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Cuba (Cuba)
by berrydelight
**Why visit Cuba?**
The following review is not intended as an overview of Cuba as a country but as a practical guide for anyone considering visiting this wonderful, culturally rich country. Cuba has experienced a huge rise in the number of foreign visitors and in 2010 saw its largest ever number of tourists. This is likely ... to be ever growing, travel restrictions are slowly being relaxed and the economy boost foreign spending can provide is being recognised.
Although many people flock to the all inclusive costal resorts they really are missing out on the real Cuba, the colours and vibrancy of Havana, the rolling Caribbean hills of Pinar Del Rio, the sleepy 1950's revival in Trinidad and endless white, unspoilt beaches along their coastlines. Although travelling here is not easy it is certainly rewarding and below should help arm you with useful on the ground information.
**Getting there and around**
The majority of travellers from the UK come as part of an organised package with flights, tourist visas and accommodation included. Obviously what everyone wants out of their holiday is different but having spent several weeks in Cuba staying in one resort for your whole trip is a wasted opportunity. If you are cautious about travelling one of the many organised trips is a good option with scheduled stops, planned activities and the company of other travellers. Alternatively myself and two other female travellers backpacked around the West of the country, felt very safe and despite some frustrations travel was relatively simple.
If not travelling as part of an organised tour bear in mind you need a travel visa and give yourself 3 weeks to organise one, it is also worth noting that in order to get your tourist visa you need 3 nights booked accommodation for when you first arrive in the country.
You can fly from all major UK airports into Havana but travelling from the US is only possible through non-direct flights, i.e through Mexico.
Travelling from destination to destination is best done on buses (Viazul) or private taxi. The website for Viazul appears up to date and the prices very reasonable but be warned do not trust the website or guidebook times. On two occasions we missed the only bus of the day, best to get there the day before, book and confirm travel times.
Private taxis can work out very cost effective especially if more than two of you are travelling. The guidebook provides indicative prices and some Spanish will be helpful for negoigatiing. If the rate is very low its likely to be a collective which means you may go to multiple locations, with multiple pick ups before proceeding to your final destination.
**Casa Particulars**
A truly Cuban concept Casa Particulars are essentially rooms to rent to tourists in family homes. A very comfortable and very cheap option when travelling the service standards in the Casa well surpass any of the 4* hotels I stayed in. You can expect to pay between $20-$30 per night for two people in a clean room, often with air conditioning and private bathroom in a quaint family home. It is possible to turn up in any town without booking and still be directed to a good Casa although those contained in the standard travel guides are a good start. As the Cubans are very family and community orientated if one is full you will no doubt end up staying with their cousin or brother and still receive the same warm welcome.
As this is the main source of income to the proprietors you can expect second to none service. In addition to you room you will be offered breakfast $3-$5 per person and dinner $8-$11 per person. The food will outstrip anything you could have in town and is therefore highly recommended.
**Money Matters**
Cuba operates a dual currency system. Despite the best efforts of popular guidebook Lonely Planet we were not really prepared for firstly just how difficult obtaining cash could be nor the realities of the dual system.
If you are coming to Cuba and not staying in the main tourist resorts or Havana be warned that your best bet is to exchange the majority or all of your cash at your arrival airport. You cannot exchange the cash until you reach the country and therefore expect some queues. Although credit cards are accepted in the main resorts the connections are not always reliable and therefore you could end up stuck so always carry some cash on you, safes are provided in all hotels and as long as you are careful and aware you should not have any issues.
There are two currencies in Cuba, the Cuban Peso (CUC) and the Peso (MN). To make the situation more confusing for visitors both currencies are indicated by the $ sign. Tourists can only change into CUC at the airport. This is what the majority of your transactions will be in. The average Cuban salary is around $6 CUC per month and at time of writing $1.5 CUC equated to £1. If you are sticking to the beaten track you will not have much need to utilise the (MN) currency but should you wish to involve yourself in the real Cuba, benefit from significantly cheaper food then
**Average Costs**
At time of writing $1.50 CUC equated to £1.
* Night in a Casa Particular - $25
* Main meal - $8
* Cocktail -$3
* Beer - $2
* Bottled water - $2
**General Tips to Remember**
* Cash - can only be changed at the airport. Change as much at the airport as you feel comfortable doing, it is far easier to secure it in the safe than try and find a bank outside the cities. Be careful of scam artists trying to induce you to exchange your CUC's for MN. One they are not as widely accepted and you will be greatly disadvantaged on the exchange rate.
* Customer Service - expect queues, lack of information and at times a complete lack of any notion of service. This will improve in the resorts with time but some knowledge of Spanish will help in the mean time. A sense of humour and relaxing about 'Cuba time' also helps!
* Food - unless you are eating in Casa Particulars the food is often more miss than hit but on the whole relatively safe. Expect the staples of rice and chicken and some fruit. Vegetables are limited.
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Havana (Cuba)
by missj1981
Travel destinations: Havana, Cuba
The Caribbean island of Cuba is widely known as a tropical paradise where tourists enjoy the sun-drenched beaches, swim in crystal clear water and tropical nights with the compelling beat of exotic music. Cuba has much more to offer, including Havana, the sensual capital which has many ... sights, is vibrant during the day and night and is a melting pot of cultures. Havana is the destination for an exciting city break.
Havana has three million inhabitants and is divided into five major areas where four are mostly visited by tourists: La Habana Vieja, Centro Habana, Vedado and Miramar. La Habana Vieja is full of historical and cultural sites, Centro Habana is densely populated, Vedado is the most lively and Miramar is the residential district including the embassies.
Havana is a city trip with overwhelmingly beauty because you will get one surprise after another, a walk is just an assault on your senses. You can walk through the shopping street of San Rafael and then visit the Fábrica de Tabaco Partagas where since 1845 the best cigars are made.
The centre of the city is the Plaza de Armas, which is the departure point for hikes through botched streets with beautiful balconies, fountains, cool bars like the Bodeguita del Medio, where you can drink the best mojitos. Walking through the city you can enjoy the splendor of colonial palaces that are fully restored as La Habana Vieja is recognized as a national monument.
Along the busy shopping street Calle Obispo you get to the main meeting place of the capital, the magnificent Parque Central. A little further you walk through the Paseo de Martí, a wide promenade with magnificent palaces, marble benches, cast bronze lions and lanterns.
In Havana you can easily fill a week with a complete program. There are wonderful museums like the Museo Nacional de Historia were you have a great view of the Bay of Havana and the ancient castle. On the square in front of the museum are every day booksellers who get together and where you inspect and buy the manifests of Castro and the poetry of the famous poet Martí.
The days are long since in Havana's most elegant district, Vedada, only comes to life at night and every visitor will be attracted here by the incomparable nightlife. There are dozens of cinemas, discos, famous Cuban jazz clubs and theaters. The nightlife is mainly situated around the artery of Vedada, La Rampa. This area has been frequently chosen as the backdrop for famous movies such as Fresa y Chocolate.
Havana is a vibrant city, full of attractions. It is a destination where every street scene, even every passing car is worth looking at. Havana is beautiful, exciting, full of emotion and is high on the list of best city break destinations.
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Guardalavaca (Cuba)
by GPuddleduck
My husband and I visited Cuba in May last year (2010) for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Brisas hotel resort in Guardalavaca for 2 weeks. The main reason we chose this resort is because it was one of the cheapest but also seemed to be rated 3 stars and looked lovely. Generally speaking the resort seemed to have good ... reviews.
The Welcome
We arrived at the resort at around 1am, local time. I wasn't overly impressed with the welcome we received. The reception staff were efficient and got through the busload of people fairly quickly but I didn't find them particularly welcoming or friendly. There were no smiles, we were just told what we needed to know and had to find our own way to our room.
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The Accommodation
The hotel room was lovely. It wasn't 5 stars but it was clean and presentable. We had a fairly large room with a bed, a couple of chairs, a dressing table with a TV, a full length mirror, a fridge (with complimentary water included for when you arrive), an air conditioning unit and a balcony over looking the sea with a couple of chairs and a table. The bathroom had a large mirror over the sink and had a shower over the bath. I was impressed that we had the option of a bath or shower.
Each day a maid would come in and clean up our room - unless we requested other wise. Bed sheets were only changed on request, where you leave the supplied note on the bed requesting this. It was fantastic, every day when we went back to our room it had been returned to a pristine standard! I was also impressed with the towel art - a really nice touch to our stay. We had the same maid almost every day of our stay and most days we would see her. She was extremely friendly and pleasant to talk to.
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Food
The food was as I expected. Nothing special but it is an all-inclusive holiday and there was a great selection. There are 3 a la carte restaurants - Italian, Cuban and Seafood. You can visit each one, once per week. The Cuban food was surprisingly enjoyable, considering the Cubans are not known for their culinary expertise. They use a lot of fish and beans and the soup was truly fantastic. There is a choice to have lobster in the seafood restaurant and there was a huge selection of dishes in the Italian restaurant. All the members of staff in the restaurants were polite and friendly. Your water glass was always kept topped up, as was your wine glass!
There is also a food hall to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is a huge hall and there were always plenty of tables free to sit and eat. There were waiting staff to serve you drinks and clear the tables, there were food islands to help yourself and also manned stations cooking food and cooking food to your specifications. Some days I did find there was a bit of an odd odour but I believe it was because of the huge variety of food being cooked. There were also a lot of flies but I suppose that is to be expected in a food hall in a hot country. Again most of the staff were friendly and helpful. Some of the chefs didn't say a lot but they were trying to cook for hundreds of people so I would say that's fair enough!
There is also a snack bar that is open 24 hours a day! There isn't a huge selection of food available but that is why there is a food hall for breakfast lunch and dinner. There are chips, burgers, toasted sandwiches of a limited variety and pizzas at lunchtime only. I would 100% recommend the pizzas and the tuna and cheese toasted sandwich.
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Bars
There seemed to be a few bars around the resort. We visited the following bars - There was one in the main hotel, which closed at about 11pm, there was a bar amongst the chalets, which was small, and I couldn't really figure out their opening hours. There was a large bar by the pool, which was open 24 hours a day and there was a bar in the pool, which seemed to close about 9pm. There are bars in each of the a la carte restaurants and there is also a discotheque. I don't know what time this opened but it closed about midnight. Most of the staff were friendly and smiled but I didn't find them very engaging and at times I felt I was being a bit of a nuisance.
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Entertainment
There was always something happening on the main stage in front of the pool during the days and the evenings. I didn't find it particularly entertaining but a lot of people got involved and the resort did their best to keep everyone amused. The discotheque was fun to visit a few times if you want to have a bit of a dance. We made a few friends whilst on our holiday and visited a couple of times with them. There is also a water ballet to look out for. We missed it on both occasions but everyone we spoke to said it was fantastic - the best of the entertainment!
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Facilities
There was plenty to do, which was all included in the price of your holiday. There were 2 swimming pools. The main pool by the main stage and another pool amongst the chalets. There is a games room with table tennis and a pool table. There are tennis courts; you can have a go at target shooting with an air rifle (under supervision) usually at 11am in the morning, you can go snorkelling - equipment is free and provided by the hotel - you can take out a pedalo for free and plenty of other choices.
There is also a beach towel service. You pick up a towel each when you arrive by giving your hotel number. You are then given a receipt, which you keep hold of and hand in at the end of your stay. Every time you return your beach towel, you are given a clean fresh one in return.
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Excursions
There were plenty of excursions to go on during our stay - some are quite costly. We got to swim with dolphins, drive a speedboat, go horse riding, visit local communities, towns, farms and a cigar factory. There is just so much to see and do!
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Overall
There was security placed around the hotel to stop people hassling guests and begging but there was no threat of danger and everything was very relaxed. There was a local market not far from our resort - within walking distance. We walked up along the street to visit the market and back down along the beach. The beach was just in front of our resort so we had everything at our disposal. There were locals outside the resort offering horse and cart rides, we didn't do this but plenty of people did and spoke highly of it.
This was a great place to stay. Some members of staff weren't particularly friendly but no one was rude or unhelpful. The hotel was kept clean and tidy throughout our stay - no cause for complaint. The hotel shop offered a reasonable selection of gifts, essentials and treats.
Please feel free to ask questions if you are planning a trip to Cuba of feel I have missed anything that would be useful to know. Thank you for reading my review.
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