Preface: Varadero is a small peninsula. only hotel on it. no residents. The enviroment is super clean.
If you're first time to go there. The following tips may help you.
1. How to choose good hotel? through Tripadvisor, you can find the hotel rank. http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotels-g147275-Varadero_Matanzas_Province_Cuba-Hotels.html
There're 57 hotels in total. We picked up No.6 Iberostar Trainos.
2. Make reservation throug www.sunwing.ca before 3 month, you can get a good deal. again, one of my co-worker make last minutes reservation. She got a great deal.
3. After arriving Cuba, the Sunwing people already waiting there. They will confirm your name, then you get on the shuttle bus for free.
4. You may waiting there until they have clean rooms if in the peak season. (Depart at 8:45pm from Calgary, arriving Cuba at 4:00am in the morning. The housekeeps usually start their work at 9:00am.)
5. Tips for the service. As $1 = 24.5 Peso. and local people make 500 Peso/mo. everage. I changed many $1 bills and coins for the tips. Gave to everybody who supplied service to me. again, I also brought some tooth brushes and tooth paste as gifts to them. They're lack of these small things as their industry is not very develped. (That's not mean they're poor.)
6. Currency change: I changed all the money at the hotel receiption. It's same rate as the bank. but not every hotel are same as I heard. $100 CAD=94.58 CUC. foreign people only can use CUC, can not use local money Peso. agian: need prepare 25 CUC/person as Airport Tax for departing from Cuba airport. That is the special rule in Cuba.
8. Snorkling on site. pay 20 CUC to the people on beach service. you can have about an hour snorkling. much better than the snorkling with the Catemarine Cruise.
9. There're several tours you can choose. Havana one day trip, Catemarine Cruise, Jeep advanture... It will burn lots of money if you interested in those tours.
10. A few mosqutes and flies. we didn't use the chemical things, although we brought it.
11. How much money should bring? Maximum $200 per person if you take any two days to go with the tour.
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On site activies (my vacation day activites):
Morning: Get up until cannot re-sleep again. jorgging alone the beach, step on the solid but not hard sands. it's extremly comfortable than run on the city concrete road.
For the breakfast, fried eggs and water melon or cucumber juice are always my primary selection. The coffe is mild. not strong.
Then I will lied on the beach chair for a while. The service people will come to ask who are interest to play vollyball game. It's more hard to play vollyball on the sand as your feet is difficult to move.
follwing is Salsa dance course. I run out of my energy after vollyball game and dancing. After comfortable shower, then ready for lunch. I like buffet, as I can choose whatever I like.
Afternoon: Just take a nap, then go to play PingPong or Gym. sometimes, just lied on the chair under the shadow, reading books, nap, reading books, nap...
Evening: dancing course again, then enjoy the professional show in the theatre.
(more pictures coming soon)
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