Cuba Reccomendations
Discussion
Hi All - I'm looking to book a trip to Cuba in November. Ideally i would like a hotel (all inclusive potentially) near ish Havana, with a few days at the end of the holiday in Havana itself before flying home. I am looking on line at various options but thought I would ask on here if anybody has any experiences or hotel recommendations that may help?
Thanks
Thanks
Havana 5 star hotels are pretty much like 3 star hotels in other parts of the world. I was there with some friends last May and we stayed on the 9th floor of the Melia Habana. This 9th floor has a private check in and concierge but the hotel itself including the 9th floor was pretty much holiday inn standards so don't expect much. Whilst out there we also went to look at rooms in:
Hotel Nacional De Cuba - old world charm - many movies filmed here etc but the hotel stinks of damp and is VERY period. The elevators are like goods lifts with hand pulled metal gates
Great atmosphere though.
Iberostar Parque Central - awesome location and rooms were pretty modern but very small
It really depends on what you are looking for. For the rustic Havana experience nothing will beat the Nacional but for a bit of luxury (not 5 star standards!) then you can't go wrong with Parque Central.
Saratoga is another boutique style hotel with a good location but again not very modern.
Google the above and see what you like. Hope this helps!
Hotel Nacional De Cuba - old world charm - many movies filmed here etc but the hotel stinks of damp and is VERY period. The elevators are like goods lifts with hand pulled metal gates
Great atmosphere though. Iberostar Parque Central - awesome location and rooms were pretty modern but very small
It really depends on what you are looking for. For the rustic Havana experience nothing will beat the Nacional but for a bit of luxury (not 5 star standards!) then you can't go wrong with Parque Central.
Saratoga is another boutique style hotel with a good location but again not very modern.
Google the above and see what you like. Hope this helps!
I stayed here a few years ago https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g117215...
About an hour from Havana. Easy day trip.
Was nice but nothing to do outside of the hotel really apart from a walk in the countryside.
I found Cuba to be like the cheap end of Spain, and that is how the thousands of Canadians who go there view it too.
Its OK but IMO the best bang for buck would be city break style in Havana (long way to go for it) or go south to the Trinidad area.
The north bit of Cuba was surprisingly cold in December. When it rained in Havana it felt like proper coat weather.
About an hour from Havana. Easy day trip.
Was nice but nothing to do outside of the hotel really apart from a walk in the countryside.
I found Cuba to be like the cheap end of Spain, and that is how the thousands of Canadians who go there view it too.
Its OK but IMO the best bang for buck would be city break style in Havana (long way to go for it) or go south to the Trinidad area.
The north bit of Cuba was surprisingly cold in December. When it rained in Havana it felt like proper coat weather.
We did this a few years ago.
3 nights in Havana - Hotel Sevilla, features in "Our Man in Havana" - Very 1940s and a bit basic (is that being polite) by modern standards, but it was part of the fun really
We all (me and two grown up - 16/21 - kids) loved Havana, it's a very cool town still, get there before the Americans ruin it...
Our main holiday was in the holiday resort of Varadero. It's all all-inclusive hotels and really nothing but a long strip of sand, but a very nice one. The beach was virtually empty as the Puerto Ricans seem to eschew it in favour of the pool area! Some of them reminded of Russians with their rudeness, especially to staff in the hotel. Maybe we were treated well because we were typically UK polite to people?
We stayed at the Breezes Bella Costa.
To be honest, we found it fine - We ate breakfast in the buffet restaurant, but ate in the a la cartes all but our first evening. Food wasn't spectacular, but it was perfectly edible. Our connected rooms were large, clean and comfy with a sea view. The hotel overall was very clean, bright and modern. It wasn't LUXURY but it was fine by any reasonable standards.
There was a pizza/snack restaurant on the beach front where you could order up a pizza to your liking any time of day (more or less), which was great for me when I was diving as I could get one about 3 after getting back.
Drinks were all free as far as I could tell and a little bit of tipping went a long way.
Staff were all friendly. We didn't encounter any (unpleasant or otherwise) Canadians, but nearly ALL negative reviews of Cuban hotels are from Canadians - go figure...
I did a couple of days' diving and we went on various trips, including down to the Bay of Pigs area, where there's a great nature reserve.
We'd happily go back, but we'd go south next time, rather than to Varadero again.
M
3 nights in Havana - Hotel Sevilla, features in "Our Man in Havana" - Very 1940s and a bit basic (is that being polite) by modern standards, but it was part of the fun really
We all (me and two grown up - 16/21 - kids) loved Havana, it's a very cool town still, get there before the Americans ruin it...
Our main holiday was in the holiday resort of Varadero. It's all all-inclusive hotels and really nothing but a long strip of sand, but a very nice one. The beach was virtually empty as the Puerto Ricans seem to eschew it in favour of the pool area! Some of them reminded of Russians with their rudeness, especially to staff in the hotel. Maybe we were treated well because we were typically UK polite to people?
We stayed at the Breezes Bella Costa.
To be honest, we found it fine - We ate breakfast in the buffet restaurant, but ate in the a la cartes all but our first evening. Food wasn't spectacular, but it was perfectly edible. Our connected rooms were large, clean and comfy with a sea view. The hotel overall was very clean, bright and modern. It wasn't LUXURY but it was fine by any reasonable standards.
There was a pizza/snack restaurant on the beach front where you could order up a pizza to your liking any time of day (more or less), which was great for me when I was diving as I could get one about 3 after getting back.
Drinks were all free as far as I could tell and a little bit of tipping went a long way.
Staff were all friendly. We didn't encounter any (unpleasant or otherwise) Canadians, but nearly ALL negative reviews of Cuban hotels are from Canadians - go figure...
I did a couple of days' diving and we went on various trips, including down to the Bay of Pigs area, where there's a great nature reserve.
We'd happily go back, but we'd go south next time, rather than to Varadero again.
M
Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 17th May 16:50
.Get a car (can be in short supply) and have a hoon about :-) We were giving coppers lifts and even a lady who told me 'mi marido es muerte' so we took her direct to the hospital, past the accident 
Had a right old adventure in this Peugeot 205 that we were 'privileged; to drive - hence the requirement to give locals lifts 
. Places en route: Pinar Del Rio, Trinidad, Cayo (key) Levissa, Santa Clara, Matanzas, Cayo Santa Maria, Holguin, Cienfuegos, Maria La Gorda (Fat Maria!). Varadero has a fab beach but is just a touristy resort (mostly Canadians tipping anything that moves - they keep money in a pouch around their neck 24/7 for this purpose)! Cayo Santa Maria was fun driving there through the sea for many km - https://goo.gl/maps/2HBYsMMo7zD2
My tip is keep moving and learn 100 words of Spanish - you will then have an adventure not just a holiday (and also be able to tell the policeman that the lady in the passenger seat isn't 'hired' and that she doesn't actually understand Spanish. How he then chuckled! ).
Had a right old adventure in this Peugeot 205 that we were 'privileged; to drive - hence the requirement to give locals lifts . Places en route: Pinar Del Rio, Trinidad, Cayo (key) Levissa, Santa Clara, Matanzas, Cayo Santa Maria, Holguin, Cienfuegos, Maria La Gorda (Fat Maria!). Varadero has a fab beach but is just a touristy resort (mostly Canadians tipping anything that moves - they keep money in a pouch around their neck 24/7 for this purpose)! Cayo Santa Maria was fun driving there through the sea for many km - https://goo.gl/maps/2HBYsMMo7zD2My tip is keep moving and learn 100 words of Spanish - you will then have an adventure not just a holiday (and also be able to tell the policeman that the lady in the passenger seat isn't 'hired' and that she doesn't actually understand Spanish. How he then chuckled!
).Sorry, missed this thread.
I went to Cuba on my honeymoon. Went at peak time so a bugger to book anything.
Some good advice/recommendations here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
If you'd like the contact recommended by DrTre who we found very helpful, PM me.
I went to Cuba on my honeymoon. Went at peak time so a bugger to book anything.
Some good advice/recommendations here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
If you'd like the contact recommended by DrTre who we found very helpful, PM me.
DO NOT DO IT
i went in febuary, it rained most of the time and was 15 degrees the rest of the time, the worst food ive ever eaten, and ive been to bankok back street markets, bland, tasteles, awful
Havana is a dump, you soon get bored of the 1960s cars after youve seen 2, and the place is full of beggars, its got no more history than a normal city in england.
I hated it. Worst holiday ever.
i went in febuary, it rained most of the time and was 15 degrees the rest of the time, the worst food ive ever eaten, and ive been to bankok back street markets, bland, tasteles, awful
Havana is a dump, you soon get bored of the 1960s cars after youve seen 2, and the place is full of beggars, its got no more history than a normal city in england.
I hated it. Worst holiday ever.
If you want a two center holiday, try the Holiday Place, they've got a wealth of experience with Cuban holidays. I'd personally avoid Varadero it's 16km of hotels with all the trappings that go with it, it's certainly not the real Cuba. Same with the Cayo islands, long way off shore and just for tourists. I'd even question going to Havana, you'll get pestered all round the touristy parts in old Havana. Petty crime can be a problem too. That said, it's worth a visit for a day or two, I wouldn't personally bother with a longer stay.
You could look at going further south-east to Holguin and the resorts in Guardalavaca. It's generally a little warmer in November. Santiago de Cuba, the 2nd largest city and the original capital is a bus ride away. The lifesytle is much slower, you don't get pestered in Holguin City as you do in Havana. The resorts are all quite small and I found the people to be much more friendly and far less pushy when it comes to negotiating prices. You used to be able to visit Havana from here but the UK tour operators have pulled the excursion on safety grounds. The tour is still available but your insurers may not cover you.
You could look at going further south-east to Holguin and the resorts in Guardalavaca. It's generally a little warmer in November. Santiago de Cuba, the 2nd largest city and the original capital is a bus ride away. The lifesytle is much slower, you don't get pestered in Holguin City as you do in Havana. The resorts are all quite small and I found the people to be much more friendly and far less pushy when it comes to negotiating prices. You used to be able to visit Havana from here but the UK tour operators have pulled the excursion on safety grounds. The tour is still available but your insurers may not cover you.
the tour to Havana is still on offer, but you go by bus rather than by air - apparently the UK operators pulled it because they were using substandard old Russian planes! That's what i heard anyway.
I went to Cuba in 2014 and did the bus trip. I wouldn't go by bus ever again. From memory it was a 10 hour trip each way.
I didn't really rate Cuba at all, but i would put some of that down to my lack of investigating beforehand and staying in the wrong place (Cayo Coco). The other part of it was because of my unrealistic expectations of a 5 star resort, but by far and away the biggest reason for not enjoying it was the food - it really was awful. Barely edible.
I went to Cuba in 2014 and did the bus trip. I wouldn't go by bus ever again. From memory it was a 10 hour trip each way.
I didn't really rate Cuba at all, but i would put some of that down to my lack of investigating beforehand and staying in the wrong place (Cayo Coco). The other part of it was because of my unrealistic expectations of a 5 star resort, but by far and away the biggest reason for not enjoying it was the food - it really was awful. Barely edible.
toasty said:
I can see how some would not like Cuba, Havana is a s
t hole, the Cayos soulless and the food quite boring.
Get inland to Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus & Santa Clara and it's a much nicer country. Food is still quite boring though.
Mmm - I'm sure lots of those places are very nice, but I can't agree on Havana being a 'st hole, the Cayos soulless and the food quite boring. Get inland to Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus & Santa Clara and it's a much nicer country. Food is still quite boring though.
t hole'.Sure, some IS very run down (it's a VERY poor country, so there's more excuse than in parts of London...), but other parts have been sympathetically restored with UN Heritage money and are really wonderful.
Wander around any major city and it won't all be wonderful, but Havana has plenty that is, certainly for 2-3 days (That's enough in any city, in my view...)
Begging? Have any of you moaning about Begging in Cuba been to Egypt? I guess not... In Cuba, just say "No" and they go away... see how far that gets you in Egypt and I've heard that India and other SE Asian countries can be even worse.
Walking around the streets of Havana in daylight is safe (well, we never felt otherwise), can't say at night, but again, this isn't Paris or Berlin, it's a poor, third world (in some ways, education levels are high, even if most people are poor) country.
That said, people we met out in the country said "Havana isn't Cuba" - If we go back, we'll explore more widely.
M
PS Actually, maybe Havana IS a 's
t hole' - I think London is a 'st hole', at least Havana has the sea! 
Nickbrapp said:
All they go on about is ERNIST HEMMINGWAY, the Canadians that stalked us in our hotel where in love with him. You must visit the pub he drank in, who even was he?
The pub was a dump
Who are "THEY"?The pub was a dump
We just wandered around and saw the sights, no-one was telling us what to see or where to go. We went to the Jose Marti Memorial and had a guided tour by a local woman (very clever, working for tips, rather sad in a way), but that was all about the liberation from Spain, not Hemmingway.
I didn't see a Canadian all the time I was there! Although I half expected to, given all the negative reviews for Cuba on Trip Advisor are written by Canadians.
M
Shocked to read so many poor reviews here, honestly I've never seen so many bad reviews about Cuba. We went went last year and had a great time. Loved the people (encountered zero begging / minimal tourist shake downs, in fact we constantly walked through some of the poorest streets and never once felt unsafe), country, history, towns etc.
Could it be related to unrealistic expectations / poor research?, before we went we had the following realistic expectations:
- There is a tourist currency so there is a huge markup between what locals & tourists pay
- Hotels are not at western standard (4 star is a 3 star etc)
- Poor internet
- Havana is a run down city to look at but charming with some great tourist attractions
- Food can be a lucky dip - most meals are a bit flavorless (loads of rice) and there its the one area where I feltt there was a tourist rip off, however we found some restaurant gems (Cubans are allowed to open restaurants in their houses)
- Varadero is not the real Cuba, however a nice place to chill out for a few days (pools, white sand beach, all inclusive)
Bearing all of the above in mind we still wanted to go and had a great time (the negatives far outweighed the above) and have recommended to anyone who asked. Cuba is not for everyone, I think in years to come I will be very glad that I was able to see Cuba pre major capitalism.
Could it be related to unrealistic expectations / poor research?, before we went we had the following realistic expectations:
- There is a tourist currency so there is a huge markup between what locals & tourists pay
- Hotels are not at western standard (4 star is a 3 star etc)
- Poor internet
- Havana is a run down city to look at but charming with some great tourist attractions
- Food can be a lucky dip - most meals are a bit flavorless (loads of rice) and there its the one area where I feltt there was a tourist rip off, however we found some restaurant gems (Cubans are allowed to open restaurants in their houses)
- Varadero is not the real Cuba, however a nice place to chill out for a few days (pools, white sand beach, all inclusive)
Bearing all of the above in mind we still wanted to go and had a great time (the negatives far outweighed the above) and have recommended to anyone who asked. Cuba is not for everyone, I think in years to come I will be very glad that I was able to see Cuba pre major capitalism.
acer12 said:
Shocked to read so many poor reviews here, honestly I've never seen so many bad reviews about Cuba. We went went last year and had a great time. Loved the people (encountered zero begging / minimal tourist shake downs, in fact we constantly walked through some of the poorest streets and never once felt unsafe), country, history, towns etc.
Could it be related to unrealistic expectations / poor research?, before we went we had the following realistic expectations:
- There is a tourist currency so there is a huge markup between what locals & tourists pay
- Hotels are not at western standard (4 star is a 3 star etc)
- Poor internet
- Havana is a run down city to look at but charming with some great tourist attractions
- Food can be a lucky dip - most meals are a bit flavorless (loads of rice) and there its the one area where I feltt there was a tourist rip off, however we found some restaurant gems (Cubans are allowed to open restaurants in their houses)
- Varadero is not the real Cuba, however a nice place to chill out for a few days (pools, white sand beach, all inclusive)
Bearing all of the above in mind we still wanted to go and had a great time (the negatives far outweighed the above) and have recommended to anyone who asked. Cuba is not for everyone, I think in years to come I will be very glad that I was able to see Cuba pre major capitalism.
Exactly thi! We found out the same as you did, we loved Havana. My mate and I ended up drinking with locals all night one night, had a great time. We went out and about on loads of trips and found everyone friendly, walking arround Havana at 4/5 am was no bother at all. Yes the food is poor but the rum is great, swings and roundabouts! Get there before the first Mac Ds does is my advice Could it be related to unrealistic expectations / poor research?, before we went we had the following realistic expectations:
- There is a tourist currency so there is a huge markup between what locals & tourists pay
- Hotels are not at western standard (4 star is a 3 star etc)
- Poor internet
- Havana is a run down city to look at but charming with some great tourist attractions
- Food can be a lucky dip - most meals are a bit flavorless (loads of rice) and there its the one area where I feltt there was a tourist rip off, however we found some restaurant gems (Cubans are allowed to open restaurants in their houses)
- Varadero is not the real Cuba, however a nice place to chill out for a few days (pools, white sand beach, all inclusive)
Bearing all of the above in mind we still wanted to go and had a great time (the negatives far outweighed the above) and have recommended to anyone who asked. Cuba is not for everyone, I think in years to come I will be very glad that I was able to see Cuba pre major capitalism.
marcosgt said:
Nickbrapp said:
All they go on about is ERNIST HEMMINGWAY, the Canadians that stalked us in our hotel where in love with him. You must visit the pub he drank in, who even was he?
The pub was a dump
Who are "THEY"?The pub was a dump
We just wandered around and saw the sights, no-one was telling us what to see or where to go. We went to the Jose Marti Memorial and had a guided tour by a local woman (very clever, working for tips, rather sad in a way), but that was all about the liberation from Spain, not Hemmingway.
I didn't see a Canadian all the time I was there! Although I half expected to, given all the negative reviews for Cuba on Trip Advisor are written by Canadians.
M
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