It was raining slightly when we touched down at Santa Clara airport. The remainder of our week was hot and sunny!
Our bus was waiting to take us to Memories Paraiso Azul Beach Resort. Since our plane was late, our 2 hour bus ride to the resort was mostly in the dark. We were not able to see the Sea Road – 48 kilometers of road that took 10 years to build that connects Santa Maria with the mainland. It was completed in 1999. Building began immediately on the resorts, the first one completed in 2001. There are NO residents on the island. They must travel by bus (up to 2 hours each way) to their homes on the mainland after working their 12 hour shifts. The resort staff must complete 2 years of training before working at the resort - alternating 2 months in school, 2 months apprenticeship.
When we arrived at the resort, we were given a small cocktail (non-alcoholic), given our room keys and escorted to our rooms via golf cart. Our second floor room in building 38 was large and lovely with a king bed, couch, and balcony. TIP: get a room with a balcony, not terrace. Get a room away from the entertainment. Ours was near the market town and facing the bushes – very quiet.
The next day we went for orientation, collected our 3 'a la carte' vouchers then headed straight for the beach. And what a beach!! Wow! 2 miles of soft sand that felt like we were walking on icing sugar. The sand extended well into the sea, further than I cared to venture. The waves were lapping gently at the shore. A few days later the waves were coming in much harder, but still not so hard as to prevent us from playing and body surfing. It was much too rough for the small children.
There were 3 pools, but we only spent part of one afternoon at one pool. The beach was just too nice.....
There is a small market/town between our resort and the next one. During the day, local vendors set up their tables and selling their wares of jewelry, carvings, clothing and trinkets. During the evening the restaurants opened their doors. There was an open square in the middle with a covered gazebo where one could have a romantic and personal dinner cooked and served – just for you. We did not partake, but a couple we met had done it and said it was very nice.
There was a cigar store in the market town where a gentleman sat making cigars. He has been making cigars for 29 years. His whole family makes cigars. One has to apprentice at the factory for one year in order to be an official cigar maker. His wife is Quality Control at the cigar factory. He said it is a very tough job for her, because the standards for cigars are VERY strict. Hence, the best cigars in the world.
Irene watched him for a long and asked lots of questions about cigar making. He would first take two large leaves and lay them in a sharp V. Then he would take 3 other kinds of leaves – some for a strong flavor (the younger leaves), some for combustion, and some for flavor and filler. He would pick, feel and squeeze the different leaves in order to get just the right amount of tobacco leaf to roll into the large leaves. He would then put the rough cigar into a mould (holding about 10 cigars), then he would put the mould in a press for 45 minutes. After this time, the cigars would be about 25% smaller around and smooth. He would then take yet another kind of tobacco leaf, that was soft and almost rubber feeling. This was the finishing wrap. He then cut a large 'apostrophe' shape out of the rubbery tobacco and wound it around one end of the cigar to form the tip. He then cut the cigar to the exact length with a special cutter. He then took a stamp and cut a perfect circle out of the rubbery tobacco which was placed on the cut end of the cigar to seal it. A minuscule swipe of common glue held the two sealing end pieces together. The scraps that got cut off would be used to make cigarettes in the factory.
To get a better idea watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uR0mQeJ7LA
One could buy these cigars immediately after he rolled them. They were $3.40 for the shorter ones and $3.65 for the longer ones. He was making some really long ones that some people wanted to buy, but he said they were for himself – he was allowed 15 per day for his own use (or to sell on the black market).
We took an excursion on the Catamaran one day. We got bussed to the Las Brujas Marina, about 20 minutes away. There were about 50 of us on board. We went snorkeling over a sunken ship with just the ribs of the boat still visible. There was some nice fish to watch. Then we went to the Dolphin Marina where we got to pet a dolphin, after which the dolphin did a few tricks of jumping into the air so close to us that we all got wet, dancing backwards on his tail and 'singing', then giving us all kisses on the cheek while we got our picture taken with him.
We had lunch at the Dolphin Marina before heading to a virgin beach. The water was only up to our knees for about 200 meters, and probably further, but we didn't want to wade out anymore. There were lots of sea stars that we could pick out of the water. (As a scuba diver, I should know better.....) There was also an upside down jelly fish that a lot of people insisted on touching – good luck with that.....
Irene went diving to a couple of nice easy spots. They were deep enough (10-15 metres) to see some interesting fish yet shallow enough to have the good light. There was a slight current, which made for a very gentle drift dive. The dive master had over 1200 dives - very capable and professional. One girl was having problems and he really made sure she was OK. Everything on Santa Maria is government run. The dive equipment was all brand new, as well as the boats – VERY NICE!!
Our majority of time was spent on the beach during the day, and in the lounge drinking Cafe Alexander in the evening before dinner. The best a la carte was the Cuban cuisine (go figure...). The resort had really good live theatre entertainment every evening. We were amazed at the Michael Jackson show (the guy was really, really good), the Caribbean dance show, and the musical “Grease”. There was always a pre-show just outside the theatre that was also super good – from rock and roll to jazz to blues.
All in all, a great place to relax. The room, location, atmosphere, service, food, entertainment, beach, booze was all good!! We would definitely go back.
