EXPERIENCE THE CULTURE

On a seven-day vacation at an all-inclusive as luxurious as Iberostar Varadero, it’s hard to give up all the amenities and leave the resort. But Cuba has such a storied history and a culture unlike any other that it would be a shame not to immerse oneself in it, even if just for a day.

Fortunately, Sunwing Experiences makes it easy and has done all the behind the scenes work to put together tours that last from a few hours to a couple of days, with pick-up and drop off at the Iberostar lobby. The hardest part is deciding which tour to book: Havana One Day, Trinidad City

Tour, Havana overnight & Tropicana, Buena Vista Social Club, Jeep Safari, Boat Adventure, Tour to the Caribbean, Sugar, Cigar & Rum, Matanzas City Tour — just to name a few.

I chose the Sugar, Cigar & Rum tour, which started with a tour of the sugar cane mills and ended with a demonstration of how cigars are made.

However, it was our tour guide Navy who carried the day. No subject was off topic and we delighted in hearing her stories of life in a Communist country pre- and post-Fidel Castro; the hope of the embargo being lifted by the U.S. under the Obama administration, and the reality of President Donald Trump’s enforcement of the embargo, and about the everyday life of Cubans.