Sadly my first impressions of this wonderful town were through the frosted window of a coach toilet. The previous evening I had had more than my fair share of rum and paid dearly for my excesses. A two hour journey over bumpy roads was surely not what the doctor would have prescribed. Not only that but our coach had been three hours late leaving Cienfuegos which did not do anything to alleviate my suffering.

Trinidad has few big tourist hotels, the few there are in the area are mainly situated on the beach a few miles away at Playa Ancon and so locals have been given more or less free reign in letting out their spare rooms. The quality varies from bare to modest luxury but they are always clean and comfortable and the hosts are always friendly and charming. At Pedro’s and Carmen’s place we made our way up to our room via a narrow staircase in the living room and our room was large and airy with an en suite bathroom and outside a wonderful large terrace with beautiful views one way over the red roof tops of the old town and the other way up to the edge of the Sierra del Escambray mountains. A couple of roofs away a group of teenage lads had set up their own makeshift gym, using things other people had discarded to make their reasonably authentic equipment, each evening when it became a little cooler they would gather together to work out, each encouraging the others in their travails. For this wonderful view, a comfortable bed and a shower with hot water all day long we paid only 20 Convertible Pesos (see Cuba: General Review).

Entry to most of Trinidad’s museums costs around three Convertible Pesos but they are pretty small and limited in scope so you could easily do a couple in a day (so long as the ones you want to see are open!). However it costs nothing at all simply to stroll the streets taking in the beauty of the brightly painted houses with their wrought ironwork grilles in front of the windows, watching men take a wheelbarrow of squealing piglets to be sold or waving to the lively children as they march in file through the streets on their way home from school.

The road to the beach cuts through a wonderful nature reserve and mangroves with plenty to see as you travel like majestic birds swooping down to the water and an old abandoned ship emerging ominously from the lagoon behind the beach. The taxis will take to up to the hotels and you can cut through onto the beach where you are faced with an amazing sweep of brilliant white sand in both directions. There is plenty of room for everyone here but even at weekends when the locals hit the beach it never gets crowded. The three hotels are well spaced out so you can position yourself away from the noise or you can take advantage of the hotels facilities by renting a bed for the day. At just a Cuban Peso each its good value and it means the staff will come and bring you drinks so you don’t have to leave the beach – just remember to have some small change – they never have any! There are hawkers at Playa Ancon but they are friendly and do not persist if you refuse them. Food is limited but you can get a reasonable pizza – only cheese and tomato – for one Cuban Peso which are OK to keep you going and there are coconuts and pineapples too. You may be approached by locals asking if you want to eat lobster in a Cuban house, this is likely to be one of the best meals you eat in Cuba. These are unlikely to be officially licensed paladars (see Review on Cuba:General) but so long as you are discreet you will not be ripped off.

If you're the type of person who prefers life inland to the beach then there's plenty on offer. There are opportunities to go horse-riding in the foothills of the mountains and if you stay in a casa particular your host will no doubt no someone who can take you. Be aware, though, that you will probably not be provided with riding hats and the people taking you will not be insured. Otherwise why not arrange a taxi to take you up to the waterfalls in the mountains. Fill a car to make it cheaper and you will be driven up to the beginning of one of the well-marked trails where the driver will wait or come back in a few hours. After a trek up the mountain you'll welcome a dip in the cooling pool at the base of the waterfall.

If yoiu can't quite get shopping out of your system you'll be glad to know that there is plenty of opportunity to spend in Trinidad although most of the goods are strictly for the tourists. Straw hats, handmade lace and embroidered goods and folk art, however, are all well priced and great bargains can be had by good hagglers.

Most people, however, head for the steps near the main square in the old town. Bands play at the foot of the stairs and the audience sit on the steps. There are a couple of bars along the sides although most Cubans bring their own bottles of rum with them since it's so much cheaper than buying by the glass. There's room to dance in front of the band and there are always plenty of young Cuban men eager to be a dance partner to a willing European lady.