So, were on our way to Havana, and anticipation is rife, as the Cuban capital was riding on the back of a few expectations, the question which would arise being - will Havana fulfil those expected charms? Well, in reality, the answer might well depend on your set of standards or indeed what you are trying to achieve in the context of your stay there, but Havana is best described as a Caribbean capital city quite unlike no other, with enough in the way of attractive features to make the stay wholly worthwhile. Lets focus on what I deem the citys 3 great buildings of note - the Capitol, the National Theatre and the Bacardi building, and what youre looking at are a holy trinity of architectural gems which warrant the asking price alone, meaning that anything else you admired is a bonus, but admiration came in a few forms, and for all the buildings within Havana in a state of disrepair, you only had to look at the colours, feel the energy, and sense the urbanscape which makes it feel somewhere pretty special. It neither excels at shopping or dining, at least, not on my budget, though a night
out at Havana Blues eaterie was rather special, and that said, continued exploration tended to yield more of its urban fabric, even if this was a city with a certain depth about it which made it function as an experience rather than a collection of visuals. To illustrate this point, what better way to sample something quirky and offbeat than a visit to Fusterlandia, west of centre, but in close proximity to Jaimanita beach, which is an enclave of outrageously fine sculptures where an artists imagination has not only run riot, it has gone totally cartoonesque, and allowed for an aliens have landed kind of encounter, with more colourful depth than the best of Havanas colourful neighbourhoods. Old Havana is similarly a kind of place where you would feel inclined to linger, if only to get a feel for the attention to detail, and the discovery processes on every street corner, and the labyrinth of streets and alleyways allow a visitor to immerse themselves into a zone where photo opportunities abound, as much as scope for urban exploration feels infinite.
Varadero, and though it clocks in at Cubas least authentically Cuban to Maxicos Cancun can be drawn, as they hotels which all flank the beach and line the strip suggest why all inclusive holidays are the order of the day here, and why the type of businesses in the area are almost all exclusively - in other words, if if does not have a resort tourists appeal, it does not belong here. The Beatles bar belongs in amongst a cluster of other establishments, among which rank other nightspots anyway, and the boulevard area which it adjoins is a local attempt made at putting a cluster of amenities in one area and stating take your pick from what we have to offer! The beach which runs the full length of the northern coast is a beauty, and cannot be criticised for its capability - after all, you are in Cubas prime resort, and the beach can often be a measuring stick! Any hotel with an outdoor pool and an option feels like a must, though it appears to apply to so very many properties, that you might be to find exceptions to the rule.
The relatively nearby city of Matanzas is roughly halfway between Havana and Varadero, but interestingly, does not appear to take its cues from either place. Instead, it slots neater into the category of being quite an authentically Cuban city, with the right kinds of city features which make a day trip wholly worthwhile - squares, churches, and even a dining scene which I rated over Havanas, per square metre! If that fails to hit the spot, then try a side trip to the nearby Caves at Bellamar, where the underground will charm you with a collection of stalactites, stalagmites and shallow pools, each of which has supposed symbolism, or so the would have you believe.
