Holiday vacation to Cuba ends in travel nightmare

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON — A local family’s holiday trip to Cuba over Christmas resulted in a travel nightmare after one of them tested positive for COVID-19.

Suzette Smit and her husband had booked their holiday vacation back in the fall, but with COVID cases on the rise in late December, they talked about postponing.

In spite of a travel advisory that was issued two days before they were to depart, the Smits and their two grown sons took all the necessary precautions and decided to go for it.

“We felt all four of us are healthy and double vaccinated,” says Suzette. “We each did a rapid test two weeks prior to our planned trip and again three days before our flight on December 22. We were excited and ready for some sun, ocean and fun.”

The family arrived in Cuba with great expectations for a week’s stay in Cayo Coco.

“We had a great week,” says Suzette. “The resort and entertainment crew were awesome.”

They enjoyed volleyball, the pool, the beach and went on a deep-sea fishing excursion as a family.

“Santa even arrived by catamaran and all the kids on the beach loved that,” she added. “We were really enjoying ourselves.”

The happiness soon turned to concern as the family prepared to leave the resort and head for home.

On Boxing Day, they endured a long lineup to get their required PCR testing done for their departure on December 29. The cost was $40 USD per person and results were expected within 24 hours.

Suzette then started feeling unwell the next day, on December 27.

“Monday afternoon I felt flu-like symptoms and decided to do a rapid test and there it was — positive,” she said. “I ended up doing three rapid tests and all three tests came back positive.”

She felt a sense of dread and anxiety while waiting for the official PCR test results to come back from the resort.

“Tuesday morning we went to the lobby to get our test results, but they were not available,” she said.

On Wednesday morning, with their flight home looming later that day, Suzette went to the lobby once again and received three negative reports for her husband and two sons. There was no such paper for her.

She was told she tested positive for COVID and she would need to go back to her room and wait for an ambulance to come take her to an isolation facility.

“I didn’t say much. I was shocked, surprised and sad,” she says. “Many emotions, lots of tears.”

As much of a shock that she experienced in getting her results, Suzette was not prepared for what lie ahead.

Calls to the lobby to see if her husband could stay in Cuba with her went unanswered. Calls to Sunwing representatives produced delayed responses, so Suzette’s husband and sons had to pack up and board the bus for the airport without Suzette.

She reached out to her travel agent in Canada who explained they couldn’t do anything from Canada. They said they would get in touch with Sunwing and have a representative call her.

Later that day, she got word that her family had all made it back to Canada, which was a relief, but her calls to the lobby to see what their plans were for her still went unanswered. Periodically there were knocks on her door and small samples of food were left outside the door.

Thursday morning at 12:30 am, Suzette awoke to banging on her door. She was told the ambulance was there to transfer her to the isolation facility. She asked if this was legit, considering what time of the morning it was.

She was told, “Be a nice lady and come to the lobby.”

She was escorted to the awaiting ambulance which had three other people in it — two men and a young girl — all going to the same isolation facility.

Upon arrival at the facility, they were paired off as the two men were put in one room and Suzette was joined by the young girl, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, who was frightened and alone.

When they got to their room, it appeared to be an old rundown resort. The toilet didn’t even flush, so Suzette complained and the pair got moved to another part of the facility, where the toilet flushed but it was otherwise not great.

Only a hand towel was supplied for showering and the bed was hard with thin sheets. The windows had no panes to keep the elements out, only old, weathered shutters. Suzette and her 18-year-old roommate were eventually joined by another woman who had also been sent to isolation.

The concrete double sink in Suzette Smit’s room.

Fortunately, the rooms had a balcony so over the next few days the roommates spent time on the balcony, talking to other people who were in the same predicament. They often joked, sometimes through laughter and sometimes through tears, that they felt like they were in jail.

Many of them were dealing with the anxiety of being separated from family and friends, and the uncertainty of not knowing exactly where they were and how long they would be there.

The food was barely edible and drinks were only provided if they were requested. Security sat at the stairwells but not once did a nurse come to see if anyone needed medical assistance.

Numerous food containers stacked outside the rooms at the isolation facility.

Suzette found out later that there had been 75 travelers in quarantine at the same facility.

On New Year’s Eve, Suzette and her roommate were tested again and their results were still positive. It wasn’t until January 3 that she received a negative result and was told she would be able to leave.

“There were tears of joy, clapping and jumping up and down,” she said.

They were directed to pay their bill, which totaled $480 USD for the five-day stay at the isolation facility.

A Sunwing rep in Cuba told them they were booked on flights home the next day, so they were transported to another resort, where an additional night’s stay was $190 USD.

The next day at the airport, Suzette was given yet another unpleasant surprise.

“At the airport, I went to check-in for my flight but they told me I’m not on the list and I can’t fly home today,” she says. She was obviously distraught. “I showed her the text from the Sunwing rep that said I am on the list.”

She then called her Sunwing rep in Cuba and he said he was on his way to the airport with the list.

As she waited, her roommate and other familiar faces from the isolation facility arrived and they were told the same thing.

In the end, the Sunwing rep arrived and got her — and the others — onto their flights, but it was one more incident that contributed to Suzette’s travel nightmare.

Suzette did a PCR test upon her arrival in Toronto on Tuesday, January 4, nearly a week after she was originally scheduled to return home. She received her negative test results on Thursday, January 6 wrapping up a saga that she’ll remember for the rest of her life.

Besides the memories — good and bad — she has taken away several lessons from this trip.

“I’m not going to tell people not to go away, I’m just suggesting that people make sure they know the rules of the country they’re visiting and that they know what will happen if they test positive,” she says. “We were under the impression that we would be transferred to another similar resort or staying at our resort. And make sure you have contacts locally. Your travel agent in Canada can’t help you.”

The room where Suzette Smit had to quarantine was quite sparse with a simple bed and air conditioner. The windows were all louvred and had no glass or screens.

Suzette says during the first part of her trip they had a wonderful time and her love for Cuba has not waned, but she wants people to know that — at least while the pandemic still rages across the world — different countries have different COVID rules and be sure to be aware of them before you go.

She said the one thing that helped her throughout the entire ordeal was being able to remain in contact with people at home.

“I could not have gotten through the days in quarantine if it wasn’t for the support and love I received from my family, friends and colleagues,” she said.