“This is just… so heavenly,” Sue yawned and stretched herself on the beach. This was our second morning in the Cuban resort haven, Varadero. The beach was next to the Sol Elite Palmeras, one of the four star luxury beach hotels, actually a sprawling bungalow with nice restaurants, bars and a pool. I personally thought that the Cuban resort town was a little too ‘touristy’, if you know what I mean.
Sue wanted to visit the Santa Elvira Church in the afternoon so that’s where we went. While I had seen other cathedrals and churches that are truly beautiful but I still loved the rural, rustic appeal of the thick, stone-walled edifice resting on chunky beams with double windows and doors.
Sue clicked a lot of photographs while I contented myself with taking a stroll, talking to the locals in broken Spanish and taking in the quiet surroundings. It got late by the time we got back to the hotel. Sue wandered off by herself as she wanted to take a swim in the pool. Crazy girl! I went to the bar and poured out a drink for myself. Later we had dinner together in the room.
The next morning we set off early to view the archaeological site around Ambrosio’s cave where runaway slaves were known to seek refuge during the colonial era. With an entrance fee of three pesos we got an insight into ancient Indian rituals and customs. I particularly loved the large collection of pictographs of the time.
On our last day we decided to go shopping for gifts and souvenirs. One of the hotel guests had recommended visiting the downtown area as opposed to shopping around in the hotel complex. We made a beeline for the local craft market which kept us fascinated for hours as we picked out wood carvings, exotic necklaces, T-shirts, etc.
On our last evening we had a buffet dinner at the hotel where we sampled various pastas, breads, and pastries.
Our stay in Varadero was short but sweet. Definitely worth re-visiting.
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