I have been selling & travelling to Cuba for 17 years now. I have probably been there 12 times over the years & without doubt the biggest changes have happened in the last 6 years. Most changes have been for the better as the transport standards improved, the Casa Particulars (licensed Cuban homes- B&B’s) we use are of a great standard & with the free enterprise the Cubans are able to be self-employed, opening up lots of opportunities that visitors can enjoy – the private restaurant (paladares), shops etc.

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I have always loved my trips to Cuba so when I was thinking what to do for my big birthday – the number never to be mentioned- it seemed obvious I should go back to Cuba, where I also celebrated my slightly less big birthday 10 years before.

This time I had friends that had had enough of hearing me rave about how wonderful Cuba is, & wanted to come along. So 5 of us headed off on the Virgin flight, meeting 3 other friends later on in the trip for my actual birthday.

We started off in Havana for 2 nights & had such a laugh. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing- as we really should have stayed 3 nights in Havana.. I had said that VIP on arrival would be a good idea- if it worked & they were there to meet us off the plane. So whilst chaos ensued in the baggage hall we sat in the lounge having our 1st Cuban cocktails. This was an excellent start to our trip.

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Worldwide Holidays, specialists in tailor made holidays to exotic locations, have developed the ultimate wedding gift – your honeymoon.  Our  innovative and exciting wedding list service allows honeymoon couples to chose a dream honeymoon destination and provides your wedding guests, family & friends the opportunity to contribute towards its cost, or alternatively, buy special activities for you to experience on you dream trip. So, instead of the usual quirky vase or additions to the Sunday best crockery, you could just as easily be having the time of your life and experiencing the stunning Costa Ricarain forests by zip wire !

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Raul Castro, the president of Cuba has recently announced a change in policy which will now allow Cubans to buy and sell used cars from the end of the 1959 revolution. Previously Cubans were not allowed to buy and sell cars which resulted in many very old cars being used by locals to travel around in. These unique Cuban cars have long been an attraction when visiting Cuba. Visitors to the very unique destination could step back in time and experience some of the oldest cars still being used in the world from as far back as 1952 and beyond. Our Cuba specialist, Fiona visited earlier in the year and experienced some of these vintage classics in her April blog post. With these cars still being used today this demonstrates the amount of care and attentions Cubans have taken to keep these cars on the road, many of them are kept in pristine condition!

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1952 Cuban Car

Cuba is a fascinating country, with such an interesting history.  Not so long ago, back in 1959 Fidel Castro along with Che Guevara & others successfully overthrew the American backed Cuban dictator Batista, taking back the 75% of foreign owned land & nationalised it all. When all the Americans quickly left Cuba they had to abandon all their cars. These vintage cars have been maintained ever since & many of them kept in pristine condition. The Cubans are such happy & welcoming people. They may not own much materialistic things- like houses or cars but they have a love of life that you cannot help but be drawn by. They love their music & dancing- it is everywhere you go in Cuba.

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As many of you will know I love my holidays to Cuba & will be back there again in February!! Exciting news is that in April, Cuba is coming to us- well London anyway!! For those of you that want to salsa dance there are workshops in the day & the parties start each evening.

The event runs from the 8^th to the 11^th April. Full details & ticket information can be found through the following link.

http://www.londoncubancongress.com/

Hola..

Am back from yet another wonderful trip to Cuba.. AND I missed all the snow everyone was texting me about!! There was not a sign of it o my return so wonder if it was all a joke!! This was a quick week’s holiday so was primarily to relax & get some sun. Varadero beach is so lovely & again this year we had the pelicans bobbing by, a few feet from our sun loungers!! Bless them..

Many people slat Varadero beach because it is very touristy – but my thoughts on this is that yes there are a lot of hotels but at least Cubans live in this area. If you go out to one of the Cayos– like Cayo largo, Santa Maria, Ensenachos etc you are in a hotel & no Cuban communities around. The staff are brought in to work then go home every so often for a few days. At least in Varadero you can go out to local restaurants & Cuban nightclubs- if you want to.

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The first Jardines del Rey International Fishing Tournament has been announced and will be held in the beautiful region of Cayo Guillermo and is open to both professional and amateur fishermen alike.

The fishing tournament will take place at Jardines del Rey International Marina of Cayo Guillermo from October 18th to October 22nd of 2010 and those taking part in this event may be capturing species such as blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo and dolphin fish.

The permitted fishing line will be 50 pounds and the notification of a tag and release or a capture will be informed to the marina control centre stating the time, the number of the team and the area where it occurred.  In case of discrepancy, each crew will carry a disposable camera that will be delivered to the jury at the end of the day.

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Everybody’s image of Cuba is different, but one thing everyone does seem to agree on is to travel to this wonderful Caribbean island sooner rather than later before it changes beyond all recognition. This year, 2009, marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and the images of Che Guevara, Castro and Jose Marti are in abundance as you travel throughout the country.