With our vacation package through Sunwing, you are offered a number of intriguing excursions. Sunwing informs you this on the flight, and a few days after your arrival they come to the hotel to provide information on all of the excursions. The Sunwing rep was friendly and informative and the excursions we chose were just as described.
If you go to Cuba, you’ll likely stay in Varadero to enjoy the amazing beaches and resorts. But I always recommend getting off the resort and learning about the people and place you’re visiting. And a day away from the beach to check out the architecture and history is something everyone should do. The must do excursion is the “Havana one day your.” The concept is neat, but would the tour live up to the hype? Yes.
The day starts with being picked up from your hotel on a tour bus. You can almost bet the bus will be late, and you’ll be left wondering, did I miss it? Did I get scammed? But rest assured, the bus will come… not on time, but on Latin time. And depending on the location of your resort, it might be a long ride with pickups at all the other resorts. But at least you get to see what some of the other hotels look like.
Once you get going, you’ll have a scenic ride from Varadero to Havana with a few stops on the way. The tour guide will provide plenty of information and history along the way, so make sure you keep your air pod out, your ears open and learn a little.
Once you arrive at Havana, you will be provided with several experiences. A lunch at a local restaurant with a decent meal. A historical tour through the cobblestone streets. And a stop at a rum and cigar shop. Be prepared to spend money if you want the good cigars. It’ll be cheaper than buying Cubans from the USA or Canada, but it won’t be super cheap.
The cigar shop was in the El Morro Castle, so you will get plenty of views of the city, the water and if you’re into castle and history it is a cool experience with plenty of opportunities for some stunning photos. And if you can’t get enough of the fort, rest assured, you’ll be back at night for a dinner and the Cannon Ceremony. The cannon ceremony is a performance by the Cuban National Guard who dress in traditional Spanish uniforms, perform a march and light the cannons. It is definitely a cool experience.
But for me, the highlight of the tour was the ride in the old American cars. Be ready to jump the gun and get in the best cars because you will sense the tension amongst your fellow travelers trying to get in the best car and to get the best seat. In the cars you’ll cruise the mystic streets of Havana, ride along the Malecon, and stop at La Plaza de la Revolucion for some photos.
And if you’re looking for a good nights rest, you’ll get it after the eventful day. On our ride back, everyone was tired and the ride seemed long. You could sense the tension amongst the travelers. COVID was still a thing, and you could hear muffled coughs throughout the bus and sense the nervous eyes wandering, hoping the guy sitting next to you didn’t have COVID so you wouldn’t be taken from your resort to who knows where while awaiting the isolation period if you tested positive. We never got sick, nor did we test positive but we heard horror stories from other travelers about a few who did and were taken from their hotels. But COVID is over and this is a moot point now.
Anyways, back to the tour. It’s a long day so drink plenty of water, get ready to pull out your wallets but the tour is exceptional and totally worth it so get ready for a day full of photos, views, interacting with the locals, fun and learning.
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