Travel Diary: Varadero & Havana | Cuba

After a few great days in Trinidad we are off to our last stop – Varadero. I'm honestly quite skeptical because I'm just not a fan of all-inclusive hotels, on the contrary. But a few days at the beach to relax sounds really good. We take the very first bus in the morning from Trinidad to Varadero – fortunately the ride is very pleasant and quiet. Even after several stops the bus is still half empty and we can catch up on some sleep.

Varadero

After arriving at the bus terminal we take a cab to our hotel – although it's already noon, we have to sit around for a couple of hours before we can finally check in and get changed. Unfortunately, it takes a bit longer than planned, and the food in the restaurant doesn't really convince us either. Finally in the room the fears are then confirmed. It is not clean, we have no towels and no toilet paper…we are not the only ones standing at the front desk complaining. After some back and forth with the manager, we get assigned another room, which is fortunately clean – and on a corridor where there are clearly fewer people around. Nevertheless I am not a fan of the hotel. Fortunately, we spend most of our time on the beach overlooking the sea anyway..

Not much happens in the next days. From time to time we make small trips to the village, where we buy some souvenirs and visit a small restaurant, otherwise we just lie a lot on the beach. After almost two weeks of just being on the road, this really feels good. We would like to go one more day to one of the islands nearby, but the weather puts a spoke in our wheel.

Back to Havana

The days just fly by, and even though we can really enjoy the time on the beach, we're kind of glad when we can finally get on the bus again. It's back to Havana again, where we spend a few hours before we have to make our way to the airport.

We get off the bus in the old town and put our suitcases in one of the hotels in the center. From here we just walk through the old town again. Not really with a plan, through the small alleys, just let us drift. Here and there a photo of the numerous old cars, even if I have already made super many of them – but just not exactly from this car and in front of this house. In the evening we eat something in a small side street. And after that? We end the evening with the obligatory mojito on the roof terrace of Ambos Mundos.

Cuba – a little summary

At the airport there is time to look back on the trip once again. It was good to lose the sense of time completely and just enjoy the days on the spot. Whether it's in the alleys of Old Havana or by the sea in Varadero. Cuba was somehow exactly how I had imagined it, and at the same time completely different. I'm glad we were here – finally, after this country had been on my bucket list for so long.