Beaches, Beaches Havana Culture Colonial Masterpieces Water Fun Natural Wonders
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Guide to Cuba Beaches, Beaches Havana Culture Colonial Masterpieces Water Fun Natural Wonders A DESTINATION GUIDE SUPPLEMENT TO THE AUGUST 2011 ISSUE OF AIR TRANSAT: DIRECT FLIGHTS TO CUBA Forget about connector flights to Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal! Air Transat offers your clients the flexibility they want with direct flights from most Canadian gateways. Starting nov. 1, 2011 Direct flights to Cuba from: Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Quebec City, St. John’s and other cities. WELCOME ON BOARD! oPtion PLUS An Economy Class option with loads of advantages and priority services to help passengers save time: priority check-in and baggage handling, a 10kg excess baggage allowance, seat selection and many more privileges! KiDS CLUB Faster check-in and priority baggage delivery make travelling easier for families! Free membership for children ages 2 to 11 residing in Canada. CLUB CLaSS Refined comfort and personalized service. Travellers enjoy exclusive privileges such as a dedicated check-in counter, a spacious cabin with wider, leather seats, a choice of fine wines and much more! AIR-11-0679 Canada - Canadian Traveller (Guide Cuba).indd 1 6/29/11 9:37:46 AM AIR TRANSAT: DIRECT FLIGHTS TO CUBA Forget about connector flights to Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal! Air Transat offers your clients the flexibility they want with direct flights from most Canadian gateways. Starting nov. 1, 2011 Direct flights to Cuba from: Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Quebec City, St. John’s and other cities. WELCOME ON BOARD! O De i s oPtion PLUS Cayo Coco An Economy Class option with loads of advantages and priority services to help passengers & Cayo Guillermo save time: priority check-in and baggage handling, a 10kg excess baggage allowance, Cayo Largo seat selection and many more privileges! Cayo Santa Maria Havana KiDS CLUB (Duos with Varadero) Faster check-in and priority baggage delivery make travelling easier for families! N o s. New C o s. New Look. Holguin Free membership for children ages 2 to 11 residing in Canada. New Se . Santa Lucia Fun destinations, lively resorts, sun-splashed beaches and amazing CLUB CLaSS Santiago de Cuba vacations at unbelievable prices! Refined comfort and personalized service. Travellers enjoy exclusive privileges such as Varadero a dedicated check-in counter, a spacious cabin with wider, leather seats, a choice of fine wines and much more! Cuba. Always hot Birthplace of salsa and mambo, Cuba is a sure crowd pleaser. Heavenly beaches, fabulous excursions, exciting water sports, a fascinating history and that incomparable Cuban charm provide the perfect backdrop for a fun-fi lled vacation! Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic El Salvador Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Venezuela Departures from Montreal, Quebec City, Bagotville, Rouyn-Noranda & Ottawa For details, see the Nolitours Sun 2011-2012 brochure or visit nolitours.com 2011-2012 AIR-11-0679 Canada - Canadian Traveller (Guide Cuba).indd 1 6/29/11 9:37:46 AM NOL-11-0673 CANADIAN_TRAVELLER_cuba.indd 1 6/30/11 11:41:15 AM The Authentic Caribbean It doesn’t get any more real than Cuba. An intoxicating blend of culture, cuisine, history, adventure, wildlife, nightlife and, of course, stunning beaches on crystal waters, the country is the place for an authentic Caribbean experience. Take the cuisine. Time-honoured recipes have cre- ated a mouth-watering array of national dishes that reflect Spanish, African and indigenous influences, and include lechón (roast pork), fried green plan- tains (tachinos, chatinos or tostones), black beans, congrí (rice with red beans), moros y cristianos (rice with black beans), picadillo a la habanera (ground beef in tomato sauce), roast chicken and tamales, as well as ajiaco, a stew of assorted root vegetables cooked with pork, poultry or beef that is the national dish. Don’t forget the cocktails. Cuba’s famous cocktails – the mojito, Cuba libre and the daiquiri – are based on Cuba’s famous rums. White rum is best for mixing, while gold and aged rums are better for sipping. History is alive in the architecture and tradi- tions of colonial cities like Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Baracoa, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo and Remedios, one of Cuba’s oldest settlements. And then there is Havana, an amazing place for fine dining at paladares, dancing at local nightclubs, hot bar-hopping along the Calle Obispo, high cul- World Heritage Sites In Cuba ture at an array of galleries, museums and perform- • The Historic Centre of Old Havana and its System of ing arts venues and some of the friendliest folks in Colonial Fortifications (1982) the Caribbean. Cruise the city in vintage cabs, take • Trinidad and the Valle de los Ingenios (1988) a city tour, stroll along the malecon; there is always • San Pedro de la Roca (1997) something to see and someone to meet. • Desenbarco del Granma National Park (1999) Out in the countryside, Cuba is blessed with an • Archaeological Landscape of the first coffee plantations on the abundance of natural beauty. In fact, four per cent of southeast of Cuba (2000) the world’s land species live here, including three of • La Tumba Francesa, declared a masterpiece of the World the smallest: the pygmy frog, the bee hummingbird Cultural Heritage (2000) and the butterfly bat. There are magnificent parks to • Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (2001) hike, bike and ride through, several of which are pro- • Historic Centre of Cienfuegos (2005) tected as bio-reserves. Explore the remains of coffee • Historic Centre of Camaguey (2008) plantations, or indigenous camp sites. Water adventures are endless, and diving is amazing in these waters. Unmatched visibility, diversity and sites attract people from all over the world. Many resorts offer lessons and certification. On the waves, sailing, windsurfing and para-sailing get the blood pumping. For a more tranquil experi- ence, there are kayaks, paddleboats and a quick dip in the sea. It’s all here in the real Cuba, the authentic Caribbean. Cuba 4 AUGUST 2011 CANADIAN TRAVELLER 20 Inside IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN CUBA 4 CAPTIVATING COLONIAL TOWNS 10 A FEAST FOR THE SENSES 16 WaTER, WaTER EVERYWHERE 20 NaTURE AT ITS FINEST 22 CUBA – A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE AUGUST 2011 ISSUE OF CANADIAN TRAVELLER Published 12 times a year by Cover Photo Credit: Nolitours 201-2080 Hartley Avenue Coquitlam, BC Canada V3K 6W5 Contents © 2011 by ACT Communications Inc. Tel: (604) 699-9990 Cuba Printed in Canada All Rights Reserved. ISBN 1207-1463 Fax: (604) 699-9993 21 CANADIAN TRAVELLER AUGUST 2011 5 It’s Always Sunny In Cuba By Merle Rosenstein Cuba welcomed a record 945,000 Canadian sun seekers in 2010. With many must-do activities across the island, it’s clear why Canadians love Cuba. And after touring historical buildings in Old Havana, sampling cigars along the Route of Tobacco, and hiking in the forests of Pinar del Rio, sun worshippers head for Cuba’s beautiful beaches. Like Cuban dance and music styles, beaches across the island are many and varied. So let’s take a tour of some of Cuba’s hottest sun spots beginning with the best known – Varadero. Cayo Las Brujas, Villa Santa Maria. Cayo Largo Cuba Nolitours Cuba Tourist Board Tourist Cuba 6 AUGUST 2011 CANADIAN TRAVELLER 22 Cuba Tourist Board Tourist Cuba Cayo Coco Varadero Cuba Nolitours 23 CANADIAN TRAVELLER AUGUST 2011 7 agricultural district. A 402-kilometre coral Varadero reef, second in size only to the Great Barrier Cuba’s premier beach destination, Varadero Reef, makes the islands of Jardines del Rey or Playa Azul in Matanzas province is 134 ideal for snorkelling and diving. Cayo Coco kilometres from Havana. This 21-kilometre and Cayo Guillermo are two hot spots. strip of sparkling white sand on the Hicacos Cayo Coco: Cayo Coco, a 22-kilometre Peninsula juts out into the crystal clear stretch of beach, boasts mangroves and Atlantic. A string of hotels backs onto the more than 200 species of birds. Four diving flat expanse of beach, and bars and other centres and 20 diving sites provide ample amenities are within shouting distance. opportunity for divers to view many variet- But Varadero is not just a place to chill ies of sea life such as parrotfish, grunts, yel- in the sand. Visitors to Varadero can jump lowtail snappers, queen angelfish, anemo- on jet skis at the marina on the Bay of nes and spiny lobster. Cardenas, dive among shipwrecks and trop- Cayo Guillermo: Ernest Hemingway ical fish in Cayo Piedra Underwater Park, or spent a lot of time on Cayo Guillermo dur- play a round of golf at the Varadero Golf ing the Second World War, fishing in the Club with its intricate system of lagoons. crystal clear waters in his boat Pilar. This Centre Plaza América, an international con- 13.2 square-kilometre island boasts three vention centre, has shopping malls, restau- and a half kilometres of beaches and the rants and amusement centres. Adventure tallest sand dunes in the Caribbean Islands. seekers won’t want to miss Bellamar Cave, deep in the cliff overlooking Matanzas Bay, one of the Caribbean’s largest and most Cayos Of Villa Clara beautiful underground formations. The Cayos of Villa Clara lie off the northern For the young and young at heart, coast of Villa Clara Province with more than cabarets, variety shows and live music make 17 kilometres of untouched beach property, nighttime in Varadero something to savour. newly opened to tourists. Most popular among these beaches are Cayo Santa Maria and Las Brujas. ‘El Pedraplen’, a 48-kilometre Holguin causeway, joins Cayo Santa Maria, Las Brujas Holguin, a rugged mountainous region in and Ensenachos Cayos to the mainland. northeastern Cuba, boasts 350 kilometres Cayo Santa Maria: The newest beach of coastline and 41 white-sand beaches.