Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean it is tropical and mostly flat with mountains in the southeast. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet.
Cuba was a place we looked forward to going to, we had heard so much about it. We decided to fly into Santiago de Cuba and then travel up to Havana. Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba. It lies in the south-eastern area of the island. We could not find much accommodation on Airbnb so we booked a five star hotel. Our first impression was good, as the pool area was very nice. (note there is a difference between a 5 star hotel in Australia than a 5 star in Cuba). It was not long before we realised that there was a shortage of food, almost every item we asked for in the hotel restaurant they did not have. We found out from the locals that there is a constant, food, gas and money shortage. There was no supermarkets as there is no food to put in them. There are a few small shops that had a few items like biscuits and tins of peas. I feel very sorry for the locals as finding food is a constant struggle for them.
On our first day here we did a walk to The Parque Cespedes this is the heart of Santiago de Cuba and the central point from which to explore the rest of the city people of all ages meet here and all kinds of initiatives are performed, like cultural, social and musicians often gather here to play.
Across from the park is the oldest house in Santiago de Cuba (Casa de Diego Velázquez) It was built during the 16th century for the first governor, Diego Velazquez. It is constructed and decorated in Moorish style around a courtyard, designed with traditional carved screens that allow in, both light and air. We stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, it is the fourth temple that has risen in the city since the 16th century. This construction and those that followed would suffer numerous attacks, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and pirate looting that would cause the need to rebuild the church three times. We decided to go to the shopping district “Enramadas” whatever the time of day you will see crowds going to and from, mind you there was very little in the shops so I am not sure why.
We had been told that there would be lots of old cars in Cuba and this is correct, some of them are beautiful but some of them are very rustic. We decided to do a tour in one of these old cars and drove around some of the highlighted areas in Santiago de Cuba. The car we got was a red 1946 Chevrolet. It was lovely, although we did miss the air conditioning as it was a very hot and humid day, everything has it pros and cons.
On our tour we stopped at Castillo del Morro San Pedro de la Roca Castle, a multi-level stone fortress built into a rocky promontory (El Morro) at the south-eastern end of the island of Cuba, has guarded the entrance to Santiago de Cuba Bay since 1638. This exceptional fortress and its associated defensive works were constructed in response to the aggressive commercial and political rivalries that menaced the Caribbean during the 17th and 18th centuries. Our last stop was to visit a rum factory were we had a nice refreshing drink. You can do a 30min tour here. The locals believe that the longer its aged the smoother it gets. Just like most red wines.
We wanted to take the 16 hour train trip form Santiago de Cuba to the Capital Havana we love a train trip, we could not book it before we arrived in Cuba but when we got there were told it would not be possible as all the locals had booked the tickets. We then tried to get a flight again this was not possible as all the seats where booked. In the end we got a bus that took 17 and a half hours, not the longest bus trip we have taken but it is definitely up there.
We arrived in Havana around 10am, The bus dropped us off at Plaza the Cathedral, it is beautiful, it was so quite at 10am. Havana did have a food shortage but it did not seem to be as bad as Santiago de Cuba. The restaurants did have a lot more variety. We stayed at the Innside plaza Cathedral, it was in a great local and again it is suppose to be a 5 star Hotel but as I have mentioned before 5 star can mean something different in each country.
On our first walk through the city centre I was very impressed I thought Havana must have been an amazing place at one stage, with its beautiful old buildings Forts, Castles, Churches and old cars. Shame you can see the wear and tear and the lack of maintenance on some of these beautiful buildings. It looked like some of the them were being restored, but a lot of the work seems to be on hold for whatever reason. Once you come off the main streets you can see the poverty, the crumbling houses, tin shacks, old wooden houses that are falling down, again governments not caring about their people. Everyday at least half a dozen people asked us out straight for money (one lady we tried to help out, we gave her some Cuban pesos but she said she would prefer American dollars !!!!), as with a lot of the Caribbean islands some people will try to rip you off, not all, but some, so be careful.
We decided to do a hop on hop off bus trip, this was a great way to see a lot of Havana. Some of the highlights were The Malecon, Plaza de Revolution, Cemetery Colon, Copacabana, National Hotel, National Aquarium, Park Central, Capitol, Cuban Missile Crisis Memorial, US Embassy.
We took a ferry across to the Morro Castle or (Castle of the Three Magi Kings), named after the three biblical Magi, is a fortress guarding the entrance to the Havana harbour, we also visited Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña (Fort of Saint Charles), is an 18th-century fortress complex, the third-largest in the Americas, located on the elevated eastern side of the harbour entrance in Havana, Cuba. We also visited The Christ of Havana is a large sculpture representing Jesus of Nazareth, on a hilltop overlooking the bay in Havana, Cuba. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera, who won the commission for it in 1953. It was a very interesting day, these three places are definitely work a visit.
As we wandered through the streets of Havana we came across some very interesting Artwork.
M used to smoke cigars although it has been about 10 years since he had one but he was looking forward to doing the Cuban Cigar Factory Tour, his favourite cigar is a Romeo and Juliet number 2. We did not realise that the same factory will make lots of different types of Cigars, one person might be making Romeo and Juliet and the person beside them might be making a Cohiba. Not everyone is cut out for this work, each person gets months of training, if a person is not cut for this work it shows very quickly. When qualified each person has a quota of cigars they need to make each day, so if it takes them 5 hours or 7 hours they stay until they are finished. It is a hard job on your hands and most people can only do this job for about 10 to 15 years. Their work goes through a quality assurance testing team. The technique seems to be how tightly you roll or wrap the cigar. It was a very interesting process to watch. Our tour guide was a real character so it was lots of fun. M loved it and he certainly enjoyed a cigar at the end.
Finally what can I say about the Cars in Cuba Wow !!!!
We did have one stand out restaurant in Havana, it is called Bone ‘ma 62 the food is very good, coffee and cake not bad either.
Besides the constant battle the locals have with the government in regards to food, gas and money we did enjoy our time here in Cuba and think everyone should visit at least once in their life time.
From Cuba we flew to Nassau the Capital of the Bahama. The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean. Nassau is the hub for commerce, education, law, administration, and media in The Bahamas, and it’s also a central point that provides access to most of the country’s other islands.
We were excited to visit the Bahamas as we had heard a lot about them. We had an Airbnb that was very nice. The weather was a lot cooler than we expected, the locals said this was not normal for December. Our first day we went to the centre of Nassau. There were 5 huge cruise ships in seemingly this is normal for the Bahamas. So you can image what the centre of town was like, packed with people off the cruise ships. The Centre of Nassau seems to cater just for these cruise ships, the shops are full of the same tourist tat, plus one jewellery store after another. The town centre looks tired and tacky.
There are a few tourist things to do close to the city centre so we decided to get going. The Queen’s Staircase is a walkway of 66 steps it was carved out of solid limestone rock by 600 slaves between 1793 and 1794 to create an escape route from the fort above and is a major landmark of Nassau. It was only decades later that the impressive staircase was then named in honor of the over 60-year reign of Queen Victoria, “who had signed a declaration to abolish slavery on her ascension to the throne in 1837.” Today, the Queen’s Staircase still acts as a passageway to Fort Fincastle. We also saw the Water Tower at 126 ft, this tower is the highest point in Nassau, providing spectacular views of the island.
Fort Fincastle is a fort located in the city of Nassau on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas. It was built to provide protection to Nassau. The fort, which is shaped like a paddle steamer, was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore to protect Nassau from pirates.
The other 2 items on our list was the Straw Markets and an Art Museum. The Straw markets are full of stalls with Tourist tat and the Art Museum was close until further notice.
The area we stayed in was very, with some very nice homes, but as with a lot of these islands there are bars on all the windows and lots of security guards. There are lots of all inclusive resorts on the Bahamas and unless you are staying in the resorts you cannot enter, not even to have dinner in the restaurants. There was one exception to this rule the Baha Mar resort, they have a casino and some very expensive shops and restaurants that you can visit. Also when you go for a walk there are high walls that surround the all inclusive resorts that hiding views of the ocean. We did pass a very nice Nativity Scene as it was the week before Christmas.
We thought there had to be more to this island so we hired a car for a few days. The island is about 5 time smaller than Ireland so we knew we would be able to circumnavigate the island. On our trip we did see some nice local villages and small beaches, also an area that the rich and famous live Albany, Along with golfers, like Tiger woods Albany has many singers and actors, including: Justin Timberlake, Will Smith, and Kate Hudson. As you can image we did not get near their homes. But otherwise there was no more to the island.
Look I am glad we visited but we will be not rushing back here.
Next stop Dominican Republic our flight went from Nassau Bahamas to Turks and Caicos, we then had another flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Great Antilles archipelago between the Caribbean region and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Haiti on the east and consists primarily of rugged mountains with fertile valleys.
We are going to spend a month in the Dominican republic. We had wanted to visit all the Caribbean island and countries but unlike Greece it is not as easy as getting on a ferry from one island to the next. To get from one island to another you have to fly back to either Miami or Panama. This would have been a very costly exercise, and as some of the islands are small we did not want to spend that amount of money. M found a cruise online that will take us to a new island every day for 14 days. I may have mentioned before I am not a lover of cruising, I dislike the way in places like the Bahamas and Barcelona you can have 5 huge cruise ships ( holding up to 5,000 people on each ship) invade either a small island or a City. Anyway this ship is not that large, it is so hard to get to these islands I have given in and agreed to take this cruise. Therefore we decide to stay in Dominican Republic for a relaxing month before the cruise. We have hired a car and will take a week in each of the following towns/city. Punta Cana, Samana, Puerto Plata, Bayahibe, and after the cruise 4 nights in Santa Domingo.
Punta Cana we stayed here for 2 weeks as it was over Christmas and the New Year. Punta Cana is a holiday area with lots of all inclusive resorts, but not as many as the Bahamas, it has lots of nice bars and restaurants. We stayed in a really nice Airbnb, that has a beautiful pool area. Besides beach days, relaxing by the pool eating and drinking we did very little but relaxed in Punta Cana. Our favourite Coffee place was Dalias and our favourite restaurant was SPG Punta Cana
It was a lovely drive from Punta Cana to Samana it is 309 klms .
Samaná is a town that overlooks Samaná Bay, which plays host to thousands of humpback whales during winter’s mating season. The town’s waterfront promenade, the Malecón, has restaurants and bars. In the bay, Cayo Levantado is a tiny island known for its palm-lined beaches, also in the bay is Bannister island named after Joseph Bannister an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. He is best known for defeating two Royal Navy warships.
We had a beautiful view across the Samana Bay from our Airbnb. We did a beautiful walk out to Cayo Levantado, there is a bridge that has been built just for people to walk across, you cannot drive on this bridge. There are beautiful view of the bay and the beaches around the bay.
We decided to do a hike out to La Boca Del Diablo Mouth of the Devil‘ is an impressive vent or blowhole, where waves rush up a natural channel and blast out of a hole in the rocks. Car or motorcycle is the best way to get here – look for an unmarked dirt road 7km south of town and about 100m beyond the well-marked turnoff to Playa Rincón. When the water flows through channel it makes a very loud noise. After this we drove to the very top of the Dominican Republic to visit the beautiful beach of Las Galeras. It is definitely worth a visit.
Another day we did a hike to Salto El Limon it is about 18klm from Samana . The hike can be walked or done on horseback, and it normally takes between 30 and 40 minutes, we walked as it follows a charming landscape surrounded by coconut trees that become more dense when you are about to reach the Salto/Water fall. You do not have to take a horses, so do not let anyone tell you otherwise. There is a small fee to enter, note the walk can be a bit slippery when wet and there are a number of rocks to climb over, and 2 small rivers to walk through. The hike was fine, but you have to be careful. There are actually 2 water falls one large and one small, it was great to be able to swim in the falls the water was cold but very refreshing. It is just beautiful here, we were delighted we did not skip this.
Samana is a lovely spot, and there is not as many tourist as Punta Cana. From Samana we drove to Puerto Plata we drove through lots of small towns.
Puerto Plata is the birthplace of tourism in the Dominican Republic. Its has spectacular, sprawling landscape combines sea, mountains, lush valleys, rivers, and a multitude of beaches. Its fertile soil grows cacao and coffee trees, while underneath, rests the world’s clearest amber. The town centre is very nice and has some old colonial buildings.
We decided to stay at a golf resort with the hope of having a game, we have not played golf since we started our trip. Our Airbnb and the resort was very nice. We did looked at playing golf in the Bahamas but in the Americas it seems that golf is only for the rich it is so expensive. In Australia it is a lot more affordable. The 9 holes we did play in Puerto Plata was very nice but it cost us, $50 usd each, to borrow the clubs it was 15usd each, the cart was 15usd and you had to hire one. You also had to have a caddy which cost 14usd and you also had to give him a tip 10 usd. We had to buy balls and tee’s 10 usds. Plus taxes of 18% So a total of 212 usd around 325 aud. And this was the cheapest we have seen. But a good game was had.
We enjoy the experience of a cable car ride up to Mt Isabel. , a 793-meter high mountain within the city. On the top of the mountain, there is a fortress monument, a statue of “Christ the Redeemer” (similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and botanical gardens. When you get to the top there are breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean, mountains and Puerto Plata, while also enjoying refreshing breezes and the beautiful surrounding of tropical gardens. Mt. Isabel de Torres has been declared a protected Nature Reserve due to the great variety of wildlife and flora. It truly is a beautiful spot.
We visited Fortaleza San Felipe which is a historic Spanish fortress located in the province of Puerto Plata. Also known as El Morro de San Felipe, it was used to protect the City of Puerto Plata from foreign invaders, pirates, and privateers. The Fortaleza San Felipe was used as a prison multiple times throughout its history, including during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. It was where President Pedro Santana jailed one of the Dominican Republic’s founding fathers, Juan Pablo Duarte. Puerto Plata Lighthouse stands alongside the sixteenth-century city walls, illustrating the maritime and fortification history of the island.
Our favourite coffee place in Puerto Plata, Lis and Liz. It is so nicely decorated, they also do afternoon Tea with all the trimmings. Our favourite restaurant was Ristorante Passatore Puerto Plata great Italian food.
We drove from Puerto Plata to Bayahibe
Bayahibe is a resort town on the Caribbean coast of the Dominican Republic. It’s known for its sandy beaches and dive sites. Our accommodation in Bayahibe was very nice. There are lots of restaurants and shops to visit. It is a really nice place for a relaxing holiday.
We decided to go out scuba diving. We did 2 dives off the coast of Bayahibe the first one was Catalina Garden we dived 10meters for about 45 min. It is a shallow Caribbean reef with very good visibility. Here we saw coral and marine sponges, as well as typical Caribbean marine life.
The second dive was Atlantic Princess Wreck the dive to 17meters for about 50 min. The Atlantic Princess, which ran around Bayahibe in the past was getting ready to be intentionally sunk and turned into an artificial reef for scuba divers. On 15 August 2008 during Tropical Storm Fay big waves took it to the beach beside Dreams La Romana Resort. May 6 2009 exactly, the boat disappeared by itself, unfortunately in a shallow location, many experts say that a surge from any major storm will probably destroy it. But for now there is a new wreck that can be enjoyed by all divers. On our way back from this dive we say a dugong, we had never seen a dugong before when diving so it was very exciting for us. He seemed very relaxed and was munching away on seaweed and coral. He was bigger than me but seemed like a big cute softy.
Our last place to stop in Dominican Republic was Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is the historical capital city of the Dominican Republic and is both the largest and the oldest European settlement in the Americas. It wears its significant age as a badge of honour, with the Colonial Zone having earned UNESCO World Heritage status. It is a very pleasant city and the local town square is very pleasant to sit and have a coffee or Dinner. We were delighted we had stopped for a few days.
From here we flew back to Panama via Bogota in Columbia. We spent 6 weeks in Dominican Republic and really enjoyed it. It was much better than some of the Caribbean Islands.