March – Havana and Varadero, Cuba

In March I became even more ambitious and planned a one-night tour of Havana and Varadero!  I flew out with a colleague and we landed early in Varadero.  We had a private transfer to our hotel in Havana, so we decided to stop at the picturesque Bacunayagua bridge, the tallest bridge in Cuba.  We drank pina coladas out of coconuts while we took in the view.  

We arrived at the Memories Miramar in Havana just in time for lunch and had a fantastic mahi-mahi in their International and Creole restaurant, El Patio.  

After a leisurely lunch, we headed into Havana to explore the city with our private tour guide.  I had been to Havana before on a day excursion, but this was much more laid-back as we had more time to spend in each location.  The architecture feels like you’ve stepped back into another century and is simply stunning.  We navigated the cobblestone streets, bought some pastries and mojitos, danced in the square to some live music and enjoyed our time immensely.  

We returned back to the Memories for dinner at the buffet, and it was amongst the best Cuban food I have ever had (the buffet had brie!).  

The next morning, we headed to the Memories Jibacoa, which is located right in between Varadero and Havana (about 45 minutes from each direction).  This quiet resort is so uniquely positioned with mountains on one side of the resort and a coral reef that you can easily snorkel to as it is only 100 feet from the beachfront!  The rooms were spacious and the poutine bar made it feel like home!  I am already looking forward to returning to both of these resorts for a more extended stay.