Cuba - anyone been - with or without kids?

[arfuryourselfamerrylittlexmas]

Just booked to go in March next year although dont really know much about it. Any tips?

I went in 1998 so my info my be a bit of date. I do beleive that you can't use US dollars anymore??? When I went they were interchangeable with the peso note. Be prepared for NOTHING to be in the shops. Take shampoo and other toiletries/luxuries for tips.

Where are you going?

I went on my honeymoon 2 and half years ago (so before baby). You could still use dollars when I was there in fact pesos were pretty worthless. Havana is fantastic, although the streets are VERY potholed and dark and night so not ideal if you have a pram...However, did not feel dangerous and there are police to ensure tourists' safety.

People are very friendly, do be careful of people who strike up conversation and then end up suggesting you go to a restaurant/bar etc, they are hustlers and you will be overcharged. As Santabops says it's not a place for shopping, although there is a nice craft market in Havana old town and of course you can get cigars (don't buy from people on the street, they'll be fake) and Rum. Food is pretty bland, and be prepared for there to be little on offer, one restuarant told us the lamb was good, and it turned out that was all they had!

Um, plenty of cool stuff to do though, we visited a farm with sugarcane field, a place with crocodiles, saw flamingos, hummingbirds and vultures, an iguana (we're into wildlife) and of course all the things to do with national hero Che Guevara.

If you're just going to the beaches I guess it's much the same as any all-inclusive resort anywhere, I just find that kind of thing a bit dull so wanted to do lots of trips. Oh, and DH did get stung by a jellyfish, though not too seriously.

Hope this helps!

Would suggest you look at the Foreign Office's website (there is a travel section listed) before you travel to Cuba (www.foreignoffice.gov.uk).

Some information for you:-

A departure tax (per person) of 25 convertible pesos (CUCs) has replaced the current 25 US Dollar amount, which ceased to be accepted from 8 November 2004. This has to be paid on departure from Cuba.

The Cuban authorities announced in 2004 that from 8 November 2004, transactions in US Dollars would cease. This means that Dollars are no longer accepted in shops and other businesses, and tourists and Cubans exchanging Dollars have to pay a 10% commission. In addition the central Bank recently re-valued the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) and this no longer operates at 1-1 with the US dollar and has its own exchange rate. Following this revaluation credit card transactions are subject to local commission charges of between 11% -13%. The wider use of the convertible pesos (CUC) to include the tourist industry has inevitably meant an increase in the number of forged CUC banknotes of all denominations but in particular $100.00. Tourists are strongly advised not to change money anywhere than at the airport Cadecas, hotel exchange bureaux or banks. Individuals offering exchange facilities to avoid queues should be avoided, and where possible small denomination bill should be requested.

Travellers' cheques and or credit cards drawn on American banks are NOT accepted in Cuba. In addition to American Express credit cards and American Express "Golden Gift" travel cheques this includes credit cards issued by Abbey and other "affinity cards" drawn on MBNA bank. However, Euro or Sterling cash as well as Travellers cheques drawn on UK banks are accepted at Cuban banks and Bureaux de Change. There are virtually no cash-points for drawing cash against Cirrus or Switch cards.

Baby food, disposable nappies etc are patchily available in Havana and normally unavailable in the rest of Cuba; if you are bringing a baby it is best to come self-sufficient.

Keep a copy of the photo page of your passport in case your documents are stolen.

HTH

Yet more information:-

A foot-and-mouth related ban on importation of all meat, cheese and dairy products from the United Kingdom (and some EU countries) is still in force and will continue until further notice. The import of fruit is normally banned too. Passengers arriving in Cuba with any of the above will have their goods confiscated and destroyed on arrival.

Electrical items with heavy power consumption such as travel irons and kettles may also be confiscated and returned upon departure.

My cousin from Canada goes reguarly with his wife and two young children. They love scuba diving.

They go all-inclusive.

We went (childlessly) in 2002 and had a fab time. We went independently though, not to Varadero, so I can't tell you anything about that.

We stayed in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey and Trinidad and enjoyed Havana and Trinidad most - Camaguey was pretty quiet at night bar-wise and Santiago was more tourist-filled than the rest when we were there (cue lots of attempted rippings-off by hustlers).

Things may be very different now - when we went you could buy a lot of things with US dollars, far more than with pesos, so locals were always trying to hustle dollars out of us - often very charmingly, but it got to the point where we were deliberatly avoiding talking to Cubans because so many ended up asking us for dollars .

The food can be ropey, but it was the lack of range that did our heads in. The only street-food was cheese pizzas and orange squash, and private restaurants were only allowed to serve chicken, fish or pork (although some serve lobster, illegally). Beef was only available in state restaurants, but it was often sold out when we tried to order it.

Fortunately, Cuban beer (esp Cristal) and cocktails more than make up for the food, and the live music is very good.

I'd deffo recommend wandering round old Havana, and a trip to Trinidad, which is full of Spanish colonial buildings and has a nice mellow kind of atmosphere.

I went in 2000. Beautiful place, full of history and lots of lovely little places. We went to Havana and Santiago de Cuba BC.

A few tips, Don't let your dh take his top off if it's too hot (which it will be in March). Dh did it and had about 10 cuban guys chasing after him saying that the police will have him for not covering up.
There are some children who try and draw your pictures, shove it in your face and expect money. We were warned about that before we went. It is quite sad as they're only trying to make a bit of cash but it does become a bit tiring. Also there are ladies who dress up in the Flamenco gear, very beautiful and amazing dresses. They make a beeline for men, drape themselves over them, start dancing. Your reaction - maybe take a photo. DON'T! Another money making scheme. We saw one couple being chased by these women because this guys wife took a picture and they wanted money for the privellage!

A big big recommendation is Club Tropicana. A fantastic night out. Amazing entertainment, music dancing, lights. Marvellous.

Hope you have a fab time.

Thanks everyone. All sounds good then - we are going all inc so not too worried about the food.

Re the covering up - I assume you mean not allowed to walk around the town with a top on and not the beach. Although my topless days are well behind me was hoping to be able to sunbathe in bikini on beach!

Wildlife sounds great we are all into that sort of thing in a big way - I have heard its possible to swim with dolphins there? DH is worried about sharks tho!

tell me you're going to leave the resort at some point though?? . It is a fascinating country and well worth seeing something of it before Castro pops his clogs.

I enjoyed Hemmingways old house near Havana.

Trinidad was good.

Oh and got to do a tour of a cigar factory!!

Oh and agree about the food, on our tour bus nearly everone got ill. Except the vegetarians...

It was just dh who had the problem with the top and we were walking around the town centre not on the beach.

The wildlife is amazing. If your wanting to swim with Dolphins get your name down as soon as you get there cos it fills up pretty quick. We couldn't do that so we swam with sting Rays instead. Very cool!

The original Bacardi factory was a worthwhile trip. You get to try lots of free tasters at the end

Oh definitely will do a bit of exploring like to get to know a place whilst we are there and seems to be quite a bit of interesting stuff to do there. The stingrays sound fab think I might prefer them to the dolphins actually! Bacardi factory sounds ace too - my fave drink yippee! Really looking forward to it now - thanks.