Blog

Varadero is one of the best and most famous beaches in the world and the most important in Cuba, not only for its natural beauty but also for its history that began in the first decade of the last century.

Located in the northernmost part of Cuba, on the Hicacos Peninsula, in the province of Matanzas, 160 km from Havana, Varadero has historically been the second most important tourist destination on the island after Havana.

Its founding as a town dates back to the end of 1887 when the settlement of ten families in the area is documented.

“VARADERO” means “place where boats are launched” and immediately became a vacation destination for many wealthy families and important figures who came from the United States such as Al Capone or the American millionaire Irenee Du Pont who had built their residences, still preserved and open to visitors today.

To Dupont is owed the construction in 1931 of the famous Xanadú villa and an 18-hole golf course, the first on the island, which after various reconstructions is the current Varadero Golf Club with a total of 61 hectares and which has been selected twice as the venue for the grand final of two European Challenge Tours.

The Xanadu villa can be visited for lunch or dinner with a spectacular view or an aperitif on the terrace, as can Al Capone's Villa.

Another of its attractive places besides the beaches is Parque Josone, whose history dates back to the 1930s when the then director of the Arechavala rum factory, the Basque entrepreneur José Fermín Iturrioz Michelena, purchased the first plot of land around a lagoon that was in place. The first house was built in 1938 and later a neoclassical-style residence was built, where Iturrioz and his family lived.

Varadero is still today one of the most beautiful beaches in Cuba with 22 km of fine white sand and a wide choice of hotels offering excellent quality in services, having been the first Cuban destination devoted to tourism. Although some might think it is a very commercial destination, in reality it is one of the few places in the world that has preserved an expanse of beach lapped by such crystal-clear and calm waters.