04 April 2024

Cuba is one different place and right from the moment we got off the plane we knew it was not going to be your usual Caribbean island. We didn’t expect ‘usual’ but didn’t know what the alternative was. Havana - is amazing! Once you get past how decrepit a lot of the buildings are it is a truly beautiful city, The architecture is stunning and in its hey day must have been so colourful. There are restored buildings right next door to ones that are falling down all of which you can wander past. There are so many 1950’s American cars on the roads and parked up in bright colours some better maintained than others! There is so much to see and do in Havana. We spent a lot of time just wandering round in awe of the sights. February is a great time for exploring as its not too hot and humid, pretty much like a good summers day in UK. There are loads of museums if that’s your thing. We trawled the guide books before we went to try and make sure we saw the main sights and think we did. We ticked off the following on foot or by a 2.5 hour guided tour on a horse and cart ride. Old Havana and Central Havana • Plaza de Armas and the wooden road outside the Museo il Ciudad (city museum) • Shops, markets, street entertainers, bars and restaurants on streets O’Reilly and Obispo • La Floridita at top of Obispo where Ernest Hemingway like to drink. • Plaza de San Francisco de Asis • Plaza Vieja - drinking Mojitos from and upstairs bar overlooking the square. There a camera obscure here we wanted to look at but sadly it was closed. • Parque Central - a tree lined square and meeting place for well maintained 1950;s American cars to show off, taxis, horse and carriage rides and also the hop on hop off bus. Big hotels and museums line the streets together. Hotel Inglaterra had street lined cafe /bar which we went to for drinks and snacks a couple of times. A good place to people watch. • Along the road from Parque Central is the Gran Teatro de la Habana and Capitolio Nacional de Cuba. • Gran Teatro de Habana - did a guided tour around this theatre that’s in the process of been refurbished though a shortage of money will mean it will be a few years before its completed. Will be spectacular when done. • Museo del Ron - Rum Museum. Guided tour around the museum with rum tasting at the end. Very good guide. • Drive along The Malecon (4 miles of seafront promenade from the old quarters to Vedado (newer area). A good place to see lots of 1950’s American cars in various states of disrepair. • Museo de la Revolution / Memorial Granma - Museum and commemorative site with Castro’s boat and other military vehicles (Russian). • Remains of the old city walls • Plaza de la Cathedral with Cathedral de San Cristobel (free entry) • La Bodeguita De Medio - Bar and restaurant Ernest Hemingway liked to go to. • John Lennon Bar - a bar dedicated to John Lennon and The Beatles playing Beatles music and 60”s decorated. Mojitos and Pina Colada’s a speciality. • Almacenes / San Jose Artisan Market. Undercover huge market selling all sorts of souvenirs, art, rum and cigars.. • Horse & carriage ride concluded going through a very run down part of the city only frequented by locals and wasn’t comfortable taking photos at this point. How some buildings were still standing was astonishing. • Plaza de la Revolucion with the wire sculpture of Che Guevara on the facade of the Minister del Interior and one of Fidel Castrol on the adjacent one. The square is a massive open space where several main roads meet. The presidential palace and the Memorial Jose Marti are there too. The square also attracts many 1950’s American cars. • Memorial Jose Marti, the huge grey marble tower. Very impressive and there’s a lift to the top to take in spectacular 360 degree views of Havana. • Made a circular walk back to the hotel from Plaza de la Revolucion taking in Avenida de los Presidentes, Rampa to the coast by Hotel Nacional, The Malecon and Linea to Paseo and hotel. Varadero Totally different to Havana. I’m afraid you’ve not seen Cuba if you’ve just stayed at the beach resort. As beautiful as it is you could have been at any beach resort. You really need to venture outside of Varadero to appreciate how different Cuba is. Great food and no shortages. The Airport in Varadero - is like stepping back in time. A Russian influenced utilitarian style building with little organisation. On arrival we got through passport control ok but then had to wait an age to go through security as they only had 2 scanners and hundreds of people waiting. Lots of shouting by staff - god knows what they were saying ??. Coming home was entertaining watching the staff perform to find a missing key to a door that would let us and the air crew board the plane, took them an hour to find it and let the crew on for it then to go missing again. Must only be one key ???????. Taxi's- the pre booked taxi’s all turned up as arranged (the one from Havana to Varadero a day early but we sorted it. Taxi’s are ancient and in varying states if disrepair. All got us to where we needed to be fortunately but one was particularly dodge in that no seat belt on one of back seats, failing gearbox, upside down steering wheel, broken drivers seat, and interior roof lining missing, was an experience and i was a tad anxious at one point. Getting around Havana in taxis is easy, all the drivers had smart phones so could use goggle translate to get through the language barrier, (think their phones were worth more than the cars??). We paid in dollars or euros and negotiated price before getting in. Never had any problems. We were told by hotel which taxi’s to use, they were regulated by the government less dodgy that others. Money - there’s a lot of hype on social media what to take and what you need. You need to take enough cash to pay for everything, you cannot get money out of service tills or banks. We were going to pay the hotel bill from drinks & meals by credit card but there was a 7% charge on top of bill so opted for cash. However, restaurants tend to be cheaper if paid in Cuban Peso’s. Only get enough peso’s for what you will spend as you cannot change them back to USD or Euros. We took Euros and US $1 notes for tips as you can’t get €1 notes. At one point we had a wallet full of euros, dollars and peso's and it got confusing so i recommend sticking with USD and a few pesos.

02 May 2019

If you are toying with a cruise, I am happy to find the right one for you, having done various destinations and different cruise lines. My first voyage was on board a small ship, we flew to Kenya and stayed for 2 nights in Mombasa, were we met with some of our companions for the second leg of our journey. From there we flew a 4 hour journey to the Seychelles, which is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. We boarded the ship and remained in port in Mahe, the Islands capital, for 3 days, in order that we could explore what the Islands have to offer. It certainly doesn't disappoint! We toured around Mahe to discover wonderful beaches and outstanding fish restaurants. The following day we discovered the Island of Praslin, with the renowned Anse Georgette beach, studded with fantastic sculpted rock formations. It is so perfect, and many a TV ad has been filmed on this idyllic beach. This is where you will still see the coco de mer growing naturally, they are huge! Day 3 was a visit to the laid-back island of La Digue, where the forms of transport are either bicycle or Ox cart, not being able to ride a bike, I had to opt for the being trundled around in an ox cart, there is a diverse wildlife, stunning beaches and the people are all so friendly. The next morning we set sail, I was expecting the Indian Ocean to be small and calm, it's not, it's massive and you can sail for 2 days without seeing land, good job I love cruising, there is always something happening to keep you entertained, or a visit to the onboard spa for a bit of pampering, the best bit for me is chatting to so many different, interesting people. Our next stop was The Comoros Islands, a French islands with lots of pretty coloured houses, and friendly people. From there the highlight for me was a stop at Madagascar, we had a few days here and were able to see the lemurs roaming freely. We took speedboats to the small islands of Nosy Be, where we visited a town called Hell-ville, you do see a lot of poverty in some of these places, but everyone smiles, it's very humbling. I had taken stationery with me to give to the children, and they were so thrilled with pencils and paper, it certainly make you think how lucky we are. We also visited Nosy Komba, where ladies were sat making beautiful table linen for the tourists to buy. I also had the pleasure of visiting a Yorkshireman who lived alone on the tiny island of Moyenne, surrounded by circa 120 giant tortoise, which wandered freely, it was something that will live with me forever. Last stop was the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar - the spice islands - the birth place of Freddy Mercury, for any Queen fans. We visited Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar, there is a meat and fish market, that has been there for centuries, and certainly worth a look at, but you need to be made of strong stuff to stand the smell of the fish in the heat! although it's very different, Stone Town enthralled me, it's like stepping back to biblical times, you can see the former slave market, although its seriously sobering stuff, it's something that I'm glad I did, and I won't forget in a hurry. From there it was a flight back to Kenya, and then homeward bound. I suppose what I'm wanting to say, is that some of the things I did, and some of the places I saw, and the people that I met, will be in my memories forever, and they would be places I would not have visited, if it hadn't been for this cruise, so sometimes, it's good to step out of your comfort zone, and explore the world, you won't be disappointed, enjoy yourselves, live a little! Hakuna matata, until next time.....

29 November 2018

Kalispera Anyone who knows me will know that the little Greek island of Kefalonia has stolen a piece of my heart, and I'd like to share with you some reasons why. I have travelled most parts of the island over numerous years, making lovely Greek friends, and the best memories, to cherish forever. Perfection for me is landing at the airport, picking up my hire car and driving a few minutes to Svoronata, to catch up with old friends, and feeling like I've come home. My favourite hotel in this area, is the Avithos Resort, the pool is fabulous, the rooms are spacious and everywhere is pristine. Nikos and his team can't do enough for you, they will take you to pick up groceries, or to go for a meal, and pick you back up! I always venture down to Poros to stay in the Hotel Anastazia, a family run boutique hotel, which is very special to me, I even have a certain room, funnily enough it's room 101! Travelling around the Island, there are idyllic beaches and the bluest waters you will ever see. My must see's in brief are: Melissani Lake - which is actually a cave, where you a taken round in a little boat, it's a magical experience, followed by lunch in Karavomylos. Assos and Fiskardo are two of the prettiest places on earth, sit at one of the beautiful restaurants with a bottle of Robola, heavenly. A stroll down the Fanari Road passed the lighthouse and into Argostali to see the turtles in the harbour. Through my experience of the Island, I could go on for hours about where to stay, eat, visit etc, but I'll save that for another time. If this sounds like your kind of place, please get in touch and I will happily find you the perfect spot to stay. Efharisto poli & kalinichta