By V. Lori Hedges

I knew before we left for our trip, that Tyler and I had to reserve at least one day to visit a beach in Cuba. After all, you can’t go island and not go to the beach!

Months before I had watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown which highlighted Santa Maria Beach in one of his story segments. “That’s where we are going,” I told Tyler. So, toward the end of our trip, we called up our friend, Pedro, and asked him to take us to Santa Maria Beach for the afternoon.

We were not disappointed! Although it was a hot day, the water was perfect. And because it was in the middle of the week, it was not at all crowded. According to Pedro, most Cubans go to the beach during the late afternoons on the weekends.

I really think it is the most beautiful beach I’ve ever visited. You could see straight to the sandy bottom; the water is that clear. The day we were there, the water was very calm with minimal undertow – a perfect place to take young children for a dip in the ocean.

Large portable beach umbrellas and chairs are available for rent or you can just claim a spot under one of the fixed palm-leaf umbrellas dotting the shoreline. We chose to do the later and spread out a blanket on the sand underneath it.

At the beach entrance is a bar and restaurant where you can purchase everything from sandwiches and soft drinks to cocktails and beer. The bar’s restroom is also conveniently available for changing into your swimsuit.

We swam, lounged, and people watched (most of our fellow beach goers were European and Canadian tourists) for more than four hours. After the hustle and bustle of Havana, Santa Maria Beach was a soothing balm to the soul.

For sure, this beach tops my list of favorite oceanside places! If you make it to Havana, make sure you set aside some serious time to check out this jewel of a beach!

 

Last thought

As I sit and reflect on my 10 days in Havana, there are a few thoughts I’d like to leave with you before I go onto my next adventure. To begin with, I just want to say that the people of Havana are wonderful, friendly people. They welcome you with open arms.

 

 

Our host family, Yeny, Anibal, and Yanara feel like family, and we miss them like crazy. Our new and wonderful friends, Julio and Tomasa, opened their home and lives to us, and we so cherish them. Pedro is so much more than a taxi driver to us, and we loved our conversations together as he took us from place to place. There are so many others that we were just barely getting to know – Sylvia, Sisi, Leo, and Felix – we can’t wait to come back and get to know you all better.

 

 

I’ve never traveled to a place where I’ve gained so many friendships so quickly. I didn’t expect to feel so connected to this city, but it has become a part of me, and I am glad.

Havana is a major metropolitan city – yes, it’s literally crumbling in many places, but it’s also beautiful. There are signs of revitalization going on in just about every neighborhood as displaced Cubans are returning to invest in their country.

My only hope is that as Cuban nationals gain more and more access to modern amenities, they won’t forget that new is not always better. I hope they will never discard their neighborhood butchers, bakers, and produce stands that provide them with wonderful fresh foods and instead replace them with American-style supermarkets that specialized mainly in heavily processed foods with ridiculously long shelf lives.

I hope they will continue to repair and maintain the wonderful 1950s cars that are so famously Havana when new car dealerships begin springing up around the island. I also hope they will remain true to the historical aspect of architecture as renovations and new construction projects become more common around the city.

Havana, and the rest of Cuba, is going to experience growing pains as money and opportunities begin to flow into the country from the United States and elsewhere. This country that has struggled for more than 60 years is full of extremely resourceful and artistic people. They know how to “not just manage,” but to thrive with less, and they do it with an amazing zest-for-life attitude. I hope that as they experience gain, they won’t lose their strong character traits in the process.

Havana, even as large as it is, has a kind of “Mayberry” feel to it in that people still have a front-porch society. Everywhere you go, people are sitting in their doorways or on their balconies watching the activities around them. It is common to hear greetings shouted from the sidewalk, and neighbors spend time visiting each other daily. Families go to the neighborhood parks regularly to spend recreational time together and to meet with friends. They talk face to face. People there are connected, and not just on Facebook. I hope they never lose that.

Gracias, Havana. We will be back.

All photos and video are the property of V. Lori Hedges, and may not be used without permission.