Lounging About

The following morning, my parents & I woke up and proceeded to try out the breakfast buffet. The sun was out & shining brightly as we walked along a concrete path surrounded by palm trees, and grass. We passed a large sitting statue of Buddha in front of the Japanese restaurant, looked at the many fish that swam in a pond, made mental notes of the swim bars, and averted our eyes from the Quebec men who were tanning in their Speedos.

Like on a cruise ship, the buffet area was packed with adults walking around, scooping up whatever food they wanted before heading back to their tables to devour it in a calm manner. All four food groups were spread across five tables; you name it, they had it. After claiming a table, we armed ourselves with plates & cups, and proceeded to the buffet tables. I filled my plate with bacon, smoked salmon, bread, hard boiled eggs, & various fruits. Waiters & waitresses walk around, offering coffee, tea & espresso, and/or picking up plates. For a five star rating, the food was quite good.

Once our stomachs were satisfied, we left the buffet and walked to the main lobby for a briefing with a Sunwing Representative. Us and another family of three had made reservations via Sunwing at Melia Las Americas. The representative explained the hotel’s facilities, the monetary system, what tours are offered, and the best ways of traveling. For five pesos, you can buy a day pass and travel on the bus to Varadero and up & down the peninsula.

Cuba uses two currencies: Cuban Peso (CUP) & the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC). The convertible peso is strictly for tourists, brought in to take out all foreign currencies from circulation. The CUC is worth more than your foreign currency, because this enables the Cuban government to skim some money for themselves when you make the trading transaction. Resorts have a CADECA Casas de Cambio where you can buy pesos, but make sure you have a calculator to check that the teller made the right calculation and always ask for a receipt. Don’t trade at the reception desk because you’ll get less pesos.

The Sunwing pamphlet we were given offered: tours in Havana, Varadero, Mantanzas, & Trinidad; a catamaran cruise; and a jeep safari. These tours & trips last the whole day and the prices are high when you realize how many dollars you need to convert to purchase the tickets. After examining the pamphlet, my mother purchased catamaran tickets for my father & I at 75 CUC each for the following day.

Once the meeting was over, we went where everyone else was; the bar. We ordered Cuba Libres (rum & coke), and pina coladas. The alcohol flows like a river down here & it’s free! Socialist Tourism rules. After that there was nothing left to do except walk around a bit, swim in the pools, and sit in the sun. Day one was devoted to lounging about the resort.

The next thing we knew it was night and time for dinner. The dress code is more formal with shorts & flip flops not allowed. It’s so nice to have a meal and not have to worry about annoying little kids running around. You just sit back, drink some wine, talk, eat, and listen to two guys play Spanish guitars. The playing quality doesn’t disappoint. Just be prepared when they come around asking for a tip or to buy their CD. They got lucky that night because one table treated them to large glasses of red wine.