Hi, taking your suggestion I've booked us into the Superclub Breezes Jibacoa for a week next month - the reviews are excellent on TripAdvisor and 'debbie'.

My question is what sort of small gifts would be most well received by our room maid, taxi driver for the day etc.? I mean besides cash tips - I understand some items are hard for the locals to come by and would like to bring some down.

We stayed at the Jibacoa 2 years ago. It is a beautiful resort and the food was amazing. It is about 1 1/2 hrs to Havana so that is why we stayed there. It is not too close to any town that you can shop in. Take the scooter tour from the hotel, if they still offer it. It was a blast and you go see some of the countyside and the nearest town and stop. The guides were great and it is alot of fun. You have to be careful what you bring now from what I understand. They have cracked down on stuff and look at your things to see if you can use "makeup, lotions" etc. in the time frame that you are staying. That is what I read a while ago. Anyhow we went to the "dollar store" and bought alot of coloured pencils, pads of paper, post-it lined pads, glitter pens, hair clips, pony tail stuff and all sorts of stuff for kids. We left a note for the maid in spanish asking her if she had kids and she did so we left stuff each day...same with one of our waitresses. We also brought hand lotions, body lotions for the maids. Most don't wear pantyhose so don't buy that. Also makeup, eyeshadow and stuff like that. Hope this helps. We also left money to as they like that. Have a great time!

Hi, thanks for your response - another question please - did you take any trips to Havana? And if so did you go alone by bus or rent a taxi - or an arranged tour through the resort?

Hi there,

We booked the tour right at the hotel and it was great. I can't remember the price but it was worth it. When in Cuba you have to go to Havana. It must have been beautiful at one time. It is very interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed it. You get alot of "the glorious revolution" stories but it is interesting if you get a good guide that knows his stuff. If you have anymore questions, just ask. Have fun!

Hola lucyp. Congrats on booking your trip. I know you'll enjoy it. I don't get back down until next February... still 3 long months away.

I always take things that I know are hard to get for the average Cuba. Bottles of Tylenol, Bars of Soap and as a treat I've always found boxes of "After Eight" dinner mints are a real special treat. A general mixture of practical plus treat items.

As to Havana, if it's your first time there it's nice to have a guided tour so you start to get a feel for the place. You can also ask at the resort to get a cab/driver for the day and go it alone with the driver. You'll see more that way, but also depend a bit on the luck of the draw as to how good the cab driver is. Some are excellent guides, some not so good. But it's always an adventure.

See this thread I wrote on what to see/do in Havana for a single day.

http://debbiesreviews.proboards88.co...ead=1167447147

Gives you some starting ideas at least.

Have a great trip, relax and enjoy the experience.

Steve

Hi, my thanks to both of you. I appreciate the suggestions for small gifts to tip with along with money of course.

My concern really is not to offend anyone with useless stuff when there are items they could happily make good use of.