Cuba Cobana
After a brief spell in rehab to recover from Stockholm, I’ve been headlong into wedding planning this month, following the realisation we only have three months left. And it’s actually going surprisingly well – including sorting out the all-important honeymoon.
Now, this had some serious argument potential for Mrs. P-to-be and me. The traditional “paradise” honeymoon, which she had in mind, will involve lying on the same stretch of golden sand for two weeks with nothing to do but drink cocktails, and would probably see me pretty bored after the few days, not to mention plastered the whole time. However, I’m certainly not going to demand she spends her hard-earned break doing something “extreme” like white-water paragliding or climbing the bloody Andes or something. We needed to find a healthy (and reasonably-priced) balance between the two.
Cuba - revolutionary
Clearly, sun-kissed unspoilt beach paradises like Mauritius and the Maldives were immediately dismissed, as unspoilt usually means there isn’t much of anything there.
Discounting the MENA states, which seem to be getting dodgier and dodgier by the day, we centred on the Med or the Caribbean – and it was further narrowed down to Sicily or Cuba. I’m pretty interested in all that old stuff, and a bit of modern history and culture is always welcome, and each seemed to be brimming with both. But we decided we could go to Sicily any time, and this should be an once-in-a-lifetime trip – so we settled on Castro’s Isle.
The Spanish colonial influence followed 50 years of communism has made Cuba a unique destination – every other car is a classic American gas guzzler due to a lengthy U.S. trade embargo – and the whole Che Guevara, Bay-of-Pigs, Missile-Crisis up to Guantanamo Bay recent history should make the place just about interesting enough to keep me out of the bar.
Apparently the regime has loosened up a bit since Raúl Castro took over from his better-known brother in February 2008, which means that the locals are now allowed luxuries like mobile phones, and get to come and go into tourist hotels and bars with ease, meaning interaction with the locals is now a bit easier, and you’re not going to be so cut off from the rest of the Island.
Lonely Planet says to forget any preconceptions you might have of life under a totalitarian government – Cubans carry on regardless, with an almost bloody-minded determination to be as happy and unfazed by the problems of everyday life as possible.
Broom broom
A bit of shopping around, and we settled on an 11-day deal from Kuoni, who seemed to have a wide range of deals to suit most pockets. They also do some pretty sweet package deals which will see you staying in style in the capital Havana for a few nights, before heading off to a luxury all-inclusive beach resort for a week or so – just the right mixture of culture and relaxation. The whole thing cost us a couple of Cohibas over £1K each – well within our budget and leaving enough to pay for a couple of trips out, not to mention a few more mohitos than is recommended…
Novelist Graham Greene said of the capital “Anything is possible in Havana”, and despite the close proximity to the United States, Yanks are still officially banned from holidaying there. Result.
Anyway, we’re knee-deep in invitations at home at the moment, and Mrs P-to-be is itching to start writing them (she’s doing that as her writing doesn’t look like a four-year-olds-after-a-stroke) – so I’m off to buy a fountain pen.
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ED: Pete didn’t ask for them but has anyone got any tips for Cuba? Places to go, things to avoid? Drinks to drink? The latter is probably a good place to start…
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