A One-Week Pleasure Trip to Varadero, Cuba

This was my first visit to Cuba and it reminded me of things in China years
ago.  This was also the first vacation for me and my wife without our children
since their birth.  No doubt this will leave us many unforgettable memories.  We traveled with friends and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

We booked an all-inclusive resort stay at Varadero which is about a two-hour drive west of Havana, the capital city.  The package included two-way air tickets, accommodation, meals and beverages (24-hour supply) and transportation to/from airport/hotel; it was only
CAD850/person for a seven-night stay at a 3-star hotel.  The price varied in accordance to the hotel selection.  My wife was a bit upset with the hotel we picked for most of the public areas were not air-conditioned and the room was not properly equipped.  There was not even an alarm clock or a mini bar in our room.

We started our journey from home at two o'clock in the morning and we tried the Park & Fly for the first time in Mississauga.  It cost only CAD52 for 8 days per vehicle parked in a spot about 5km from Pearson Airport.  Our plane took off around 6:30am and arrived at Varadero before 10am.  After we checked in, we had a buffet lunch in one of their five restaurants serving various cuisines, ranging from international fare to local Cuban lobster dinners.

Cuba is the only remaining communist country in Central and Latin America and it has a rather messy history.  Before Cuba became independent from the U.S. in May 1902, it was under the Spanish colonial rule for over 400 years.  After its independence, it went through different civil and revolutionary wars.  I am not clear about the founding of Cuba and how it transformed to a communist country practicing a socialist planned economy.  Almost all companies in all business sectors are state-owned, and foreign investments are severely restricted.

Today, Cuba has a population of about 12 million, and Espano (or Spanish) is the national language. There are two different types of currency: Peso for the locals and CUC (Cuban Convertible Currency) for tourists at an unreasonable exchange rate of CAD1 = CUC0.83.  Local shopping is not as cheap as one might think; a 250ml bottle of drinking water costs CAD1.20.  We spent one night in Havana in a better hotel in exchange for our own hotel which was obviously over-booked.  The offer included a hotel room for one night, land transfers, meals and a local tour, through which we visited the old and new Havana, taking in their many museums, monuments and other buildings. 

We spent most of our time either in the pools or beaches during this tour, and we were fed with plenty of food and drinks.  We also tried a sailing tour and snorkeling trip across the beach with many fishes swimming beside us.  This was an awesome vacation that we will never forget.  We hope to visit Cuba again if she would adopt a more open-door policy after China.