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So, Cuba.
This was my first real "get away and do nothing" vacation. I went with my mom and sister to an all-inclusive resort for seven days in Varadero, Cuba. We stayed at Breezes Bella Costa and used Nolitours by AirTransat as our travel agents. The main goal was an exercise in relaxation i.e. seriously do nothing. It was just us girls, a villa suite, and seven days on the beach. At first I thought I would be bored (I brought no less than seven books) but between the offered excursions and the ridiculous amount of food and drink I consumed -- not to mention working on my wicked tan -- I can't say I really saw the time.
So! As I mentioned, we used Nolitours, which we selected with iTravel. Included in our package for $820 was the following:
... I think that's it? As for the weather, it was beautiful all week, save for one overcast day. The sky was so clear, the water so blue. You know those postcards that look so perfectly crystalline and blue they almost look photoshopped? Cuba really looks like that.
Arrival highlights: After complaining about how cold it was in Canada, we jokingly whined about how hot it was in Cuba as soon as we stepped off the plane.
When I started writing these notes in my Moleskine, two little birds were hanging out on our patio. Mom took to bringing bread back from the buffet to feed them, and depending on the day they would either swoop in when we weren't looking, or venture almost close enough to touch.
The staff at the Bella Costa was fabulous and efficient, from our check-in lady to our porter (Pablo!) to our frequent waitress Melissa, and everyone in between.
Also, given this was a vacation of firsts, I made it a personal goal to consciously get a little tan. (I am -- was, anyway -- almost impervious to tanning, and I wanted one just this once.)
PICTURES
This is the whole trip's album. For someone who didn't do much all week, I managed to take ~350+ pics. There were some videos, too, but I haven't uploaded them yet. ♥
(I am not finished tagging/annotating the pics yet.)
SUNDAY
- up at 01:15, picked up ~02:15
- totes cramped on the charter flight. ugh. Being stuck in the middle of the plane on a charter flight officially sucks. At least I was cramped against my mom and sis. Thought it was just us, but I noticed quite a few people looking decidedly uncomfortable.
- on the plus side, mimosas on the plane! Suddenly not feeling so cramped! Mimosas are awesome.
- Cuban women: really love nylons. We were told they adore the things and have a hard time getting them (to the point where they actually sew their ripped ones) so Mom brought some to give as gifts/tips, but wow. Short skirts and nylons everywhere -- on security officials, Customs officers, everyone. And like, fishnet stockings. Not little diamond fishnets, either, I am talking hooker fishnets. LOL CULTURE SHOCK FTW.
- tour guide on the bus was charming! Loaded us w/ info on the way to the hotel, and we saw some neat markets.
- check-in guy looked like Cuban David Burtka omg i wanted to take him home with me
- welcome cocktail was nice and everyone was really friendly. We had to wait for our room for an hour, so Pablo the Porter stored our bags and we grabbed lunch at Jimmy's Buffet.
- our villa is literally 30 steps from the beach!
- spent a few hours at the beach, dipped in the ocean, started reading.
- within 2mins, Tracy and I were approached by a couple of Havana boys offering us a ride to the city in their car, lol. I shut that down immediately.
- had dinner at the buffet again, walked along the beach at night as the tide angrily dragged at our ankles
tan update: lily-white
MONDAY
- slept great, despite Tracy's hacking. Woke up ~7:30 and sipped coffee while watching the birds play on our balcony.
- at 9, went for cappuccinos and to reserve our a la carte restaurants, then to breakfast
- 10:00: orientation with our Nolitours rep, and booked our excursions to Havana & Varadero downtown.
- being here w/ family is wonderful, but seeing all these couples makes me miss S.
- After a couple of drinks, we went to the beach despite the cloudiness. The water wasn't cold and the wind was making the sea vengeful! You could still swim and it was fun being knocked about by the waves as they rolled past.
- I wrote and dozed while Mom & Trace walked along the beach. Toucan flew by; scrambled for the camera but it was too late.
- went to a show, mostly hung around the hotel and relaxed. Salty sea air feels great!
- pizza on the beach! PIZZA. ON THE BEACH.
tan update: nada
TUESDAY
- up early for breakfast; Varadero tour bus picking us up mid-morning for a guided tour.
- it was a guided hop-on/hop-off tour
- saw Al Capone's house, since converted into a restaurant. It's beautifully fashioned with coral. I had fresh coconut milk -- and by "fresh," I mean the guy shook it down from the tree, chopped it open, stuck a straw in it, and gave it to me for 1 CUC.
- went to a flea market in downtown Varadero, where we got some good deals and some shopping done.
- hit the Golden Triangle -- cigars, coffee, rum -- at the Rum & Cigar House. I couldn't stay inside for long because it was doubling as a cigar lounge, but they let us sample some rum and it burned so good.
- I procured two bottles of Havana Club and one bottle of Santiago de Cuba.
- we went to the Xanadu Mansion where we enjoyed some Cuba Libres on the roof overlooking the ocean. The mansion was made from mahongany that is now extinct in Cuba -- probably from building the mansion.
- then we hit the beach and swam/caught some sun, then showered and went for a grill dinner at El Mirador, one of our a la carte restos.
- Tracy ordered red snapper. It was fucking scary looking and I refused to be left alone with it.
tan update: maybe getting a little?
WEDNESDAY
- nothing but fun in the sun today! Guy used the same, utterly ridiculous joke ("why is the ocean friendly? because it WAVES ahahaha") on 3 ppl. After we overheard the first delivery, he dived almost immediately after, so I turned to Mom and quipped, "And he returned from whence he came."
- saw trained falcon and iguana, and pelicans were crowding the fishermen and swimming w/ us.
- banana daiquiris and pizza on the beach! Worked on our tans and intermittenly moved under the tree to read in the shade.
- got a little sickly/sunstroked and hardcore burned, somehow (thinking I forgot to reapply) esp. on my thighs. Was not feeling so hot (haha except that I was, see what I did there) so after fantastic Italian dinner at Martino's, I went to bed and took it easy while Mom and Trace went to the show.
tan update: wicked burn on nose, b00bs, and thighs, somehow, despite sunblock and wearing a bathing suit with a skirt.
THURSDAY
- more relaxing, foraging for shells and mostly trying to stay out of the sun. Got a lot of reading done and dozed under a tree. Stress has been melting off of me in waves and I feel like a new person. Stayed covered and in the shade to help recover and to avoid being ill for Havana on Friday.
- I have been lazy on this trip like I have never been lazy before. It's GREAT~
- for dinner I went around the world: champagne, lobster, turket, AND ribs -- little bit of everything. There was also prawns (ew), claws, and many other things. We skipped lunch and made much room for dinner.
- I am addicted to their banana milkshakes. Now when I don't get them with breakfast, I get v. upset.
tan update: JESUS CHRIST OW
FRIDAY
- had light breakfast, then all day @ Havana!
- used Cubaturs, adorable tour guide named Ernesto with whom I am now in love.
- for 59 CUC, we got transportation to Havana (2hrs) plus v. informative guided tour, got to see numerous sights, visit some museums and the Havana Club House, and have a three-course lunch at a sweet resto downtown. Great deal!
- saw Old Havana, famous hotels and theaters, Revolution Square, a chocolate shoppe, Capitol Building, opera house, Chinatown, markets, etc.
- lunch was delicious, though I was remiss in photographing it: bread w/ chickpea spread, salad topped w/ pineapple, chicken w/ rice and veggies, sugared toast for dessert w/ coffee.
- it was at least 40C in Havana, if not more. This was fine when we were on the move. However, we frequently stopped on the cobbletone squares, directly under the sun, while Ernesto lectured about the locale. I had my wide-brimmed hat so I was okay -- hot, but okay -- but Mom ended up a little under the weather and Tracy had no hat at all.
- weren't enough people to organize an excursion to Hemingway's residence, but at least I got to see the hotel he lived in for many years, so I am content. ♥ We had a mojito there.
- we had an hour of free time to roam Havana, during which a street sweeper got uppity after accosting us for chocolate, of all things.
- everyone dozed on the drive back to Varadero, and after a light dinner I showered and settled in.
- We had bought Internet cards so we could get in touch with the outside world if need be. I managed to clean out my e-mail a few nights, though I refrained from answering anything, really, except for mail from S.
tan update: fading nicely into a tan!
SATURDAY
- said goodbye to the resort, took some last minute photos, and packed so I wouldn't have to worry about it.
- I loved being there, so much, but I also really started to miss S and was ready to go home.
- got my hair braided into corn-rows and had Japanese food. Reynaldo and his crew were amazing. Mom had sushi and used chopsticks for an entire meal for the first time; she caught on quick and was plucking like a pro in no time.
- saw the last show; can't believe my week of nothing is over already.
- turned the TV on for the first time all week, just to see what time it was following a series of mishaps that left us without a watch of any kind.
tan update: gorgeous, thank you very much~ ♥
SUNDAY
- goodbye, Cuba! Thanks for everything, and see you again~
As for the trip home ... well, first there was a baggage carousel breakdown at YUL, so our plane was late arriving. So we were 20mins late at take-off, but no big deal. So we land in Montreal, and are told that another plane is still at the gate so we can't taxi in. So we wait, and wait, and finally get another gate. Once we get off the plane, it turns out the line to go downstairs and queue for Customs is this massive, bottlenecked mass of people just filling the corridor to the brim. We were there forever, and by the time we cleared Customs and got our bags, we were ~2hrs behind schedule. Ugh.
Once I was home, S and I went out for dinner and then to Starbucks. XD
Cuba Quirks:
- the nylons, again, deserve special mention because they are EVERYWHERE
- frequent absence of toilet seats in public restrooms. I mean, you don't actually put your ass on them, anyway, but it just makes a toilet look more presentable, you know?
- usual absence of toilet paper in public restrooms. Unlike Japan, where advertisers hand out packets of tissue on the streets you can hoard if you need it, in Cuba there are washroom attendants offering a measly four squares or so and want tips for doing so (bear in mind this is not the quality of asswipe from home or even your hotel.) Fortunately we were aware of this and brought our own from the hotel.
- tipping, tipping, tipping. An all-inclusive resort, yes, but you tip for this, you tip for that -- you tip your tour guides and bus drivers, tip your housekeeping crew, tip the bartenders, tip the asswipe lady, tip the muscians, etc. Mind, you don't have to, necessarily, but while my family may be a lot of things, we are not cheap-ass non-tipping heathens.
Food:
- absolutely delicious, and something for everyone! They also really like cumin, which worked out well because so do I.
Drinks:
- did not drink nearly as much as I thought I would, probably b/c even though they were free, I had to get up and get them. But got good and buzzed a couple of times!
Music:
- lots of great music, great dancing. Cuba may be poor in strictly material means, but it is rich in culture and general joie de vivre.
Cons:
- the only real con I can think of was that our room could have used some updated a/c. It was all right (except one exceptionally hot morning) once you got in and settled down for a bit, but on the days where the temperature hit 40 it was quite warm.
Books Read:
- Shipwrecks
- On the Road (the original scroll version)
Movies "Watched":
- Moneyball (plane)
- Real Steel (plane)
- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (in the salon)
So, Cuba.
This was my first real "get away and do nothing" vacation. I went with my mom and sister to an all-inclusive resort for seven days in Varadero, Cuba. We stayed at Breezes Bella Costa and used Nolitours by AirTransat as our travel agents. The main goal was an exercise in relaxation i.e. seriously do nothing. It was just us girls, a villa suite, and seven days on the beach. At first I thought I would be bored (I brought no less than seven books) but between the offered excursions and the ridiculous amount of food and drink I consumed -- not to mention working on my wicked tan -- I can't say I really saw the time.
So! As I mentioned, we used Nolitours, which we selected with iTravel. Included in our package for $820 was the following:
- charter flights & applicable taxes
- shuttle service to/from airport w/ tour guide on the way
- separate check-in queue
- 7 nights in a suite in the villa
- welcome cocktail upon arrival
- complimentary bottle of Havana Club rum
- 3 cigars (one for each guest)
- all food and drinks (meals, snacks, coffee, etc.)
- all non-motorized water sports
- 3 a la carte restaurants
- private section of the beach
- nightly entertainment
... I think that's it? As for the weather, it was beautiful all week, save for one overcast day. The sky was so clear, the water so blue. You know those postcards that look so perfectly crystalline and blue they almost look photoshopped? Cuba really looks like that.
Arrival highlights: After complaining about how cold it was in Canada, we jokingly whined about how hot it was in Cuba as soon as we stepped off the plane.
When I started writing these notes in my Moleskine, two little birds were hanging out on our patio. Mom took to bringing bread back from the buffet to feed them, and depending on the day they would either swoop in when we weren't looking, or venture almost close enough to touch.
The staff at the Bella Costa was fabulous and efficient, from our check-in lady to our porter (Pablo!) to our frequent waitress Melissa, and everyone in between.
Also, given this was a vacation of firsts, I made it a personal goal to consciously get a little tan. (I am -- was, anyway -- almost impervious to tanning, and I wanted one just this once.)
PICTURES
This is the whole trip's album. For someone who didn't do much all week, I managed to take ~350+ pics. There were some videos, too, but I haven't uploaded them yet. ♥
(I am not finished tagging/annotating the pics yet.)
SUNDAY
- up at 01:15, picked up ~02:15
- totes cramped on the charter flight. ugh. Being stuck in the middle of the plane on a charter flight officially sucks. At least I was cramped against my mom and sis. Thought it was just us, but I noticed quite a few people looking decidedly uncomfortable.
- on the plus side, mimosas on the plane! Suddenly not feeling so cramped! Mimosas are awesome.
- Cuban women: really love nylons. We were told they adore the things and have a hard time getting them (to the point where they actually sew their ripped ones) so Mom brought some to give as gifts/tips, but wow. Short skirts and nylons everywhere -- on security officials, Customs officers, everyone. And like, fishnet stockings. Not little diamond fishnets, either, I am talking hooker fishnets. LOL CULTURE SHOCK FTW.
- tour guide on the bus was charming! Loaded us w/ info on the way to the hotel, and we saw some neat markets.
- check-in guy looked like Cuban David Burtka omg i wanted to take him home with me
- welcome cocktail was nice and everyone was really friendly. We had to wait for our room for an hour, so Pablo the Porter stored our bags and we grabbed lunch at Jimmy's Buffet.
- our villa is literally 30 steps from the beach!
- spent a few hours at the beach, dipped in the ocean, started reading.
- within 2mins, Tracy and I were approached by a couple of Havana boys offering us a ride to the city in their car, lol. I shut that down immediately.
- had dinner at the buffet again, walked along the beach at night as the tide angrily dragged at our ankles
tan update: lily-white
MONDAY
- slept great, despite Tracy's hacking. Woke up ~7:30 and sipped coffee while watching the birds play on our balcony.
- at 9, went for cappuccinos and to reserve our a la carte restaurants, then to breakfast
- 10:00: orientation with our Nolitours rep, and booked our excursions to Havana & Varadero downtown.
- being here w/ family is wonderful, but seeing all these couples makes me miss S.
- After a couple of drinks, we went to the beach despite the cloudiness. The water wasn't cold and the wind was making the sea vengeful! You could still swim and it was fun being knocked about by the waves as they rolled past.
- I wrote and dozed while Mom & Trace walked along the beach. Toucan flew by; scrambled for the camera but it was too late.
- went to a show, mostly hung around the hotel and relaxed. Salty sea air feels great!
- pizza on the beach! PIZZA. ON THE BEACH.
tan update: nada
TUESDAY
- up early for breakfast; Varadero tour bus picking us up mid-morning for a guided tour.
- it was a guided hop-on/hop-off tour
- saw Al Capone's house, since converted into a restaurant. It's beautifully fashioned with coral. I had fresh coconut milk -- and by "fresh," I mean the guy shook it down from the tree, chopped it open, stuck a straw in it, and gave it to me for 1 CUC.
- went to a flea market in downtown Varadero, where we got some good deals and some shopping done.
- hit the Golden Triangle -- cigars, coffee, rum -- at the Rum & Cigar House. I couldn't stay inside for long because it was doubling as a cigar lounge, but they let us sample some rum and it burned so good.
- I procured two bottles of Havana Club and one bottle of Santiago de Cuba.
- we went to the Xanadu Mansion where we enjoyed some Cuba Libres on the roof overlooking the ocean. The mansion was made from mahongany that is now extinct in Cuba -- probably from building the mansion.
- then we hit the beach and swam/caught some sun, then showered and went for a grill dinner at El Mirador, one of our a la carte restos.
- Tracy ordered red snapper. It was fucking scary looking and I refused to be left alone with it.
tan update: maybe getting a little?
WEDNESDAY
- nothing but fun in the sun today! Guy used the same, utterly ridiculous joke ("why is the ocean friendly? because it WAVES ahahaha") on 3 ppl. After we overheard the first delivery, he dived almost immediately after, so I turned to Mom and quipped, "And he returned from whence he came."
- saw trained falcon and iguana, and pelicans were crowding the fishermen and swimming w/ us.
- banana daiquiris and pizza on the beach! Worked on our tans and intermittenly moved under the tree to read in the shade.
- got a little sickly/sunstroked and hardcore burned, somehow (thinking I forgot to reapply) esp. on my thighs. Was not feeling so hot (haha except that I was, see what I did there) so after fantastic Italian dinner at Martino's, I went to bed and took it easy while Mom and Trace went to the show.
tan update: wicked burn on nose, b00bs, and thighs, somehow, despite sunblock and wearing a bathing suit with a skirt.
THURSDAY
- more relaxing, foraging for shells and mostly trying to stay out of the sun. Got a lot of reading done and dozed under a tree. Stress has been melting off of me in waves and I feel like a new person. Stayed covered and in the shade to help recover and to avoid being ill for Havana on Friday.
- I have been lazy on this trip like I have never been lazy before. It's GREAT~
- for dinner I went around the world: champagne, lobster, turket, AND ribs -- little bit of everything. There was also prawns (ew), claws, and many other things. We skipped lunch and made much room for dinner.
- I am addicted to their banana milkshakes. Now when I don't get them with breakfast, I get v. upset.
tan update: JESUS CHRIST OW
FRIDAY
- had light breakfast, then all day @ Havana!
- used Cubaturs, adorable tour guide named Ernesto with whom I am now in love.
- for 59 CUC, we got transportation to Havana (2hrs) plus v. informative guided tour, got to see numerous sights, visit some museums and the Havana Club House, and have a three-course lunch at a sweet resto downtown. Great deal!
- saw Old Havana, famous hotels and theaters, Revolution Square, a chocolate shoppe, Capitol Building, opera house, Chinatown, markets, etc.
- lunch was delicious, though I was remiss in photographing it: bread w/ chickpea spread, salad topped w/ pineapple, chicken w/ rice and veggies, sugared toast for dessert w/ coffee.
- it was at least 40C in Havana, if not more. This was fine when we were on the move. However, we frequently stopped on the cobbletone squares, directly under the sun, while Ernesto lectured about the locale. I had my wide-brimmed hat so I was okay -- hot, but okay -- but Mom ended up a little under the weather and Tracy had no hat at all.
- weren't enough people to organize an excursion to Hemingway's residence, but at least I got to see the hotel he lived in for many years, so I am content. ♥ We had a mojito there.
- we had an hour of free time to roam Havana, during which a street sweeper got uppity after accosting us for chocolate, of all things.
- everyone dozed on the drive back to Varadero, and after a light dinner I showered and settled in.
- We had bought Internet cards so we could get in touch with the outside world if need be. I managed to clean out my e-mail a few nights, though I refrained from answering anything, really, except for mail from S.
tan update: fading nicely into a tan!
SATURDAY
- said goodbye to the resort, took some last minute photos, and packed so I wouldn't have to worry about it.
- I loved being there, so much, but I also really started to miss S and was ready to go home.
- got my hair braided into corn-rows and had Japanese food. Reynaldo and his crew were amazing. Mom had sushi and used chopsticks for an entire meal for the first time; she caught on quick and was plucking like a pro in no time.
- saw the last show; can't believe my week of nothing is over already.
- turned the TV on for the first time all week, just to see what time it was following a series of mishaps that left us without a watch of any kind.
tan update: gorgeous, thank you very much~ ♥
SUNDAY
- goodbye, Cuba! Thanks for everything, and see you again~
As for the trip home ... well, first there was a baggage carousel breakdown at YUL, so our plane was late arriving. So we were 20mins late at take-off, but no big deal. So we land in Montreal, and are told that another plane is still at the gate so we can't taxi in. So we wait, and wait, and finally get another gate. Once we get off the plane, it turns out the line to go downstairs and queue for Customs is this massive, bottlenecked mass of people just filling the corridor to the brim. We were there forever, and by the time we cleared Customs and got our bags, we were ~2hrs behind schedule. Ugh.
Once I was home, S and I went out for dinner and then to Starbucks. XD
Cuba Quirks:
- the nylons, again, deserve special mention because they are EVERYWHERE
- frequent absence of toilet seats in public restrooms. I mean, you don't actually put your ass on them, anyway, but it just makes a toilet look more presentable, you know?
- usual absence of toilet paper in public restrooms. Unlike Japan, where advertisers hand out packets of tissue on the streets you can hoard if you need it, in Cuba there are washroom attendants offering a measly four squares or so and want tips for doing so (bear in mind this is not the quality of asswipe from home or even your hotel.) Fortunately we were aware of this and brought our own from the hotel.
- tipping, tipping, tipping. An all-inclusive resort, yes, but you tip for this, you tip for that -- you tip your tour guides and bus drivers, tip your housekeeping crew, tip the bartenders, tip the asswipe lady, tip the muscians, etc. Mind, you don't have to, necessarily, but while my family may be a lot of things, we are not cheap-ass non-tipping heathens.
Food:
- absolutely delicious, and something for everyone! They also really like cumin, which worked out well because so do I.
Drinks:
- did not drink nearly as much as I thought I would, probably b/c even though they were free, I had to get up and get them. But got good and buzzed a couple of times!
Music:
- lots of great music, great dancing. Cuba may be poor in strictly material means, but it is rich in culture and general joie de vivre.
Cons:
- the only real con I can think of was that our room could have used some updated a/c. It was all right (except one exceptionally hot morning) once you got in and settled down for a bit, but on the days where the temperature hit 40 it was quite warm.
Books Read:
- Shipwrecks
- On the Road (the original scroll version)
Movies "Watched":
- Moneyball (plane)
- Real Steel (plane)
- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (in the salon)
