description

Located on the island's north coast, and just a 2 hour drive from Havana, Varadero is far and away Cuba's leading resort. Ever since wealthy Americans first built holiday homes here Varadero has been attracting visitors from around the world, drawn by its near continuos 20kms of sandy white beach and clear warm, waters. With the widest and best selection of hotels, by far the greatest number of bars, restaurants and nightclubs plus a large array of excursions to almost every corner of the island, it is easy to see why Varadero has grown so popular. Yet despite all this Varadero has not been spoilt in the manner of many international resorts, especially as more recent hotel developments have been sympathetically built in low-rise style and set back slightly from the beach.

Excursions

As far and away Cuba's largest beach resort Varadero also has the most to do though clients looking for the 'real' Cuba will find very little of this in Varadero. The nearest town is Matanzas which was founded in the 17th century though little of interest remains today. Far more interesting are the nearby caves of which the most impressive are the Bellamar Caves. Because Varadero attracts so many visitors it also provides the widest range of excursions to the likes of Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio and Santiago as well as further afield to Jamaica and Mexico (Cancun). Our rep in Varadero will be happy to advise and help with any arrangements though every hotel has its own Tours Desk.

Food

As the vast majority of beach hotels in Varadero are run on an All Inclusive basis there is relatively little demand for eating out. Nonetheless, of all Cuba's beach resorts Varadero is the only one where it could be said that there was a significant choice of bars and restaurants outside the hotels. Only Havana offers a wider selection. Perhaps the nicest place to enjoy a meal outside your hotel will be Retiro Josone, a small park built around a lake, where there are a number of restaurants specialising in Cuban cuisine.

Getting There

Although Varadero does have its own international airport about 30 minutes drive from the resort, it is used almost exclusively by charter flights. The vast majority of scheduled flights arrive at Havana's Jose Marti airport which is just over 2 hours drive from Varadero. From Varadero we can also private road transfers from Havana, Las Terrazas, Vinales, Cienfuegos, Trinidad & Santa Clara.

Hotels

Varadero is a long (20kms) thin peninsula with superb beaches on one side and a lagoon on the other. The resort has grown over the years so that, generally speaking, the older, simpler hotels tend to be located at the western end and more recent, better quality developments at the eastern end. All our featured hotels in Varadero operate on an All Inclusive basis and range from 3* to 5*. We tend to recommend the Iberostar properties, both Paradisus hotels and the Blau Varadero.