Conference in Cuba in February
 

I plan to attend a professional conference in Cuba in mid-February. I may be solo or traveling with another woman. I speak adequate Spanish, though am not a native speaker. I am not intimidated traveling in a non-English environment and have traveled in rural Guatemala regularly, leading my own group.

Navigating flight arrangements is daunting. Looking for cheap flights. Canada? Charter from Miami? Cancun? Anyone have advice? I live in North Carolina. My conference is Tuesday to Friday.

Where should I stay? I prefer homestays if at all possible. I have done airbnb when necessary. I have simple needs. I camp with the Boy Scouts regularly, so am quite hardly to reasonable hardships. I am not looking for a great hotel experience.

Thanks in advance for your guidance and gentle kindness.

Is the conference in Havana?

As long as you and your traveling partner are both only attending the conference (no tourism, no arriving early or staying on after the conference), then you're eligible for charter flights. Google CHARTER FLIGHTS CUBA and you'll see some options. The flights could be on American, Delta, or Jet Blue, but you cannot book these directly with the airline. You have to go through the charter company. The flights tend to be expensive.

Can the conference organizers help you arrange lodging? Or are you totally on your own?

Cubans are allowed to rent rooms in their homes to visitors. There is no centralized listing of these, but a few of them can be arranged through airbnb.

Zedlanier - for our trip to Cuba on January we spent quite a long time researching "home stays" in Havana aka "casas particulares" and there are a huge number of them, starting at about CUC 30 up to CUC 60 or more per night. There are a number of places listing them, after quite a lot of research we ended up using Trip advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotels-...ba-Hotels.html

as you are then working directly with the casa owner rather than an agency that takes a % off the owner.

You have to decide which area of Habana to target - again after some research on lonely Planet etc we decided that the smarter Vedado area would be best for us, at least when we arrived - Centro is quite run down according to many accounts and Vieja is picturesque but can also be quite "edgy".

There is plenty of info on line - most of the main guide books have an on-line presence.

Good luck!

We stayed on the edge of Vieja Havana and for us it was the best area as it has alot of what we wanted to see within walking distance and we walked around at night too, but as you are not going for tourism it might not matter. Taxis are easy to get and plentiful and will take you somewhere and wait all night for you (like the old days in Russia). You'll find run down buildings all over but the interiors are usually a (good) surprise, again a bit like Russia.

When taking taxis, get the price before entering. Also, if the price seems way too high for you, try to get the driver to lower it.

When I was in Habana in March of 2015, I left the Hotel Presidente to go to the Nacional (National). Onward the fare was $5CUCs; on the return the man wanted $18CUCs; I quietly and quickly got him to charge me $12CUCs. It was after midnight, so the increase in fare might have been warranted. To this day I still question the disparity in charges, but in all cases, arrange the price in advance.

A dollar is equal to one CUC, the currency that all non Cubans use. (I also purchased Canadian dollars in advance and exchanged for CUCs. That way I did NOT have to pay that exorbitant per centage charged to dollars plus the exchange rate fee.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. We travel mid February and researched many flight and lodging options.

Those interested in flight information for US citizens:

US Citizens who meet one of the 12 categories for travel (yes, we are still not legally allowed to participate in tourism) can book charter flights. However, prices are not confirmed until close to the trip. I confirmed with cubatravel.com that flight prices would not be available until early January for February flights. Checked today and the prices and flights are still not posted online for my dates. One can reserve a seat by submitting forms, then wait and see how much it will be. After booking, you need to be at the airport 4 hours prior to travel when your seat assignment will be made. Doesn't sound too onerous until you notice that the daily flight from Miami to Havana normally departs at 8am. Check in is at 4am in Miami.

If you decide to go the charter flight route, I would highly suggest cubatravel.com. This is a live travel agency specializing in Cuba travel in Miami. Incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.

As I am traveling for business, I needed to lock in airfare at least 45 days in advance. I turned to non-charter options. I selected my flights on kayak. They were less than the probable charter flight with connection (less than $700 round trip including travel visa RDU to HAV).I could not book them online due to government restrictions.

Nash Travel in Canada was suggested by fellow RCL (Royal Canadian Legion) member. They were awesome. Told agent flights that I wanted and price. He found something a bit better and explained the customs procedures in Montreal. We will fly on American from RDU to Montreal. Then AirChina to Havana. Total time will be less than Miami option due to flight times. Leave in the morning...arrive by 8pm. We avoided overnight hassle in Miami.

Information on lodgings:

The conference location is in the Playa area of Havana. We reserved a casa particular that was highly rated on trip advisor and airbnb. It is $31 a night including breakfast for the two of us. Had to book on airbnb due to government restrictions again. Walking distance (20 minutes) or short cab to the conference.

Will update after trip. Any additional suggestions? Will negotiate cabs prior to entering. Thank you.

After your trip I'd appreciate your writing a detailed report and submitting it here for the use of future travelers. Have a wonderful trip. I love Cuba, especially Habana, but I yearn to return and to go all over and stay for at least a month.