We stayed last July at the Barcelo Solymar booked through Eclipse (First Choice). The hotel is more or less at the end of the strip of hotels and it is claimed by the tour operator to be the nearest one to Varedero and it only takes 5 minutes to walk there. The beach is lovely and the food in the hotel is quite good. If you are interested I put a review on the Hotel Forum lots of people rate it but Varedero wasn't really our 'cup of tea' as we preferred the Holguin area. Hope you find what you are looking for and enjoy your holiday.

Reviews for the Barcelo Solymar and other hotels http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/caribbean/cuba/varadero/

Pippy

Thank you for that. We have never been to Cuba before but we are into Salsa dancing so we want to go somewhere that's near to a village or town, not just a holiday complex. Would you say Varadero would be ok or would you recommend somewhere else?

Hi,

Are you going specifically to Cuba because you want to dance salsa or is just that you want to go on a beach holiday and be able to experience the local dance scene on a couple of evenings? If it's the former then I would suggest that you seriously consider going on a specialist dance holiday, if the latter then bear in mind that most of the tourist resorts like Varadero can be fairly isolated from the local cultural and dance scene and you won't get much chance to dance with the locals. If you are really into salsa and that is your main reason for going to Cuba then you might be better off basing yourself away from the big tourist resorts.

Wherever you go you'll stand a good chance of catching some of the big names playing live at the Casa de la Musica (there's one in every town of any size) but they're very nightclubby and the only Cubans who can afford to go there will most probably have had their entrance fee paid by a tourist. So if you want to dance with the locals either be prepared to pay for a dance partner to get in or accept that you'll be dancing with each other most of the night. If you want to dance with Cubans and experience the real atmosphere you need to get well away from the tourist haunts, which isn't always easy, and head for the smaller bars and in particular it's often a good idea to head for the places that do 'matinees' - the Cuban version of a tea dance! It's where the locals head for after work and/or during the siesta time. They're cheaper to get into, there'll still be live music and you'll get a better feel for the local atmosphere than you will at a bar catering for the tourists. The best dancing I had in Havana was at the Casa de la Cultura in Havana Viejo - a fairly run down arts/community centre with disgusting loos, questionable ice for the drinks (the barman just hacked it off a huge lump sat in tin bucket!) but a brilliant band, some great local dancers and all for 3CUCs entrance fee. Far better than either of the Casa de la Musicas in the Havana area or any of the hotels or tourist bars.

Incidentally do you dance Cuban style salsa or LA/Cross Body? The latter is rarely danced in Cuba and if that is the style you are used to it would be a good investment to take a few lessons in Cuban salsa and son whilst you are there. The locals will be fascinated watching you dance LA but you might struggle with dancing with the locals is you haven't done any Cuban salsa before. Or perhaps I'm teaching granny how to suck eggs here

SM

Thank you so much for that most informative reply! We don't want to go on a 'dance' holiday as we think it would be too intensive, we just want to be able to salsa in the evenings if possible - somewhere where it is the 'norm'., and we are quite happy to dance just with each other as we are man and wife!
We have found places in Spain but they are few and far between and if salsa music is played in the hotel, we find ourselves being the cabaret!! (Not what we intended)
We dance New York style as we preferred it to the Cuban style when we were learning.

From what you have said, I think Havana would probably be the best place to be based but I don't think I want to be there for a fortnight and Cuba is too far to go for a week - especially as I hate flying and am already rather dubious about a 10/11 hour flight!
We might have to re-think this holiday and find somewhere in Europe that's salsa friendly.
Thank you again for all that info.

Hi again!

Actually, unless you are on a dance holiday, then Havana isn't necessarily the bst place for salsa! Post Buena Vista Social Club you'll find that Havana is infested with mediocre bands doing cover versions of the classic Son tracks from the album and film. Great if you are a Son fan but not if you are in NY/Mambo dance styles. Also, Havana venues are extortionately priced for tourists and whilst I find it great - I can see bands there that would cost me twice the price to see on their European tours - but it's not a bonus for people who are into Cuban music. Compared to elsewhere in Cuba I found that it can actually be difficult to find places to salsa in Havana unless you've got inside info. I remember one night especially where we spent a fortune in taxis chasing from one venue to the next to try and find somewhere decent for dancing.

As you dance 'on 2' then you would probably find the local style will be easier to pick-up than it is for LA style dancers. But, even so. if you're not fans of Cuban style salsa then Cuba isn't a good destination because it's not just that few people other than tourists dance anything other than Cuban style, but they also tend to play very Cuban music, even DJs, which a lot of NY or LA style dancers find difficult because the percussion line is often more complex - there's not necessarily the strong beat that's found in other salsa music - and of course a lot of it isn't salsa anyway but is either Son and intended for 'contre tiempo' dance styles or is heavily reggieton influenced.

RE Spain you might find it easier to find what you're looking for away from the coast, or at least especially away from resorts that are popular with British visitors. Granada, for example, has a great and eclectic salsa scene, including the only club I've ever seen to feature latin line dancing! You could go out to a different bar or club every night if you wanted especially during the university term time. Or alternatively, what about Florida? After all, NY and LA is how salsa developed amongst the Cuban expats in the USA and you'll find a higher concentration of them in Miami than you will anywhere else. If you dance NY style then there's good chance you're dancing to music mainly from the USA, Columbia or the Dominican Republic, so why not think about going where your favorite music comes from? Pick a band and pick a holiday destination at the same time! You're almost guaranteed then to not only find a lively local scene but also plenty of dancers who dance in the style you like and even if you are a husband and wife, dancing with locals will give you so many style tips and ideas for new moves etc that it's an opporunity not to be missed.

I love going to Cuba but it's because I love Cuban music and dancing - whether it's Salsa, Son, Bolero, Chacha Cha, Cuban Rumba or Rueda - but if you prefer other dance styles and want to be able to go out dancing at night then it's possibly not the ideal destination for you. This is especially so these days if you are very much into just Salsa rather than latin dancing as a whole because you'll find that bands will often play a mixture, including Merengue and Bachata with even some Cumbia thrown in to the mix too at times. West African influenced Afro-Cuban music is enjoying quite renaissance to at the moment.

SM
(signing off before you decide that she's just too much a Salsa nerd!)

Brilliant info! Thank you soooooo much