EXPECTATIONS IN CUBA, Part 2

Like I said in Expectations #1, you need to go into Cuba with an open mind and remember that it is a communist, third world country.  Now this may scare some of you, but it is a thriving country, they survive for the most part on their own by working together to create the best for the tourists so that we keep coming back again.  The government and the military are not all over the place looking menacing with guns etc.  It is very peaceful in Cuba, in fact their crime rate is so low it's barely even heard of.  I feel safer walking the streets of Varadero after midnight than I am walking in my own neighborhood after dark.  The Cubans are very peaceful people, they are so genuinely happy, giving, amazing people, who have gone through things most of us could not imagine, but they pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again, together, helping each other.

You will be treated like royalty in Cuba and if you treat the people well, they can keep going and making their country a beautiful place to visit.

Hotels and Resorts

We never stay in a resort below 3 stars.  In Varadero you don't have too, there are 3 and 4+ stars everywhere, it is a tourist resort area, specifically set up for us.  There are two specific types of resorts, the government run and the private run resorts.

The government run resorts are a little behind the private run resorts, keep in mind that all of this is changing for the Cubans, they are allowed to now own small businesses and some of the hotels are owned by chains now, none of them Americanized or Canadianized though and this is where people get the impressions that these hotels and resorts should be in better shape for their star rating.

The private hotels are usually part of a chain, Breezes, Iberostar, etc.  These hotels are all over the Caribbean and other countries.  Giving them a bit of an advantage on what they can get.  Usually they have more access to food and spices, but, that doesn't mean that they will always have these things.  It is very hard to get things into Cuba.  They usually do have better access to resources to help renovate and make the hotel visually appealing and more modern.

We have been to Cuba when all the hotels were Government owned and operated in Varadero and they were constantly being worked on to better serve tourists.  In these hotels, they rely on whatever food can be grown locally or traded with countries that Cuba is currently friendly with.  The variety may be a bit different but the taste is still Cuban and whatever they can get to make us happy.

The hotel rooms are definitely dated, in need of some repair, newer beds,linens, towels and visual aesthetics, but the Cuban colors are bright and welcoming, the rooms are always clean.  You can guarantee that your room will be spotless and the little extra care that goes into the rooms goes along way!  I don't know about you but I barely spend time in my room, especially when it is gorgeous and sunny outside, with so much to see in Varadero and the rest of Cuba, you will be falling into your bed at night for a great sleep and ready to start your new adventure!  This picture is of the Hotel Villa Cuba, a 3+ - 4 Star resort and one of our favorite places to stay.

We hear a lot of great things from other travelers about Villa Cuba, Breezes Bella Costa, Sol Sirenas Coral Resort, Blau Varadero, Breezes Varadero and our absolute favorite Iberostar Tainos.