Cuba's long white beach
Varadero stretches for around 20 km along the Hicacos Peninsula, one long beach of fine white sand and shallow, warm, turquoise water. Most visitors stay in all-inclusive resorts, and the pace is gentle: swimming, snorkelling, catamaran trips to offshore cays and sunset drinks. The Xanadu Mansion, built for the American industrialist Irénée du Pont, is now a clubhouse with a rooftop bar. Havana and the colonial city of Matanzas are within day-trip range for anyone wanting more than the beach.