I was going to publish this with the Finnish version but here we go as a separate posting. it only took two months to get this done. As a reward here's a pic of the camel bus I mention later:
First of all I have to say that our trip to Cuba was served its purpose perfectly. We both needed to relax in the sun and I didn’t have to make detailed plans for the trip. We chose Cuba because they don’t really celebrate Christmas there and there are no American tourists there, just wanted to escape the over the top commercial Christmas of North America. …and of course it was interesting to get a glimpse to the country, who knows how much longer it will be like that. It was actually interesting to be among the mostly European crowd at the resort, they sure smoke a lot and lack the courtesy towards other people we are so used to here in Canada.
The resort could have been anywhere really. The room we got was damp and stinky so we upgraded to an ocean view room which was much better. I don’t know who gives out the stars to these resorts, this was a 4,5 star one according to the brochure but didn’t quite live up to the star rating. We didn’t have any major complaints really. They had lots of activities happening every day. There were 3 separate pool areas, we ended up spending time at the beach and it was never crowded. One doesn’t go to Cuba because of the food, it is fairly bland and for understandable reasons can’t expect too much. We always found something to eat at the buffet, the best parts were the fresh stuff the chef cooked right there for you, way better than the dishes that were standing in the buffet for hours. Food and drinks were available around the clock, we ate at fairly normal hours and didn’t get drunk, just sipped drinks throughout the day, lol. I drank a bit too much rum during the week, as well as other alcoholic drinks, after the trip had to stay away from the stuff for a while.
I have to say evenings were a bit boring. After a day at the beach, shower and a drink (damn complimentary bottle of rum in the room) we detoured via the bar before dinner. We had three a la carte dinners included and the best one was the Italian restaurant. The Spanish one was ok and the seafood restaurant was disgusting. Recycling the food between the restaurants is a form of art, I am glad we didn’t get any major stomach problems, just small ones.
The resort, Barcelo Marina Palace, is located on the tip of the peninsula. We made a half day trip to Varadero, not the real Cuba but worth seeing and escaping the resort for. We bought some post cards, had lunch in a local restaurant and walked around. We were in Havana a couple of days earlier and we were bombarded by people trying to sell us cigars (mostly), in Varadero only the two life guards did that, after talking to us for a while.
Our day trip to Havana was the highlight of the trip in some way, we went there for the sun and the beach was amazing but it was nice to see some real life in comparison to the generic resort. It would have been interesting to see more of the island and more of Havana but then it wouldn’t have been the relaxing beach vacation we so badly needed.
It was a long day though… The bus picked us up from the hotel at 7:45, well it was 20 minutes late, and we got back to Varadero at 3 am. First we stopped in Havana Centro where we had some time to walk around and admire the hustle and bustle of the city. From there we continued on to the Revolution Square where we stopped for a bit, then a visit to a cigar factory store, lunch in Havana Vieja (Old Town) and after lunch a guided walking tour in the Old Town. We had free time in Old Town and we walked around, visited a market clearly geared towards tourists and the prices were kinda crazy, enjoyed mojitos in one of Hemingway’s favourite bars and tried to avoid all the people accosting us tourists. In the old part of town they have restored some the buildings really nicely but some of the buildings look like they could collapse any time. There is no history to speak of in Vancouver so it was amazing to see all the old buildings in Havana.
As sun was setting we headed to a hotel to freshen up and had dinner before continuing on to the legendary Tropicana night club. The show at Tropicana has been running since 1939, almost 70 years… It was an amazing show, especially the acrobatic parts. The live music and dancing were great too, you hear and see them everywhere in Cuba. Music and dance play an important part in their lives. I have to say we enjoyed what was served during the show. Well, the snacks were okay but the main thing was a bottle of rum to share in our table of four and a can of cola for each. We happily mixed our own drinks. It was amazing to see lots of people on the streets when we headed back to Varadero around 1 am. The bus ride was one the scariest I have ever been on. The drivers communicated with walkie talkies and whenever one spotted a police car on the side of the highway, they slowed down but other than that they drove like crazy. At some point I was wondering if we would make it back to the resort in one piece.
Cuba certainly has quite a collection of cars and buses. There are old Chevrolets but these days their motors must be from ex-Soviet cars. I don’t think there are so many old Ladas and other eastern European cars around anywhere in the world. On the other hand there were some newer European and Asian cars like Peugeots, Skodas, Kias and Huyndais. All in all there aren’t that many cars around. Cuba bought buses from the eastern bloc countries before the collapse of the Soviet Union and for a long time they couldn’t buy any buses. In Havana they developed the so called camel buses for intercity transportation, sort of a long cattle transporter hauled by a truck. They only have a few left as they have broken down. Now they are buying buses from their new friend China. Last year they bought 9000 new buses and plan on buying 6000 more this year.
We didn’t spend that much money outside the resort. They have two currencies in Cuba, the convertible pesos are for tourists. I have to say I was shocked to see the prices every now and then, not that we couldn’t afford them but just made you wonder about the system and where the money actually goes. I read somewhere that the average salary in Cuba is $15 per months and a cab ride from our resort to Varadero would have cost twice that, probably a bit more than a cab ride that length in Canada. All in all I have mixed feelings about the country, we saw a tiny bit of it though. It would be interesting to see more of the country with a private guide getting to know the history too. Well, we’ll see where the country is going to. Hopefully not towards McDonald’s and Starbucks way.
Our flight to Varadero was direct and even though we had to wake up at 3 am on Christmas Eve, it wasn’t too bad. Those charter flights are just so tight, even the 6 hours was too much. On the way home the plane picked up more people in Santa Clara and it felt like that stop took forever. As predicted, we were standing by the luggage carousel at midnight, not the most glamorous place to ring in the new year.
I overheard a conversation on the flight back, a couple who had stayed at a 5 star Sandals resort were discussing food and the wife said to her husband that she couldn’t wait to have some real food, real food for her being McDonald’s. OMG!!! Obviously they went to the wrong country, Mexico would’ve been more their cup of tea with all the familiar fast food joints in every corner.
The resort could have been anywhere really. The room we got was damp and stinky so we upgraded to an ocean view room which was much better. I don’t know who gives out the stars to these resorts, this was a 4,5 star one according to the brochure but didn’t quite live up to the star rating. We didn’t have any major complaints really. They had lots of activities happening every day. There were 3 separate pool areas, we ended up spending time at the beach and it was never crowded. One doesn’t go to Cuba because of the food, it is fairly bland and for understandable reasons can’t expect too much. We always found something to eat at the buffet, the best parts were the fresh stuff the chef cooked right there for you, way better than the dishes that were standing in the buffet for hours. Food and drinks were available around the clock, we ate at fairly normal hours and didn’t get drunk, just sipped drinks throughout the day, lol. I drank a bit too much rum during the week, as well as other alcoholic drinks, after the trip had to stay away from the stuff for a while.
I have to say evenings were a bit boring. After a day at the beach, shower and a drink (damn complimentary bottle of rum in the room) we detoured via the bar before dinner. We had three a la carte dinners included and the best one was the Italian restaurant. The Spanish one was ok and the seafood restaurant was disgusting. Recycling the food between the restaurants is a form of art, I am glad we didn’t get any major stomach problems, just small ones.
The resort, Barcelo Marina Palace, is located on the tip of the peninsula. We made a half day trip to Varadero, not the real Cuba but worth seeing and escaping the resort for. We bought some post cards, had lunch in a local restaurant and walked around. We were in Havana a couple of days earlier and we were bombarded by people trying to sell us cigars (mostly), in Varadero only the two life guards did that, after talking to us for a while.
Our day trip to Havana was the highlight of the trip in some way, we went there for the sun and the beach was amazing but it was nice to see some real life in comparison to the generic resort. It would have been interesting to see more of the island and more of Havana but then it wouldn’t have been the relaxing beach vacation we so badly needed.
It was a long day though… The bus picked us up from the hotel at 7:45, well it was 20 minutes late, and we got back to Varadero at 3 am. First we stopped in Havana Centro where we had some time to walk around and admire the hustle and bustle of the city. From there we continued on to the Revolution Square where we stopped for a bit, then a visit to a cigar factory store, lunch in Havana Vieja (Old Town) and after lunch a guided walking tour in the Old Town. We had free time in Old Town and we walked around, visited a market clearly geared towards tourists and the prices were kinda crazy, enjoyed mojitos in one of Hemingway’s favourite bars and tried to avoid all the people accosting us tourists. In the old part of town they have restored some the buildings really nicely but some of the buildings look like they could collapse any time. There is no history to speak of in Vancouver so it was amazing to see all the old buildings in Havana.
As sun was setting we headed to a hotel to freshen up and had dinner before continuing on to the legendary Tropicana night club. The show at Tropicana has been running since 1939, almost 70 years… It was an amazing show, especially the acrobatic parts. The live music and dancing were great too, you hear and see them everywhere in Cuba. Music and dance play an important part in their lives. I have to say we enjoyed what was served during the show. Well, the snacks were okay but the main thing was a bottle of rum to share in our table of four and a can of cola for each. We happily mixed our own drinks. It was amazing to see lots of people on the streets when we headed back to Varadero around 1 am. The bus ride was one the scariest I have ever been on. The drivers communicated with walkie talkies and whenever one spotted a police car on the side of the highway, they slowed down but other than that they drove like crazy. At some point I was wondering if we would make it back to the resort in one piece.
Cuba certainly has quite a collection of cars and buses. There are old Chevrolets but these days their motors must be from ex-Soviet cars. I don’t think there are so many old Ladas and other eastern European cars around anywhere in the world. On the other hand there were some newer European and Asian cars like Peugeots, Skodas, Kias and Huyndais. All in all there aren’t that many cars around. Cuba bought buses from the eastern bloc countries before the collapse of the Soviet Union and for a long time they couldn’t buy any buses. In Havana they developed the so called camel buses for intercity transportation, sort of a long cattle transporter hauled by a truck. They only have a few left as they have broken down. Now they are buying buses from their new friend China. Last year they bought 9000 new buses and plan on buying 6000 more this year.
We didn’t spend that much money outside the resort. They have two currencies in Cuba, the convertible pesos are for tourists. I have to say I was shocked to see the prices every now and then, not that we couldn’t afford them but just made you wonder about the system and where the money actually goes. I read somewhere that the average salary in Cuba is $15 per months and a cab ride from our resort to Varadero would have cost twice that, probably a bit more than a cab ride that length in Canada. All in all I have mixed feelings about the country, we saw a tiny bit of it though. It would be interesting to see more of the country with a private guide getting to know the history too. Well, we’ll see where the country is going to. Hopefully not towards McDonald’s and Starbucks way.
Our flight to Varadero was direct and even though we had to wake up at 3 am on Christmas Eve, it wasn’t too bad. Those charter flights are just so tight, even the 6 hours was too much. On the way home the plane picked up more people in Santa Clara and it felt like that stop took forever. As predicted, we were standing by the luggage carousel at midnight, not the most glamorous place to ring in the new year.
I overheard a conversation on the flight back, a couple who had stayed at a 5 star Sandals resort were discussing food and the wife said to her husband that she couldn’t wait to have some real food, real food for her being McDonald’s. OMG!!! Obviously they went to the wrong country, Mexico would’ve been more their cup of tea with all the familiar fast food joints in every corner.
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