Choosing Right Destination in Cuba
by Mark in CubaThe search for the right destination to Cuba had become as ongoing as the search for the best deal to Cuba. When I thought about it a little, I formed several points in my head that were outlining what I wanted to do in Cuba:
- Experience Cuban Night Life
- Get Nice Dose of Cuban Sun and Beach
- Smoke a Hand Rolled Cuban Cigar
- Take a Ride in a Taxi Cab from the 1950’s
- Meet the Real Cubans, Live the Real Cuba
- Take Crap Loads of Pictures
The more I was digging into it, the more I was learning about Cuba, the more it was becoming clear that I should not be taking a vacation in a tourist resort. If I went to Varadero or Cayo Coco, I will only experience #2 of my expectations list – Cuban sun and beach. Sure, beaches in Cuba are something else, but somehow I felt it wouldn’t be satisfying for me. Long before Cuba, I’d spent 6 months on various Islands in the Caribbean and went to Mexico on vacation. If I went to Cuba only to stay in a hotel and throw myself on the beach during the day – I would not experience Cuba I wanted to. That type of vacation would be no different from vacation in Mexico. If a guy is going to Cuba, he should go to places that make Cuba different.
I asked around Trip Advisor and the answers I got were all pretty much the same – Havana, hands down. I kind of suspected that, I just somewhat needed a nudge to switch my thinking that way. Yes, if I want to experience Cuba, I have to go to Havana. Varadero is not Cuba. Varadero is a tourist resort no different from any other tourist resort in any other exotic country. Havana is Cuba, it has a vibrant night life, old cars, old architecture, beautiful young people and everything else that makes Cuba… well, Cuba.
As I was doing my thorough research, I tracked down a guy called Jorge. He’s a Cuban national living in Havana and one of very few Cubans who have computer access. He’s a licensed travel advisor and travel guide doing most of his business on line, hence why he’s allowed to have internet, even though most of Cubans don’t have that luxury. I asked Jorge what he could do for me being a Cuban government licensed travel agent and told him about my expectation.
By this time I have already completely ditched all inclusive vacation, I have completely ditched Varadero and even Breezes Jibacoa. I wanted to turn my trip to Cuba into an adventure. I wanted to spend most of my stay in Havana, but also visit some other towns that travellers who visited Cuba liked. In particular it was Trinidad since it’s an old, colonial town with lots of history and culture. I have also learned all about private houses called Casa Particular, which is much better a form of accommodation for tourists than hotels, since it’s less expensive
and you get to live with actual Cubans. There are countless other advantages which are beyond the scoop of this website, but for those interested in learning more, I highly recommend reading Casa Particular Complete Guide provided by Cuba Tourism website. If you’re going to Cuba, definitely look into staying in a Casa Particular instead of a hotel.
I was really happy with myself. I was glad I didn’t rush it and didn’t purchase an all inclusive vacation. All this time I knew I’d be missing out on something, I just didn’t know what it was. Lots of research paid off and I had far better understanding of Cuba and what to do. Plus I already had a connection to Cuba – Jorge. Read on to find out more about Jorge, the Cuban Travel Agent.
