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Cuba ??
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22-01-2013 3:38pm#1
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Myself and a pal organised a holiday for ourselves before last Christmas for two weeks.
I flew AF via Paris, we had two nights in Havana, three each in Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Vinales (so all on the northern end of the island), and the last four nights back in Havana. Didn't see a beach the entire time we were there
It was incredibly easy to organise independently - we just searched various websites and TripAdvisor for accomodation in each town, and then booked via email. I'd recommend casa particulares over hotels all the way - apart from our splurge on the Hotel Nacional for the last few nights in Havana, which I don't regret for a minute, but wouldn't do again - I'd do a casa particular in Havana if/when I go again. We stayed in a mixture of hotels and casas, and the casas were the best experience (if basic) by far. Hotels were very overpriced for what they offered.
My least favourite town was Cienfuegos, the rest were all absolutely gorgeous but in very different ways, so I couldn't rank them one above the other.
We bussed around the place on a very efficient public/tourist transport system that works very well. Each town we stayed in had one or a few tourist offices, from which we bought day excursions after we arrived - one better than the next.
It was an amazing place, I couldn't recommend it highly enough - especially seeing as recent announcements means it's likely to change dramatically in coming years - great for the Cubans, but that time-warp place will be gone soon I reckon.
If you've any other questions feel free to ask or PM me.0 -
Thanks guys never got around to it yet money, organising it managed a trip to Northern Spain and Nice but Cuba will be on the agenda sometime. Thanks for help and when I get a chance to go will be back with lots of questions
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Cuba is amazing, well worth a visit and my recommendation is to ignore all inclusives and go casa particulars all the way.....the people are so friendly and helpful, and the buses around Cuba are clean, efficient and probably the best way to travel on the roads. I wrote a big email to a friend with recommendations, including the casas we stayed in (I hope that's ok, hopefully they still have the same contact details). Here's most of it;
AIRPORT
Expect to take hours getting through customs on the way in, then queue for money at the exchange along with everyone else. I also remember an exit charge on the way home?
FOOD
Eat in the houses or the local little casa restaurants in the evenings. If you eat in your house, tell them a day or two in advance so they can get good food in and it's great, otherwise might not be fabulous. Get peso pizza or omelettes for lunch from the street stores. Most casas give breakfast; fresh fruit normally.
NECESSITIES
Bring toilet roll everywhere....!! Little ladies stand outside and expect a tip, they sometimes flush the toilet after you and give you toilet paper. Keep very small change on you for this at all times, 1cuc is too much!
DRINKING?
Don't bother buying tourist cocktails, get a bottle of rum and cans of coke for much cheaper
PINAR DEL RIO
Villa Blanca; gorgeous food, lady who lives with her sisters, lovely back garden with hammock etc and can help organise horseriding, salsa, whatever.
Pinar Del Rio is gorgeous, just wander round the town, and go horseriding out into the country (ask Blanca for Noel, but he doesn't speak English! he goes to a local tabacco farm and a cave which you can go swimming in)
TRINIDAD - my favourite part of our trip
Blas; this address is for his brothers house, but ask for Blas who has a small modern flat with a lovely roof terrace in the city centre. Or stay out with this guy, who has a lovely central patio; Zenia Cadalso Padilla, Camilo Cienfuegos no 265 e/Francisco Cadahia y Maceo, Trinidad (Ph 0141994834). Even if you stay with Blas, have dinner in the brothers house, he lays on a feast!
Trinidad; try the "La Ceba" restaurant, or a small place called "Santisima Trinidad" (San Jose no 259, Ciro Redondo e/Ruben M.Villena y Juan M.Marquez) - but see if you can find a hawker in the square before going into the Santisima who will offer you a deal!
You have to salsa when you get to Trinidad so take a few classes! Then go to the Casa de la musica which is up the steps near the main square - you can't miss it at night! I LOVED Trinidad, after the dancing try out La Cueva which is a massive cave turned into a nightclub!
Also go out to the waterfall which you can swim in (perfect cure for hangover - any taxi will know where you're talking about) and try the beach
CIENFUEGOS
Not much to see, nice town but you could almost do a day trip then move on! Nice out past the Malecon, would be nice to stay there. We took the public bus back from the Malecon to town, very cheap <1peso
HAVANA
Havana; Try Orestes Guesthouse - not great english but very easy going; Galiano 60 apto.31, 3er piso, e/San Lazaro y Trocadero, Ciudad Habana (galiano60.orestes@gmail.com). Right next to the Malecon and easy walk into town.
For a relaxing day spend the day at the pool at the Hotel Sevilla, expensive at 15cuc but you get that credit at the bar once you go in!
Wander round town, bargin with a taxi at the Hotel Ingleterra for a tour around town, go up to La Cabana on the other side of the water, and the Plaza del Revolucion (do this as part of a tour, don't spend all day going out to it yourself)
Have a cocktail in the Hotel Nacional de Cuba on a Fri/Sat night then join the locals sitting on the wall of the Malecon with a bottle of rum and some coke! (should only cost you about $8 max)
Spend time round the old town; some lovely squares, one at the bottom of O'Reilly street with a gorgeous old church, another close by that sells books. The rum museum is there too. The camera obscura is cheap but quite good, but not in english.
The museo de revolucion is also good, lots of reading but some interesting stuff about the CIA !!
We didn't go into the cigar factory as we went to a cigar maker in the country in Pinar del Rio instead, but lots of people outside trying to sell cheap cigars - don't know if they are real or not, but if you don't fancy going with a shady looking character, ask your house owner if they can get you some.
Try out Callejón de Hammel on Sundays, don't go with a hangover!
Dont bother going to the Floridita bar as it's known to be very expensive, try the Monserrat beside it instead, then wander down Obispo street for more bars (lluvia del oro and another open air one on the side of a small square....)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA
Find Raul Gonazalez Gonzalez, who is a guide; San Basilio No.113 Entre Padre Pico y Teniente Rey, Santiago de Cuba (Ph: 530152838188 or Ph 5322628771) - great english and speaks frankly about life in Cuba, brought us out to the Gran Piedra in the Sierra Maestra outside the city, stopping at some gardens and a few locals selling necklaces made from shells/nuts/seeds. He can also do a trip out to the Castillo del Moro (lovely, fresh air, big castle really), Basilica del Cobre (very nice, Raul is v.informative, wouldn't go there without a guide as it's just a church) and
Plaza de Revolucion is worth seeing, you'll arrive or leave from there if you're taking the bus anyway.
Casa de la Trova; small but bursting with atmosphere, people dancing out on the balcony and everything. Kinda scarier place to get up and dance than Trinidad!
Las Americas; nightclub a taxi ride away, open late, not very 'traditional' in a Cuban sense (more like an Irish nightclub!) but lots of Cubans there for a night out.
Museo del Carnaval puts on a show every day, worth seeing, they make you get up and dance!
The main square has the town hall, a hotel (pay to go up to the roof and have a drink, lovely views) and a church. If you hang round the church long enough the caretaker will let you in for a small tip...
Lonely planet recommends a restaurant that is a bit out of town which is frequented by old men and their young "girlfriends" - we went and weren't disappointed in the clientele!! Not great food though!
Stay with Santiago y Carmen, Calle Aguilera no.563 no.2, e/San Agustin y Barnada0 -
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