Cuba 2013: The West

Now that Cuba is booming, it is time to look back a few years.....2013 was a bit different, more peaceful and far away from the internet and technology.

We planned our trip to Cuba in the summer of 2012. We booked our casas particulares through the internet, mostly through hostelbookers.com. However, starting from 2014, they were taken over by hostelworld.com due to the American embargo, which is a pity because it was easy to find great accommodations. We only stayed in hotels where it made strategic sense, such as Los Jasmines in Vinales...the view of the entire valley was breathtaking.

We started our vacation in Varadero, which was a slightly unconventional choice and almost cost us the entire trip. Varadero is only accessible by Air Berlin, and they decided to go on strike in spring, as they often do. After a sleepless night and countless phone calls to the airports and unions, we found ourselves at Tegel Airport at 3 am, about 4 hours before the actual departure. The Air Berlin staff decided to play some pranks on the passengers, but eventually we checked in around 5 am. In Düsseldorf, chaos reigned and most flights were cancelled, except for a few delayed ones. Phew, we were lucky.

We finally took off with a delay of about 90 minutes and could enter the relaxation phase. The flight itself was uneventful, and we arrived in the Caribbean around 1 pm local time. The immigration process was relatively uneventful, and Mathias was impressed by the uniformed girls with lots of glitter. They were dressed in short skirts, which seemed to be in short supply in the land of rum and Cuba Libre. The Russian package tourists had a blast, and I felt sorry for the girls...which wasn't right, as the ladies with lots of glitter on their shoulders reminded me more of former military sergeants.

We exchanged money at the airport and marveled at the first CUCs, comparable to US dollars...we didn't have any CUPs at that time. We took a taxi to Beny's Place, a wonderful casa particular with four-star luxury. The room had a modern Caribbean style, and the bathroom was clean and comparable to a mid-range hotel.

We were satisfied and immediately booked our dinner. Mixed fish with lobster. Then we went to the beach (a 4-minute walk) and had the opportunity to soak in the first impressions of Cuba. The part of the city where we stayed was not yet spoiled, with many single-family houses and small shops with limited options. The beach was very beautiful, and overall we were surprised by how un-touristy Varadero was on that first evening.

Varadero Beach

Plenty of space for everyone

Varadero

We spent the next day lazing around on the beach and went hunting for rum in the small supermarkets with an out-of-this-world atmosphere (all shelves were empty).

Out-of-this-world atmosphere

Varadero City

First impressions of Varadero