Cuba Holidays

You can book your Cuba holiday online by simply choosing from our huge range of flights and hotels to create your own unique arrangement. By booking with Unwind Worldwide you can be asssured that our Cuba holidays represent excellent value for money. We pride ourselves in sourcing the cheapest offers on the best flights and hotels.

Booking a holiday to Cuba online is simple, safe and secure. However, should you have any questions, our Reservations Team are always are on hand to help you book your ideal holiday to Cuba. You can contact our team via LiveHelp or by telephoning 0203 282 7684.

Cuba Travel Guide

Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies 145 km (90 miles) south of Key West, Florida, between the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas, to the west of Haiti, and northwest of Jamaica.

Cuba is beautiful, passionate and never less than fascinating. Cuba is a mind–blowing place for Caribbean holidays; cut off from the capitalist world the beautiful island has preserved its character and identity. As the last bastion of world communism, this land of elegant towns and stunning beaches has achieved something of a cult status with travellers, writers and musicians, paying homage to its beauty and resilience. Cuba is truly unique, a quality few countries can lay claim to.

Before the 1959 Revolution, Cuba was a popular tourist destination especially for United States citizens, mainly due to the large number of casinos catering to gamblers put up by the American mafia. Revolutionaries claim the Batista dictatorship was a government that neglected many of its own citizen's health and welfare in order to maintain itself in power. Many Americans had beach homes during the summer and rich American companies owned large factories and land with the cooperation of Fulgenicio Batista, the ruling military dictator. Since the Revolution, Cuba has been subjected to a trade and economic embargo by the United States. Since 2009, US citizens with relatives living in Cuba have been allowed to visit Cuba.

After 1959, Cuban tourism was mostly for Cubans only, and the facilities were not renewed until the 1990s, when Cuba lost financial backing from the defunct Soviet Union and opened its doors to foreign tourism. Now many European, Canadian, and American visitors come to the island. There is a wide range of attractions for the tourists, white sand beaches, beautiful architecture, museums, stunning wildlife and nature. In the typical tourist regions like Varadero and Holguin a lot of modern 3–star to 5–star world class hotels are available, while in less popular tourist regions visitors are still able to rent rooms in many Cuban homes (called casas particulares).

The imprints of Cuban history can be seen everywhere in the country. Cuba is time warped by its revolution, and has become a wonderful island of contrasts. Historic Havana and Trinidad have undergone painstaking restoration and preservation, so much so that walking around them is like a trip back in time.

The local climate is tropical, moderated by northeasterly trade winds that blow year–round. In general (with local variations), there is a drier season from November to April, and a rainier season from May to October. The average temperature is 21 C (69.8 F) in January and 27 C (80.6 F) in July.

Havana

Havana is a stunning and unforgetable city, with colonial mansions, museums, art deco architecture, cigar factories, old American cars on the streets and a welcoming and kind population. It is the centre of all things Cuban. There's an air of faded glory about the city; streamlined 50s and 60s American cars cruise the streets as the paint peels from the walls of almost everywhere. The city is lined with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which is under restoration.

There really isn't a bad time to visit Havana. The hot, rainy season runs from May to October but winter (December to April) is the island's peak tourist season, when planeloads of Canadians and Europeans arrive in pursuit of the southern sun. Cubans take their holidays in July and August, crowding local beaches. Christmas, Easter and the period around 26 July, when Cubans celebrate the anniversary of the revolution, are also very busy. New Year's Eve coincides with the anniversary of Castro's troops marching into the city, so make hotel reservations early and plan to dance all night.

Old Havana

Old Havana (Havana Vieja) is the center of the tourist activity, Havana's colonial heart with the harbour, city walls, castles, the cathedral. Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, kicking along a restoration process that had begun in the 60s in the wake of the revolution. Now many of Havana's finest buildings have been converted into museums for the most ravenous culture vultures to feast upon.

Varadero

Varadero in the Matanzas province is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Cuba. The white sand beaches are considered as the best of Cuba. A large number of tourist hotels is situated on the peninsula, most of them all–inclusives for the sun and fun tourists. Before the revolution Varadero was already an exclusive beach resort for the happy few. The famous Xanadu Mansion in Varadero, former property of the billionaire Irenee Dupont de Nemours is now operated as the Varadero Golf Club.

Cayo Coco

Cayo Coco (Coco key) is a small island situated in the Ciego de Avila province and is part of the islands group named Jardines del Rey. With more than 20 km of white sands, coral reefs and beautiful wildlife (Flamencos and Iguanas) the island has become an emerging tourist destination.