I just returned from the beautiful, powder-soft sand beaches of Varadero, Cuba, and wanted to share my thoughts with you about this beautiful, unique country.
I bet you have heard from at least one person, "Don't ever go to Cuba, the food is horrible"! Cuba is different from other beach destinations in so many ways. Cuba is a communist country and the
the government owns at least a 51% share in all the resorts, so the resort chains do not get all the say in how their resorts are run in Cuba. The government supplies the resorts by a rationing system, so you will notice that the resorts have some minor maintenance issues and some things are a lot more tired-looking than in other destinations. It's also not unusual for the resorts to sometimes run out of certain things, like mint, ice cream, peanut butter, etc. they are also limited with some of their linens and towels so quite often there won't be things like washcloths, or the sheets may seem a bit older than what you are used to in a hotel. The rationing system is prioritized by the star rating of the resorts, so the higher-rated resort you stay at the less of this that you will notice, so you have to be careful where you stay so that you can enjoy your vacation. If you know all of this before you travel and are okay with it, it is a beautiful country with so much culture and history, and it is definitely worth visiting.
So let's cover some of the good, the bad, and the beautiful in this distinct country.
THE GOOD
Hospitality: The local people in Cuba are so friendly, happy, and helpful. They love having tourist's come to their island and they shine when they are interacting with you.
Little Crime: Tourism is very important to Cuba and so the police are notoriously hard on crimes against tourists with serious consequences. Because of this Cuba has a reputation of being a fairly safe country to visit. Like anywhere else you want to be aware of your surroundings, don't wear flashy jewelry, or put yourself in a situation that you wouldn't do anywhere else in the world.
You don't need any foreign currency: When you travel to Cuba you can go with Canadian dollars and not need to convert any at all. Cuba has a closed currency which means you cannot get it from your bank here, it is only available in Cuba. They used to have two currencies, one for the residents, the CUP, and one for the tourists, the CUC . They got rid of the CUC in 2021. Because the government will only sell certain supplies to people with foreign currency now, the residents want our currency so they can go buy these supplies only available with it. They want it so badly they will give you more than double what the bank will give you to exchange for their pesos. So the staff at resorts, restaurants, stores, etc. love when you pay and/or tip in our own Canadian currency.
No Seaweed: You know all that sargassum seaweed that the Caribbean side of Mexico and the rest of the Caribbean gets hit with in the warmer months? Cuba is not affected by this on the Atlantic side of the island, which is where most of the tourist beach destinations are located
THE BAD
Mosquitoes: Oh my gosh, I cannot even begin to tell you how those sneaky little buggers ate me up. Luckily I took my deet bug spray, but the couple of evenings I forgot to spray down they got me good.
Maintenance at the resorts: Yep, I cannot deny it, the resorts need maintenance. The management and staff do the best they can with the limited supplies and tools they have, but even at the top 5 star resorts you will still find broken tiles, broken floorboards, tired-looking rooms, etc. But they still have pride in the resorts and the one we stayed at was sparkling clean.
Shortage of supplies: No denying it, Cuba has shortages of some common things. About every other day we could get mojitos and the other days we could not because they were out of mint. One day I ordered a cheeseburger at lunch and got a beef pattie, a few days later I ordered a cheeseburger and got a chicken pattie. Right now with a combination of covid related supply chain issues plus shortages from Russia and other Eastern European countries, they get supplies from they are having more shortages than normal. Some of the shortages we really noticed were beef, pork, and beer. Yes, Cuba is having a beer shortage, the resort always had it on tap, but couldn't stock our mini bars in the room because they can't get enough cans right now. When we went into town we only found beer at one place, everywhere else that we asked did not have any.
The Wi-Fi: You know the saying "go where the rum is strong and the Wi-fi is weak" well that is Cuba. And I guess I can't definitely say that weak wi-fi is a bad thing, some people love to disconnect while they are on vacation. Depending on the resort you stay at in Cuba, some include internet, and some have a small charge for it, about $2.00 USD for 2 hours. Either way, you are on a timed system and you will have to connect to it when you want to use it, and then remember to disconnect when you are done so you don't use up all your time. There are many things you cannot do on it as well, like I could not log into a lot of my websites that use for business. Social media for the most part worked well, except for Snapchat, I would get the notification but could not open or send them.
THE BEAUTIFUL
The Beaches: When you dream of a beach vacation I bet in your mind you are seeing a powder-soft, white sand beach that goes on for miles and turquoise water that goes on forever. That dream beach is what the beaches in Cuba look like!
History & Culture: Cuba has such a unique history that makes it feel like you stepped back in time. When the United States put the trade embargo in place back in late 50's and early 60's, it made it tough for Cuba to get a lot of everyday things, and so time kind of stood still in some ways. It's not unusual to spot cars from this era everywhere, and a lot of the architecture is also from this era and even earlier. If you are in the Varadero area, a must-do on my list is a trip to Havana.
So, if you ask me if you should go to Cuba, I will say yes, GO! Go to Cuba to experience the unique history and culture, the beautiful beaches, and the even more beautiful people. Remember that you are in a communist country that doesn't have the luxuries that we have. If you want an extravagant vacation and gourmet food, or to feel like you're still in Canada or the US, then Cuba is not the right place for you to visit.
For more details or to book a vacation contact me: toesinthesand@tpi.ca or 403-348-1644
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