Visit Cuba. Feel the mythical atmosphere of Havana, touch the history of Ché and Castro, become kids again in front of the thousands of old American cars, stroll through tobacco and coconut fields, swim on dream beaches. Yes, you'll find everything you've been looking for in Cuba, and I can only encourage you to make a circuit away from the all-inclusive hotels of Varadero.
Cuba, however, is much more than a journey: it is an experience. On this Caribbean island, one plunges into a unique culture, one becomes a spectator of one of the last communist strongholds of the planet, one shares the daily life of gay Cubans, festive, warm, but also - sometimes - destitute. Even more than anywhere else, I am convinced that it is a destination to share with our children. To give them an understanding of what they won't see anywhere else. To share with them, a great lesson in life.
Here are in summary of our stay in Cuba with the family, the 10 reasons why we loved our road-trip and why I think it is necessary to take our children there.
1/ One takes full of eyes in a lush nature
First of all, Cuba is a beautiful island. My daughter Romane, told me after a few days that she had the blue of the sea in her head thinking about Cuba but in reality, her color was mostly green!
Nor did I expect such a nature. The landscapes that we cross on the roads are sublime: we pass through the countryside, fields of coconut palms, banana trees, mango trees, sugar cane fields, etc. The landscapes that we cross on the roads are sublime. I'm not even talking about the magnificent agricultural region of Viñales, where tobacco fields find their place divine at the foot of the hills covered with vegetation.
2/ We discover the daily life of one of the last communist bastions of the planet
Cuba's contemporary history is fascinating for young and old alike. When I explained to Romane (8 years old) that Fidel Castro had decided to put an end to the excesses of Batista by taking power to liberate the people, she replied:"But then, for the Cubans it doesn't matter, they just had a new dictator in power.
The most incredible thing is that the vestiges of this History are still very present. She is touched with her finger every day during the journey: through the portraits and maxims of the Ché and Fidel inscribed on the walls all over the country; through supermarkets with almost empty stalls; through the confinement linked to the difficult access to the Internet; through the officials present in many shops... Cuba is unique. Hasta Siempre.
3/ We rest on dream beaches in Cuba and the Cayos
The beauty of the beaches of this Caribbean island is not a legend. I must say that we discovered some sublime ones during this trip to Cuba! We have privileged those on the small islands that surround Cuba (called Cayo). They are often "private" places to sleep in state hotels. The downside? We're between tourists. The advantage: if you take cayos with only one small hotel as we did in Cayo Levisa and Cayo Saetia, you will have the sandy beaches and translucent water for yourself.
In addition, the large number of beaches in Cuba allows you to alternate permanently visits and relaxation at the water's edge, which is the perfect mix for families. Last little detail... the water is so transparent and so hot, that you will spend your day there.
4/ We learn what it means to enjoy life
Cubans are adorable, welcoming and festive people. They listen to salsa and reggaeton all the time. They take speakers everywhere with them: on the beaches, by the swimming pools of hotels, in buses that take them back from work, on the roads to wait for the car that will bring them closer to home. It's funny, it chatters, it dances (it also drinks a lot of beer and rum!). Anyway, it takes time. I was really marked by their way of approaching life. Despite the poverty, the lack of freedom, they display a cheerfulness, a joy that does good.
5/ Accept things as they come
The corollary is that Cubans take things as they come, and we learn (rapidly) to do the same. Time has no importance for them, no kind of importance.
For example, we waited for our rental car for 4 hours at the airport when we were on time. The agency was closed, the Mr. Volatilized. After 4 hours, we saw a person arrive with a car without air conditioning. Diverted by the center of Havana to change it. All this, in the kindness and good humor. We quickly understood that there was no point in getting angry (this was of course our first reflex). So we took our evil in patience, and took things with calm and philosophy. In Cuba, everything is possible, but nothing is ever certain!
Another striking feature is that on the roads, mileage signs are false and random. Sometimes we can read that we are 76 kilometres from the destination. Then 30 minutes later, that we are 70 kilometers away when we have covered 50 of them! We might as well tell you that very quickly, we told the children who asked us "when do we arrive", that we had no idea, that this was also Cuba.
6/ Be satisfied with what's there
Cubans do not have much to live with on a daily basis and especially no choice in the offer. As far as food is concerned, we invariably ate the same thing during our stay in Cuba: rice, red beans, banana chips and, of course, fish (sometimes lobster!) or chicken.
Fortunately, mojitos and piña colada (with pineapple and fresh coconut!!!) are always on the side! For drinks, there is no need for diversity: we had the pleasure of enjoying it twice a day for 3 weeks. Even the children got into it: 2 piña colada without alcohol, two!
7/ We sleep with the inhabitant by sharing their life
This is another specificity of Cuba. There are quite a few hotels on the island, almost all of them managed by the government, expensive and far from the quality/price ratio that could be expected. The vast majority of the accommodation is in "casa particular", i. e. in the Cubans. The rooms are all furnished about the same way: 2 double beds, 1 water point, air conditioning. It's simple, with top quality bedding and impeccable cleanliness! All for about 25€.
Going home is a nice way to visit a country from the inside. In the evening, the guests can prepare a dinner for us (well practical with the children if we don't want to go out again). And then we make nice encounters... Special mention for Roberto and Manuel, our beloved guests of Villa Paradiso de Baracoa.
8/ In Cuba, we do a digital detox without (real) internet connection
"Mom, can you look at the brown fish we saw this morning? Oh no, it's true, there is no Internet ". A reality that can complicate the daily life of Cubans. But for us tourists, what a joy!
The connected blogger that I am didn't open her Smartphone during the three week trip to Cuba. Romane and Charlie understood that the Internet did not always fall from the sky, but above all that yes, you could live without it. I don't know if it's connected, but I found that the Cubans spent a lot of time together, talking. Here, no daddy, mommy or kids with their eyes fixed on the tablet: here, we're talking.
For those who need to connect during the trip, know that this is still possible. You must buy a card (showing your passport, because remember that you will be monitored) to connect from the city parks. Still, it is necessary to be in a city where there is a park where there is Internet, and to accept that the flow is capricious.
9/ We travel to Cuba in total security and with a good sanitary level
During our 3-week family trip to Cuba, we always felt extremely safe. The punitive policy against Cubans who would attack a tourist is so dissuasive that you risk nothing! People are adorable with children. In fact, they are adorable and helpful any course.
3 days before flying back to France, we lost our visa card. We realized this when we received a phone call from Roberto, our last host: the taxi that had taken us to the next guesthouse had found our CB in the evening in his vehicle and brought it back to this famous Roberto. Except that we were 3 hours away and the next day we left at 2 hours further north! I don't know how the magic worked, how many hands our card went through, but the day before we left, we were given an appointment at a private individual's house near the airport and told that we had to wait for a gentleman who would bring our visa back to that address. That's how 1/ we found our card 2/ the individual who lived at the given address (who was not aware of the exchange that was supposed to happen in his house!), invited us to drink drinks at his place, before crossing the city to accompany us to our last hotel of the stay. In Cuba, nothing is ever certain, but above all, anything is possible!
On the health side, nothing to say either. In the restaurants, everything seems clean and well managed (none of us has had the slightest intestinal worry), a draconian anti-mosquito plan has been set up and inspectors come to check with the guesthouses that it is well applied, etc.. Everything is managed masterfully (communist) and it works. In the same way, we met several French people who had to go to the hospital for their children, and who were impressed by the quality of care and doctors.
10/ We enjoy an island mostly preserved from tourism
Cuba is on everyone's lips at the moment, with its complement of direct object "it is necessary to go quickly before it is too late". Perhaps yes, the travellers who knew Cuba during the embargo would be disappointed if they found the island and the people changed. Well, maybe. But for a family like us who are going there for the first time, we have the feeling of being away from the crowd during their stay in Cuba: are all tourists confined to Varadero.