Americas - Cuba
Messages: 24,006 - Threads: 1,854
Apr 30, 2007 5:51 PM
Andreas_at_LP
last reply
Apr 30, 2007 5:51 PM
Andreas_at_LP
0 replies
16,104 views
Please Read: Politics
Understandably, politics may come up when people talk Cuba. We accept that and believe it's both naive and unhelpful to pretend it's not a part of travel and Cuban experience.
However, if you wish to start topics on Cuban or U.S. politics then you have come to the wrong place, as this is primarily a forum for travellers and locals to exchange advice and connect.
If you'd like to post travel related news items please post a couple of brief paragraphs with a link to the complete article.
While you're welcome to disagree with each other, please do so in a civil manner. If you have something to say first hit the preview button, review what you're about to post, then consider if it's appropriate for the forum. Stalking and baiting of other posters will not be looked upon kindly so if that is going to be your only contribution to a topic then please don't bother.
You can run yo...
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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...
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May 24, 2013 10:46 AM
Realmccoyone
last reply
May 24, 2013 11:01 AM
Realmccoyone
1 replies
30 views
Photo Contest - Havana Times
The Havana Times has a photo contest. I have advised my Canadian friend. He has great photos of Cuba.
http://robinthom.photoshelter.com/gallery-list
May 24, 2013 10:22 AM
Realmccoyone
last reply
May 24, 2013 12:42 PM
rob01
3 replies
56 views
Cuba Report - May - 2013
I flew Air Canada Montreal to Holguin and did four resorts and one B & B. Resorts were Melia Rio De Oro both Royal service and main resort - Brisas Guardavalaca - Marea Del Portillo . All resorts provided very good value for the price paid.
There are two mega resorts being designed for the Guardavalaca area - they will have condos for sale - delux five star resorts and golf courses. There is a similar project also being built in Varadero..
Just before I got to the Marea resort the Cuban Minister of Tourism and guests toured the area. I was told there will be an expansion of this resort and the airport runway in Manzanillo will have an expanded runway.
House prices in Cuba are in decline due to many Cubans leaving to work in other countries..
Currently the Cuban government is changing their foreign investment act to encourage more investment from countries / companies that are...
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May 23, 2013 9:14 PM
CubanWaters
last reply
May 24, 2013 10:40 AM
Realmccoyone
4 replies
146 views
Granma Province trek
Last month I spent a week trekking almost exclusively around Granma Province and under immense pressure to tell my story (well truth be told, it was only one person) here is how it went......
I landed in Holguin (not Gramna) on an early morning flight from Montreal and after clearing the man in the booth and the x-ray machine, I was soon heading to the city of Bayamo in a taxi. After arriving in Bayamo and checking into the Hotel Royalton, I headed over to the bank to exchange my notes before having a sit-down with a brew 'n bite, waiting for Ginger to arrive from Santiago. She didn't arrive soon enough so I headed upstairs for some un-packing and possibly some shut-eye. After lying down for a bit, the phone rang and sure enough she was downstairs waiting. She was in a bit of a huff! Apparently she was told that the bus to Bayamo would be a few hours late, so she boarded a camión t...
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Cuba Broadband - Someday
Hello from Havana,
According to Renasys, the broadband analysis company, the high-speed fiber optic cable continues to be activated bit by bit. Maybe one day I won't have to use this crappy slow expensive dial-up connection any more.
Cubas tourism strategy
PROGRESO WEEKLY
Cuban tourism and its future challenges
Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 07:26
By Lenier González Mederos
HAVANA – The emblematic beach at Varadero, Cuba's premier resort, hosted the 33rd International Tourism Fair (FitCuba2013) May 7 to 11. The grand event, at the Plaza América Convention Center, featured Brazil as its guest country and invited representatives from 53 countries to its 40 display stands.
Present were tour operators, airline officials, and more than 100 journalists and tourism specialists, among them several tourism ministers. The presence of Brazil's Tourism Minister Gastão Vieira should be highlighted.
The event, more than just a routine annual event, has become a gauge that allows us to predict the future of Cuba's tourism sector, successfully managed during the 1990s after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the arrival of th...
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May 23, 2013 8:12 AM
siemprepatty
last reply
May 24, 2013 12:30 PM
dontomas
8 replies
142 views
Author Peggy Blair - Cuban Detective Ramirez
I am now reading her second book - "The Poisoned Pawn." I don't remember the first one very well, except that I didn't particularly like it and I now know why. It seems that so many actions, or comments made by one of the characters has to be followed by an explanatary "put-down" or commentary about how awful things are in Cuba. For example, Det. Ramirez is on a case and it is 7 pm and he realizes that he hasn't eaten dinner and is hungry. Then comes the statement about "of course, everyone in Cuba is hungry all the time." Then there will be a crime scene -- and the comment about there being not enough yellow tape to mark it off because there is nothing available in the country. Countless digs like this. This doesn't happen on every page, but at least once every chapter (or more frequently).
It's too bad, because the stories are okay -- it is just the constant politica...
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May 22, 2013 10:31 AM
Realmccoyone
last reply
May 24, 2013 7:37 AM
StripeG1
9 replies
487 views
Roads - Pilon - Granma
TERRIBLE - BOTH PILON CITY AND AREA.
Travel to Thailand
My step-daughter is a Cuban permanent resident in Canada for 3 years--NOT a Canadian citizen. She wants to travel from Vancouver to Bangkok to visit her boyfriend there. When I check ticket prices, all the most economical flights have routing through either Seattle, and/or San Francisco-with stop-overs there for short periods. Can she--as a Cuban citizen--take such flights? Thanks for your help.
May 22, 2013 2:31 AM
windward_passage
last reply
May 24, 2013 1:25 AM
windward_passage
7 replies
225 views
Day 1 - Havana or Matanzas
First time into Cuba with very limited Spanish. I'm trying to decide if I should head straight to Havana, spend a day or two at Matanzas on my way back to Varadero airport if I have time, or if I should make Matanzas my first stop. I figured there are two factors to consider (below), so any input or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
1. Flight gets to Varadero at 2-ish pm. According to the Viazul schedules, I could catch the 4pm bus or the 6:30pm runs. I arrive on June 1. If I don't book ahead online, how likely am I to be able to get on the 4pm or the 6:30pm Viazul without an advance booking? If this doesn't work out, are there alternatives besides a cab ride (out of budget) or the Conectando (I think its last bus leaves at 2:50pm). Or would it be safer to book a casa particular in Matanzas? At least a cab ride there would be more affordable.
2. Snorkelling at [Pl...
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No more San Jose CR-Havana flights
Avianca/Taca has abruptly cancelled its SJO-HAV route. Seems to be part of a large downsizing of their operations at San Jose. They'll continue to serve Havana from San Salvador, Lima and Bogota.
The Sad State of the Hotel Riviera (and others)
Hello from Havana,
Over the weekend we had some clients who want us to help plan their wedding here for this fall. Their #1 choice was the famous Hotel Riviera - until they actually took a good look at the place.
The wedding theme they had hoped for was 1950's jet-aged retro-kitsch, with a wedding by the pool and their 40 or so invited guests all staying in the hotel. On the surface the hotel is certainly a well preserved historical site. (It was gangster Meyer Lansky's Xanadu and undoing - re-watch The Godfather Part II, you'll get the broad strokes of the story.) Once you scratch below the (filthy) surface, though, the place is a (filthy) dump. I live here full-time, and am probably too-accustomed to La Habana's grittiness, and the couple is very hip and has visited here several times as our clients, so no-one was expecting the Georges V in Paris, but what confronted us wa...
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Viazul - Havana to Trinidad - Getting Tickets
I will be on a tight schedule in Cuba and need to know if this is possible.
I arrive in Cuba at 2-3PM on a Sunday. I want to catch the 8AM bus out of Havana to Trinidad. This trip will be in early July. How hard is it to get tickets the day before the trip in the evening? Also, I live in the US, so I cannot book through their website anyways.
Other recommendations on this?
Transit countries
FYI and because I might forget in my upcoming trip report, as I was leaving Havana last week I ask both TACA and Cuban immigrations that if a Cuban had a visa to say, Guatemala or Colombia and was just connecting through El Sal if there would be a problem. In both cases the answer was no. El Sal is a hub for TACA and you can fly direct to many countries from there.
May 17, 2013 8:13 PM
johnabbotsford
last reply
May 23, 2013 12:59 AM
johnabbotsford
10 replies
305 views
Cubana Flight Bookings
There were few posts recently from USAers reporting that bookings on the Cubana website
http://www.cubana.cu/home/?lang=en
now allowed them to pay using a US credit card. This was good news for those wanting to fly from Cancun from which Cubana is often the only alrline available.
Having just booked an internal Cubana flight I can now report that ALL Cubana flight payments are being processed via http://www.travelsandiscoverytours.com .
In the past Cubana processed non-USA credit cards direct to Cubana.
The new process provides a charge listed on card statement as Travels & Discovery S.A
Note this website also allows for hotel, tours and hire car bookings all of which presumedly may be paid via credit cards - including those from the land of the free?
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May 17, 2013 8:57 AM
anillos_de_satu...
last reply
May 17, 2013 5:48 PM
chefhagan
1 replies
115 views
Cubana will resume flights from Havana to Sao Paulo (Brazil) on July 10th
It seems it's already confirmed. Flights'll be once a week. More info here.
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