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January 2024

• The Pullman Cayo Coco is no longer managed by the Accord Hotels group, it is renamed Gran Marena Cayo Coco and now managed by the Cuban hotel group Gran Caribe.

October 2023

• The next all-inclusive resort to open on the island of Cayo Paredon Grande will be the Vila Galé Cayo Paredon (638 room), it will be managed by the Portuguese hotel group Vila Galé and is scheduled to open on September 28, 2023.

July 2023

• Starting July 2023, the Hotel Cayo Paredon Grande (Playa Hermosa) will be managed by Woovo Hotels/Swandor Group and will be renamed Woovo Cayo Paredon.

January 2023

• The hotel Colonial Cayo Coco is now management by MGM Muthu Hotels under the name: Muthu Colonial Hotel.

November 2022

• Opening of the first hotel in the new destination of Cayo Paredon: The Grand Aston Cayo Paredon Beach Resort.

• Work is underway to improve the airport runway to accommodate jumbo jets. Click here to know more about the Jardines del Rey airport (CCC).

March 2021

• The Melia Hotels International group abandons the management of its 2 hotels in Cayo Guillermo. The Sol Cayo Guillermo becomes the HOTEL VIGIA and the Melia Cayo Guillermo becomes the HOTEL CAMINO DEL MAR, they both will be managed by the Cuban hotel group Gran Caribe.

December 10, 2020

• Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced the elimination of their dual currency system (CUC and CUP) as of January 1, 2021. In other words, the definitive removal of the CUC (Cuban convertible peso) in favor of the CUP (Cuban peso) which will have a single exchange rate of 24 CUP for 1 US dollar.

December 2020

• The hotel Gran Caribe Club Cayo Guiillermo become the Starfish Cayo Guillermo, managed by the Canadian hotel group Blue Diamond Resorts (part of the Sunwing Group).

March 2020

• All hotels were closed in mid-March for an indefinite period due to the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus.

February 2020

• The Iberostar Mojito changes its name to Hotel Mojito and is now managed by the Cuban hotel group Cubanacan.

December 2019

• Opening of the first LGBT hotel in Cuba, the Gran Muthu Rainbow located on the island of Cayo Guillermo.

August 2019

• The Canadian hotel group Blue Diamond Resorts announces they will start managing the hotel Club Cayo Guillermo (former Sercotel Cayo Guillermo / Allegro Cayo Guillermo / Villa Cojimar) in 2020 under the name Starfish Cayo Guillermo. This hotel is currently managed by the Cuban group Gran Caribe

August 2019

• The first 3 hotels to open on the island of Cayo Cruz will be the Valentin Cayo Cruz (an adult-only resort of 546 rooms, opening scheduled for November 1, 2019), the Hotel La Marina Plaza and Spa (a boutique hotel of 60 rooms near the marina), and the Iberostar Selection Esmeralda (570 rooms, opening 2020). The Valentin Cayo Cruz was previously introduced as the Ocean Arena Blanca managed by H10 Hotels & Resorts, but in June 2019 the Valentin Hotels & resorts group took over the management of this resort.

June 7, 2019

• Inauguration of the Acuario Delfinario Cayo Coco, the largest dolphinarium in Cuba.

May 2019

• The Colonial by Iberostar returned to its previous administrator, the Cuban group Cubanacan..

Winter 2019

• The new 5* hotel being built at the western tip of Cayo Guillermo will be managed by the prestigious Swiss hotelier Kempinski. This world-class luxury beach resort will be Kempinski’s second venture in Cuba (after the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana). This new hotel near Playa Pilar was initially supposed to be managed by Thailand’s hotel group Centara.

January 22, 2019

• The new hotel Gran Muthu Imperial Cayo Guillermo opened its doors.

January 1, 2019

• Hotel Pestana Cayo Coco has changed its name for Hotel Playa Paraiso, and is managed by the Cuban hotel group Gaviota.

December 31, 2018

• The hotel group SERCOTEL announces the withdrawal of their hotel management in Cuba. The Sercotel Cayo Guillermo will be managed by the Cuban hotel group Gran Caribe, and will be renamed Club Cayo Guillermo.

• MGM Muthu Hotels reached an agreement with Grupo Gaviota to manage another hotel in the Playa Playuelas sector of Cayo Guillermo. This one will become Cuba's first hotel aimed at the LGTB segment. The Gran Muthu Rainbow is expected to open mid-2019.

• The second hotel to open in the Punta Rasa sector of Cayo Guillermo will also be managed by MGM Muthu Hotels (instead of Catalonia Hotels & Resorts). It will be named Gran Muthu Imperial Cayo Guillermo and is now scheduled to open in December 2018. This hotel will be adults only.

• Hotel Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo officially opened on March 1st, 2018.

• The construction of the Grand Muthu Cayo Guillermo has been delayed due to hurricane Irma, its opening is now scheduled for March 2018 (previously scheduled for late 2017).

• The construction of the Catalonia Cayo Guillermo has been delayed due to hurricane Irma, its opening is now scheduled for 2018.

• (Fall 2017) The Colonial Cayo Coco hotel will be managed by the Spanish hotel group Iberostar and becomes the Colonial by Iberostar. It was previously managed by the Cuban group Cubanacan.

• During summer 2017, the beach restaurant « Las Coloradas » has been closed indefinitely and the Cable Water Skiing Park opened its door (inaugurated on August 11, 2017) next to the Delfinario Cayo Guillermo.

• The construction project called "Pilar I", located at the western tip of Cayo Guillermo, will become the Centara Grand Beach Resort Cayo Guillermo 5* (~ 250 rooms), managed by the Thailand hotel group Centara Hotels & Resorts. It will mirror the Centara Grand in the Maldives by proposing over water villas. Opening is scheduled for late 2017. Here's an aerial photo of the construction site taken on December 9, 2016.

Major beach enlargement works started in September 2016 and will continue through early 2017, making the beaches of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo more than twice as wide as before! Checkout this photo we took from the plane on December 16th, 2016. This sand replenishment work is particularly evident on Playa Flamenco (the beach of hotels Memories Flamenco, Pestana and Melia Jardines del Rey), because this beach used to have a rocky entrance into the water, now it's 100% sand and the beach is super wide.

A large dolphinarium is currently under construction in Cayo Coco, near the Marina Gaviota Aguas Tranquilas. Its construction name is "Delfinario Bautista", it should be similar to the one in Cayo Santa Maria with pools for swimming and stage stands for shows. Opening is scheduled for the fall 2017. Here's an aerial photo taken on December 16, 2016.

• Two new hotels are being built in the Punta Rasa sector in Cayo Guillermo, west of hotel Sol Cayo Guillermo. They will be the Grand Muthu Hotel Cayo Guillermo and the Catalonia Cayo Guillermo (temporary construction names: Punta Rasa I and II). They are scheduled to open in 2017. A new commercial plaza is also being built in this sector. Here's an aerial photo of the construction site taken on December 9, 2016.

A Cable Water Skiing center is under construction right next to the Delfinario Cayo Guillermo. It's a type of water ski (or wakeboard) where the rope of the skier is pulled by a system of overhead electric cables rather than a boat.

• Two other little islands of the Jardines del Rey archipelago are currently under touristic development, they are: Cayo Paredon Grande (aka Cayo Paredon) located East of Cayo Coco and 30 minutes from the Cayo Coco airport, in the neighboring province of Camaguey; and Cayo Cruz located further East. New roads and bridges are currently being built to connect Cayo Cruz to Cayo Coco.

• Since November 1st, 2016, the hotel Memories Caribe Beach Resort is now adult-only (16+).

• The new hotel Iberostar Playa Pilar opened its doors at the end of December 2015.

• The new hotel Pullman Cayo Coco opened its doors in December 2015, in a "soft opening" mode, some services and sections of rooms were opened later in 2016.

• Opening of a commercial and entertainment center called Plaza Los Flamencos, next to hotel Melia Jardines del Rey, in the Playa Flamenco sector in Cayo Coco.

• The new hotel Melia Jardines del Rey opened its doors in December 2014

• The new hotel Pestana Cayo Coco opened its doors in August 2013.

• The new hotel Memories Flamenco Beach Resort opened its doors in February 2012

• A dolphinairum opened in 2012, it's located in Cayo Guillermo, only a few hundred meters after the bridge connecting Cayo Coco with Cayo Guillermo.

• The hotel Gran Caribe Club Cayo Guillermo has become the Sercotel Club Cayo Guillermo, and is now managed by the Spanish group Sercotel Hotels.

• The hotel Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo (Occidental hotels) has become the Gran Caribe Club Cayo Guillermo (Cuban management, Grupo Gran Caribe).

• The hotel Blue Bay Cayo Coco has become the Memories Caribe Beach Resort, it's now managed by Blue Diamond Hotels, part of the Canadian Sunwing Group.

• The hotel Sirenis Cayo Coco has become the Hotel Playa Coco, and is now managed by the Cuban group Gaviota.

• The hotel Blau Colonial has become the Hotel Colonial Cayo Coco, and is now managed by the Cuban group Cubanacan.

• The Emperador sector of the former NH Krystal Hotel has become the Iberostar Cayo Coco, it's now managed by the Spanish group Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

• The Laguna sector of the former NH Krystal Hotel has become the Iberostar Mojito, it's now managed by the Spanish group Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

• The hotel Be Live Villa Coco has become the Villa Coco, it's now managed by the Cuban group Gaviota.

Lily & Normand
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