With 421 air-conditioned guest roomsof which 408 are Junior Suites, 12 suites and 1 Garden Villa, all with a private balcony or terrace, the all inclusive Paradisus Cuba, located on the beautiful Rincon Frances Beach Varadero is ideally positioned for a Cuba family holiday.
This huge luxury hotel does of course contain most of the facilities you would expect for the perfect Cuba family holiday. You will find several restaurants and bars, a beauty salon, and shops. The Leisure facilities include swimming pools, children's pool, fitness centre with gym and sauna and facilities for horse riding, cycling, tennis, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, diving and snorkelling.
The transfers to Varadero and the hotel takes about thirty minutes, and you will find as you arrive the bell boys are extremely quick and efficient with your suitcases. Whilst this is exactly what you would expect from any luxury hotel, somehow they make it seem more special, perhaps that is just Cuba!!
You'll be offered a glass of champagne and told all about the resort, then whisked to your room in a golf cart along with your luggage
One piece of advice before you ever arrive at the Paradisus is to phone and ask for a second floor suite overlooking the beautiful beach. The rooms are a little old fashioned but you'll find a large balcony a decent bathroom, a TV, and a well stocked drinks fridge.
Another tip is to make your restaurant bookings before you arrive. There are four restaurants at the Paradisus that you need bookings for, so get in early!! You can't arrive for dinner in these restaurants and get a table without a reservation. The hotel only seems to employ enough catering staff to cover bookings.
The general buffet restaurant that you don't need a reservation for serves breakfast and lunch as well as dinner.
Overall the standard of the food is good, indeed in many cases better than good, but no more than you should expect in a luxury hotel whether or not it is in Cuba. The way you are looked after by the staff it top class.
It is a good idea to bring little gifts for the room maids, they seem to appreciate this as much as any money.
The Rincon Frances Beach outside the Paradisus Hotel is beautiful, definitely the nices t in the Varadero area, and the beauty of an all inclusive holiday is that watersports are free, and as befits a luxury hotel, there were plenty of sunbeds.
If swimming off the beach isn't for you, then you'll just love the huge pool, which has a shallow end that is great for the children. No shortage of sunbeds, or shady spots and a really nice swim up bar.
Pool is very big and has a decent shallow end for kids which was good for us. Again, tons of sunbeds all around the pool and plenty of shaded areas if you want it. Swim up bar is a must and we met lots of folks there.
The Paradisus has really nice well maintained grounds to walk around in, but one thing to be wary of especially in the evenings is the mosquitos. They are nasty and despite sprays being placed on tables they can force you inside to eat.
Even the plentiful and free good quality alcohol including huge amounts of champagne doesn't seem to deter them!!
You could brush your teeth in champagne , but most guests will use bottled water, although the ice in drinks appears perfectly safe.
If you have children then there is a kids club and a baby cr?che type club which is airconditioned and indoors.
For kids, there is a kids club and a babies club. We used the babies club and it was indoor and air conditioned which was good.
Alcohol is free and plentiful. There are bottles of champagne everywhere. There are bottles outside all of the restaurants when you are going for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The waitresses will just keep topping you up! Its wonderful.
The Luxury Hotel Paradisus Cuba is rated 5 star but this is by Cuban standards. You will have a great time here, but if you are used to European standards, then it wouldn't rate five stars, but for all that it is certainly one of the best hotels in the Caribbean.
To vie other Caribbean hotels and resorts including some you won't have hea of go to http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/categories/Caribbean-Hotel-Hideaways/
There are not many places in the world that can offer what you can find in Cuba. This intriguing Caribbean island is the largest in the Caribbean and has a fantastic geography. Mountains, rivers, lakes, caves, valleys and of course the best beaches in word make its landscape a very enjoyable one. But what Cuba has that makes it really unique its culture, its history, its architecture and of course the fact that it is the only socialist country in Latin America.
If you are considering to just relax for the most part of your holiday and then leave some days to explore what Cuba has to offer in terms of Culture then a twin centre holiday is probably what you are looking for. There are lots of possibilities and I will emphasize in this write up which in my view are the most interesting ones.
Havana and Varadero: Perfect recipe for persons who are not attracted by the idea of having to travel long hours on the road. Located only 80 miles from Havana City, Varadero can be reached in less than 2 hours. Havana, well it will where you will be doing most of your sightseeing, exploring museums, soaking up the atmosphere of the real Cuba, having a drive in a very old American Car, enjoying a Mojito or tasting a nice cigar. Varadero instead will be the place to relax and enjoy its beaches and all inclusive facilities.
Viales and Cayo Cayo Levisa: Both areas are located within Pinar del Rio Province. This suggestion is mainly for those who love to be in direct contact with nature and do not like to stay in huge spoiled all inclusive beach resorts. Pinar del Rio is famous for having the most picturesque landscapes of Cuba. It is also the land for the best tobacco in the world. Cayo Levisa it is a beach location only an hour if not less far from Viales Valley by taxi and to get to almost virgin island you need to get on a boat for about 20 minutes. There are only 42 rooms very basic but with all the facilities that you can expect within your room.
Havana and Cayo Ensenachos: Cayo Ensenachos is located in the very center of the island on the north coast and it is a perfect hide away destination. Its hotel, the only one in this tiny island is by far the most luxurious hotel in a beach location in Cuba. To get there options are, you take a taxi for about 5 hours or you take a flight for 50 minutes both from Havana.
There are of course more options and if you are interested in knowing more about Cuba you can always get in touch. I love to share my experiences in Cuba with the readers
Both Peter R Stewart & Jose Mauricio are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.