Cuba is everything you expect it to be. The vintage 50’s cars; the amazing but faded beauty of Art Deco and Spanish Baroque grand architecture; the music; the vibrancy; and the friendliness of the Cuban people.
We stayed at the Hotel Nacional in Havana for 4 nights in a 6th floor sea view room with great views over Havana. You would miss so much if you stayed less days. We really tried to cram everything in. Museums and art galleries, Museo de la Revolucion, the museo National del bellas artes. Music -the Buona Vista Social Club who played one night at the Hotel Nacional. Street markets, cafes, bars, especially those where Hemingway drank. Private restaurants- (those you can book) the Gringo Viejo for lobster, Paladar La Guarida (the most extraordinary experience of eating top quality cuisine in an eclectic space of antiques and paintings on the top floor of a once grand but now dilapidated tenement building) and (those you queue for)-Los Nardos for paella and the most delicious steak.
We stayed for the second half of our 10 days in the Paradisus Varadero resort. A 5* all inclusive hotel situated on miles of white sand fringed with palm trees. We lay in the sun all day, with long breaks to eat delicious food and drink tpoo many mohitos (don’t believe what they say about bad Cuban food. If you choose your hotel and restaurant wisely you can eat very well). We learnt to salsa and tango with dancing classes, improved our Spanish in afternoon lessons on the beach and my son water-skiied daily.
A fabulous holiday – I wish we had had more time to see more of a fascinating country.
We flew with Virgin Airlines direct to Havana and booked our holiday with Kuoni, who were extremely helpful in helping us select our hotels.

www.kuoni.co.uk/all_inclusive/caribbean/cuba/paradisus_varadero