Cuba - Lonely Planet [188]
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GOLF
While it’s no Pebble Beach, golfers can have a swinging session at the uncrowded and well-landscaped Varadero Golf Club (Map; 66-77-88; www.varaderogolfclub.com; Mansión Xanadu Dupont de Nemours; 7am-7pm). The original nine holes created by the Duponts are between Hotel Bella Costa and the Dupont Mansion, and in 1998 the course was extended to 18 holes (par 72) by adding another nine holes along the southern side of the three Meliá resorts. Bookings are made through the Pro shop next to the Dupont Mansion (now a cozy B&B with free, unlimited tee time). Green fees go for CUC$48/77 nine/18 holes. A 50-minute lesson costs CUC$30.
Golf neophytes can play the miniature version at El Golfito (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 42; per person CUC$3; 24hr).
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Bowling alleys are popular in Cuba and the bolera inside the Centro Todo En Uno (Map; cnr Calle 54 & Autopista Sur; per game CUC$2.50; 24hr), a small shopping/games complex on Autopista Sur, is usually full of Cuban families who also come to enjoy the adjacent kids’ playground and fast-food joints.
Sailboards are available for rent at various points along the public beach (CUC$10 per hour), as are small catamarans, parasails, banana boats, sea kayaks etc. The upmarket resorts usually include these water toys in the all-inclusive price.
For a workout to remember, pay a visit to the tiny sports club inauspiciously named Judo (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 46; 9am-noon, 2-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 9-11am Sat) on the east side of Parque Central. Despite the rough facilities and decidedly poky interior, the trainers here are real pros and will give you the best boxing/judo/karate/jujitsu session you’ve ever had.
Courses
Varadero is not the best place in Cuba to learn Spanish. That said, many of the all-inclusive hotels lay on free Spanish lessons for guests. If you’re staying in cheaper digs, ask at the reception of one of these larger hotels and see if you can worm your way onto an in-house language course by offering to pay a small fee.
Tours
Tour desks at the main hotels book most of the nautical or sporting activities mentioned earlier and arrange organized sightseeing excursions from Varadero. You’ll pay a surcharge (usually CUC$5 per person) if you book at these desks instead of going directly to the tour operator.
Among the many off-peninsula tours offered are a half-day trip to the Cuevas de Bellamar (Click here) near Matanzas, a bus tour to the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) and a whole range of other bus tours to places as far away as Santa Clara, Trinidad, Viñales and, of course, Havana.
Gaviota (Map; 61-18-44; cnr Calles 56 & Playa) has a variety of helicopter tours in Russian M1-8 choppers; the Trinidad trip (CUC$229) is popular. The Tour de Azúcar (sugarcane tour) visits a disused sugar mill and takes a steam train ride to Cárdenas station. Prices are CUC$39/30 per adult/child. It also organizes jeep safaris to the scenic Valle del Yumurí. The excursion (adult/child CUC$45/34) includes a visit to a campesino family and a huge, delicious meal at Ranchón Gaviota.
BOAT TOURS
If you want to enjoy snorkeling without getting wet, book an excursion on the Varasub, a 48-berth glass-bottomed boat that allows you to peer out at the fantastic marine life from windows set below the water line. This 90-minute underwater adventure leaves approximately six times a day (adult/child CUC$35/20), and includes unlimited alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages and transfers. Book through any information desk or office.
Varadero’s nautical highlight in the popularity stakes is the Seafari Cayo Blanco, a seven-hour sojourn (CUC$75) from Marina Chapelín to nearby Cayo Blanco and its idyllic beach. The trip includes an open bar, lobster lunch, two snorkeling stops, live music and hotel transfers. There’s also a shorter CUC$45 catamaran