The sun and beach option in Cuba's leisure industry, a key element in the largest Antillean island's offer for tourism, includes world-famous sites that receive a great deal of vacationers visiting the Caribbean nation every year.

Cuba's privileged geographical location, in a region characterized by warm crystal-clear waters, along with the existence of broad strips of sand, are major attractions from which it is hard to resist when you arrive in the country.

For many vacationers, the world-famous Varadero, in the western Cuban province of Matanzas, is the beach par excellence in the archipelago, despite strong competition from islets in the Jardines del Rey tourist region.

The city of Varadero was founded in 1887, when the first families settled down in the region. The first lodging facility, La Torre, which does not exists anymore, was built in the early 20th century.

Over 24 kilometers of excellent beaches, closely linked to other natural attractions such as caves, virgin keys and transparent waters, are complemented by a strong infrastructure that can satisfy the needs of the most demanding vacationers.

Varadero's seabed is home to more than 40 kinds of corals, hundreds of species of fish, lobsters, shrimps, crabs and turtles, and more than 70 kinds of mollusks.

Marinas such as Chapelin, Puertosol, Dársena de Varadero and Gaviota guarantee excellent conditions and means to go diving, including appropriate boats, trained personnel, diving centers, hyperbaric chambers and means of transport in case of an emergency.

The main diving site in Varadero is known as Hoyo Azul Ojo del Mégano, a huge 70-meter-wide cave that is famous for its underwater walls, coral reefs and schools of multicolored fish.

Nature proudly exhibits more than 300 hectares of Punta de Hicacos, where aboriginal pictographs have been found in the Cueva de Ambrosio, and where the ruins of the Salina La Calavera, the first saltworks to be exploited in America by Spanish colonizers, stand out.

Thousands of rooms for international tourism, run by major foreign companies linked to the leisure industry, are complemented by a broad network of extra-hotel facilities that have expanded along with the increase in the number of vacationers who bet on that tourist destination.

In addition to the sun and beach offer, Varadero also holds the International Parachuting Center and the Varadero Golf Club, the first 18-hole-par-72 professional golf course in Cuba.

The Plaza América Convention Center, with its 600-seat plenary hall and seven additional halls, hosts major international events and meetings, becoming an excellent choice in programs that combine leisure with work in a pleasant and calm atmosphere.

That is why, Varadero is a favorite destination for foreign tourists looking for a wide gamut of options to fill any gap left in their vacation programs.