Since the arrival of communism, travel to Cuba has been, at best, merely comfortable.
Tourists traveling to this economic backwater knew to expect poor facilities, run-down hotels, shabby food, and a dilapidated infrastructure. Those looking for a luxury vacation never give Cuba a single thought.
According to a recent article in The Independent, however, the comforts of luxury travel have finally made inroads in Cuba. Sort of.
Comfort begins with your hotel and journalists Simon Calder and Cathy Packe key us in on some very nice, modern hotels which have recently been renovated and are allegedly up to western luxury standards. As you can tell from the photo above, the Suite Habana at the Hotel Saratoga, for example, certainly looks upscale. For $670 a night, it sure ought to be!
But that’s where it stops. The problem is that this new “upscale Cuba” sort of falls off the map after the hotel category. The authors write about “traveling in style” but can only recommend renting some of the island’s famous 1950s American automobiles. A couple of bars are suggested for some fine cigars and local drinks, but I noticed only two restaurants are mentioned and one is a paladare–a private restaurant usually found in a person’s house.
Sure, Cuba has a few fledgling luxuries for tourists, but the island is still years away from anything even remotely considered luxurious elsewhere in the world. Cuba is a tough place to travel and if you’re looking to get pampered and well-fed, better look elsewhere in the Caribbean–at least until Castro kicks the bucket.