Is there Wifi in Cayo Coco, Cuba?

While I was visiting Cayo Coco earlier this month, I shared photos of the resort where I was staying and the others I toured. Throughout the trip, I used hotel wifi to stay in touch with my clients, and to post photos and comments on my Facebook page. As I posted, my page followers would ask questions about the places I was sharing. One of the questions I was asked was, “Is there wifi?”

Fortunately, now that I've been through the process of using the wifi in Cuba, I can answer this question in a little more detail.

How does wifi in Cayo Coco work?

When you stay at a hotel in Cayo Coco, you can purchase a wifi card in the hotel's phone once. You can also inquire at your resort's front desk. These cards remind me of the old-school long distance phone cards you used to have to buy to make long distance international calls. The cards cost just 1 Cuban peso (CUC) for 1 hour’s worth of wifi. You'll have to pay using Cuban pesos. You will not be able to use a credit card or American or Canadian currency. If you don't have the appropriate currency on hand, you'll be able to exchange it at the hotel's currency exchange counter very easily. At Memories Flamenco Beach, I was able to exchange American currency without any hassle at all.

Once you've purchased your wifi card, either you or the hotel personnel will scratch the password on the back of the card. You'll go to your phone or table'ts wifi settings, and when you select the resort’s wireless network, you’ll be prompted to log in with the username and password that appears on the back of the wifi  card you’ve purchased.

You’ll enter the username and password as provided, and then the clock starts ticking! The log-in screen will tell you how many minutes have elapsed and how many you have remaining on the card. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing online when you’re logged into the wifi network. You can stream music or video or check e-mail or your social media accounts. It doesn’t matter. It is the time that is elapsing that matters. When you turn off your wifi connection, the clock will stop running. It will start up again the next time you join the network with the username and password from the card. You can very easily make several hours worth of wifi last throughout your vacation!

A couple of things to note:

• You'll only be able to access wifi from a few select locations at the resort, such as the lobby or snack bar, but the same card will also allow you to log onto the network at the airport!
• The cards come in denominations of 1 CUC or 5 CUC.
• The quality of the wifi was also very good and I was able to enjoy the same level of wireless connectivity in Cayo Coco that I used back home in Canada.
• Don't lose the card! Your device will not store the username and password, and you'll ned to use it every time you want to connect to wifi. I tucked mine inside the sleeve of my phone case.

For a few pesos, you can stay connected with your loved ones at home, and share photos of your vacation in Cayo Coco along the way! 

Got questions about the wifi for your vacation in Cayo Coco? Please feel free to post your question in the comments section below.