A bad impression for Tourism

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CubanWaters
CubanWaters

When one goes to the Holguin airport to depart to their country, there is an outdoor restaurant just to the right of the terminal building as you drive up. Not sure if it has a name but I will call it Restaurante Estúpido.

I parked myself down at one of the tables and waited for some service. And waited for some service. And then I waited some more for some service before I took my shirt off and waved it in the air (an exaggeration) to get the servers attention.
Finally the server came over and told me what was on the limited menu. I ordered some cerdo con arroz but no drink of my desire was available. Whatever, I just sat back and waited for my meal to arrive. And waited and waited for my meal to arrive. No big deal, there was only one server for all these people and I had time to spare.

After my meal arrived, I gazed at what looked like lumps of something and rice. Pretty basic. I took a bite in and the pork tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for the past day or so. That might explain all that waiting that I was doing. The rice was actually not too bad for white rice but that cerdo was something I became a scared to eat.

After I ate that wonderful meal and washed it down with gulps of air, I asked for the check....and waited.....

The check came and I was pleasantly surprised that it was none too much even though still too much for what I attempted to eat. I pulled out some CUC but when the server came back, I was told that CUC was not accepted. Well surely you could take payment in CUC Señor, after-all this is an international airport and I am sure that 99.7% of the foreign travellers passing through here are only carrying CUC. No no no Señor, you must leave your bags here and go into the terminal building and exchange your money at the Cadeca. Are you fogging for real?, I might have said.

Long story short, an amigo sitting at the table beside me happened to have some CUP so I exchanged with him and I paid with that. I guess that I'll be brown-bagging it whenever I use that airport again!

Airports in general are not known to house good quality restaurants at a fair value but this was ridiculoso!

Thanks for listening.


"They trailed in with tumbleweed following them, as if tumbleweed was their pet."
-KR
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johnabbotsford
johnabbotsford

Yes CW but look at how much money you saved by paying in CUP LOL (see https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-cuba/cuba/general-update-just-came-back-5-5-17?page=1#post_22496903)

The shortest flight takes half a day door to door
Cuban resorts are God's Waiting Rooms
Any trip of less than a month is not worth getting out of bed for
Anybody relying on a single source of funds whilst travelling is an idiot
*Millions of Americans have visited Cuba already, but everyone arriving this week is under the illusion that he or she is the first one to discover Cuba and the last one to see it before it is no longer an independent country*
Don Tomas
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yinkx
yinkx

Oh dear. Went there last year, paid in CUC. Service was average. Can't remember what we had between us, but it involved a salad. That turned out to be 8 slices of a thin cucumber that they wanted 0.50CUC for and I think some papa fritas of a similar quantity and possibly a higher price.
Mr yinkx said he wasn't paying 0.50CUC for quarter of a cucumber, so take it away and he hoped the papas were garnish as he wasn't going to pay for those either. The server just shrugged and took the "salad" away, didn't put papas on the bill.
Mr yinkx has had those lumps of cerdo on another occasion when I declined to join in.

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candydita
candydita

Ah...the famous "mystery meat" of Cuba.

Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear which is basically what they've done there, spruced it all up.

At lease one used to be able to get ham and cheese sandwiches, or mini pizza's.

When it first opened, about a week later, I had a great chicken dinner...leg and thigh, rice and salada with cucumbers and tomatoes for 40cup (under two dollars) Guess things have changed since then

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bobmichaels
bobmichaels

Have not been there since the remodeling and reopening. I always go to the little stand across the parking lot from arrivals. Beer is 1 CUC or 25 CUP, unless you do not indicate you know the price. Then they will try to charge you 1.50. I see them charge that to the tourists getting on the resort buses all too frequently.

Independently verify anything important that a stranger tells you on the internet, even this advice.
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YanquiBoy
YanquiBoy

Menus are just about useless in many parts of the island, yes ,we don't have that.

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yinkx
yinkx
In response to #5

Whenever we go to eat anywhere, we'll look through the menu but not pin our hopes on anything until the waiter/waitress has come along and one of us has asked what they don't have (sometimes we're pessimistic and ask what they do have).
Last month, we went past a beautiful colonial place converted into a restaurant in Vista Allegre (Santiago), on Avenida Manduley and thought we'd stop for lunch. We asked what they didn't have and the waitress said "we don't have any type of rice"!!
We had to laugh, said thanks and left.

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CubanWaters
CubanWaters

The point that I was trying to make is that this is a restaurant on the grounds of a International airport and they should at least be able to take CUC for payment and maybe edible food would not be too much to ask for. Their price was fairly cheap though, I must admit! They didn't seem to have any menus to look at, so had to rely on the server;s suggestions. Yes, I remember when this place served up ham 'n cheese sandwiches but the new and improved renovated version now serves a very rough 'n tough pork plate!

So much for progress and it was my stomach and patience that made me start this thread, not necessarily me!

Imagine, having to go stand in line inside at the cadeca while your bags wait at the restaurant for you to pay. Baaaah!
The hordes of new American tourists visiting on one of twelve reasons will not be impressed!


"They trailed in with tumbleweed following them, as if tumbleweed was their pet."
-KR
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bobmichaels
bobmichaels
In response to #7

The point that I was trying to make is that this is a restaurant on the grounds of a International airport and they should at least be able to take CUC for payment and maybe edible food would not be too much to ask for.

I think the currency situation is simply laziness on the part of the staff only wanting to deal in one currency. I have had the situation inside the building at HOG where I was told they could not accept CUP and I must pay in CUC. When I told them that I had no CUC, only CUP they decided they could accept CUP after all.

We must always remember 1) these are government employees and 2) there is no danger of NASA recruiting them away to be rocket scientists.

Independently verify anything important that a stranger tells you on the internet, even this advice.
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spazmartindale
spazmartindale

Everything at the airport is overpriced except the duty free. I remember that shack at Holguin airport too and when I went there and ordered a cola they did not even have any. We ate some ice cream but it was watered down. I don't know which currency we payed with because it was the tour guides treat for the sandals I gave hime.

Edited by spazmartindale
If it doesn't need fixed try not to break it.
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