Camagüey City

Camagüey is a large city. Take your time strolling, being sure not to miss Plaza del Carmen, with its life–like ceramic figures of actual locals going about their business. The most intimate of plazas is Plaza San Juan de Díos, lined with simple yet colourful 18th–century houses. Grandiose Parque Ignacio Agramonte – the main square – features a fine 19th–century cathedral plus a statue of the town's namesake hero: General Ignacio Agramonte rose to become a leading figure in the Wars of Independence. The Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte is dedicated to him. And his birthplace is also now a museum.

It's a stone's throw from Plaza de las Trabajadores, an intimate triangular plaza from whose heart rises a venerable Ceiba tree; the Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Merced, on the east side, is perhaps the city's most intriguing site.

The city is also known for high–brow culture. The Camagüey Ballet, which performs in the Teatro Principal, is second only to the Ballet Nacional. If there's a performance during your stay, don't miss it! And the local Casa de la Trova is one of several venues where the traditional music scene is kept alive.

Camagüey is also blessed with several pleasant small hotels, as well as a wide range of simple casas particulares (private room rentals). The best hotel in town (and a bargain) is the Hotel Colón, a restored colonial gem with Camagüey's only impressive restaurant.

This beach resort is in east–central Cuba, on the north coast of Camagüey province. It runs the length of a single road unspooling beside a 20–kilometer–long beach. Santa Lucía had been popular with Cuban vacationers until the Special Period put a serious dent in their budget. Tourist literature today hypes it for foreign visitors, but it appeals mainly to budget–oriented visitors with low expectations.

The five hotels and fistful of restaurants (there's also a down–at–heels Cuban village) here are sprinkled along the shore backed by a vast flatland of grassland, mangroves, lagoons, and scrub. The sands here are lovely, but the ocean waters are overgrown with sea grass so that the wading and snorkelling here aren't the best. For that, rent a taxi or scooter or Jeep, or take a horse–back carriage ride, out to Playa Los Cocos – a far superior beach beside a ramshackle fishing village; two delightful restaurants cater and there are waterports, such as Hobi–Cat rentals.

Santa Lucía's hotels are unexceptional and outside them there's relatively little to see and do. Still, a nearby finca – Rancho King – providing horseback rides and rodeo makes a good half–day excursion, as do party cruises aboard catamarans: the best are the sunset cruises. Day–long excursions visit a crocodile farm and the city of Camagüey, 110 kilometers away.

The scuba diving and sport fishing excel. The offshore coral reef is spectacular, and the wreck of the steamship Mortera, which sank in 1898, is a major draw. The highlight, however, is a shark dive where you can witness shark's being fed before your eyes.

All but one of the hotels are managed by Cubanacán and are run on an all–inclusive basis. The best of the bunch is the Oasis Brisas Santa Lucía, managed since 2007 by Spain's Oasis Hotels & Resorts.