Guide to Varadero Beach, Cuba
It was while the rest of the world was fighting the Second World War that Varadero came into existence, but it is only recently that hotels and facilities have grown up to make Varadero one of the most sought-after destinations in the Caribbean island of Cuba.
It offers a beach with phenomenal caves in a natural landscape that is reminiscent of the days when pirates terrorized the locals during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
A local conference center is drawing in business visitors to Varadero together with opportunities for scuba diving, big game fishing, sailing, and other water sports.
Getting there
Flights
Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport is a fairly small terminal airport and is Cuba’s second-biggest. Named after the activist Gualberto Gómez, this airport serves destinations internationally including many flights from Canada, Havana, and a few from Germany.
This airport brings a large number of Canadian visitors direct to this coastal area, with flights arriving most days from Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton.
A number of airlines serve Juan Gualberto Gómez airport including the following: Sunwing (for flight to/from Canada), CanJet, Cubana de Aviacion, and Aerocaribbean.
By Car or Coach
- By coach, the state run coach company Viazul Buses provide 4 buses a day at a cost of USD$10 each way with the journey taking 3 hours. Viazul have routes across the island and are the Cuban equivalent of National Express and Megabus (UK) or Greyhound and Megabus (USA). The buses are air-conditioned (important in the summertime as it gets very humid here) and there is also a bus which connects between Varadero airport and Havana direct.
- If you are driving or being driven to Varadero from the capital Havana, the journey is roughly 100 miles (about 160km) and it is a leisurely two to two and a half hours drive. I love this drive because it is a chance to stop off at the Rio Bacunayagua river and the stunning Yumuri Valley, which makes for a very scenic and stunning location.
Where to Stay
Iberostar Laguna Azul
(Autopista Sur Km 17)
The Iberostar is a chain with a great product and their hotel in Varadero Beach is no different for this 5-star hotel is particularly good if you get a sea-view room.
The meaning of 5 stars in this hotel does not perhaps match what you might expect for the same class in London, so expect it to be more like a 4-star hotel by British standards and you will then not be disappointed.
Royalton Hicacos Spa Hotel
(Carretera Las Morlas)
A fantastic hotel, which is outstanding in every way and very much a 5-star hotel in all respects.
They have a lovely pool area and the white sandy exotic beach is only a few meters from the hotel.
You can, if you wish, rent a room with butler and concierge service!
Things to See and Do
Varadero is part of a natural park that was set aside as an ecological preserve in the 1970s.
The park covers more than three hundred hectares and is rich in flora and fauna and tropical birds.
The woods are some of the best-preserved in the world and there is the legendary Patriarch cactus, which is said to be over 600 years old and is situated at Hicacos Point.
Some specific things I highly recommend seeing include the following.
- Ambrosio’s Cave – this cave is about 250 meters long and has 5 galleries that interconnect. The walls of the cave have numerous drawings that make up one of the largest collections of Indian pictographs in the Caribbean. During the slave trade, many runaways hid out in the cave systems. In the district are salt works and it is believed that the famous sea captain, Sir Francis Drake, stopped to take on salt used for preserving meat on his way back to England.
- Golf – Varadero Golf Club is a world class 18-hole, 72 par, 6000+ metre course, which is a very popular course for golf fanatics looking to combine a few rounds, with the beach and the great Cuban food.
- Varadero the beach – the real attraction and why Varadero is so well known worldwide is because of the stunning coastline and main beach. This is arguably the best beach in Cuba of all the islands and main island. You can include a wide range of water-sports including scuba-diving, snorkeling, jet-skiing and diving.
