{"id":301011,"date":"2024-04-29T16:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T20:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=301011"},"modified":"2024-04-29T16:48:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T20:48:02","slug":"return-to-varadero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/digital-channel\/gallery\/glimpse\/return-to-varadero\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to Varadero"},"content":{"rendered":"

After more than six years, I returned to Varadero. I did it on an old Viaz\u00fal bus, thirstier than a camel crossing the Sahara, which between its slow ride and several stops to refresh the old engine, took about 5 hours to take us to the most beautiful beach in the world, as that old slogan said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Vacationers. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Varadero is, without a doubt, the most idealized and desired beach by Cubans, by those who don\u2019t know it, and by those who do, who are the ones who, having experienced such a wonder, miss its crystalline waters the most. Varadero is also revered by people from the \u201cbeyond\u201d who have enjoyed its charms and return to it whenever they can.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Varadero, 2024. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first hotel in Varadero was built in 1926, a time when the 22 kilometers of beach on the Hicacos peninsula began to emerge as the resort par excellence for the island\u2019s bourgeoisie. Then more hotels came and, with the Revolution, Varadero became the property of all Cubans, whether they had more or less in their wallets. Until the 1990s, when it once again became a tourist resort with little access for nationals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today in Varadero we are all mixed. Foreigners and locals. Black and white. Varadero belongs to all and is for everyone, but for many, it remains an unattainable luxury.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
It never hurts to protect yourself from the sun. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During my comings and goings through this world, I have encountered beaches of all kinds. Laredo, in the Cantabrian Sea, with icy waters and strong waves, or, at the other extreme, I have floated in the boiling Dead Sea. I have come across beaches with more or less fine sand, rocky, coral, with wild or lush landscapes, or even both features at the same time. But I always compare them with Varadero. And always, those beaches come out the losers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Catamarans on the seashore. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Varadero welcomed me, as it should, with good sun and a sea of foam and fine sand. To top it all off, a kiosk with cold, imported beer \u2014 why not Bucanero or Cristal? \u2014 installed a few meters from the water by the management of the hotel we chose to stay in for a few days on the beloved blue beach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bathers. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Who goes and who comes. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the strong winds of Lent, the weather was good and the sea showed its hues of blue, which vary depending on the current or the time of day. A crowd of vendors walked along the beach trying, without success, to sell the tourists a bottle of rum, a packet of coffee, cigars, or bananas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rum, cigar and coffee sellers, an image that was barely seen years ago in Varadero. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The windy season is good for sailing. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Varadero never disappoints, rather we fall in love with it. This time it reaffirmed itself as what it is for us: the most beautiful beach in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The famous crystal-clear waters. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
\u201cThe most beautiful beach in the world.\u201d Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This beach is, without a doubt, the most idealized and desired by Cubans, by those who don\u2019t know it and by those who do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3761,"featured_media":301088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34643,34892],"tags":[19256,14916,9507],"ppma_author":[34081],"class_list":["post-301011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gallery","category-glimpse","tag-featured","tag-tourism-in-cuba","tag-varadero-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReturn to Varadero | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This beach is, without a doubt, the most idealized and desired by Cubans, by those who don\u2019t know it and by those who do.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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