Guardalavaca is located on the northern coast of Cuba; bordering Bahia Naranjo (Orange Bay), on Cabo Lucrecia, to 65 kilometres far from Frank Pais International Airport, City of Holguin, it's also very close to other interesting sites such as Banes and Gibara, the latter being the only Cuban city which was surrounded by walls beside Havana.

Guardalavaca covers 1200 meters long, formed by beaches alike shells, intimate and frequently enhanced by enormous cliff. An ideal place for scuba diving as the corals and reefs are very close to the beach.

Guardalavaca keeps all the fascination and purity of unique places; fine sand calm and beautiful sea and a small group of hotels among those that are Paradisus Rio de Oro, Sol Rio de Luna y Mares, Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca and Brisas Guardalavaca.

Beaches in Guardalavaca include Guardalavaca Beach, Don Lino, Bahia de Naranjo and Playa Esmeralda. Guardalavaca is fairly close to Gibara, the first place Colon stepped in Cuba.

The so called Chorro de Maita museum, a few minutes from the beach, is among one of the most important funeral places in the Caribbean area, while Banes boasts of hosting one of the best Indocuban Museum.

Ideal for scuba diving are sites like Boca de las Esponjas, El Salto and Cañon de los Aguajíes, only some of the best known dive sites out of a dozen which are in Guardalavaca, while Tanques Azules, at neighbour Gibara, a grouping of flooded caverns unique in its type, are only appropriate for speleodivers.

"Guardalavaca" literally means "guard the cow" in Spanish. There are several histories as to how this name may have originated; one version maintains that Guardalavaca is a malapropism for its original name Guardalabarca, meaning "guard the ship". The area was once seriously targeted by sea pirates, and Bahia Naranjo; near what is now the town of Guardalavaca is a private shallow bay connected to the open sea by a fine inlet, which made it a proper safe haven to guard ships against pirates.