While still holding out as a communist state under Fidel Castro Cuba has begun to recapture its booming tourist industry. With the appeal of Cuba becoming less of a well kept secret, now is the time to go and enjoy this island in its natural state. This largest of the Caribbean islands is once again attracting hard currency with its beaches, the superb music and dancing of its nightclubs, and historic monuments of the Spanish colonial past (and revolutionary modern era). Besides pouring into the recently developed resorts like Varadero and Guardalavaca, visitors are discovering the proud capital of Havana, and other handsome cities such as Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad, dating back to the 16th century.

The People

The Cubans are easy to talk to, friendly and very helpful. The creative talents of the people are as lively and imaginative as ever, in art and sport. Music and dance are everywhere. The most stilted, stuffy visitor is sooner or later seduced into relaxing and joining the party. Even if times may be hard for the Cubans themselves, tourists can enjoy the best of Cuba's tangy Caribbean cuisine, good seafood, great beach barbecues, luscious fruit.t

Climatec scene, a real history, friendly people and

The climate is sub-tropical but less hot than elsewhere in the Caribbean. In Havana, the average temperature is around 25°C (77°F). The dry season lasts from November to mid-May and the rainy season from mid-May to October, but even then, Havana and Varadero rarely have more than two consecutive days of rain. If they come at all, hurricanes blow into the Caribbean from September to November, but Cuba has installed an excellent early warning system.

 

The Varadero resort boats 12 miles of some of the best beaches the world has to offer. The resort is 93 miles from Havana is the islands most active resort, although it still manages to maintain its relaxed and jovial atmosphere. Varadero also has many opportunities to get involved in tennis, golf, and horseback riding, besides all the latest facilities for water sports. You can find people cruising on bicycle, moped or multicoloured, tractor-drawn wagons along avenues of hibiscus, brilliant tropical flame of the jungle and white-flowered coco-plums (the icaco which give the peninsula its name).

The Veradero resort is has many international class hotels and facilities and is proving very popular with visitors from the US, Canada and Europe. Below is a picture of the Cuatro Palmas on the beach.

Sabana Archipelago

The islets and sandbars east of Varadero offer good opportunities for sailing, deep-sea fishing and diving. Most attractive of these almost completely wild little islands is the Cayo Esquivel, 15 km (9 miles) from the coast. You can hire a fisherman's boat to take you out to its fine white sandy beaches, popular with nature lovers on the look-out for sea turtles and many species of migratory birds.

Drinks

The unchallenged favourite refreshment is the great local Cuban beer, cerveza. Restaurants and bars all stock two or three brands. Hotels may also offer imported beer, much more expensive but really not better.If you tried all the rum-based cocktails served here, you might never get to see Cuba. Here are a few.

Depending on which one you're voting for, the presidente blends its rum with red vermouth and a sour cherry or dry vermouth and an olive. The distinctive ingredients of the isla de pinos are grenadine and grapefruit juice. The Hemingway special adds maraschino, grapefruit juice, lemon and crushed ice. Mulata mixes a well-aged rum, lime juice, crême de cacao and crushed ice. But if you're the kind of person who thinks all these cocktails are for cissies and prefer your rum neat, ask for a rich amber-coloured añejo.

Below is the opinion of one seek4travels own reporters Christine and Suzanne.

Mojito – a famous Cuban cocktail made from rum mint and soda. We normally have a no alcohol before 12, but decided to make an exception in this case and ordered a Mojito each as recommended by the bar staff.

We were a bit shocked when we saw the huge quantity of Havana Club that the barman poured into my glass and expected it to taste really horrible and strong – but I was wrong. It was a very refreshing drink. I’ll definitely be having one of them again!

And so they did ……………..back to our drinks guide

Smarter restaurants offer European wines, but they tend to be very, very expensive.By the way, try a freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit, pineapple or guava juice. It's amazingly good.

And for connoisseurs, Cuban coffee is a delight, strong and black, served already sugared. For Cubans, café con leche, white coffee, is strictly a breakfast drink, but they'll make an exception.

Seafood and Fish

The hotels offer increasingly popular cold buffets at which you can help yourself to as much shrimp, crayfish and crab as you like. One lightly spiced speciality is the enchilada de cangrejo, a salad of crayfish. Spiny lobster (langosta) is a favourite delicacy, served even in the smallest restaurants, plain grilled or in a tangy tomato sauce.

The most savoury of the fish dishes are filete de pardo (red snapper filets) or arroz con bacalao (rice and cod), a simple, solid fisherman's meal which Hemingway liked to wash down with a good beer. The varied exotic dishes available in Cuba are a true delight and must be tasted while on the island.