Cuba holiday

BattleToy

has anyone been to Cuba?

We would like to travel to Cuba in December but are still not sure about it? Any comments? Is it an interesting country to visit?

Are there other better places you can recommend for Christmas.

marluc

Hi
We went to Cuba last summer - August. So can't help with weather. We stayed all inclusive on a beach hotel and then 3 days in Havana.
It does depend on what you are looking for. Cuba is very cheap for nearly everything especially Havana. We saw some beautiful sites, but alot of people are poor. Some of the best trips were in Cuba.
HTH

Enterprise_1701C

We went to Cuba at the end of August. Lovely country and lovely people. We went purely to chill out though, we went to a little place near Guadalavaca, which in turn is near Holguin, and it was purely about 4 All Inclusive hotels and nothing else, though plenty of opportunities for trips out. We didn't go to Havana but could easily have done so, but it is about 700 km away from where we were!

If you are after a relaxing holiday I would highly recommend it!

BattleToy

I've just read hurricane attacks news in Cuba, many places have been damaged unforunately.

I am not sure if it is still a good idea to travel there in December?

Other countries recommended?

Pollycat

BattleToy wrote: »

Other countries recommended?

I think you really need to say what your interests are and what you expect out of a holiday before anyone can give you any sensible advice.

For example, I could recommend Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, Goa, Sri Lanka, Nile cruise, Mexico etc etc but without knowing if you like to be off sightseeing or want to lounge beside a pool with the capability of eating and drinking 24/7, it's a bit difficult.

As a starter, why did you choose Cuba in the first place?

Also, Tripadvisor is a good place to ask questions and do some research to narrow down your options.

wondercollie

Mayan Riveria is nice. December is usually good weather wise and the prices are lower (some great last minute buys). North Americans are busy getting ready for Christmas and don't travel as much then.

BattleToy

We are interested in doing any adventures holiday. We have been to South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Thailand and Brazil, Some places in Caribbean.

We were thinking of going to Cambodia and Vietnam before, but I dont think there are any very stunning places to visit compared to Thailand.

I thought Cuba was an interesting country.

travelgran

Cuba is certainly interesting! We went for 3 weeks, the first on a small group tour and the 2 following we hired a car and did our own thing staying in 'casa particulares' . However it is a relatively low key place with few grand sites. You will get more out of it if you speak some Spanish. The political/social background is complex to say the least.
I'd check out some guidebooks and websites. We find the Lonely Planet website (Thorntree) useful.
It's a very regulated country but as a tourist you'll never get to the bottom of it! It's certainly an experience!
Personally given Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or Cuba I'd go to Vietnam.
Not sure I'd class Cuba as an adventure holiday destination though.

Pollycat

BattleToy wrote: »

We were thinking of going to Cambodia and Vietnam before, but I dont think there are any very stunning places to visit compared to Thailand.

Angkor Wat?

Not very stunning? What sights in Thailand would you compare with Angkor Wat?

I thought Havana was fabulous (and also enjoyed a day trip to Santiago de Cuba) but wasn't very impressed with where we stayed.

Like Enterprise1701C, we stayed in Guardalavaca on AI basis (which I really dislike after having done it 3 times out of all our holidays) which was a good thing as there was no infrastructure there, no place to get anything to eat or drink outside of your hotel.

Things may have changed as that was 1997 but it was the worst holiday we've ever had.

nuttyrockeress

We went to Cuba in September this year - we had a fab time. We stayed near Guardalavaca at the Paradisus Rio De Oro. We booked through Thomson and did 2 weeks AI.

Whilst we were there we did an Island Paradise trip on a catamaran and we also did the overnight plane trip to Havana.

Hurricane Sandy has affected Santiago De Cuba quite badly - this was were the highest loss of life in Cuba occurred.

As far as I am aware there was no damage to the Varadero area towards the north of the island and not much in Havana. I believe that there was some damage to Holguin and Guardalavaca but this is thought to be minimal.

Have a look on Tripadvisor forum for more information - it is a great source for all sorts of info!

markandkate

Hi we went to Cuba and travelled independently but it is not easy as there is little public transport infrastructure and the trains do not really run much. Most of the travelling is by bus The buses are good but there is little flexibility as there is often only one bus per day to destinations and getting from one place to another can involve back tracking. Taxis are a bit thin on the ground as petrol is in short supply and hiring a car is not recommended.

Having said all of that we had a great time mixing AI hotels with casa particulars ( local Bed and breakfasts) which were of a high standard. In some small towns of you are not staying at a casa you may not get a meal in the evening as there are few restaurants outside the main cities.

Havana is fascinating and you should spend a few days there, also Trinidad a colonial town built on sugar plantation profits.

Vinales is a rural area east of Havana which is also very pleasant

Over all the country feels more South American than Caribbean once you get away from the beach. I agree about speaking Spanish it is one of the few times where we have found language an issue