I was in Cuba in 2014 and loved it. I was curious about the all-inclusive resorts at Varadero so we flew in there from Vancouver with JetWest, stayed at a casa particulare for one night and then stayed at the best resort there (for just two nights) which at the time was voted by TripAdvisor as No 1 which was Iberostar Varadero. It is a smaller airport to arrive at so less queues.
Everything was perfect for us-the room, service, meals, beach, entertainment, drinks and the pool was one of the largest I have ever swum in. My male travel companion was very assertive and requested Spanish cava at each meal which we were given. There were no drunks or partygoers.
We then went in a bus to Havana to join a tour of the whole island in a van staying at casas particulares for 2-3 weeks. We had decided that driving was out and public transport was too slow so we saw the highlights of the whole island with no hassles.
I especially loved Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos and Trinidad and classical Spanish guitar playing at some restaurants as well as seeing some of the old Buena Vista group in Havana. The Cubans sure like to dance!
In Havana, we stayed at a casa particulare on the Malecon with a lovely couple, hired an old Chevrolet taxi and even went to a church service. Havana is the most run-down of all the places we visited. But it has its charm and when they can find the money to restore it, it will be magnificent.
My tour only cost about $2,000-$3,000 including room, breakfast and transport so I thought it was good value. So I can recommend it.
The latest is to go on a cruise around Cuba where you stop each night or two at a different port and do day trips.
