Varadero Cuba

Varadero is a long, thin peninsula on the north coast of Cuba and has the best beaches in the country. It's the number one tourist destination on the island. Before he died, Jacques Cousteau swam the pure azure waters here and declared them “amazing”.

Varadero was a fishing village only 25 years ago, with just a sprinkling of hotels. But when Fidel Castro found his country in desperate straits after Russia pulled out, he gave the go-ahead for the rapid expansion of tourism. The new hotels were financed by Spain, Italy and other countries, but they are staffed almost entirely by locals.