crimbo in cuba !
Discussion
decided I needed a hol on thurs and today booked two weeks in varadero for christmas and my 30th on the 30th with the chick.
Just looking for some advice about currency,cigarettes,"sipping rum",cigars,security & trips etc.
thinking of windsurfing (which is included) most of the time might have to strech on the wetsuit again for a refresher.
swimming with dolphins, possibly a trip to havana if it's worth the time and generally getting s
tfaced.
cheers guys
Just looking for some advice about currency,cigarettes,"sipping rum",cigars,security & trips etc.
thinking of windsurfing (which is included) most of the time might have to strech on the wetsuit again for a refresher.
swimming with dolphins, possibly a trip to havana if it's worth the time and generally getting s
tfaced.cheers guys
GlenMH said:
Do Havana - it is a must see before it changes too much.
Do tip the waiters in the hotel, even if you are all inclusive, as your drinks will appear MUCH faster
Watch the food - its ste! The only place I have been that serves cold, cooked brussels sprouts for breakfast 
cheers.. did the 'tip' thing in fuertaventura in april ended up 6 drinks and 2 shots per service... Do tip the waiters in the hotel, even if you are all inclusive, as your drinks will appear MUCH faster
Watch the food - its s
te! The only place I have been that serves cold, cooked brussels sprouts for breakfast Edited by crackthatoff on Monday 28th September 16:32
GlenMH said:
Do Havana - it is a must see before it changes too much.
Do tip the waiters in the hotel, even if you are all inclusive, as your drinks will appear MUCH faster
Watch the food - its ste! The only place I have been that serves cold, cooked brussels sprouts for breakfast
+1 to the above...Do tip the waiters in the hotel, even if you are all inclusive, as your drinks will appear MUCH faster
Watch the food - its s
te! The only place I have been that serves cold, cooked brussels sprouts for breakfast I lost a bit of weight due to substituting food* for Rum and Coke
actually IIRC didn't matter what I ordered I got Rum and Coke...- with the exception of breakfast - opted for omelettes as they were always cooked fresh
Do a fishing trip...everyone will tell you that there is no beer on board...there isn't BUT there is copious amounts of Rum!
If partying is your scene, go to Bar 62 and salsa with the locals, follow this up with a trip to The Cave
Use the 5peso bus to travel up and down the 20km of varadero at least once but watch out if on top deck for cactus!
When my mate and I returned the phrase "What the f
k happened in Cuba!" was used so frequently and even to today I have fond memories of it being one of my best holidays evercrackthatoff said:
eldar said:
Great place Plenty of small tips and you will get excellent service.
And plenty of amazing cars to see!
right thats sorted then so how much in £'S is the usual tip, don't want to be stingy but don't want to throw money away. Plenty of small tips and you will get excellent service.And plenty of amazing cars to see!
There are two currencies, the Peso, which is worth nothing, so don't touch them, and the convertable, which is a US$, which is what the tourists use, and the staff want. Anything from 25c to a dollar for a drink/round.The people working in international hotels normally have a degree, speak at least 3 languages, but there is more money working behind a hotel bar than being a surgeon!
Take out some small bars of soap, toothpaste and boring stuff like that as well, brilliant for tips (unobtainable for most cubans).
Brilliant place
Not strictly true that the local peso is worthless, if you're spending any time in Havana then you can use them at the market and get fruit, which might help if you're suffering with some of the sub par restaurant grub.
1 local peso for a banana, and 7 for pineapples/mangos.
That's about 2.5p for a nana and 15ish for a pineapple.
Sitting on the beach with a tropical fresh pineapple is ace.
Dunno anything about Varadero, as I just spent the fortnight in Havana.
Fantastic place, and somewhere I'm plotting on going back to.
1 local peso for a banana, and 7 for pineapples/mangos.
That's about 2.5p for a nana and 15ish for a pineapple.
Sitting on the beach with a tropical fresh pineapple is ace.
Dunno anything about Varadero, as I just spent the fortnight in Havana.
Fantastic place, and somewhere I'm plotting on going back to.
eldar said:
Take out some small bars of soap, toothpaste and boring stuff like that as well, brilliant for tips (unobtainable for most cubans).
+1 for this: we made good friends with a couple of restaurant owners (cheap/free drinks) with the use of coloured pens, pencils or biros for his kids to use. There is also money to be made flogging cheap CD/radio boom boxes to bar staff! They just can't get that kind of stuff over there.
You may also get asked to take out a mobile phone contract for someone: only foreigners can do it! I haven't heard of anyone getting ripped off doing this.
Keep an eye out for beggars in Havana.
Me and Madam did Varadero over xmas about 4 years ago. The hotels are are pretty good in general I believe, but I can certainly vouch for the Tryp Peninsula. Varadero has very, very little in it. Havanna though, is awessome. You MUST go to the club Tropicana night (drinks aren't free by the way, contrary to what George Michael might say). A really good show and stacks of blart in skimpy tops shaking everything they have as a bonus.
Havanna club rum is everywhere and you'd be wise to go all inclusive (most are anyway).
The only downside was that the lush sea we expected was mre than a little bracing which I certainly didn't expect. As Varadero is on the north coast (atlantic) it gets the cooler currents. We had one day where it seemed to warm up a bit. On the south side (Trinidad and the like) it is the carribean, so remains a lot warmer.
You could do a lot worse than stay in Trinidad, but book yourself onto a 2 day excursion to Havanna - best of both worlds. If the whole Castro revolution thing floats your boat (Cuba's recent histroy is really interesting) there is a museum in Trinidad which covers the whole thing - even pieces of the yank U2 spy plane that was shot down during the '62 Cuban missile crisis.
Havanna club rum is everywhere and you'd be wise to go all inclusive (most are anyway).
The only downside was that the lush sea we expected was mre than a little bracing which I certainly didn't expect. As Varadero is on the north coast (atlantic) it gets the cooler currents. We had one day where it seemed to warm up a bit. On the south side (Trinidad and the like) it is the carribean, so remains a lot warmer.
You could do a lot worse than stay in Trinidad, but book yourself onto a 2 day excursion to Havanna - best of both worlds. If the whole Castro revolution thing floats your boat (Cuba's recent histroy is really interesting) there is a museum in Trinidad which covers the whole thing - even pieces of the yank U2 spy plane that was shot down during the '62 Cuban missile crisis.
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