Anyone been to Cuba for hols?

[oversteer]

I went in Nov. I would do Havana and Varadero, in that order.

4 nights in Havana is probably enough. Do your own thing, grab a few guide books and just walk about. The guided bus tour is good value, and of course you should get in a 50's car taxi. You get hassled constantly in the main tourist areas but nobody is overly aggressive or pushy. Outside the main tourist areas it felt pretty safe during the day (and well worth a walk off the beaten track to see how Cubans really live) but I would not stray too far at night.

Varadero is essentially a enclosed resort, the diving is not great if you like that sort of thing and the food is pretty terrible, but for sun, sea and all-inclusive it's as good a location as any.

A word of warning: everyone is out to rip you off or extort you in a low grade way. *Everyone* Whenever you meet a Cuban your first instinct should be "what are you trying to get out of me"

e.g. cafe "You want the special of the day, meat, rice, salad, any drink, $10"
Declined, and ask for the menu -
Meat/rice/salad total $4
Drink $1

Or, the woman in the museum that blatantly and intentionally short changed us, despite it being a government building and having just taken copies of our ID.

little stuff like that


also if you don't tip your hotel maid she won't clean your room the next day. at all.

[OwlHoot]

Are cigars cheap there? If so, any chance of bringing back a few boxes?

[Pondlife]

Cheers all.

Looks like a winner.

Ta.

[saptastic]

I went to Cuba but didn't research the location properly. The island is bloody huge, a fact people forget. You cannot just pop across the island to do something, you need to fly to get one end to the other so research the distances very carefully. I can't remember the resort we were in but it was on the south cost about half way down the island which meant a 5 hour journey to get to Havana. Looked like 20 mins on map. We were also in an all inclusive thing that was more like a fort so walking around outside was out. Might have changed since then of course.

Usual gripes about all inclusive gated places like this I won't go in to as they are the same the world over.

Diving was fabulous but be warned, they do not give a stuff about rules and regs. I did an 18 meter open water dive off a rib with nothing but a trial dive on my PADI record. Can't say all dive schools the same but just bewarned.

Apart from all that it was brilliant lol.... Would deffo go again but do a bit more research next time.

Agreed - the most casual place in the world for diving regs from my experience.
Non PADI divers were given a small briefing and then given the run of the sea!

[Paddy]

Went to Varadero , excellent hotel all inclusive. Very safe place and very friendly people. Hired a car and went to Havana. It is a local tradition and considered polite to pick up hitchhikers hence it made contact with the locals easy. Some ex-pats have bought property there. Traffic wardens and police are there to look after tourists and they go out their way to help. When I compare that with my travels to the US, the US comes nowhere near Cuba for safety and friendliness.

[northernladuk]

I went to Cuba but didn't research the location properly. The island is bloody huge, a fact people forget. You cannot just pop across the island to do something, you need to fly to get one end to the other so research the distances very carefully. I can't remember the resort we were in but it was on the south cost about half way down the island which meant a 5 hour journey to get to Havana. Looked like 20 mins on map. We were also in an all inclusive thing that was more like a fort so walking around outside was out. Might have changed since then of course.

Usual gripes about all inclusive gated places like this I won't go in to as they are the same the world over.

Diving was fabulous but be warned, they do not give a stuff about rules and regs. I did an 18 meter open water dive off a rib with nothing but a trial dive on my PADI record. Can't say all dive schools the same but just bewarned.

Apart from all that it was brilliant lol.... Would deffo go again but do a bit more research next time.

[ChrisPackit]

I went 9 years ago - got married there actually! Varadero is a nice place, but strange in it's layout in the fact that the whole peninsula is gated to keep the Cuban riff raff out so holiday makers can enjoy themselves! We stayed at Sandals which was nice, but like anyone with a low boredom threshold, after a few days we were out and about exploring the local area on a scooter. Beaches are nice and Havana is about a 2 hour trip from Varadero and usually you'll find a taxi is cheapest as you can rent them out for the day rather than on the meter, and may cost £80.00 for all day. Havana is a cool place though, and I bought enough habanas to last me for years after I got home.

[saptastic]

Verdict?

Looking at Varadero or Jibacoa. Maybe a stopover in Havana or a couple of day trips but apart from that it's mainly recharging the batteries with some mojitos and diving.

TIA

Pondy

Havana is awesome & very cool with the vintage cars and loads of character - highly recommended for a few days.
Also is a great eye opener to a communist regime - and how it partially works i.e. excellent free education including Universities, limited crime and more doctors per person than anywhere in the world.

Varadero nice - usual beach resort type place.

[Zoiderman]

I believe the Pope was there recently, drop a line to the Vatican and maybe he'll tell you a few of his favourite boys...

FTFY

[moggy]

Had a two day stop over in Havana on a cruise last year. So can only comment on Havana but it was a fantastic place. Take lots of tooth paste for the locals and things along that line, and try to go to Tropicana a great night out, made even better with travelling to the show in a 1950's dodge!

[pacharan]

No but I've always pictured myself strolling along El Malacon with a cane in my hand trying to convince the muchachitas that I'm a wealthy English gentleman.

[darmstadt]

I believe the Pope was there recently, drop a line to the Vatican and maybe he'll tell you a few of his favourite bars...

[Pondlife]

Verdict?

Looking at Varadero or Jibacoa. Maybe a stopover in Havana or a couple of day trips but apart from that it's mainly recharging the batteries with some mojitos and diving.

TIA

Pondy