Tell be about Cuba

[beachbodyunready]

Thinking of booking Cuba for our family holiday next year. So would appreciate any good or bad points you want to share. We would be AI at a 4/5* resort (not sure where) and travelling with Ds(15) and DD(7). We would want to visit Havana and ideally would like to be able to explore the local area without having to go on organised trips.
Tia.

We went last year and are going back this summer, and we rarely repeat trips. Really liked it, happy to pass on any information. But I went with my 2 adult children so I don’t know much about what would suit younger ones. It’s a long thin island, and internal transport isn’t necessarily great so visiting Havana is tricky if you’re up the other end. We stayed near holguin and a Havana visit would have been difficult. I think I’d start by looking at which Cuban airports you can get direct flights to from your local airport. Obviously if you’re in London that’s going to be a wider choice.

I would suggest you also read the FCO advice on Cuba:-

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cuba

We stayed in varadero which is where a lot of the AI resorts are. About 1hr45 drive from Havana.

The food was absolutely disgusting. We tried a couple of restaurants and equally we found the food to be terrible.

Beautiful beaches, absolutely beautiful water.

You need to tip the staff (as we were told by the hotel rep that they are very badly paid and live off their tips) Every drink you get you tip one Cuban dollar/peso? I can't remember the currency.

I personally wouldn't go back to Cuba, I didn't feel it was set up for tourists like the other islands are.

I'm sure you will have a lovely time with your family. The wearher is great, if you choose a good hotel im sure facilities will be better than what we experienced.

Thanks lilo out of interest which resort/hotel did you stay at?

Cuba is amazing!

But totally wasted to go and just stay in an all inclusive, you could be anywhere. And as others have said the standard of food is not so great.

I heartily recommend travelling round the island, there is so much to do. We toured for 10 days and then spent 4 nights AI.

We used rickshaw travel who did a bespoke itinerary for us. Very well worth it, everything just worked, taxis were in the right place at the right time and they found us amazing accommodation which we would never have found ourselves.

www.rickshawtravel.co.uk/central-america/cuba/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm9eOmOTT2QIV7ZTtCh0JRgQhEAAYASAAEgK58PD_BwE

We found it quite hard to reconcile the AI at the end which was quite generic to the beautiful country and lovely people we had met whilst touring. We are so so glad we saw the real Cuba, think Havana, Las Terrassas, Cienfuegos, Trinidad swimming in waterfalls, trekking in rainforest, tours around the towns, snorkelling at the coral reef etc.

We had two teens with us, we warned them beforehand that it was not a luxury holiday but an interesting one and they also loved it.

We also saved £1,000 on flights by going via a European city instead of direct. Took two hours extra each way so well worth it

Hey. We stayed at Bahia Principe Varadero / Playa Varadero about 6 years ago
hope this helps

We booked with these guys about 5 years ago: www.voyagercuba.co.uk/#HolidayIdeas

It was one of our best holidays ever, and found the travel agent to be very well organised. We toured Havana, Pinar del Rio, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, then went to a resort in Cayo Santa Maria to chill a bit, then domestic flight back to Habana. For us this was the perfect mix of some tour/excursions/hiking with some days of chilling at the end, but of course these things are very subjective and we all want different things out of our holidays. Before having children, we were not huge fans of the all-inclusive resort. Now that we have reproduced, we are, but where in the world you are doesn't make a huge difference if all you want is a resort.

The one thing I really liked about Cuba is that it offers both resorts and more 'active' holidays, which, based on what I am told (no direct experience) is not the case of most Caribbean destinations.

Stayed Varedero hotel and booked day tours to visit Havana and other places. We enjoyed our visit, but we like traveling. Suggest take some sweets, magazines, clothes or presents to leave for staff in hotel. It's a communist country, so resources are limited. People are lovely and friendly. Food was OK in and out of hotel. Public transport is limited.

There is no internet you have to buy a pay per hour card. So if you are the type of person who needs to be constantly connected it will cost you alot ! Or switch off and relax and enjoy

We booked with Cuba direct and did a self drive around the island. It was an amazing holiday. Beach (snorkelling), culture, wildlife, sun, fun and adventure. We went on underground rivers, stayed with local families, swam in giant sink holes, climbed in the jungle to a waterfall. Saw hummingbirds and danced to the many bands, drank too much rum, at too much seafood, got lost, and thanked our luck to have been born in Britain - yes (gasp) we saw poverty and deprivation. Our DDs 8 and 6 loved it.

We went to
Havana
Vallee de Vinales
Playa de giron
Trinidad
And finished in varadero.

Throughly recommend.

Google human rights abuses.
The country has a poor record.

That should say human rights abuses Cuba, obviously.

We went on an explore worldwide escorted trip and it was amazing but you could totally travel independently it's very safe. Basic Spanish would def help.
Wasted to stay in the Al although as part of a wider drip is a good plan.
The history of the place is fascinating.
Be aware that Cubans don't have access to "stuff" like we do- we took lots of mini toiletries, pencils, rubbers etc to give to some poor families we came across.

The food is not great but will probably be ok in the AIs - at the one we briefly stayed in it was all flown in from Canada for the predominantly Canadian guests.

It was 7.5k including flights. 5 days AI at the end. Stayed with families in Casa Particular, which REALLY made a difference. We met some Cubans and supported them. It was so varied and interesting.

Self drive was great too - stopping in local towns, using local fruit stands and mixing in a bit, really added something.

Yep it's a country with issues, but I felt that staying within communities we were doing something positive. 'Just' doing AI isn't visiting a country IMO, but it's not for everyone.

For flights, we got flights from our local airport to Havana via Paris on Air France which was cheap and convenient. There are lots of charters
Available too - to Holguin, Varadero and Cayo Coco but these are hard (impossible?) to get seats on unless part of a fully inclusive holiday.

The Casa Particular system - family homes, is a norm in Cuba. They do vary greatly in quality, but someone like Cuba Direct can help you book them.

If your Spanish is good enough you can get info on Trip Advisor and book direct.

I speak fluent Spanish but would not have driven in Cuba – I am happy we went for an organised tour with a UK travel agency.

For tourists, Cuba is safer than most, if not all, Latin American destinations (being a dictatorship dependent on income from tourism unfortunately helps in this respect). However, Cuba is so poor and so many goods we take for granted are missing that tourists will regularly be approached by locals trying to exploit them in one way or another; there is even a local slang word for it: “jinetero” (look it up). It can vary from redirecting tourists to shops or bars or restaurants who’d then give some commission to the jinetero, to arranging for prostitutes or other dodgier services. As a couple, we’d always be approached by couples of jineteros (one male + 1 female, presumably to come across as less intimidating) offering us relatively innocuous services, things like come to my mate’s bar, or let me guide you around the city etc. Groups of male tourists would be approached by female jinetereas, and viceversa. I didn’t overhear those conversations but I can easily guess… You can’t really blame the locals for trying, but it can get very annoying after a while. If you have ever read Yoani Sanchez, she does talk about how local jineteros try to approach her (she’s of Spanish descent and looks ‘whiter’ than most Cubans) and how surprised they are when she replies in the local slang with a very Cuban accent.

If we had rented a car and driven ourselves, we would have probably got lost and have had to ask for directions to people acting as jineteros.

Also, I don’t know if it’s changed now, but 6-7 years ago GPS was illegal in the country, so there were no maps for Cuba. The signs and the roads, well, you can imagine the conditions. I’m all for DIY road trips in the Western World, not so much in places like Cuba.

Having said that, these things are of course subjective. A couple of friends rented a car in Cuba and loved it – I know we wouldn’t have. So I don’t mean to put you off, just to share my experience so you can make a more informed decision.

We found Havana extremely interesting but quite upsetting because the extreme poverty was so obvious.

We used map.me GPS app and didn't get lost once.myou don't need wifi or signal as it works offline. Essential and excellent. We are also pretty good at working out the roads with good maps.

. We did get flagged down with supposed disasters ahead. We didn't let anyone advise or get in the car. having been well and truly 'had' in China many years ago, I'm a bit harder now

It never felt dangerous unlike japan where I thought I was going to die, or Spain where I was held down and mugged You realistically have to be aware people understandably are on the make.

Hi I've twice to Cuba and got married there.

It is a amazing country - unlike others here we did the 5Star AI but we did explore as well.

We stayed in Holguin so as someone has said it's the opposite end to Havana and they had stopped the flights to Havana at the time so unless you want to do a very very long drive it wasn't possible.

Cuba is not a developed country so you do need to be prepared for that, there's no shopping malls, or strips of bars/restaurants you would see in other places. My Dad forgot his dress shirt for the wedding ( don't get me started) and we ended up borrowing a shirt from our rep as there are no shops. People are very poor but the nicest you will ever meet.

Our hotel was amazing, and unusal for Cuba food was great, tons of choice, we had 6 al carte resturntants, 24 hour food/drink, tons of activites etc. Yes the food in cuba can be limited, everything is imported so you wouldn't see 'normal' brands, but there is always something to eat. Personally we did not tip every person we met, you don't need too, it's a personal choice. We did, as others tend to do, leave clothing, medication etc as these are things they struggle to get.

5 star there is not like 5 star in mexico etc and that is reflective in the price. You'll pay double in Mexico for 5 star.

Personally I love Cuba and found it a relaxing & beautiful place. Make sure you leave your hotel, we did some village tours, dolphins, horse riding, fishing, boat trip etc and they were amazing. Enjoy

@eightytwenty sorry just seen this thread again. Our trip was £10k plus spending of probably £1,500.

We also stayed in casas particulares mostly although also nice hotels in Havana at the end and in Las Terrazzas. We had private transfers everywhere apart from Cayo Santa Maria to Havana. We would have spent the extra for a private transfer for that too if we had known what the bus would be like!

5 ain’t in Cuba is like a 3 everywhere else.