Biking Marea del Portillo

Biking from Club Amigo Marea del Portillo in Cuba is limited to routes East and West along the coast as you run into the Sierra Maestra mountain range on routes North. The roads are poorly maintained and very rough with pot holes and broken pavement. We love riding these roads. They are quiet with so many interesting things to see. 

Our favourite route was East to the South Coast Road. Over our four-week stay in Cuba, we rode East nine times, West towards Pilon five times and North only once on the Bayamo Road up the mountain.

In 27 days, I rode 15 times covering 570 km total. My husband rode 17 times covering ~600 km. Our longest ride was 70 km to El Macho.

SOUTH COAST ROAD

From the hotel, we would ride 8 km passing two small villages Marea and Mota to reach the spectacular views of the South Coast Road. We never got bored riding this road. 

The furthest we made it was 35 km away from our hotel to a town called El Macho. It was challenging crossing two mountain passes on the way out and again on the way back. We rode for five hours without food. I was exhausted and hungry by the time we got in at 3 p.m.

Usually we would turn around at the 16 km mark avoiding the first mountain pass (1.5 km climb up to 11% grade). Every time I rode that hill, I had to walk a bit to catch my breath.

We stopped at a road-side store to check it out. Prices are posted in pesos monedo nacional (MN). One convertible peso (CUC$) equals $25 MN. 

This is the view from the top of the long, steep climb ~18 km from our hotel. It's a challenging climb up to 11% grade, but worth the effort.

El Macho is located past this crooked bridge. It was crooked when we rode this route six years ago damaged in a hurricane.

We greeted school children returning home for lunch.

At El Macho, we walked down to a rocky beach. Serge another guest at our hotel accompanied us on the ride to El Macho. Interestingly, he rode a Devinci the same bike I had last year.

From this angle, the bridge looks even more crooked. Traffic is light on this road because buses cannot cross. 

The ride back offers similar, yet different views of the route.

 

Cows, horses, goats, sheep and pigs roam freely in Cuba.

On Valentine's Day, we rode out to meet the Canbicuba Tour who were riding from Chivirico to our hotel (~90 km). 

Along the way, we stopped and chatted with a Dutch couple sitting in the shade. They were touring Cuba on bikes loaded with gear. While we chatted, two more Dutch tourists on bikes came along. I am super impressed with self-supported cycle tourists. 

The extra weight makes biking more difficult. I can't get my head around the logistics of finding accommodation, food and clean water when you're hot and tired. I also can't imagine traveling with only what fits on a bike. Most people who do this seem to be from Holland or Germany. We met one family from Canada (The Bicycling Family) who are touring with their 11-yr old son and 8-yr old daughter - all on bikes. It doesn't appeal to me, but I can't help being impressed.

We met Fred, the first CanBiCuba rider ~24 km out, so turned back to ride with him to the hotel. By the time we showered and changed, the rest of the riders had arrived. They were waiting for their bus to take them to Manzanillo next. Since they had a couple hours to wait, we brought them beer and stood chatting, When we dropped off our bag of donations for the Las Tunas Cycling Club, we asked if somebody could take a photo for us when the donation was delivered. 

I handed out my card listing my email and blog name, surprised and flattered to be recognized as "The Crochet Lady". I had forgotten about being contacted months ago by somebody who had read my post from our CanBiCuba Tour last year. Based on my post and answers to their questions, they had booked the tour along with a group of friends. This group was filled with Americans and six Bike Fridays. How cool is that?

WEST TO PILON

We also liked to ride West towards Pilon a largish town ~13 km from our hotel. 

Club Amigo Punta Piedra is just 5 km from our hotel. Guests at Punta Piedra could eat and drink at our hotel for free, but the service was not reciprocated. We stopped by to check out their beach. Next year, we plan to return with our snorkel gear to swim to the reef offshore. 

The Mirador Restaurant is 10 km West of our hotel. It is located 1.5 km off the main road up on a hill with a spectacular view. We went once to take a look and another time for lunch. Watch for this sign post. 

Turn right and continue up hill. Carry on past the steps. Turn right up the lane to the restaurant. Lunch was delicious and only CUC$5 including tip.

  

 

This dog really wanted to join us for lunch, but she stayed outside.

Pilon is only 3 km down the road from the Mirador. We would turn left at the gas station and ride down the main road to the town square beside the bus station. It was a good place to rest in the shade.

The first time we rode to Pilon, we looked for Celia Sánchez's house. Last year, when we visited it had been closed. While my husband took photos inside, I was happy to play with an adorable tiny puppy on the porch.

 

 

 

This abandoned Sugar Mill Tower in town is a great landmark. You can see it for miles. If we ever got lost, we looked for the tower.

All towns in Cuba have play parks for children. This park appealed to us with its rustic charm.

 

  

 

 

We liked the look of this pretty church in Pilon.

This apartment building was bleak looking. Up close it looked even worse.

On our second trip to Pilon, we decided to ride out to the end of the peninsula to the West. We rode down the main street, past the town square turning right at the end of the road heading out of town into wide open farm land. We were surprised to find an ostrich farm. When we stopped, the ostriches ran over to see us. I was happy these big birds were fenced and not free-range like most animals in Cuba.

Further down the road, we took the left fork assuming it would lead to the peninsula. It was a quiet easy route ~10 km from town to reach the end. We saw three Cubans. They had parked their cart and left their horse to graze while they fished.

 

Another day we explored the right fork on the road past Pilon. We ended up getting lost following unmarked roads through ranchland. Eventually we headed towards the old sugar mill tower, a familar landmark, until we made our way back to town.

 

 

  

THE BAYAMO ROAD

We rode our bikes up the Bayamo Road all the way to the top only once. This road is located on the East side of the cemetery in Marea. It is 6 km from our hotel to the top. We could ride as far as the horse corral, but the last ~2 kms are extremely difficult at 20%+ grade. We walked pushing our bikes on this section with temperatures reaching 36 Celsius. My husband rode two short bursts on the steep bit, but couldn't keep going.

The Bayamo Road is visible from our hotel - that white line going up.

 Turn left past the cemetery in Marea.

It's uphill almost from the start.

I made it as far as the horse corral before I had to walk.

 The horses we had passed near the bottom soon passed us.

 

 The dirt changed to cement. It was all steep at 20%+ grades.

 

 

 

 It was exhausting, but the views made this route worth the extra effort.

Pushing my bike that far on such a steep climb irritated my shoulders making it painful to swim. If I was to do this climb again, I would hike. At 12 km, it qualifies as an 'epic' hike.

WHAT TO RIDE

This year I rode the bike my husband had last year - a titanium mountain bike with compact gearing. My husband rode a new carbon fiber cross bike. These bikes are relatively light, rugged and fun to ride. They are not the sort of bikes that can be donated or left in Cuba.

Some people buy inexpensive bikes on Kijiji, take them in cardboard bike boxes and ride them for the duration of their stay giving them away before they leave. Cubans rely on bicycles to get around and truly appreciate any donations.

Some people who repeatedly visit the same area make Cuban 'friends' who will take care of their bikes, so they can use them whenever they visit. We met a few people who were doing this successfully. We also heard stories of people who had tried this, but found their bikes had disappeared when they returned.

We also met a Canadian who visits this resort about five times a year. He bought a horse he leaves with a Cuban family. He has it available to ride every time he visits. His horse has babies every year. The Cuban family taking care of his horse keeps the babies.

We liked when he tied his horse to a tree on the beach outside our cabana. The baby was not tied, but followed its mama everywhere.

It seems like a good arrangement, if you prefer horses to bikes.

We loved Biking Marea del Portillo on good bikes, so we'll probably take the same ones next year. My husband has gotten really good at packing our bikes for travel.

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Our Stay in Cuba

This year, we stayed four weeks at an all-inclusive resort Club Amigo Marea del Portillo in Cuba. We picked this resort because it is located at the west end of the South Coast Road, our favourite route from our bike tour last year. You can read about that tour here if you missed it.

This resort is filled with guests arriving on Wednesdays at Manzanillo airport on Sunwing flights from both Montreal and Toronto. 

GETTING THERE

It was a long day of travel for us from London. We left home at 9:30 a.m. driving to Skypark parking in Toronto where we took a shuttle to the airport arriving before noon for our 3 p.m. flight. The check-in line was long, but moved fairly quickly once the baggage counters opened.

There was one issue with our bike boxes. Sunwing insisted we open both boxes to prove they held bikes. This had to be done in the middle of the aisle at baggage check-in. It was inconvenient and time-consuming as our fully-loaded boxes are difficult to close and secure properly.

At the end of this ordeal, we were asked to proceed to the over-size baggage counter with instructions to pay the $30 fee plus an additional $80 for each bike as the boxes were over the 44-lb weight limit. Since no further paperwork was provided, the ladies at the over-size baggage counter requested only $30 each as listed on our itinerary - no problem.

Our 3 p.m. flight left on time, landing in Cuba at 7 p.m. Once we got through the long slow line through Customs, our luggage was waiting. My husband joined another line to exchange Canadian $600 into CUC$400 Cuban convertible pesos (CUC$). I piled our luggage on a cart, got our room assignment envelope from the Sunwing Tour Guide and waited for my husband. Once he returned, we loaded our luggage on a bus with space for two bike bags plus two suitcases and boarded. 

It was a long, slow two-hour drive over rough roads from the airport to our resort. Thankfully, I slept most of the way. When we arrived, we collected our luggage and joined the masses in the lobby. 

It was crowded and chaotic. I guarded our luggage while my husband stood in line for our room key. Men kept trying to grab our bags to deliver them to our room. I declined their help because we didn't have small bills for tips. In the end, we dragged everything around searching for our room. It didn't take long to find it, haul our bags up the stairs and change into shorts before heading back to the pool bar for snacks and drinks. We were hungry, thirsty and tired after our long day of travel.

SETTLING IN

The next day, we got up early at 7 a.m. It was a short walk from our cabana to the main dining room off the lobby. After breakfast, we picked up cappuccinos at the pool bar for my husband who then spent a couple hours assembling our bikes on the veranda outside our room. I sat in the shade admiring the view. 

Once the bikes were assembled and stored safely in our room, we headed to an orientation meeting where the Sunwing Tour Representative described what Excursions were available for purchase and, more importantly, where to get our big blue beach towels. 

The beach towels are distributed by room maids. Everybody must sign for their towels and pay CUC$25 for any towels lost. This towel distribution method is very efficient. We exchanged our towels only twice in four weeks. Once when we moved to a new room with a new maid then again after another week and half. In the past, we visited resorts where towels were distributed daily. That method created more laundry and required one person on duty to sign out towels all day long.

After our meeting we found our maid, signed out our towels and headed to the beach to explore. 

We were happy to see the beach was way better than we remembered. Six years ago we stayed one night at the Farallon (hotel on the hill). The beach at that end of the bay is not as nice with 'muddy' sand and water filled with weeds and sea urchins. 

The Farallon has other attractions beyond the beach. It is newer with nicer rooms and amazing views. The pool has a swim-up bar although not everybody thinks this is a good thing. The pool grill serves more food choices. The dining room is bigger and fancier with cleaner chair pads. Fortunately, guests can eat, drink and hang out at either the Farallon or the Marea. Your choice of accommodation depends on preferences and availability. 

OUR ROOMS

We chose the Marea because we wanted to stay in a cabana close to the beach. Not everybody likes cabanas. We loved them. Even so, we moved rooms each week until we were totally satisfied.

Our first room was on the second floor in the back row of cabanas. It was large with three beds, but no back balcony. We could almost see the ocean from our veranda out front. Since we really wanted Ocean View, we requested to move the following Wednesday.

Our next room was in an Ocean View cabana on the second floor. It should more aptly be named 'Tree-Top' View as we could not see the ocean at all. At least we could hear it. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony listening to the waves. The balcony was shared with the room next door which was not ideal, although we never saw anybody sitting there. 

This room also lacked key card access. Instead it had a key that was used to lock the door from both the inside and outside. We had to stay together or keep track of each other to access our room. We requested to move again the following Wednesday.

Our third and final room was on the ground floor of an Ocean View cabana. It's the one on the left in the photo below. Our patio faced the beach (loved the view) in full sun until noon. We tended to pull chairs under the trees for shade in the morning then sit on the patio later in the day. The front door had key card access. The back door had a key which was handy for when we went to the beach. In Goldilocks terminology, this room was just right.

I should mention the beds. They are smaller than a double, but bigger than a single. In each room, there was one bed that was less uncomfortable than the other. We chose to sleep in one bed and store most of our stuff on the other because there was very little storage space. The closet had two small drawers (with broken bottoms) and a rod with attached hangers. These photos are deceiving because they were taken before we finished moving. The rooms look relatively tidy.

OUR STAY

Staying four-weeks was a luxury we totally appreciated. We had lots of time to fit in all the things we wanted to do. We soon settled into a pleasant daily routine.

We would get up by 8 a.m. most days, put on our swimsuits and cover-ups and stop at the pool bar to fill a Bubba mug with cappuccino for my husband on our way to breakfast. 

Every other day or so, my husband would use his laptop to access the internet checking in with family and friends at home. Internet cards with a secure ID and password were available for purchase at the front desk for CUC$2 per hour. Wi-fi was only accessible in the lobby, restaurant and pool bar area. Internet was slow and unreliable, but better than nothing. 

After breakfast, we often headed to the beach to sit in the shade and read. We swam in the ocean almost everyday. I liked to swim with a snorkel and mask. My husband preferred swim goggles. Sometimes, we just played in the waves or floated enjoying the warm ocean currents. We liked to rinse off the salt water in the outdoor showers and pool before heading back to the shade to relax some more. 

Sometimes, late in the afternoon, I would sit in the sun on the beach.

We liked to walk the length of the beach. One time, we signed out a sea kayak from the beach activity centre and paddled out to the reef off the beach at the Farallon. It was fun, but I had trouble steering. My husband's instructions to "just paddle properly" didn't help. We probably should have taken two single kayaks. 

There was also a catamaran and wind surfer available, but we never got around to booking those. Luckily, there were plenty of other fun things to do to keep us happily occupied.

We loved riding our bikes in Cuba. Some days we would bike in the morning. Other days, we set off later in the afternoon. In 27 days, I rode 15 times covering 570 km total. My husband rode 17 times covering ~600 km. Our longest ride was 70 km to El Macho. Our shortest, yet most difficult, ride was 12 km up the Bayamo Road and back. 

For variety and a change of pace, we also liked to hike. We went on about five different epic hikes. To qualify as 'epic', the hike had to be challenging and take longer than 1.5 hours. 

I have detailed our routes with photos in two separate posts titled "Biking Marea del Portillo" and "Hiking Marea del Portillo". 

We never rode the horses parked behind our resort, but we did stop by regularly to 'chat'. 

Sometimes we fed bananas to the pig which passed by the beach late in the day. She was rummaging for sea grapes that fall from the trees. Sea grapes are a tiny tasty fruit (the size of a grape) surrounding a large seed. Wilfred the lifeguard collected and washed some for us to try once.

Sheep and goats also roamed free munching on grass and plants in the late afternoon. It was fun watching them wandering around the resort.

Depending on our activities, we would either eat lunch at the buffet (noon to 2 p.m.) or at the pool grill where food was served until 5 p.m. Dinner was served from 6-9:30 p.m. We ate at the buffet at either the Marea or the Farallon. Some nights we walked to the Farallon and some nights we took the Golf cart. We also tried the à la carte restaurants at both sites. They were fine, but honestly we preferred the variety available at the buffet.

THE FOOD

A lot of people complain about the food in Cuba. It was wholesome, real food with enough variety to satisfy me. I enjoyed filling my plate three times a day with things that I liked. I love eating when I'm hungry without having to think about cooking. What's not to like?

My husband didn't think the food was spicy enough, so he has already bought a bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce and black pepper for our next trip. The lack of 'spice' suited me just fine. I was recently diagnosed with a few food sensitivities. Turns out I'm highly reactive to black pepper and hot pepper spices.

On Fridays, a pig is roasted on a spit on the beach and served at dinner as a special treat.

For a change of venue, we took a horse and carriage ride (CUC$4 each return) to Ferlin a restaurant in Marea. We could have walked. Ferlin is only ~4 km from the hotel, but it is dark after dinner and the carriage ride was fun. Dinner at the Ferlin was delicious. 

 

 

One of the great things about vacations is meeting all sorts of people and making new friends. Sometimes, we arranged to have dinner with friends. Often we just hung out chatting and laughing over drinks either before or after dinner. Socializing is a huge part of the fun.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

A band played every night on stage at the pool starting ~8:30 p.m. If there was a show scheduled, it started ~9 p.m. We would listen to the band and watch the start of the show, heading off to bed by 9:30 p.m. We were usually yawning and tired from all our activities. Sometimes we managed to stay up until 10 p.m.

We heard there was a disco at the beach bar from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. We stayed up late one night to check it out, arriving early to get a seat. We soon realized the disco wasn't our thing.

EXCURSIONS

Sunwing offers a whole list of fun excursions. Most people agree it is better to wait to book when you arrive.

We signed up for the Open Sea Tour on our last Saturday. We thoroughly enjoyed our day on the boat chatting with new friends. Snorkeling was spectacular just off the coast at Punta Piedra ('sister' Amigo Club 5 km down the road from our hotel). Lunch was delicious on the island and the white sand was divine. We highly recommend this excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ahh... this is the life." 

I found myself repeating this phrase a lot both in my journal and out loud while in Cuba.

HEADING HOME

All too soon our four weeks were gone and it was time to head home. Wednesdays are strange at the resort. Most guests depart by 3 p.m. It is very quiet until new guests arrive after 10 p.m. We enjoyed three such Wednesdays before it was our Wednesday to pack up and head home.

Montreal departed at 1:30 p.m. and Toronto at 3 p.m. Luggage was collected in two separate locations in the lobby identified with signs. We had to check out by noon. For those who paid extra, late check out to Toronto was 2 p.m.

It was a hot day. We dressed lightly packing warmer clothes in a bag. I was worried our carry-on might exceed the limit, but it wasn't even weighed at the airport. I guess overall luggage is lighter on the return trip due to generous donations people leave behind. 

The bus ride took a full two hours never driving faster than 65 kph on rough roads with lots of tight twists and turns through Manzanillo detouring around construction on the main road. This time I stayed awake enjoying the scenery. 

It took two buses to transport all the Toronto-bound passengers. We were happy to get on the first bus with our luggage. At the airport, all the bags are unloaded. Unclaimed bags are left unattended until the next bus arrives.

We brought a plastic glass and partial carton of wine bought in Toronto. Standing outside, crowding under the shelter when it started to rain, we enjoyed one last drink before check-in.

We never realized how truly awful the airport in Manzanillo is until our return trip. Once our drink was finished, we joined the crowds in the airport to check our luggage. There were two lines. It was hot, but didn't take long.

Next we joined a line heading up steep stairs in a corridor. There was only one Customs booth open. It was even hotter in this line. People with mobility issues were very unstable on the stairs. We were soaked in sweat by the time we finally got through. 

In the departure lounge, we sat under the air conditioner to cool off before searching for food. With an 8 p.m. flight time, we were hungry. Unfortunately, there was nothing to buy except rum, beer, pringles and one dry salami sandwich. Next time we'll pack a snack from the hotel.

At 8 p.m. we all lined up at the door expecting to board. It was pouring rain. No announcements were made. We stood in line for an hour before the door finally opened. We were told afterwards that flights can't board in the rain because everybody would get soaked outside. Now we know.

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As I look at these photos, I think how quickly my tan is fading. Thank goodness memories last much longer. We loved our Stay in Cuba. 

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I'm Back

I'm back from 4-weeks in Cuba. We landed in Toronto early Thursday morning, gathered our luggage and waited for Skypark shuttle. Luckily Wednesday's snowstorm had cleared, so our drive to London was easy. We were home and in bed by 4 a.m. It was so nice to sleep in our own comfy bed after a month of not-so-comfy beds in Cuba.

We had Thursday off work. I spent the day unpacking, doing laundry, downloading photos, chatting with our son and daughter (on-line), reuniting with our cat and dog and catching up on social media. A month is a long time without a computer. I missed keeping in touch, but I'm happy I left my laptop at home. Tech-free holidays are good for the soul. 

Friday, I was back at work and busy all day just trying to catch up. Next week should be better. After work, I visited with my parents then went home, made dinner and sorted through email finally getting through all 460+ messages. My spam folder had >100 messages. Since I couldn't be bothered scrolling through each one, I deleted my spam without previewing. Let's hope I didn't trash anything important.

Saturday, we drove to Guelph to see our son. We enjoyed lunch at Eggcetra. It was truly EGGselent. Afterwards, we visited Costco then took Moe (autism service dog in training) for a long walk in the woods. 

It was fun spending time with our son instead of just chatting on-line. Easter is early this year, so we'll be seeing him again in three weeks - yay!

This morning, a friend came over. We took Sadie for a walk in the Sifton Bog. It's a beautiful sunny day, perfect for walking. This afternoon, we have massages booked. The weekend is flying by and I still haven't sorted through our photos from Cuba. I can't wait to tell you all about it. We truly had a fabulous time. 

For now, I just want to touch base and let you know I"m happy to be back and on-line again. 

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