Cuba, Holguin, January 19 - 25, 2019

The Polar Vortex is upon us again, with temperatures forecasted to drop down to -30C, accompanied by blizzards and heavy snow … time to hit the beach and to take a break from winter.

Of the options available to us, we decided to be lazy, and to book ourselves into an all-inclusive resort in Cuba.  This time, we choose the area around Holguin, more precisely:  Sol Rio de Luna y Mares on Playa Esmeralda.  So far, this is the most eastern location on the island that we visited.

The hotel sits elevated with a grand view over the ocean, with The Bahamas (Ragged Islands) past the horizon 60 miles north of us. 

We stayed at the more modern “Mares” side.  Although we heard it might be a bit noisy in this section, probably because most rooms are facing the swimming pool and entertainment area, ours (Room #1050) faced away from the pool, with an unobstructed view of the ocean.  

The beach, about 1.5km in length, with powdery sand, invited to leisurely strolls.  And with calm seas at the beginning of our stay, we enjoyed some great snorkeling along the western edge of the beach, with numerous corals (some elk-horn corals must have had diameters of 6 to 8 feet), and schools of fish.

 

While the resort’s buffet dining room offered both in- and outdoor seating areas, we preferred to take our breakfast at the small restaurant atop the hill, overlooking the sea.  What a great way to start the day.

When the wind picked up from the north, churning up the seas, we decided to take a long walk away from the resort, to stretch our legs, and to enjoy a view of the mountains lying south of us.

After these strenuous exercises: swimming, walking the beach, exploring the neighbourhood …, we rested on the nicely styled and covered terrace, enjoying an espresso, or a Cuban Coffee (this one comes with a shot of rum), “champagne”, rum cocktails … often accompanied by a cigar, of course.  After all, we are in Cuba!

Unfortunately, our stay was not long enough to miss all of the nasty weather back home.  We just managed to get back to Kingston between wintry storms, only to see the temperatures falling again – thanks to the ongoing Polar Vortex.

It was a pleasant break!  Home again, we are back to do our rounds at the local indoor swimming pool – not quite as glamorous as the Cuban turquoise waters but …asi es la vida!