Eden is in the Caribbean
An unrivaled world attraction at its best is what Cuba's Varadero is all about, and its beach is one of the treasures that has helped put this place on the map. With a 15-mile-long strip of powder-thin sand that borders the whole Hicacos Peninsula, its crystal-clear waters caress the skin of swimmers and invite scuba diving buffs to scour the sea bottom. A new world of sensations opens up before your very eyes. There's no doubt this beach is a real-life paradise that through the years has garnered the tag of one of the most gorgeous and sought-after shorelines under the sun.
“I've had the delightful experience of feeling the caressing waves of that blue and calm sea, and that sand that only seems to slightly touch your bare skin. I've been able to gaze at a sunset together with my lover and live the hottest times in this paradise-like place,” said a tourist after spending a few days in Varadero where he enjoyed its coveted beach.
There are other sightseeing sites in Varadero where the magic of nature –in perfect harmony with the artistic and creative sense of the human work- has spawned some wonders that show themselves off with proud for all the world to see. Some of those buildings and spaces deserve to be mentioned in this category. A case in point is the Varadero Golf Club, Cuba's only 18-hole golf course and of the most beautiful and technically fittest field in the entire Caribbean.
Perched atop a cliff and hedged with tropical gardens, this used to be U.S. multimillionaire Irenee Dupont de Nemours' residence, now dubbed the Xanadu Mansion. This is a true architectural gem we're talking about, featuring the original furniture and objects of the times when the well-to-do family used to live there, as well as the fairy-tale ambience of distinction and exclusiveness that has traditionally marked this house.
Another space worth joining this category for its ecological values is the Varahicacos Ecological Reserve, swarming with different trails, caves –like Ambrosia's Cave, featuring a grand total of 72 pictographs that rank as the largest sample of this kind in the insular Caribbean, as well as a superb variety of endemic species from the local flora and wildlife.
In a word, Varadero could well fit in the category of marvelous natural, historic and heritage values. But we've saved the next lines to talk about what we consider it's one of the premiere spots around: The Josone Park.
Where the landscape melts into poetry The Josone Park
The Josone Park comprises the enjoyment of sensations you've never felt before. The whole picture seems to jump out of a successful canvass painting or a postcard to goad the imagination of both artists and poets.
Functionally speaking, the Josone Park is a place for spiritual fun and entertainment, a gourmet compound that relies on such restaurants as the Dante (Italian food) and El Retiro, specialized in international cuisine. The former appears to pop up from the bottom of the lake among exotic flowers, geese and small rowing boats; the latter –tricked out with stylish furniture and objects- is the fancy restaurant you wantyou're your special occasions. Beyond this setting and hubbed in an ideal location for intimate or business chats, La Campana stands tall with its offer of tasty Cuban food.
The park is carpeted with a vast and green lawn where people hold dinners, weddings and a variety of shows and working events as they listen to the music of Cuba's top acts and bands. They are indeed perfect spots where the ambience and the most exquisite and professional service are right at your beck and call. Two latest additions to the park are the Wine Cave, embracing a great variety of top-brand wines and serving brochettes, a traditional Neapolitan dish that ranks as the specialty of the house. Not far from there, you'll hit upon El Rancho, a restaurant specialized in paellas and seafood. Now listen to this: all of the above gourmet offers could be rendered meaningless if they were not enveloped by this dazzling environment.
The so-called Lake of Peace is the centerpiece of this paradise. There are gorgeous flowers, plants and exotic animals in the surroundings, small boats sailing down the waters and picture-perfect little wooden bridges, wonderful fountains, marble staircases, rhinestone gazebos, the emblematic bell and, above all this, its measureless and fine-looking greenish lawns. This is the right place for a stressed-out workaholic to doze off, to come into his most spiritual senses. A place whose conception and origin, as in any other human work, makes love the cornerstone of the creation.
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