Anna After our adventure in Havana, we took the Viazul bus to Viñales! We stayed at an amazing casa once again. They served the best breakfast ever and had an amazing rooftop terrace with a gorgeous view of the valley. So I’d highly recommend villa Susana! They immediately offered us nice smoothies when we arrived and arranged all the activities we’d like to do during our stay in the wonderful valley.
When in Viñales you should definitely go for a horseback ride through the valley! A guide took us on a tour and we made a few stops along the way. Where we learnt about the Cuban cigars (and got to smoke them too) and about their alcohol (which we got to drink too). So besides some drinking and smoking, you get treated to the amazing views of the valley. In my opinion the most beautiful area of Cuba!
We also discovered some amazing restaurants in Viñales. One really stood out to us. We even went here twice, as we really liked it. It was called Sunset restaurant and not only the food was impeccable but also the view was outstanding. It’s an organic restaurant and they produce everything themselves!
Another day trip we took, was our visit to Cayo Jutías. A beautiful white beach with almost no people. Our casa arranged the trip for us with a local driver who would take us to the beach along with a tiny van filled with other tourists. The beach was breathtakingly beautiful and the water perfect for some snorkling. So we didn’t do much that day besides relaxing on the beach, snorking, swimming and discovering the area. There was a little restaurant on the beach where you could order some lobster and a nice coconut to drink from. Must say, we had a really relaxing day! Sometimes I still dream about that damn lobster.
On our last day, we decided to rent some bikes and discover the valley by ourselves, which is a lot harder than you think as the roads are much steeper than we are used to in the Netherlands! And I kinda hate cycling.. However, we did have a lot of fun cycling around and stopping at some great viewpoints. Viñales really is a gorgeous area and when traveling to Cuba, you must definitely visit it. We even made a little doggo friend there. He kept following us around, I think he thought we were his new family. When we were traveling through Vietnam, I was kinda scared of the dogs and the possibility that they might bite you. In Cuba I never had this worry as the dogs are just as relaxed as the people, haha!
As you can see on my pictures, we enjoyed a lot of cocktails in Cuba! Where in Asia we barely drank, in Cuba it was a daily activity. My all time favorite definitely was the frozen daiquiri! One day, we even started drinking cocktails at noon, we didn’t even have lunch yet. Maybe not the brightest idea we ever had! Afterwards, it was definitely necessary to eat something, as you could imagine!
Traveling through Cuba was very different from traveling through other countries. You are a bit more dependent on the Cuban people as there is not a lot of internet or easy accessible public transport. The easiest way for travelers to get around is by Viazul or a taxi (which you can arrange through your casa). But I must stay that we didn’t really experience stress of any sort. The atmosphere in Cuba is very chill. You do have to be wary of some Cuban people, they do try to scam you. But it’s a different type of scamming than in Asia. They try to become your buddy first before they trick you into paying for stuff or buying things. So even though everything seems chill and relaxed, you still got to be alert!
