All about Cuban Beaches!
All about Cuban Beaches!
Boat at Varadero Beach in Cuba
One of the questions I get asked all the time is about the beaches in Cuba. I am asked what are they like? Are they as nice as everyone says? Did you make it to the beach? Let me try to answer that, but even better let me show you what the Cuban Beaches are like via photo and video. On our trip to Cuba, we did spend a day exploring the countryside and made it to the Cuban Resort town called Varadero. Varadero is a resort town in Cuba just over 2 hours away. It is as nice of a resort area as any. The town still has many of the same problems as the rest of Cuba, i.e. WiFi, hot water, and bedding, but the Cuban Beaches are very nice.
Varadero Beach in Cuba
The Cuban Beaches
The Cuban Beaches have white sand that looks like pure cane sugar! A soft powder is what comes to mind when you touch it. Beautiful blue/green turquoise color is what you see and the water itself is clear. The water is warm almost all year around. Palm trees line the side of the beach providing shade to its guests. A polite breeze lurks to keep everyone cool and constant waves abound. Sun, sand, and water, what else could anyone want?
Santa María Beach
Map showing Santa María del Mar
Contrary to popular believe Havana does not have a beach. Santa María (Santa María del Mar) is the closest beach to Havana and the one most tourists I mean people who are visiting Cuba for Person to Person (wink!) visit I meant to say research and investigate! Santa María is the most popular beach among both Cubans and visitors. The Beach has restaurants, water activities, grocery stores, pharmacies, and lodgings if you want to stay over. It sits about 12 miles from Havana following the Via Blanca highway. The cost is about $40 CUC by cab or private car. You can also get there via the bus for a few dollars and on Wednesday they offer free trips by bus. Beware, it has been reported that they have dog poop in the sand at that beach.
The Beaches at Varadero
Map of Havana to Varadero
Cuban Merchants walking on the beach.
Another popular beach is the one we visited in Varadero. This area has several resorts and hotels in the area. Varadero is 91 miles from Havana. Many Europeans have been vacationing here for years. The resorts have pools, hot tubs and lots of shopping just like many of the other resort areas throughout the Caribbean. There’s lots of room on the beaches for chairs, loungers. Locals travel up and down the beach area and offer souvenirs for sale. We visited Brisas del Caribe resort and got to see a Cuban Pool Party.
The questions I get asked a lot is, “What are the Cuban Beaches like?” I can answer that question. I can describe the beaches to them. Show them pictures I took at the beach. I even have videos that we shot when we were there. The answer I generally give is you should go see for yourself. In this article, we only talked about 2 beaches. The island of Cuba has over 740 miles of Beaches and it does not matter which you go to. Enjoy Cuba and the Cuban Beaches!
Panoramic shot of the beach in Varadero, Cuba
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Bill Collins
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