Vacationing in Varadero 2002

By far the best things we did were go on a Havana city tour for the whole day, and the Jolly Roger Catamaran tour that started with a dolphin show.

Quick Tips:

1. When leaving the resort bring toilet paper! We went to one place that had NONE, and others make you pay!
2. Take lots of bottled water - it gets damn hot in Cuba, and it's so easy to get dehydrated quickly! (besides, I don't recommend the water there).
3. Before leaving for Cuba I had researched a lot, and discovered the poverty that is throughout the country, so we took along some gift bags with soap, shampoo, face clothes, hair accessories, tooth brushes/paste, tampons, candy, pens/paper, etc. to leave with the maids/locals...they were VERY appreciative, and the look on their face was well worth the small gift.
4. Sunscreen - SPF 30!!! And re-apply often!

Best Way To Get Around:

Since this was my very first time away from Canada I was a little apprehensive about leaving the resort alone, so we took guided tours of Havana, and a catamaran tour out to Caya Blanco along with a dolphin show. Also, our hotel offered a free "train" ride into Varadero (it's actually not a real train, but it looks like one) so we could do some shopping. There are also lots of locals around with horses and carriages, apparantly it's well worth the - they'll take you anywhere in town. I saw no problem with walking around Varadero, also. As for in Havana, there are little CoCo Taxi's (I think that's what they're called) - cheap, and they'll get you places. By far the best way to see Havana is by foot, though (especially in Old Havana).

For a 3-star resort I was pleasantly pleased. Two double beds in the room, with desk, sitting area, and balcony overlooking the ocean/beach. The bathroom was alright, but there were no face clothes provided, and there was some antique form of a hair-dryer. The maids kept the place spotless! She managed to get rid of all the sand we tracked in, and she was VERY greatful for the little "gifts" we left everyday (we made up bags of toiletries like soap, shampoo, tooth paste/brush, tampons, hair accessories, and little extras like candy, pens/paper, and face clothes. Everyday if we saw her she'd thank us repeatedly - it's amazing how we take those little things for granted when we're back home in Canada.) I think the only thing I really had to complain about was that the damn air-conditioning was way too cold! I almost froze to death the first night, but I figured out how to turn it off, and we found extra blankets, afterall.

At the SuperClub Puntarena resort you have your choice of places to eat. There's a buffet restaurant which serves local cuisine, as well as international. A Chinese restaurant, requires reservations. A cafeteria with pizza, sandwichs, fries, ice cream, etc. A beach-side grill with local cuisine, also requires reservation. We ate at the buffet most of the time - it was ok, but nothing great - my sister hated it, but she's a picky eater. Breakfast was the best - pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit. We made reservations for the Chinese place one night - I was not impressed, and I'd eat just about anything! The fried bananas for desert were great, though. The cafeteria was convienient - especially for those late-night snack attacks after drinking one too many Strawberry Daiquiries or Ron Punches! On the catamaran tour we had lobster served traditionally with a rich tomato sauce - I thought it was alright, but my sister spent the next 2 days in the bathroom! Overall, not that great, but I've had worse. Don't be afraid, try some new things.

We decided to take the day trip to Havana. It was well worth the $70US even though we didn't get to see some stuff we had wanted. The bus picks you up at your hotel - there was me and my sister, another Canadian couple, and 4 Canaries (is that what you call people form the Canary Islands?!). The drive to Havana took about 2 hours, and we stopped at a few rest stops along the road. You pass by some beautiful scenery, as well as some not-so-beautiful scenery. We crossed the highest bridge in Cuba - what a view! Drove though Matazas, and other towns - beautiful architecture, but it's crumbling away. Our driver, Elio, used to honk the horn at any girls that were walking along the road - he was hilarious. Our tour guide (I can't remeber his name) was really great - knew so much, and he spent the two hours into Havana switching back from English (for us) to Spanish (for the Canaries), repeating everything he had just said. Finally made it to Havana - I would never want to drive myself! These people are CRAZY drivers! We drove through an underground tunnel that brought us to the old part of the city where we got out to start our city walk. The old part of the city was beautiful - we saw Plaza de Armas, Castillo de la Real Fuertza, Palacio de los Capitanes Generales which is now a museum, Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana in the Plaza de la Catedral (BEAUTIFUL), and the list goes on and on. Then we were off to see El Morro and El Fuertiliza???(where Che Guevera used to live)(great views) (I can't remeber the correct name), where we ate lunch (not so great). Then, we went back down to the city where we drove around a bit before ending up at a market near the Malecon - got to shop for a while, bought some really nice wood carvings and paintings. Too much stuff to list here. I can't wait to go back - gonna do the Hemmingway tour next time.

I was really looking forward to the catamaran tour after hearing so much about it. Our first stop (after being picked up at the hotel) was to see a dolphin show at a nearby lagoon - it was really cute. We boarded the boat and started out for a whole day on the sea, pretty much. The scenery was amazing until we got out to open sea, then all you could see was water! I wish I had brought more Sunscreen - I was quite red by the time we arrived at Cayo Blanco. When we were within sight of the island they dropped anchor and you could go snorkelling (I opted not to since I can't swim well, and the water is VERY salty (burns your eyes)...then we got to eat lobster served in a traditioanl tomato sauce, with shrimp, chicken, rice, vegetables, and lots of punch (you could ask for it without the alcohol, if you wanted). After we ate, they pulled up anchor and headed closer to shore -we got a while to hang out and explore the island. My favourite thing was the statue of a anatomically correct naked man with the name of the island on it - quite a sight! There was a bar with dancing, and little stands where you could buy souvenirs and stuff. After a while exploring the beach we headed towards home, after an exhausting day in the sun. I slept very well that night. ~~~Apparently they also offer an evening cruise where you can watch the sunset~~~