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Writer's picturePassion Varadero

Unusual facts about Varadero

1- Aborigines in Varadero :

72 pictograms found in the Cueva de Ambrosio and in the Cueva de los Muslimes testified to the presence of aborigines in Varadero during the pre-Columbian period and the arrival of the conquistadors in 1492.


2- One of the oldest trees in Cuba is located in Varadero :

Known as "El Patriarca", it is a cactus approximately 500 years old and almost 7 meters high, it is located in the Varahicacos Nature Reserve in the center of the peninsula.


3- Ten families founded the commune in 1883 :

Since the mid-1800s, attempts have been made repeatedly to build a farm on the beautiful beach, but mosquitoes, midges and storms have frustrated all initiatives. It was only in 1883 that ten families decided to build and settle in this corner of paradise at all costs.



4- Varadero was initially sold at 0.04 cents per square meter :

At the end of the 1920s, the North American businessman Irene Dupont, a famous chemist and dynamite expert, purchased 512 hectares of Varadero territory for 0.04 cents per square meter, almost half of its entirety, from 54 to Cueva del Pirata. Subsequently, Dupont sold the plots for between 20 and 100 pesos per square meter, reaping an average profit of between 50,000 and 250,000 percent.



5- Xanadú Mansion (Casa Dupont) the most luxurious built in Varadero :

With an initial investment of $400,000 to start the work and another $200,000 for furniture and luxurious decorations, in 1928 this was only the initial cost of the imposing building constructed at the highest point of Varadero by millionaire Irenes Dupont, which in turn urbanized a large part of the peninsula.



6- The first official Cuban rowing regatta took place in Varadero more than a century ago :

It took place on July 31, 1910, since then every year this event has been repeated, bringing together the most outstanding athletes of this discipline from all over the country.



7- A love story named after “Josone Park” :

The product of the union of the names José and Onelia, who were the former owners of this residence, gave birth to "JOSONE".

José Fermín Iturrioz was a wealthy businessman, director of the famous Arrechabala rum factory, and Onelia was his wife.



8- The Varadero bridge, an obligatory passage :

Did you know that the only access to Varadero by land is via a tilt bridge? This important work, essential until today to connect the peninsula to the rest of the island, was inaugurated in 1956 by Fulgencio Batista, then President of the Republic.



9- Varadero is the closest point to the United States :

From Hicacos Point, we count the exact 90 miles that separate Cuba from Florida, inexorably crossed by the currents of the Gulf of Mexico.



10- Golf in Varadero :

Nearby Casa Dupont and the Meliá Las Américas Hotel is the Varadero Golf Club, the first and one of two existing professional golf courses on the island. It has 18 holes and is considered one of the best courses in the Caribbean.



11- Varadero International Song Festival :

Varadero was home to a world-renowned music festival for 20 years. Between 1967 and 1987, many national and international music stars graced the stages of Varadero, placing the station at the center of attention on the music scene with each edition.



12- Varadero before and after 1980 :

In 1980, a strong tornado completely changed the appearance of Varadero, toppling much of the casuarina trees that lined almost the entire beach and southern coast. From then on, the entire area was repopulated with coconut trees and bay grapes, plants that were also part of the local ecosystem but more resistant to the different weather phenomena that could affect the region.



13- Tourism development on the front line :

Varadero has one of the largest hotel infrastructures in the Caribbean. Two to 5 star hotels with services ranging from room only to all inclusive and luxury resorts perfectly integrated into the natural landscape and a few meters from the beach.



14- Plaza América, an ideal place to combine work and relaxation :

In Varadero there is a convention and convention center with a plenary hall for 600 people and seven additional rooms. It is located on Las Américas beach near the Meliá Varadero hotel.







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