The Cayos

Why Go

If you're after something a little different from your Caribbean holiday, Cuba is the place. Sure, its coastal beaches and inland towns are a wonder - but its Cayos (tiny offshore islands) - are a dream, with swish resorts, beautiful sights and plenty to do.

A holiday to the Cayos is the perfect choice to make if you want miles of stunning white sands, warm shallow waters, watersports and stunning natural beauty. Cayo Coco has flocks of pretty pink flamingo, while Cayo Guillermo has an amazing 89 mile-long coral reef that is perfect for snorkelling. The novelist, Ernest Hemingway, loved this place. It was immortalized in his novel "Islands in the Stream" (so it wasn't just a Dolly Parton record after all!), when he described how green and promising this tiny, desert island looked – with its dunes among the highest in the Caribbean.

Caya Santa Maria is the newest resort island to head for on your Cuba holidays, and as such is still relatively untouched - with a really peaceful atmosphere pervading. Catch it while you can! West of Cayo Guillermo and wonderfully pristine, the resort's hotels blend beautifully into the lush, tropical landscape. After Varadero, it's also the closest beach resort to Havana, so the capital will make an impression on you if you have the time to visit. A causeway connects the islands to the mainland.