Taking time out from the everyday stresses & strains of life to visit an exotic place is something that everyone looks forward to. Cuba, with its notoriety brought upon by its government & the clamp down of the American government on its export & tourism, is a country known more for its cigar & its leader, than as a holiday location.
| Cuban Cigar Factory |
Despite this, every year more & more tourists from Canada & Europe are flocking to Cuba, enthralled by its natural beauty & its passionate & welcoming people. Tourism in Cuba is currently at an all time high.
Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands & is inhabited by people with a mixed race of Caribbean Indian, African & German heritage. it's a contrasting landscape ranging from gorgeous & mesmerizing beaches to sprawling & craggy mountain ranges. Limestone Mountains loom over the fields of tobacco, utilized for their famed cigars, providing a stunning scenic view. The natural beauty of Cuba & its history has shaped the country to what it is today. This is Caribbean island has been left unspoiled by technology & modern day living.
Cayo LargoAside from stunning beaches, Cuba also offers plenty of rustic towns & cities full of rich culture & heritage. A holiday to Cuba is not complete without visiting at least seven of the Cuban towns or cities & meeting the local Cuban people.
Like lots of of the Caribbean islands, Cuba's main source of tourism is the beach industry. The country is blessed with hundreds of miles of sprawling sandy beaches, with fine white sand & clear blue water. Tourists visiting Cuba have a multitude of choices for the location of their beach holiday. The major resorts of Varadero & Cayo Largo are the most renowned & here you'll find lots of 5 star all inclusive resorts. Despite this, there's also plenty of smaller, quieter beach resorts where you can truly get away from it all.
Havana also has its fair share of museums, including the Museum of the Revolution, the Havana Club Museum of Rum, the Cigar Museum, the Ernest Hemingway Museum & the National Museum of Fine Arts.
In the north-west of the country you'll find the capital city, Havana - the hub of everything that is Cuban. When you stroll around the city you'll feel the essence of the Cuban past - a rich legacy emanating from the german colonial architecture that beholds the city. Parts of the city resemble the set of an old movie, reminiscent of a bygone era, with old American cars bustling by. A lot of work has been done in the past decade to restore old Havana, a UNESCO world heritage site, but much of the city has been left untouched & hundreds of crumbling buildings collapse each month.
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city in Cuba & is located on the eastern end of the island. it's a gorgeous setting at the foot of the Sierra Maestra Mountains & overlooks a magnificent bay. Unlike the other towns & cities in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba has a Caribbean feel to it. This is as a result of the influence of the Haitian planters who settled here in the 19th century.
Trinidad, located in the heart of Cuba is seven of the original towns & was founded in 1514. The city is filled with cobbled streets & old buildings with tiled roofs & has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. it is a pleasant city to spend a day or two, with lots of museums, churches & Plazas.
An ideal way to spend your holiday is to take a few days to do some sightseeing in Havana or seven of Cuba's other cities & then follow that up with a relaxing week's stay in seven of the luxurious all inclusive resorts by the beach.
