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| L-R: Me, Joe and our hosts Sandy and Duly in Vinales |
Go to Cuba!
You will love it! It's the first vacation where I actually lost weight while eating and drinking to my heart's content. There are beautiful beaches, gorgeous mountainous countrysides, a bustling thriving city and so many wonderful places to stay instead of a typical hotel room.
In terms of planning our two-week vacation, I couldn't find anyone to help me plan it. I tried two travel agents, one wouldn't answer my emails, the other told me it wasn't safe to go. So I gave up, momentarily. Which leads me to the reason my husband and I decided, against the odds to go to Cuba.
My husband is a huge gearhead who is a lover of Cuban cigars and classic cars. Every month we get his Hemmings magazine, which I glance at from time to time and where I got the idea that we should visit Cuba.
Getting There is NOT Complicated!
We flew to Cuba with Jet Blue airlines, which we LOVED! Their standard seating has more leg room than any airline I've ever flown and as of May 2017, the airfare from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale and then to Cuba included one piece of checked luggage, one carry-on and one personal item that fits under the seat in front of you. It was about $750 for us both round trip. So traveling with my husband that meant one bag for him and four for me! Though I actually traveled light this trip.We both had passports (you will need one too), so all we needed when purchasing/booking the flights was to select the reason we were visiting Cuba from the drop-down menu on the website. We traveled, "in support of the Cuban people". You cannot claim to visit Cuba for the purpose of just being a tourist, BUT, you can visit Cuba using one of twelve reasons. Check the first paragraph "entry requirements" on the U.S. Embassy website to see those categories. You will also need a travel visa which you will purchase at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale or other Florida destination. At the time we flew there were no direct flights to Cuba and the travel visa was $100 per person.
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| We got the entire house, pool, parking for $129 CUC/night. Twenty minutes from Havana. |
Where to Stay
There are restrictions as to where you can stay. The State Department has a list of hotels and businesses that they would prefer you did not stay at, of course what you do is up to you. But we chose to stay where most American tourists do and that is at a "casa particular".
A casa particular is basically someone's home that you rent out. In our case we booked two destinations, one in the city and one by the beach. Though you have access to seeing the water in Cuba, there are no beaches in the city proper, for that you'll need to ride out to the burbs. We stayed in Guanabo and a weekend in Havana.
My husband wanted to spend time by the pool and the beach, which is why we stayed in Guanabo. And though I love nature, I also wanted to experience the city beats and in Havana the air is filled with the sound of "musica". We were close enough to Havana via cab $20 CUC or bus $.05 CUP, to go there daily. We traveled around and walked a lot! Which is why our Keen sandals were indispensable because they covered land and sea.
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| Our Havana apartment that Ididn't want to leave, but more than $200 CUC per night. |
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