One of the Sirenis La Salina's three story buildings.

I’ve been meaning to write this entry for a while but got caught up doing winter related things.

But I needed a break from the cold so it’s a perfect time to reflect on my recent trip to Varadero, Cuba. More specifically reflect on the resort I stayed at.

That resort was the Sirenis La Salina.

The Sirenis La Salina is a beachfront, four-star resort which features over 1000 rooms, but you’d never know there were that many rooms based on the layout.

The Sirenis sits on a big piece of property and the rooms are in a series of three story buildings which stretch from the lobby to the beach.

I was lucky, my room was near the beach and had a partial oceanview and it was only a 10 minute walk to the lobby and buffet (I do walk REALLY fast though).

The grounds are expansive but the walk is pleasant and lined with statues but if you really don’t feel like making it there are golf carts on site.

I won’t go into detail about the beach because I’m sure you already know about Varadero’s beaches, they’re fantatsic.

The rooms at the Sirenis are spacious with big bathrooms and each have a balcony or terrace.

Aside from the buffet the resort has seven a la carte restaurants including Japanese, Italian, Mediterranean, gourmet, Creole, a steakhouse and Mexican.

I only went to one a la carte, and I can’t remember which one, but the food was essentially the same as it was at the buffet but the ambiance was pleasant.

The food in Cuba doesn’t come from the same places as it does in other Caribbean countries due to the longstanding trade embargo the United States has imposed over Cuba which means that the resorts can’t buy food from America.

A towel octopus compliments of the cleaning staff.

But wherever they get their food from it’s still tasty.

However on my next trip to Cuba I will take two things with me: ketchup and syrup.

The ketchup in Cuba tasted different and I was hard pressed to find syrup for my french toast.

The resort has two pools, one quiet the other active where members of the entertainment staff will play games with the guests.

At night the entertainment staff hit the stage for performances. There are seven different shows so you’ll never see the same thing in a week.

Make sure you check out the aquatic show that they perform in the activity pool, it’s amazing what they can do in only four feet of water.

After the shows are over you can head to the dance club across from the theatre and party into the morning.

But the most wonderful part of the resort is the staff.

I met many guests there that come back to the resort over and over again and have become friends with staff members and it’s easy to see how.

The staff treat the guests like family.

The island nation will welcome several new five-star properties in the coming year giving travellers even more choice when visiting the tourist hotspot.

In Varadero the Ocean Varadero Aqua will open in the summer of 2012,  in Santa Maria the new Sirenis Cayo Santa Maria Beach Resort is planned to open on Christmas Eve while in Cayo Coco the new Hotel Memories Flamenco will open in January.

On a related note I’m off to Varadero for a week and will report on all the happenings there on my return.

(TravelInfo.ca)