Hello!
I am going to Cuba on October 5th and still haven't booked any hotel/casa particular as I was waiting for the news after Irma. It seems Habana will be ok by then but our original plan was to spend 4 days in Havana + a couple of days traveling around/visiting small cities and 3/4 days in Varadero (or other resort area or Cayos). Could you give us suggestions of cities places to go that were not devastated by Irma? We are a couple with no children :)
Cheers,
Mariana
I'd go to Havana and Trinidad and then back to Havana.
Or Havana to Bay of Pigs/ Playa Giron, back to Havana. Never been to Bay of Pigs area, quite fancy it.
10 days isn't a long time and it will take longer to get to places than you might think.
Hi Yinkx, thank you for the tips! At first I thought Trinidad was a bit too far but I think I will follow your advise and go there :) Do you think Santa Clara or Cienfuegos worth the trip as well?
Also, which is the best way to travel around in Cuba?
Have you looked at a guide book? That certainly would help someone knowing where to begin answering your question.
For newbies, I would recommend the bus. Viazul or Conectando. But if you're confident with that sort of thing (and I think you are
Brazilian and possibly are?? ...instagram.....), you can go via colectivo. Or your casa may help you sort out a taxi - private or shared.
Went through Cienfuegos a couple of times, never stopped there. People who have, seem to like it a lot. It's only an hour from Trinidad, so you could do both. Trinidad is a tourist Mecca, but I like it and so does Mr yinkx, even though he's not an external tourist. Santa Clara - never stopped there either. That end of the island is not my speciality, although - I've stopped in Placetas and Moron for a couple of afternoons and liked them. Mari - are you flying VA from LGW? I'll be on your flight, if so :-p
But yeah - do peruse a guide book and concentrate on occidental as you're only there 10 days.
Hi guys,
Once again thank you all very much!
Yinkx - Yes, I am Brazilian so indeed more confident "with that sort of thing" haha. My main concerns with travelling were the conditions of the roads after Irma and also the duration of the trip as I don't want to spend a entire day in a bus/car. I say this because in Brazil the trips always take a loooot longer than you plan. So I think we might do Habana - Trinidad - Varadero (only if the access to Varadero is ok - we already have the confirmation that the Hotel we want to go had only a minor damage). Maybe in our way to Trinidad we decide if we want to go to other cities nearby. Is it ok to find accommodation in Trinidad and nearby cities at the day, or do you think it is best to have everything booked in advance?
Btw, I am travelling with Iberia :/
#6 - Indeed. To qualify: I notice Cienfuegos getting more positive mentions on forums, than negative.
#7 - Roads post Irma - yes, bit of a concern for me too. Suppose we'll find out soon enough.
Casas, I reckon you should be able to find a place on the day in those 3 towns - and without too much trekking around, as it's low season.
A lot of the time, the casa owner will offer to call a casa in the next town you're headed to, to arrange accommodation for you.
I would recommend you have at least your first night in Cuba reserved.
Some people like Cienfuegos - others don't. Which is probably true of anywhere in Cuba.
True, and for the same reasons they like / dislike other places. I think there are basically two different types of tourists.
Those who want to visually see the famous sites, monuments, buildings, ride in a pre '59 convertible, drink a mojito, and maybe smoke a Cuban cigar. What seems to be key to them are signage or maps pointing out the famous locations and how many of them there are. These will makeup that group who will think they have done everything there is to do in Cienfuegos in a day, just as they "saw all of Havana" in three days.
Then there are those who want to delve below that top layer and begin to get some idea what the country, Cuban culture and Cuban people are all about. These will love a place like Cienfuegos and can return over and over.
