Sending you a little piece of sunshine!
Hello lovelies!
I can’t believe that it has already been a few months since I left for the sunny beaches of Holguin, Cuba. If you read my last Cuba post, you’ll know that I spent a week at the Sol Rio Luna y Mares resort. It was my first time in Cuba, and I had such a lovely time! I’ve started full time at my internship which means the typical 9-5, so while I’m getting everything sorted out, let me dust off this post which has sat in my drafts for a little while! 🙂
I absolutely love travel books, and the Lonely Planet Shoestring series are some of the best travel resources you can find! I loved flipping through Lonely Planet’s updated Central America On A Shoestring*. It includes maps, and recommendations, hidden discoveries, and advice on how to optimise your budget for the trip. Although we spent most of our time on the resort, it will definitely come in handy because I’d love to come back and explore some more!
Happiness is warm beaches, sunny skies, and a drink in hand!
Wellness Centre
If you know me, you’ll know that I absolutely loooooove spa treatments. I just love spending my days lazing around in warm wrm water and the sun. Sol Rio Luna y Mares also has a wellness centre, which was unfortunately under construction during our stay… no sauna for us! The wellness centre houses the resort’s beauty services, spa treatments, medical services, and fitness area.
It smelled really nice and there was soft music playing, which was very relaxing. There is a little jacuzzi and a small pool out front which was lovely. The centre wasn’t crowded at all so it was a nice and quiet little getaway area.
After, we took a stroll down to the beach. Matt was getting a massage.
So let’s just say… I was not made for life at sea.
Or exercise, for that matter. On one of the days, we decided to go on an excursion package offered by the resort. Ours included swimming with dolphins (which I had mixed feelings about,) snorkeling, and then wrapped up with a seafood lunch at a private lookout.
After our session with the dolphins, we hopped on a catamaran and were taken a short distance out from the resort. Now, I know how to swim and was quite excited to see all the fish and underwater life! However my goggles had a crack in them and my breathing pipe kept leaking saltwater.
After about 3 minutes I felt choked up and exhausted and floated back to the boat where I promptly threw up and then napped on the catamaran net.
To top it off, I fell asleep on my stomach and the net left an imprint along the entire front of my body!
Here’s what I learned.
- Don’t sleep on the catamaran net or you’ll end up looking like a grilled fish.
- Scuba diving is cool and all but I’ll stick to watching underwater Youtube videos.
- I’m a lot less fit than I thought I was.
The seafood lunch was fantastic, although Matt was feeling seasick so I ended up eating both of our portions 😀
Bought myself a pair of sandals from an on-site vendor! They have the word “Cuba” stamped into the sole.
La Pinta
Sol Rio Luna y Mares is an all inclusive resort. Most of the time, we ate at the buffet near our rooms in the Mares section of the resort. However, you are able to book a meal at one of the resort’s many restaurants during your stay for no additional cost. We decided to check out La Pinta – a mediterranean restaurant located right on the beach. I loooove mediterranean food (especially sea food!)
We ate at 7:30PM. It was a shame that the sun had already set because it would have been quite nice to watch the sunset during dinner!
We booked a dinner at the resort’s Mediterranean restaurant, La Pinta. During our stay at the resort, we had a few opportunities to eat at the specialty restaurants (which were inclusive in the overall price.) It was a lovely little small building right by the sea. The weather was warm that night…
The main dish – mixed dish of seafood – chef’s style. There was a mix of fish, lobster, rice, and vegetables. So goooood. I was highly debating the lobster dish but I wanted to try the variety platter. 😛
On certain nights, the resort held events in the reception area, like White Night! Everything was decorated with white material and guests were encouraged to wear all white. There were even white desserts!
It was a really fun time, with alcohol and desserts in a constant flow. 😛
That wraps up my Cuba posts (a bit late, but better than never!) You can read the rest here.
Have you ever been to Cuba, or visited a resort? 🙂
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This looks like such a lovely hidden gem! Love your photos 🙂
Thank you!
One of my fave things about Cuba is the gorgeous colors and the vintage cars! 🙂 Food looks pretty good too!
Wow looks so pretty. I would love to go to Cuba one day . That resort is stunning!
It’s a beautiful country!
I’ve never been to Cuba on vacation but I actually lived there (on the military base) as a toddler! (One of my many Marine brat adventures). I can’t decide what looks better, though. The food, the spa or the gorgeous views!
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That sounds exciting! I wish I got to see more of Cuba outside the resort but it was beautiful none the less 🙂
I wish I could say I’ve been to Cuba. Hopefully in the future though! Lovely pictures.
Love always,
Zineb
Hopefully you’ll be able to visit some day soon! 🙂
Very good photos, this looks like a really cool resort… Cuba is definitely on my bucket list!
Thank you! 🙂
Wow, this place looks lovely from morning to night! Great photo captures and close ups! I love the white attire and white desserts =) So fun! Definitely a place I would like to visit!
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Thank you! 😀
These are beautiful pics! It looks like you had a wonderful time. I haven’t been to Cuba yet, but maybe one day. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I definitely recommend it, it’s beautiful down there 😀
Omg this place looks heavenly!
It was a little escape to paradise, that’s for sure! 🙂
Looks like the perfect place to get away from it all!
It truly was! <3