All-inclusive Cuba:
Pointers on living the good life

Here we are in Meliándia – Meliá las Dunas, to be precise –- an “all-inclusive” resort 240 miles from Havana. It’s on a coral key connected to mainland Cuba by a 30-mile-long man-made causeway. No Cuban villages out here, no hole-in-the-wall cafes or artisans to discover, no natural or historic sites.

Ann and I can’t wrap our heads around this place –- we like to bunk with local families, or at least stay in small, intimate guest houses or those over-the-hill, creaky-floored granddames that transport us back into the past.

But, man, is Meliándia popular. The manager tells us over complimentary mojitos that he has 1,200 guests this weekend. It’s a campus of two-story bungalows camouflauged by a manicured jungle of trees, shrubs, and flowers. No high-rise condos. No streets or boulevards. No belching vehicles. No neon. Faux-stone walkways, lit at night by low-voltage lamps, wend their way through the greenery.

So it’s not our normal fare, so what? This whole trip is about new experiences. Why don't you meet us at the pool . . . or the buffet . . . or one of 12 bars we’ve discovered here?. Come on, we’ll show you around.

Click here to live it up with us at Melandia