Cuba - Lonely Planet [194]
Club Mambo (Map; 66-86-65; Av Las Américas; open bar, admission CUC$10; 10am-2am Mon-Fri, 10am-3am Sat & Sun) Cuba’s ’50s mambo craze lives on at this quality live music venue – arguably one of Varadero’s hippest and best. Situated next to Club Amigo Varadero in the eastern part of town, the CUC$10 entry includes all your drinks. A DJ spins when the band takes a break, but this place is all about live music. There’s a pool table if you don’t feel like dancing.
There are other options, though they’re often more international disco than Cuban:
Disco La Red (Map; 61-31-30; Av 3 btwn Calles 29 & 30; admission CUC$1; from 11pm) When people actually turn out, good local atmosphere is to be had at this place.
Discoteca El Eclipse (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 17) On the 14th floor at Hotel Sunbeach.
Discoteca La Pachanga (Map; 61-45-71; cnr Av 1 & Calle 13; 11pm-3am) This disco at Hotel Acuazul is one of Varadero’s hottest clubs.
La Descarga Karaoke Bar (Map; admission CUC$3; 10pm-5am) You can check the mic, one, two, at this karaoke place in the strip mall next to the Hotel Kawama.
CABARET
Cabaret Anfiteatro Varadero (Map; 61-99-38; cnr Vía Blanca & Carretera Sur) Just west of the bridge into Varadero, this cabaret has a gala open-air floor show similar to that of the Tropicana. Used mostly for special occasions, it doesn’t open every week.
Hotel Kawama (Map; Calle 0; admission incl 2 drinks CUC$5; 11pm nightly except Sun) A cabaret show happens on a stage below the restaurant at Hotel Kawama.
Cabaret Mediterráneo (Islazul; Map; 61-24-60; cnr Av 1 & Calle 54; admission CUC$10; doors 8:30pm, show 10pm) A professional two-hour show in an open-air location beneath thatched roofs nightly at 10pm. On a good night, it’s worth the money.
Cabaret Continental (Map; Av Las Américas; admission incl drink CUC$35; show 10pm) There’s a coolness to the kitsch at the retro Hotel Internacional, which stages a shamelessly over-the-top Tropicana-style floor show (Tuesday to Sunday) that is, arguably, second only to ‘the one’ (in Havana). Book dinner at 8pm, catch the singers and dancers strutting their stuff, and stay after midnight for the tie-loosening disco. Enquire at your hotel tour desk about advance bookings. This place is popular.
Habana Café (Map; Av Las Américas; admission CUC$10; 9pm-2am) Done up like Planet Hollywood meets the Tropicana, this place has a talented floor show followed by disco dancing. Expect the 35 plus set and a preponderance of guayabera shirts.
Cabaret Cueva del Pirata (Map; 66-77-51; Autopista Sur; open bar CUC$10; 10pm-3am except Sun) A kilometer east of the Hotel Sol Elite Palmeras, Cabaret Cueva del Pirata presents scantily clad dancers in a Cuban-style floor show with a buccaneer twist (eye patches, swashbuckling moves etc). This cabaret is inside a natural cave and once the show is over, the disco begins. Most hotel tour desks can arrange return hotel transfers. It’s a popular place, attracting a young crowd.
Shopping
Parque de las 8000 Taquillas has been the recipient of an extensive remodeling with a new mall tucked under a reborn (and plusher) Coppelia. Called the Centro Comercial Hicacos (Map; 10am-10pm), there are a variety of shops here including souvenirs, cigars and photo developing, and an Infotur office. The open-air artisans’ market that once stood here has been reborn further down Av 1 as the Gran Parque de la Artesanía (Map; Av 1 btwn Calles 15 & 16). There’s a smaller handicraft market at Av 1 between Calles 51 and 52.
Casa de las Américas (Map; cnr Av 1 & Calle 59) A retail outlet of the famous Havana cultural institution, this place sells CDs, books and art, and is one of the few places in the country where a (very) old copy of Lonely Planet’s Cuba guide has been spotted on sale.
Casa del Habano Av de la Playa btwn Calles 31 & 32 (Map; 9am-6pm); cnr Av 1 & Calle 63 (Map; 66-78-43; 9am-7pm) The place for cigars: it has top-quality merchandise and helpful service.
Galería de Arte Varadero (Map;