by Simon Wong

Some of the best beach holidays can be taken in sunny Cuba. The beautiful beaches of Cuba are famously seductive. Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘It not only looks wonderful, it is wonderful.’ when speaking of Cuba. So, get ready to jump into the Latin rhythm and spend your upcoming holiday on one of the glorious unspoiled beaches. With the temperature ranging between 24C and 29C, the warm water is cooled by light winds and the country averages 330 sunny days per year. This offers great odds for a near perfect holiday.

Beautiful Destination Points

Cuba can be divided up into 289 natural beaches. The northern beaches feature powdery sands and clear, turquoise water of the Atlantic Ocean. While the southern beaches are just as beautiful, they are a less popular tourist location, making them perfect for those who want to take beach holidays away in tranquil isolation.

A few of the popular locations include Varadero beach, St Lucia and Cayo Largo del Sur. White sands and calm blue water await at the popular Varadero beach with over 100 hotels to choose from in the area. On the other hand, St. Lucia is the perfect beach for those who like a little more seclusion. Since there are fewer hotels in the area, this beach on the north east coast is much less populated. The Cayo Largo del Sur is the destination point for hundreds of turtles each year to lay their eggs creating an amazing spectacle. This area is also wonderful for practicing water sports due to the pure, transparent water. The Bay of Pigs is another popular spot for experiencing the excitement of snorkelling, diving and fishing on your Cuba holiday.

Sightseeing

Beaches are not the only thing to enjoy in Cuba, plan to spend time strolling through Old Havana and see all the colonial sights, or visit the equally historic Trinidad. Diego Veazquez founded Trinidad back in 1514 and is exquisitely preserved with its maze of cobblestone streets, vibrant colors and unique architecture.

How to pack for Cuba holidays

Cuba is a warm, tropical island, so pack accordingly. Choose light colored, loose fitting cotton clothing for outdoor activities, but keep in mind that air conditioned restaurant and tour buses may call for a light jacket. Cuba generally calls for casual clothing, although more formal attire can be worn if you are planning on attending the theatre or spending time in an elegant restaurant.

Click here for great deals and offers on Cuba holidays and Barbados holidays. (Image:  Topyti)

FIFA have found some people guilty of taking bribes with some warned about their future conduct. Some officials have not been charged because they resigned before the investigations were concluded.

Barbados had two officials being investigated and both have been totally exonerated from all changes; they didn’t take the bribes offered. They may have been offered $40,000 at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) delegates meeting last May, but they refused the offer.

Dave Hinds is the general secretary of the Barbados Football Association. Mark ‘Bob’ Forde is a long serving FIFA referee. Both were under serious pressure to prove their innocence, but in the end, they prevailed. They have both declared their innocence all the way through.

Good to see that some justice works well in the world. Mind you, it’s sad to see that some took bribes and some ran away before they could be found guilty. Barbados officials can carry on their work with their heads held high.

Looking for a fantastic holiday destination? Consider Jolly Beach in Antigua. Antigua is one of the Leeward Islands. It is a sailor’s paradise. Many yacht and other sailing vessels routinely make port there. Antigua is also a magnet for people who love water sports. Even if you just want a place where you can sit under a coconut tree and watch out over the glorious blue Caribbean Sea, Antigua is perfect. It has phenomenal weather, great entertainment and beautiful beaches. One of the best of those beaches is Jolly Beach, an amazing stretch of pure white sugary sand located on Antigua’s west coast.

First time visitors to Jolly Beach are usually stunned. The beach features over a mile of pure white powdery sand. You can just stand back and watch the beach go on forever. It looks so warm and welcoming with the turquoise Caribbean Sea on one side and a row of coconut palms on the other. You can feel the stress draining out of your body and being replaced with peace and tranquillity. You can lay in the shade and sip on fresh coconut water while you await the fresh exotic seafood dishes for which Antigua is known.

Jolly Beach is located at Jolly Harbour. Here fresh seafood is brought ashore every few hours to support the local restaurants that line Jolly Harbour. These restaurants feature the freshest seafood possible. The fish are still alive when they get to the restaurants. The chefs transform the seafood into delectable dishes that will make your taste buds do a jig. Jolly Beach also has a series of nightclubs, hotels and watersports as well as chair and umbrella rentals. It has all the entertainment someone on holiday could want. There is entertainment activities for children and adults.

There are a number of great hotels on Jolly Beach. They include a number of all inclusive resorts, large international chains and small boutique hotels. There are even some inexpensive bungalows. The prices are reasonable enough to suit any budget. So you can go all out and splurge on an all-inclusive resort or work within a moderate budget and still be able to stay on the beach in Antigua. No matter which hotel you choose you will only be a short walk from the beach. That is important because nights on Jolly Beach are truly special.

When the sun goes down on Jolly Beach millions of stars fill the blue velvet sky and create instant peace of mind. All seems well with the world when you stroll along Jolly Beach at night. The sound of the waves breaking on the shore, the cooling Trade Winds and the smell of tropical fruits and spices floats on the air. Tropical rhythms fill the night and flavourful exotic tropical drinks make the night special in Antigua. And then there are the spectacular sunrises as the skies slowly transform from navy blue to gold to brilliant white daylight. Take some time and visit Jolly Beach in Antigua.

Click here for great deals and offers at Sandals Grande Antigua and Antigua holidays . (Image: palestrina55)

When I talk to Brits in Barbados they often remark that they miss the football and we talk about the differences in weather. We discuss how they’ll sit in the frozen terraces of football grounds on cold and wet winter nights. On every occasion they tell me that their half time delight in the possibility of buying a hot cup of tea and a Pukka Pie. The Pukka Pies have become a tradition at football matches and in recent years have become easily available in the UK’s high street stores. Easy to hold in one hand with tea in the other, they’re hot, taste good and warm you up.

How pleased they’ll be to see the largest food store group, Supercentre, in Barbados, is now stocking a range of Pukka Pies in the freezers. They offer a selection of oven pies together with some of the 3½ minute microwave specials. No longer will the Brits miss their Pukka Pies, but maybe they’ll chase it down with a cold Banks’ beer.

Barbados is one of the few countries around the world stocking the famous pies. Pies are usually called patties in Bimshire (code for Barbados; sounds like a British county – ‘shire’). Available in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Malta, Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands; they’re obviously available where the Brits congregate, to talk about the football back home.

The pies in the UK are usually about £1.50 in a store and around £2.50 at a football match. In Barbados they’re $9, around £3. For those who like their Branston pickle, a small jar in England is around £1.40, but £3 ($9) in Barbados.

http://www.pukkapies .co.uk/ from Leicester, England.

We found this great Barbados trip report on Facebook and thought it was worth sharing – thanks, Allison!

by Allison Kelley Clark (reprinted with permission)

We returned from our trip to beautiful Barbados. What an adventure it was! It was the trip of a lifetime and I am so thankful that we were able to go. We liked it so much that we extended our stay and even then, we were not ready to come back home. From the moment we arrived, we felt so welcome and felt right at home. The people of Barbados are the island’s best resource, I can honestly say that they are the most friendly, helpful, respectful, fun loving, laid back, happy people I have ever met.

They are always happy to tell you about what is going on around the island and If you have a question, they will go out of their way to help you find the information you requested. Just about everyone you pass either waves at you, nods their head with a smile or says hello and asks you how you are enjoying your holiday. Bajans seem to take a great pleasure knowing that you are sincerely enjoying your vacation. We were told “Welcome” many times and were also told to please feel free to come back any time as we were very welcome to come back.

The Bajans are not only friendly towards visitors, they are also very respectful and helpful towards each other. For example, we took the bus around the island a few times and we noticed that if an elderly person gets on the bus, a pregnant lady or someone with a small child and if there are no empty seats, someone will immediately stand up and give that person their seat. You don’t always see that here in the US unfortunately. They smile at each other and wave and ask how the other person is doing and so on. We noticed how people driving will constantly honk their horns, so I asked someone why they did that and we were told that it is basically a friendly thing…to say hello, or to say thank you for letting me in or to let the other person know that they are there. If someone wants to get on the main road from a side street, it is no problem, they are let in. It is almost as if they are one big happy family there on the island. We could all learn a thing or two from these beautiful people and what a wonderful world it would truly be if we could all be more like them!

We were shocked to see that when we wanted to cross a street, both lanes of traffic would just stop to let you cross the street and this happened several times while we were there. It was funny to us because they drive on the left side of the road and their steering wheels are on the right side of the vehicles.

My son William was right at home as he is as friendly as the day is long and the Bajan people just fell in love with him. Here at home, he will wave at people and say hello to almost everyone but he doesn’t always get a response back, well there in Barbados, that was not a problem! They would smile so big and wave back at him and strike up a conversation with him. He was in heaven! He truly didn’t want to come back home and even asked us if we could just move there, lol!

We loved some of their sayings there. If you would ask them how they were, some of them would say, “I’m smooth as glass.” They also take their hands and lightly knock their knuckles together and say “RESPECT.” We loved that and William was doing that with the locals before we left and that gave them a big laugh!

One day we took a bus to go to Crane Beach. I was sitting by a beautiful lady and I told her how much I loved the perfume she was wearing and out of the blue, she pulls the perfume bottle out of her purse and insists that I take it home with me and then she opens up some sugar cake and she shared it with me. I was just so thankful and so amazed at the same time. I got her address and I will be sending her a special gift for sure for her generosity!

We also took a cab around a few times and enjoyed talking to some of the cab driver’s who were also very friendly and knowledgeable. Taking the bus was fun but let me tell you, they do tend to pack them as full as they can get them and that is not so great when you are claustrophobic as I am at times. That in addition to how humid it can get there, it was just not a good combination. So I suggest if you take a bus, don’t take it during peak hours as they can get quite full and it can take a very long time to get from one point of the island to the other during rush hour. When I say full, I mean bus wall to bus wall packed with people!

On Friday night, we went to Oistins Fish Fry and had a wonderful time. It is a must do during your stay on the island for sure. We enjoyed some wonderful rum punch, enjoyed some wonderful Caribbean music, looked at arts and crafts and we shared a plate of some of the best grilled Mahi Mahi, macaroni pie and coo coo (Bajan cornmeal mushed with okra). When we were there, we asked a local where the restrooms were at and instead of of just telling us where it was, he told us to follow him and he walked us right up to the door of the restrooms and it was a bit of a walk! Again, that is just something that you don’t see very often here at home.

Earlier that day, we had gone into Oistins just to explore and we went out on a pier and saw the turtles and that was quite an experience! The water was as clear as could be and you could actually look down and see the different fish swimming by. I thought to myself while out on that pier, these are the moments that I thank God that I am alive! It was just that beautiful and peaceful out there! The water was an amazing aqua color as you looked out, unlike anything I had ever seen before, except in pictures.

We stayed at a resort where every morning and late in the evening we were lucky enough to see Green Monkeys. They would come out briefly to play and eat fruit from the tree’s. We were told not to get too close to them though because after all, they were wild. We did happen to see one monkey chase one of the guests staying at the resort and it was a bit funny to witness because out of nowhere, the monkey walked up and for some reason picked him out of all of the people standing around and he decided to chase after him. Oh how I wish I had caught that on video, lol! We were told by the Activities Center lady that if the man had just stayed put that the monkey would not have chased him…however, I doubt that I would have just stood there myself, lol! The monkey didn’t chase him for very long though but it did scare the man enough to where he never came back to look at the monkeys again.

We saw the biggest sand crabs I have ever seen (one was so big, I freaked out when I saw it, lol) as well as some of the smallest hermit crabs. We also saw some of the largest colorful caterpillars and big snails as well. We also saw many green lizards all around.

While we were at our resort, we met a wonderful couple Wayne and Denise and their son Zachary, who is around William’s age. The are from Canada, close to Toronto and this was about their 10th time to Barbados. We had such a great time with them and feel that we have now made new life long friends! William and Zachary just got along so well, it was just so cute! We also met another couple who were from Rhode Island and they were on their 24th visit to Barbados. So that should tell you just how much people love this beautiful island!

One thing about Barbados that we didn’t expect was that the food was a bit pricey! Not only in restaurants but in the grocery stores as well, where the locals shop. One day my husband decided that we would go to a KFC that they have there. We wound up spending $22 US dollars on what would have cost us around $13.00 here at home. But hey, we were in Barbados so how could we really complain!?!? I am just putting this in my note here just so that others will know to expect it if you decide to go. For example, at the grocery store, a very small bottle of maple syrup was $6 US dollars and Lay’s potato chips were about $6 per bag as was most major brand of cereals and for peanut butter, it was about $4 for a small jar. Since we stayed at a resort, we bought some groceries and cooked some meals of our own. If you look around though, you will find some restaurants that are more reasonable, around $7 t0 $10 US dollars per person which isn’t bad at all. However, expect most restaurants in the main areas to be quite a bit more per person than that. My husband said, “At least the rum is cheap here and that is all that matters.” LOL!

As we returned home, we were in a VERY long line in Customs and noticed two men who were arguing because one man was allowing two people that he knew to cut in line in front of him and the other man did not like it one bit. The people around me and I agreed, who cares? It was just two people and was it really worth causing an argument over? WELCOME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! LOL! Again, I just wish we could learn a thing or two from the wonderful Bajan people!

All in all, it is good to be back home as there is no place like it! I will never forget my trip to Barbados though, it was like a dream come true! I am so thankful to God for the experience!

This ever popular series of events returns for Easter, 2011.

The new Heritage Village opening on Saturday April 23rd will feature exhibitions and demonstrations on Barbadian Craftsmanship.

The festival schedule includes;
Thursday, 21st April, 2011

7pm – Flood Lit Tattoo at Christ Church Foundation School.
Friday 22nd April, 2011

5pm – Friday Night Lime
Saturday, 23 April, 2011

11am – Swimming Races
2pm – Net Throwing Competition
2pm – Classic Car Parade
4pm – The Royal Barbados Police Band
4.30pm – Opening Ceremony of the Oistins Fish Festival 2011
5.30pm – Tray Race
6pm – Greasy Pole Competition
7pm – Eastland All Stars Steel Orchestra
7.10pm – Conch Shell Blowing Competition
8pm – Heritage Entertainment, Waki Wayne Show, Trevor Eastmond, Foundation Jazz Orchestra

Sunday, 24th April, 2011
7pm – Gospel Festival at Bay Garden

Monday, 25th April, 2011

6am – 10K Road Race from Queen’s Park to Oistins
1pm – Annual Boat Race at Oistins Jetty
2pm – Tug-of-War – Oistins & Silver Sands Fishermen
2pm – Fish Cook-Off Competition
3pm – The Barbados Landship in the Boatyard
3pm – John Boyce Road Tennis Final by Lexie’s Bar
4pm – The Dolphin Skinning Competition
5pm – National Fish Boning Competition at the Boat Yard
6pm – Greasy Pole Competition
6.30pm – The Wacki Wayne Show with Comedian Trevor Eastmond
7.30pm – Heritage Entertainment, Modeling Jennifer Walker Show