Going to Cuba, any advice??

[9Doorz]

i'm going to cuba for spring break where staying in veradero, just wondering if anyone knows what i should avoid going to or doing? plus any advice about what i should do while i'm there!

thanks

[Geese_Howard]

I went with my buddies a while back, greatest time ever, friendly people beautiful weather and too much fun, take alot of american $1 bills, also if u have some old sports hats or shirts, people go crazy for them over there also if u want I know of some people who took soap and stuff and they were extatic, dont be scared we went clubbing EVERY night and didnt meet 1 rude person BTW we stayed at varadero

you WILL love it take my word for it

only downside was the food, not horrible but defintley not great

[Geese_Howard]

just out of curiosity where are u staying, i stayed at arenas blancas

[el_cheepo]

i'm going to cuba for spring break where staying in veradero, just wondering if anyone knows what i should avoid going to or doing? plus any advice about what i should do while i'm there!

thanks

i had a great time there. I stayed at Villa Cuba. the beach was AMAZING! but the food was pretty bad. Yes, bring lots of small bills for tips. NEVER buy cigars from locals lol. Bring soaps/toothpaste/pens/markers as tips for your maid. Rent a scooter and cruise downtown Varadero. get out of the resort, and party. enjoy yourself!

[aquariaguy]

Bring back A LOT of cigars. Don't be scared by the soldiers at the airport. It's just a fake threat.

[el_cheepo]

i forgot to mention, take a trip to Havana! well worth it

[Geese_Howard]

yah good point DONT buy cigard from locals cause they make it from Banana leafs and YOU can taste the difference

Oh and ur going to be there with alot of canadians so make some more friends and go to clubs in packs of 15 or 20 and believe me it will be the time of ur life, leave your girlfriend at home, believe me

[Sgt_Strider]

American money is no longer used in Cuba, so you gotta exchange and get Cuban currency. You're not allowed to smoke in public places due to a new law that took effect couple of weeks ago. Make sure you don't insult Fidel Castro. Remember to wave the Cuban flag when you see any Cuban Nationalists. Buy a "Learning to speak Spanish for dummies" book. Carry a gun/knife. Am I missing anything else?

[alkaseltzer01]

Good choice..

no annoying, loudmouth amercians there.

[bluetroll]

American money is no longer used in Cuba, so you gotta exchange and get Cuban currency.

you honestly don't think they'll take american money if you give it to them??? SURE. there's absolutely no way a country as poor as cuba that their people will NOT take US money given to them... and the fact that US money is the most wanted currency... they probably won't take the US money in the resorts.... but for tips and buying souveniers outside the resort... US money will be accepted.

[canrocks]

I just finished a project on Cuba and I've been there three times!

They do need money, but because of the embargo, they need hard goods just as much. Bring stuff like old t-shirts, school supplies, painkillers, cleaning supplies. They'll really appreciate it.

It is a beautiful place, and it is a lot nicer because it isn't overrun by Americans. If you're staying in Varadero, you have to take a short trip to Havana. The atmosphere is just . . . wow. The food is not going to be good wherever you go, but they're doing the best with what they have (because of the embargo).

Have fun!

[canrocks]

you honestly don't think they'll take american money if you give it to them??? SURE. there's absolutely no way a country as poor as cuba that their people will NOT take US money given to them... and the fact that US money is the most wanted currency... they probably won't take the US money in the resorts.... but for tips and buying souveniers outside the resort... US money will be accepted.

To convert USD to currency they can use, they are charged 10%. Why risk bringing money that no one will accept? Bring Canadian dollars or Euro.

[pfdude]

Save your money and go somewhere else.

I've been to most islands in the Caribbean and would have to say that Cuba scores very low.

CONS
-Food is horrible. I'd rather eat war rations.. seriously.
-If you don't speak Spanish you get ripped off wherever you go.
-If you're going to Varadero you might as well go to Florida cause you won't get to see any of Cuba. It's a tourist compound.
-If you actually make it out of the compound, you'll find how little there is to see and do in Cuba compared to other islands in the carribean.

PROS
-The beaches are ok
-It's cheap (for a reason)

Since you've been to most islands in the Caribbean then you must know that once you're going, you definitely can't switch your destination.

Sure the food is horrible and I agree with some of the things you say, but don't put down his trip before he has left for it.

[cheukiecfu]

i just went to Cuba for 9 days during Christmas.. for the whole trip, stayed in Havana and joined Cubatur to Pinar del Río Province for a day..
was gonna go to the Varadero.. but that week was a bit chilly for the beach.. so didn't go at the end...
learn to speak a few words of Spanish if you can (Gracias, Si, Non, etc..)
most pplz there are very friendly.. BUT a lot of pplz would ask you for money.. once, we were at a museum and this local came to us and started talking to us.. then he toured us around the museum and translated every single word in the museum from spanish to english.. we were in a hurry and got kinda annoyed. He was just too friendly.. at the end, he asked for tips..
we had encountered this kind of incident several times in the trip.. we didn't ask for help and they would just come up and start following u.. the worst one was following us for lunch, he ended up eating lunch with us and we had to pay for it.. I guess this is how the poor locals earn their money.. tourism is big in Cuba..

Cubans love music.. when you go to eat.. very often there are musicians playing.. it's great if it's a big and busy restaurant.. but if it's a quiet restaurant, they would just come up to you and start playing in front of your table.. we can't even hear among ourselves and ended up we have to pay tips (way to tell them to go away).. you WILL spend a lot of money in tipping..(for locals, musicians, hotel maids, etc) even if you don't want to..

if you are not a smoker, then you will have a hard time there.. cuz pplz in Cuba smoke a LOT.. everywhere you go, you can get second-hand smoke.. and their car fuel are bad quality.. so the air pollution from car exhaust is quite bad... advise you to watch out if you have respiratory problem...

[canook]

Cuba's great - I loved Varadero. There are a few other threads from way back about going to Cuba, I recommend doing a search to pull up some useful tidbits.

A few tips (both from my trip and from friends who have gone

- don't bring U.S. currency anymore
- change money at the airport, as you can't always count on the banks being open when it's convenient for you (the tourist currency is "Convertible Pesos" which are equal to one U.S. dollar
- Don't buy cigars from the locals
- DEFINITELY take the trip into Havana. You won't regret it.
- On the eastern edge of Varadero is a little shop called "Casa del Ron".
Go there. Enjoy the samples. Buy Legendario Elixir de Cuba. If you live
anywhere near Manitoba, bring me a bottle too. It's incredible.
- Bring t-shirts, toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos, pens, pencils, baseball
caps, etc. for giving to people (or for trading at the many markets). I
have heard that old "Reader's Digests" are much appreciated as well.
- The people are very warm and friendly, but remember they are being
watched by secret police all the time. Don't try to get someone to say
something bad about the regime.
- Keep an open mind, Cuba is a developing country. There have been a lot of
positive changes lately, and continued investment from countries like
Canada is a part of that.
- There is a small park on the eastern edge of the peninsula between some
of the big hotels. They have paths and will sell you a very bad map which is
sure to get you lost. It's a blast! Cactus trees that kill themselves with
their own spines, caves, and more.

That's it for now - I'd love to get back to Varadero, though. It's an amazing place. For those above who didn't like it, I can't imagine what they must have been doing the whole time!