Cuba - A Do-It-Yourself Holiday

Mauro and Sergio, two friends, are about to leave for Cuba... I don't think twice about accepting their invitation, when they suggest I join them......

We rely on an agency to book the flight and the first two days of the stay; for the rest of the holiday we will move from day to day without ties.....

We decide to leave from Munich, as the price of the plane ticket seems lower than in Italy; from our home Munich is about 300 km away, like Milan...

We leave at 9 from Munich with a British Airways plane for Madrid, from where we continue with Iberia, destination Havana. The journey is rather heavy; we arrive at the "Sevilla" hotel just after midnight, a full 20 hours after leaving home..

Once we reach Havana, the capital of the island, we decide to spend a few days there, taking the opportunity to explore the whole city, which is certainly very interesting for its historic sites, such as the cathedral square, the museum of the revolution and revolution square.

We meet Emilio, a very friendly Cuban guy; he advises us against going to Varadero, the famous tourist resort, which we had planned to reach, and instead recommends a more characteristic village a short distance from Havana.

Our stay in Havana comes to an end after a few days, and above all after having explored it far and wide, by day and by night, so as to appreciate all its tourist and cultural sides and its contact with the population, which is certainly very close-knit and helpful towards tourists.

Leaving the capital we head off in a characteristic 1950s taxi, to the Playa del Este area, about thirty kilometres from Havana in the direction of Varadero.

Once we reach this beautiful area, between the localities of Guanabo and Santa Maria del Mar, we rent an apartment near the sea where we spend about ten days in complete relaxation, devoting ourselves fully to life by the sea, wonderful beaches, clear water, with unforgettable sunny days, spending our evenings in the many venues present there and dining in the characteristic restaurants of the area.

Going into the details of the holiday would become a long affair, but I certainly feel I can state with absolute conviction that for us it was undoubtedly an unforgettable holiday, on a wonderful island, with a simple but at the same time very helpful population, where the sea and the climate are enviable.

We returned to Italy with nostalgia in our hearts, but with the promise to return to Cuba as soon as possible, perhaps to the same apartment, and in the same area, but we will certainly go back.