Varadero: the biggest concentration
Varadero, on the Hicacos Peninsula, is the largest and most developed beach resort area in the country. Its long strip of pale sand is backed by a dense line of hotels and services, which means the widest choice of accommodation and the most self-contained beach experience Cuba offers. For travellers who want everything in one place, close to a major beach, Varadero is the most obvious base.
The scale of Varadero is its defining feature. Because so many resorts share the same continuous beach, it concentrates services, water sports and dining along one accessible strip, making it a natural first choice for a resort-style holiday.
The cays: Jardines del Rey and Villa Clara
The offshore cays are the other great hub of Cuba's resort beaches. In the Jardines del Rey, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo carry resorts along some of the country's most photogenic shallows, reached by causeway from the mainland. Further west, Cayo Santa Maria anchors the Villa Clara cays, a newer cluster of resorts on brilliant white sand.
These cays package the classic Caribbean look of white sand and shallow turquoise water within resort settings. They suit travellers who want that postcard scenery with the convenience of a beachfront base, and who do not mind the longer transfers that reaching the cays can involve.
Holguin and choosing a region
In the east, the Holguin coast offers a greener, more sheltered resort setting around Guardalavaca, Playa Esmeralda and Playa Pesquero. The coves here feel more intimate than the open cays and appeal to visitors who want scenery as well as sand. Elsewhere, beaches such as Playa Santa Lucia in Camaguey add further resort options along the coast.
Choosing between these regions comes down to the atmosphere you want: the busy, all-in-one strip of Varadero, the flat white-sand glamour of the cays, or the green, sheltered coves of Holguin. Whatever you pick, the dry winter season from November to April brings the calmest seas and most reliable weather, while the June to November hurricane season can be more unsettled, so the drier months are the safest bet for a resort beach holiday. This guide sells nothing and quotes no prices; it simply points you to where the beaches are and how the main resort regions differ, leaving the specifics of booking to you.