you're correct, hartsj9~ This poster has an axe to grind for some reason about Cuba. They only post negative things. And don't participate in these forums for any other reason. Also this thread is from back in March of this year.

hartsj9 - on a more positive note can you share your experiences of Cuba - I am wanting to go but where do I start?

stevelyon - Virgin fly twice a week from Gatwick, flights are mostly full year round. You get your visa with your travel docs (if you book thru a tour operator), it's a document validated by the Cuban Embassy and costs very little. They also sell them at Gatwick at the Virgin Holidays desk and you complete the form whilst on the flight and hand it in at immigration.

You can combine Havana with other resorts or cities. Or go from Wednesday to Sunday as a short break to Havana. Stay near or in the old part of Havana. It's like any other city holiday with some differences, we took cash in GBP & EUR and no US issued credit cards - apart from that nothing special. We booked independently but did arrange transfers from the airport to hotel and from Havana to Varadero and back to Havana airport. Apart from that we did our own thing - took a taxi to various parts of Havana for sightseeing or to restaurants in Miramar. People are educated, alot speak English and other languages, nicely dressed, friendly, food is OK.

The response to Cuba is in your head. if you want to go to a beach destination and chill, then go to the Bahamas. If you want to go to an island that is almost lost in time--the people, the architecture, the "feel", then Cuba cannot be best. I was there a few years ago and am planning on returning next February. I LOVED Cuba--every minute of it. The food is horrible (with the one exception of "La Guarida" paladar) and the electricity is spotty at best, but there is an internal electricity of Cuba that can't be beat. I'm an amatuer photographer and it doesn't get any better than Cuba.

Go before the US embargo is lifted. Who cares is the "service" is not perfect. This is Cuba.

stevlyon- sure i can (I will never forget this trip since I was married in Cuba while we were there)

Resort: we booked the Blau Varadero all inclusive for the week. GORGEOUS newer hotel (2005 i think). service was so so. Food wasnt that great (2 couples with us had been to cuba before and they said the resorts they stayed at before were better so maybe it was a bad week?)

Beaches: Cuban beaches are BEAUTIFUL. hands down beats Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican. The water can be a little rougher than other Caribbean islands but usually still "swimmable"

Service: Compared to other Caribbean countries we have been to we found Cuban service to be the "worst" although it wasnt terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Although they are definately on Cuban time haha and things take a little longer to get done but your on vacation so its not a big deal.

Stuff to do: HAVANA!!! Havana was amazing. All the history and old buildings were increnible! (I love history!!) We did a guided tour that gave us lunch and a bit of free time. The tour itself wasnt great since there were about 35 of us and if you were at the back you couldnt hear anything. Lunch was good although I cannot remember what it was but it definately wasnt something you would get at home haha. The bus ride from varadero to havana was nice as well as we got to see a lot of the countryside which was beautiful and we drove through Matanzas (i think thats how its spelt)..although i would have like to stopped there.
WE also took a cab ride into Varadero to visit a market. The markets have the normal "souvenirs" you find in the caribbean although we did notice that they dont like to barter as much here (havana was worse) as they do in other countries. While you are here I recommend a Coco Taxi ride. They are so little roud "taxis"..there just so cute.

My only recommendation for cuba is to double check your money after its been exchanged. They have a nasty habit of shorting you money. Everyone on our trip experienced this at least one with the biggest difference being $20.00. Oh and also exchange all your money BEFORE going to the airport to depart (except your departure tax of course). The exchange rate at the airport is TERRIBLE!

Thanks hartsj9.
Any particular beach resort - maybe close to Havanna? Is Cuba a safe place to walk around - my partner gets very nervous, I don't(I don't know which is worse)? Thanks for your help.

Havana is safer to walk around than alot of towns in other Caribbean islands. Walked around at night, took street taxis, went to clubs, restaurants. Am sure you can get ripped off esp as mentioned with exchanging money but an unsafe place - no I didn't get that vibe at all. Of course crime can happen anywhere and I would still be careful.

Jibacoa is closer to Havana than Varadero which is about 2.5 hrs away. There is a Breezes hotel there, AI.

We only went the one time (we tend to only visit a county once as there is so much in the world to see ) and it was outside of varadero which as Odin posted is a dsitance from Havana so I cant advise there.

As for safety, we never had any probems being out in the cities by ourselves. a few of us even went to a club at night and had no issues. I would agree with everything Odin said about it in the post above.

Holy buckets!
I have not seen a post so negative. This is supposed to be about positive experiences. If there is nothing nice to say-just don't say it. Holy crap. At least you got to go there. There are many of us who can't afford to go anywhere right now.

"This is supposed to be about positive experiences. If there is nothing nice to say-just don't say it"

What!?!

Weird thread!

I cannot travel there, but I am very curious of it as are a lot of Americans. I have traveled a lot in the Caribbean and hope to be able to go to Cuba some day.

Anguillagirl - what a PollyAnna thing to say!!

<<This is supposed to be about positive experiences. If there is nothing nice to say-just don't say it.>>

Huh?

I like a fair and balanced reporting of an experience.

I think the OP had not traveled much in the Caribbean. Many AI travelers would report the same thing he did.

In my experience, the "star" ratings in the Caribbean run a level higher than US standards.

<<This is supposed to be about positive experiences. If there is nothing nice to say-just don't say it.>>

I would not participte in a forum where honesty is not encouraged. We're not here to write sugar-coated trip reports. It's perfectly OK to report anything you didn't like about your trip.

However I believe it would be good if the OP would think back to the positive experiences the trip, mainly for the OP's sake. Surely there is somthing that s/he enjoyed about this trip.

OP has every right to be honest about his/her experiences anywhere. However, suffice it to say that our experience in 2003 was nothing of the sort. We enjoyed every minute of our ten days in Havana and vicinity. Besides, we got in on a "humanitarian" basis. Wife and I were loaded with about 40 pounds of medicines for the beleagured 1,500-person Jewish Community. We visited two sinagogas and were treated regally by everyone therein..as well as any Cubanos we met in the course of walking all over the city. We stayed in Old Habana at a former tobacco-growers hotel..and found it to be very clean and comfortable (Conde Villaneuva). Got to see the Buena Vista musicians perform at the venerable Hotel Nacional ($20 for two tix). The grateful congregation at the main sinagoga in town hosted a "thank you" luncheon for the two of us which was very touching and teary. A friend at the sinagog took us in his '56 Olds to see the Hemingway home in the suburbs, took a taxi to one of the gorgeous closer beaches to the east of the city, I took a taxi to a pro baseball game ($2)which I loved, while wife went to a lovely ballet performance at the Opera House. We ate in numerous "home" restos (paladares)and never had what I would consider a "bad" meal. All very reasonable. Tried Guarida mentioned by "Boston Hah-ba" above and also found it to be excellent. The architecture is remarkable and in most cases in ill-repair, but Old Habana (Viejo Habana) is in the process of a beautiful restoration. Saw some fantastic mural work all over town. But, "to each his own"....I would go back, but I have a few more priority places to visit while I still can, so I may not make it..gracias, Cubanos!

stu tower (for pix, write to me at [email protected])

Today is Monday, March 28, 2011, I just came to this thread. Too bad that it was so negative! Apparently the traveler was not accustomed to ADAPTING and taking things as they are and making each experience "an adventure unto itself!"

I went with 8 Americans back in the early 90s. We stayed at the now defunct Hotel Lilbre which was a few steps from that park that had a place that served the "best" ice cream that I'd ever eaten prior to my Buenos Aires (recent experiences). Our guide was a black Cubana, personable and I'd presume somewhat knowledgeable but also evasive as well. I was disappointed with her but gave her a gift at the end. <Also left lots of practical goodies behind for our maids--toilet paper, tissues, stuff that I can't remember but took along purposely for this.>

We took tours with our guide, but after they were over, we were on our own. We ventured on our own--going to museums and to the bar where Hemingway frequented. We did not shop very much because we found few places that carried anything that we desired. I did my shopping at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, ate lunch there on 3 occasions, too, went to a couple of restaurants and had a wonderful time, and the other male and I went to a concert featuring Cuba's top male singer at the time.

We'd arrived about a half hour prior to the event. The huge auditorium was empty but filled minutes before the concert was to begin. Afterwards, we waited almost three hours before any type of bus arrrived, so we took off walking back via the route of the beach. Luckily, after a while, we came to a motel type of lodging where there was a taxi, and Steve and I took it back to our hotel which was a long way from the concert hall.

Neither of us freaked; we just took this adventure in stride and went with it!

As a group we did much more than I cited, and I, personally, liked my journey there (to Cuba) and do plan to return, for it has changed during the time we (8 educators) were there!!!!

I have no sympathy. Canadians flock to Cuba because it is a cheap (relative term) winter getaway. Yes, it's cheap for a reason!

Been a bunch it is great out of the AI resorts

which are too touristy for me.

do not think OP ventures out too much

Just 2 extremely negative posts

I love Cuba www.cubajets.com easy to get to cheap pretty

beaches safer than a lot of places for adventurists

who like that type of travel.

Kind of like getting into a wayback machine and experiencing

the fifties in the Caribbean in many areas for me.

I will return frquently and buy/invest with regime change.

Best budding real estate ops in the Carib area for me.