My Cuba

Departure and surprise accommodation

A "do-it-yourself" holiday, 16 days and 15 nights, flight from Milan with Air Europe. Flight 660 euros round trip per person. Total cost 1400 euros per person (me and my girlfriend Laura). We set off on Saturday 30 August and it's an adventure right away. In fact, the outbound flight has a stopover in Cayo Largo and its destination is Havana. My travel plan was Havana, Trinidad, Cayo Coco, Remedios, Cayo S.Maria and back to Havana..At check-in we ask if it's possible to get off at Cayo Largo; they look at us astonished and after much insistence they change our outbound ticket with destination Cayo Largo. Laura and I are euphoric because they told us that Cayo Largo is stunning but there's a problem to solve. Will we find somewhere to sleep? Once we arrive in Cayo Largo I immediately ask if there's a flight to Trinidad for Tuesday and luck is with us right from the start. We meet Mrs.

Carmen from Cubatur who organises the excursions to Trinidad and she tells us that the excursion is indeed scheduled for Tuesday and that if we wanted we could buy the flight-only ticket paying 75 euros.At this point I take advantage of it and ask her if she can find us accommodation for 3 days and she sends us to the Lindamar (104 dollars per couple all inclusive per day). The village is made up of many small, charming little huts and tranquillity is the order of the day.

The real Caribbean Sea!

We go to Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso and it's here that we find the Caribbean. The place is enchanting and everything is in its primitive state. In the afternoon we meet Carmen and book for Trinidad.

Raining!!

Rain, rain and more rain. Everyone says it's normal given the period, but the frustration is huge since we have to give up a day of Caribbean sea. On top of that, Mr. Giancarlo (a Milanese on holiday with his daughter) tells us that he too wanted to go to Trinidad but the flight was cancelled!! The frustration turns to fury. I immediately look for Mrs. Carmen who confirms everything, saying that due to the bad weather the excursion has been postponed to Thursday. At this point, just to get off the island on Tuesday, I ask if there are other flights and she tells us we can only go to Havana or Varadero. Cayo Largo is very beautiful but too quiet, and at this point we decide on Varadero.

Leaving for Varadero

Sun and sea all morning and in the afternoon we set off with the aerogaviota for Varadero. In Varadero the cubatur asks us if we already have accommodation and we say we need to go to the hotel Pullman. I thought it was for the visa, but instead the cubatur bus takes us to our destination, saving us the taxi. The hotel is closed! No problem. The waiter at the restaurant in Cayo Largo had given me the address of an unauthorised casa particular (a friend of his) and that's where we'll have ourselves taken. We agree on 25 dollars with the owner's daughter, we drop off our suitcases and go out!! On our return the owner, a bit drunk, tells us that he isn't a friend of anyone and that the waiter from Cayo Largo will certainly ask him for a commission! At that moment I finally understood why all Cubans offer you accommodation all over Cuba. They take a percentage from the owners!!

Sea and beaches of Varadero

The beach at Varadero. Stunning!! Maybe almost like Cayo Largo. The day is beautiful and we make the most of it. In the late afternoon we visit the town and go to book the Viazul bus. Destination Trinidad. At the bus station the saleswoman offers us a casa particular in Trinidad. A friend of hers!!! What a coincidence.

Off to Trinidad

Six hours by bus and finally Trinidad. Laura and I decide to look for a casa particular without anyone's help, but as soon as we get off the bus they pounce on us!! Dozens of people with photos in hand of the various apartments offer us their hospitality. Given the competition we manage to negotiate a good price and I agree on a house at 10 dollars a day, very close to the centre and the Viazul stop. The house is clean, and Laura falls in love with Isabel (a beautiful 5-year-old girl) to whom she gives some of her old little clothes. We go out and head to the Romantic Museum. The town really has a special charm! In the late afternoon we go to the Canchancara, and after dinner we go to listen to music at the Casa della Trova where we meet Giancarlo from Milan and his daughter Alice again!! Later we go to the Casa della Musica and dance all night (salsa, of course).

Natural pool

We ask how to get to the sea, and the owner of the house advises us that for the same price as the bus we can take a cocotaxi. He advises us to go to Costasur where the Horizont hotel is, because there's a natural pool. The place is beautiful and we make use of the hotel's sun umbrellas. Some guy asks us if we want to eat lobster on the beach for 8 dollars. We accept, but it will be a disappointment. Much better to eat at Lina's restaurant (clean and cheap). In the evening, an unavoidable meeting point, we go to the Casa della Musica, which fascinates us with its festive atmosphere and its simplicity.

Playa Ancon

We go to Playa Ancon right in front of the hotel of the same name. In the morning the sea is beautiful, but in the afternoon it fills with algae coming from a river nearby. Nearby there's also the marina where, at 32 dollars per person, we book the excursion to Cayo Blanco. The last evening for our friends from Milan, whom we say goodbye to with a heavy heart.

Cayo Blanco

We set off from the marina at 9. The boat is all ours. Me, Laura, Aleandro (the sailor) and his 10-year-old son. We spot two dolphins and after about 1 hour we arrive at the cayo. We go snorkelling and I pick up a starfish (which I'll throw back into the sea), while Aleandro catches a lobster (which will turn out to be the best I've ever eaten). Around 1 pm, as planned, we have lunch in a hut with other tourists. The island is full of iguanas and, apart from the hut, is completely in its primitive state. Unfortunately we have to head back and at 5 pm the cocotaxi comes to pick us up. Not "satisfied" with the day, we go to visit the Torre de Iznaga where there's a mill still in operation and a guy prepares us a drink with sugarcane juice. The landscapes and the plantations are truly enchanting.

Grill Caribe

We change beach again and go in front of the Grill Caribe. The sea is very good, the lunch at the restaurant less so. On our return we go to the craft markets and buy some souvenirs. It's the last day in Trinidad and we really are very sorry to leave. The family we stayed with welcomed us like their own children and in the evening we really felt at home among the dancing with Isabel and the games of dominoes.

Goodbye Familia

We set off for Havana and in the afternoon we arrive at the Viazul station. I ask a girl if she can find me a free casa particular in Old Havana, but she only finds one in the centro area. The taxi first takes us to Plaza Revolution (where we take a few photos), and then to the casa particular where we negotiate the price and agree on 20 dollars. Once settled in the room we visit the Capitolio and the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro. In the evening we go out and discover that Havana isn't really that beautiful. Very dirty streets and lots of annoying people. We go to the Floridita and enjoy the legendary daiquiri.

Havana

Tour of the city: Castillo de la Real Fuerza, El Templete, Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis and a lot of heat. The colonial area is beautiful and many hotels retain the charm of times gone by.

Tararà

With a taxi particular we go to Tararà (Playa de l'Este) and we're amazed by the beauty of the place. We never imagined that so close to the capital the sea could be so beautiful.

Canonaso

We finish the city tour. The Catedral, Museo de la Revolution, a little market and a visit to a carriage of an 1800s train. In the evening we also stop by the bodeguita del medio and go to see the canonaso.

Last swim

Back to Tararà until 3 pm, then return to Havana, shower and departure for Italy.

Back to Italy

Unfortunately the holiday is over. The route wasn't the one we had planned, but our holiday was magnificent. The sea was stupendous, the landscapes the same, the people even more so. Good Cuba to everyone. Warning: recently they changed many telephone area codes and so many numbers are no longer valid. Casas Particular tested: Yirina y Chichi- Gustavo Izquierdo#124 é/Simon Bollivar y Piro Guinard-Trinidad Armando y Arminda-Virtudes n°264 é/ Blanco y Aguilia Cantro Havana