vinales, cuba // dame family trip 2017

We went to a hotel in Havana to try to catch a tourist bus to Vianles but ended up in a classic taxi. I thought the bus would be safer since we left our carseat in the apartment but the car ended up being awesome. (I understand carseats are always the safest option, no matter what kind of transportation we use) It was nice to have our personal space and the backseat was large and comfortable. Florence loved having room to play and move around and it was convenient for diaper changes. It was around a two in half hour drive from Havana so a lot of our day ended up being driving to and from Vinales. This didn't leave us a lot of time to soak it up but we were glad we went. Our first stop was an underground river through a cave. It was beautiful but really short. Honestly only like a 10 minute boat ride. We had done something very similar in the Philippines so we could've passed on doing this. After we had the most amazing lunch that was expensive but delicious. I wish I had gotten a better photo of our grub. They brought out plates of fresh veggies and different rice dishes with plantains. I ordered a lobster and crab mix dish that had a lot of flavor. This was my favorite meal of the trip. The live music was fun and Flo danced to it while we enjoyed the perfect weather. Our driver dined with us (and conveniently brought us to this restaurant.....) which would have been awkward but Tanner speaks Spanish so at least they could communicate. It was only cordial to pay for his meal as well but it was kind of a weird, unspoken situation. After lunch, our driver then took us to a beautiful lookout of the national park that was located next to a retro looking hotel. We walked over to the hotel to get a different view and instantly fell in love with it. It looked and felt like we seriously took a time machine back to the 60's. Next time we go to Cuba... haha wishful thinking... but we would stay there. It was amazing. Vinales is known for it national park and tobacco fields. It was a beautiful place and I would highly recommend spending a night or two there.