Day 1: Fly from UK - Havana
Fly from the UK, arriving in Cuba mid-afternoon. Your English speaking guide and driver will transfer you to the hotel in a vintage 1950s car (no seat belts) – both are at your disposal during your time in Havana. Check into your junior suite at The Hotel Saratoga; an elegant building newly reconstructed in neoclassical/eclectic style that lies at the heart of an attractive corner in Old Havana. Meet with our representative and discuss your itinerary – there are numerous optional restaurants and visits which can be added and paid locally.
Day 2: Havana
Explore Havana´s colonial past on a two hour walking tour through the city, including the four key squares of Old Havana, a UNESCO world heritage site. In the afternoon you will visit 4 Cuban artists in their studios, according to your particular interests in photography, sculpture or painting. At sunset, cruise the ocean road Malecón in a convertible American classic car (Yank Tank), admiring the sunset glow on the crumbling buildings facing the sea.
Day 3: Vinales
Your driver will collect you at the house and transfer you to Viñales. You will have the use of a medium car and English speaking guide/driver throughout your stay outside of Havana from days 3 to 8 inclusive, giving you complete flexibility and a full time guiding experience. En route to Vinales you will stop at the eco-resort of Las Terrazas, visiting artists’ studios and French coffee plantation ruins. Arriving in Vinales, check in to a junior suite at Los Jazmines; a pink mansion with stunning views of the Vinales valley, a Unesco World Heritage site.
Day 4: Vinales
Today your driver will take you to the tobacco growing region, Vinales. Enjoy a walk in the lush valley with our specialized guide. Visit Casa del Veguero and tobacco plantations along with an Indian cave and take a dip in the lake. Lunch at Casa del Campesino and try the local guarapo, a drink made from sugar cane.
Day 5: Playa Giron
Rise early for the 4.5 hour drive to historic Playa Girón and the Bay of Pigs on the southern, swamp-bound coast of Matanzas province. You will be warmly welcomed by the local dive master and his wife at Casa Ronel, where your bedroom has a private bathroom and you can make yourself at home in the house. Take an optional trip to the Bay of Pigs Museum (payable locally) and enjoy a home cooked meal made with fresh local produce and fish caught just yards from the house (pay locally).
Day 6: Trinidad
Snorkel or dive in the glistening Caribbean waters off Playa Girón before your transfer (3.5 hour drive) to the beautifully preserved Spanish colonial town of Trinidad. Check into the stately, pistachio green Grand Hotel Iberostar Trinidad, where you will stay for two nights in a double room with spacious balcony. In the evening, you’ll walk around the city with a guide to enjoy the spectacular atmosphere of town at night, visiting a local bar and popular music venues.
Day 7: Trinidad
This morning visit Cuba’s beautiful nature park, Topes de Collantes, a protected area of 200 sq. km. In the afternoon a walking tour offers you an introduction to Trinidad, a UNESCO world heritage site. Our local expert guide will talk you through the history of the town by visiting its architectural high points and give you some insight into its complex history both in the colonial period and in the years after the revolution.
Day 8: Varadero
Take a tour of the local sugar plantations and discover how slavery related to the sugar industry, and the enormous impact sugar had on this area. You will also see working plantation homes of the sugar barons, before being driven to Cuba’s premiere beach resort, Varadero, on the northern coast of the island. Check in to the all-inclusive 5 star Paradisus Pricesa del Mar for a two night stay in a junior suite with ocean view. Royal service is included, so you access your own butler service, restaurant, pool area and check in.
Days 9: Central Highlands
Today you have a choice of activities; including visiting a tea factory to learn first-hand how tea is made, from picking and processing to drying. Ceylon Tea Trails is a fantastic base for a variety of adventure activities, with a number of treks and scenic walks as well as mountain bike trails through the tea estates on offer, or kayaking on the nearby reservoirs, Castlereagh and Maskeliya. Some activities payable locally.
Day 10: Varadero
Spend the day relaxing. The hotel has its own pristine stretch of Cuba’s best beach, is adults only, and boasts a spa and a range of restaurants serving international food.
Day 11: Havana
Return to Havana and check into the Suite Plaza Vieja, a small bed and breakfast right in the heart of the oldest Plaza in the historic centre of Havana. In the afternoon you’ll take a tour of the Necrópolis de Colon. Through hearing of the lives of the Cuban families buried here, you’ll gain an extra insight into this fascinating country.
Day 12: Havana -UK
You have a final morning in Havana before your private transfer to José Martí airport in the afternoon. Relax in the VIP departure lounge before your flight back to the UK.
