Varadero (and why I wouldn’t stay there)

Some people go to foreign countries just to stay within their hotel, enjoy an all-inclusive program and sit most times on the beach. It’s almost equal whether your in Spain, Tunesia or Cuba then. And for tourists of that kind, Varadero is the primary location on Cuba.

Varadero is a slim landstrip reaching into the ocean. There is a road in the center and on both sides there a hotels facing the beach. In between there are some cheap restaurants, a limited number of shops and souvenir sellers.

Yes, if you go to Varadero you’re on Cuba, but you don’t really get to know Cuba. It is definitely not my type of vacation. The only people you meet are other guests and the staff of your hotel. Other interesting cities are too far away to visit without a car.

And I was pretty surprised: I tried to access the beach in Varadero and was sent away multiple times because it was dedicated only for hotel guests. Not what I expected in a communist country.