Cayo Jutias, Pinar del Río, Cuba

The clammy heat in Cuba can really wear you and your inner thighs down, and sometimes the only thing that will provide temporary relief is a cool swim and a couple of mojitos. Luckily, there is always a beach relatively close by to calm your chaffed thighs and a mojito to restore your spirit. Cayo Jutias is an exceptional example of one of those beaches that also serves mojitos. The 4 mile white sand beach of Cayo Jutias, Pinar del Río, is the perfect spot to cool down, and if you are in the mood, drink up. Cayo Jutias is a small islet just 40 miles outside of Viñales. You can catch a bus for the day, or take a rental car toward the town of Minas de Matahambre and then take the stone causeway that leads to the secluded beach on the Caribbean.

The white sand beach is pristine and if you see some lounge chairs in cabanas and think its too perfect to be true, just wait 20 minutes and a guy will come up and ask you to pay 1-2cuc for a days use of the chairs. The water is clear, blue, has great visibility and gradually gets deeper so it’s ideal for wading around in the shallows or playing some sort of catch. Just watch out when you are running because there are small shell fragments that can slice your toes. If you really want to get away from the 20-30 other people at the beach, a little exploration can reward you with more privacy.

The beach is secluded, but still has a dive shop that you can either rent gear from or take a tour. I wouldn’t recommend either though. The guided snorkeling and the coral you see isn’t that great, and if you decide to go at it yourself, right off the beach there are fields of sea grass that are pretty creepy to swim through. If you do brave the sea grass, there are buoys that show you where the reef is. But once again, unless you are really motivated to see some coral and fish, it’s not worth it. They also have a volleyball court next to the dive shop.

The covered beach bar serves drinks and food. It’s important that it’s covered because the weather can dramatically change very quickly. Don’t be deterred by forecasts of rain, I was there in July with a forecast of thunderstorms and the rain didn’t come until 4p.m. on the dot everyday, like the host of our casa particular said. This gave us plenty of time to experience the beach and when the rain came we just hunkered down in the beach bar until our bus was ready.

Cayo Jutias Map