
Welcoming Cuba
He announced a major plan to develop tourism through the whole island so that visitors could see more of Cuba. Another 45,000 new rooms were to be built by 2030. At present, the majority of hotels for visitors are concentred in Havana and Varadero. There is another group of beach resorts about five hundred kilometres from Havana, all along the Cayos, which is a long string of small islands bordering on the central north coast of Cuba. It runs from Varadero to Holguin.
Over sixty tour operators in the Uk offer holidays to Cuba and the two big ones, Thomas Cook and Thomson offer direct flights as does Virgin Atlantic. But there is no service by the Cuban national airline Cubana from London any more. It withdrew from the route in May this year. But, next month, Cubana starts a regular Friday service from Paris to Santa Clara and that provides another entry point into Cuba. The reason I mention it is that Cubana was often the cheapest way to get to Cuba. At present it is offering a €400 fare to Santa Clara. Even allowing for the cost of getting to Paris this could be a cheaper option than flying from the UK. I recommend you check carefully and do the maths.
It’s also a good opportunity for those who have already visited Havana on a previous trip and who want to discover another aspect of the authentic life of Cubans. And there is another bonus. If you holiday in Cayos and fly in on a regular flight then you have had to stay in Havana overnight and then take a long bus journey to Cayos the following morning. That loses you almost a day of your holiday on the way out and a long time on the return journey. So fly to Santa Clara and have more of your holiday left. You can start the sun tan off before other holidaymakers arrive; enjoy the food or just spend the time swimming, snorkelling or exploring. Thomas Cook flies into Santa Clara from Manchester in the summer only and both Thomson and Thomas Cook fly into other Cuban destinations.
Visiting to Santa Clara

El Louvre

Santa Clara
Not too far from Santa Clara is Remedios another pleasant town, smaller than Santa Clara, much more charming, and today a national monument. It was founded vey early on in the sixteenth century and it sometimes seems to have stayed in a 1950’s timewarp. There is a network of cobblestone streets and you will often see horse-drawn carriages. Maybe I mean the 1850’s instead of the 1950’s. Don’t miss a stop at El Louvre bar on the central square, said to be the oldest bar in Cuba. In the town the church, San Juan Baptista de los Remedios, is the oldest in Cuba and is well worth a visit because it is the only original church from the 16th Century. It hasn’t been altered or added to. So you really are seeing what it was like 500 years ago

Remedios
Close to Remedios, the Sugar Museum is found on an old sugarcane processing site. In addition to the heavy machinery which still remains and is impressive, there is one other great attraction. There is a huge collection of old steam locomotives and, included in the visit, is a return trip to Remedios in a carriage pulled by one of these nostalgic giants of the past. And everyone loves steam engines. Or so they say.

back from the Sugar Museum
A stay in the Cayos
The Cayos archipelago, also known as Jardines del Rey (the King’s gardens) consists of dozens of islands. Many are uninhabited. And it is only really on two – Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria- where the main tourist resorts are. These two islands are linked to the mainland by their own long causeways. Cayo Santa Maria, being the closest to Santa Clara, is a good base to explore province of Santa Clara.
In the Cayos, white sandy beaches, blue sky and little sea breezes will frame your sunbathing. Swimming, snorkeling, sailing, fishing and diving are some of the common activities of tropical beach resorts. Or you can just continue to soak up the sun, improve your tan and have another long, cool drink.
To widen the offering to visitors, new hotels like the Las Dunas and Memories Paraiso have been built in Cayo Santa Maria. The Memories Paraiso is linked to a sort of “new” traditional village -La Estrella – and which has, grouped around a plaza, various restaurants, jazz and cocktail bars, a gymnasium, spa, disco and shops. And something typically Cuban – a cigar lounge.
The new dolphinarium complex in Cayo Santa Maria is a must not only for children but also for adults. Have you ever swum with a dolphin and felt its skin? It wasn’t what I expected as the skin is soft to the touch and not hard and scaly as I imagined.
Close to Cayo Santa Maria, a small harbour has been recently built for few big catamarans which will take you on half-day or full-day cruises. They will pause as they sail enabling you to dive overboard and snorkel some of the smaller islands. Masks and fins are provided for everyone on board.

Cayo Santa Maria
And if you have been to the Cayos before and think to yourself that one island is like another, forget the idea. Each is different; each is appealing and each will be a great holiday.
For more information click here.
Images and story ©Frederic de Poligny
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