Cuba, Grand Aston Cayo Paredon

Grand Aston Cayo Paredon, Cayo Coco, Cuba - Mar 06 - 14, 2024


After five years we were finally able to return to Cayo Coco area, one of our favorite Cuban destinations. This time we chose a new resort, GrandAston located in Cayo Paredon Grande.

The resort itself is only few years old and we could see the difference in rooms and buildings in general.





The food and drinks were typical for Cuba, we had no issues to eat good, fresh dishes especially seafood and fresh fruits.



The best part of this vacation was the beach, one of the best we ever been to. We also had great weather with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees with warm water, perfect for swimming and snorkeling



















A nice surprise was visiting the Faro Paredon Grande located less than half an hour walk from our resort, and old but still functional lighthouse




Actually the Lighthouse was linked to another highlight of this vacation, after five years of keeping in touch through social media, we were reunited with our good Cuban friend Thalia. During these years she got married so we also met her husband Dauris. We spent few hours having a great time together




Like at all Cuban resorts, there were activities during the day at the beach and the pools but like before, we particularly enjoyed the evening shows held by professional dancers, musicians and acrobats




Helped by the great weather and amazing beach, this was a very good vacation and in the future we will consider returning here.







Location: Cuba

Popular posts from this blog

Lisbon, Portugal

Image
Lisbon, Portugal - Oct 12 - Oct 21, 2022 After a seven hour overnight transatlantic flight, we landed at 8:00 am in Lisbon. It was interesting that we were taken by bus from the airplane to the terminal and actually same happened when we departed at the end of our trip. In less than half an hour we were done with border formalities and already in front of the airport ready to begin our Lisbon adventure. Public transportation in Lisbon is very reliable and affordable. You will need to buy a " Viva Viagem " card from designated serviced kiosks or from automated machines usually found at subway and train terminals. It costs 0.50 Euro and is valid one year. We each picked one at the airport subway entrance, right in front o f Arrivals Exit where there are lots of machines. On this card you will load fares from the same machines or serviced kiosks, good for all Carris network like buses, street cars, ferries and trains. The machines accept major credit cards and some even...
Read more

Taiwan

Image
  Taiwan, Taipei Sep 26 - Oct 03, 2023 Public Transportation in Taipei Getting from Taouyan International Airport to Taipei downtown To travel from the airport to downtown Taipei by public transportation you can take the train, bus, taxi or metro. We found that the fastest way was by MRT metro. From Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 there is an Express Train and a Commuter Train that go all the way to Taipei Main Station. The ticket price is NT150 (New Taiwan Dollar) regardless which one you choose. The only difference is that the Express Train ride is 39 minutes and has only 4 stops while the Commuter ride is 53 minutes and stops at all 12 stations. The route map in the station will show that the metro ride is from A13 or A12 (Terminal 1 or 2) to A1 Taipei Main Station. Tickets can be purchased in cash at ticket machines or by Easycard or IPass. For this route, Airport to Taipei Main Station, is possible to tap on tap off with a credit card which we preferred, upon our arrival. The a...
Read more

Japan

Image
Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Nara, Inari - Aug 08 - 22, 2023 Getting from Narita International Airport to Tokyo Station There are many ways to travel to downtown Tokyo, by public transportation, train or bus. Keisei Skyliner Express train is the fastest, the trip is about 40 min and costs Y2,570 one way. The trip ends at Ueno Station. Second fastest is Narita Express train, about 50 min trip to downtown stations like Tokyo, Shibuya or Shinagawa and the cost is Y3,070. We looked for the cheapest option so we travelled by the airport bus TYO-NRT, it took 62 min but only cost us Y1,300 per person to Tokyo Station. The bus leaves from the bus platforms in front of Narita Airport and the final stop is at Tokyo Station Nihonbashi Gate. To get from Tokyo to Narita we took the bus from Tokyo Station Yaesu South Gate , platform 7,8 or 9. The buses run every 10 min and tickets for these buses at Narita can only be purchased at ticket counters which are usually located insi...
Read more

Sydney, Australia

Image
Sydney, Australia - Nov 28 - Dec 09, 2022 Getting from Sydney Airport to downtown Getting downtown from the Airport is easy. Other than by car, taxi ride or shuttle you can use public transportation like bus or the AirportLink train. Getting on and off from the Airport station though will increase the cost of the trip (by bus or train) as the ticket price comprises of a Gate Pass of Australian Dollars (AUD) 16 per person (also called station access fee) and the rail component which is only AUD 2.65 (off peak). To avoid the station access AUD 16 fee, we walked to the closest train station in Wolli Creek , which is about 1.9 km away. The airport has a footbridge and cycleway at Terminal 1 that takes you out of the airport area and from there is a short pleasant walk to Wolli Creek station. As soon as the blue footpath ended, we crossed the bridge, took a right through Cahill Park, followed Brodie Spark Dr. and after taking a left on Discovery Point Pl we arrived at the train sta...
Read more

Scotland, UK

Image
Glasgow, Edinburgh, The Highlands - Aug 16 - Aug 25, 2022 We always wanted to see Scotland so once here we tried to visit as much as possible during our nine days trip. Our plan was to spend two days in Glasgow, one day in Edinburgh followed by a three Day Isle of Skye and Highlands tour which started from Edinburg and then spend two more days in Edinburg. Getting to Glasgow from Edinburg The easiest and cheapest way to get to Glasgow from Edinburg Airport is by using Citylink AIRGlasgow Service 900 bus . The bus leaves from Stop D just outside the airport, every 30 minutes, 24/7 and the average journey time is about 1 hour. We paid on the bus by credit card but you can also pay by cash if you have the exact amount. The cost of one-way ticket was only 14.80 pounds. We got off to Buchanan Bus Station which is centrally located. Two Days in Glasgow After checking in to our hotel, the first attraction on our list was George Square . It is considered the main public square in Glasgow...
Read more

Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium

Image
Eurotrip - Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium - Feb 22 - Mar 14, 2023 We flew from Vancouver to Amsterdam with two stops, in Kelowna and Calgary. From Amsterdam Schiphol Airport we took the train to our friends in Vught. After one-day jet lag recovery we were ready to start our first ever Spanish adventure. 4 Days in Madrid: Perfect itinerary to discover the city Getting from the airport to downtown. We arrived in Madrid by flying with Ryan Air from Eindhoven. To get to our hotel we took the Metro train. To use any type of transportation in Madrid you need to buy first a Multi Public Transport Card which cost 2.5 Euro and load it with your preferred tickets. If two persons are travelling, both tickets can be loaded on the same Transport Card. We took line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios station and then transferred to line 10 which took us to Plaza de Espana and from there we only had to walk 600 meters to our hotel. The cost of a ticket is 5 Euro which includes the 3 Euro airport charge. W...
Read more

Melbourne, Australia

Image
Melbourne, Australia - Nov 27 - Dec 08, 2023 Public Transportation in Melbourne Melbourne city can be visited easily by foot or by public transportation. The city’s public transportation system is very extensive, metro trains, buses and the world’s largest tram network will take you everywhere in the city and to outside regional destinations. The easiest way to travel in Melbourne is by buying a Myki card which costs AUD 6 and then top it up with more money as needed. You just have to tap on and off on each bus or train. The fares you pay depend on the zones you are travelling and are capped across the network. For the metropolitan zones 1 and 2 you will pay AUD 5 whether you travel just for one stop or for 2 hours. There are also capped daily fares so you can travel as much as you want for a maximum of AUD 10. Downtown Melbourne offers free service on its City Circle Tram or on any tram in the so-called Free Tram Zone. Melbourne also has a 24 hour night public transport network. All i...
Read more

Alaska 2023

Image
Alaska - Cunard Queen Elizabeth - June 20 - 30, 2023 Alaska Inside Passage cruise A cruise trip to Alaska was always on our wish list and because we wanted to celebrate Angela's birthday in a special way, this year we finally did it. Booking a cruise and choosing a cruise ship was not an easy task as this was our first time and we knew nothing about it. But after some research about cruises, types of cabins, itineraries, prices and length of the trip we finally settled on booking our cruise on Cunard Queen Elizabeth ship. Embarkation Embarkation for the trip was in Vancouver at Canada Place . We parked our car at Vancouver airport long term parking and then took the Sky train, Canada Line from Templeton station to Waterfront station which was the last stop. To pay for the fare was easy, just tap on and tap off with the credit card. The fare was $4.45 plus the AddFare of $5 when your trip starts at YVR Airport, Sea Island Centre or Templeton station. From there we had to walk...
Read more

Bangkok, Thailand

Image
  Bangkok, Thailand - Apr 25 - May 07, 2024 After we landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport exchanged some money and based on the research online we decided to do it at SuperRich Exchange kiosk located on the underground floor (B Floor) that seemed to offer good exchange rates. We also activated our E-Sim. We purchased online a 10-Day E-Sim from Airalo prior to our departure. It had coverage over all Thailand, 50 GB of data and cost us only 9.90 US dollars, and worked really well throughout our trip. How to get from Bangkok Airport to Downtown Travelling from Suvarnabhumi Airport to downtown Bangkok was very easy and cheap. It can be done by public transit, either by bus, shuttle bus or by Airport Rail Link. As our hotel was centrally located, in Chinatown, we took the Aiport Rail Link (ARL Brown line) to Makkasan station and then we walked to Pretchabury station where we got onto Blue Line to Wat Mangkon station, 250 meters from our hotel. But from the Brown Line you can connect easily...
Read more

Spain, Valencia & Barcelona

Image
   Spain, Valencia & Barcelona - June 09 - 20, 2024 Our initial flight with Air Canada through Montreal was cancelled and they rebooked us with Air France through Paris. The flight from Paris to Barcelona was also delayed but we managed to change our Alsa bus tickets for a later time. After we landed at Barcelona Airport we embarked on Alsa bus for our trip to Valencia. The bus trip was four hours and we arrived in Barcelona around 9 pm. We were waited at the bus station by our friends, Tatiana and Jose, who picked us up, took us to a grocery store and then dropped us to our hotel. The next morning, we started our journey to discover Valencia. Must see attractions in Valencia Gateway to the Sea Valencia (Puerta del Mar) The gate was build in 1946 as a replica to the original one, built on the same site, an area that has seen centuries of history and conflict. To get here from our hotel we walked along Turia Gardens , a green space stretching over 9 kilometers, used f...
Read more