Torontoartsandevents went to Cuba to check out its beautiful beaches, low crime rate, old U.S. cars and Jazz as well as fresh food and its unique culture in a non-westernized country. On this trip we booked at an all inclusive resort in Varadero.
Varadero is the major tourist resort area in Cuba best known for its beautiful 20 km stretch of soft white sand beach – a gorgeous beach with beautiful warm waters, not crowded. It is great for walking, swimming etc. It is located on the northern shores of Cuba and is part of Matanzas province. Varadero is a long narrow peninsula stretching into the Gulf of Mexico in the shape of a hockey stick. As one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean, Varadero guards a huge, unsubtle and constantly evolving variety of over sixty hotels, shops, water activities and poolside entertainment. This is a tourist-friendly resort area; however, we saw little of the unique Cuban experiences.
Our tour guide advised us that there are two currencies in Cuba (one is the National Peso (CUP), and the other is Convertible Peso (CUC). CUC are pegged to the U.S. Dollar & the CUP is about 25 to 1 CUC) and that we could get the CUP which can be used in local stores.
In Varadero town, there are hotels, restaurants, street markets, clubs, rum tasting and live music:
Varadero Street Market
The Varadero Street Market is a large street market of Cubans selling goods, many of them handmade locally. Although the prices are reasonable, there is room to barter – oddly, there is little pressure to buy.
Beatles Bar-Restaurant in Varadero
The Beatles Bar plays old rock and roll music like the Beatles primarily for tourists. During the evening, the guests pour out onto the street.
Calle 62 Varadero:
Call 62 is a bar that allows for dancing with the locals.
House of Rum, Varadero
The House of Rum is a place to taste and buy rum, just walk in off the street.
Casa de la Música
This provides Live Music in Varadero. Casa de la Música has a Cuban fell to it and live music. It’s in town and attracts a local crowd who pay in CUP while tourist pays in CUP.
Torontoartsandevents recommends a trip to Cuba to check out its beautiful beaches, low crime rate, jazz but don’t expect much in the way of unique Cuban culture.
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