Villa Cuba

Other than the fact we sort of missed 2 days due to travel, our vacation to Varadero Cuba was wonderful.

The hotel itself was much better than I had anticipated. I read reviews from Tripadvisor.com just to know what we were about to venture into, but other than the Pepto Bismol pink walls in our room, the hotel was fine.

The staff were both happy and friendly always with a greeting and a smile.

The food was way better than my last trip to Cuba 14 years ago, and even though I am a vegetarian there was enough to eat. A good variety and plenty of it. We tried out a couple of the restaurants and their food was excellent. However being in the lobby lined up to make reservations was ridiculous. After 2 days of being unable to get into the Asian restaurant I was advised to talk to the hotel rep, who made it happen for me. So take that piece of advice.

There were quite a number of bars throughout the hotel, as well as one close to the beach. The beach bar seemed to have a little less alcohol in the drinks, which is probably wise since the ocean is right there, and drunks and water don't mix! The bar near the pool never had a shortage of alcohol in their drinks. If you require a special frappuccino made with amaretto ask Evidio. He is the master. Pick up your espresso at the Cafe Cuba and take it to the bar near the lobby where he will whip up an amazing drink for you.

If you want a great coffee, don't expect it in the buffet restaurant, go back to the Cafe Cuba and ask there. They make a mean cappuccino as well as other coffee drinks.

The entertainment was good, although I only caught 2 shows. The mosquitoes will eat you alive at night, so make sure you take muskoil with you. I heard other tourists comment that the best entertainment was when they included the guests in their show.

The water sports were fun too. We took a paddle boat out and another day we went on a 2 hour catamaran boat ride where we snorkeled with the fish. The guy on the boat threw in huge chunks of bread and the fish just swarmed around me to get it. I didn't bother with the kayaks as they seemed to be too much work, along with the wind boards.

We went on a double decker bus, paid 5 pesos and could ride all day long getting on and off whenever and go from one end of Varadero to the other. We also took a day trip to Havana. We found a local who took 12 of us in a mini bus for 35 pesos, half the price of the organized trip.

I'd have to say that I had a wonderful time in Cuba, enjoying the sea, the sun and the Cuban people.