Sunday morning and we are getting everyone and everything into the two mini buses for the two hour drive to the airport. We are leaving for Cuba today for my brother's wedding and everyone is excited. Nerves brought on by anticipation of the sun, as our plane was scheduled to leave at 6pm and we are on our way to the airport at 10am. Yes the bride was a little nervous and wanted to make sure we were there in lots of time. If she only knew what we would be dealt later in the day, our departure plans may well have been altered just a tad.

Arrive at the Pearson Airport in Toronto at noon for our flight. No problems picking up the tickets from the Sunwing counter and letting the people who have yet to arrive know where they need to go to get theirs. Seeing as there is not a wealth of activities sitting out in the bag check area of an airport some of us decide to head on through customs and find some intriguing opportunities on the other side. These are hard to find in most airports on today. There was a playoff football game on the tube so we found a spot to watch the game. This is where the price is paid we watched the game on a 19 inch TV while paying $9 for a pint of beer. Oh well good to get some beer into us now because little did we know that we were on the verge of getting the news that every traveler hates to hear....FLIGHT DELAYED!!!!!

It started out that our plane was only delayed for a couple hours, no worries the airport is a great place for a people watcher to get stranded. So many people from so many places, many people we will never see again and many people that do not even know you exist. Beautiful none the less how we all come together in one place and pass by each other without as much as a second look. I enjoy sitting and watching people interactions in the airport and reactions to announcements of delays. Some people have very little patience and believe the world is out to get them and it makes me chuckle a little every time.

So after about another hour of sitting around people watching and playing some cards I go and check on our flight and I walk up to the board to find that the flight has now been delayed until 11pm. That is a five hour delay and no matter how much you enjoy people watching a delay like this at the beginning of the trip starts to get to you because you just want to get out of here and put both feet on foreign soil. After this great little tidbit of info that we received the airline informed us that they were giving us $15 food vouchers so that we could grab a bit to eat. Nice gesture on their part as we had children and a few grandparents that were getting a little uncomfortable. What better way to make people forget about their long delay then to give them some free food to scoff down and knock them out until the plane is to arrive....lol

It is closing in our time to go to our gate only to find when we get there that our gate has been changed one last time before take off. No worries other gate was just around the corner, so we perform a 180 and walk to where we had just come from. At this point everybody is doing what they need to past the last few minutes before we are to board, sleeping, reading, cards as for myself being I am restless so I go for a walk around aimlessly watching people pass by and stopping to play some volleyball. Yes first time I have played volleyball in the airport, and I want to take this opportunity to apologize again to the lady who's coffee we knocked out of her hand. We did by her a new one don't worry.

We board the plane and I can feel the plane's wheels leaving the runway and it is 11:15pm. Not to bad five hours late but we have left the airport. Complimentary drinks and headphones to say sorry for the inconvenience, I say thank you and ask for a rum and diet. The plane lands safely and we take the half hour drive from the airport to the resort which goes very quickly because of the friendly atmosphere created by the tour guide. At the resort and the front desk staff is excellent and has us checked in with little wait time. As we are checked in the lovely lady at the front desk informs our group that the lobby bar is open 24 hours...GIDDY UP!!!!

We leave with instructions to all who are interested that we will meet back down in the lobby bar for some welcome to Cuba drinks. As I walk my bags to my room I think back at the longevity of our day and to the potential of fun that lies ahead....

This is a very nice resort to stay at. I reviewed it myself before we left to see what others had to say about and for the majority they were right on the money. What I hate is when you have people that go on and review an accommodation and have nothing bad bad things to say. If you want to bitch and complaining about it then do it with your family I myself do not want to here you whine about every little that did not meet your standards. That by the way I am going to assume that you set to high in the first place. Well first this is a third world country. A country that still runs o by means of Socialism. And as poor as these people may be I do not think I have meet a happier culture in the world. We did not arrive at the resort until 3am and the staff had a huge smile on their faces when we walked through the front doors. The check in service was great, they were fast and efficient and very helpful with all questions asked in the middle of the night. We got the keys to our room and we were off to put our bags upstairs and see what the resort was like at night. There are 3 bars in the resort. A lobby bar that is open 24 hours and we hit at 3:30am to sample some Cuban beer and of course Cuban rum. There is a pool bar, it is not a swim up bar but I nice bar that was just redone while we were there. The last bar is out on the patio or beach restaurant area. This bar is smaller and many people do not go to this one. The only issue with this one is that it closes early. The bar staff are great, you will get to know them quite well as the Cuban nights are so beautiful you spend a lot of time out there with them. If you read this and you happen to make it to this resort please there is a security guard that stands down by the beach and he would really love you to bring him a cerveza in the heat. The pool was very cold the week that we were there, but the sun gets so warm there (especially for a Canadian) that the pool was refreshing. To be honest it is hard to spend much time up by the pool during the day because of the beautiful beach. There 23 miles of beach in Varadero and Bella Costa happens to be on the best part of this beach. Beautiful white sands, clear water and amazing scenery (for guys and girls...lol) The staff here do a great job of getting people active with little games on the beach during the day. They also offered dance classes everyday in the morning up by the pool. The girls that teach the dances are great but I still trip over my feet trying these moves. There is something on the beach for everyone, if you want to play volleyball there is a court with people always willing to play. If you want to just walk the sand massages your feet as you walk and there numerous artists on the beach sculpting out of the sand. If you want to collect shells or just hang out and float around in the beautiful and warm Atlantic Ocean. There are 2 buffet style restaurants and 3 a la carte (Japanese, Cuban,Italian). The buffet style was excellent. They had great options for everyone, even if you are a typical western that does not like to experiment and are use to our traditional style of eating. they had pasta and pizza and even french fries. There is always a lot of fish as well as cuban dishes and a great selection of fruit. I only tried the Italian restaurant and it was decent nothing to complain about at all. I have heard nothing but great things about the Japanese restaurant. Make your reservations early because they fill up fast for the week. Now I am talking during the high season, may not be as busy during there summer. The staff is great all around, from the front desk to the bar staff to the maids cleaning your room and leaving you nice designs in your sheets. I brought soaps and shampoos and make up for the maids as these are luxury items for them, I left her a little something everyday. Tip the bar staff well early, sometime the pool bar get busy and if Ramone likes you and remembers you the wait time is significantly lowered. This is very important tip so read carefully, if you are going to be drinking the rum there is the 7 Year , 3 Year and then the white. You will want to start with the 7 year because this is very tasty and smooth, and the bar only has so many bottles a night. If you plan to scuba dive use Barracuda Scuba in Varadero. So to summarize, I would recommend this resort to everyone. The staff is excellent and friendly. The beach is stunningly beautiful and the weather does everything in its power to keep you happy and smiling. If you decide to go and I think you should enjoy because Cuba is a beautiful country in the Caribbean and should be a stop on everyone's list. Cheers Ryan

Nicole had to get an early morning taxi to the Airport at 6am to catch her flight to Bogota, Colombia. The taxi dropped me off at the bus station on the way. I wasn't really sure where to go but ended up hoping onto the bus to Varadero because it was only 10 CUC and was supposed to have the best beaches.

The beach was indeed great. Unfortunately I think I forgot to take any pictures.

Service and quality in Cuba is not the highest standard possible. But Kawama hotel is a very nice hotel, beautiful location and good food for Cuban standards

So we went to go see the famous and rightly so, Buena Vista Social Club at a nearby local club.  Truly. Amazing.

After the show, I met some of the musicians and got a CD signed by one of them.  Needless to say, I was pretty excited about that.  This I'm sure was a once in a lifetime experience.

Ok, so I wasn't able to properly photographically capture all the slendour that this evening was so I'll just have to attempt to describe it.

The Christmas Eve show at this resort involved about seven 'acts'.  Each little vignette was a dance show.  Before arriving in Cuba I already understood that Cuban culture could at times appear highly sexualized, especially when compared to the more priggish culture of North Americans.  I did not however expect to be so fully exposed to this cultural display on Christmas Eve, in the presence of my mother and so many small children hoping to see Frosty the Snowman or some Latin American derivative, but what they got was Booty Shaker and her team of Too Small Thong Dancers.

They performed 'Men in Black', 'Roxanne' and a dance from 'Dream Girls'.  In Roxanne the scene ended with a mock rape and the lead dancer screaming high-pitched.  In the Dream Girls dance, if you can call it that, the dancer was simply running around the stage and up and down the aisles screaming and she finished it off by rolling herself down a small flight of stairs.

Now, I consider myself a fairly open-minded person...  But, this is Christmas and there were small children in the audience.  I can definitely say that I was not impressed with this.

As a student of history, politics and anthropology, I can say that I found it interesting and educational.  Clearly these dancers, their choreographer and the hotel management thought that that this was appropriate, so that definitely says something about their own conception of Christmas, festivities and sexuality. 

If you are Cuban and reading this, perhaps you can comment on this and let me know how far one should read into it.

Cheers,

Josh

After leaving freezing Toronto, a flight to Varadero and an interesting bus ride, we finally made it to  our resort "Tryp Peninsula" near the tip of the Varadero Peninsula.

Hotel Dos Mares is a simple and small hotel in the centre of Varadero. The rooms are very small, but clean and they have airconditioning. The bathroom has a toilet and a shower. Small, but okay. Breakfast is bad. You only get 1 small bread and a few thin slices of fruit. You can ask for more bread or order some sandwiches. (which you have to pay) The hotel has a very nice location in the middle of Varadero. The beautiful beach is only 150m from the hotel. Because Dos Mares is one of the few hotels in the citycentre, there are not many tourists on the beach. You will be in the middle of Cuban people (especially in the weekend) If you want to go to Varadero, but you don't want to stay at a (horrible) all inclusive hotel, Dos Mares is a perfect choice!

Hi there, I haven't been to Palma Real myself. I have been to Sol Palmeras in Varadero and Paradisus Varadero. I have heard some different stories about the Hotel (some good, some bad) so I cant really help with that. If you need tips about about Cuba or Varadero however, I can give you plenty !!

Best Hotel ever !! Very exclusive and romantic. Visited it 2 years ago and I wished I could have stayed there forever !! True paradise for those wo love to be pampered !

hotel melia varadero

Hi You probably won't find a cheap joint in Varadero...unless you manage to find a Casa Particular (Like a B&B, some legal ones and others illegal. Needless to say, legal ones are more expensive but consistent quality) Typically you pay 20 pesos (equal to $US20) for a night, and some places offer breakfast for 3 or so pesos and dinner for a little more. Illegal places will go for cheaper. When I stayed in Havana, I went to a beach town called Guanabo. Not as flashy as Varadero but still nice beaches with a number of casas. Locals prefer this beach over Varadero. Good luck!

There are many problems with this resort.

Everyone in my party and numerous other people I met at this resort developed painful stomach and intestinal problems at this resort.

Many bugs/ants on the main floor rooms.

The staff who do not normally receive tips from visitors are dismissive at best and nasty at worst.

There does not seem to be anyone in charge as employees frequently closed up their operations (bar grill, children's club, pool bar, 24 hr. restaurant) whenever it suited them.

 Try visiting another country or if you have to go to varadero try a five star resort instead of this 2 star ant trap..

The Barcelo Marina Palace has reputation for outstanding service and sincere Cuban hospitality, and its all available at a very reasonable price. Spoil yourself at the Barcelo Marina Palace, you won't regret it