Tag: "Travel Tips"

6 Phrases to remember for a day in Havana

Having been lucky enough to spend a few days in the fascinating Havana, here are the sentences I would recommend to any traveller. With them, you will be sorted from morning until late.

Cuban friend

“Thanks for the tips, mate”

9am: Jamon y queso por favor! (“Ham & Cheese please!”)

To me, these are the best ingredients to add to your scrambled eggs to kick start the day. Most of the hotels actually offer great breakfasts to their guests and with this typical grill, you will easily have enough energy to wonder around Havana until lunchtime.

11am: No fumo, gracias (“I don’t smoke, thanks”)

Even after that, the (never aggressive) person who’s trying to sell you Cohibas, Romeo y Juliettas or any other famous Cuban cigars might insist for you to buy some as a gift, but this will help you smoothly getting rid of at least half of them! Unless you really know about cigars (and fake ones) the safest purchase is at a official retail store (hotel, airport…).

1pm: Donde esta el Malecon? (Where’s the Malecon?)

Don’t miss a stop to see the typical image of Havana with its interesting buildings and monuments, all along the sea, an essential part of your Cuba city break. Get some street food (bocadillos – sandwiches – or pizzas) in the nearby vibrant streets for a quick lunch under the sun and relax later on the terrace of the massive Nacional Hotel, for an after lunch coffee, or cocktail of course.

5pm: Donde esta la terraza? (“Where’s the terrace?”)

To a hotel receptionist.  To get the best views in Havana, roof terraces are the best spots by far. A few hotels in Old Havana offer a bar on top of them (such as Parque Central and Saratoga) from where you can admire the Capital, the Cathedral and all the wonders of the Cuban unique architecture, plus the sea, all of this while enjoying a drink and/or a meal!

8pm.  La Guarida por favor (“La Guarida please”)

To a taxi driver, to be taken to one of the top paladares (family – no state – owned restaurant) in Havana. Dishes are fine, wine is good, and the pictures of celebrities decorating the patio walls let you know the place has to be taken seriously! Dining isn’t that cheap here, but still affordable (at least for tourists). A great dining experience, which is rare in Cuba, in a great atmosphere: not to be missed!

11pm. La misma! (“The same!”)

Head to the Floridita bar, one of  Ernest Hemingway’s favourites , and indulge yourself with a few (or more) expert made cocktails, from the classic Daiquiri, frappé or not, toThe old man and the sea writer ‘s own creation, the well-named Papa Hemingway. Cigars are also available to complete the experience!

Do you recommend any phrases?

How to travel with children on family holidays & stay sane!

Family holidays can be a lot of fun, but would you like to know how to combat the cries of  “are we nearly there yet?” echoing from the back seat of the car on the way to the airport, on the plane and then during the transfer to your resort?

Never fear – read on for my top travel tips for keeping the kids entertained and your sanity intact on you luxury family holidays with some tried and tested games that will make even long haul travel seem like a breeze.

PICTURE PERFECT

Ideal entertainment for flights; create crazy monsters, weird animals or bizarre people by folding a sheet of paper into three. One person draws a face of their choice in the top section and folds down the paper so the next person can’t see it. The second person draws a body, folds down the paper, and passes it to the third person, who draws the legs. Unfold the paper and hilarity will ensue!

THUMB WARS

If you need something a little more active, declare a thumb war. Two people sitting next to each other hook the fingers of their right hands together so both of their thumbs are pointing upwards. Try and pin down your opponent’s thumb using your right thumb – you’ve won if you manage to count to 10 while holding down their thumb. Not as easy as it sounds!

CHINESE WHISPERS – WITH A TWIST

A good game for families seated in a row on a plane, the first person, on one end, thinks of a word. The person next to them closes his or her eyes and holds out an arm, and Player 1 ‘writes’ the word on Player 2’s arm using their finger. Like Chinese Whispers, pass the word down the row and even across the aisle until it reaches the last person in your family (or indeed, anyone else who wants to join in!). The last person says what they think the word is, and Player 1 says the original word – more often than not, it’s something completely different! Switch seats and start again.

WORD UP

Give everyone a pencil and a sheet of paper, pick a letter and start a minute’s time on the clock. Everyone writes as many words as they can which start with that letter. At the end of the minute, whoever has the most (real) words wins. To make it more fun, write a sentence using all of the words you’ve written down.

THE CLASSIC

I spy. Hours of fun on any family holiday.

What’s your favourite travel game and way of keeping the children entertained?