Cuba Question

[DebsyDoo]

Thinking of going to Cuba early next year (March/May) time - can anyone advise best time to go & best area to stay please ?

[DebsyDoo]

Ok, thanx. Can you think of any reason why when I do a search fo hols, only Holguin & Caya Coco come up in May ?

[Cathyhuns]

It depends what you're after from your holiday. Many of the bigger tour operators only do Cuba as sunshine / all inclusive holidays, which could, quite frankly, be anywhere warm. If you're looking to see Cuba you may need to go with a smaller company or one specialising in tours / adventure holidays, which will unfortunately cost more.

You should visit Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

[DebsyDoo]

Ok, thanx - food for thought !

[Jennykenny]

I went with Virgin and also chose a hotel with them in the centre, Hotel Parque Central, in Havana. It included transport to and from the hotel, which was very useful.
The ocean resorts are very beautiful, but pretty isolated. Public transport is almost non existent, but you can usually flag down a car and they will charge much less than the going rate of the normal taxis. They will also probably have a broken window or two, and ripped seats, but it is all part of the adventure.

I don't drink beer or spirits, and they are pretty cheap (local makes) but most wine is imported, and relatively expensive in bars. Take a corkscrew and buy bottles from the little corner stores.
When you leave, 'donate' all your medicines to the chambermaid, ie aspirin, Rennies etc. things may be changing but I don't think too quickly.
Make sure you understand the difference between the two currencies, or you will end up paying a lot more than you need to.

The hotel was very pleasant and within walking distance of the old part of Havana, which is the most interesting part of the city, but was fairly expensive.
Have a look on Trip Advisor, if you are interested, for further comments under Jennykenny.

[jno]

it partly depends what sort of holiday you want - city break, tour, resort holiday? Distances are quite long and there's not much transport available so if you want to see more than one place a package tour might be a good idea.

[Cathyhuns]

If you're thinking of touring also bear in mind that it takes at least twice as long to get anywhere than you expect. Nothing turns up on time and the roads are so poor that speeds are very low.

We had a shared transfer from Havana booked for 9am. At 200 miles we thought we'd be there for a late lunch. However the bus turned up at 5 to 10, never went above 50 mph even on the "motorway", a 10 minute toilet stop lasted an hour because the driver disappeared. So we got to Trinidad after 4pm.

Fascinating place though and well worth a visit.

[DebsyDoo]

Thanx to one & all !