ATE EMILE AEN: aoe anes ET

CUBA, AS we all know, is
famous for tobacco, sugar,
coffee and Fidel Castro.

What's now being discovered
its astonishingly beautiful
hes — 3,000 kilometres of
soft, white sand, clear, warm water,
| sprinkled with but’a handful of
tourists. The Caribbean's biggest
island has a handful of resort areas
including Varadero, a smal! town
ich ‘a scattering of hotels strung
along 14 kilometres of spectacular
beach.
leary-eyed arrivals from
ada, Europe and South America

can’t believe their luck when they *

first see the endless golden strand,
the stacks of lounge chairs and
tch umbrellas and palm trees for
.- There are no Americans, In
éek, nobody mentioned O.1,,
yotball or McDonald's.
Yet the Yankee dollar is every-
here; Other than tourist pesos,
ich are spevial bills worth the
same as U.S. dollars, Uncle Sam’s

t) wants. Hotels accept trav-
ers’ cheques in U.S. dollars and
credit. cards with the exception of
ican Express.

‘ourist accommodation is gen-
erally good with all the best places
in the Canadian Holidays brochure
(direct flights from Vancouver start
Dec.'23) including a trio of hotels
from the Spanish-run Melia group.
Tparticularly liked the Sol
Palmeros although the Melia ‘

fatadero’s a la carte restaurant
uid not be missed for a special
asion.”

cod, much of it imported, is

fot cheap; so Canadian Holidays’
lan is‘ recommended.

EASTERN AND

onieNia

TRAVELOGUE FILM ©
narrated live on stage
-o by Buddy Hatton
OATH VAN. CENTENNIAL THEATRE
es., Oct. 31,-5:45 & 8:15 pm

Roserved Seats $12.75
ue service charges, inciudes GST

: TicketMaster 280-4444

CT NB SW Ba Ae Readies gg “eget areespy es ys
Be Hite gto NTRS ata

Breakfasts are not well attended
due to the large number of honey-
mooners. The hotels generally have
ample nightlife, including piano
bars and cabarets and for More raz-
zie there are nearby discos with
tocket-fuel rum and Mexican-made
Coke at $5 a shot. Local bars
charge just $1 for a beer.

Club Varadero, run by the
SuperClubs group, has a good
package including accommodation,
meals, drinks, nightly entertain-
ment and water sports (sailing and
water-skiing). It has the best hotel
disco and a good pasta restaurant.

Alluring as the Varadero attrac-
tions were, Havana was not to be
missed, and we went to Havana
with the big tour company
Fantastico, which provided an
articulate guide (BA in English lit-

’ erature) and an air-conditioned

vehicle that sped along an empty
highway. Havana is a little down at

PENA E ANON RS Ea pe ENO

the heel, but it has put up with a lot
in more than 400 years including
brutal Spanish colonists, the Mob
and Castro’s communism since
1959.

On the other hand the people
are very well educated and the
average Cuban has fewer health
care worries than many Americans.
The old city, with its handsome
16th century squares, churches and
forts, is superb. We strolled narrow
Streets, found O'Reilly's pub
named for a Spanish governor, and
the only tourist crush was in anoth-
er bar where Hemingway had a few
with Errol Flynn.

We saw the famous Tropicana
show which was a legend before
anybody had heard of Las Vegas,
drove by the old Hilton Hotel,
renamed the Havana Libre, and saw
the gleaming new Melia Cohiba,
and next door being rebuilt was the
old Riviera, once owned by mob-
ster Meyer Lansky. .

Havana is worth a week to
itself. Small hotels with character
can be found for $40. In the port,
where galleons once gathered for
the annual treasure convoy to
Spain, a dock is being prepared for
cruise ships. One, gets the feeling
that it's only a matter of time ‘
before the Americans get here.

Current annual tourist arrivals
are about 600,000 and rising
sharply, and the word is that a |
dozen big new hotels are on the
drawing boards to accommodate
two million Americans a year. -

I'd fly down before the Golden
Arches go up.

This winter, vacation in the Algarve,

on Portugal's southern coast! .

CALL US TODAY!

'S] 173.

cer penn two sharing

608 Park Royal Mall Nowh oy

(Exterior location

tween Canada Trust & The Bay)

* price appmes to 11 night stays departing Vancouver Hav, $Dec. 10. 1995 end Occ, 31, LP9S Feb. 25, 1996. Longer durations cvailabie,

‘95 SIDEKICK JA

All season — all purpose

_ NORTH VANCOU

Fun Machine, 4x4

4695 Marine Drive at Tatlow

VER SUZUKI 983-2088.

1-869-681-2883

Sunday, October 29, 1995 ~ North Shore News ~ 37

SANIT EAA Rat ae

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
Hop aboard for fun & adventure on a Tall-Ship
in the Carnitbbean
7 days from $450 USD pp

Star Clippers
Built to authentic Clipper rp designs, majestic
yachts also have all modern amenities,
From $1095 USD pp

Windstar Cruises
Experience 440 feet of sleck lines ard crisp sails,
where elegant luxury is the norm.

7 days from $2595 USD pp

Belize by Sail
Sail aboard Ecosummer Expeditions’ 48' Excellence
and kayak Bellze’s extensive barrier rcef and atolls
7 days from $1095 CAD pp

Baja Big Game Fishing
This exciting package includes 7 nights in a Cabo
San Lucas condo and 4 days of Big Game Fishing

(Gear included) From $1449 CAD pp

Question About
Breast Cancer?

‘Call the Cancer

Information’ Line
879-2323or toll free:
1-800-663-4242

Bee

BRITISH COLUMBHA AND YUKON DIVISION

' TRAVEL WITH SOMEONE YOU TRUST

608 Park Royall al Mall North 268-5650
tween Canada Trust & The Bay)
Price applies to Nov. 5-Dec. 10, 1995 departures. Other dates will be higher. - : :

'. (Exterior location

PURCHASE AN AIRFARE _
TO AUCKLAND OR SYDNEY
AND CHOOSE A VACATION

FOR ONLY § j°

Either 10 Day Car Rental in New Zealand

or 5 Day Stopover Package in Sydney

Auckland package $1788.00 per person + $1.00
Sydney package $1908.00 per person + $1.00

Call your local Travel | Agent for details |

HAWATI FREE

“1 Silver Fern Holidays gives you 3 frve nights in

Honolulu plus a $250.00 discount off your 10
Day Cook islands Package.
' Magic Prices as low as $1,799.00
Contact your Travel Agent for details.