Two very different kinds of base
There are essentially two ways to sleep near these cays. The first is on the cay itself, in an all-inclusive resort within Cuba's state tourism system; you are right on the beach but sealed inside a resort economy. The second is on the mainland, in Remedios or Caibarian, in a casa particular (a licensed private guesthouse) or a small hotel, then travelling out to the beaches by day across the causeway. Many travellers mix the two: a couple of resort nights for the sand, and mainland nights for atmosphere, food in private paladares and a look at real Cuban town life.
Remedios, the colonial choice
Remedios is one of Cuba's oldest towns, with a handsome central plaza, two churches and a slow, walkable old centre. Its casas particulares put you among restored colonial houses and give hosts who can arrange breakfasts, transfers and local guidance. Staying here means you experience a genuine Cuban town rather than a manufactured resort strip, and you are still within reasonable reach of the causeway. Remedios is also famous for its Parrandas festival, a spectacle of fireworks and floats, though that is a seasonal event and not a year-round draw.
Caibarian, the coastal town
A few kilometres north-east, Caibarian is a former fishing and sugar port right on the sea. It is plainer than Remedios but has its own working-town character, a long malecon-style seafront and casas particulares that tend to be quieter and cheaper. For travellers who want to be as close as possible to the start of the causeway, Caibarian is a practical, unpretentious choice. Its hosts often have close ties to the sea and can point you toward local seafood and everyday town rhythms you will never meet on the cays. Neither town is a beach resort in itself, so set expectations: you stay here for the town and the access, and travel out for the cay beaches.
Whichever base you choose, remember there is no property market to shop here and no listings to compare; this page is purely for understanding the lodging landscape. What you are choosing between is a resort stay on the cay and a room in a Cuban family's licensed guesthouse on the mainland, each a legitimate, well-trodden way to enjoy this stretch of coast.