By Adriana Noton

The pleasure of last minute vacations in Caribbean Islands can only be truly appreciated by those who’re busy shoveling snow off their driveway in the freezing cold back home. It may be a pipe-dream for some to think about the warm beaches and brilliant weather in Cuba or the Bahamas or Jamaica. But as far as Canadians are concerned, it’s not so hard to make it a reality.

In fact, Canucks are the only ones truly able to enjoy and appreciate the fun and beauty of a Cuba holiday on a whim. Vacationers from South & Central American countries couldn’t care less about the warm weather. U. S. Citizens can only dream about it since they can’t legally take vacations in Cuba.

That leaves Europeans and Canadians as the two major groups who are landing in Havana by the planeload. The best part for Canadians is that it happens to be in their own backyard. So they don’t really have to plan way in advance for last minute vacations in Caribbean Islands like a European traveler would need to.

It is estimated that over a million Canadians visit Cuba every year. It’s fair to say that not many of them come here to admire Fidel’s socialist system or support him. What they do enjoy here are the quaint sights and nightlife pleasures of Havana. Then there are beach resorts like Varadero with its magnificent white sand beaches and warm turquoise waters.

Not to mention the moros y cristianos (rice & beans), Cuba Libre and Mojitos. The healthy quantity of rum in every drink is, in fact, one of the main reasons that Cuba starts looking so good to visitors after a day or so. Visitors who really want to get to know Cuba and its people should spend time in the local bars, drinking locally produced rum straight from a bottle and listening to the locals chit-chat.

Compare all this against Arctic temperatures and the drudgery of a civilized existence in Canada, and it’s not much of a surprise that so many Canucks just decide to take off and head for a Cuban vacation. Not that Cuba is the only choice – there are hundreds of tropical islands with the same white sands beaches, villas and resort hotels. Jamaica’s Montego Bay is among the more popular choices, and so are the Bahamas, Bermuda, U. S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

But perhaps one of the attractions of Cuba, other than those described above, is that it is off-limits for U. S. Citizens. For one, it’s hard to find a tourist destination free of the famous ‘American tourist.’ More importantly, the American travel ban makes Cuba seem like forbidden fruit with a hint of danger, which is always more attractive.

The reality, however, is that Cuba (or any of the other Caribbean Islands for that matter) are very tourist friendly and take better care of visitors than their own people. It takes only about three and a half hours to get from Toronto to Havana, the weather is brilliant, the water is warm and the beaches inviting. The hotels are luxurious and affordable, and the food and drink is intoxicating, to say the least. What’s not to like?

About the Author: Enjoy your travels with All Inclusive Vacation Packages. Trip Central offers Last Minute Vacations for a variety of Cuba vacations, vacations in Mexico and other vacation packages to other destinations.

Source: isnare.com

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