Once inside, there is little incentive to leave, as the fees cover all food, beverages and most activities during your stay. The typical luxury hotel in eastern Varadero offers amenities similar to other Caribbean resorts. The rooms are air-conditioned and comfortably furnished in wicker and tile, with cable televisions and abundant hot water in marble bathrooms. Swimming choices include large, palm-shaded pools. Lessons and equipment for boating, snorkeling, diving and other sports are available.
Gift shops offer the usual trinkets, but also fine jewelry and Cuban cigars.
These resorts are comfortable places with friendly service and natural beauty. Xanadu, the mansion built by the Du Pont family in the 1920s. It's hard to visualize the house's inhabitants in bathing suits. The top-floor bar offers long views, tasty cocktails and a dance band. It's the closest you can get to the decadent luxury of the days prior to the revolution.