first time to Cuba

I'm a senior female traveller heading to Cuba alone for about 3 weeks in Feb 2011.....I need some advice on good Casas and travelling , I'm going to Havana, Trinidad and ending up in Varadaro or somewhere else

Casa particulars are the way to go. Just ask around, especially the taxi drivers. They all know where the good ones are and can help out. I'm not too keen on Varadaro. It's a place for packaged tourists who just sit on the beach and take hotel sponsored trips out of the "compound". Locals are not allowed to enter the hotels there. How about Cienfuegos? Not a bad little town.

Get ready for some really bad food. We rented a car for a week during our last trip and just cruised around. Great fun.

thanks craigt3365 - I think I'll wing it..

Cuba is not an easy country to get around in. They are lovely,passionate people but,probably through desperation (life is very hard )it seems everyone who talks to you will have some scam going. We've been to almost every country especially Asia, but this was one country our research showed, is better done with a small group tour and for the first time ever we did with Gap/Intrepid. After the first few days on our own in Havana we were SO glad we did. We saw folks waiting days at bus stops and stations and being ripped off everywhere. The tour was 10 interesting people, we had our own transport and got to every interesting spot, staying in Casas and being shown great food and places we could never have found - including secret music spots and dance venues .The population generally lives on bad ham rolls and pizza slices. Do yourself a huge favour - I'm sure it cost no more!

Excellent point. My first trip was with a friend who had been 2-3 times before, and had a good buddy who lived in Havana. And he spoke perfect Spanish. Scams galore. Don't believe a word any of them say. I hate to say that, but you really have to be careful. We encountered scams everyday...but luckily, knew what was going on.

It's the only place I've ever been where I ate a chicken sandwich that was 90% skin and fat. Sick. But had no choice.

I stayed in Varadero last year and seem to remember there weren't any casa particulares there at all. I don't normally tend to do package holidays but I did for Cuba because it just seemed so much easier, and at that particular time what I really needed was a relaxing beach holiday. We stayed in an all inclusive resort which meant we had great food and spent most of our time on an amazing beach. Although rather than going on one of the trips to Havana which was organised by our hotel, my friend and I made our own way there by bus and then checked into one of the budget hotels listed in the Lonely Planet guide. Havana is a fascinating city.

I agree with the comments above - Cuba not a very easy country to get around in. Sorry I can't help you more, but I wish you a great trip!

Agree with all the posters above. We (my husband and I) were there five years ago for a month. Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos (sp?) Santa clare and .. I forget. For sure, It's NOT an easy country to get around independently. We often got cheated or ripped off. Listen to Tom Kat. Book a tour. He is so right!

I agree totally with Tom Kat - a tour for at least part of the time is a great way to go, especailly for any travelling you want to do. Even hiring a car can be somewhat problematic.
But for the rest of the time eg in Havana itself, you can find and book casa particulares or hotels through the internet. Of course we arrived in Havana and were very kindly picked up by our host, the chap we had booked through ... but it turned out the house we had booked was no longer available (surprise?) and he took us to another somewhere nearby. It was ok but clearly a bit of a scam too... but then we could have left and found another one for ourselves.
Havana is totally amazing - every street a delight. We would wander for hours and hours - don't miss the art gallery - very moving! Oh and take in a show at the Gran Teatro - everyone dresses up and it's wonderful. We were lucky enough to catch a modern dance company who are apparently world famous (we had no idea) and they were fantastic.
What I love most is wandering in a town like Santiago just listening for music and then following the sound to find a great jam session or old people dancing in a square... just take a few snacks for when there is nothing you can eat.

Two of us - 60-ish women - spent two weeks there last month, and found it quite easy to get around. Admitedly, my Spanish is pretty good (but far from perfect), which allowed us to interact a lot more. We started with an internet arrangement with a guide/travel agent who reserved 3 nights in a casa in Havana Vieja. After that we relied on each casa owner to refer us to a next casa in the next town. We travelled by Viazul bus to Vinales, Matanzas, Varadero (just for a lark) and back to Havana.

Jorge (jorgeguide2004@gmail.com) arranged our first casa and a taxi to meet us at the airport. (I recommend that approach.) We actually met him in person briefly at the casa on the third day when he had come for some arrangement with an Australian couple, so I know he is real. He replies very promptly to emails, and I'd happily use him again. I've read a recent comment about his tour prices being a bit high, but after my visit and experiencing other tours and options, I don't think his prices are unreasonable. Cuba is not really a cheap country, except the casas are a bargain.

Yes, the Cubans are always trying to earn money from tourists, and there are scams (women on the street wanting us to buy milk for her children at a market, presumably using convertible pesos that she'd get a cut on). However, most of the time they are very honest and simply trying to make a living. Of course one must never abandon caution, but I sometimes had to remind myself not to be automatically suspicious. In fact the Cubans were 99.9% wonderful. I don't view it as a scam if the casa turns out to be full and they suggest another place. In fact, because they can't get payment in advance, they are vulnerable to having "no shows" and it doesn't surprise me that they accept someone else who shows up. The network of referrals and even having "agents" at the bus station are the interesting parts of the Cuban experience, so please don't view them as scams.

It is correct that Varadero has no casas particulares. However it does have some cheap hotels just a few blocks from the bus station. Varadero might be great for a lazy beach holiday but it is not at all interesting.

I never considered renting a car - too many unknowns and risks. Besides, I liked the buses. Viazul buses are comfortable and the drivers were professional.

Here are 3 casa recommendations:
Casa Habana in Habana Vieja - Emilio Nodarse Valdes - His card says enovalh@yahoo.es but Jorge made the initial reservation for us.
Casa Nenita in Vinales - emiliadiaz2000@yahoo.es - Refered by the people at Casa Habana. It was excellent.
Villa Encanto in Matanzas - victor64jo@yahoo.es - A fellow at the bus station took us there and it turned out to be very good.

Have fun!

I've been in Cuba as a solo female traveller 3 times and had a great time every time! I definately don't agree with the poster who says the only way is to go on an organised tour, the third time I got a cheap deal in Varadero and even had a great time there cos I found the local music bars, also went to some local places in Havana where I was the only tourist, it's just how open you are to meeting up and moving with the locals, I found the Cubans very warm and friendly (and my spanish is very basic).

Next time I plan to travel round the island.

Check out Cubajunky for info and the Cuba thread on here.

Enjoy it!

I can recommend a great Casa in Havana - in Vedado - near the Necropolis.

I also used the services of jorgeguide2004@gmail.com to arrange a taxi from Havana Airport to Jibacoa two weeks ago ... he is real and reliable.

I have to say, from my perspective, the 'scam' issues above seem overblown. It just doesn't sync with my experience in Cuba. If you stop and listen to every story on the street, every tout asking where you are from, and so on, it will wear on you. If you select how and when you will reach out and help individuals etc., it will go fine. Remember, we still live in the top few % of the world's 'rich'. It makes us easy targets. Keep your wits about you, manage your guilt about your good fortune in life so that you reach out and help those in need - not just the loudest touts on the street.

From what I see above, you may want to do Viazul between major centres, and rent a car in some of the places like Trinidad. I also believe the 'fear' around rental cars in Cuba is overblown, but there are risks with it quite different than in most western countries. Just be prepared to pick up hitchhikers between centres when they wave you down. Rental cars have red license plates and a 'T' in front of the numbers, so most locals give up hope when they see one. We put more than one smile on a face - and I got someone to entertain my kids! (Here is 3 mins of my driving video about 25 mins east of Varadero - note the vehicle types on the road ....)
http://vimeo.com/17441488

One place I would like to spend more time in is Sanctu Spiritus ..... but I need something to aspire to for next time ..... enjoy your trip. keep an open and flexible mind.

Some very strange statements and poor advice here.

#1 "Locals are not allowed to enter the hotels there"
That is simply not true.

#3 "Cuba is not an easy country to get around in....We saw folks waiting days at bus stops and stations and being ripped off everywhere. ......." Did you actually watch people - presumably Cubans - waiting for days at bus stops! And they were being ripped off how? LOL!

To the contrary as #8 and #10 report there is an excellent bus service (Viazul) for tourists. Very reliable and covering most of the island. It is extremely easy to travel independently in Cuba even without ANY spanish. As my signature suggests I am far from a fan of Cuban food however the statement about the "The population generally lives on bad ham rolls and pizza slices" is absurd. Maybe the author of this was in another country? Ham - good or bad - is actually quite uncommon in Cuba. Perhaps you meant roast pork.

A couple of posts are also negative about hire cars and yet are clearly written by people who didn't use this service.

Scams everywhere? Again no details other than #8's milk scam. Yes a very well known one in the tourist quarter of Havana. Milk for young children is actually free. She was just wanting money cbr - has nothing to do with getting a cut on convertables.

The OP will find several casa booking agencies in the FAQ's of the Cuba branch of Thorntree including Cubajunky given by #9.

One suggestion for a nervous first time travellers to Cuba is to book a hotel for the first night and then have a look at a few casas to see which you prefer. Once you start travelling it is a simple matter to organise a casa at the next town you are stopping at (except Varadero which is a tourist - Cuban and foreigner - ghetto of all inclusive hotels with no private houses for rent.

Well John, seeing nearly all contributors concur on the difficulties on doing it alone in Cuba, it would appear that you are either rather brave or foolish to try to contradict them - remember that people were unanimous in loving the country and were only motivated by trying to help a potential traveller with good advice based on their own experiences.....
I mean,of course we asked travellers on busses and trains and were told about difficult times, maybe you did a short trip and were lucky, who knows? Doesn't mean you should tell all that bus travel is fine....
...and we spoke with so many people who rented cars and found that if they didn't pay heaps to watchmen in outlying areas there would be nothing left of it in the morning..
I had fingernail scars on my wrist for weeks when a kid tried to grab my cheap watch in the street..
..and as for cheap ham being uncommon in Cuba......
.

Your logic as well as your factual knowledge is more than a tad bereft. Weren't you the same person who posted erroneous information about money in Cuba also?

Several of the posters above including #8, #9 #10 and myself have all travelled independently in Cuba. 1000's do so every year. Group tour travel is no better or worse per se than independent travel. But presumably before making a decision about what is personally best it is preferable to rely on information from those with actual experience rather than opinion or misinformation. To suggest that waiting days for buses is the norm for tourists is equally just as stupid as the comment about the alleged eating habits of the Cuban population surviving on "bad ham(sic) rolls" etc.

And btw even Cubans place train travel as their last resort but what that has to do with the various travel options available to foreign tourists who knows?

"...maybe you did a short trip and were lucky, who knows? " ...No just good research and preparation. And 5 weeks for my first trip to Cuba was short yes, unlike my subsequent ones.

Given that the crime rate in Cuba is significantly lower than any other north or south american country or most of seasia etc etc not sure what your unfortunate attempted theft has to do with anything? It coudn't have happened in Toronto or New York or London?

Caroljl - I hope you have a great time winging it! Do please post a report here and on the main Cuba branch.

You are absolutely right johnabbotsford, every word of it.
We were all wrong in giving the questioner the benefit of our experiences in order to be of assistance. You were right to put the truth in place and banish our lies . We see that now.....
thank you johnabbotsford

De nada!
Reports of actual experiences however subjective are always useful. Opinions and misinformation based on third hand anecdotes - not so much.

To save me replying to more pm's (but thanks to all for your interest and comments ) I recommend the following:

.......for info on resort type travel in Cuba best websites are Tripadviser http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147270-i91-Cuba.html and Debbies.Be aware that most resorts are a long way from towns/cities. You will see from the trip reports on these sites that most resort travellers spend little or no time outside the resorts.

For independent travel you can't go past the Cuba Branch here http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=14 - start with the FAQ's for obvious stuff like money and transport (has the Viazul bus schedules and prices).
There have also been a no of posts recently from travellers with recent experience of Cuba.