Scuba Diving Cayo Largo, Cuba
Hotel Lindamar
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Scuba Diving on Cayo Largo, Cuba - Visit Report
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Cayo Largo is one of the bigger tourist islands of Cuba and belongs to the top ten dive destinations
worldwide. It is an all-inclusive island which
means that you can get anything to eat and drink at any of the restaurants and bars without
additional charge. The island has several hotels and restaurants, all part of the same package
(Hotel Lindamar, Hotel Pelicano, Hotel Isla del Sur, Hotel Iguana, Hotel Soledad, Hotel Coral and
Hotel Capricho). Food and drinks are great, especially the cocktails with original cuban rum.
In September 2000 we stayed two weeks on Cayo Largo at the Hotel Lindamar. The nice thing about
Lindamar are the bungalows which look like romantic little huts but offer all the comfort you need
(air conditioning, shower, TV, etc.) Unfortunately, there were a great number of mosquitos
especially later in the afternoon when the sun was going down. Although everything on the island
seems to go at a slower pace, the people are very friendly and helpful. English is no problem, but
a little Spanish is ofcourse appreciated.
Diving on Cayo Largo is not extremely fascinating. There is less fish and corals and not so
much colours as elsewhere on this planet. However, we investigated a few small wrecks and saw some
bigger fish such as sharks, eagle rays and even some turtles. There are two dive centers on the
island: a german and a cuban center. We highly recommend the cuban dive center which is located
directly in the harbour (for the german dive center, you must wait for a small transfer boat to
bring you there). The Cubans always picked us up at the hotel on time (surprisingly) and they were
very friendly and kind. The salsa rhythms on the boat definitely did not interfere with the
professionality of the dive masters who took us on safe and secure dive trips. And by the way: it
was much less crowded on the cuban boat than on the german boat....
Our personal rating (September 2000)
| Topic | Rating | Comments |
| Island |
| The island is several kilometers long and has long and beatiful beaches. There is one
single road from the harbour, via the international airport and then along all the hotels. |
| Bungalows |
| The bungalows at the Lindamar Hotel were very beatiful and romantic (TV, AC, shower,
telephone). |
| Eating and drinking |
| Great variety of dishes (buffets) and drinks. Select any of the restaurants from italian
to exotic. |
| Facilities |
| Walking, riding horses, tennis, hire a buggy or a bicycle, all watersports. In September
it is however much too hot to do any of this (except for swimming, snorkeling and diving). Our
trips to Havana and Pinar del Rio were very exciting. |
| Under water |
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Not so many fish, corals and colours. Water temperature: 29°C
(5mm shorty is sufficient). |
| House reef |
| There is no house reef. However, the dive sites are only some 20 minutes away by
boat. |
| Dive sites |
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There are some 15 dive sites which can be reached in 15 to
30 minutes by boat. Some small wrecks. Aquarius I is our favorite!
Dives were limited to 45 minutes. Every morning and afternoon
the boat takes you to another dive site. When you go diving
both inthe morning and afternoon then there is sometimes little
time for lunch at the hotel. |
| Dive centre (cuban) |
| Nice people, excellent equipment (however no dive computers). Excellent bus transfer
service to and from the hotels. Diving is limited to some 45 minutes per dive. |
| Prices |
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All food and drinks are available without any additional charge
(All-Inclusive). Diving is cheap: 20$-25$ per dive (incl. boat,
air and weights but using own equipment). |
| Conclusion |
| Diving is by far not as exciting as e.g. in the Maldives or Red Sea. Everything else is
very good. |
Further information on Cayo Largo
If you want more information on Cayo Largo, checkout this Cuba.tc-site.
A collection of further interesting links on many Cayo Largo topics can be found on the site of
John Maunder.
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to let us know!
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