Win a luxury holiday in Cuba [not a joke, apparently]

Travelzest via UK Telegraph ^ | 29 Oct 2010

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Travelzest, the leading specialist in authentic luxury travel experiences, is offering you the chance to win a seven-night luxury holiday for two people in Cuba.

Flights, accommodation and excursions are included. So if you love luxury holidays and travelling in style, enter now!

The holiday will include:

• Return flights from UK to Havana from Gatwick

• Airport transfer to hotel

• Three nights at Raquel, Havana in a double room with breakfast

• A full day city tour of Havana

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Had to excerpt, but I didn't want you to miss the fact that the package also includes a visit to Che Guevara's mausoleum, because that's likely to tip the scales on your decision regarding whether or not to enter the contest.

[GeronL]

I heard that some University was going to send their students to study in Cuba.... crazy

[Frank_2001]

I could do three nights in Raquel without breaking a sweat. Oh, you mean Raquel CUBA? Sorry, wrong Raquel;))

[golux]

I hear there’s also a SUPREME LUXURY version where you are given limited access to food from ALL FOUR groups.

[libertarian27]

• A full day city tour of Havana

• Santa Clara excursion, including the famous city of Remedios.

Includes a steam train ride,

visit to cigar factory,

lunch and visit to the Che Guevara's Mauseleum.

Looks like fun/not

[trumandogz]

A Cuba vacation can be quite nice with top notch accommodations for a great price and throw in great food and beautiful beaches. For the most part the tourists are from Europe, Canada and Latin America, but you will also see a lot of Americans vacationing in Cuba.

[moovova]

Only reason I'd go to Cuba is to buy a nice '55/'56/'57 Chevy...

[coon2000]

My brother flies into Cuba all the time. He said Varadero is very nice, beautiful beaches, top notch resorts. It is full of Canadians and Europeans and they love that Americans are not there. He said there is a lot of money being poured into there, mostly from Europe.

[anguish]

My sister was there last year and loved it (Swedish, so no travel restrictions apply). She was impressed by the beaches, the food.. basically everything but the airport they landed at. Can't remember her exact complaints, but I think it was a total lack of air conditioning, or if the AC system had broken down or something. She's really picky about food (I take her out when she visits, my cooking doesn't meet her standards!), so apparently "rich white europeans" are offered nice meals.

Though rare a few years ago, I see more and more travel agencies advertising trips to Cuba these days (in Sweden that is), especially all-inclusive packages.

In other words, I'm not shocked seeing a trip to Cuba as a prize in a contest. Remember that the US is quite alone in having travel restrictions to that silly island.

[dfwgator]

What’s next, a trip to “Potemkin Village”?

[wagglebee]

My mother's family used to go to Cuba for most of January every year until the communists took over and they all say that it is by far the nicest island in the Caribbean in terms of scenery and beaches. Keep in mind that in the 40s and 50s all of the American hotel chains were building resorts in Cuba, NOT the other Caribbean islands. From what I've heard there are several very nice resorts there now that the communists built to attract Canadian and European tourists and their money.

One day the communists will be gone and American money will start pouring into Cuba again, hopefully that day will be soon.

[dfwgator]

Keep in mind that in the 40s and 50s all of the American hotel chains were building resorts in Cuba, NOT the other Caribbean islands.

"If I could only live to see it, to be there with you. What I wouldn't give for twenty more years! Here we are, protected, free to make our profits without Kefauver, the goddamn Justice Department and the F.B.I. ninety miles away, in partnership with a friendly government. Ninety miles! It's nothing! Just one small step, looking for a man who wants to be President of the United States, and having the cash to make it possible. Michael, we're bigger than U.S. Steel."

[wagglebee]

Yep!

[kabumpo]

There are already many, many US universities that have study programs in Cuba. NYU is one of them.

[GeronL]

Churning out commies.

[kabumpo]

Yes, there are entire deluxe enclaves designed for foreigners where the onky Cuban you’ll see is the help. It’s an apartheid socity, but for some reasons that doesn’t seem to bother leftists or Canuk tourists.

[kabumpo]

Except you can’t buy a beer or any kind of food on the beach - no vending, no private enterprise. The $ has all been poured in - more than 20 years ago Spain bought up most of that property. Ask your brother hoe he likes being at the bars and hotels on the beach that Cuban citizens can’t ho into.

[kabumpo]

Good point. There actually are a few Potemkin villages on the island, complete with actors.

[dfwgator]

My Cuban relatives on my wife’s side were talking about making a trip to Cuba. I told them in no uncertain terms that we will not go until Castro is gone.

[kabumpo]

Having been to many parts of the Caribbean, I’d say that there are much better beaches and scenery in the DR and Puerto Rico. Also, there was beautiful beach hotel development in PR in the 1950s that’s still there in excellent condition. But forget this beach stupidity - Do none of you realize that Cuba was a COUNTRY, with seven cities, one of which was among the most beautiful in the world, that Cuba was one of the 4 pillars of civilization of Latin America ——