Varadero Opens One of the Largest Marinas in the Caribbean
HAVANA TIMES – The Melia Varadero Marina Hotel, with 1,200 berths for yachts, began its operations on Thursday in the largest resort in Cuba, north of the province of Matanzas, reported Prensa Latina.
The all-inclusive five-star facility, opened with 198 rooms all occupied by Cubans, of a total of 423. Through the remainder of August the hotel already has over 3,000 guests with confirmed reservations.
Specialists claimed that this marina, fruit of the joint venture between the local Gaviotas company and the Spanish Melia chain, is one of the largest in the Caribbean area and can dock small, medium and large size boats.
Quite simply because none of these other regimes maintain a highly-organized and well-funded anti-regime lobby. None of these other regimes elect US Senators and Congressman who chair powerful committees and, heretofore, none of these regimes have controlled the electoral votes or arguably the most powerful swing state in the country.
The USA quite happily supports, let alone trades with, all sorts of repressive regimes in the world. Why do you think that it singles out Cuba for the embargo treatment?
Most of the marinas in the tourist areas are very busy. If anything, the opposite is the problem: not enough boats available to for rent/charter for the number of people looking, and not enough stalls to dock the number of boats that are in the area. More often than not, once a boat has dropped off its passengers, it has to go back out and anchor to leave room for the next one.
What is it that Melia is wrong about? Cuba’s tourism continues to increase year over year. The more facilities they build, the more people come to fill them. The biggest problem Cuba has in this regard is finding enough local people to staff them.
Que? I have lived in Cuba and my wife and I visit her family in Guantanamo at least twice a year. BTW, I am an African-American which sort of makes me an expert on racist white people.
How would you know you have never lived here or known what it is like to live here under racist white people
Not counting the marinas in the Bahamas, the marinas in St. Thomas USVI, Georgetown, Barbados, Trinidad, Port-au-Prince, San Juan and a couple others, the Varadero marina is among the largest. What a load of crap! Like the Port of Mariel, Cuba is betting on the embargo being lifted soon. Well, actually, their joint venture partner is the one actually putting up the bet money. Still, like with the 10 million ton harvest, the super cow, and most recently, the glass of milk on every table, the Castros are wrong again. As long as Alan Gross rots away in a Cuban gulag and a Castro is calling the shots, there will be a US embargo.
Where are the yachts coming from, Canada? I’ve seen some pretty empty marinas in Cuba whereas the marinas in Nassau are packed full, all Americans no doubt. They must be hoping for a further lessening of the “blockade.” Until there is a change of regime I can’t see much of that happening anytime soon.
What a grand facility for Cuba, you should be very proud.