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We've done it - we've bought our flights to Cuba. Now the planning begins!

We've done it - we've bought our flights to Cuba. Now the planning begins!

Old Apr 14th, 2015, 01:01 PM
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We've done it - we've bought our flights to Cuba. Now the planning begins!

Well, we've done it. Thank you Pres. Obama for galvanising us into action. [we want to get there before half of America does]. After lots of thinking and changes of minds over dates, we finally pressed the button. Return from LGW to Havana from 4th-25th Jan. We looked at other alternatives - BA, Air France and KLM, but in the end, Virgin was cheaper [£1100 each, prem economy] and better, particularly as we can fly from our local airport to LGW which will be very convenient.

so now - the planning begins. My present idea is this:

Day 1 - arrive Havana at 17.50. Stay in Havana for 4 nights.
Day 5 - Fly to Holguin. stay 3 nights, see city and surroundings.
Day 8 - bus/taxi /drive to Baracoa - stay 2 nights
Day 10 - bus/taxi/drive to Santiago - stay 3 nights
Day 13 - bus/train/drive to Camaguey - stay 2 nights
Day 15 - bus/train/drive to Trinidad - stay 3 nights
Day 18 - bus/train.drive to Cienfuegos - stay 2 nights
Day 20 - bus/taxi/drive to Havana or Vinales - stay 2 nights
Day 22 - fly home [flight is at 20.00 so we have a whole day either in Havana or getting back from Vinales. [about 2 hours to the airport].

I appreciate that there are few people on the forum who have had the opportunity to do a trip like this [though it looks as if that may be changing] but I still thought that i would like to consult you all. if no-one responds, I've not lost anything, and it's been helpful to write my ideas down to see how they work.

one of the main decisions we need to make is whether to hire a car or not. I've read various different views about this; mainly I'm worried about the prospect of being stuck in Cuba if we had an accident and the police wouldn't let us leave [not unheard of, I gather]. Also getting taxis and buses would mean mixing more with locals, though we might not be able to go exactly where we wanted to.

any thought/suggestions all gratefully received.

thanks!
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Old Apr 14th, 2015, 01:27 PM
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I have nothing to add, but I'm jealous. I have put it high on my list as well. I look forward to ta trip report!
Good luck in your planning...
Kim
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Old Apr 14th, 2015, 01:35 PM
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thanks, kim. part of my motive for starting this thread was to provide ideas for people here who are also thinking about a trip to Cuba, possibly in a few years time, so keep watching.
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Old Apr 14th, 2015, 02:57 PM
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Lucky you! So, has the US lifted the restrictions on traveling without a tour and allowing citizens to travel without restrictions? We have friends that went a couple of months ago and I thought she said they were required to go with an approved tour agent. Of course, things may have changed by now so I'm very curious.

I'm dying to go!
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Old Apr 14th, 2015, 03:00 PM
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Sorry, disregard my post above as I just saw you are not from the US.
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Old Apr 15th, 2015, 01:23 AM
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Beachgirl - it should be me who apologises. I thought that I had put all the relevant information in my opening paragraph but obviously i failed- sorry for missing out that salient fact.

to make it clear, so far as I know [and I'm not from the US so it's up to US citizens to make their own enquiries] the travel restrictions for americans travelling to the US have not been lifted. Everything that follows applies to non US citizens - Canadians, Brits [us] etc.
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Old Apr 15th, 2015, 10:01 AM
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Your itinerary sounds wonderful. We enjoyed eating in paladars. Check out VistaMar in Havana if you like seafood. Trinidad and Cienfuegos are beautiful small cities.
As far as US travel, credit cards are now allowed to be used in Cuba and Obama is removing Cuba from terrorism list. That will open up banking. However, a tour is still required for US citizens at outrageous prices.
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Old Apr 15th, 2015, 12:31 PM
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Thanks for the tips, HT. I think that C/Cards have been allowed for while [if you can find someone who'll take them] so long as they aren't american in origin. So VISA but no MasterCard or Amex.

Of more use would be ATMs - what I've read suggests that they are few and far between so it's necessary to take quite a lot of cash [not U$ unless you want to pay a hefty surcharge].

Trinidad and Cienfuegos are both on our list - it's just knowing how long to stay in each that is puzzling me but I'm sure that it'll come together eventually. And we are definitely planning to eat in paladars and stay in casas particulares, which i gather also serve food sometimes.

Of course what i really need to do now is to improve my very rudimentary spanish!
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 10:39 AM
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I can recommend Paladar Vistamar in Miramar, Havana. I loved the modernist house and infinity pool overlooking the sea as well as the food. Hosts spoke perfect English.

A friend of mine rented a car in Cuba,she said it was fine and quite fun. But she was flagged down by the police because they needed her to take someone to hospital. In a country where cars are not owned by everyone, this might happen, people do stand at the side of the road trying to flag you down for a lift somewhere.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 11:15 AM
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thanks for chiming in, Odin. I am gradually amassing a fund of information about Cuba, both from here and on other forums. Car hire is a subject which particularly controversial - some say it's fine, [and would even rent a car off a cuban resident informally which is way outside my comfort zone] while others wouldn't do it on any account.

We have come across the "hitch-hiking" culture before - on Crete many years ago we gave several lifts to locals and had a number of interesting conversations in mixtures of english, greek and german. At the time it didn't worry me at all; now I'm older I think that I would be more wary, but not if the police asked of course. Not much choice then!
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 12:28 PM
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Just back. I fell in love with Cuba.

Regarding credit cards:

As long as they are not U.S.-issued, you'll be fine. You do need to prepare yourself for those times when the system is down and the business is unable to process the transaction.

If the card is U.S.-issued ... MasterCard went live with U.S. cards March 1. Visa will not do so until June 1. There's a big caveat here: You need to check with the financial institution that issues your card to see if it has lifted the block. Many have not.

American Express and Discover are not yet set up for Cuba. They are working on it.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 12:29 PM
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Ann....three words...don't do it! Looking over your shoulder is no way to enjoy Cuba. And I've been told that Cuban prisons are not very charming. We were strictly on our own on a legal "Humanitarian" visit, having brought in two bags full of critical meds for the Jewish community of 1,500.

By the way, Ann, while in Havana, I can heartily recommend The Conde de Valenzuela in Old Habana ... a beautiful old planter's lodging...easy walking everywhere in town. Fine restaurant and excellent breakfast menu.
The desk will provide you with car (1952-1955) with driver for peanuts. You will have a fascinating trip.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 01:57 PM
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thanks Jeff. We have UK issued VISA cards so I think they should be fine, so long, of course, that we are using them at places that accept credit cards.

Tower - thanks for the tip about the car and driver. I'm surprised that that type of service is not more widely available [or perhaps it is, but just not advertised] as it is in places like Sri Lanka and India. I will research The Conde - sounds good.
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 02:12 PM
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My husband and son are going in a month!!! It is something I have wanted to do for a long time so maybe I will go with DH sometime soon.

I don't have any suggestions or thoughts for you yet, but when they return I will check back to this thread.

Enjoy your trip!
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 04:40 PM
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https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...LS5h4e86MvMIw#

Sorry Ann...I had the name wrong..I looked it up in my journal amd it's Conde de Villa Nueva. If you scroll down to the last four pix there it is. Rooms are enormous, fully marbled bath and walk in shower...first class all the way. The Planters in their heyday knew how to live! Hasta la vista! I'll find their web page and post it for you.

For your eventual TR, why not "Ann of Cornwall Conquers Cuba"

stu
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 05:06 PM
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Ann...here is the hotel...Conde de Villa Nueva in Old Habana


http://hotelcondedevillanueva.com/ho...-time-line.htm
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Old Apr 16th, 2015, 06:36 PM
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I was skittish about renting a car. Now that I've seen the lay of the land, I might do it on a future trip. Might ...

Traffic laws are quite strict and the transit police are everywhere. One little tidbit of Cuban traffic law: If you are driving, you cannot have had even a drop of alcohol. The maximum permitted blood-alcohol level is 0.0%.
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Old Apr 17th, 2015, 07:26 AM
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Brill- thanks Mariana.

would you mind posting your itinerary?

Tower - thanks for the link. I had actually already found it, but for our dates in Jan they want over £100/night b&b whereas the average casa particular is about U$ 35. is it worth 4x as much to stay there? it's quite a big difference for 4 nights.

Jeff - thanks for the tip about alcohol and driving. We generally like to stay in a place where we can walk to restaurants at night and not have to drive [and I'm not keen on driving at night in Cuba anyway, having read what I have abut the roads] but it's good to know that there won't be any drunk drivers running into us.
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Old Apr 18th, 2015, 04:16 PM
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Ann- We toured Casa Particular Meyer in Trinidad, very nice, and we couldn't believe what a bargain it was, two guest rooms I think, that opened onto the rear garden.
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Old Apr 18th, 2015, 07:43 PM
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no, Ann....not worth that difference...but my philosophy for travel is simply...if you pay, let's say $200 trip-total in your budget for a nicer hotel or a better restaurant...a few months after you get home you'll never feel the difference. Now as my overseas traveling days have drawn to a close, very happy I adopted this reasoning...lost two wives who loved to travel....extending this thought, never put off a trip, tomorrow may never come. I'm still an "upper" as an 86 year old solo. May do some USA travel even though I've been to 50 states.

You'll have a very interesting trip regardless, dear! Don't forget my suggestion for your TR title!
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