Planning a trip to Cuba now that it’s getting chilly?

I returned to Cuba after an absence of 20 years and was impressed with how much the country has been changing. Despite the changes, Cuba’s beaches are still pristine and the snorkelling wonderful.

Cuba doesn’t have the highest reputation for the quality of its hotels. So, I’m happy to report that I was also impressed with the Melia Cuba resorts that I stayed in … well-designed accommodations, good service, and (unusually for Cuba) excellent food.

My most recent article about the trip was for Canadian Traveller‘s fall 2017 print issue, which you can read here: Cuba with eyes wide open. It compares my experiences in Varadero and in Havana.

(I was also asked to write a piece on all-inclusive Havana resorts for USA Today, which you can read at All-inclusive hotels in Havana … although I can’t say I recommend any of the resorts in that article.)

My Canadian Traveller article doesn’t discuss what was my favourite part of Cuba — quiet Cayo Santa Maria with its excellent snorkelling and the little fish that swam around my ankles at one of Melia Buenavista’s three beaches. To read more about that, and my other Cuba articles, visit my Cuba page.

For Canadians, travelling to Cuba is old hat, but I find that Americans are still making many incorrect assumptions  about the country. This will likely continue as the current U.S. administration has reinstated many of the travel restrictions for Americans.  For any American contemplating their first visit to Cuba, I’d recommend reading my US embargo on Cuba: What American travellers should know, written for The Wayward Post.

Have you been to Cuba? What’s your favourite aspect or destination?

Note: Though my trip to Cuba was hosted by Sunwing and Melia Cuba, the views expressed here and in all my articles are entirely my own.