Cuba - 2 weeks alone in May

ancapailldorcha

Hi all,

Was wondering if I could request some advice. A friend of mine holidayed in Cuba last year and said he really enjoyed it. He recommended seeing the place while it's still... "unique".

I was looking at heading over, maybe in May for a fortnight or so. Maybe 12-13 days. I was looking at visiting Havana, Santa Clara, Trinidad, Vinales & perhaps Varadero for some relaxation.

The visa doesn't look too bad. Seems to be a form that gets sent in though there appear to be a lot of companies doing it as well. Flights from London seem a tad on the sparse side though.

I am a bit anxious about travelling alone but I'm at the age where people are settling down, getting married and the like so it's solo or not at all.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions, they'd be very much appreciated.

adrian522

Advice on anything in particular? I'd say just do it. I went by myself a few years ago and loved it, so don't let that aspect put you off. I'd skip varadero to be honest. If you can make it down to Santiago and/or Baracoa I'd do that. I't's a big place so I ended up travelling by bus mainly but got a flight back to Havana at the end to save time.

Accommodation wise I recommend staying in ' casas particulares' which are essentially rooms in a family home. The quality can vary but usually pretty good. I prebooked one in Havana and then got a recommendation for one in the next town I was going to and so on. They'd usually meet you off the bus when you arrive.

Not sure what else you are interested in but loads of good music obviously and good day trips/beaches etc.

I flew Dub-toronto-Havana which was cheap enough at the time. Feel free to fire me any questions!

ancapailldorcha

Thanks Adrian.

Fairly sure I want to do it. Seems to be safer than I would have thought a country like that to be which is nice. Might just be a bit nervous as I've never travelled solo.

I like my history, museums and the like. I don't drive but that might be for the best in a country like Cuba. Kinda fancied Varadero as I've never done the touristy beach thing before but wouldn't want to miss anything better as there's always European beaches for that sort of carry on.

Was it hard to get around at all? There seems to be a bus company called Viazul but there seem to be very few journeys and they seem to take the best part of a day.

adrian522

Yeah, that's the government bus company and pretty much how I got around. There were a few long bus journeys that took most of a day which I guess means that you need to plan where you are going and try not to squeeze too much in.

The other option is to book yourself on a tour which will take a lot of the work out of it. For busy routes it's worthwhile booking your bus ticket the day before but I usually didn't bother doing that and was fine.

Loads and loads of museums in Cuba but a lot of the info is in Spanish. Still good though. History, i guess the main thing is the revolutionary war sites, Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs), Havana, Santiago and Santa Clara. Not a whole lot in Santa Clara other than the Guevarra memorial. Nice enough city though.

It's sometimes hard to imagine you are less than 100 Miles from Florida when you are there as it is a completely different place there. It's a great experience though and its something that should be done before it changes too much.

ancapailldorcha

adrian522 wrote: »

Yeah, that's the government bus company and pretty much how I got around. There were a few long bus journeys that took most of a day which I guess means that you need to plan where you are going and try not to squeeze too much in.

I see what you mean but a few more journeys would be nice.

adrian522 wrote: »

The other option is to book yourself on a tour which will take a lot of the work out of it. For busy routes it's worthwhile booking your bus ticket the day before but I usually didn't bother doing that and was fine.

Not too bothered about doing it myself. I don't know why but I'm not a huge fan of tours. When you say book the bus ticket the day before, do you mean online or at the station?

adrian522 wrote: »

Loads and loads of museums in Cuba but a lot of the info is in Spanish. Still good though. History, i guess the main thing is the revolutionary war sites, Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs), Havana, Santiago and Santa Clara. Not a whole lot in Santa Clara other than the Guevarra memorial. Nice enough city though.

Ahhh... I don't know if I'll be able to squeeze in Santiago but nice to know that I can just pop by Santa Clara for the memorial. Annoying about all the Spanish. I would have thought they'd want people to know their story. At least I can avoid my usual dithering about.

adrian522 wrote: »

It's sometimes hard to imagine you are less than 100 Miles from Florida when you are there as it is a completely different place there. It's a great experience though and its something that should be done before it changes too much.

This is the main reason why I want to go. My mate said it was like going back in time.

adrian522

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I see what you mean but a few more journeys would be nice.

Not too bothered about doing it myself. I don't know why but I'm not a huge fan of tours. When you say book the bus ticket the day before, do you mean online or at the station?

At the bus station, or else get your host family to call. As of 2015 Internet wasn't much of a thing. There might be 1 Wi-Fi area where you'd buy a card to give you 20 mins or whatever or else queue and go for an internet cafe but in the main doing things online isn't straightforward.

As I said not necessary all the time but on some of the main routes its worth dropping by the day before.

I agree about not getting on the tours, but for some people they can be good to meet up with people and ensure you hit all the main sites.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Ahhh... I don't know if I'll be able to squeeze in Santiago but nice to know that I can just pop by Santa Clara for the memorial. Annoying about all the Spanish. I would have thought they'd want people to know their story. At least I can avoid my usual dithering about.

I guess the bigger Museums and attractions have English also but there are loads of little small museums that might be one or 2 rooms that would be mainly just in Spanish. They certainly want people to know their story, or at least their version of it.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

This is the main reason why I want to go. My mate said it was like going back in time.

Absolutely, its a great place to visit. If you want to do some reading while you are there you could read the following, I found it very good,

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/445736.Trading_With_The_Enemy

Also there is the Motorcycle diaries if you haven't read it and also worth picking up Lonely Planet or something. Hard to find good English books out there (other than propaganda type stuff) so bring whatever you will need.

drunkmonkey

Don't forget a few cold ones in LA BODEGUITA DEL MEDIO in Havana, Smoke a Cohiba while lazing in the garden of the Hotel Nacional thinking of all the gangsters that have gone before you.
Do some snorkeling it's one place that's not over fished it's a great place to do it.
Can only speak about going out by myself in Havana, loved it, didn't feel unsafe at anytime found a local Cuban drinking buddy took me to all the offbeat bars and clubs, police are very careful of you if they see anything funny happening with locals they'll shoo them away straight away even if you want them to stay.
Car accidents are horrific when they happen, don't get in with any looneys the older the driver and the more well kept the old car is the better.
I didn't get to see much of the island bar a few days in Havana and 3 or 4 day trips, went down to valadero, loved it food was fantastic, beaches lovely, cocktails amazing, had a really good time.
Take a ride with the dolphins when you get a chance, great experience.

ancapailldorcha

adrian522 wrote: »

At the bus station, or else get your host family to call. As of 2015 Internet wasn't much of a thing. There might be 1 Wi-Fi area where you'd buy a card to give you 20 mins or whatever or else queue and go for an internet cafe but in the main doing things online isn't straightforward.

As I said not necessary all the time but on some of the main routes its worth dropping by the day before.

I agree about not getting on the tours, but for some people they can be good to meet up with people and ensure you hit all the main sites.

I'd be used to booking on the phone the day before and showing the driver but if the wifi is so rare (especially outside Havana) I can see what you mean. The casas can be booked online presumably....

adrian522 wrote: »

Absolutely, its a great place to visit. If you want to do some reading while you are there you could read the following, I found it very good,

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/445736.Trading_With_The_Enemy

Also there is the Motorcycle diaries if you haven't read it and also worth picking up Lonely Planet or something. Hard to find good English books out there (other than propaganda type stuff) so bring whatever you will need.

Cheers! I grabbed a Lonely Planet already. Might look up that book as well.

Did you have to bother with vaccinations at all? Was the visa an issue? I've seen a few sites offering them but I'd be unsure if they are legit.

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Don't forget a few cold ones in LA BODEGUITA DEL MEDIO in Havana, Smoke a Cohiba while lazing in the garden of the Hotel Nacional thinking of all the gangsters that have gone before you.
Do some snorkeling it's one place that's not over fished it's a great place to do it.
Can only speak about going out by myself in Havana, loved it, didn't feel unsafe at anytime found a local Cuban drinking buddy took me to all the offbeat bars and clubs, police are very careful of you if they see anything funny happening with locals they'll shoo them away straight away even if you want them to stay.
Car accidents are horrific when they happen, don't get in with any looneys the older the driver and the more well kept the old car is the better.
I didn't get to see much of the island bar a few days in Havana and 3 or 4 day trips, went down to valadero, loved it food was fantastic, beaches lovely, cocktails amazing, had a really good time.
Take a ride with the dolphins when you get a chance, great experience.

Never really been snorkelling or the like. Could be worth a go.

adrian522

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I'd be used to booking on the phone the day before and showing the driver but if the wifi is so rare (especially outside Havana) I can see what you mean. The casas can be booked online presumably....

They can yes. I just booked one in Havana and then got a recommendation from them for then ext place I was going. They called ahead and the person would be waiting at the bus station for you. Really unique experience. You usually get a huge breakfast (mainly fruit, eggs coffee whatever) and can have them cook dinner for you too if you like.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Cheers! I grabbed a Lonely Planet already. Might look up that book as well.

Did you have to bother with vaccinations at all? Was the visa an issue? I've seen a few sites offering them but I'd be unsure if they are legit.

Didn't bother with vaccinations, probably should have done though. I got the Visa card on the plance from Air Canada, probably not all airlines do this though.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Never really been snorkelling or the like. Could be worth a go.

Yeah, give it a go if you get a chance, there is great scuba diving though that is on a fairly remote part of the island.

ancapailldorcha

Thanks Adrian.

You didn't use taxis at all to get between cities? My friend mentioned that that's what he did. He said he went to hotels and asked them to book a communal taxi that he would share with other people as there seems to be only one bus a day.

Irish Gunner

Travelled to Cuba couple of years ago and well worth it to see before it goes South

I travelled alone but went with G adventures as was not really looking at arranging CASA and transport etc and you get to meet other people.

If going bring some nibbles for journeys and hope you like eggs as that is all they had in the CASA I have never seen so many different ways of cooking eggs as I have when over there

Dante Montoban

I am actually heading over to Cuba next Thursday (01/02) for 13 days solo.
My loose plan was to stay in Havana from the Thursday til the Monday, then look at getting the bus to Vinales for a few day and then going to Trinidad.
Have a few more ideas, so over the next few days this plan could change.
My brother and wife live in Miami and it is superbowl sunday on the 4th, it is very tempting to go to Miami for the sunday and Monday, eventhough I know I probably shouldn't.

adrian522

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Thanks Adrian.

You didn't use taxis at all to get between cities? My friend mentioned that that's what he did. He said he went to hotels and asked them to book a communal taxi that he would share with other people as there seems to be only one bus a day.

No, didnt really do that, i found the bus ok, but i did splash out on one internal flight to save days travel at the end.