"Honeymoon in Cuba" from Tour operator "HAPPY COLUMBUS" -

"Honeymoon in Cuba"

Good afternoon! Finally decided to write a holiday about our unforgettable honeymoon in Cuba! The dream of having a wedding in Cuba settled in my heart a long time ago, so I started choosing a hotel almost a year before the trip. The Melia Varadero hotel was chosen at the last moment - the day before the tour was ordered (before that, I had stopped at Milia las Antillas). But the girls from the agency showed a photo of this hotel and we fell in love with the beautiful views near the hotel and a chic gazebo for wedding ceremonies. And although the reviews about the hotel were not very rosy - we took a chance, and were not mistaken. Before that, we went through a huge number of hotels, I tortured the tour company.

Travel date 07/07/2011 - 07/19/2011: 2 days in Havana and 10 days in Varadero.

And so the journey began:

FLIGHT. We flew with Aeroflot, the prospect of a 13-hour flight was very frightening. However, the plane was very comfortable, everyone had a screen with downloaded films, music, games, information about the flight - in general, they did not let them get bored. Fed 2 times quite tasty, drinks were given at any time. They flew mainly over land - Europe, Greenland, Canada, the USA. When we landed, we immediately felt the “effect of the sauna”, which was written about so much, although it was cloudy.

A small digression about the weather. We knew that we were flying during the rainy season, but we hoped that they would be short-lived. However, it turned out that it really rains in Cuba after 4 p.m. almost every day, but this concerned the island itself, it rained 2 in Varadero during our entire stay !!! times late in the evening no more than 30 minutes.

A few words about HAVANA. I was struck by a very beautiful architecture, combined with devastation, debris and shabby. Cubans constantly stop on the streets with offers to buy cigars, rum, newspapers, drugs, or just give money. But in general, I really liked the city. We ordered a six-hour individual tour while still at home - I accidentally stumbled upon the site on the Internet (if anyone is interested, I still have an email address). The tour was conducted by a Cuban in Russian. The cost of the tour is 60 euros, regardless of the number of people (maximum 4 people, as we were taken by car). Also, Ruben (our guide) took us to a friend who works in a cigar factory, we bought several boxes from him at really low prices (For comparison, a package of cohiba in a store is about 300 cookies, we bought for 40). I also advise you to buy souvenirs in Havana - in Varadero they are much more expensive (a magnet in Havana - 1 cookie, in Varadero - 2 cookies).

And the last remark about Havana - I was very disappointed with the Inglaterra hotel, which for some reason is praised in the reviews, there is a Telegrafo hotel nearby at the same price - but much newer and cleaner.

VARADERO. I liked the hotel at first sight - an unusual design, a stunning hall, a lot of greenery. In the evenings, candles are turned on throughout the hall, live music is played, very romantic.

ROOM. Due to the fact that we had a ceremony at the hotel, instead of a standard room, we were settled in a suite: 2 large rooms, 2 bathrooms, a bar, a dressing room and a huge balcony with flower beds, sunbeds and tables - we were delighted. The room was cleaned well, regardless of the tip left (sometimes they forgot to leave, otherwise they usually left a cookie and a small chocolate bar or soap).

NUTRITION. Food for a solid five: all types of meat (pork, chicken, beef, lamb, meatballs, sausages), a variety of fish and seafood, pizza, pasta, vegetables, side dishes, ice cream, fruits, pastries and cakes and much, much more. In general, for the entire stay at the hotel it was not possible to try everything. There are also several restaurants by appointment, a paella cafe, a grill on the beach, a 24-hour cafeteria with pastries and fast food.

STAFF. I was struck by the smile and friendliness of the staff. Regardless of the availability of tips, we were always served with a smile and at the highest level. Although, of course, after a tip in the form of 1 cookie, the attitude became even more friendly))). Almost no one speaks Russian, but everyone understands English. It seems to me that without knowing the language you will not be lost there.

OCEAN. There are no words to describe here at all, HE is simply amazing: the purest turquoise water, fresh milk, we could swim for hours. I had never seen anything like it before.

CEREMONY. We booked a deluxe ceremony (960 cookies), so it was accompanied by live music, the gazebo was beautifully decorated. Everything was nice except for the heat))), then we rode a white convertible around Varadero. In the evening we had a romantic dinner at sunset in the gazebo with candles. Delicious lobsters were served. A romantic atmosphere was arranged in the room: rose petals, candles, hearts.

PHOTOGRAPHER. I know that this is a sore point for many couples who are going to get married in Cuba, as a hotel photographer is not a pro at all. I shoveled through a lot of forums in the hope of finding a professional and affordable photographer, the girls from the travel agency contacted the hotels that have their own photographers for such events, and finally I was brought together (the guys who organized the excursion in Havana) were brought together with Carlos - a Havana photographer, who has been doing fine art photography for 18 years, has exhibitions in Europe and has recently started shooting weddings. The cost of his work with payment for one day's stay at the hotel and the road to Varadero turned out to be 490 cookies. Carlos turned out to be a world class professional, he took about 500 amazing photos for us on the day of the ceremonies and also did a photo shoot at dawn the next day with about 300 photos.

I can still write and write, but perhaps it's time to wrap up. A couple of last tips:

1. The sun is really very strong, take with you products with a high protection factor.

2. If you go to a supermarket in a shopping center near the hotel, be sure to ask for a check. They count very heavily.

3. In duty free at the airport, prices are slightly higher than in Cuban shops.

4. Freelancers on the beach offer diving 2 times cheaper than from the hotel. The quality is no different.

So, I think that this hotel justifies its top five. I really want to go back to it someday.

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to the tour operator "HAPPY COLUMBUS" - for a chic trip, for help in organizing the tour, down to the smallest detail.

P / S after Cuba from this operator flew to the UAE - very satisfied with everything from the price of the tour (with discounts for regular customers) to the full organization of the tour

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