Where to go? Cuba or Dominica?
 

Which one do you prefer and why?

Cuba for sure. We went to Havanna and Veradero Beach. In Veradero, we stayed at a very nice all-inclusive. The country is beautiful, but in disrepair at the same time. It was a great experience and would certainly recommend it.. DR is nice too, but Cuba is more interesting.

i haven't been on either island, but personally would choose to visit cuba based on the fact that you apparently can travel there legally now. (as US citizen, i can't) i think before too much longer the US will lift travel restrictions and then the island will change dramatically.
cuba is huge and busy with wonderful beaches in addition to the history and culture. domninica is tiny, lush with only a few small beaches.
however, you've not said what you are looking for in a vacation. how do you want to spend your time? budget? place to stay - resort, b & b, villa? dominica is a bit more difficult to get to - is that an issue for you? if you like dominica perhaps you'd consider spending some of your vacation time on barbados, guadaloupe, martinique - gateway airports for dominica..
tell us more so we can give you more useful advice.

If you want to discover a country, you should go to Cuba. It´s wounderful and intresting there. If you want only a holiday at the baech, perhaps Dominica could be a better choice.

I think people are getting confused between Dominica (very much a country with its own culture to explore) and the Dominican Republic (also a country with a rich culture and history, but more known for mega beach resorts where you might not get to see much culture of the island.

Dominica is wonderful for eco-tourism, scuba diving, hiking, swimming in natural thermal pools, birding, whale watching, and just seeing natural beauty everywhere. It doesn't have white sand beaches or big resorts. Instead, there are small hotels, eco lodges, and cottages for rent in the mountains and the towns. The people are friendly and the produce is wonderful.

Trip to Cuba - is it easy to access Havana from Varadero? Does anyone have recommendations re: going to see some live Cuban Jazz acts in Havana? Where should we go? What else is good to see in Havana? How much time should we allow? Thanks!!!

Ok, what to do and see in Havana. Check out these links, one a tour suggestion (self-guided) and the other a photo slideshow of some of my images.

Touring Havana Itinarary
http://www.7daysinparadise.com/smf/i...p?topic=6052.0

Cuba Images Slideshow (Havana, Vinales & General)
http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y55...view=slideshow

As to a good jazz club in Havana, IMHO the best place is at La Zorra El Cuervo, a nice intimate club on Calle 23 (la Rampa). It's pretty hard to miss with it's quirky British callbox entrance.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55...raElCuervo.jpg

Another jazz venue is the Jazz Cafe, located in the Galeria Paseo at the corner of Paseo and the Malecon.

But there is also great music at so many venues, especially in Vieja (Old Havana) where a walk along Calle Obispo will find many bars and cafes each with it's own "bar band" that are very good. It's so great to stop, have a cold beer and listen for a while, then mosey down the street to the next location and listen to someone else... with another beer of course.
Ahhhhhhh...... can't wait to get back again.

salud
Steve

steve, your photos are spectacular. 206 & 208 are amoung my favorites. i had no idea any place in cuba looked like that.

Why go to Cuba now when the US is still not allowing "open travel" except for those who have immediate family there. It istill is a communist regime that imorisins their people for anti-goverment vocal rallies if they attract a nuner of people.
Dominica, St.Lucia, Barbados have lovely flora and fauna and Us tourists are qyute welcome,

Cubans are incredibly friendly Stan.....
Could US citizens visit the former USSR? Can you now visit China??????

Wow Stan you must be passionate about this, so much so that your fingers flew ahead of your brain. :D.
Hi Fathie. I have read that when the day comes for no more US travel restrictions to Cuba the huge influx of US tourists will pose a big problem to their already stretched infrastructure. I would like to go and of course as a US citizen I can go now though it's a risk I prefer not to take. I'd would wait for some time after the ban is lifted to let them get their infrastructure in order. If you chose not to visit a country for disagreement about politics you would eliminate half the world I suppose. You can disagree about policies and and governmental practices but lets not forget that most of us here on this board are passionate travelers, not politicians. All of us have had our lives enriched by what we have seen in the travels we have made.