Beaches, rest and relaxation attracting families
Best beaches in the Caribbean beckon Canadian families in need of rest and relaxation
We wanted some place safe with white sand beaches. We wanted an all-inclusive that caters to families. It had to be a direct flight from Vancouver, and it had to be someplace authentic with its own culture that wasn’t just a shell catering to Americans.
Varadero, Cuba, checked all the boxes.
But before we booked we had to address the stories; the white elephant, if you will, that sprung up when we told friends we were thinking about going to Cuba.
One friend said in a text: “Bring your spices and salsas u love or hot sauce the food has no flava!!! But of course you will love dancing and beaches and cars and the ppl.”
She had been to Cuba once, and where she stayed obviously wasn’t up to her culinary standard.
I decided to go to an authority on Cuba — another friend, Julie Remillard, who’s been there five times, and more importantly is a foodie.
“Cuban food is excellent! And the resorts can get everything,” she reassured me. Then she asked if she and her family could join us.
And there was one more narrative to address; accommodations in Cuba aren’t up to standard. I asked an expert — Claudia Francisco, a Vancouver-based flight attendant of more than 15 years.
“You can’t go wrong with Iberostar, anywhere in the world. They ’re first-class all the way,” she said.
Two ringing endorsements and now a friend and her family along for the trip. With these endorsements and a bit of intrigue about life in a Communist country, we booked our family vacation with Sunwing Airlines, direct from Vancouver.
I should tell you now this wasn’t a get up and go adventure trip. It wasn’t about eating street food, cliff diving or bargaining in the markets — even though all that is available.
My sole aim was to get some rest and relaxation, with the only real decision choosing between the cabana on the beach with butler service, or going pool side with waiter service.
The white sand beach, cabana, and butler won out most days.
As a parent of two, ages five and seven, finding time to relax usually comes at a premium, but not at the all-inclusive Iberostar Varadero. Star Camp, their free-of-charge kids’ club, is open from morning to afternoon.
On the second day my daughter dragged me to Star Camp. She wanted to make friends and play in the splash park and presumably escape from dad. After a brief introduction, she was off playing with a couple of girls from Quebec, under the watchful eye of two camp supervisors, and I was free to head down to the cabana. It was the only time I hurried that week.
My son and Julie’s son were content to bury themselves in the sand, play beach soccer, and spend hours at the clubhouse playing foosball and pretending to play pool.
This left the adults plenty of uninterrupted time to sunbathe and decide what delicious drink to try next; mojitos, Cuba Libras or San Franciscos. When we couldn’t decide, the attentive butler brought all three.
It was Day 4 before we decided to get off the day-beds to do something and meet other people. Sailboats, kayaks and pedal boats are free to take out, so I took the kids for a leisurely pedal boat ride, while my wife contemplated taking free salsa lessons on the beach.
We met Peter and Jennifer Popperl from Nanaimo at the evening entertainment show. Their son Quinn had met my daughter earlier in the kids club. This was their fourth trip to Cuba together. I asked them what kept them coming back.
“We feel safe here,” said Jennifer, “it’s like our back yard. When you have children, that becomes paramount. It’s got to be safe for Quinn and have activities he likes, as well. He loves the kids club. This morning we asked him, ‘Are you going to spend the day with mommy and daddy or go to the kids club?’ Right away he said kids club. Dagger to the heart as a mom, but he loves it.”
Peter added: “We’ve been to Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cancun, and by far I feel a lot safer in Cuba. Yesterday we hired a private car and went into Havana and walked around by ourselves. Other places, you’re always looking over your shoulder, waiting for something to happen.” Jennifer agreed.
“The other thing we like about Cuba, maybe because it’s a Communist government, is that they’re all educated. Everyone knows three or four languages. You’re sitting round the pool and the waiter jumps into German and then he’s jumps into French and English. It’s almost the norm here.”
“And the beach” said Peter. We all agreed the white sand, the blue Caribbean Sea, and gentle waves were equal to or better than any beach we had visited. But it’s something that’s missing that may make it the best beach in the Caribbean: there’s no security to be seen. Then again, there’s none needed.