Holguin
I have been to Cuba twice before: once in Varadero, and the second time in Manzanillo de Cuba, closer to Santiago de Cuba in the south of the country. I enjoyed both times, but I must admit that Varadero was too ‘touristy’ for me. A lot of university kids go there looking to party and the staff are not as warm and friendly as they are in other parts of the country. Indeed, Varadero has beautiful sandy beaches, but the beaches in other areas of the country can come just as close. My experience in Manzanillo was memorable. I made friends quickly with the staff and even went to a staff member’s family for lunch one time. The beach does not have beautiful white sand and clear waters, but the atmosphere at the resort there is great. And for the price, it’s an excellent choice.
Yet this time around I wanted to try something different. My partner and I had been hearing a lot of raves about Holguin and we thought it would be a good idea to try it. Indeed, it was ! Holguin is a province as well as a city. It is located in the south-eastern part of Cuba and has a rich culture. It is a sister city with Etobicoke, Canada; it has a baseball stadium so that even visitors can enjoy a baseball game at night or on a weekend; it also hosts the brewery Cerveceria Bucanero which is a joint venture which makes three brands of beer (Bucanero, Cristal and Mayabe) in partnership with Labatt of Canada.
The resort where we stayed is called Playa Costa Verde, which is approx. 1 hour from Holguin city. It is also 20 minutes away from Guardalavaca, a small town housing a flee market that offers good deals on souvenirs. The resort itself is made up of two-storey bungalows, and offers lots of amenities and things to do: large pool with bar, daily and nightly activities, beautiful sandy beach, several a la carte restaurants, catamaran, paddle-boat and snorkelling gear rentals, as well as an ice cream bar! From the hotel, our tour operator Sunwing offers great daily trips ranging from adventure, cultural and relaxation. We took two trips. ‘Campina Taina’ was a half-day trip that took us to a small village to see the local school and medical office. If you have never been to an underdeveloped area of the world, this may prove to be a shock for some people. However, visitors have to realize that Cubans not only have their own culture, but they are also underdeveloped (according to Western standards) because of the embargoes that Cuba has been suffering for years. It’s not easy to make an economy flourish out of little resources. The second trip, ‘Catamaran Excursion’ was a full day and started off at 7 am. A 1.5 hour bus ride took us to the harbour of Antilla and another hour later by catamaran we found ourselves on a remote island. There we did snorkelling,we had a typical Cuban lunch, went horseback riding and did a Jeep safari in the Cuban jungle !
If you have never been to Cuba, I would recommend choosing Varadero, just because it’s a few hours away from Havana. The capital city is one place that you have to visit if you want to say that you have seen Cuba. Otherwise, Holguin is a perfect place to vacation. I am definitely going back !
Cris2Travel 
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