Cuba Travel Blogs on RealTravel

Havana journal: Our first days in La Habana

2008-04-09T18:06:48Z

"3 peso mojitos!"

a entry by Aislinn and Rob from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

We arrived in Havana on Monday night -about 2am British time- and after collecting our bags got a taxi to our hotel. On the journey we drove along an almost deserted motorway -apart from some cyclists and old cars- and saw three broken down american cars by the roadside. Our hotel is great, we arrived to flamenco, quickly followed by a thunderstorm before being shown to our room. There are only 5 rooms in the hotel, all off the tropical, central courtyard with huge lofty ceilings and ceiling height doors. Yesterday we decided to get our bearing in La Habana Vieja so walked around the old ...

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Cuba journal: Viva la Revolución

2007-12-13T19:00:02Z

"All Cubans point to the lack of poverty, excellent free heath and education systems"

a entry by Niall Hughes from a trip to Cuba, Cuba.

After my passport saga finally drew to a close myself and Sarah were well and truly ready to don the backpacks and get travelling again, so where better to restart our travels than in Cuba?

Cuba has long been a country I have wanted to visit, after studying it at school and constantly hearing about it in the news. I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to see the country for experience socialism at work first hand.

Our first three days were spent in the capital, Havana which is a amazing city to experience and visit, with fantastic 1950's style architecture and old ...

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La Habana journal: REPRESENT Cuba

2007-09-17T02:42:59Z

a entry by BeebsAndLaura from a trip to La Habana, Ciudad de la Habana.

We left our beloved Playa for the last time and had a hectic last minute check-in at Cancun airport, and after an hour found ourselves in…Represent REPRESENT, CUBA! (these are lyrics from a famous song by Orishas which we couldn’t get out of our heads for the duration of our time in Cuba…that and ‘Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera’). Driving into Habana Vieja, the first of the Cuban clichés was confirmed – old 1950s Chevrolets in pastel colours cruised alongside us and ‘Viva Fidel/Che’ placards lined the streets. We arrived at our casa particular in a crumbling colonial street and chilled out ...

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Havana journal: Che, Che and more Che

2007-09-04T17:13:28Z

"You see Che's face all over Cuba, on T-shirts, books, posters,quilt covers, mugs... he´s like a superhero!"

a entry by Nathan & Emma from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

After leaving Caracas behind us with a brief stop in Panama on the way, we touched down in Havana at a little past midnight. Luckily we had a transfer arranged this time which took us straight to our Hotel. This was a huge relief, especially after all the fun we had in Caracas with taxi drivers.

We splashed out the first couple of nights and stayed at a hotel in the centre of Old Havana. The Hotel Comendador is a beautiful 18th Cuntury house which has been turned into a hotel. All the rooms are built around an indoor courtyard which makes it a great place to escape from the 33 degree ...

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Havana journal: La Casa de Laura y Maylen

2007-07-12T19:27:21Z

a review of Casa Particolar, a place to stay in Havana, Cuba.

Laura and Maylen are possibly the nicest people that I have met on my trip! They are very affordable at $25 for a double room and their food is delicious and generous at a very low price. Their house is comfortable, central and conveniently located and they are always at hand to make you laugh, share their family photos or if you prefer, give you space and privacy.

The room come with air conditioning, a private bathroom and all the homely comforts that you could look for in any homestay.

I stayed there on my own and found Maylen and her mother very helpful and sincere especially ...

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Havana journal: Maybe the biggest disappointment so far....

2007-06-27T16:50:33Z

"Phrases such as ´you are a big mango and I want to eat you including your seeds and everything´still leave me slightly bemused."

a entry by Ciccia* from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

When I was planning my trip, Cuba was a country that made me tingle with excitement. The prospect of sipping mojitos in a salsa bar on the streets of Havana was my inspiration. What I discovered however was the most complicated country ever, hordes of Cubans whose sole intention is to obtain your money either by sleeping with you, befriending you and making you pay for meals etc or by some other cunning method. Most people, by the way that this occurs to are sickening( mostly Italian, may I add which makes me ashamed of my race)tourists whose sole intention is to come to Cuba in search of a ...

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Havana journal: Wandering around in Havana

2007-05-31T20:52:15Z

"For some reason I couldn’t immediately tell if I liked Havana or not, or what was I supposed to expect from that place overall."

a entry by itsaniceplanet from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

For some reason I couldn’t immediately tell if I liked Havana or not, or what was I supposed to expect from that place overall. Even warmer weather for a November day? Even stranger sights than the clumsy dance of a man with crutches who completely forgot about his condition when salsa started to play? The WHOLE population to drive around in classic cars with cigars hanging from the mouth corners? Only by the third night, when I asked myself if this had been the Cuba we came to discover did I answer: Yes. At the same time I focused my attention to an impromptu

concert that had ...

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Cuba journal: Kitesurfing and more in Cuba

2007-05-31T20:38:26Z

a journal by itsaniceplanet from a trip to Cuba.

Five friends, four kites, two cameras, one rental van - we were ready to see the light and the dark side of the Island of Fidel. Started in Havana, toured the west end of the island and finally settled in Varadero for a good week of kitesurfing.

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Havana journal: Cigars, Rum and Che

2007-05-08T21:35:31Z

a entry by The Patagonians from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

So after a horrendous day with 3 connecting flights none of which went according to plan (note to self, do not fly Copa Airlines again) I finally touched down in Havana and by some amazing stroke of luck my luggage actually arrived too.

My first Havana experience was arranging a taxi from the airport through the official information desk but the taxi turned out to be a clapped out old banger of a car and did not seem official in any way. Like the panicker that I am I checked every road sign to make sure we were going in the right direction and told the driver that my friend was waiting ...

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Havana journal: nice hotel

2007-04-12T19:00:26Z

a review of Melia Habana, a place to stay in Havana, Cuba.

but far from the city center. Fortunately a free shuttle brings you to the city during daytime. But very expensive hotel and some bad suprises when checking out..Coffee in the room wasn't for free..so had to pay 15€ for 5 days...(strange for a five stars)...reason why I was in this hotel was that the first 5 days of the trip were for business...

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Havana journal: Quieres comprar un cigaro?

2007-04-07T22:01:03Z

"Competition won for drinking the most mojitos in Havana!"

a entry by The Littlest Hobo from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

First stop Havana and the impact of Castro's 50 year regime is immediately noticeable...where we usually see Coke & Pepsi ad's, endless variations of Che & Castro posters and wall painting extolling the virtues of La Revolucion surrounded us.

Over the course of two weeks in Cuba we stayed in various casa particulares, which are essentially the same as an Irish Bed and Breakfast, but with max 2 rooms per house. These families then offer everything they can on top of your bed cause of course this is the income they're not telling Castro's beanies about!

After weeks of ...

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Veradero journal: Havan - A Good Time

2007-02-17T19:19:55Z

a entry by The Leanos from a trip to Veradero, Matanzas.

Patrick and I won a trip to Cuba right after our return from San Francisco and decided that we would start 2006 on a beach. What a wise decision!

We stayed in Veradero at the Sandals Pricessa Del Mar resort. The resort was amazing, beautiful and a great adult only resort. Unfortunately the food in Cuba, not just at our resort, leaves a lot to be desired. Because the country can't trade with America, its closest neighbour, most of the food was quite bland.

While in Cuba we took one afternoon to duck into Veradero. Not really a necessary sight but taking a CoCo Cab, which ...

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Havana journal: Cuba - Havana great time

2006-03-10T00:02:01Z

"Romeo and Juliet came from Havana"

a entry by Becs and Chris from a trip to Havana, Cuba.

A group of men play dominoes outside crumbling colonial buildings, shrouded in the haze of their fat cigars and the dust kicked up by the classic cars grumbling by. These are the images conjoured up of Cuba and it doesn´t disappoint. Sometimes when reality lives up to the reputation you feel a sense of deflation, as if the place you are visiting has itself become a cliche. Not so with Havana where every potential cliche is a wonder in waiting. After only a brief 6 days Havana has been marked down as the best city of our trip, in fact possibly one of the best cities we have ever been to.

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Trinidad journal: Cuba - Trinidad.

2007-02-04T22:40:50Z

"From latin beats to cobbled streets (oh and a bruised bum!)"

a entry by Becs and Chris from a trip to Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus.

About a five hour journey south of Havana, Trinidad lies on the southern coast of Cuba. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site it is certainly a very picturesque little town. With its cobbled streets and small, brightly painted houses and their terracotta tiled roofs it feels more akin to a town in the Bolivian altiplano than Caribbean Cuba.

The town is set on the slopes of a hill, offering great views of the winding streets, the very heart beat of Trinidad. Women sell a few tomatoes and bananas from their livng room windows, hoping to get a few pesos. An old man has set up an impromtu ...

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Cascorro journal: Cascorro

2006-07-31T08:43:30Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Cascorro, Camaguey.

Cascorro era un pueblo en el barrio por su nombre. Dista cincuenta y seis kilómetros de la cabecera por la Carretera Central. Está situado en una sabana de terreno firme, seco y despejado, entre los cauces de los ríos Cascorro y del Sol.

Dos veces fue destruido durante las guerras del 1868 y del 95 y nuevamente reconstruido. El censo de 1852 le asignaba 196 vecinos e igual número el de 1857. En 1919 tenía una población de 1,264 personas; el censo de 1943 le registró 2,075 habitantes.

A partir del cambio administrativo Cascorro pasó a depender del municipio de Guáimaro. Es por tanto ...

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Holguin journal: Holguín

2006-07-31T08:40:51Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Holguin, Holguin.

Llegué a Holguín después de otra de las reuniones que había tenido en Santiago con todos los miembros de la Congregaión que estábamos en Cuba. El Padre General quería conocer la ciudad donde había sido agredido el P. Claret, así que aprovechamos el camino de vuelta de Santiago a Guáimaro para pasar por la ciudad y realizar algunas gestiones en el Obispado. Después de visitar la Iglesia Catedral donde fue agredido el P. Claret y buscar la farmacia donde fue atendido (hoy en día una heladería) seguimos nuestra marcha.

A Holguín se le conoce como la ciudad de los parques, por la profusión ...

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Cobre journal: El Cobre y Nuestra Señora de la Caridad

2006-07-31T08:33:06Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Cobre, Santiago de Cuba.

Así que el Cobre lo visité por primera vez cuando fui allí con un grupo de catequistas de jóvenes para tener un encuentro con un pastoralista uruguayo. Vinieron catequistas de toda la isla, pero el encuentro sirvió para que conociera a muchos de los que trabajaban en la diócesis. El viaje lo hicimos en tren y pudimos viajar de casualidad pues hubo un error en las fechas y al viajar de madrugada llegamos con un día de retraso a la estación. Afortunadamente se pudo arreglar y todos pudimos montarnos en un tren que salía de Camagüey a las doce de la noche y que llegaba a Santiago de Cuba cerca ...

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Santiago de Cuba journal: Santiago de Cuba

2006-07-31T08:26:43Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

Santiago la visité por primera vez al participar en un curso en El Cobre, aprovechamos una tarde libre para bajar y visitar los lugares más emblemáticos de la ciudad: la Catedral y el Morro. La vista de la Bahía permite caer en la cuenta del lugar elegido para la construcción de la ciudad. La ciudad tenía unas connotaciones muy emotivas para mí por toda la relación que tenía con la historia de la Congregación, por eso visitar estos lugares me produjo una tremenda emoción como la que sentiría meses más tarde con la visita a Holguín.

Volví a Santiago cada vez que volaba a Santo Domingo ó ...

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Las Tunas journal: Las Tunas

2006-07-31T08:20:47Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Las Tunas, Las Tunas.

La ciudad de Las Tunas la visité varias veces por ser la capital de provincia más cercana a Guáimaro. Es una ciudad de paso obligado para ir a Santiago y desde allí cogí a veces el bus hacia La Habana (por supuesto el turístico que es el que se podía conseguir más fácilmente pagando en dólares). Tuve que visitar varias veces en el Hospital a los miembros de la comunidad de Elia que habían sido ingresados allí. La capital de la provincia no es una ciudad muy grande pero tiene detrás de sí mucha historia. La provincia pertenecía a la antigua provincia de Oriente y se convirtió en provincia ...

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Guaimaro journal: Llegada a mi destino: Guaimaro

2006-07-31T07:22:57Z

a entry by Nivariense from a trip to Guaimaro, Camaguey.

Guaimaro es un municipio de la provincia de Camagüey (Cuba), es una pequeña localidad cuya mayor riqueza era la ganadería. Guáimaro antes de la llegada de los conquistadores era un cacicazgo o provincia, su nombre o toponímico proviene de una voz aborigen con la que era denominado un árbol muy extendido por toda la zona.

En 1530 la aldea aborigen de Guáimaro fue destruida por una partida enviada desde Puerto Príncipe por Vasco Porcayo de Figueroa.

Hacia 1590 fue otorgado como Hato y la Villa quedó fundada el 10 de febrero de 1791, era el centro de una basta zona ganadera. En 1822 ...

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Jibacoa journal: Secluded and more cultural than Varadero

2006-05-17T05:52:53Z

a review of Breezes Jibacoa, a place to stay in Jibacoa, La Habana.

Breezes Jibacoa is an adults only resort located between Varadero and Havana. It is 30 minutes away from Havana so it is a great place to stay if you wish to explore outside of the resort and head into the city. Second time visitors might enjoy a change from Varadero as Jibacoa is more secluded and closer to nature. Breezes Jibacoa is the only resort in the entire surrounding area and is nestled in the Yumuri forest. If you are into the night life, I would not recommend this resort as when the lights go out, star gazing is your only form of entertainment asides from the short entertainment ...

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Varadero journal: Cayo Blanco is amazing!

2006-05-12T06:19:45Z

a review of Catamaran trip to Cayo Blanco, a thing to do in Varadero, Cuba.

All of the resorts in Varadero offer a 1 day catamaran excursion to this uninhabited island called Cayo Blanco. We aren't big on organized tours but this one was relaxing and very romantic. We enjoyed it so much when we went 2 years ago that we privately chartered a tour for our wedding last year. It is a one hour sail to the island from the town of Varadero. The best part of the trip is not only the island itself but getting there. They trolly a few lobster nets while they motor out to the island. You see nothing but never ending ocean around you while you listen to mellow cuban music. ...

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Varadero journal: Excellent resort....got married there!

2006-05-12T05:41:48Z

a review of Hotel Iberostar Varadero, a place to stay in Varadero, Cuba.

We invited 30 of our friends and family and were married at this resort! This was my third visit to Cuba and by far, Iberostar Varadero has been the best yet. It is only 1 years old so the plantation isn't as lush as other resorts but the facilites and service was phenomenal! The food selection was the best we've had in Cuba and the beach front wedding ceremony surpassed even my dreams of an ideal wedding. I've seen and sold several resorts as I used to be a travel consultant. I highly recommend this place.

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