Inside the stunning resort once home to Al Capone, where A-listers flock to its gorgeous beaches and first class hotels

WHEN you think of Cuba, what springs to mind is the stately, if often crumbling, capital city Havana and its classic cars.

But for me, one of its biggest attractions is its premier beach resort Varadero, located on the island’s north coast.

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There I found an uninterrupted stretch of the most glorious soft white sands anywhere in the world — my own little personal piece of paradise — well at least for a week or so.

You will also find, should you care to explore a little, a house linked to a certain Al Capone.

I’ve never really thought I had much in common with the gun-toting gangster, other, perhaps, than a reluctance to pay tax.

But on my visit to Varadero I imagined there might be some other shared interests.

Enjoying glorious views of shimmering warm tropical waters, for one.

And enjoying a setting that is, by any standard, sheer paradise — on a 12-mile peninsula that cuts north into the Florida Straits.

The mobster’s prohibition-era residence is now one of the area’s best restaurants. And well worth a visit.

Yes, the myth around its connection to Capone is a little hazy — much like his payments to the IRS.

Still, Varadero isn’t mobsters and machine guns these days — as far as I know, anyway.

The resort is two hours from Havana, but it has its own international airport and an array of stylish hotels.

Iberostar, the classy Spanish hotel chain, runs many of the best hotels on the island.

And the five-star all-inclusive Iberostar Varadero, where I stayed, is the perfect spot to unwind, relax and enjoy the charming colonial-style accommodation and top-notch service.

It caters for frazzled parents — with water parks, four outdoor pools (one just for kids), many interlocking rooms and camps to keep those pesky youngsters entertained.

There are 386 generous rooms across 11 low-rise buildings. And the vibrant Caribbean colours will get you instantly into beach mode.

The hotel is fringed by lush greenery on three sides. The fourth is, of course, is that long, glorious, sun-baked beach.

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If you’re feeling energetic, the hotel has a host of sports to enjoy on-site such as archery, basketball, beach volleyball, tennis, yoga and aerobics.

There are also dance classes to get in the swing of that Cuban rhythm.

Moreover, there’s a scuba- diving centre, a watersports kiosk with kayaks, paddle boards and pedalos. Skippered catamaran trips leave at regular intervals, too.

And for some pampering, there’s a cosy adults-only spa tucked away on-site.

Meanwhile, should you be hankering after some golf in a rather more exotic setting than Scotland there’s Cuba’s only 18-hole course nearby.

The hotel, as you’d expect, has an array of mouth-watering food options with the richest Cuban and international cuisine. You’re quite literally spoiled for choice.

There’s the a la carte La Dorada restaurant for fine Mediterranean food with a touch of fusion. Or El Bosque Gourmet Restaurant for finely cooked international cuisine — again a la carte.

There’s also the Manzoku restaurant for Asian-themed dining and the best sushi in Varadero. Not to forget the Ambrosio buffet restaurant for a dizzyingly varied selection of Cuban and international dishes.

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As if that weren’t enough there’s El Bohio pool restaurant for a burger or pizza after splashing around in the water — plus La Perla aqua bar in the middle of the pool for drinks.

There’s also the beach snack bar for a refreshing mojito. And, given that music is such an iconic part of the Cuban identity and culture, why not get into the groove at Gaz 53 nightclub to end the night in style?

The next morning you can kick off with some invigorating Cuban coffee at the lobby bar Los Arcos — or puff away on a famous Havana cigar at the Vitola cigar bar.

Of course, while you could spend your entire vacation enjoying the splendid cuisine and drinks, my gym-bunny guilt made me refrain from going all-in.

After all, what better excuse for a cooling cocktail than heading out running for a few kilometres (who’s keeping count?) along those glorious sands before lunch.

Then there those coolly alluring beachside waters for an invigorating swim.

Thankfully, it wasn’t quite swimming with the fishes (as the mobsters would have it) but just the thrill of striking out under that cloudless azure Caribbean canopy.

There is, too, for us gluttons for punishment, a well-equipped gym. A session there was another excuse to order up what one of my friends used to call “a sharpener”. Contrary to the name, it certainly took the edge off.

This being Cuba — and given the constraints of decades of communism and trade sanctions — outside the hotel is like stepping back into the 1950s.

Not quite Capone-era Chicago, but the cars aren’t a million miles away.

And it would be remiss not to hire a car and a driver to soak up the local atmosphere.

Take your pick of gleaming classic Chevys and Studebakers, Buicks and Oldsmobiles (given my advancing years, that would probably be apt). Then tour the area admiring the view from the upholstered comfort of the back seat.

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Something else that’s pretty unique to Cuba is the opportunity to dine with the locals in their own front room for a taste of authentic home-spun Varadero hospitality.

I was reminded while I was in Varadero that Al Capone reportedly said: “You can get further with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word”.

In 21st century Cuba, I found no guns — but kind words aplenty.

In the cab on the way to the airport I was already getting nostalgic for that delightful blend of up-to-the-minute elegance and sophistication at the hotel, coupled with the old-fashioned automobiles and hospitality outside.

The past is another country, as they say. And its name is Cuba.