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Ever been to Havana Cuba?
- Thread starter Colin
- Start date
Colin
New Member
Any insight on that?
The Equipment Guy
New Member
Hi Colin,
We go every year or two. yes, we find it very safe. Walking Havana is a treat, and the hotels there did not seem too expensive, but I guess thats relative. Its better to just spend the day there than do a tour imho.
Few things on Cuba. Occasionally they get twitchy about exchanging torn or folded bills. I mean ones that to us seem to have no damage. Its better to go with new bills.
If you enjoy salt or pepper or artificial sweetener, bring your own.
The two currencies are the "tourist money" and the local money. For the most part, you will not have any interaction with the local currency, so its nothing to worry about.
Cubas is nice compared to other Caribbean countries because the people are educated, housed and for the most part happy. There is a lot less begging in Cuba.
The people of Cuba do supplement their incomes by inviting foreigners into their homes for various "money earning" ventures, like bed and breakfasts or even an invite for a traditional Cuban dinner. People I know who have done these swear it is the best part of Cuba. There is usually "a guy" on any resort beach that invites people to his home for a seafood feast...they are not a con, this is common!
Your passport must not expire within 30 days after your travel to Cuba or they will not allow you in. They will charge a nominal fee for a tourist card upon entry.
They will not accept any credit cards, travelers checks or anything from a US owned bank. Cuban/US relations have been better, but not all Cubans realize this yet.
Expect to have no cell communication in Cuba. Internet is slow.
I love Cuba. I think its a great vacation spot. We are down there again in 2 weeks. Cant wait!
Craig
We go every year or two. yes, we find it very safe. Walking Havana is a treat, and the hotels there did not seem too expensive, but I guess thats relative. Its better to just spend the day there than do a tour imho.
Few things on Cuba. Occasionally they get twitchy about exchanging torn or folded bills. I mean ones that to us seem to have no damage. Its better to go with new bills.
If you enjoy salt or pepper or artificial sweetener, bring your own.
The two currencies are the "tourist money" and the local money. For the most part, you will not have any interaction with the local currency, so its nothing to worry about.
Cubas is nice compared to other Caribbean countries because the people are educated, housed and for the most part happy. There is a lot less begging in Cuba.
The people of Cuba do supplement their incomes by inviting foreigners into their homes for various "money earning" ventures, like bed and breakfasts or even an invite for a traditional Cuban dinner. People I know who have done these swear it is the best part of Cuba. There is usually "a guy" on any resort beach that invites people to his home for a seafood feast...they are not a con, this is common!
Your passport must not expire within 30 days after your travel to Cuba or they will not allow you in. They will charge a nominal fee for a tourist card upon entry.
They will not accept any credit cards, travelers checks or anything from a US owned bank. Cuban/US relations have been better, but not all Cubans realize this yet.
Expect to have no cell communication in Cuba. Internet is slow.
I love Cuba. I think its a great vacation spot. We are down there again in 2 weeks. Cant wait!
Craig
ProWraps
New Member
thanks for the great write up TEG.
from what ive read if you stay in a cuban house it must be licensed by the gov or they and you can get into trouble.
is this true?
i read that the licensed ones will have something to the effect of a sticker or something in their home window.
from what ive read if you stay in a cuban house it must be licensed by the gov or they and you can get into trouble.
is this true?
i read that the licensed ones will have something to the effect of a sticker or something in their home window.
Colin
New Member
I don't plan on doing the Varadero scene, I've been to numerous All Inclusive resorts. Would you say that spending a week in Havana would be too long? I plan on taking loads of pictures, but perhaps I would go out of my mind with boredom after a few days. (?)
Where do you get them, at our local banks?
I've been to numerous Caribbean places (and Mexico) and never noticed it, but I've read on some travel sites that it can be frequent in Havana. I'm not too worried about that though. One must also be very wary of the myriad scams some Cuban people use, even at restaurants, taxis etc regarding the bill.
What about a Visa or bank card from a Canadian bank? (RBC)
In other words, what's the best procedure in terms of taking the appropriate money down, and the exchanging it before coming home? (Apparently you can't exchange their currency anywhere outside of Cuba). Spell it out for me like I just landed on planet earth.
Colin
New Member
HulkSmash
New Member
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
You're showing me 1 article of someone who got raped and killed 11 years ago?
I bet i can find 11 in the last month for Canada. I lived in Bermuda for 20 years.. safest place in the world...
The Equipment Guy
New Member
Yeah, you just have to exchange new Canadian bills at either the Cuban airport or a Cuban bank, there's nothing you can do before you get there. I always found there are english speaking tellers at the banks, and they go very slow, so there is no question about what they are doing. You cant bring any of it back with you, so exchange it back when you get to the airport.
Make sure to have a few bucks for the airport taxes (I think $20) when you leave.
Don't know about the private home licensing, never heard of that, could be true but ignored in the regions I was in, or maybe I did not notice.
Havana for a full week depends on you, I would enjoy it, but I can hang out at the same bar day after day too.
I only ever took buses, don't know about taxi scams. As I said before I have never had any issues.
Your questions are on the first page, I will reread them and see if I missed anything, lol. (RBC Card is fine, the main one that hangs people is American express, I think Citibank is a no go too.)
Make sure to have a few bucks for the airport taxes (I think $20) when you leave.
Don't know about the private home licensing, never heard of that, could be true but ignored in the regions I was in, or maybe I did not notice.
Havana for a full week depends on you, I would enjoy it, but I can hang out at the same bar day after day too.
I only ever took buses, don't know about taxi scams. As I said before I have never had any issues.
Your questions are on the first page, I will reread them and see if I missed anything, lol. (RBC Card is fine, the main one that hangs people is American express, I think Citibank is a no go too.)