While there are many other wonderful and culturally rich Caribbean destinations that are very worthwhile visiting, the following points are presented and described to assist you in considering the merits of Cuba.

• Cuba is very near to eastern Canada and takes only 3.5 hours (a movie and a half) from Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

• The temperature is extremely warm and is typically 35 degrees warmer than Canada in the winter. For example it is not at all uncommon to leave Ottawa in January and February at -15 degrees Celsius and land in Varadero at +28 degrees Celsius all within a 3 hour flight.

• While difficult to quantify statistically, it is generally understood that Cuba is extremely safe vis a vis other Caribbean destinations such as Mexico, Jamaica and a number of South American states.

• No sales tax and low tipping (I believe the tourist tip rate is about 5% but that is personal).

• Canada and Canadians are very well known and appreciated largely due to our normally polite/respectful nature, being the largest tourist population by a long shot (almost 1,000,000 Canadian visitors /year), our long standing 50 year political support/accommodation or neutrality of Cuba’s unique political system.

• Cuba like a number of other Caribbean/South American states have developed a number of major tourist set-aside regions that are targeted and designed to allow tourist to in part, seclude themselves and their families from the rest of Cuba.

• Visiting Cuba can be very, very affordable especially if you’re on a low budget and not too fussy a tourist. However there are also a large number of excellent 4 and 5 star All Inclusive hotels as well.

• Many, many Cubans are very, very friendly, curious, open minded, happy and non-judgmental. In fact, in my experience travelling Mexico, I found Cubans to be quite a bit different from Mexicans. In my experience Mexicans are more like me, that is more reserved and/or shy.

• Cuba offers a very unique environment, history and culture including:

  • Thousands of very old, but still running 50’s vintage cars

  • A socialist state that is very interesting to experience, consider and contemplate (characterized by low wages, social/family housing, rationing coupons of some sort, universal health and education etc.)

  • Wonderful and large variety but often crumbling colonial, colonial, art deco and Russian architecture (but improvements are ongoing)

  • Unique transportation systems with shared taxies only costing $1 to get from Guanabo to Havana. A public bus costs 5 cents.

• Lastly and probably most importantly, now is the time to discover and experience the hidden parts of Cuba and Cubans before millions of Americans overwhelm Cuban cities, towns, culture, people, transportation, governance, media and its truly unique personality.