On our first visit to Cuba, Caroline and I spent a week touring the western part of the island,
from Varadero to Havana, Pinar del Rio, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, and then back to Varadero
for a relaxing week at the superb Barcelo Solymar Resort!

Despite being seasoned travelers, we were glad to have taken a guided tour, as Cuba is quite different from every other country
we've seen to date! Here, they have implemented Communism
to the T (unlike, say, Vietnam), so travel is unreliable, hotels and restaurants are not easy
to find, and shopping, well, forget it!

Nonetheless, the people are warm and friendly, the weather was great, and frankly, the food was beyond our expectations.

Yes, we would return to Cuba, if only for a week of relaxation in a 5-star resort. After all, we board a plane at 7 am, and we're sitting on a world-class beach drinking mojito's at noon!

Yet, Santiago de Cuba beckons, and we might just get there one day....