Highlights of Cuba

After arriving into Havana International Airport, we’ll transfer you to the luxurious Hotel Florida in the heart of Habana Vieja. Why not settle into Havana Hemingway-style with a fruity daiquiri cocktail in the hotel bar and, if you’re feeling lively, head to Maragato downstairs to watch some hypnotising salsa dancing. While in Cuba’s vivacious capital we’ll take you on a classic car tour, as well as a walking tour of the old town, so you can take in the iconic sights like the pretty Plaza de la Catedral, Castillo de la Real Fuerza, and all the beautiful colonial architecture that makes up Habana Vieja. A visit to Havana is incomplete without a visit to Tropicana, the glitzy cabaret club that promises an evening of flamboyance and show-stopping choreography.

Swap cityscape for countryside and spend a couple of days in the lush valley of Viñales, home to the giant, beguiling rock formations known as mogotes and miles and miles of tobacco, coffee and fruit plantations. One of the best places to admire the view of this gorgeous landscape is from La Ermita, one of our favourite hotels in Viñales where you’ll stay for two nights. After a day exploring the region on foot, bicycle or horseback – or even after an exhilarating climb of the mogotes – La Ermita’s pool is the perfect place to cool off and soak up the sweeping vistas.

Awash with cobblestone roads, pastel-coloured houses and resident donkeys, Trinidad is like a step back in time. Wedged between the undulating Escambray Mountains and honey-hued beaches of Peninsula de Ancón, this old colonial town is perfectly placed for both rainforest treks to waterfalls and lazy days on the beach. Back in town, Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad is a delightful colonial bolt-hole close to all the action. We’ll take you on a walking tour of town, and you’ll get the chance to brush up on your dancing skills with a salsa lesson. In the evening, practise with the locals at Casa de la Musica – a lively outdoor venue with fantastic live music and dance performances.

After Trinidad, it’s time to hit the beach – but not before a stop at Santa Clara en route for a dose of revolutionary history. This is the place which saw the decisive victory of the revolutionaries, and as such there are plenty of landmarks that commemorate Cuba’s hero Comandante Che Guevara, including the mausoleum and museum ‘Conjunto Escultórico’, and the site of the train derailment with a museum to boot.

In less than 2 hours from here you’ll reach Cayo Santa María, an idyllic island blessed with sugar-white sand and crystal clear waters. Your hotel, the Royalton, promises a slice of decadence with its sprawling pools, sleek spa and all-inclusive meals and drinks. Drift from the pool to the bar, feast on Caribbean cuisine, and perhaps try your hand at water sports – you’ll never want to leave

Return to Havana before your flight home the next day, for a final night at Hotel Florida. If time allows, dip into Museo de la Revolución for an insight into Cuba’s revolutionary past, catch a glimpse of modern Cuban art in the Museo de Bellas Artes next door, and stroll down the Malecón at dusk.