Meliá Marina Varadero

Varadero


No, that's not a beached cruise liner, but a five-star Meliá! Part of the plushly redeveloped Marina Gaviota, this has several key advantages over its competitors up at this eastern end of the peninsula: gleaming marina views, plus access to a host of restaurants and shops within the marina complex that makes the stay that little bit more varied than at the other all-inclusives.

The caveat? There's no beach here (a walkway over the road connects you to one, however) and reports on the rooms vary, but if you can't make it to Miami, this is as close as you'll get in Cuba. The hotel also offers some non-all-inclusive apartments.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Varadero attractions

1. Marina Gaviota

0.15 MILES

At the peninsula's eastern tip, state-run Gaviota's impressive marina, built in the early 2010s, encompasses a wide malecón (main street), luxury…

2. Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos

1.5 MILES

The Varahicacos is about all that's left of the 'wild' Hicacos Peninsula: hotel developers have been chomping away at its edges for years. There are three…

3. Cueva de Ambrosio

2.06 MILES

For something completely different in Varadero's tourist circus, decamp to this large cave 500m beyond the Club Amigo Varadero on the Autopista Sur. It's…

4. Cayo Piedras del Norte

5.49 MILES

Located 5km north of Playa las Calaveras (one hour by boat), Cayo Piedras del Norte has been made into a 'marine park' through the deliberate sinking of…

5. Mansión Xanadú

5.66 MILES

Everything east of Varadero's small stone water tower (it looks like an old Spanish fort, but was built in the 1930s) once belonged to the Du Pont family…

6. Parque Josone

8.28 MILES

If you're set on sightseeing in Varadero, ensconce yourself in this pretty green oasis. These landscaped gardens date back to 1940 and take their name…

7. Iglesia de Santa Elvira

8.79 MILES

Just east of Parque Central is this tiny colonial-style building resembling a displaced alpine chapel.

8. Arechabala Rum Factory

11.04 MILES

To the northwest of the center of Cárdenas, in the industrial zone, is this famous rum factory founded in 1878 by Spanish immigrant José Arechabala…