Cuba Kitesurfing - Cayo Guillermo Travel Guide

[@sserge108]

Just watched the video over .. brings some memories from my trips … want to go back there again.

[@davem1966]

Nice work with this video. Your review captures the pros and cons quite nicely. This is a must for anyone considering Cuba.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Dave!

[@stephanelaberge7633]

Hi Guy's for your information, the Grand Club Cayo Guillermo, (Cozumar) change the owner and the name last july, is now the StarFish Cayo Guillermo, we go there in october and the new owner (Canadian Cie) Upgrade the service, food and now work on upgrade the room, etc. Oh yes firebug, are very killing us, so bring stuff and put long pants by night. Aloha Stef :-)

[@OurKiteLife]

thanks Stef! They keep changing the names of that resort non stop hehe, glad they are trying to improve it :)

[@Pete_R63]

VERY thorough and informative. Well done.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks!

[@M78-y7r]

3 hours from Toronto... you Canadians are really lucky! I travelled to Guillermo in 2016 by Holguin and 6 hours in rental car. But it was worth the trip, so awesome! Playa Pilar is also stunning beautiful....

[@OurKiteLife]

Wow, that’s quite the journey to get there! Where did you fly from? Yes, Playa Pilar is beautiful! We spent a no-wind afternoon there and enjoyed it very much

[@M78-y7r]

Oh sorry i didnt mention that i came all the way from germany :) i would go there every winter if i‘d live in canada ;)

[@paulursini3923]

Great job on the video, you didn't miss a thing.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Paul!

[@daniobonello1953]

As always nice video, hello from Italy.

[@OurKiteLife]

thanks and hello back from Canada

[@KcwPortreath]

Great informative video, thanks a lot!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks!

[@diar427]

Been there when i wasnt a kitesurfer...cant wait to go now...

[@manfredanderson2080]

Great practical and honest video rundown on Cayo Guillermo. Have been there only once but plan to be back soon. Kiting spot exceptional. I thought to food was great but I love fish which can be had fresh grilled every day. Cubano griiled Shrimp to die for. Staff are so friendly and helpful. Was that a Russian Billionaire?

[@OurKiteLife]

yeah, an ex oligarch, who escaped to safe heaven

[@danfordham1543]

Yes you're right once the kite school from Montreal arrived in January while I was there they really plugged up the launch/land area & the lagoon

[@OurKiteLife]

Same thing happened to us in 2016 so now we check their dates before booking. We prefer a quieter beach with more space :)

[@seansmith3414]

@@OurKiteLife What is the name of the kite school so we can check when they go? Thank you!

[@OurKiteLife]

@@seansmith3414 30 noeuds I believe

[@seansmith3414]

@@OurKiteLife Thank you! It docent look like they are going to Cuba this year

[@wilcoxi7644]

Best kite specific travel video I’ve seen. Now if you could just check out Turks and Caicos, Bonaire and Brazil, it would be appreciated!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you! All of those destinations are on our list - hopefully Turks soon 🤞

[@steevoridgeline]

you guys rock, such a great channel !

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! :)

[@felixleveille8441]

I’ve already been to Cayo Guillermo! And I agree with everything you said 👍 but we got the week where no wind was to be found so I wasn’t able to kite 🤷‍♂️

[@OurKiteLife]

That’s too bad! In the future I think we’ll only book last minute based on the forecast

[@chetadolf3599]

Great video! Just curious if you can comment on the snorkelling for the area?

[@OurKiteLife]

We haven’t snorkelled there. Friends of ours have, just in front of Iberostar Daiquiri and enjoyed it though :)

[@KL-ju2co]

Great review for this resort, bring some drama queens to keep things interesting haha

[@OurKiteLife]

We did invite you... ;)

[@KL-ju2co]

Our Kite Life drama queens didn’t come thru, so I had to pass this time

[@___Tom]

Great review, thanks!

[@OurKiteLife]

Glad you liked it! :)

[@davidbutler6097]

thank you for a very informative video.... any kite board shops you recommend for lessons?

[@OurKiteLife]

Hi David, we haven’t taken lessons here so we don’t have any recommendations, hopefully someone reading this has and can chime in :)

[@ashleywallis3499]

At the begining i thought i was on your video riding a Neil pride.Was there last week! The club Cayo Guillermo change managing for a Canadian company. We saw a big difference in food and service. I go there twice a year for kitting great spot! Have you been to progreso Mexico?

[@OurKiteLife]

Maybe we were there at the same time? We came back one week ago. Haven’t been to Mexico yet - how does it compare to Cuba for kiting?

[@flaviosanguigni8783]

thank you very much...I really wanted to check it

[@OurKiteLife]

No problem! Let us know if you do travel there :)

[@dawngundrum7734]

Thanks for the video guys!

[@OurKiteLife]

Glad you like it! Come with us to Cuba next time 😀

[@АлексейЕжов-ц1б]

Thank you for great video. What can you say about Santa maria island for kitesurfing?

[@OurKiteLife]

We haven’t been to Santa Maria so couldn’t say, sorry!

[@autokanada]

I just returned from GRAND muthu resort way more exclusive than SOL OR IBEROSTAR or MELIA . I visited them all . Muthu has great food , 3 pools lots of friendly staff and good entertainment and much less kites on the beach than other resorts . We did kite to other beaches but kiting there is like traffic on HWY 401 at 5pm ! Paid 750 per person, kids under 12 -Free!, heard that montreal guys paid $500 per person! We had only 5 people in resort kiting . Kited 5 out of 7 days winds 10-20 knots all day NOV 17-24 2019

[@OurKiteLife]

Nice! We walked the beach to the resort and it looks impressive. The kite beach didn’t look as good as Iberostar or Gran Caribe BUT I would happily trade that for less crowded conditions on the water

[@Ronagery]

Hello there and thx for another great video. Do you know by any chance if cayo guillermo is worth traveling to if Iam already in varadero. Is it really very different ?Thx for you help

[@OurKiteLife]

Day and night

[@markusbroyles1884]

Excellent ! Thanks so much ~

[@OurKiteLife]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@warrenhardy]

Also a great place to learn, and or teach. I taught boy my boys how to kite here.

[@OurKiteLife]

Yeah, it’s a great place for teaching and learning!

[@antoniolusson_84]

The video is really good and is all true, that’s make me happy. Am a Cuban kiter and I love cayo Guillermo but I prefer the habana. You need to make a video from habana ( I can help you with that) Congrats for this video, hope to see an other one from habana. Cheers 🍻

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! That would be great :)

[@AAAABHSSWIM]

Hi. Please provide more detailed location details of your recommended kite spot? Thanks!

[@AAAABHSSWIM]

‘Habana’?

[@antoniolusson_84]

@@AAAABHSSWIM yes !!

[@AAAABHSSWIM]

Antonio. Mahalo. What hotel in Habana do you recommend? Appreciate it.

[@crisChavez21]

You should visit Varadero too, good wind and great for downwinders.

[@OurKiteLife]

We’ve been to Varadero a couple times. What resort do you recommend?

[@crisChavez21]

Our Kite Life the closer to the end of the peninsula the better, I normally stay at my house but heard that Iberostar and Melia have the best resorts, there is also Airbnb which is cheaper and you can explore more and go to different spots around the area.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, we will look into it :)

[@ignatzlepp2486]

I had a great time in varadero last year. Best resort is iberostar varadero. But the wind is sometimes a little offshore - maybe 1/3 of the time. When that happens to get clean wind you have to take a taxi to playa caleta. Going to cayo guillermo this coming March and loved the video

[@OurKiteLife]

@@ignatzlepp2486 Nice - we'll keep Iberostar Varadero in mind! We stayed next door to Playa Caleta years and years ago. I wasn't kiting then, I think Yuri managed a couple of sessions but can't remember :)

[@ariasjewelers5221]

Hi great video. Do they do kite equipment rental? Thank you so much!!!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Sorry I’m not sure if they do

[@robertthompson3932]

My first trip to Cuba, and had a great time with everyone! Didn't get to take any lessons. But, maybe next time. Which, I'm definitely looking forward to! #Badass60...

[@OurKiteLife]

Cayo Guillermo is definitely a great spot to learn kiteboarding

[@kinouillek]

Just spent 5 days at the Melia... Do not go there for kiteboarding. Or for anything actually. The Melia fell short on everything for all four of us. Rooms weren't clean, no hot water, food wasn't great, etc... So far the best place I've been to in Cayo Guillermo is the Daiquiry. I was disappointed we missed you guys by a couple days. Happy kiting.

[@OurKiteLife]

Sorry to hear that! But thanks for sharing your experience. Hope you got some wind on your trip to make up for the hotel. Happy kiting!

[@ChuckTatham]

Melia is our fav and just got back today (3rd time at that resort). Food is decent, service is great, kiting is almost private if you rig between Sol and Melia. Guard always there to watch over stuff, deep launch for foiling. The eastern resorts look like a total zoo on the water and beach (might be what some people want). Just our opinion.

[@OurKiteLife]

It was a zoo on our last day at Daiquiri. The 30 knots crew had arrived and it went from 10-15 kites on the beach to well over 50. The people are great but crowded kiting isn’t what we travel for. Looked like there were just a handful of kites at Melia/Sol that day

[@ChuckTatham]

@@OurKiteLife That must be the zoo that we saw. I went down to visit a friend at the Daiquiri and landed and there were kites stacked almost completely covering the beach. We had 4 to 5 launching at west end of Melia and that's the way we like it :-) That said, last Feb it was the same...reinforcing our opinion. Good thing is they stay in a close mowing pattern almost 100% of the time leaving the rest of the territory clear.

[@jarek644]

@@ChuckTatham Is that space between Melia and Sol shallow/flat water?

[@MrEvgeniy770]

Gran Caribe (ex Sercotel) is the best spot, the food is quite eatable, the bar is good) You need to decrease the forecast with 2-3knots. Big size and Hydrofoil is a good option There's some wind is going to be next week ...

[@OurKiteLife]

That’s a good rule of thumb :) are you going there next week?

[@MrEvgeniy770]

@@OurKiteLife if a beautiful woman from video is going, i will think about it)

[@joaquinzurita7721]

You should try going to Ecuador Its an amazing destination

[@OurKiteLife]

We hope to someday!

[@rituvarma1874]

For kite surfing , do we have to take our own kites or they also provide kites ?

[@OurKiteLife]

We bring our own kites. You may be able to rent equipment from one of the kite schools though

[@gboates]

i have kited Cuba have a dozen times... been skunked once or twice, robbed once or twice. No beer no bread no butter last year otherwise the food is what it is - wife speaks very fluent spanish and has lived Costa Rica so we get along well. Last year 30-40 knots every day for 5 days last day 11m - felt sorry for beach goers who were not kiters. Get a room to windward to miss most of the pesticide drift... Spanish coffees still great!

[@OurKiteLife]

Wow, that’s more wind than we’ve ever seen in Cuba. Our last day it was 25-30 knots, Yuri was boosting on a 9m. Probably the most wind we have experienced there. And we can confirm the Spanish coffees are great 😁

[@gboates]

Our Kite Life thanks for all your vids btw, always enjoyable to see lake-bound kiters;) and the sometimes creative ways you go about having fun on the water (and in the trees!). Travel on a forecast if you can - My fav travel destination beach now is Boca Grandi Aruba. Windy every trip - 18-23 knots warm air dawn until dark slowing down a little mid day.

[@marknaj3026]

What do you mean by "Shallow water is expensive"?

[@Pete_R63]

What kills me is that I have been going to the north shore of Jamaica in the Runaway Bay and Ocho Rios area for the last 14 summers scuba diving and the wind is always honking all day long side onshore and I have never seen any kiters. I hear they do it a bit further west from me but it amazes me that this is pretty much undiscovered.

[@OurKiteLife]

Interesting! Sounds like a potential new spot to check out

[@Pete_R63]

@@OurKiteLife I go to the Jewel Resorts at Paradise Cove and Dunn's River (shameless plug- I have 360 degree tour videos and aerial video on my channel as well as scuba video) and I go in July and the wind is always really blowing from mid morning until 6 or 7pm. There are public beaches in that area that could be launched from too, in the event the resort wouldn't let you.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks for the tip! We’ll look into it

[@Ocanadakiter]

Hi whats the closest Airport? Also are there kite rentals and how much roughly?

[@OurKiteLife]

Jardines del ray is the closest airport. I’m pretty sure you can rent gear from the kite schools but we’ve never done it so couldn’t tell you much about it, sorry!

[@Ocanadakiter]

@@OurKiteLife thxs appreciate it. Ryan from vancouver island

[@LotetaCartel]

2:46 😱 skillz 😊

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks 😊

[@feritall]

So, how just was it this time around? And what was the wind like?

[@OurKiteLife]

It was good! Very warm. Kited 9 out of 10 days, but a few of those were foilboard only days. Only a few days of 20+ knots, everything else was in between. Fun group but we missed you guys!

[@louismcbride1]

Is there a discount travel site you would recommend using for all inclusive to Iberostar Daiquiri traveling from BC?

[@OurKiteLife]

Not sure about BC specifically... we normally book through trip central or sell off vacations

[@louismcbride1]

@@OurKiteLife Coolio, thanks!

[@warrenhardy]

just got back from the Iberostar Daiquiri, for the first time I was charged the 30CUC to get my kite bag on the shuttle bus, sucks, it was a complete money grab. also paid the 25CUC for kiting and then never saw those guys the rest of the week, it was blowing 20-25kts 4 of the 7 days. A couple of issues over the week, I was helping a guy who lost his board and was unable to body drag up wind, right in front of the pair, only to have him slam a kite on me after I had flip his board to him, tangle my lines and I had to ejected my kite, kite was saved by a guy on the beach thankfully. hardly got a sorry from this guy. Last day there while launching my kite, a guy behind me still standing in the water yells at me to wait while my kite is already in the air, instead if waiting 2 seconds for me to fly it over the other side out of his way, he slams his kite over mine on to the beach, thankfully the guy who launch my kite was still right there and I was able to land it safely. saw several other kites crossed over the week, total shit show. only good part was I was able to get my to sons up and riding, but did that way down the beach our in the sand bars where it was far more safe, when the school was not teaching there. Also heard that the Sol at the other end of the beach where I normally stay, was out of water, not showers no shitters. took a walk through and it seems to be far more run down then the years that I stayed there. First time at Daiquiri and it was really nice, got two rooms right by the pool close to the beach, just used the patio door and never worried about locking it up. was nice to be able to go in and out so quickly and be close to the pool, bars, beach. had drinks served right to us around the pool and even special coffees right to us on our patio. also ate at each restaurant and all the À la carte's really good food for Cuba. only thing was the pool bar snack bar was under renos and my boys didn't have anywhere to eat between hours when none of the restaurants were open. all in all it was good over all, a little cold the first day, but the temperatures came up as the week went a long. kited 6 out of 7 days.

[@OurKiteLife]

Ah, sorry to hear you got charged the kite bag fee. That happened to friends of ours on our most recent trip. They flew Air Transat. We flew Sunwing and didn't get charged. We all paid the kiting fee on the beach though. Your experience on the beach sounds similar to what we saw during our stay. On a very light wind day someone riding the shoreline with his kite way too low wrapped one of his lines around my neck... could've been way worse, but just another example of avoidable mishaps on that particular kite beach. That's crazy about Sol - we prefer Daiquiri and continue to go there. I would be open to trying Gran Muzu at the other end of the beach :) 6 out of 7 days is great!

[@RevitCiganda]

cual playa u hotel es la mejor para practicar kite?

[@OurKiteLife]

Starfish Cayo Guillermo or Iberostar Daiquiri

[@brenthollady]

Oh yeah Canadians can travel to Cuba... I love Canada you guys cool with a few more citizens?

[@OurKiteLife]

The more the merrier!

[@leonidaskouris2914]

🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@simonjandrell5897]

Blimey it is Freezing here in Britain.. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[@OurKiteLife]

It’s freezing here in Canada too 🥶

[@simonjandrell5897]

@@OurKiteLife ha..ha Yuk isnt it we got Cold and Constant Rain and Cloud just life in the Tropics here in Britain

[@s2oooo]

Man up you lot this precise moment it's 11.5 degrees centigrade outside with a water temperature of 9.5. I'll be foiling all weekend. Are you guys anywhere near the south 👍👍. I'm at Lymington opposite opposite the Isle of Wight 🙋‍♀️

[@simonjandrell5897]

@@s2oooo Brrrrrr may get out next week Slalom Windsurfing Weymouth Portland Harbour W-SW are back

[@s2oooo]

@@simonjandrell5897 I also used to be a gay windsurfer 🤣🤣🙋‍♀️

[@DeadAshenSoul]

all looks amazing, too bad I'm from US

[@adialia7426]

1

[@sizzler360er]

Good video. I wouldn’t agree that you’re expected to tip. I would tip when someone does a good service. If you tip for every single thing then they may expect you to tip and that’s when it becomes a problem. That’s what happened in the Dominican and people became assholes almost demanding tips.

[@OurKiteLife]

Classic case happened on the beach - the waitress came once, we ordered beer and didn't tip. She didn't come back for the remainder of the day. Next day we tipped 5 upon first arrival, and she came back 10 more times. Tips can make service better. Especially if you tip beforehand. Same thing during dinner, if you ask for chicken cooked, they will just put it on the grill for you - but if you give a guy a tip as you ask, suddenly he cuts it to pieces, adds special sauces from behind the counter, etc.... same goes with lobster dinners, bring some t-shirts, suddenly your group gets a much nicer dinner than what’s in the buffet

[@s2oooo]

Until you mentioned the poor quality food I was quite excited 😭😭😭

[@OurKiteLife]

Honestly, it’s not as bad as people make it out to be especially if you go during high season. Apparently it’s quite the feast at Christmas time 😄

[@s2oooo]

@@OurKiteLife I think after our trip to Mauritius it's possible we could be disappointed 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@eysenbach]

I ate fish and guava/fruit every day. There is a general lack of fresh vegetables and salad, but the fish was excellent and the guava the best I've eaten in my life

[@r5photography]

I’m guessing Americans cannot travel there?

[@OurKiteLife]

At this time Americans are heavily restricted from travelling to Cuba. Hopefully that will change in the future

[@danfordham1543]

My girlfriends shorty wetsuit got stolen off our deck railing at secrotel.....

[@OurKiteLife]

That's too bad! Our friend had his board go missing years ago, so we usually bring in our stuff at night

[@patricklage5972]

Very good and instructive video, thank you, but you should not speak so fast.

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! I’ll try to slow down :)