Cuba....mojitos, pina colada's & banana mama's

---

Travel Companion – Jules Dunn

Duration – 10 nights

Movies Watched – 'This is where I leave you', 'Love Rosie' & 'St. Vincent', 'Focus', 'Fox Catcher' - need Virgin to update their movie selection

Sitting next to...a husband and wife - no conversation...she didn't have manners and Jules on the return leg



There is not one person who has a negative thing to say about their trip to Cuba. Whoever I told of my impending trip, their eyes light up - 'I am jealous', 'you will love it', 'awesome place'....and they were not wrong. I had no expectations, knew a few things (it would be like traveling back in time, we were traveling in rainy season, lots of Canadians (secretly hoping we would meet some Canadian hotties - we didn't)), didn't do any research (other than 'can you drink the tap water') and ended up having a wonderful time! My poor mum was a little worried about the trip....I think she thought I was going to Columbia rather than Cuba. Once I told her Jules was a cop and a protection officer, she seemed much happier.

Monday morning, I made my way to Virgin Atlantic check-in and was greeted by one of their reps who started talking to me in Italian (thinking I was from there)...once he was corrected he proceeded to tell me about his shenanigans in Australia....thankfully, I was saved by Julie. Check-in and security completed we made our way for a drink. Julie asked if I wanted coffee or a stiff drink. Before I realised, what I was saying, the words 'coffee' came out of my mouth. I know, I couldn't believe it either!

Soon after, we boarded and Jules did really well to get us upper deck seats. This is the way to travel, if, you are like me, and can't afford the business/first class seats. It felt like we were in our own private jet. We settled in to a 9 hour journey filled with movies, food and gin and tonics. We touched down in Havana late afternoon and made our way to our hotel. The hotel was lovely, rooms were great and there was a very cute concierge. Quick bite to eat and we hit the sack. Tired.

We had 3 days in Havana and were then heading to a resort in Varadero for some sun. Awoke the next morning feeling good, after poor Julie was up for a few hours in the night with jetlag. To say the hotel breakfast was ok is an understatement. This breakfast had everything you could want....I tucked into my European feast of salmon, meats and cheeses. We were also joined by basketball teams from Cuba, Puerto Rico & Bulgaria. This made breakfast time more interesting.

We headed into Havana where it pissed down for most of the day. The last minute decision to bring raincoats and umbrellas was a good one. The people are so lovely, you didn't get hassled at all, other than the 'nice lady...come on my tour' guys hovering around our shuttle bus door as we made our way off it. We explored Havana and were amazed by the architecture....its unbelievable how a city can have such a mixture of weathered and beautifully decorated and restored buildings. A mixture of art nouveau, art deco and more make Havana so architecturally diverse! After a few downpours and jumping through puddles we decided to get on the horse and carriage tour. Our guide, Angelo, showed us old Havana and took us to see his home and how they lived...this was such an eye opener! We finished the day drinking very strong mojitos in a bar recommended by Anjelo.

Wednesday, we were thankfully greeted by some blue sky and sunshine. We headed back into Havana and could not resist a tour in one of the old classic cars. There was not a cloud in sight and thinking we were Thelma and Louise we whizzed through the town with a guide and his brother. It is here that I will mention I never got a look in with any of the Cuban men. Julie, with that blonde hair of hers, was a hit! This tour was great as we got to see sights (Castillo del Morro, Museo Casa del Che, Capitolio, Barrio Chino (China Town) & Plaza de la Revolucion) that we had not checked out the previous day. With our car tour over we made our way to a bustling street which we realised was Obispo Street. The place was heaving and the day time live music spilling into the street was infectious. As if on cue, it started to rain and the only thing we could do was pull up a seat at the bar in front of us. Here, we met a nice French guy and proceeded to drink with him. That evening we headed to the Buena Vista Social Club via a rickshaw. Part of my entertainment, at the club, was watching the lady, with a mullet, showing off her salsa moves. That evening we had a great meal and many a mojito. We ate like Queens for such a small price.

Thursday....we said goodbye to the hot concierge and traveled to Varadero. What is a 2-3 hour drive took us about 5 hours (talk about a sore arse!) due to hotel drop offs. We stopped for 10 minutes and had the best pina colada I have ever tried. Even the 1000 flies milling about could not ruin the taste. We also decided to make conversation with one of Julie's admirers (this English dude. Wasn't just the Cubans). I nick-named him Julie's boyfriend and he tried desperately to get her number, without success. We arrived early evening, explored a little, had a bite to eat and hit the sack. This going to bed by 11pm was great!

Our hotel was awesome. Our room was beaut, the gardens were lovely, the beach was gorgeous and the amenities were perfect. Best of all, the service was impeccable and the staff could not do enough for you. You could not fault anything (well except for the flies that would sometimes be on the food - but that is hard to control). The next week's routine went something like this...wake around 8am-9am and head to breakfast, head to the beach or pool baking in the sun until about 6pm; reading our books, people watching and checking out the guys (2 Austrians dudes were my draft pics) and ordering copious amounts of mojitos and pina coladas. Julie would accuse me of trying to get her drunk, before midday....she knows me well. It was toward the end of our trip that Julie discovered the drink banana mama and that became our choice of beverage. When it rained (2 days) we headed to the bar and/or played pool.

In the evening's, we would get ready for dinner and head to one of the restaurants or the buffet, where it would become like 'fashions on the field'....some of the women went to great lengths to get ready for a buffet! It was even worse watching the girls on the beach doing selfies and parading in the sea thinking they were doing a shoot for Sports Illustrated. Some nights we would head to the bar for a few drinks and watch one of the shows but most nights I was knackered and happy to be in bed by midnight. A few nights, in particular, I think I overindulged in seafood, which left me leaving Jules behind and running for our apartment loo! The trots were not pleasant and Jules would help fix this by ordering me a banana mama. Imodium also helped!

As the week went on we made some friends (from England, of course) and Julie became good friends with the activities team. After about 3 days of just lounging by the beach/pool, Julie decided to check out the rifle shooting, archery and anything else that was happening. I encouraged her to get involved in aqua-aerobics, as well. After day 5, the activities team gave up trying to get me off my lounge chair and involved in any activity. I was too enthralled in my novel (the 2nd book I have read in years!) and those who know me well know I love the sun (vitamin D is important!). I played games from the lounger - 'guess how many straws' and 'guess how many toothpicks'. One day, we even won a prize - that was because the game was rigged and the lovely activities girl wanted us to win. The days were spent with plenty of laughs and conversations with Jules. One that still makes me laugh today is Jules conversing with the Cubans:

Julie - 'What is your name?'

Cuban - 'William'

Julie - 'Oh, yes, but what is your Cuban name?'

Cuban - 'its William'

After 7 nights of sun, sea, food and drink it was time for the relaxing holiday to end. We made our way back to Havana airport and were re-united with Julie's boyfriend (she still didn't give him her digits)...boarded that Virgin Atlantic flight and were back at Gatwick the Friday morning. If you're thinking about visiting Cuba - do it! You will not be disappointed! Added bonus is the lack of American tourists!

---