I know right?! the problem also is with the culture and upbringing of the people who do that. In British Columbia for example, even one cig is not acceptable at the beach. not a single plastic bottle dropped on a hiking trail… that’s much to do with the attitude of the people and with local green living propaganda. whereas people travelling to Cuba now are from countries that sadly do not have any eco-education or sustainability awareness….

kids-friendly activity? the Beach of course! My son would have spent every minute at the beach if he could! Had to drag him away from the sun as you know how strong the sun is in Cuba. And we used a lot of sun screen – only natural, organic chemical-free of course so we don’t harm the marine life. I’ve done a post on natural sunscreen some time ago 🙂

Thank you. this particular hotel had kids club and a games room. we’ve used games room a few times and there was always an attendant there happy to help. loved this. but the kids party… well you’ve read it 🙂 oh yes, they had a shallow pool too for little kids fun.

absolutely not! I love Cuba and I love going there! If I was to choose a place to retire – Cuba has a serious shot 🙂

I would not count on the hotel staff/supplies for any diet restrictions. they may want to help, but sometimes the simply do not have a choice – the produce and food options are very limited due to embargo. not the best place to go if you have allergies or if you follow a certain diet – you have to fend for yourself there

Yes absolutely! I’ve been to Cuba many times. I’d prefer to try out another resort though 🙂 Safety-wise, Cuba is one of the safest countries – especially in the resort areas. You can walk outside even solo-female in the middle of the night with no serious danger of anything happening.

My son loooved interacting with Cuban people – as everyone is super-friendly especially towards little kids. I taught Cosmos some basic Spanish, so he was comfortable saying hi/bye and ordering milk, juice and water at the bar 🙂

I love that they learned how to make fried rice for your son, and that you can bring mint if you really fancy a mojito! It sounds like the staff went above and beyond (apart from the disco lady!)

It looks really empty. Were you there on the off-season, or are there just not many tourists around?

absolutely NOT! we love Cuba very much! even though it is drowning in poverty and you need to know what to expect in terms of products, food and services, the people are one of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever met, and the country itself is one of the safest places on earth!

I love the pictures you shared here and the 3-5 star hotel comparison is a plus. Thanks

So hows the culture and how your child adopt it?

thank you for your kind words, and yes the trash and cigarette buds all over the beach was a quite upsetting picture to witness…

thank you, to answer your questions:
– we do not necessarily eat low carb, just removed processed sugar and grains from our diet. Otherwise, we eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, and of course meats and seafood of all sorts. There were plenty of seafood options, a decent amount of cheese, and a fair amount of vegetables offered. However, in Cuba you shouldn’t be expecting “gluten-free” or “vegan” post notes on the food packaging or at a buffet. Good news, the food is simple and what you see is typically what you get.
– Sand buckets and Toys – bring your own. There were no toys/buckets provided at the resort, nor there are many shopping opportunities in Cuba thanks to the embargo. We brought many things with us knowing we won’t likely get those here nor did we want to spend time searching. I will be posting a “packing list” for Cuba soon, so you can see what you should bring with you 🙂

thank you for the kind words 🙂 You’ll have a blast I am sure! I am putting out more Cuban notes – about Havana and Jaimanitas – in the next week. hope you enjoy those too!

yes indeed, it is quite sad. I will be making a separate “Red Bucket Challenge” post and will try to spread it through Social Media, hopefully it catches on and our beaches become cleaner

Angela, yes absolutely! they have two lifeguard stations on the beach and one at each pool. The beach ones are quite fierce too – especially watching little kids. and if the sea waves are a bit high, they won’t let you get your kids into the ocean past their chest level. this standard of care is quite refreshing!