Cuba Reccomendations

[g3org3y]

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.

This +1

Fluffsri said:

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

[dojo]

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.

Agree.

I've been lucky enough to some really amazing places and I can say Cuba is the only one I'd go back to in heartbeat and Havana is my favourite part of Cuba.
Maybe being a musician has something to with and the standard of the players out there is great.
I would say forget about the hotel and stay Casa's staying with families really adds to the experience and the money is going somewhat in the right direction.

[Ken Figenus]

It's Cuba with all its fascinating history and yes the effects of the 40+ years of crippling international sanctions. But, its a infinitely more interesting for some than Costa del Cerveza or Las Vegas but yes its a lot less polished and has no KFC! For some bad attitudes I am thus punishing you via slide show:

Capitolio, La Havana



Castro and El Che's bullet ridden revolutionary transport


Memorial


Lada engine


Fighting for beach space


Sugar plantation slave watchtower


Music everywhere


Old church


Las Vegas

[acer12]

Ken Figenus said:

Appropriate Cuban name!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cienfuegos

[marcosgt]

To be fair, even Barry knows that a place can only be "the hottest spot north of Havana"

M

[Ken Figenus]

Superb!

[g3org3y]

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

[Sticks.]

You can find all you need to know from this experienced (and honest) operator.

http://www.voyagercuba.co.uk

[The jiffle king]

If you can go to a Paladar, they are usually very good (restaurant for 12 people in someones house)
We also went to Buena Vista social club and paid about $20 to go in. They kept bringing drinks and at the end of the night we went to settle up and it was all included. We loved the place and yes it is run down but the people are fantastic