Have you ever had those WhatsApp group chats where someone talks about how they're bored and want to take a holiday, and then everyone just jumps in on their holiday?! I don't even know how we landed on Cuba. All I know is - 1 week later, I'd booked my tickets to Havana and was thrilled to be escaping Dutch winter for two weeks.
A brief rundown of our destinations -
Havana - obviously. We spent about five days here and it was just about right - that being said I could easily have spent five more. Havana really has so much to offer - the colonial buildings, old brightly coloured classic cars, the Malecon esplanade, the museum of revolution, rooftop daiquiris, and gorgeous sunsets. Oh, and the food! I think we actually ended up going back to o'reilly's 304 because of how amazing their food was.
Varadero is where the luxury beach resorts are. Along its 20km of Atlantic Ocean coastline is a string of all-inclusive hotel and spa properties. We spent three days here and chose to stay in a little boutique Airbnb, where we were offered whole lobsters for dinner for just USD 12.
Matanzas is the second largest province in Cuba after that of Havana and one of the most important due to it contribution towards the economic development of the island. The town was cute, but it was a quick pitstop before heading on towards Trinidad. We spend the night in Cienfuegos, which honestly, was only to break the pretty long car journey.
Trinidad - not to be confused with Trinidad and Tobago, which are located just off the coast of South America. This was my favorite town in the whole island! The colourful cobbled streets is an Instagrammer's dream. Not to mention the cute bell tower in the Old Town that took us back years. Stop by Casa de Musica for live music and salsa, and of course - the famous Disco Ayala which is essentially a nightclub in a cave!
Viñales Valley is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape because of its use of traditional tobacco-growing techniques. A trip here is a must if you want to check out the tobacco plantations and roll your own cigars. Its accessible as a (intense) day trip from Havana, but we spent two nights to fully take in the valley. Stunning views, friendly people. Natural Cuba at its finest - a must-see.
But most importantly, this vacation was the opportunity to spend time with people I hadnt seen in months.
As always, more pictures below xx
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