Cuba Visitors Guide
Think Cuba and one usually think of Che, Fidel, mojitos, cigars, salsa, and fantastic beaches. A vacation to Cuba is normally either an all-inclusive package to one of the heavily controlled Caribbean beach resorts or a more adventurous overland tour exploring Cuba’s colonial heritage and communist present. I’d definitely recommend the latter. Cuba offers some of the best dive sites in the Caribbean with bright, clean waters and fantastic coral reefs teaming with fish. Varadero is 144kms away from Havana; it’s situated on a long narrow peninsula and is one of the best beach resorts on Cuba, with over 19kms of beautiful sandy beaches.
Cuba offers a fantastic selection of accommodation, from inexpensive guesthouses to luxurious hotels and resorts. The prices are very varied and are suitable for a variety of budgets. Restaurants and cafés are excellent, with a great choice of cuisine available. Visitors to Cuba will arrive by cruise ship or by plane. Jose Marti International Airport is located close to Havana. There are several ports that cruise ships can dock at, but there is no scheduled ferry service to Cuba.
The Cuba travel guide will help you make an exact idea of the best holiday destinations. Cuba is known to be the Caribbean Island Nation and it exists under the famous communist rule. You would love to walk along the sugar-white beaches of Cuba. The place is steeped in history and culture and there are more things you would love to enjoy in the queue.
Havana
Cuba has some fantastic architecture; Havana has some of the best examples. Havana is the capital of Cuba and on the northern coast of Cuba. Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has beautiful old Spanish colonial buildings that are steadily being restored. Some of the most majestic buildings have been converted into museums. The musical heritage of Cuba and the friendliness of its locals ensure that Havana has a vivacious nightlife.
Santiago de Cuba
The second biggest city in Cuba is Santiago de Cuba, located in the far southeast of the island. The town is beautifully situated on a large bay and is backed by the Sierra Maestre Mountains and borders one of the most stunning nature reserves in the country. Camaguey is another city that has a tremendous musical and artistic culture and heritage, with a famous orchestra and ballet.
Varadero and Cuba’s Beach Resorts
Varadero is Cuba’s largest beach resort – the beaches are fantastic, tourism is heavily controlled and hotels are almost always all-inclusive resorts. Too many vacation makers, Varadero is ideal if they simply want to relax on a beach for a week. There are numerous other resorts on Cuba’s Cayes that are similar in style to Varadero. Those seeking a less resort-type vacation might want to consider more laid back beach destinations such as Cayo Levisa or Cayo Santa Maria, two places that at the moment aren’t overrun by mass tourism and large resorts.
Mainland Cuba Tours
To simply holiday to an all-inclusive beach resort such as those in Varadero is to miss what Cuba is all about. The capital city, Havana, is worthy of 3 or more nights, ideally in a hotel in the old town which makes a great base for exploring this fascinating colonial city. Two hours to the west of Havana is Vinales – this is a cigar growing country with strangely-shaped rock monoliths, and an excellent base for taking in Cuban culture, in addition to horseback riding or hiking in the splendid verdant valleys. Four hours East of Havana lies Trinidad, Cuba’s prettiest colonial city. Trinidad also has great beaches nearby, so those on vacation have the best of both worlds in terms of beaches and culture.
Old Havana
Here is the preferred Cuba travel guide for you. As part of the guide, you can know about the Old Havana. The popular and the local name of the place is Habana Vieja. This is the UNESCO World Heritage site. Here you can know about the well-preserved piece of Cuban history.
Old Havana makes a part of the preferred Cuba travel guide and here you can walk along the cobbled street and view the Grand Baroque and the array of the neoclassical edifices. This is the place where you can admire the extensive renovations. This is where you can witness the 18th-century Casa del Conde Jaruco. There are more things to view as part of the guide list.
Varadero
In the list of the Cuba Travel Guide, you can learn about the place called Varadero. This is the superb beach destination in Cuba. Here you can choose to stay at one of the fifty well-facilitated hotels. The white sand beaches of the destination attract the attention of the visitors for years.
The Cuba Travel Guide is just the perfect requisite for you to know more about Varadero. The place is excellent with the list of attractions and the best things to do.
Trinidad
The things you would love to try at the place are all enlisted in the Cuba Travel Guide. As part of the voyage, you would love to have a visit to Trinidad. Here you can enjoy the architectures of the 17th and the 19th centuries.
Cuba Travel Guide will tell you more about the destination of Trinidad. This is known as the most popular tourist town of Cuba. You will often find that the streets are filled with foreigners. Once you visit the center of the city you would prefer to view the cobblestone Plaza Mayor.
Guardalavaca
While looking through the Cuba Travel Guide you would love to have the best view of Guardalavaca. This is where you would love to walk along the glistering beaches. Guardalavaca is located in the Holguin Province. This is the quieter part of the city where you would enjoy the tranquillity of the vicinity for hours.
While going through Cuba Travel Guide you are sure to learn the best things about Guardalavaca. The place is known for the list of adventures, the sailing trips and the exclusive tour to Santiago de Cuba. Here you find the greatest coastal slice and the view of the triple island are just stupendous.
A note on responsible travel to Cuba
Cuba is a totalitarian and repressive state. It’s citizens have few rights and are currently not allowed to travel abroad. By staying in government-owned resorts (most of the hotels and resorts in Cuba are owned by the government) you’re helping to prop up an oppressive, human rights-abusing regime.
My advice if you do travel to Cuba would be to do so responsibly – and one of the most responsible ways to visit Cuba is to stay in Casa Particulares on your travels – these are family homes that have been converted to accommodate tourists. By booking such Casa Particulares your money is not going straight into the hands of an oppressive regime that undoubtedly needs to be changed. By booking an all-inclusive package holiday, you’re invariably contributing to the government’s coffers. Travel responsibly – leave your money with the locals, not the local regime.