Of all the places I have been my Dad was most jealous of Cuba. “Ah the music…” he shouted as he danced around the living room to some imagined drumbeat. “Can you bring me back a cigar?”. He hasn’t smoked in about 30 years but who would pass up a Cuban Cigar?!
My trip came just weeks after a fresh ban on US citizens travelling into Cuba. President Obama had previously visited the country and encouraged travel to this Caribbean gem. Cruise companies rapidly rushed to accommodate all the travellers wanting to sail from Miami to Havana and onto other Caribbean Islands. Then the Trump administration rescinded that connection with immediate effect and the fallout on the Cuban people has been devastating. The US embassy remains closed on the Havana Waterfront and 800,000 holiday bookings have been affected.
The animosity between the USA and the Cuban Government has been well documented over the years and you can’t turn a corner in the country without encountering some political reminder from revolution led graffiti to Banksy-style images of the national hero; Che Guevara.
First things first; there are 2 currencies in Cuba, the CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) which is for tourism and then the regular peso for the locals. You won’t be able to get CUC’s in this country and you can only get them in certain banks and hotels in Cuba and in a country which doesn’t take credit cards, this can take some getting used to.
In Cuba there are two types of accommodation; hotels and Casas Particulares, which are the Cuban version of a B&B. Essentially a casa is someone’s home where you will be greeted warmly, given a key to your room, and offered a cooked breakfast in the morning. The décor in Casas can be a mixed bag so you really must be ready for anything however they are all clean and I slept like a baby throughout.
Virgin fly direct into Havana from Gatwick on Thursdays and Sundays and the journey into Havana’s Old Town is only 30 minutes from the airport. It’s ideal to spend 3 nights in Havana to make sure you can see all the sights and there’s no better way of doing it than on a Classic Car Tour. Upgrade to a convertible and opt to have a guide for the best experience. I was collected from a central hotel by a lovely driver in his fluorescent green Chevrolet. My guide was a young journalist with a National newspaper who makes ends meet by sharing her home city with foreign travellers.
I soon realised that classic American cars are not just there for the tourists but also as a taxi for the locals and even a bus service with 3-4 people in the back making their way home. Cuba was the main importer in South America of American cars in the 1950’s and some companies would even roll out models to test in Havana before selling them Stateside. After the Cold War and resulting embargoes drivers had to get creative to keep these beloved machines on the road.
The tour takes in the main sights of the city and takes you via tunnel to the Habana Del Este to the strains of up-to-minute hits such as “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Keep on Loving You”. An enduring memory will be discussing the Missile Crisis to a soundtrack of Shania Twain!
No trip to Havana (for an adult) would be complete without a visit to a cigar factory. The tobacco grown in Pinar del Rio is arguably the best in the world and at one point it was the number one export from Cuba. The leaves are dried and sent to Havana where they will be sorted and rolled – all by hand. Getting a job in a cigar factory is considered a great honour and something you will do for life. As I went into the area where they are rolled, it’s a bustling hive of activity with everyone set out in rows according to experience and expertise with the youngest trainees at the back under close supervision. The more years you put in, the more expensive the cigars you can create. Hours are long but there are incentives with workers able to smoke as much as they want on site for free and they are given 5 cigars daily to take home. To help pass the time, there is a resident reader/DJ who sits at the front reading the news in the mornings and novels later in the day. The tour guide said everyone was very happy to have Fifty Shades read to them at work!
Whilst in Havana I took a day trip to Vinales National Park where limestone cliffs soar up out of lush green fields making it a UNESCO world heritage site since 1999. It’s impressively beautiful but the small town nestled in this area of natural beauty is surprisingly low key with the main street lined with Casas. There are no shortage of places to eat and drink in town and in the evening, many offer al fresco dining as the street is closed to cars.
Three hours from Havana, Cienfuegos was known as the Pearl of the South and offered shelter to sailors and pirates alike. Although the area is largely Spanish, this is the one place settled by French families mainly from Louisiana in 1819. This gives the city a French colonial feel within its’ UNESCO listed historic centre.
Cienfuegos has a rich connection to music as it is the hometown of world-famous Beny More. Music is a HUGE part of any trip to Cuba in general and it’s no different here with numerous fantastic venues for listening to live music.
There are some lovely beaches in the area if you are staying a little longer. There was a small cove across the road from where I stayed at Hostal Camila so I jumped in with the locals and had a lovely swim whilst enjoying the sunset.
One of the main ways to get around Cuba is via sightseeing transfers, where rather than going from A-B, you can spend the day exploring another area en route.
Going from Cienfuegos to Trinidad I was collected by my driver at 8am (you can get picked up later) and taken to El Nicho Park, a marvel of nature with dozens of waterfalls and natural pools in an area virtually untouched, hidden among the mountains and one of the most beautiful spots in Cuba.
It is a paradise which combines the green of the vegetation, rivers, the Black Creek waterfalls, where water plunges more than 30 meters, and we reach the area by taking a very scenic route through many quaint rural villages.
During the tour, you can walk up through numerous walking paths with ‘El Reino de las Aguas’ being a gentle hiking trail of 2 km (1.2 miles) or you could choose a more difficult route, observe the flora and fauna and enjoy swimming in the cool river pools at the end of the walk.
At the top there is an ice-cold pool fed by a gorgeous waterfall and a quick dunk would banish even the worst Mojito hangover. Even in low season it can get crowded so it’s worth asking your guide to take you to one of the other pools which admittedly are less spectacular however you will get some peace and quiet!
A traditional and rustic Cuban style lunch is served locally before heading through the national reserve in the Escambray Mountains range to Trinidad.
Located in the South of the island, Trinidad is a delightful little town which was founded in 1514 by Spanish Conquistadors and was a major centre for dealing in sugar, and more sadly, slaves from the West of Africa. Indeed, to this day almost half the population have African origins.
The money coming from this dark trade is reflected in the colonial buildings, churches and in the artefacts in the museum. I went when the scorching heat had most people clamouring for shade and the town was empty. All the roads are cobbled within the historical centre and most cars are banned which means transport is via horse and carriage. I walked the narrow winding streets enjoying the quiet which was only broken by the occasional elderly musician. I felt sorry for the shop keepers struggling to make a trade in the scorching heat. In fact, several people have said it was the quietest June they can remember. In the winter months when it’s less humid them this would be a bustling place to enjoy a couple of days.
I had some free time so enjoyed some local lobster which brings me to the food in Cuba. Everyone told me it would be bad, but I couldn’t imagine it would be quite as basic as it was. If it wasn’t for the Pina Coladas, I would have come back looking like an extra from Tenko. I have always pre-warned clients about the food, and it was a source of amusement so you just have to accept it and move on. You think the more you spend then the better it would be but sadly it’s not the case. Certain meals in Havana could pass muster however everywhere else things would be boiled to within an inch of their lives or deep fried. It reminded me of the season I worked as a rep in Bulgaria and that’s when you realise, you’re in a communist country largely cut off from the outside world.
Some of the best beaches are located not far from Trinidad and two buses (or a taxi) can take you to them as strangely swimming pools have been outlawed in the town. I wanted to do something with my free day and I had met a musician at my Casa the night before who had told me he taught salsa and would be happy to give me a lesson for 10 CUC’s. I thought why not? He seemed nice enough however, Patrick Swayze he was not.
He picked me up as the heat was building and walked me a short way through narrow passages to a door. “My Aunt lives here” he said. “Oh ok.” Most people would have run a mile but he’d been eating the Cuban food for a decent 30 years and I could have taken him in a fight. I met his Aunt and his “robust” five-year-old cousin who was watching cartoons in his underpants. The Aunt was so sweet and excited to meet me, she moved all the furniture to the walls and brought all of the fans from the bedroom knowing I was about to work up a sweat. He danced, I sweated and turned in circles as his cousin copied some of the moves between mouthfuls of treats. Of all travel experiences it was easily one of the most bizarre and I’ve been defecated on by a howler monkey in Guatemala!
Another sightseeing transfer was booked to take me on to Varadero via Santa Clara. I booked the private transfer with the same guide. Santa Clara, a city of major historical significance was the location of ‘Tren Blindado’ the train that was attacked by Che Guevara and the turning point in the Cuban Revolution, as well as the final resting place of Che Guevara at the very symbolic Che Mausoleum. I found the museum and sights interesting such as they fact he was asthmatic and any blanks were filled in by my knowledgeable driver. You can opt to have lunch however I decided to crack on to Varadero.
By the end of my hectic week the lure of a large pool and a beach seemed more enticing than ever and I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked Varadero and could gladly have stayed a couple of extra nights. Yes, the hotels are massive, yes you mainly have to wear a wristband for the all-inclusive however, the beach was as stunning as any others I have seen in the Caribbean. I stayed at the brand new Melia Internacional which was family-friendly and had a lively pool area. The food was still a little basic but it was well-presented and the service was great. There is an adult-only option which is the Royalton Hicacos and that was lovely and the least built up of the hotels I saw.
The drive back to Havana for my overnight flight into Gatwick was 2.5 hours.
I had an amazing time in Cuba, the people were warm and friendly, the music is phenomenal and everything is alive with colour. I loved the retro-vibe with the classic cars. For some winter sun that won’t cost the earth then you can’t beat a bit of Cuba.
Contact me for an amazing trip to Cuba: Dallal@travelwiseuk.com
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