Havana.- Varadero Beach Resort, main beach destination in the biggest of The Antilles, will be benefited with a recovery programme devoted to improve the quality of its sandy beaches.

According to the specialists, this programme will improve the area and rocky zones, fruit of the erosive action of the ocean, will be covered with sand dragged from the sea.

The project in motion, which does not interrupt the massive winter arrival of the international tourism, has been arranged between the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and that of Science, Technology and Environment.

The ambitious project aims at the benefit of an area close to the seven thousand square meters of coastline.

Last summer in Varadero, 600 thousand cubic meters of sand were shed to improve the end of the peninsula. Up to now, two million cubic meters of sand have been introduced in the area.

We stayed in Sirenis La Salina from the 05 Jan to the 12 Jan 2009. We were a bit doubtful about our choice of hotel after we read some reviews on trip advisor especially from Canadian tourists. According to them the hotel wasn’t very good but since the hotel had an excellent price we decided to give it a go despite the bad reviews.

Our first surprise was the excellent and friendly welcome we received from the hotel staff including the management of the hotel.

The only bad thing is the food based on what Canadians like to eat. If you are from Spain you will understand what I mean (we have the best food in the world)

The hotel is huge but there are golf cars circulating all around the hotel and you can hop on/off any where you want.

The rooms are large and very clean. Bear in mind this is a new hotel and our room was impeccable.

The beach of the Hotel Sirenis La Salina is a bit wild sinse there are only a couple of hotels being built in the distance.

In general we spent a great time and we will recommend this hotel to our own family.

We stayed 14 nights in Iberostar Varadero Hotel. It is one of the best 5 star hotels in Varadero and anyone that have stayed here before would agree that it is a good hotel. Although I have stayed before in another 5 star  Iberostar hotel in Mexico (Beach Paraiso) and Iberostar Varadero is well under the 5 star standard of the one in Mexico.

 To begin the hotel is very pretty and the swimming pools are a dream. I did find the buffet restaurant a bit too small for such a big hotel. There are other options though but you have to book in advance for any of the 3 a la carte restaurants that they have and of course there is the fast food and snacks that you can have in the bars. After trying everything we decided to stick to the buffet restaurant it was very good for Cuban standards.

There are few sun beds available and there are certain times in the day in which I would not suggest to go to the beach cause they have few shady places available.   The best from the hotel was the pool bar and the waiters who made our days.

by Ventura de Jesús

VARADERO. — Cuba’s top beach resort has received more than 700,000 tourists to date and the conditions exist for the year to end with a total of one million visitors for the first time in the history of tourism in that province.

“Varadero has been strengthening its position as a destination,” emphasized Amado Acosta Hernández, Ministry of Tourism delegate in Matanzas province. “We have maintained progressive growth since the second semester of 2007 and, specifically this year, we are seeing the best results in overall indicators, although we know we can be still more efficient.”

Varadero has a total of 17,300 hotel rooms, and according to experts, it is highly likely that in February and March, the peak of the high season, the daily rate of tourists will exceed 30,000, a record set last season.

Acosta Hernández explained to Granma that damages from the recent hurricanes are insignificant; they were localized in the structures of several hotels, above all windows and roofs, along with landscaping and gardens. “We are now completely back to normal and preparing for the high season,” he said.

Leading up to the winter period, some of the most important actions include beefing up beaches with sand, with a current accumulation of 35,000 cubic meters.

The process of restoring facilities is particularly comprehensive at the Breezes Varadero, Tuxpan and Las Morlas hotels.

Acosta Hernández added that work is underway to improve roads, street signs and lighting. Because of the competition in this industry, a greater emphasis should be placed on service quality, he commented.

Translated by Granma International

Blau Varadero ****
Carretera de las Morlas Km. 15
VARADERO-MATANZAS
Tel. (+53) 45667545
Fax. (+53) 45667494
salesmanager@blauvaradero.cyt.cu

Location: just on the shore of the magnificent and famous Varadero beach, the hotel consists of a 13 floor building, completely new.
Ideal for those who want to enjoy the beauty and the atmosphere of the most well known beach of Cuba, with the best facilities and a wide list of activities.

Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport 35 km / Varadero 0 km / La Habana Airport 140 km

Hotel Facilities

Doubles and Suites: Doubles with fully equipped bathrooms,220 V. hairdryer, vanity mirrors, towel for the swimming pool, telephone, music channel on TV SAT-TV air conditioning, minibar, safe-deposit box and terrace. Suites in additon contain a livin groom and bathrobes.

Gastronomy: All Inclusive basis, breakfast and dinner Buffet, including a typical Cuban Buffet once a week and lunch at the Grill-Restaurant. The hotel also has two Restaurants a Ia carte “Palma Real” and “El Criollo”, Grill “Las Adelfas”, buffet “Flamboyan” bar Hall “Orqu Ranchon playa. Snack Bar “Las Dunas” opened 24h. and Piano Bar.

All Inclusive: - Breakfast and dinner Buffet in the main Restaurant - live music in our Speciality’s - Lunch in the Grill Restaurant - Snacks, national and international drinks 24 hours, alcoholic drinks 24 hours - Wellness Buffet during breakfast and dinner - One dinner, per booking and week, in ours a Ia carte Restaurants (previous reservation required) - Typical Cuban dinner once a week - Minibar daily refilled with bottled water, soft drinks and local - Meeting Rooms (capacity for 300 people) - A day and night entertainment program.

All Inclusive Sports: -2 Tennis courts - I Multiple sports court - Outdoor pool - Gym/Sauna/Steam bath/Jacuzzi/hydromasage shower Gymnastics/I/olleyball/Aerobics/ Water gymnastics/French bowling - Windsurf/Canoes/Pedal boats/Sailing boats - 1 lesson of scuba diving in group - Tennis lessons - Scuba diving lessons (with a surcharge). Spa with 4 massage rooms, 2 mud therapy rooms, hairdresser, and Medical consultation.

Entertainment: Our entertainer team offers sport and leisure activities during daytime as well as night shows.
Children’s Entertainment: Free Mini Club for children from 2-12 years, as well as playground and children’s pool.

Meeting Rooms: meeting rooms with capacity for 300 people with the possibility of dividing this room in three different parts (100 people per room).

Varadero, a small natural wonder, is a health resort that enjoys well-earned international renown. It covers an area of just over 22 km around the Hicacos Peninsula, the northernmost point of the island of Cuba, situated in the western province of Matanzas. Varadero is considered the Mecca of tourism in the Cuban archipelago, for it offers an integral, diverse and extensive product, which enables it to meet the expectations of the widest range of customers. As welt as its first-class beach where visitors are given the opportunity to practice all kinds of water sports, it is set in beautiful natural surroundings and provides facilities for conducting all kinds of events, playing golf and parachuting, incentive travel, weddings and honeymoons, and even for long-stay tourism. On top of all that, the nearby cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas and Montemar Nature Reserve, in Peninsula de Zapata Biosphere Reserve, round off the opportunities available to tourists at this friendly and welcoming health resort, where visitors can enjoy all the shades of blue in the Caribbean.

How to get there:

A convenient road bordering the northern coast of Cuba leads from Havana to Varadero, 140 km to the east of the capital. Situated in the area surrounding the health resort is Juan Gualberto Gómez international airport, which facilitates direct access from other continents and multiple destinations with other regions in the country, Central America and the Caribbean. It is also a free port and its three international harbors offer all the technical requirements necessary to receive a large range of vessels.

Sun and sand:

The beach at Varadero, of an extraordinarily high standard and measuring a length of 22.6 km, with its gentle slope and clear, calm waters that encompass all the shades of blue imaginable, is undoubtedly the centre’s major attraction. Varadero is a tourist resort that currently offers over 55% of the total number of rooms built in areas of sun and sand on the Cuban archipelago. Virtually all of the hotels existing on the Hicacos Peninsula have areas in the sea where it is safe for visitors to enjoy wind-surfing, trips in a kayak, jet skiing and cycling, as well as other similar sports activities. On the southern coast of the province of Matanzas visitors can also enjoy Playa Larga and Girón beaches.

City:

A holiday in Varadero enables tourists to visit two towns with no end of different attractions: Matanzas (36 km away), the provincial capital founded in 1693, which became the most cultured and prosperous city in the country, and Cárdenas (12 km away), known as the Flag City as this was where the national standard flew for the first time (1850). In Matanzas it is well worth taking a trip to see Vigia and Libertad squares and witnessing at first-hand the magnificence of the buildings designed in the neo-classical style surrounding the square; or observing the peaceful bay and the imposing Valle de Yumuri from the Ermita de Monserrat; visiting the Castillo de San Severino, San Pedro Apóstol church, or taking a trip to see the Pharmaceutical Museum, where Doctor Ernest Triotet gathered a valuable collection of original porcelain bottles, beautiful wooden shelves and laboratory equipment from the second half of the 19th century, which remain exactly as they were originally designed and represent the most important example of their kind outside France. Major attractions in Cárdenas include Colon and Spriü squares, Rojas fort, the former Arrechabala distillery (1870), and the ruins of the first electricity plant in operation in the country (1889).

Culture:

The fact that Matanzas is considered the Athens of Cuba is clear testimony to the intense cultural life that has always charac tensed this city situated very close to Varadero. Today the Teatro Sauto (1863), a theatre that is an authentic jewel of architecture, and the Sala White (1854), where the danzón, the national Cuban dance, was first performed for the public, continue to be pop ular stages where prominent figures from the national and international arts often per form. Every two years, Matanzas also holds the International Puppet Festival and Danzan Dos International Choreography Competition for contemporary, folkloric and classical ballet dancing.

Nature:

Around 30% of the total area of the Hicacos Peninsula (on its eastern side) is occupied by Varahicacos ecology reserve, whose exceptional attributes include a well-preserved coastal ecosystem and the survival of rare examples of tree cacti (Dendrocerus Nudiflorus), in some cases estimated to date back over 500 years. Together with these vegetable formations there is a very special collection of fauna with abundant examples of reptiles and birds. Situated right in the centre of Varadero, Josone Park is a place for nature lovers to enjoy.

The nearby valleys of YumurI and the Canimar and Bacunayagua rivers are also outstanding areas for those who wish to enjoy nature. However, undoubtedly its largest outlet is Montemar Nature Reserve, in the Peninsula de Zapata Biosphere Reserve, where the largest wetland on the insular Caribbean is situated. Once here be sure to visit the Laguna del Tesoro, the Taino village of Guamá, La Boca crocodile breeding ground, and La Salina refuge for fauna, an outstanding place for bird-watching.

Active tourism:

The options for enjoying an active holiday in Varadero are varied and highly attractive, even right in the heart of the health resort, where Josone Park reserves a special place for nature lovers to spend some time. As well as being able to practice any water sport, the spa and its nearby keys provide an ideal place to go diving and snorkeling. Three international diving centres are in operation and over 30 immersion points have been identified, including those in the Cayo Piedras del Norte Sea Park—an exclusive attraction throughout the country and the Cueva de Saturno, a flooded underground passageway. Divers can also practice their sport in the waters of Bahia de Cochinos, Peninsula de Zapata, where there are a further 14 immersion points.
This health resort has the only professional golf course of the archipelago (18 holes 72 pan; it has a flying club for those who like parachuting (it is possible to jump with or without an instructor), or those who wish to fly in a balsa wood micro light aircraft. It is also possible to take a trip in a helicopter to the Valle de Yumuri; participate in a lorry safari along the banks of the river Canimar and journey back up its waters in sailing or rowing boat; join a tour of a sugar plantation and go on an old steam train; or travel around the navigable channels in the south of the peninsula on jet skis.
Other sound options for entertainment in Varadero include swimming with dolphins; trips on an underwater observation vessel; trips to the nearby keys on board sailing ships and catamarans; day and night-time pirate adventures on a galleon; processions to sites of archaeological digs; visits to the Cuevas de Bellamar, caves situated in Matanzas, or the Ambrosio and Musulmanes caves on Hicacos peninsula itself; or days of fishing with light tackle on the Zapata peninsula.

Events and conventions

1i The Centro de Corivenciones PLaza America is a modern and functional facility that enables any kind of event to be held in this health resort. For five years this modern facility equipped with the latest technology in each of its rooms has held the Tourism Convention, during the month of May each year and in September the Expo Varadero, the commercial showcase for the territory of Yumuri. In addition, a growing number of establishments are classed as Hotels for Events, vouched for by the Buró de Convenciones de Cuba (Cuba Conventions Bureau)

Health tourism and quality of life:

Programmes for improving quality of life are offered at the Clinica Internacional de Varadero and the Horizontes Casa del Valle hotel, set in the Valle de Yumuri. Adjoining the Centro de Convenciones Plaza America (the conference centre( is a SPA Club and many hotels have a Jacuzzi, modern gymnasiums and massage areas.

Leisure and restaurants:

The network of restaurants, clubs, dance halls, pubs and karaoke bars is extensive and is concentrated both inside and outside the hotels. Among the most famous nightspots are the Tropicana Matanzas; the cabaret Continental at the Internacional hotel; the Cueva del Pirata; the Palacio de La Rumba; the Bamba; the Mambo Club and the Habana Café.

This is probably one of those things that you have to do in your lifetime. Dolphins are amongst the smarter mammals on Earth.

The dolphin sea-quarium is located on kilometre 11 of Autopista Sur (the highway connecting Matanzas city with Varadero). It belong to the Rumbos Tourism and recreation Group.

There are three daily shows. It is about 1/2 hour long and in addition, offers the opportunity of swimming with these graceful, harmless sea mammals for about 45 mins for about $70.00. If you take a camera with you they will charge you $5 CUC to take a picture of you with the dolphins, otherwise you can buy a picture for $8 CUC (8×10).

A good way to enjoy a day in Varadero is to book one of this Catamaran excursios for any hotel. They take you out cruising along the shores of this lovely beach. It’s a half day excursion with plenty of time to swim with dolphins and do much more. It cost about $90.00