Varadero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Varadero is a popular resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resorts in the Caribbean. Varadero is also called Playa Azul (= blue beach).

1 Geography
2 History
3 Tourism
4 Photo gallery
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

It is situated on the Hicacos peninsula, some 140 kilometres east of Havana, at the eastern end of the Via Blanca highway. The peninsula is only 1.2 km wide at its widest point, and is separated from the island of Cuba by the Kawama Channel. This spit of land extends from the mainland in a northeasterly direction and its tip, Punta Hicacos, is the northernmost point of the island of Cuba. At the northeastern end of the peninsula there is a nature reserve with virgin forests and beaches.

[edit] History

Varadero is first mentioned in 1555 <ref>Cuba Travel - Varadero history</ref>, but was only developed in late 19th century.

[edit] Tourism

Varadero is first and foremost a tourist resort, and boasts more than 20 kilometres of white sandy beaches. Tourism grew as Irénée du Pont Nemours, an American millionaire, in the early 1930s built his estate on the peninsula. But the first tourists visited Varadero as early as the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. However, hotels began to appear in the 1950s and after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the beach's many mansions were expropriated from their rich owners.

Since the early 1990s, most of the peninsula has been developed for tourism, with many of the hotels being operated or co-owned by foreign businesses.

As of 2006, Varadero is primarily visited by European and Canadian tourists. The number of American tourists visiting Varadero, although increasing, has been limited because of the restrictions which prevent U.S. citizens from flying directly from the U.S. to Cuba. Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport (Varadero's airport) is the second-most important airport of the island after José Martí Airport in Havana.

Unlike many other Cuban tourism centres, Cubans can visit Varadero (though their use of some of the hotels is restricted). The town has a population of 8,000 inhabitants.<ref>WCities - Varadero facts</ref> Many Cubans visit Varadero for holidays, staying in private homes.