Tipping in Cuba

Legacy_user

I'm going to Cuba and have read some advice about what currency to take on MSE, however I have a question about that.

We have read £ Sterling is widely accepted as well as sterling travellers chqs and Euros. We also read that $ are not as popular anymore, so I won't take those.

Once we've landed and until I get to the bureau de change for Cuban Pesos, I'll only have notes and whatever sterling change is in my pocket.

I keep reading that tips are "expected" but I'm not so flash as to give a £5 as a tip, which leads me to ask, are £ sterling coins accepted in Cuba - can they use them??

If not what have people done to tip from landing to managing to get to the bureaux?

On a related note, has anyone who has been recently got any help on what non currency based tips are most welcome and MOST needed?

For example, I read that pencils are a good thing to take - how many do you think would be an acceptable amount per tip?

Thanks if you are able to help

pboae

Dollars are no longer a permitted currency in Cuba, and your sterling travellers cheques and bank cards must be drawn from a non US bank. It's generally recommended that you change your money in the airport, it's safer and the exchange rate is virtually fixed so there is little difference if you try and shop around.

I found this thread on thorntree very helpful.

Doozergirl

I left all our toothpaste, shampoo etc for the room maids. I was told it was better than money?!

The rationing means they get one tube of toothpaste per family for three months, or something equally ridiculous so it's needed, though I did wonder if they had toothpaste coming out of their ears if everyone was doing it?! Nevermind, it costs that little to me

They used to make our towels into random shapes like swans wearing our sunglasses or hearts!

Have a lovely time!

blue_monkey_2

I loved Cuba but it was very bizarre to see soap and chocolate behind locked glass in the same cabinets we see Fireworks kept.

I can't really say about money, I did read that it is the Peso only now but I do not remember tipping - we went on an all inclusive tour and I don't remember any of us leaving a tip - I am sure we must of but I don't remember. I do remember Abbey National giving me our Travellers Cheques a few days before that had been issued by an American Bank though.... argghhhhh

nikibella

Hi,
I went to Cuba at the time when the US dollar was the only acceptable currency with plenty of one dollar notes, but as you know this has changed.
Besides shampoo and toiletries, you can take with you t-shirts, caps notebooks and any other gadget you have in the house, they need everything, and if they don't need it personally they'll swap it with other stuff or give to friends and family.

cullin

Go to your local bookies and ask them for some of their pens, they gave us a load for the Romanian xmas shoe boxes.

Tight_Git_3

We went to Varedero in October 2005. Despite it being an all inclusive resort staff did expect tips for everything from putting out a sun lounger on the beach to mixing up a drink.
A couple of members of staff asked us to change UK coins into UK bank notes for them, so guess people must have been tipping in UK coins.
I also recall that the porter who escorted us to our bungalow when we arrived stood at the door waiting for a tip prior to leaving. I apologetically told him that we had no local currency yet, to which he replied "English is good"!!! He got a £2 coin.
Finally I think we got the same maid as Doozergirl, as our towels frequently appeared as a swan wearing sunglasses.......

shudd1967

We are going in less than 2 weeks and have packed almost a full holdall of gifts to take with us to use as tips and to take out of the villages. Last sept once all of the kids had returned to school tesco had this great sale and I bought packs of felt pens for about 12p etc. I filled 2 carrier bags and think it cost me less than £3.
The staff at the hotels don't do to badly - remember the gardeners or chefs (ask to see them) as they tend to be forgotten. The hotel we stayed in, and returning to, Paradisus rio del Oro in Holguin, had an agreement with the staff that at least some oof the presents and a percentage of the tips where placed into a pool and shared out as people like the maintainance guys & office staff don't get anything as are unseen - yet all staff recieve basically the same wage.
we intend to go out to a village and find a school to donate the stationary stuff to.
Just don't think of it politically, or that by giving gifts you are aiding the regime. Do, however, try and take advantage of trips out to the villages and talk to local cubans. We were very fortunate to be invited in for a coffee by one old dear and she was very very funny and happy to tell you the truth about Cuban life.
Regarding tipping, we were told to tip just 1 peso. we were concerned that seemed very tight until our Cuban rep told us that it could buy him 5 months electric for his flat or 4lbs of decent rice or 1 beer or a bar of soap (vile soap too, from the 70's type!). So our 1 peso goes a long way.
Lots of people will say don't change the money at the airport due to the queues - well it takes so long to get through immigration that in our experience there is never a queue!
If you don't change the money at the airport, try and have something to give as a tip til you can change some money. Pack of pens, bar of choc or bag of sweets or something.
Cuba is wonderful.........just enjoy it!

cuffy_2

I have been to Cuba twice; and I think like 99% of people who have been it was on an all inclusive package.

The thing is that a Cuban Convertible Peso (what you will spend and not what the locals use - which I won't go into since it is a thesis in itself; but it was about 20 local Pesos to 1 Convertible) is worth about 60p.

The average worker will earn about 15 Covertables per month. So any Peso you give is a 'good' tip. The problem with the system is that although the people, to our standards, are poor - those that work in the hotels are 'rich' compared. Our bell-boy (well not so young) was a qualified doctor but made more money carrying bags than he would in treating people.

I got on very well with the staff at our hotels and they quietly told me that the system in the hotels was very corrupt. Essentially the bar staff, chambermaids and bell-boys were required to pay something like 30 Pesos each to their manager, regardless of what they actually took. Anything over they kept and anything short they had to make up. That is why the chambermaids will spend a lot of time making towls into swans etc Of course the managers are then required to pay up to their managers and so on until it reached the Mayor (who approves the staffing of managers at the hotels !! ) That is often why the staff like "gifts" as well since they are allowed to keep these. Also if you really like your chambermaid etc - tip in the middle of your week since the managers usually hand around (especially the chambermaids) at the end of your stay knowing that that is the day that most of the tips are left - and if there is an unusally large tip then the manager would ask for more !

Anyway getting of the subject a little;

I found that there was no pressure to tip - service was fantastic regardless
However you will certainly get "special" attention if you do tip.

I found that if you tipped 1 Peso this tended to at least get you a wide smile and attentive service - your glass will never be empty but you might have to get out of your seat once or twice

If you tipped 2 Pesos to your favorite barman he would be round you very often to make sure your glass and your needs were attended to.

I usually alternated between 1/2 Peso depending on whether I felt the service was good or excellent.

On a couple of occasions I would tip the Head Barman 4/5 Pesos - for this I could have asked for anything and he would have obliged and would also make sure that the staff looked after you. Pretty good I felt for the price of a Pint !!

BTW - If you intended on buying anything from ther black market, use the bar staff and tip well. He'll make sure that you get the proper stuff at a fraction of the price they would sell the item for in the Hotel shop - please be aware though that you have to have "taxed" stickers on any items you are looking to take out of the country.

Happy hols - was best time of my time. I am so jealous since we thought we would try Goa this year - bit I miss those white sands and feeding the fish on the beach.

System

Thanks for all your useful advice - we are taking a selection of pens/razors/notepads and toileteries as gifts/tips.

I'll ask the bell-boy for advice if I'm feeling unwell (LOL) and keep the barman well tipped.

System

Thanks again for the advice - we had a great time - stayed at the Iberostar Varadero (No 1/206 for cuba on tripadvisor) and we think it merited it.

We took travellers cheques, euros and sterling. We used a VISA debit card to pay for our excursions- so no credit card fee (saves 3%). By the way it was a Halifax (i.e. non USA based) VISA Debit card.

We got 1.61 Convertible (tourist) Pesos to the pound at our hotel. This was slightly worse than a bank apparently, but we didn't have to pay for transport etc to change the cash.

We gave toileteries to the maid as well as a cash tip (1-2pesos) every other day. We think she appreciated it as each day we came back to a different towel sculpture.

We tipped 1 pesos to a waiter and when sat at the bar 2 pesos - this meant our glasses were never empty and as always we received service with a smile.

What I liked about the tipping was the genuine gratefulness the staff displayed - it was never a contrived reaction.

As an aside, we did the "Havana special" tour - a full day travelling around Havana, then you get changed at a hotel and have a buffet dinner. However, the highlight was the Tropicana show in Havana - a big dance spectacle, but the acrobats were unbelieveable see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tpH7kfhxZI for a taster, but I couldn't find the spectacular bits online.

I hope it still retains its charm post Fidel Castro - I think it will as long as his brother doesn't get swayed by the potential US development opportunities.