Playa Ancon is a Caribbean beach and community on the south side of central Cuba. It’s a perfect beach getaway in combination with a trip to explore the historic town of Trinidad (UNESCO World Heritage site).
While the beaches of Varadero on the north coast of Cuba are supposed to be the wider and whiter beaches and a more popular destination for foreign and Cuban tourists, Playa Ancon is situated in a much more interesting area. Not only is the must-see town of Trinidad only cab or bike ride away; the Topes de Collantes National Park in the Sierra del Escambray Mountains and the Valle de los Ingenios (Los Ingenios Valley), known for its abandoned sugar plantations and refineries, are nearby as well.
Situated in the state Sancti Spiritus, Playa Ancon takes up the majority of a skinny strip of land with the Bahia de Casilda on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south. There are several hotels on the beach and a marina that invites you to stay in your own yacht. You know, if you happen to have a yacht.
A special perk of staying directly in Playa Ancon (vs. Trinidad or the fishing village La Boca) are the socialism era, government-run resort hotels. Don’t you want to know what it’s like to stay in a socialist all-inclusive Caribbean hotel? I did – and staying at the Brisas Trinidad del Mar was really different. Under a veneer of fancy and colorful, there is that lack of capitalist ambition and customer service. Yet, there is still the joy and vibrancy of the Caribbean beach life. If you are prepared for that and, like Scott and me, embrace exploring another culture, it’s quite wonderful to stay at such a unique resort hotel.
Playa Ancon is also a lot less crowded than the beaches on the north side of Cuba – and there is ample opportunity to fish right on the coast. In the flats of the north shore, it’s advised to rent boats and fish on the open sea like Hemingway did.
By the way, this video was shot in April 2016. I hope no one is getting tired of watching different videos from Cuba that I filmed earlier this year. But I have saved such videos especially for weeks like these: I’m currently visiting my parents in Northern Germany where I’m relishing the time spent with my family (and not on the computer) and where it’s grey, windy and cool.
The accompanying music is the instrumental version of the song “1,000 Words” by Josh Woodward. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Thank you, Josh!!!
If you’d like to see more videos from this area, please check these out:
Trinidad de Cuba (extended version)
Cuban Sunset (Playa Ancon) – In Another Minute (319)
La Boca, Cuba – In Another Minute (322)
I’ll be posting photos of Playa Ancon throughout this week to the In Another Minute 2016 Flickr album, on Google+ and Facebook… and there will be is now a dedicated post on my blog: Photos of Playa Ancon, Cuba.
