Where is the best beach retreat to head to in Cuba?

Simon Calder answers your questions on getaways to Varadero and Rome, the state of the TransPennine Express and whether it’s possible to bag an easyJet bargain

Varadero delivers and is also easy to build into a tour of the island (iStock)

Q Can you recommend a Cuban beach? I’m hoping to go there independently in November and want to find the best.

Jane W

A Mass tourism to Cuba began at Varadero – on a peninsula poking out into the Atlantic about two hours east of Havana and, conveniently, less than 100 miles south of the Florida Keys. Americans stopped going to Cuba in large numbers in the late 1950s, during and after the revolution on the island. But Varadero has remained central to Cuban tourism and is still by far the biggest resort. For classic sand, and a backdrop of plenty of activities with good excursions on offer, Varadero delivers; it is also easy to build into a tour of the island. The other north-coast beaches, notably Cayo Coco and Guadalavaca, are less appealing – but at the far west, Santa Lucia and Cayo Jutias are lovely with hardly any tourists.