I had heard mixed reviews about Cuba, some people love it, others hate it. If you talk to Americans, most think communism and rarely will you hear of Americans travelling there; but about 50% of Canadians you talk to love it, the other 50% can’t stand travelling there. Well, after travelling to Cuba, I can say I’m with the 50% who love it.
But you need to understand, when I went to Cuba, I wasn’t going there to get loco and party like Boston George; I’ve had my fair share off those vacations (Colombia, Mexico, and Panama), but Cuba wasn’t one of them. When I want to live life on the edge, travel adventurously and be reckless, then I will go back to Colombia or will try Brazil or even Ecuador (hopefully one day). When I went to Cuba, I went with my then girlfriend (now fiancé), so it was the perfect trip. Did I party a bit? Did I drink lots? Yes to both, but it was a different type of vibe.
We went to Cuba for New Years, and we stayed in the Melia Las Americas in Varadero. It was an amazing resort and we had a wonderful experience, see hyperlink for my full review. We were there for a week and had a combination of relaxing on the pristine beach, drinking and excursions.
Despite the economic situation and the oppression, the people of Cuba are amazing. Asides from Colombia, they were my favorite people in Latin America. They are friendly, helpful, and fun. And if you don’t know much Spanish, most Cubanos speak English.
While on a tour of Havana, which you can read more about by clicking the link, meeting the people outside of the resort and in the street was fun. I got hungry so decided to buy a sandwich. Unlike the resort, the sandwich from a shop on the side of the street was sub par at best… maybe that’s what people were talking about when Cuban food isn’t good. Walking down the street a local approached me, claiming he was hungry, so I gave him the remainder of my sandwich. After that, and this was at the end of COVID, he began to repeatedly kiss me on the cheek… meanwhile I’m thinking please, please don’t give me COVID before I need a PCR test to get home. He didn’t seem to care much about COVID, but I tested negative and never got sick anyways, so all was well. He then grabbed my sunglasses, I thought “I just gave you a sandwich, now you’re trying to rob me?” But he put them on and insisted we take a picture together. We took a selfie and he passed me my shades and was on with it.
And asides from approaching you for food, people will approach you to trade money. It isn’t a scam, but the economic situation is so dire, that they need Canadian money for some of their daily purchases. The bank gave us $15 Cuban pesos per Canadian dollar, but in the street, the locals will give you $40-$50. So a good tip for your next Cuban adventure is to only bring limited pesos, and trade the rest of your Canadian or American dollars for Cuban money at a better rate. And not only were the locals in Havana great, but so were the cab and old car drivers in Varadero, the hotel staff and everyone else we encountered.
Besides Havana, there were a handful of excursions we could go on. We went to Varadero to eat and explore during the day, and one night we went back to party in the town, which was a lively experience. We started at the Beatles bar, had a few beers and l listened to some live music then headed down to Calle 62 where the party from the bar we were at spilled into the street. We drank and danced with some locals and enjoyed the music.
We also went on a catamaran tour where we went to the beautiful island of Playa Blanco. The sand was white and the water was crystal blue. And did I mention, the beaches all around Cuba, including at our resort are some of the most beautiful beaches I have went too. Palm tree lined white sand and warm crystal blue water. On the way to Cayo Blanco, we stopped to swim with the dolphins and drank, dances and partied in the middle of the Caribbean. It was an excellent excursion and to read more about it click the hyperlink.
Beautiful beaches, fun excursions and an interesting Cuba are just some of the things Cuba has to offer. Cuba is cheaper than Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and most other Caribbean hot spots. The food isn’t as good as Mexico and the partying isn’t as wild. I’ve never been too concerned about safety as I like to live adventurously but, Cuba’s also a lot safer than the above locations. All in all, if you’re willing to pay for a good hotel (it’ll still be cheaper than Mexico), you’ll eat relatively well, you’ll have fun and you’ll enjoy some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. The people are friendly, the place is fun and the water is crystal blue, so I’d definitely recommend Varadero Cuba for you.
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