Davidmc

Hi there,<BR>I am thinking of planning a trip for 2 to Cuba in October to November ( hopefully avoiding the hurricanes ) this year. I would like to spend a week in an all inclusive beach resort followed by a few days in Havana. How do you arrange such a trip. Are there packages available or do you have to do it all yourself<BR><BR>My initial attempts to get a flight there were about &pound;550+ per person and involved a night in Kingston at each end, which severly limits my time in Cuba.<BR><BR>Are there any direct flights outside of some dodgy Cuban airline, or do you have to go on a charter flight to go direct?<BR><BR>Also , how do you move about the island to get from the beach resort to Havana, if its not easy or particularly safe to hire a car? Is there a safe and comfortable way of bussing across the island by bus or ferry?<BR><BR>Any comments on any of the above questions , or reccomendation on hotels and resorts will be very gratefully received.<BR>Dave<BR><BR>

alys

check out www.sancristobal.com!! a travel agency out of canada that specializes in only Cuba.

alys

Check out www.sancristobaltravel.com, a travel agency out of Canada that specializes in only Cuba.

dave

Alys,<BR><BR>Thanks for your info but this company doesnt do any packages from the UK, and its not really worth my while flying to the Bahamas or Canada first.<BR><BR>Surely someone from the UK has been to Cuba????

hkb

Hi<BR><BR>I went from the UK to Cuba 4 years ago, but I went to a place called Guardalavaca. From what I've heard of the beach resorts, its not really like the real Cuba,so you should be ok, As for Havana, its a pretty dodgy place and unless you are a seasoned traveller I wouldn't go.<BR>Cuba is a very poor country, the people have little food or money and there isn't a lot to do or buy once you get there. Also the ratings of hotels aren't the same-4 star over there is more like 1 star here.<BR>I wouldn't go back myself, a lot of us got food poisoning and had to be hospitalised when we got back (they didn't have the right medication to treat us abroad!),plus safety standards are awful, but if you want an experience,then maybe its the place for you. All inclusive is how I went too,but we actually got worse service than those paying,because they all left tips.

kate

Wow hkb, maybe you should go to the Costas next time, the fish and chips may suit you better.<BR><BR>Actually a good 4 star all-inclusive IS 4 star standard.<BR><BR>The Holiday Place is a company based in Wst Hampstead, London, that specialises in Cuba and can arrange a dual-centre package of beach and Havana for you. They have a website - do a search for it.<BR><BR>If you want beach, avoid Varadero (the Benidorm of Cuba). Always go for at least 4 star accomodation, and go with an open mind - Cuba is an amazing, culturally rich, friendly tropical island which will only disappoint if you're expecting Antigua for half the price (actually I'd much rather go to Cuba - if only for the Mojitos and the Music).

carolred

http://www.cuba-holidays4less.co.uk/

t

t

louisa

Try Hayes and Jarvis.<BR>I went from the UK for a week in Feb 2000 - very reasonable in price and variable in luxury.<BR>A wonderful week - but it would have been a better experience done more slowly (but I cant take the amount of holiday time I would ideally like !!!)<BR>Go for it.<BR><BR>

John

&pound;550 sounds a lot. You should be able to get there for under &pound;500. Air Cubana is OK internationally and flies direct from Gatwick but if you want more comfort you can fly Iberia. I think AlItalia or Swiss may fly there too. There are regular flights from Spain though on other airlines as well as charter flights.<BR><BR>You can take a taxi - just hire the driver for a day or three days. The average wage in Cuba is very low so this is quite feasible even if you are on a budget. It is easy and safe to drive in Cuba (excluding Havana although it is not too bad) - you can hire a car in most five star hotels. The problem is the signposting which is non existant. Try Journey Latin America in London for more info and package tours.

Wendy

Kate,<BR><BR>You have mentioned before that you don't care for Veradero but never say specifically why? Most of the resorts are hear and everyone I have heard says it's wonderful. I'm interested in you take.

John

Perhaps it is because it is the Benidorm of Cuba, like she said. Most Cubans aren't even allowed into Varadero as there is a police road block keeping them out and separated from the foreigners. Also, all the hotels are full of young Cuban prostitutes being used by Italians and Spanish who are in Cuba on sex holidays.<BR><BR>Why travel all the way to Cuba if you are going to stay in an all inclusive resort where there are no Cubans other than a few wealthy ones and a loads of prostitutes? Surely the attraction of Cuba is to see how communism works there and to interact with Cubans. If you just want the beach I would go elsewhere as the food in Cuba is pretty horrible and your over priced package will just help support the regime there whilst not educating you.

J

We are Flying to Havana in December with Air France from Heathrow via Paris, only a 2 hour wait for connection. Cost was &pound;620 but that was flying over xmas, so you will probably get it cheaper off peak.