Why Varadero is Worth a Stop
Many tourists turn their nose up at Varadero, thinking it's too touristy to be worth a stop. They’re right about Varadero being touristy, but wrong that you shouldn't squeeze a few relaxing days on one of the worlds most spectacular beaches. As mentioned in a previous post, many Canadian cities have direct flights to Varadero and the plentiful all-inclusives that line the north end of the beach. Varadero proved to be the perfect starting point to our Cuba trip as there were no lineups to get/exchange money, internet cards and organize onwards travel.
Its not snowing here!
We flew from the snow and below freezing temperatures and straight to a beautiful beach in a very easy town. Usually, when flying into a country, you are landing in a big city at a busy, chaotic airport, so being the only flight landing at a smaller airport was refreshing. Of course, there is nothing particularly cultural about Varadero (that we saw). It's Cuba ultra light (think of it like a Cristal beer).
The most popular bar called The Beatles is jammed full every night with tourists, not locals. But with the Cuban band rocking out on the stage and 2 CUC Cristals, it's very hard not to find this scene enjoyable. Everyone is on vacation and very, very happy. Good food options are abundant, there is a laid back atmosphere and it's very, very hard not to be impressed by the beach. Even J, who generally hates beaches, admitted that the ultra soft sand and turquoise waters won him over.
Where to Stay: We stayed at Benys House. We chose this place specifically because reviews said Beny was a “wealth” of knowledge. This may have been the case, but he was rarely around and no one else spoke English. The information gathering didn't work out quite as I had hoped. I had many questions! However, the room was clean, the location great, the outside area was nice and breakfast was included. Before arriving, Beny was very helpful arranging an airport pickup. I would probably try to find an Airbnb with a beach view, if we returned.
Where to eat: El Amanecer- a cafeteria type places open 24 hours serving super cheap sandwiches and (sometimes) beer.
La Vicaria- reasonably priced, good food, 1 CUC beers in a cute garden setting
Paladar Nonna Tina- surprisingly delicious pizza
Snack Bar Cale 62- although we didn't eat at the actual snack bar, they have a type of “chicken cart” grilling up quarter chickens and brushing them with a delicious sauce for 2 CUC every evening.
Airport Pickup: 30-35 CUC (depending on your arrival time)
Moving on: Varadero - Havana 25CUC/pp for a collectivo/shared taxi (cruising up the coast in an amazing classic car was definitely worth the extra CUC over the Viazul bus)
Note: if you are planning to buy rum (or anything) at the duty free when you’re leaving Cuba you have to use Canadian or American cash or a credit card. They do not accept CUC once you're past the security and immigration checkpoints.
Our first Cristal of the trip, enjoyed with awesome live music at the Beatles bar
