Habana Vieja,

or the Old City, is one of Havana’s liveliest and most beautiful areas.  A prime location for people-watching, the Habana Vieja was once a key naval port of colonial Spain.  The Old City is now a bustling center surrounded by charming squares, churches, museums, hotels, restaurants, and shops.

The Capitolio, Havana

One of the most impressive structures in Cuba, the Capitolio is a towering dome modelled after the U.S. Capitol.  Anyone travelling to Cuba should tour or at least view this important Cuban landmark, which houses a planetarium, three museums, and rooms that are currently used for state events.

Playas del Este, Havana

Less than half an hour outside of Havana is the popular Playas del Este, a six mile stretch of sandy beaches.  Not to be confused with a luxury resort beach, Cuba’s Playas del Este are the locals’ favourite, and tourist hotels are available but sparse.  Head to the Playas del Este to experience world-class sunbathing, swimming, boating, and authentic Cuban culture.

Cayo Largo del Sur, Havana

Diving and snorkelling aficionados will find the 110 mile trek from Havana to Cuba’s Cayo Largo del Sur well worth the effort. This island provides more than 15 miles of aqua blue ocean and pristine white sand.  Divers can explore the island’s shores for hours, swimming with a vast array of exotic marine life.  Cayo Largo del Sur is accessible only by yacht or flight from Havana.

The Cohiba is one of the world’s most expensive cigar brands and has many different types, with prices ranging from £30 to £250 per cigar. All around the world people know Cuba for it’s cigar making skills.

However Cuba isn’t just about the cigars that they make, this quaint yet booming island has many other cultural gifts to offer us. The history of this Island is amazing with famous figures ranging from politician Fidel Castro to actress Eva Mendez. Even places like Castillo de Farnes, where Che Guevara and Castro toasted the success of the revolution, these seem to go unnoticed.

Cuba holidays offer us a new niche of tourism. We must remember though that Cuba does make great Cigars and although we are accentuating this point, they do allow us to try and roll our own cigars. Places like the Real Fabrica de Tabaco’s Partuga’s in Havana give you the opportunity to make and roll your own cigar, there are other places in Cuba that help you do this as well. With tourism booming and people travelling all around the world to this new hot spot; tourism has become one of Cuba’s biggest money spinners.

The Cuba hotels are getting more and more modern every day. Although they do have some national treasures, the Nacional Hotel has starred in many gangster films with Frank Sinatra and is one of the oldest hotels on the island. This hotel is still beautiful and has 5 star rating, many famous figures have stayed here before including Winston Churchill.

Now that they have ferries from Cuba to Jamaica you can enjoy weekend Jamaica holidays as well. Cuba and it’s cigars are world renowned but this wonderful place provides us with a unique history and beautiful scenery as well.

For more information regarding booking a holiday to Cuba, please phone on FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our travel agents

British television newscaster, Trevor McDonald takes in the ‘faded romance’ of Cuba, the Caribbean’s biggest island, a country where almost everything is half a century old. He visits the oldest cigar making factory on the island, and learns about living under a communist regime where food is rationed and a television can cost more than a home.

Trevor travels to his birthplace, Trinidad, for one of the highlights of the country’s calendar, a two-day long carnival. Trevor models a hand-crafted costume and soaks up the noisy, bright atmosphere as bands of up to 1000 people dance through the streets.

In Cuba, Trevor discovers a country where time has stood still. When Fidel Castro overthrew the government 50 years ago America responded by imposing a trade embargo on the island – as a result many things there are more than 50 years old, including many of the cars. With a local journalist as his guide, Juan, Trevor travels around the capital city, Havana, in a bright red classic Chevrolet.

Trevor says: “The entire city is enveloped by a sense of faded elegance. Buildings once grand and magnificent show signs of weary neglect.” Juan explains to Trevor what life is like under a communist regime where everyone is paid equally, from doctors to taxi drivers, unemployment is less than two per cent and there are reminders everywhere that the state is in control – especially in the media.

The news presenter meets his Cuban counterpart, newsreader Mariuska Diaz to see how her daily life compares. They discuss News at Ten’s lighthearted ‘And finally…’ tales which take a different twist in Cuba – the story at the end of the bulletin that day is about a school being named after communist icon, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Trevor tours the news studio and chats to Mariuska about her fame but soon discovers that celebrity status is discouraged in the country and the newsreaders are jacks of all trades – even applying their own make-up before a bulletin. Trevor is also surprised to learn that the newsreader has a second job to supplement her wage – as an MC in a club. Juan shows Trevor his two-bedroom apartment bought for the equivalent of $200 from the government – then he takes him to an electrical shop, with nearly bare shelves. As consumerism is discouraged in Cuba, the government taxes goods, resulting in a television costing more than Juan’s apartment and some things taken for granted in Britain, like toasters, being almost impossible to obtain. Trevor’s shopping trip with Juan, as he picks up his monthly food rations, is a world apart from a supermarket run in the UK. Trevor watches in amazement as the Cuban reporter gets rice and grains and even cigarettes and matches at a subsidised rate – his whole monthly shop costs the equivalent of just $2.

At the cigar factory, Trevor follows workers as they collect the tobacco and roll the leaves, producing three million cigars a year by hand that sell for up to £30 each in the west – more than the workers earn in a single month. The atmosphere in the factory is buzzing as the workers chat and smoke but Trevor is astonished to see them all stop and stand in silence as the national anthem is played before the daily newspaper is read out to them.

Did you know coffee was brought to Cuba in the mid 18th century but it would take 40 years before it became a big part of the economy, and by the early 1800’s it became a bigger import than sugar? Since then they have discovered that Cuba has perfect great cultivating techniques in an area where the climate and soil conditions produce a very fantastic bean.

This drink has become a very social activity for most Cubans which they take very seriously. It is not drunk slowly like wine, but taken in small shots to obtain the rush of caffeine. By the way Cuban coffee or Café Cubano has usually twice the caffeine as most other coffee beans. The process to make Cuban coffee is much like an Italian espresso but with some unique differences. The most profound is the sweetness. Cuban coffee is very sweet. In fact, it is almost like syrup with a frothy top on it. Similar to Italy’s espresso, Café Cubano starts out somewhat the same, but the added touches make this drink distinctly different. Old-time Cubans make the drink on the stove, but modern chefs create it using an espresso maker. The base for Cuban coffee is finely ground Jamaican coffee beans. They must be ground almost to the powder stage, but not quite. It’s traditional to serve the end product with lots and lots of sugar.

A general note on Kitesurfing in Cuba. Kitesurfing has a growing scene in Cuba. New spots are being discovered and new riders are taking up the sport with the first few kiteschools being set up. But, there is one major problem for Cuban kiters; It is impossible to import or buy any kind of kite equipment in Cuba. Kites, boards, harnesses, pumps, simply everything is in short supply. Because of this local riders and schools are looking to buy any kind of gear. So if you’re travelling to Cuba, and have any kind of gear, new or old, and you would like to sell, you will really help the local kite scene if you bring it along. You will get a low, but fair price, but more importantly you will really help a stoked crowd keep growing the sport. The same goes for all kite movies and kite magazines.

Best time to kitesurf because of wind conditions is October to April/May.

When many people think about scuba diving trips, Cuba is not one of the places that comes to mind at first. Cuba is an island that is located about 90 miles southwest of Florida and the Scuba diving is a wonderful experience.
Cuba has beautiful oceans where clean and clear exotic wonders await each and every scuba diver.

Scuba Diving in Cuba: The Beauty
Cuba is a beautiful island paradise that is surrounded by many beautiful sandy beaches and the surrounding deep oceans. It is considered to be a scuba divers paradise. Divers of all levels love the beauty of scuba diving in Cuba. They can see an array of tropical fish in the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.
There are many places to scuba dive in Cuba. Cuba offers 31 different diving centres in 18 different zones around the country. Each area is full of dive sites that are free from pollution and any form of coral destruction. Divers enjoy viewing hundreds of types of fish, corals, and sponges in some of the best preserved reefs in the world.
Quality Scuba Diving Instruction in Cuba
Most dive shops and areas in Cuba have qualified and knowledgeable instructors. All instructors are certified by ACUC, CMAS, or SSI and many speak more than one language - mostly English and Spanish.
Beginning divers can get certified in less than 24 hours and be ready to dive quickly. Instructors take the time to work with each diver providing them with the best scuba diving instruction possible.
As for scuba gear, many dive shops rent and sell all of the scuba diving equipment that will be needed for any dive. There is a wide variety of scuba gear at very affordable prices. Most divers are surprised at the low rental rates and sell the Cuba scuba diving shops have to offer.
Scuba diving in Cuba is one of Cuba’s best kept secrets. It is an area where many do not think about diving. Cuba offers some of the best diving packages to divers of all levels of expertise and is truly one of the

world’s best places to dive.

For more information regarding booking a holiday to Cuba so that yo can enjoy the delights of scuba diving there, please phone this office on FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our dedicated travel team.

Cuba has great deep sea fishing facilities to be enjoyed by fishing enthusiasts all year round. The best place to go deep sea fishing in Cuba is off the North West coast of Cuba. The waters off this part of Cuba form part of the fast moving Gulf Stream in which the conditions for fishing are fantastic. Some of the most common species of fish that can be caught while fishing in this part of Cuba are tuna, mackerel, barracuda and swordfish. The best facilities for fishing in this part of Cuba can be found at Havana, Playas del Este and Isla de la Juventad.

Every year, several fishing competitions are held in Cuba. Some of these fishing competitions are taken quite seriously and attended not only by Cuban fishing enthusiasts, but also by fishermen from abroad. Probably the most famous of these fishing competitions is the Ernest Hemingway fishing competition held every year in the North West of Cuba. The fishing competition is named after the famous American novelist who used to live in Cuba during the 1950’s and actually helped to draft the rules of the original competition. Registration for the Ernest Hemingway fishing competition in Cuba costs $500 for a three man fishing crew which gives you permission to do four days of fishing using 30lb fishing lines.

There are plenty of places in Cuba from where you can rent fishing equipment. Most of these shops will sell you everything from fishing bait to renting deep sea fishing rods for the day. There are also a few places in Cuba from where you can rent your own fishing boats for a fee of approximately $300 per day. If there are a few of you going fishing then the cost split between you can actually work out quite cheap; however, as with renting cars in Cuba,  book in advance to avoid disappointment as demand often exceeds supply.

Fishing in the south of Cuba provides a different experience to fishing in the North of Cuba. Most fishing in the South of Cuba is done from the shore and the main species of fish that are caught are tarpon and bonefish. The weather in the South of Cuba is also slightly warmer than in the North.

For more idea about booking a holiday to Cuba, please call this office on  FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our experienced travel advisors

In between taking in the sights and relaxing on the beach in Cuba, why not make time for a memorable afternoon swimming with dolphins? Spending time with these beautiful, gentle creatures will be an experience you’ll remember long after you’ve said goodbye to the island.  The Bahia de Naranjo aquarium, located at Cayo Naranjo, in the eastern Cuban province of Holguín, provides visitors with an incredibly beautiful setting and the surprise of finding an aquarium in the sea, where you’ll have the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in large outdoor ocean pens. At the time of writing this, it costs about $30 which wouldn’t break anybody’s bank for a lifetime experience. Most dolphin swims last around 15 to 20 minutes.

For more information regarding booking a holiday to Cuba, please phone this office on FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our experienced travel advisors.

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, the family owned Spanish hospitality company known for offering memorable vacations and some of the best service in the industry continues to grow its portfolio with the addition of  the Iberostar Laguna Azul. This 814 room all-inclusive 5 star property is situated along a beautiful stretch of beach 20 minutes from downtown Varadero (Cuba). The hotel offers a number of amenities including a cigar lounge and wide array of children’s activities. This is the 5th Iberostar hotel in Varadero.

The rooms and junior suites of this five star all-inclusive resort have comfortable beds and spacious bathrooms complete with shower and tub. The hotel has a Japanese, Gourmet, Italian and International, restaurant (all requiring a reservation) and offers international cuisine at the main buffet restaurant. Sun lounges, parasols and towels by the pool and on the beach are offered free of charge. A great variety of day and nighttime activities include 4 adult’s swimming pools and 2 kids swimming pools, water sports and areas where you can relax, not to mention a kids club.

To book this hotel or any other hotel in Cuba, please call on FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our dedicated travel advisors.

TripAdvisor seriously rates the Paradisus Rio de Oro. Not only did it win the ‘Best for Romance’ award in their 2008 Travellers’ Choice Awards but it’s been voted the best hotel in Guardalavaca, too. And when you cast your eye over this 5-star, adults-only hotel, you’ll see why.
For a start, it’s got natural beauty on its side. Spread out next to the white sands of Playa Esmeralda beach, it overlooks a beautiful coral reef. The clear turquoise waters are perfect for kayaking and snorkelling.
Then there’s its impressive list of facilities. Two huge lagoon-like pools wrap around palm-edged terraces and curve up to a big swim-up bar. Add plenty of sunbeds and thatched pergolas and you’ll find it hard to tear yourself away.
Next, you’ve got six restaurants and five bars vying for your attention. Four of the restaurants are à la carte and serve everything from Japanese and international cuisine to Mediterranean and Creole cuisine. And as for the bars, they come in all guises – but it’s the karaoke-come-disco bar that’s the liveliest.
This place doesn’t fall short on looks, either. In fact, it’s got a style all of its own. Statues, water features and bold artwork adorn the lobby areas, while the bedrooms are a touch calmer. Painted in sunshine yellow, they’re roomy, light spaces with big windows and doors that lead to a balcony or terrace. And they all come with two double beds or one king-size bed, as well as satellite TVs, fridges and air-conditioning.

For more information regarding booking this hotel, please call on FREEPHONE 0808 1089 100 and speak to one of our experienced travel advisors