beach and the opportunity to do great snorkeling from shore. The sand is not as fine and white as that of Varadero beaches, but still soft enough to enjoy nice walks on the beach. In some parts of the beach the entrance into the water is somewhat rocky and some coral patches are close to shore, so many people would prefer to wear water shoes to go swimming. But other parts are sandier so you can enter bare-foot.

The sea is usually calmer (therefore clearer) during the spring and summer months, making it very easy to see where the corals are located, and better conditions for snorkeling. Click to view a sign explaining the hazard flags system. The tidal range is about two feet; it’s easier to go swimming or snorkeling during hide tide.

The section of beach in front of hotel Starfish Jibacoa is a bit nicer and wider than the one in front of hotel Memories Jibacoa. The western part of Playa Arroyo Bermejo and the Playa Jibacoa is mainly used by locals from surrounding villages and the ones vacationing in the campismos. Note that all the beaches are public, as everywhere else in Cuba.

You can take long walks (more comfortably with sandals or shoes) from the hotel zone (Playa Arroyo Bermejo) towards west and reach Playa Jibacoa. On the east side of the hotel zone there’s a few hundred meters of rocky shore , there’s a trail behind that you can take to reach the area of Playa Amarilla and Playa Penas Blancas where two other campismos are located.

There are several beach chairs and palapas (umbrellas made with dried palm leaves) in front of the hotels. Many trees (called Uva Caleta) also provide shading. On the beach between hotel Memories (ex Breezes) and hotel Starfish Jibacoa (aka Villa Tropico), there are a few vendors selling local handicrafts, such as paintings, wooden sculptures and others souvenirs. Another small private business found on the beach is a little massage hut just west of the hotel Starfish Jibacoa; in 2012, the price was 20 USD for a 1-hour massage, a great deal!

On the beach of the two all-inclusive hotels, there's a water sports center where you can borrow equipment and enjoy some non-motorized water sports: kayak, hobie-cat, pedal boat, snorkeling, etc. There are no motorized water sports (seadoos, jet-skis, banana boat, parasailing, etc.) in the Jibacoa resort, and we hope it will remains like this to protect the reef and the natural and tranquil environment of this little paradise!

Warning! Avoid riding a pedal boat over the reef during low tide! It’s too risky to touch and break corals and could also be dangerous! In June 2012, on a windy day with choppy waters, we witnessed an incident when tourists ventured on a pedal boat too close to coral heads, they flipped over when touching the edge of the reef! Fortunately rescuers responded quickly, and no one was seriously injured.