Cuba Holidays

If you like your beach getaways with a retro, fiery flair, Cuba’s the Caribbean island for you. You can ogle clock-stopped colonial architecture and classic cars in easy-on-the-eye capital Havana. And the milk-white beaches are just as good to gawp at. It helps that the mojitos and cigars are top-notch, too.

Think of Caribbean beach resorts and you’ll picture blonde sands and Sellotape-clear waters. Well, Cuba’s are in the same ball park. Varadero’s the big dog with its 20-kilometre-strong coast. Unsurprisingly, a load of la-di-da hotels have sprung up on this beefcake of a beach, perfect for family holidays. Things are a bit more au naturel in Cayo Coco – an isle that plates up bare beaches, reefs and flamingo-filled lagoons.

Cuba’s capital, Havana, has a few life miles on it. And it’s not afraid to show off those wrinkles. Revolution Square’s a good place to start your stroll – it’s where you’ll find the iconic mural of Che Guevara. On your wanders around the loud-and-proud city, expect to hear Cadillacs chugging along the Art Deco streets, cigar-puffing men chatting in shop doorways, and salsa pumping out of colourful cabaret clubs.

Cuba’s rustic charms give it a whole different feel to the rest of the Caribbean. The country’s economy took a bit of a knock-back after decades of strict trade embargos, so mod-cons like fancy-pants restaurants and air con aren’t all that common. Thanks to this unique way of life, Cuba’s got off-the-tourist-trail adventure-seeking down to a fine art.