Маленькие заметки о Кубе. Little notes about Cuba.

Going to Cuba was my dream, which came true this year. My husband and I went on a trip, but we live in Chita and the time difference was 14 hours, so day and night changed places. They flew by Aeroflot to Havana, the actual flight there would have been less difficult, but behind sat the Idiot, who, having seized upon the duty-free shop, bought a certain amount of alcohol with a friend, got his friend drunk and got drunk himself. The comrade fell asleep, but this one didn’t let his friend get enough sleep, then the stewardesses got it. It should be noted that, to our shame, neither I nor my husband speak foreign languages. Arriving in Havana, we faced a language barrier, but gestures and facial expressions helped to find the way to the exit. In Havana, we were met by a tour operator, put in a taxi and sent to the Inglaterra Hotel. (we did not see the representative of the company in Havana again). The hotel is located in the center of Havana, next to the theater and the Capitol. However, in the evening it was almost impossible to see Havana (the language barrier interfered), and in the morning we left for Varadero. Tip: it’s better to go to Havana with a tour, you can see at least without knowing the language. The Inglaterra Hotel is advertised as a four-star hotel, but it falls far short of the indicated number of stars. However, the building is very old, in the elevator cabin the date of construction -1870 is indicated! Therefore, there is a certain aura and refers to falling out electrical outlets in the room, probably, it is necessary with humor. In the evening, musicians perform and you can dance to Latin American rhythms. There is hot and cold water, though I had to ask through a representative for toilet paper in the room, in addition, for some reason there was no bar. Safe is paid - 2 cookies per day, but is in the room. Calculation for the safe at the time of delivery of the room. In the morning we walked around Havana and at 10.00 we went to Varadero with a Spanish-speaking group. The view from the bridge on the road to Varadero is just wonderful. We arrived at the hotel, there was no company representative. On fingers and with English words from the school curriculum, we realized that we were offered to take towels and go to the beach before settling in. After a while, my husband found a left-luggage office and here we had the opportunity to go to a common restaurant and take a walk around the Barcelo Solimar hotel. It should be noted that the check-in time at the hotel is 4 pm, and the check-out time is at 12 pm. Hotel Barcelo Solimar is very bright and elegant. Located on the first line, there are standard rooms and rooms in bungalows. Advice to those who will go to this particular hotel: there are almost no Russians there, 80% are Canadians, a few Mexicans, there are Peruvians, Germans. The Germans, immigrants from the Soviet Union, became our companions and translators. The service at the hotel is very unobtrusive. Be prepared for the fact that not all towels will be brought to you from time to time, and beach towels are snapped up quickly at 9 o'clock in the morning. However, (this is a plus! ) I do not belong to the category of alcoholics, but I really like brut champagne. So, every morning at breakfast you could enjoy this drink, especially since it was well chilled. In general, the impression was that Varadero is a small reservation for tourists, you will not find real Cuban life there. Life is a holiday there. However, in Havana - the same. It is striking that, in general, far from rich people are very friendly and cheerful. By the way, apart from towels, we had no inconvenience. The Russian Germans were unlucky, their room was located above the hall on the 1st floor and very cheerful Canadians could party until the morning with cheerful shouts and songs. Luckily we didn't hear anything. The animation is good and, in fact, without knowing the language, it was possible to make out what was happening. The hotel has 3 restaurants, we visited two: sea and Italian. Lobster is an amateur dish, or we didn’t understand something, but the Italian restaurant is very good, so I advise you. On excursions: We went on two: Special Havana and the Bay of Pigs. The excursion to Havana was spoiled by a nervous guide, who yelled and fussed not always by the way, besides, he did not understand everything in Russian. Havana is a wonderful city! The architecture is amazing! I want to see every building. The show "Tropicana" did not please, besides, we had bad seats (the third, he is the last row). Yes, and the Capitol is under restoration, the Museum of the Revolution, too. Souvenir market cheaper than Varadero. It takes a special talent to describe Havana, so it's best to see this city and enjoy its aura. I liked the Bay of Pigs - because the Caribbean Sea is different from the Atlantic Ocean, and we also had a good guide who could joke and spoke very good Russian. I can safely recommend this trip to anyone, as there were no dissatisfied in our group. Why did we only go on 2 excursions, although usually I prefer active tourism, and not a rookery on the beach. Everything is very simple, our guide told us about the jeep safari in such a way that we did not want to go and, judging by the reviews, we did the right thing. In addition, they wanted to go fishing, but did not find a couple, and when they did, the weather turned bad, although I really wanted to swim with dolphins. (relaxation is amazing, I know, because I swam with them in Thailand). Another tip, if you didn’t have time to buy souvenirs, then when you fly out in a duty-free shop, buy even cheaper than in Varadero. (when departing from Havana). By the way, rum is also cheaper there, but there is no brand of Santiago de Cuba, but it is very good. In our hotel it cost 11.90 cu, in shops it is more expensive. My dream came true, I visited Cuba and now I need to find a new travel destination. Maybe it will be Mexico or Peru. . .