We had planned to start our trip in varadero, spend a couple days exploring and figuring the place out, before carrying on the to the next adventure. It wasnt until just before we left canada that we realized the Casa Particular, Hotel Escalona, we booked with on Airbnb was not in Varadero, but in a small town outside of Varadero. This ended up being an amazing oppsie, because we met Pedro and his wife, whom were amazing people and super helpful to us, as well Boca de Camarioca was an excellent first experience of cuba.
The first night we were there we walked to a restaurant and had a snack and a drink before walking down to the beach. The next day we caught the bus that takes you into Varadero for $0.10 CUC (US) a person and is approximately ten minutes of travel. Its also really easy and cheap to catch the bus going the other direction to Mantzanas for $0.20 a person and is closer to 30 min on a bus.
The room was clean and comfy. There was a main area with a couch and chair as well as a dining room table and chairs.
The bathroom was standard and bedroom had a double and single bed.
We opted to have breakfast at the casa and it cost 5CUC each per day, pay at the end of your stay. The breakfast was excellent and I would definitely recommend it. While you could make something for yourself much cheaper, you won’t get the quality and it was excellent to keep you full through most of the day and adventures. I now make that breakfast for myself everyday.
The balcony was beautifully appointed with cast iron furniture and the view was great. I especially loved all the greenery, they has tons of plants and cacti all over the place.