Thorn Tree travel forum

Cuba Branch FAQ

This branch covers: Cuba

The contents of this FAQ thread are being kept simple in order to avoid confusion and provide basic information about Cuba and links to information sources. Use the subject lines of each post below to find what you're looking for.

Here are some simple tips about looking for information:

1. Research before asking a question. It will help you get better, more detailed and useful answers from the community if you've already done some homework. It's also polite. The community is here to help, but we're not your personal search engine. Invest some preliminary time and we'll help you fill in the gaps.

2. Explore Lonely Planet's Destinations online, which has a wealth of key info and tips.

3. Have a good look around the Thorn Tree before asking your question - quite often your question (or one very sim... more »

Havana Guesthouse

Hi there

Please can someone recommend a nice, friendly small guesthouse or B&B in Havana that they have stayed at and fallen in love with. How much was it for a night? Just starting to plan for a trip there later this year. Thanks.

Traveling alone in Cuba through the holidays and gifts to bring along

Hi! I plan to be in Cuba from December 23rd to January 2nd, starting in Havana and then headed who-knows-where. While I have traveled on my own many times before, I haven't through any major holidays and am wondering if anyone has had this particular experience in Cuba.

Also, a friend who visited Cuba in 2007 told me that it would be a courtesy to pack as many lighters as possible to hand out to people you'll meet. Apparently, everyone smokes in Cuba and while cigarettes are inexpensive, lighters are not and are much appreciated. Any thoughts on this and/or any other items that might be useful? I wasn't planning on checking my luggage and lighters might not make it onto the plane.

Separately, if anyone is around at that time too and would like to meet up for drinks/dinner/info exchange, send me a message! See my profile for more info.
Thanks!

Travel with 1year-old baby

Hi all,
I am planning to travel in January for a month with my husband & my son in Cuba. We would be arriving in Santiago de Cuba & fly back from Havana. We are used to travel independently & now it will be the 1.time with our son.
Has anybody experience in travelling with a 1 year old? Any tipps?
Do you know good (& budget) places to stay with a baby? Will extra money be charged to accommodate a baby/or a baby bed?
How high should be the food & the transport budged? Is it easy to buy fruits & vegetables?
How high will are taxi rates?
Is it possible to get special deals if we want to rent a car for a month (I heard & red that it is very expensive & that you need to book at least a month ahead)?
We will bring some food & diapers, medicine from home. What else to bring?

Thank you very much for your help!!!
Y. more »

Thanks

I'll be travelling whilst 4 months pregnant and want to know how easy it will be to get around.
We've only got 13 days and we hope to travel from Holguin to Havana, taking in the south coast, getting away from any large resorts and staying in Casa Particulares. I've been advised that public transport is difficult and hire car is the best way... but unsure if that's the travel agent trying to get his commission.

Snorkeling in Cuba?

Just thought I'd put it out there again as my previous thread wends its way down the list. Has anyone had any experience snorkeling in Cuba? Are there good places for snorkeling, possibly not too far from Havana? Is it easy/cheap-ish to hire a boat with skippper to head out to the reefs? Should I bring all of my own equipment or is it easy to buy there? Would Cancun be a good option for buying the kit? What is the water temperature like this time of year? Is there a problem with marine stingers like we have here in Queensland, Australia?

Edited by: lookkool

Hostelworld terminates bussiness with casas particulares in Cuba

Today - the biggest global reservation side for bed and breakfast houses all over the world - Hostelworld - www.hostelworld.com informed that it terminates all bussines with bed and breakfast operators in Cuba. Hostelworld was recentely sold to american investment company Hellman and Friedman. Because of american embargo against Cuba Hostelworld was forced to delist all bed and breakfast houses casas particulares from its Web Site and discontinue all business affiliations.
Here is the letter that was sent by Hostelworld to most of the casa operators in Cuba today - November 20, 2009

Estimado/a propietario/a

Como usted sabe Hostelworld.com ha sido recientemente adquirida por una firma de Inversión Privada, Hellman y Friedman. Como resultado de la adquisición, Hostelworld tiene obligaciones legales que cumplir, lo que significa que deberemos terminar nuestra relación de traba... more »

Travelling by bicycle in Cuba

Hi,
I'm thinking of travelling through the island by bicycle, from Havana all the way to the east coast.
1. Has anyone done something similar (blog, etc., I could look at on-line)?
2. Any ideas what bike tools to bring, or what stretches of road would be the most difficult?
3. Any idea if it is possible to sling a hammock between a couple trees by the side of the road and sleep there overnight?
4. Any other tips?
Thanks,
Blair