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Barceló Cayo Santa Maria |
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Cayo Santa María, Caibarién, Villa Clara.
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| Cuba , the largest island in the Caribbean, boasts innumerable attractions: not just its beaches and scenery but also a rich history, a fascinating culture and the warmth of its people. |
| Formed by over 4,000 keys, islets and islands, Cuba covers 110,922 square kilometers of terrain, encompassing luxuriant vegetation with a huge variety of flora and fauna, virgin islands, grottoes, caves, mountains, forests and over 280 beaches. |
| A veritable paradise in the very heart of the Caribbean, whose capital, Havana, was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1982 in recognition of its concentration of historic buildings. | |
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View Larger Map |
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| A delightful string of islets winds its way through a sea of stunning greens and blues in the northeast of the central Villa Clara province, very close to the world’s second largest coral reef. The Villa Clara Los Cayos refuge for fauna covers some 77,844 hectares, which are also home to 248 species of plants. The jewels in its crown are the Las Brujas, Ensenachos and Santa María keys, idyllic pairs of stunning virginal landscapes, where the indigenous vegetation gives way to fine sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters. | |
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 The Ecological Reserve. A Natural and Theme Park displaying the diversity of Cuban nature. |
| Josone Park.With a beautiful natural lake in its interior and some superb restaurants. |
| Varadero Museum. Some lovely examples of indigenous fish and snails. |
| The "Blue Hole" of Ojo del Mégano. An underwater cave some 70 meters in diameter which is home to numerous coral reefs and huge shoals of multicolored fish. |
| Punta de Hicacos. This natural area of over 300 hectares houses several aboriginal pictographs in the Ambrosio Cave as well as the historic ruins of the ancient Salina de la Calavera saltworks. |
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| Cuban cuisine is a result of the Spanish and African influences on the country throughout its history. It is mainly based around pork, rice, legumes, vegetables and fruit and, thanks to the wealth of its coastline, fish and shellfish are never far from the table. |
| Some of the most popular culinary specialties are "Moors and Christians" (Moros y Cristianos), a mixture of white rice and black beans, roast pork; "Ropa Vieja" (literally old clothes, actually shredded beef), yucca, "Vianda frita" (fried marinated beef) and lobster enchilada. |
| Two outstanding drink options are the Mojito and the Daiquiri, cocktails based on Cuban rum, the national drink of Cuba. |
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| Highlights of Cuban craftsmanship include articles made from leather, vegetable fibers, wood, stone, metal and coal as well as traditional clothing such as Cuban hats and "guayaberas", beautifully cool, comfortable shirts made from pure linen, and select Cuban tobacco products such as Havana cigars. |
| There are nine shopping centers in Varadero where beautiful examples of Cuban craftsmanship can be found as well as delicious local produce. They are generally open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
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| Time Zone: UTC - 5. |
| Official currency: Euros and convertible Cuban pesos. |
| Health information: No vaccinations are necessary for travel to Cuba. |
| Population: Aproximately 11 millions innabitants.. |
| Electricity: The voltage is 220 V. Electrical plugs have 3 pins. |
| Payment methods: Payment is accepted either in cash, travelers' checks or credit cards (VISA or Master Card, etc.). A commission of 3% is charged on all credit-card transactions. |
| Banking hours: Banks are usually open between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. |
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