CubaPLUS Magazine

Varadero, one of the most famous beaches in the Caribbean and the world, aspires to become the best on the planet in the coming year, as its natural conditions: a length of 23 kilometers, with sandy areas of 22 meters width on average and dune height of one meter on average, deserve achieving such recognition.

Every person who has visited the beautiful blue beach, as it is also known, can testify that these characteristics that, together with its climate of virtually year-long summer, make it a true paradise, and a refuge during the northern European and American winter season, when hundreds of thousands of tourists escape the freezing temperatures of their countries.

But this magnificent seaside resort, which will be the headquarters in May of the FITCUBA 2020 International Tourism Fair, also has other attributes that make it the principal destination of the country and one of the most sought after by the more than four million tourists who visit Cuba annually. Suffice it to say that by early December 2019, Varadero had received about 1.5 million visitors, around 40% of the total number of tourists arriving on the island during that period.

This famous beach resort has many attractions, as well as its crystalline and warm waters, strong sun and powder sands, because there is a wide range of services on offer: comfortable four and five star hotel facilities, supported by restaurants, shopping centers, discos, transportation, nautical, health and legal services and infrastructure for holding events and congresses, among others.

With over 21,900 rooms, Varadero has hotel facilities for all tastes and demands, including adult-only, families, lovers of water sports, golf and other field sports. Also in the city there are numerous rental houses, for those who prefer to vacation in a more familiar environment.

In virtually all the hotels on the beautiful blue beach there are water sports options, such as diving, snorkeling, catamaran rides, sport fishing and yachting, making it ideal for those who like to enjoy the sun and sea on their vacations.

The professional 18-hole Golf Club near the elegant Xanadú mansion, a real hole in one, is another attractive facility for vacationers and is very close to the Plaza América Convention Center, a modern and functional venue for congresses, company meetings, fairs and exhibitions, where prestigious international organizations and companies have held various professional and business events in its rooms and pavilions.

Besides all that, Varadero has many establishments of various categories throughout the resort area, with gastronomic offers ranging from popular fast foods to seafood specialties, Cuban and international cuisine. These include El Aljibe, Cuban cuisine, Josone Park and Plaza América restaurants.

Finally, it is essential to mention the countless nightlife venues, including: La Rumba nightclub; the Mambo Club, with its 50s-style jazz band, a space where the chords of Cuban mambo music are combined with modern sounds, and the most recently opened Cabaret Continental at the Melí Internacional Varadero hotel.

It must also be noted that, together with all these services, the local authorities are developing a resort conservation plan in line with Cuban environmental preservation policy. This plan includes suggested trash disposal in bins, bags and containers; using the parking areas for vehicles, never the coastal area, and walking to the beach access points using walkways and trails. There are also recommendations to remove remains of food and packaging; avoiding cigarette butts in the sand; taking care and keeping the environment clean, and avoiding damaging or cutting any kind of plant in the dune.

All this indicates that Varadero, without a doubt, will win the title of the best beach in the world in 2020, a great challenge that must be maintained forever for the enjoyment of future generations.