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Havana, Cuba

Lucia
Mar 7, 2018
3 min read

Hello! During our October half term holidays, my family and I went to Cuba for 10 days. It was the first time my brother and I had been to the Caribbean, and our expectations from pictures of tropical paradises were high. I couldn't wait, although I was nervous by my parents' lack of planning. My parents spent a lot of time researching and looking for places to visit/stay, but for some countries it is much safer (and cheaper) to plan while you are there. So although my parents had a few towns in mind to visit, all that was concrete was our hotel in Havana for the first night.

Our whole adventure started with a very long day of travelling. There were no direct flights from the UK to Havana, so we had to fly via Paris on the way and Amsterdam on the return. I didn't mind the flights too much, as they were the biggest planes I've ever been on, and we were constantly being served free food and drink. The TV entertainment was needed since most of the journey was dark. When we finally arrived in the José Martí International Airport, it was late for Cuban time, let alone the British time I was accustomed to (5 hours ahead of Cuba). I was not impressed by the Cuban airport staff, the security was non - existent and our bags took an hour to come through. When we did eventually step outside of the airport - ignoring all travel advice and getting in an un-marked car of a kind man who'd offered - I was hit by a wave of hot, sticky air. The car's windows were down as we drove into Havana's centre, and the breeze in my face was rewarding. The city I saw that night was intimidating, for I knew so little of their culture. I had never felt that way about somewhere before, and so my tummy was filled with nerves and excitement for what was still to come. We arrived at the hotel - which reminded me a lot of a Moroccan 'riad' we'd stayed in - and we were all asleep within half an hour.

The next morning, we all ate the first of our Cuban breakfasts. It was the same everywhere we went: fruits including papayas, plantains, mangoes, guava and pineapples (all tropical to me, local to Cuba), meats like salami or an egg omelette with a freshly made fruit smoothie. For the rest of that morning, we wandered the sweltering streets of Havana, exploring as much as possible. We saw the bar where Hemingway drank, went to the rooftop cafe of his hotel for a quick smoothie stop (and spectacular views), got showed an illegal Cuban cigar business (dad always manages to talk to the wrong locals), walked the old town's streets and ended up at the harbour with a cool view of the castle across the water. We ate lunch in a nice local place, as touristy places are generally more expensive, and we were looking for an authentic meal.

In the afternoon, we managed to find a tour of the city, in a really funky old (pink) classic American car. I would definitely recommend this if you ever find yourself in Havana, as these cars are part of the city's charm and old fashioned style. We drove through China Town, saw the Revolution Square (with Che Guevara and Cienfuegos), drove along the Rambla and sped along the Malecón esplanade, with the sea's waves spraying up alongside us. Later as we were wandering through the streets again, mother managed to end up making and serving us all cocktails in the bar of Hotel Raquel. We sipped them on the rooftop, watching the lightning. This day had been incredible, and despite my worry upon arrival, Havana had in fact proven me wrong. This city has it's own kind of magic, it's bustling streets and dilapidated buildings makes you feel as though you have been transported to another century. The old cars are the cherry on top to how much Havana is stuck in time.