| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
Santiago -- Travel to/ things to do for the experiencedCountry forums / Cuba / Cuba | ||
Hi fellow Cuba lovers (or lovers of Cubans!). Nice to be back here; I see a few folks from over the years. Believe it or not, I"m still married to my Cuban husband (13 yrs); we have a 7 yr old daughter and are adopting 2 more girls (explain THAT to a Cuban!). Jejeje. So, we've been able to travel back a little more frequently in recent years. I need some advice on the best way to get to Santiago from NYC and maybe some non-typical things to do in/ near Santiago. I can't seem to find any flights to Santiago from NYC -- all go thru Florida or Canada, or we have to fly to Holguin. Do others know differently? What can we do with a small (or large) group of family that isn't too expensive or crazy to do? Last 2 years I've taken 20 people to resorts in Playa Pesquero and Marea del Portillo (I think?). Don't have that kind of money again. I either want to take 8-10 people for no more than 3 nites to somewhere not more than 4-5 hours away (not Baracoa, been there/ done that), or I want to take larger group (we can rent a bus for the day) to someplace somewhat local. I know I can go to a hotel pool. Any other more interesting ideas? We're going in August so it'll be hotter than hell. So best way to get to Santiago and someplace decent to take a bunch of folks? Also, anyone ever fly into one city and leave out of another (like into Santiago, out of Trinidad)? TIA! Doreen | ||
For the day, you could try Finca El Porvenir. I haven't been there in years but I think it's still a decent spot. | 1 | |
From Canada I have flown into one Cuban city and out of another more than once with no hitch. I think they asked me which airport I flew into for verification. Been to the Ocio club. Yes, around 10 CUC entry with about 6 or 7 of it good for food/drink credit. Holguin to Santiago is a 2 hour approximately 70 CUC taxi drive. I don't know which of Santiago's 3 resorts will be open in august. That you'll have to verify. A cheap option is the beautifully placed Hotel Balcon del Caribe perched upon a cliff and only about 15 minutes from the city center. They have cabins and a large pool but it is a 2 star Islazul joint at best. A bit closer to town and a bit more expensive is the Hotel Versalles, Again, a nice pool and 3 star-ish amenities. | 2 | |
Excellent suggestions from Yinkx and CubaWaters. Less expensive still, and only about an hour's drive, is Campismo La Mula. Nice for kids because of the lovely fresh-water lagoon just before the river flows out into the ocean. Much easier to get to now that the road is well-paved from Santiago almost all the way there. Campismo Blanco, closer to Santiago, is not as nice. | 3 | |
Many thanks to Yinkx, CW, and ttjpdo as we (Cuban significant other y her 10 and 5 year old kids) will be doing a week long tour around the Oriente including Santiago in early July. I have been to most of the important historical places, my significant other to some of them, the kids to none of them. The challenge is finding the balance of educational and fun for the kids. I know there will be much "look kids, this is Jose Marti's grave" and "that's nice but when can we go swim in the pool". ttjpdo, we just may stay at La Mula campesimo as I actually hate swimming pools. You have met Alejandro y Malena. Would you guess its the kind of place they would like to swim? | 4 | |
Santiago in August? I can't imagine! Just thought of something. Quiet, cool and there is a small hotel. HOTEL LA GRAN PIEDRA | 5 | |
..There's also La Cuquita - thermal waters out in the countryside, pool, cabañas. I haven't been but mr yinkx did when he was little. https://www.ecured.cu/Balneario_de_aguas_termales_La_Cuquita | 6 | |
Bob, I think Malena and Alejandro would adore Campismo La Mula. And Yordanka would probably like it too. (I always have.) Only problem, food is not great. Could have improved some, but last time I was there it was pretty poor, even for campismo fare. However, we had no problem getting one of the camp employees to bring in good chicken dinners from a village within walking distance, which they served to us on a little table set up in the shade behind our cottage. Or, given your interest in non-tourist-visited places in Cuba, you could walk to the village yourself and probably find the same dinner even less expensively (and it wasn't as I recall very expensive when brought to us.) What's "educational" on that road between Santiago and Campismo La Mula? Well, just as you're leaving Santiago there's the cemetery with Fidel's tomb, but I presume you've seen that. For sure the kids should, best at 8 AM when few if any tourists have arrived and it's not so bloody hot, so you won't mind waiting around for the changing of the guard (every 30 minutes, takes 10 minutes or so). About 20 km on (heading out of Santiago toward La Mula),I'm supposing you remember that tiny bay with the prow of a Spanish warship, the Almirante Oquendo, sticking up, no more than 50 yards offshore? Lovely place to infuse the kids with a bit of history while they swim! About 50 km past the shipwreck is Motel Guama; do you know it? It's a pleasant very Cuban place where I have stayed in the past and liked, although that was several years ago and I can't vouch for it now. It's just a hundred meters or so off the highway and as I recall on a hill, many many steps down to the water. Might be worth a lunch stop, or longer if it still has a nice atmosphere. About 3 km before Chivrico you may recall an island called Las Damas that might interest the kids since it's only a 5-minute trip by rowboat. There's a bat cave there too, but I didn't go into it. In Chivrico there are a few casas now. One I know, Casa Eva, is about a block off the highway on the road leading to Los Galleones, and right on the beach. One queen bed, one single, air-con, ensuite bathroom. 25CUC per night for 2 people which includes breakfast, or 30CUC for three. I think you, Yordanka, and the kids would be very comfortable there but you might have to call ahead if you want to stay there because I think they only have the one room. 53 5 832 6436. It's 40 km from there on to Campismo La Mula. I assume you visited the Celia Sanchez museum when you were in Pilon (unless you were there when it was under repairs after a hurricane. The kids might not get much out of it, but maybe if you pointed out that newspaper clipping about the young girl who was shot (not killed) when a (CIA-sponsored, of course) terrorist group attacked and set fire to the sugar mill back in 1964. Also, in the side yard of the museum is a tree house where Celia used to keep her pet monkey (this surely an important detail if you want kids to relate to the heroine of the revolution!) | 7 | |
Great stuff. | 8 | |
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