Cuba Libre Cuba Libre

Just got off the plane and while my impressions of the vacation are still fresh, I hasten to share my thoughts with those who are just planning or are already going to visit Cuba. We rested with my wife, it was our third vacation in the Caribbean, before that we visited the Dominican Republic and Mexico, so there is something to compare with. Transaero flew, given the sad experience of flying in the economy class of Transaero to Mexico, we decided not to repeat the mistakes and fly to Cuba in business, after a 13-hour flight, it was very interesting to look at compatriots with green faces who decided to fly in economy " Transaero", this test is not for the faint of heart, but more on that later. We considered Aeroflot as an option, but given the unreasonably high ticket prices and the fact that Aeroflot flies to Havana, and not to Varadero, we decided to give preference to the Transaero business, excellent value for money, I advise everyone.
Before the trip, we chose a hotel for a long time, considered Paradisus and Iberostar, read a lot of reviews about these hotels, both hotels are considered the most prestigious in Varadero, and yet we chose Paradaisuse, which we did not regret at all. The territory of the hotel is huge and at the same time well-groomed, built up with two-story bungalows, but the number of rooms, of course, leaves much to be desired, without frills, but you can live, the five-meter ceilings and bare walls painted with whitewash were very impressive, at first there was a feeling that you were in a prison cell, but then nothing, you get used to it, in my opinion, this is the only significant minus of the hotel, I will not say anything about the absence of squash (brushes) in the toilets. The first impression of Cuba was spoiled by the weather, and how, having arrived on February 15 in Varadero, we got into a severe storm, which began on February 15 and continued on February 16.
17 and verse only by the evening of the 18th, while the strongest north wind was blowing from the Atlantic, the sky was covered with clouds, the daytime temperature did not rise above 14 degrees Celsius, and at night it did not rise above 8 degrees, it was not just cold, but a real Russian KOLOTUN and therefore all these days I had to sit in the room, there was no question of excursions, because such weather was established throughout the country. The locals explained that such a phenomenon happens once every twenty years and we just got into it, it happens, but on the fifth day, the Lord God still took pity on us and sent us good weather and a cheerful company.

A very large number of Russians rest in the hotel, so the hotel staff can speak Russian tolerably, a Russian-speaking Cuban named Lisa works at the reception desk, as well as a guy named Raul, so there are no problems with checking in and living, all issues are resolved quickly, if you suddenly didn’t like the room when checking in, go to Lisa, the number will be changed. Every Wednesday, the hotel arranges a Russian day, a table is laid for vacationers from Russia, the Russian tricolor is hung out, music plays and champagne is poured, at such a party the hotel administration announced for vacationers from Russia that the next day, two of us will be happy with their arrival D. A. Medvedev , who at that moment was on an official visit to Cuba and then, after the official part, stayed at our hotel for two days. Two days later, the hotel was set up by strong guys from the FSO and the administration of the government of the Russian Federation, and then D.
A. Medvedev, who in other respects did not particularly annoy vacationers with his presence, no one closed the beaches and it was possible to swim freely in the ocean.
The hotel kitchen and restaurants will not let the Russian tourist die of hunger, but it has happened better, take at least the same Dominican Republic, but dear friends, we must not forget that Cuba is in an economic blockade and the country lives on a distribution card system, but at the same time in the hotel has a large selection of seafood and fish.
Entertainment: the hotel is of course intended for couples, for families with children, young people under 30 will be bored, especially in the evenings, when live music starts playing in the hotel lobby, mainly piano and saxophone, then the performance starts around ten in the evening, here in principle and all.
Excursions: you should definitely visit Havana and at the same time take a two-day excursion, in one day you just won’t have time to see everything, but there is something to see, the prices of course bite, but it’s worth it, but the rest of the excursions are optional, I also advise you to visit the reserve Zapota and the Bay of Pigs in the Caribbean.
The hotel’s beach is the best on the coast, I declare this categorically, I personally walked along the coastline for about seven kilometers, so I can say this, the territory of the beaches of other hotels can hardly be called a beach, but our hotel’s beach is very wide, well-groomed, such a crowd of people as on the beaches of other hotels, no. Describing the ocean does not make sense, it must be seen and felt live.
To sum up, I liked the hotel and the country, I advise everyone.