Anybody been to Cuba?

[*-SARIN-*]

So Cuba is on my hit list for early next year and i was wondering if anyone has been there?  It was a toss up between there and Bali as i love Asia but feel that i really should try a different part of the world, especially before it gets ruined by America.  I'd love to spend the whole time in Havana but with the missus in tow i think that i will get less aggro if i go to Varadero and then just spend a few days in Havana.  So, any hints or tips, where did you go, why is it so hard to get a flight to Varadero when it is listed as a main airport on the island?

[BrenD]

I spent a fortnight out there a few years ago and loved every second of it. I stayed in a hotel in the middle of nowhere (jibacoa?) and didn't get to spend as much time in Havana as I'd have liked, but it's a stunning city. If I had the pennies, a nice tax rebate payed for most of my trip, I'd go again in a heartbeat to explore Havana a bit more.

The Cubans obviously know a thing or two about cigars and rum and the hotel I stayed in sold incredibly cheap bottles of Havana Club (£3 for 700ml of the cheapest stuff!) and very reasonably priced cigars, so I probably shortened my life a little bit, but it was well worth it

Alas it'll be a little more touristy by the time I make it back there, but at least I'll be able to count on their produce

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[Deleted]

We went for 2 weeks in 2001 and again in 2002 we organised it ourselves and had a rental car each time, but I expect it has changed considerably since then.

We avoided Varadero but if all inclusive hols with miles of white sand and organised activities is what your after then it hits the spot but you won't see Cuba or how the Cubans really live

The first time we flew to Havana and stayed  3 nights in Habana Vieja. The second time we spent longer there. Plenty to see and do mostly all walkable. Cigar factories, museums and just walking around soaking up the atmosphere, listening to the music which is everywhere. The Cubans are lovely people and very friendly, a quick 'no thanks' with a smile when being hassled to buy black market cigars or begging money for babies milk is normally met with a polite 'sorry sir.' Although poor there was very little begging but the milk scam is just to raise money, not for a poor starving baby. You can get genuine cigars easily and cheaply if you get to know some locals when out eating.

It's worth driving west, we stayed at Vinales in the tobacco growing area. Take time to stop and visit a farm with it's drying house and buy a cigar or two from the guy sitting in the shade rolling them. The Vinales valley with it's 'mogotes' or pin cushion hills is really beautiful.

We drove down the island to Trinidad, It's a lovely Spanish colonial town that's better preserved than most and worth a visit. It has cobbled streets and the surrounding valleys are the sugar plantations.
We visited Camaguey, Holguin and Santiago de Cuba. Santiago de Cuba has some old palaces, museums and monuments. It's lively with lots of music and dance but it's the only place I didn't feel quite at ease.

We spent a few nights is a posh all inclusive hotel at Guardalavaca, after eating rice, beans and fried pork or chicken for nearly 2weeks I felt guilty when we had 4 restaurants to choose from with one serving food 24hrs. It was great to relax by the pool, have a giant bed and be waited on hand an foot, but it wasn't Cuba. The entertainment in the evening was superb, the Cubans know how to make music and dance.

A flight back from Holguin to Havana on Cubana airlines was frightening. An old Russian turboprop with bald tyres shook and rattled, I had my fingers crossed throughout the flight.

I'm not sure about now but when went there were three currencies, Cuban peso, convertible peso and dollar. The last two had the same value and most tourists find that is all they spend. We changed Dollars to Cuban peso and tried to go to places that dealt in them, we felt it more authentic and much cheaper than going to dollar places and the tourist trap.

Cuba isn't the place to go for fine cuisine, Eating can be a problem unless your on a tour and it's in the package. Apart form coffee bars, outdoor markets and ice cream stands there not much in the way of snack food. We avoided state run restaurants where the service was slow, food served cold and over a long period. We did get one good meal a day though by using paladares, privately run restaurants in peoples homes, usually the front room. The government restrict them as to the number of seats so limiting the competition to state run ones, They couldn't sell beef because all cattle are government owned. Rice, beans, fried meat and a beer was cheap, but meeting, talking to and seeing how the Cubans live was what I liked.

I expect I've missed lots of places out but it was all fantastic and as a holiday experience it was second to none. I'd really love to go back

Remember, it was a while ago and things may have totally changed, maybe someone whose been more recently come in with some more up to date info 

[*-SARIN-*]

Thanks for your input guys. Varadero wouldn't be my ideal choice to spend the whole 2 weeks but you know what the wives are like, sunbathing and tanning etc. I'd like to see some of the real Cuba and i'm definitely gonna drag the ball and chain out of the resort for a while.