Viva Cuba! - Family holiday

Today’s orientation tour gives you a feel for how Havana developed over the ages. The old city inside the original fortified walls - La Habana Vieja - houses the finest collection of antique colonial buildings in the Americas. The Plaza de Armas is dominated by the former residence of the Spanish governors, now the City Museum, a treasure trove which provides an excellent insight into their grand lifestyle, and a fine example of the diverse architecture in the city. A few blocks away, an 18th century baroque cathedral and a clutch of imposing mansions grace the cobbled Plaza de la Catedral. Nearby, Calle del Obispo - the main shopping street - and the Paseo del Prado also contain impressive buildings from the colonial era. During your free afternoon you may wish to travel across the channel leading into Havana’s port, to visit the Cabaña Hill. Of the two great forts designed to defend the city (after British forces captured it in 1762), Castillo San Carlos de la Cabaña is the largest in the Americas with splendid views over the city. Havana’s famous esplanade, the Malecón, extends seven kilometres along the seafront, lined with once elegant mansions. This is where young Havanans come to hang out in the evening - with a bottle of rum and some music; by day it’s a place to stroll and enjoy the sea air. (B)

The Viñales Valley boasts the oldest geological formations in Cuba, unique to the area. Spectacular mogotes - sheer-sided, conical towers of limestone, some over 300 metres high are all that is left of a great plateau after millions of years of erosion by wind and water. The resultant karst terrain is similar to southern China or Vietnam - especially when a layer of mist carpets the valley floor in the early morning. The stunning beauty this creates is unforgettable. It’s a fascinating scene - all the more so when oxen are working the fields and the heady scent of tobacco fills the air as the plants reach maturity between January and April. You’ll take a guided walk through this rich countryside to see something of rural life and hopefully stop at a farmer’s house. In the afternoon you’ll visit the Cueva del Indio, an impressive limestone cave, once inhabited by local Indians and filled with stalactites and stalagmites. A river runs through the second half of the cave and so you’ll board a boat to take you through and out into the daylight. At dusk thousands of bats stream out of the cave to go and feed. (BL)

This morning you will enjoy fantastic snorkelling and swimming at Caleta Buena. Natural swimming pools are home to countless species of coral and tropical fish. After drying off (and a buffet lunch), you head to Cienfuegos, a pleasant city with a European feel. This is largely due to the influence of French settlers who arrived in the early 19th century. The city was involved in the war between the USA and Spain in 1898, and has a central role in Cuban history. A sheltered deep-water harbour ensured its prosperity and as the fortunes of nearby Trinidad waned, wealthy merchants and plantation owners indulged in a building bonanza. A walking tour of Cienfuegos is included in the afternoon. Hotel Jagua (AAA) - 1 night - Swimming pool (BL)

Today you take a day trip to Cayo Blanco by boat. This outcrop of land in the middle of the sea has a beautiful white sandy beach. There is the opportunity to snorkel off the reef and watch the myriad of brightly coloured fish and corals; you may be able to spot some lobsters or a turtle. Those who prefer can simply swim off the beach in the warm Caribbean Sea. (BL)

You wake this morning in the university town of Santa Clara, the site of the last battle of the revolution. It was Che Guevara’s victorious attack on an armoured train here that convinced Batista to flee the country. You will visit the train, now a museum as well as Che’s mausoleum. The museum’s collection includes his famously iconic beret and leather jacket. From here you drive (approx. 3 ½ hrs) to the northern coast and your "all inclusive" beachside base of Varadero. The crystal clear waters and sparkling sand of this peninsula are justly famous. Barcelo Arenas Blancas (AAA) - 1 night - Swimming pool (BD)