Two paladares stand out in Trinidad:

Sol y Son - very nice comida criolla, in the courtyard of a Trinidad Colonial residence.

Estela - The best paladare in Trinidad, and the only place we ate at twice in Cuba. Brilliant home cooked style comida criolla, with huge portions in a beautiful setting.

Sol y Son - Bolivar 283 e. Pais y Marti
Estela - Bolivar 557 e. Marquez y Mendoza

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Everyone who's ever been to Cuba will tell you that their Casa was the best. Julio and Rosa run a wonderful, friendly Casa in one of the best-preserved colonial residences in Trinidad. Although it is one of the more expensive in Trinidad, it's worth every centavo.

For those who are so minded, Julio runs photography workshops for guests, and he can also advise on the best places to eat and visit, although the evening Rosa cooked for us beat even the most highly recommended paladare in Trinidad.

Take a bottle of Scotch and some English chocolate with you and you've got a friend for life as well!

Jose Marti (Jesus Maria) 401 e. Claro y Escobar, Trinidad
email: trinidadjulio@yahoo.com
casa.trinidadphoto.com/

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We took a sailing boat out from Ancon Marina, just outside Trinidad, skippered by two of the most friendly locals we met during our stay in Cuba. Noberto and Benito have been operating dive and snorkel charters from Ancon Marina for over ten years, so you are in safe hands with them. The boats are very new and well looked after with room enough for 12 people on each.

A two hour trip takes you out to Cayo Blanco, a tiny island covered in scrub and coral which you will have more or less to yourself – though you will have to share it with the iguanas! The island is uninhabited, though there is an outdoor restaurant. You will get a slap-up lobster, chicken and salad buffet (all food and drink is included in cost of the trip) – generous tips are a must as they don’t get paid much by the government!

After letting your dinner go down with a 30 minute walk around the island, grab your snorkelling gear and swim out to the reef. With a shallow bottom, you can really appreciate the numerous tropical fish species, black coral, sponges, turtles and shellfish. I was followed around by a large barracuda, but managed to shake him off by swimming in close to the beach. There is also a wreck that attracts lots of fish. Noberto will point you in the direction of the best places to snorkel.

We loved this trip so much we booked it again the next day, and having made friends with the skippers, they let us helm the boat and showed us how to put up the sails. A fantastic end to our trip in Cuba – we didn’t want to go home!

Book this trip directly with the tourist information office in Trinidad. Ancon Marina is 12km from Trinidad (15/20 mins by taxi/car). Ancon Marina also offers mooring services, deep-sea fishing, and access to some 30 diving and snorkelling sites.

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Trinidad is a well preserved colonial town, with much to do around. We went on a local tour (can't remember contact - sorry!) on horseback into the forest; to a waterfall. We then swam in the waterfall's plunge pool, which was amazing.

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A very long stretch of pure white sand and sparkling, azure sea make this beach a great place to relax while in Trinidad. Being fairly flat, the tide hardly goes in and out, so there is never a walk of more than a few paces from your towel to the sea. The sea is very calm – few or no waves, and very safe for kids as you have to wade out quite a way to get out of your depth – there are also lifeguards on the beach. You can rent paddle boats and canoes from Hotel Ancon.

There are only three or four hotels sharing the beach – and these are very spaced out, so you can find a spot to yourself quite easily. If you walk down to the bottom end of the beach there are very few people around – this is the where the locals come for their days out.
Note – there are no general facilities at this beach and all the hotels are inclusive, though it is easy to get talking to the beach guards, who will let you use their loungers for the day and fetch you drinks from the bar for a small fee (negotiate down from their first offer!). One of the hotels will let you eat from their lunch buffet, depending on which guard you ask. One of the hotels also has a shop, though it sells little more than ice-cream, crisps, biscuits and drinks.

Get a taxi from the centre of town, or wait for the beach bus which goes backwards and forwards several times a day (though not to a specific timetable!). There are always plenty of taxis waiting at the beach to take you back to town at the end of the day.

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Electrical outages are extremely common in Trinidad, as throughout Cuba, and if you are staying in a casa particular (as opposed to hotels with emergency generators) you might find it hard to see your way home. Or anything at all.

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Just 50 metres from Plaza Mayor, this casa particular has a nice room with ensuite bathroom, aircon and 24hr hot water. Outside is a small patio where you can hear music from Casa de Musica. Lovely family and great Cuban food. Owner happy to help with tours.

Calle Simon Boliviar 504, Trinidad
tel: (01419) 2343

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Head to the Casa Musica to dance with the locals on the square in front of the church and drink mojito's till you drop. After this, head to the caves, where you will find the most unlikely nightclub in the world, and you can bop to merengue between the stalagtites in an enormous underground cavern.

Alternatively if you are fluent in Spanish and not afraid to stick out a mile - mix it up with the youth of the town in Chocolat y Fresca - another unlikely venue that bears witness to some truly astonishing dancing on a Friday night.

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Try pizza for Cubans, sold from house windows. If you look around you can get this cheap and tasty local pizza for as little as 5 peso cubanos. Greate taste. Enjoy your meal!

Try Piro Guinart, the green house on the corner, a few metres from the bus terminal.

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Renting a scooter gives you total freedom, and is not that expensive at 24CUC per day. It gives you the possibility to visit remote places, like old manors in Valles de Los Ingenios, and to ride around Topes de Collantes, where the 62m high waterfall must be seen! Or simply ride to one of the remote beaches along the Ancon Peninsula. Don’t forget to take some colour pencils or crayons for kids you meet along the way.

Scooter rental, Ruina del Teatro Brunet, Calle Antonio Maceo, Trinidad

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Rogelio and his wife are the warm and friendly hosts of this beautiful, colonial casa particular (B&B). Right in the centre of Trinidad old town, this 18th century house is filled with antiques and original features. Huge iron beds, original wooden floors and tall windows make it a truly romantic place to stay. From the roof terrace you can enjoy beautiful views over the rooftops and up to the mountains while watching the sun setting at an amazing speed over the horizon. Just 20 minutes by car or taxi to a palm-fringed, white sand beach, on one side of town and the jungle-covered mountains on the other, this casa is perfectly placed for exploring the best Trinidad has to offer. Book in advance as this place is very popular!

Simon Bolivar #312, Trinidad;
www.cuba-junky.com/sancti-spiritus/casa-rogelio.htm

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When horseriding in Trinidad, you'll be taken up and down hills affording a great view of the coast, then across the plains and finally up a stream that leads to a waterfall in the glades where you can have lunch. No experience is necessary, the horses are docile, easy to 'steer', and you're allowed to go at full gallop whenever you feel like it. Plus it's an easy way to see some rural villages. Lastly, Trinidad itself is beautiful - the ideal antidote to the stress of Havana.

Walk to highest point in Trinidad for a bit of horse riding.
Trinidad is about 3 hours south-east of Havana.

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Cayo Macho is a nature reserve off the coast of Cuba not far from Trinidad. It has only one old guy living there to look after the endanged lizards, which are quite tame and will happily run over your feet. It takes around 45 minutes to walk around the island, but watch out for the stretches of path covered with baby crabs.

Catch a ferry from from Trinidad.

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To visit the valley just outside Trinidad you can take a taxi-tour for 20 cuc or the train (which doesn't run everyday). It's beautiful.
In Trinidad stay at Ruth's, she is very friendly gives you huge portions if you have dinner there.

Ruth Martin Rodriguez: c/ Frank Pais 38 ( 01 ) 419 4396
Trinidad

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