The Bellamar Caves in Matanzas reopened their doors this weekend, an event publicized by UEB Cuevas de Bellamar, whose management team celebrates the opening without mentioning the structural issues that have plunged the site into repeated cycles of decay and closure.
The official video shared on Facebook acknowledges, almost in passing, that "not everything went perfectly (the usual things at the beginning)," but it attributes this to normal early setbacks, avoiding any institutional responsibility.
"We gave 100% in every detail so that they could experience something unique," proclaims the message, with a tone of self-satisfaction that contrasts with the recent history of the place.
Memory is short. In April 2025, just a year before this reopening, a Cuban visitor documented the reality of the site on TikTok: "Everything was dark because there was no power, as usual. You know this is nothing new.
The same user explained that "we could only access the upper part of the caves because that was the only place where there was electricity, thanks to a solar panel they had set up here." The caves, featuring over 23 kilometers of underground passages, were limited to a partial tour due to a lack of electricity, a direct reflection of the energy crisis affecting Cuba.
This is not a new or isolated issue. The Bellamar Caves are the oldest tourist attraction in Cuba, designated as a National Monument and open to the public since 1862. Over 160 years of history have not protected them from systemic deterioration.
In 2023, the site reopened with great fanfare after two years of intermittent operation, including a 3D Video Room. Two years later, power outages once again hindered access to most of its galleries.
Reviews from tourists on platforms like TripAdvisor had already reported, prior to this closure, delays of up to an hour for hotel pickups, failures in tours, and high costs for what was being offered at the Bellamar Caves.
The pattern is well-known and repeats throughout Cuba: facilities that reopen with official celebrations, operate reasonably well for a time, and then fall into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, shortages of supplies, and power outages, until they close again.
The Coppelia ice cream parlor is the most recent example: it closed in September 2024 due to leaks and electrical deterioration, reopened in January 2025 with reduced capacity and only one flavor of ice cream, and in March 2026 it was still receiving complaints.
The context in which this reopening is taking place is one of deep crisis. The hotel occupancy rate in Cuba was 21.5% in the first half of 2025, with only 1.8 million international visitors. According to data from the Ministry of Tourism itself, 40% of the country's hotel facilities are in a state of disrepair.
The government had to close hotels in Varadero and the northern cays to reduce energy consumption, something that Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga admitted on state television in February of this year.
A Cuban journalist reported in August 2025 the failure to honor paid reservations and the mistreatment of domestic tourism at the Guardalavaca hotel in Holguín, illustrating that the problem is not exclusive to Matanzas.
The UEB Cuevas de Bellamar concludes its reopening post with a promise: "This has only just begun... we look forward to welcoming you again to continue improving and to surprise you even more!"
The question that lingers, in light of recent history, is how long it will be before the blackouts also extinguish enthusiasm.
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