My observations of Cuba's Catch-22

Catch-22 in Cuba: TRIP REPORT for Oct/Nov 2024

Joseph Heller’s iconic novel, Catch-22, is a satirical take on the absurdity of war. Set in World War II, the title is taken from a military regulation that’s used for a wide variety of situations, particularly when there is no real solution. The term “Catch-22” has come to signify any paradoxical problem in which one is trapped by contradictory rules or conditions. In essence, it’s an absurd, no-win situation. Welcome to Cuba!
 
Cuba needs the income from tourism to provide funding for maintaining and improving the country’s infrastructure but tourists don’t want to visit if things are falling apart: Catch-22. To me, that’s the biggest, most glaring Catch-22 situation in Cuba. When you start to pick at the loose threads of the Cuban tapestry, however, you’ll find more and more knots of cyclical, insurmountable problems. If you don’t have this, you can’t fix that; if you don’t fix that, you can’t have this. Nobody wins in such endless loops of woe. 
 
At the Marea del Portillo resort, where I was booked to stay for two weeks, Catch-22 also blocks progress. Located in an isolated rural region along the southern sole of the island, it is the only resort in the entire province of Granma, one of Cuba’s most historically significant areas. Nestled in the toes of the majestic Sierra Maestra mountains, it is also magnificently scenic. The two hotels on the property have undergone extensive renovations and are ready to receive international tourists. But, the closest airport is closed right now, so people must travel via Holguín, which is about 4 hours away; transport from the nearby Manzanillo de Cuba airport is about 1.5 hours.
 
Here is the Marea del Portillo Catch-22: Sunwing (the only airline that services this resort) doesn’t want to land planes in Manzanillo if there aren’t enough tourists to warrant the cost BUT, if tourists have to travel via Holguín, they don’t want to book packages at Marea. In the past, when fuel was cheaper and Sunwing was in its heyday, they would land at Manzanillo as well as a second airport elsewhere in Cuba (Varadero, Santiago, etc.), even if Marea clients occupied only half the plane. Now, the cost of landing/taking off twice, coupled with paying airport fees at two locations, means that Sunwing is not likely to stop in Manzanillo… unless the plane is full of Marea clients. Unfortunately, as long as Sunwing forces people to go via Holguín, there won’t be enough clients to even fill a bus, let alone a plane.
 
SIDEBAR #1: How can you get around such a problem? I have an idea I want to explore but I haven’t had time to investigate it fully, so I will save that for another post. Stay tuned and, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign on to my email list. That way, you’ll have the information first, delivered to your inbox. And, don’t worry, I won’t spam you!
 
Meanwhile, back to my trip report… The Marea del Portillo resort has been undergoing a lot of renovation work, and it continues! It looks beautiful. While I was there, during the last week of October and the first week of November, tourists came and went, as did the electricity. Cuba is still struggling and, sadly, seems to be experiencing blow after blow. The latest, of course, was Hurricane Rafael. That storm did further damage to a weak and aging electrical grid and sent waves of outages across the entire country.
 
At Marea, as with most resorts, the generators kicked in and did their best to keep the tourists happy. However, one also has to be cognizant of the fuel supply for those vital pieces of equipment. It’s a complicated dance. When the electricity is off, the generators are turned on; but, in my observation at Marea and elsewhere, they are periodically shut down – presumably to save fuel, refuel and/or give them a rest. This usually seems to occur at night, when it’s cooler.
 
My advice for coping with the irregular power supply is to take rechargeable fans and lights. Ideally, at the end or your trip, they can become much-appreciated gifts for local friends and families you’re attached to. Solar lights and rechargers are great too! Anything and everything for dealing with a lack of electricity will be put to good use in Cuba these days.
 
SIDEBAR #2: While on the topic of gifts, let me reiterate that basic medical and health supplies are very, very much needed in Cuba right now. Acetaminophen, which is known as paracetamol in many countries, is the best choice (Tylenol is the most common brand but generic products are fine). This drug is the only fever-reducing medicine that can be taken if one contracts Dengue Fever or the Oropouche Virus, as well as being safer for most people to use as a general pain reliever. Ibuprofen may be better for muscle aches but it can increase the risk of bleeding and, therefore, should NOT be used for Dengue and Oropouche, if you're on medication for heart issues or high blood pressure, etc.
 
While staying at Marea or the Starfish resort near Holguín, where I was shipped near the end of my trip, as well as in a couple of casas particulares (Cuban B&Bs), I sometimes gave little packets of 25 or 50 acetaminophen tablets as tips. On this trip, although I was booked for two weeks at an all-inclusive resort, I wanted to visit friends in other towns, so I went on a road trip to Bayamo and Manzanillo, and I opted to stay at a B&B in Pilón for a few nights. As it turned out, the cost of round-trip transportation from the hotel to town and back was about the same as staying at my favorite rental house in Pilón (Casa de Noel +53 51270678) and having a lovely breakfast in the morning, complete with plenty of fresh fruit!
 
SIDEBAR #3: My favorite casa de renta in the village of Marea del Portillo is Casa de Bárbara, where I’ve stayed many times. Operated by Bárbara and Diomedes, whom some people will know due to the many years they worked at the resort, they have a large and lovely home. There are two separate rental units upstairs (three bedrooms in total, plus three bathrooms and two kitchens), and they’re in the process of building a ground-level dining area and a fourth bedroom with ensuite, which will be easily accessible for people with mobility issues. They can provide meals or, if guests prefer to cook for themselves, Bárbara will help them acquire any necessary foodstuffs. You can contact her by phone (+53 51721193) or via Facebook – look for the group (not the page) called “Casa de Bárbara - Marea del Portillo, Cuba.”
 
On this trip, fresh fruit was noticeably absent from the Marea del Portillo resort. Outside of the resort, there were bananas and some other things, but it wasn’t the right season for a lot of variety. At the Starfish, we were provided with papaya at every meal, as part of a small buffet they had set up. It typically had sliced meat, cheese, bread and olives, the latter of which seemed an odd option for breakfast! Starfish food, in general, was nicely presented and, at first, I thought it was on par with Marea. However, I guess I was just lucky on my initial entreé selection: fish. Many of the other meat dishes were rather tough.
 
Both resorts primarily offered a la carte service, since there weren’t enough guests to justify a full buffet. It would have been a waste of food. Marea’s food and service, in general, were far superior to what I experienced at Starfish. And, when I mention service, I’m not just thinking about the dining room. On the departure day, when there were close to a dozen clients leaving, there were no porters to help us haul our luggage to the lobby. As well, since the Sunwing rep was not present, information was not readily available and sometimes contradictory.
 
Apparently, that resort had just opened a few weeks earlier. The smallish Starfish Guardalavaca property is part of what had been the sprawling Club Amigo Atlanticó. In my opinion, they weren’t really ready. In another week or two, they should have a second restaurant/bar open and the pool will likely be full. Giving staff a bit more training in customer service would also be helpful.
 
At Marea del Portillo, on the other hand, the service in all departments is top notch. They are well trained and they also seem to genuinely care. And, with respect to the food, I have a lot of respect for the chefs at Marea. They are providing excellent meals, despite their limited resources. It’s quite unfortunate that the government has such strict regulations about purchasing food supplies.
 
As I mentioned in a previous trip report, resorts are not allowed to buy produce from local farmers without a contract and, when a contract is in place, vendors are paid via direct deposits made to the bank in Pilón. But, that little bank often runs out of pesos and payments for contracts or wages are frequently delayed. Converting payments into plastic money (MLC credit cards) is not a good option for every person or situation. So, agricultural producers, understandably, are not interested in signing up for contacts with resorts; they just want to be handed cash. This may not quite be a Catch-22 situation but it’s close!
 
While I was writing this earlier today, Nov. 10, the Granma province was hit by series of earthquakes, perhaps as many as four, measuring up to a magnitude of 6.8. The Pilón and Marea del Portillo area seem to have sustained the most damage, according to the reports I’ve been reading and news I’ve heard from people in that region. Some homes have been destroyed and at least one person died from a heart attack that may have been related to the stress of the situation.
 
After the ongoing blackouts and the recent hurricanes (Oscar earlier and Rafael a few days ago), this seems like too much to bear. But, I know the Cuban people are strong and resilient. They will survive. And, I will not give up on doing what I can to help and support them. My December trip has been booked since early October and I do not intend to cancel.
 
I’m posting this report now, without all the usual photos, because I want you to have my first-hand account and honest information as quickly as possible. The Marea del Portillo hotel had to close on Nov. 6 but they intend to reopen in a week or so. The closure will allow time to reconfigure the facility’s three generators so they’ll function more efficiently and, thus, assure guests of more reliable power and water supplies, whenever the national grid in not providing electricity. They will do everything they can to improve the resort’s services, to encourage tourism and keep the people of the community working.
 
That, to me, is the bottom line. I may not agree with all the changes that have been made at the resort in the past year but it is still operating and people still have jobs, despite all the obstacles. That is no small feat. I commend their efforts!

XO ~ Jenny