Crystal clear beaches, rum that’s cheaper than water and some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. Welcome to CUBA! If there is one country that I never get tired of visiting, this would be it. I have been to Cuba five times already and I can say with absolute positivity (or shall I say, positividee) that I will be back for more. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit this historically rich and vibrant country then add it to the top of your bucket-list! From excursion tips to drink/food recommendations, this post will guide you through my own experiences and love for this beautiful country.
Hotels
When picking your all-inclusive hotel, my best recommendation is not to book anything under 4 stars. Low prices may tempt you into booking something with lower ratings but trust me, 4 stars is the lowest you want to go. Most Cuban hotels (unless recently built) are already “outdated” in look and style so sometimes paying a bit more is worth it. Booking a half-decent hotel will ensure cleaner facilities, better service and maybe if you’re lucky, fluffier towels! While traveling in Cuba, I try to keep in mind the history and state of the country. Luxuries that may seem common for us may not be so common or accessible there! So cut them some slack and recognize the fact that most of your time will be spend on their gorgeous beaches as opposed to in the hotel room.
The hubby and I always said that if (and when) we return to Cuba, we would want to live in a local apartment in Havana for at least a week. Although I haven’t experienced Air BnB in Cuba myself, my wonderful sister Kate did just that this year! Read all about her adventures and experience living like a local!
Food
You’ve all heard about how “awful” the food is in Cuba so I wanted to talk about this one right away. The thing about food in Cuba is you need to be smart about it. If you see hot dogs lying out at lunch, and then see them again cut up on a pizza at dinner, you probably shouldn’t eat that. If you see cheese and questionable cold cuts sitting out in the sun, you probably shouldn’t eat that either. Personally, I usually stick to whatever they can cook for you fresh on the spot. For breakfast I stick to a ham/bacon and cheese omelettes and lunch is usually a hamburger grilled on the spot with some french fries near the beach. Dinners for me usually consist of whatever freshly grilled meat or fish they are offering that day. If you’re staying on the resort, you need to be conscious of what you’re eating because you definitely don’t want to get sick. Also, don’t drink the water…stick to the rum to be safe!
If you leave the resorts, you may have the opportunity to try some deliciousness. Make friends with a local and ask them if they would be willing to cook dinner for you! For a pretty cheap price you could get an amazing and authentically home-cooked meal. Families in Cuba are usually excited to meet tourists and look forward to telling them all about their country and culture.
You could also try and check out some local restaurants. Cuba is known for many things, including how safe it is, so don’t worry about leaving the resort. The last time I was in Varadero, I bought a hop-on hop-off bus ticket with the hubby for only 5 CUC each (about $6.50 Canadian). This bus will take you up and down the main street in Varadero and you can get on and off as many times as you want. Take this opportunity to explore the city and little markets, but don’t forget about the food! Our favourite restaurant would have to be La Casa de Al found about a kilometer away at the very end of the bus line. This restaurant is said to once have belonged to Al Capone but a little research shows that this is actually false. Regardless, this is an amazing place in Varadero to stop for lunch. The hubby enjoyed a nice lobster meal and I had the seafood paella (which was actually even better than the lobster!). You’ll definitely be paying a bit more to eat at this restaurant but where can you find a full lobster and paella dinner with alcohol for less than $50-60 total in Montreal? It’s worth it, trust me. The view is also incredible. For some reason, there weren’t ANY tourists the day we went, so we had the entire beach to ourselves, with the exception of some fishermen on the water of course.
Weather
All I can say is when it’s hot in Cuba, it’s HOT! The sun definitely doesn’t mess around and trust me, I learned this the hard way. I was very quick to tell my friends “it’s ok, I don’t need sunscreen, I’m Italian!”. BIG mistake. Huge. One of my first days on vacation with my friends, I fell asleep in the sun after swimming in the ocean and got the absolute worst sunburn of my life after only a couple of hours. My skin honestly hasn’t been the same since (and my skin on my chest is also now completely covered in freckly beauty marks). You may be tempted to simply put on sunscreen in the morning but seriously, don’t forget to re-apply. The beds and bed sheets in Cuba aren’t the softest, so even sleeping caused me immense pain.
When it rains in Cuba, chances are it won’t last for more than 20 minutes. So don’t get discouraged if you feel/see some drops falling. It’ll probably be short and sweet and just enough to cool you off.
Excursions
Although I haven’t done all of the excursions usually offered by Cuban resorts, I have done quite a few. The first excursion I ever experienced was swimming with the dolphins. My friends and I really struggled with booking this excursion because we really didn’t like the idea of dolphins kept in captivity. We managed to find an excursion that didn’t hold the dolphins in tanks or man-made bodies of water. This excursion has dolphins out in the middle of the ocean and (if I remember correctly) they explained to us how most of the time, the dolphins are free to come and go. I don’t know how much of this was true but I really hoped it was. My friends and I spent the afternoon swimming with these magnificent creatures and although we all agreed we wouldn’t do it again, it was definitely an experience of a lifetime. Half the fun was actually getting to the dolphin area! Boarding a speed boat with other tourists, the ride there is filled with high energy Cuban music and unlimited alcohol. Sounds like fun no?
The next excursion the hubby and I experienced was the day trip to Havana. For us, this one was a complete and utter disaster. If you want to experience Havana, either rent an apartment and stay their for a few days or hire a private car to drive you there early in the morning. Essentially what made our experience so awful was the fact that our bus broke down along the way and we were stranded waiting for another (much smellier) bus for almost 2 hours. Although our broken bus managed to stop at a cafe en-route that served superb piña coladas, this obviously wasn’t what we were looking forward to. Once aboard our new bus, the tour guide insisted that we would still have time to see and do everything. The bus sped through Havana and barely made any lengthy worth-while stops along the way. In other words, we did not get the full Havana experience.
The best excursion by far in Cuba would be the Jeep Safari. Although it may not sound exciting, this is the ultimate excursion to get the best bang for your buck. Not only do you get to drive your own Jeep (yes they are very old and all manual but it just adds to the rugged awesomeness of it all) but you get to make multiple stops for activities along the way. The first stop is a snorkeling stop at a beach that serves (once again) amazing piña coladas. The stuff you get at the resorts is garbage compared to this. Pieces of fresh pineapple floating in your drink just makes it extra special! After enjoying a few drinks and drying off from the snorkeling, you hop back in the jeep and head to Saturno Cave – a cool natural spring where you can swim and explore! Watch out for some sharp rocks!! Bringing water shoes for this excursion may not be a bad idea. Following the cave exploration, you’re probably going to be very hungry. This leads us to the amazing lunch served on a local ranch in Varadero where everything is locally grown. Don’t forget to explore the pineapple fields! Finally, your drive home will stop one more time and bring you to an area where you’re allowed to drive speed boats. Seriously, no license needed, just pick your boat, hop in and take off. I never said this was the SAFEST excursion, but it’s definitely the most fun!
Some random things my friends and I learned along the way?
- The DJ will find a way to remix an 18th century polish waltz
- You’ve never partied until you’ve partied with the Russians and the Poles
- Everyone looks good in a bikini. Don’t second guess yourself because once you get on the beach, no one cares what you’re wearing or what you look like
- As mentioned above, the beds are pretty hard, so don’t dive/jump into them
- You won’t be judged for having a mimosa (or two) for breakfast every morning
- You probably won’t see a moon in Cuba until 5am
- Depending on the resort, as long as you’re SUPER quiet, you can probably swim in the pool at night when it’s “closed”
- “Hola sexy ladies” gets you a special price with vendors
- 5 bottles of sunscreen for 3 girls throughout one week isn’t enough
- Cuban Michael Jackson and Cuban Backstreet Boys are just as good as the real ones
- Cuban men are super touchy, especially when dancing
- No one is too shy to ask for a tip
- Cuba has many many lizards
- If you’re late for breakfast, chances are you won’t get any bacon
- If you’re late for dinner, chances are you won’t get any chocolate ice cream
- Never hug a dolphin
- Cuban toilette paper sucks and so do their condiments. Bring your own.
- Seat belts don’t matter, there is no limit to how many people you squish into one car and chances are your driver can’t drive standard very well
- Gardeners have endless supplies of flowers for the ladies
- Cuban buses look like ants
- You’ll make memories that’ll last a lifetime!
All of this reminiscing has definitely made me eager for summer to arrive! If you’ve been to Cuba before, comment below with your favourite tips, tricks and activities!