Varadero is the luxury holiday-makers place of choice in Cuba. Consequently this resort town has a number of excellent 4 and 5-star hotels to chose from. Below are a select few:
· Grand Lido Varadero - constructed with the intention of being Varadero's most elegant hotel! The hotel tries to conceptually capture the themes of elegance, harmony and relaxation all in one. Some say it works!
· Ibeerostar Bella Costa - this resort is worth mentioning if only to say that the sight one sees from the oriel window, Varadero Spa, is amazing! The resort itself is on a natural cliff on the Hicacos Peninsula
· Melia Las Americas - a complex with over 250 available rooms, all of which have mini-bar and satellite television functions
· Paradisus Varadero - a delightful complex with over 800 rooms - all of which have picturesque garden or sea views from their windows
· Playa de las Americas - conveniently located on Varadero beach, this fabulous hotel complex is run by one of the top hotel operators in the world. As well as having all the functions and facilities one would expect from such an exceptional 5-star hotel, the Paya de las Americas is also where Cuba's only world-class 18-hole golf course can be located. To cater for golf enthusiasts, the hotel offers a variety of golf clinic packages
· Rincon Frances - as with all of Varadero's 5-star hotels, this hotel is located on Varadero beach. The highlight of this hotel is undoubtedly its 56,000 square meters of lush vegetation
· Sandals Royal Hicacos - is one of the newer resorts offering "all-inclusive" packages, which, unlike other Caribbean islands, had not previously been done within Cuba's tourist industry, but which is now much more prevalent,
· Sol Sirenas Coral - due its close location to the Varadero beach, and all of the available facilities that can be found there, this is a popular place to stay for those with young families.
WHERE TO EAT AND PARTY
Although most people who stay in Varadero prefer to dine and party in their resort, from time-to-time you may want to venture out to one of the following places:
· Aljibe - serves authentic Creole food with tables arranged under traditional palm-thatched (called caneye) roofs. The restaurant also has it own house specialty drink - the Pollo al Aljibe
· Cabaret Continetal - located in the Varadero International Hotel Complex, this place is a combination of a variety and musical show, which is then followed by a discotheque;
· Chez Plaza - part of the Centro de Convenciones Plaza America, this is a superb seafood restaurant is right on the beachfront. Traditional Cuban music is played and you can get fresh-live lobster here!
· Dante - for those of you who don't speak Spanish, the house specialty at this restaurant is "pasta". The restaurant is located around a man-made artificial lake with big open windows providing the place with a superb romantic view
· Eclipse - a hip discotheque in the Hotel Bellamar
· Havana Cafe - for the more salubrious tunes of days gone by, this place features live music of the 1940s and 1950s period
· La Bamba - Discotheque situated in the Hotel LIT Tux pan
· Mambo Club - Cuban live music from the 1950s
· Palatino de la Rumba - catering to all your salsa needs
· Plaza Americans - has specialized nights -each night being different - so make sure you check out what's on that night before you go.
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