CUBA

[mydogspooeybum]

We're thinking of going to Cuba for 2 weeks in June 2024.

My first thoughts are Havana, then possibly Trinidad and then maybe 5 days or so at a beach resort.

I haven't extensively researched this yet and am not sure of the logistics of this and if it's doable!

I would really appreciate any recommendations or tips please

Thank you

No recent tips, but we pretty much did this holiday in 1996. Started in Havana, and travelled round the west coast through Pinar del Rio, Vinales, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and ended up at the beach at Ancon.

Despite having travelled to hundreds of places in the last 27 years since, it remains our best holiday ever. History, architecture, landscapes - it had it all!

Have fun!

Agree with above, I went to Havana early 2000's and it's a magical place, hard to des tune why but I loved it and really should go back.

not the point of the post but mosquitos in Cuba are horrendous

Cuba is in a bad way now. We had a fab holiday there in 2012, but some friends went this year and the hotels were serving up the same food day after day until it had grown mould. There was no bottled water for days on end and the aircon didn't work in most hotels. The sheets and towels were not changed and when they arrived at one hotel, they found the previous guest's towels and sheets still in situ as the power and water goes off so much that laundry doesn't get done. The people of Cuba are really struggling right now.

If you want to go to America on holiday after a holiday in Cuba you will need a visa (not the usual ESTA).

Look into casa particulares which are Cuban B and B. Wonderful way of sampling Cuban life. Stay in a hotel in Havana but elsewhere casa particulares.

Internal travel can be interesting, mostly by bus . I would be wary of hiring a car because of state of roads etc but taxis are not expensive although the road worthiness of some is more than a little suspect.

It is a great place to visit if you bear in mind the restrictions of the regime and sanctions and don't expect four stars the same same as the rest of the world. Go in a spirit of adventure.

The huge beach resorts are not Cuba and there is very little venturing in or out of most . I loved Baracoa which has beach but no resorts , but is quite far out to travel to.

This!

if you ever want to visit the USA or even change planes in the USA you will need a visa which takes months to acquire and works out horrendously expensive including being interviewed in London.

Having visited Cuba twice I would definitely say it is not worth it and, as a pp stated, the hotels are offering extremely poor standards at present.

Went years ago but god it was humid. Spent the last five days of our holiday playing monopoly in our room and watching Top Gun on repeat cos couldn't face going outdoors.

Or just get a new passport

As others said, don't go to Cuba if you've any intention of going to the US in the near future as US will not grant ESTAs for any passports with Cuban travel. You'll need to apply for a full US visa.

Huge issue here for many in the Cayman Islands who have family in CUba and US, as well as those who have been to Cuba in the last year and need medical assistance in US. Even if Cuba doesn't stamp your passport US immigration can still check prior movements if they want to (apparently).

@Theimpossiblegirl would that work with the chips that are now in passports?

I personally would not want to lie on the ESTA application.

I'm not sure, but read somewhere that is a way around it. It's such a problematic rule.

Wouldn’t go myself because of the US visa rule, but if you’re determined to go then I’d research if getting a new passport would work or not.

Cuba is amazing, Havana is just wonderful and so much to see and do. Yes the food can be odd at times but we talked to locals and had some great food. The beaches are beautiful but it is a poor country and this can be reflected in the food in the AI hotels. We went with young dc and we were very well treated. I would go again and Havana is on my all time favourite places I have visited.

Look at Casa Particular. We had an amazing holiday. We did a self drive, roads were mainly fine. Went 6 years ago.

The question asks whether you have visited those countries, not whether you have a passport stamp so you would need to lie on the form to get an ESTA even if you have changed passport. I’ve never felt comfortable being dishonest to get a US ESTA because of the potential consequences if found out no matter how unlikely.

A shame if things have gone downhill recently.

we went in 2009ish, did a one week tour with Explore worldwide (think they are still going) and then a few days r&r in a beach resort near Havana.

the tour was amazing, so enlightening. It’s a fascinating country though not that beautiful IMO. The beach resort we had fun but I was really shocked that it was full of obese Canadians who had come for all inclusive buffets- which it turned out were all flown in from Canada. All while the Cubans had almost nothing. People have so little there but were very friendly and welcoming. A little Spanish helps a lot. Roads are empty. I imagine hiring a car would be a good idea but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were fuel shortages etc

Must depend on the season. We went in winter and I don’t recall any.

Thanks for all your replies everyone.

I hadn't even considered the USA/visa implication, which really changes things as we have children who might get work placements abroad, so this limits them.

Thanks all

For those saying just get a new passport, you do realise that your travel movements are logged electronically and it’s not just a little stamp in your passport? Whether or not all countries have the technology to log it is a different matter, but your travel data is collected.

We went to Guardalavaca, think I've spelt it right about 15 yrs ago stunning fab holiday but the situation is different now economically and politically

We're heading to Cuba in November staying in plaza Vista Azul in Havana flying out with TUI for a week with my daughter

Yes this!
We went to Denmark recently and at border control upon arrival, the police officer scanned my passport and said “ah I can see this is your first time in Denmark, welcome”.

We went to Cuba back in 2014 and loved it, but we are unable to go back as a close family member has subsequently moved to the USA and we need to be able to visit. You can’t use the ESTA scheme to enter the US if you have visited Cuba since 2021.