Cuba's beach options, which include places that meet the needs of the most demanding vacationers, have their most famous stronghold in the coastal resort of Varadero, which has strong competitors that are gaining grounds in the island's leisure industry, such as Santa Lucía Beach, in the eastern region.

The warm climate of the largest Antillean island, with moderate winters and very hot summers, turns a pleasant dive in one of Cuba's many beaches into a need.

Despite the well-deserved fame of Varadero, an increasing number of vacationers search for alternative places such as Santa Lucía, in the eastern province of Camagüey, which has become a perfect combination of sun, sand, saltpeter and crystal-clear waters.

Santa Lucía boasts more than 20 kilometers of beaches, turned into a perfect natural swimming pool surrounded by the country's largest coral reef, which is 200 meters from the coast.

The coral reef, which runs parallel to the coasts of the keys Sabinal, Guajaba, Cruz and Romano, shows a continuous line of foam and protects the diverse marine fauna of the region, which is inhabited by 200 species of sponges, 500 species of tropical fish and 50 species of corals, including black corals and the famous "Elkhorn" and "Bride's Bouquet".

Exciting trips on sailboats and landing in virgin keys, whose ancestral inhabitants - iguanas, pink flamingos, migratory birds and a large coastal fauna - cause great admiration among visitors, are an invitation to love that heavenly area of the Cuban universe.

Santa Lucía is also an excellent place for diving, with 35 diving spots, including the remains of 27 sunken ships. Some are from the period when America's gold was taken to Spain and some others ended in the bottom of the sea during World War II.

Beach options in Santa Lucía are complemented by other optional activities, including excursions to the Cubitas Mountain Range, inhabited by more than 300 species of Cuban plants, or the industrial city of Nuevitas, which is the closest urban settlement.

The Cubitas Mountain Range, which is 260 kilometers long, boasts hundreds of underground formations of great speleological value, aboriginal pictographs and many geographical accidents, becoming a perfect combination for adventure and nature lovers.

In addition to excellent lodging facilities run by Cubanacán S.A., vacationers can enjoy a wide gamut of nautical activities, including marine excursions, trips on catamaran, seafaris, fishing and diving.

Santa Lucía also benefits from its closeness to Cayo Sabinal - the fourth largest islet in the Cuban archipelago - and its autochthonous flora and fauna that include deer, wild horses, reptiles and bees.

For all this, Santa Lucía Beach, also known as the hidden Eden, irradiates all its attractiveness to meet the growing demand of thousands of vacationers who choose this popular coastal resort as a safe haven for leisure.