If You've Been to Cuba, Please Educate Me

[ronandannette]

Traded in our February cruise plans for a week at an AI in Varadero. I've never even considered Cuba before but it seems like a clean, safe and easy destination right now, especially compared to a multi-port cruise. We threw a dart and booked the Sanctuary section of Grand Memories but I realize it's a long-shot that anyone has been to that particular resort before. I would appreciate any general comments about the destination though.

One thing in particular has me confused. Lots of advice says to take USD for tipping. Why? Are Cubans able to spend USD? Is it even legal to take that currency into the country?

 

[MamaLema]

Cubans love American dollars. They do have their own currency but use American dollars as well as they are far more valuable.

I haven’t been to that particular resort. I loved Cuba but I’m not a fan of AI and the constant need to tip for every small thing.

 

[ronandannette]

Cubans love American dollars. They do have their own currency but use American dollars as well as they are far more valuable.

I haven’t been to that particular resort. I loved Cuba but I’m not a fan of AI and the constant need to tip for every small thing.

Thank you. It surprises me about the money, given that Cuba is still embargoed from any kind of trade with America. One of my cousins had made extended stays there annually and says they can’t even order things on-line from the US and they certainly can’t leave Cuba to visit there.

As a vacation destination, what did you love? I’m not an AI person either or a real lover of laying on the beach. Is there much to do and see and can one explore easily on their own?

 

[Gigi22]

Thank you. It surprises me about the money, given that Cuba is still embargoed from any kind of trade with America. One of my cousins had made extended stays there annually and says they can’t even order things on-line from the US and they certainly can’t leave Cuba to visit there.

As a vacation destination, what did you love? I’m not an AI person either or a real lover of laying on the beach. Is there much to do and see and can one explore easily on their own?

I’ve only been there once, for a destination wedding about 5 years ago. We were on Air Transat. The airline was OK. When we deplaned in Cuba, everyone was put in a very large and crowded reception area to be individually processed by the Cuban officials there. All the luggage was lined up, every party had to find and retrieve all their luggage. Crowded buses to the resort. Our resort was not in Varadero, so I can’t comment on that. Our resort was very spread out, several low-rise buildings (no elevators) connected by paved paths. Dining located in different buildings, with set dining hours, reservations needed at smaller venues. The food was institutional 1960s cafeteria quality. I’m not a beach person, so I didn’t find much to do as our hotel, while fairly new, seemed to be in a secluded area. There were some local very long trips available for booking in advance in the hotel lobby.

I agree, take small denomination US money for tips. You should be able to get Cuban money at your hotel.

 

[MamaLema]

Thank you. It surprises me about the money, given that Cuba is still embargoed from any kind of trade with America. One of my cousins had made extended stays there annually and says they can’t even order things on-line from the US and they certainly can’t leave Cuba to visit there.

As a vacation destination, what did you love? I’m not an AI person either or a real lover of laying on the beach. Is there much to do and see and can one explore easily on their own?

Our beach was very pretty. We are beach people, but we also did day trips to Havana and Trinidad and enjoyed both. There is a $5 hop on hop off bus that we used to get to know the town. You can easily explore the city and found it safe.

 

[2Lunds]

We have definitely found Cuba to be very safe and clean. Also very friendly. Most recently we stayed in Cayo Coco, which requires a long drive across a causeway. We also did a day trip into Havana, which I highly recommend, with a couple of caveats.

1. Bring toilet paper/wipes and small currency for purchases/tipping. Outside of your resort, lots of washrooms don't have TP, and/or they have attendants selling it. Many toilets in old Havana are also "manually" flushed, meaning the attendant flushes with a bucket of water when you're done, and they need to be tipped as well.

2. Tied to #1 - have lots of hand sanitizer, use frequently. There may not be soap or running water in the washrooms either.

3. Havana is AMAZING and if you can manage a day trip, I highly recommend it. I recall our tour guide telling us not to shoplift (you'll get arrested for sure) and don't buy cigars off the street (they're likely grass/straw not tobacco) and otherwise not to worry about anything, go where ever we want. Aside from the usual historical sights, we were able to take a couple of hours to just wander the streets and it was truly special.

4. If you do take a day trip - be prepared. Again, the airports are lacking in facilities. Our chartered plane ended up being commandeered by the Government for use in deporting an Italian citizen (!), so we spent about 5/6 hours in the Havana airport before being able to fly back to the local airport near our resort. It was 6 a.m. when we finally got back to the resort and I'd eaten nothing but ham sandwiches the whole day

5. The ham sandwiches are actually very good, and the coffee is to die for

6. The beaches are insane. Unlike much of the Caribbean, there is no seaweed problem, the sand is gorgeous and soft and there's not a ton of rough surf (at least there doesn't seem to be in Cayo Coco).

 

[Aug2020distrip]

We enjoyed Cuba. We thought it felt very safe and it has some gorgeous beaches. We stayed near Veradero. Did a few day trips, a day trip to Havana is a must.

food at the all inclusive was meh. Bring salt and ketchup packs and thank me later.

food off the resort in restaurants was fine. If I go again I will splurge and find an all inclusive with great food haha

 

[bababear_50]

Hi Hon
I debated posting this and I truly mean no offence.
The best traveler is a educated one.

Members of my family usually head to Cuba once, twice,, sometimes three times during a Fall/Winter season.
Please keep in mind that things can change in any country you are visiting and right now Cuba is quite a bit different
than 2-3 years ago. This is not the time to travel and end up saying *well I didn't know*.

My son and his dad just got back before Christmas.
Many restaurants and bars are not open for indoor eating and also the evening hours are shortened.
Russia recently sent aid to Cuba. They have surging Covid cases.

Covid has increased the amount Cubans that are suffering economically right now. For the first time they (family) heard talk openly on the the streets of political unrest. (It's always been there just not openly).

Usually medical is available at the Resorts for guests however this time there was a long wait.
Please become aware of the what happens if you develop Covid in Cuba and what are their rules and regulations on isolation.
I definitely think a beach vacation is possible with some planning and prior knowledge.

Hugs Mel

This is an article from someone who went recently
https://globalnews.ca/news/8495286/positive-covid-pcr-test-while-on-vacation/

 

[azrivest]

Traded in our February cruise plans for a week at an AI in Varadero. I've never even considered Cuba before but it seems like a clean, safe and easy destination right now, especially compared to a multi-port cruise. We threw a dart and booked the Sanctuary section of Grand Memories but I realize it's a long-shot that anyone has been to that particular resort before. I would appreciate any general comments about the destination though.

Have you researched a bit? It's gotten out in the news in Quebec that their quarantine installations are less than stellar, if you end up testing positive before your return to Canada.

The article posted by bababear gives a good example. La Presse had a similar article this week.

I don't know about other sun destinations, but I agree that Cuba doesn't seem the best place to visit right now

 

[ronandannette]

Hi Hon
I debated posting this and I truly mean no offence.
The best traveler is a educated one.

Members of my family usually head to Cuba once, twice,, sometimes three times during a Fall/Winter season.
Please keep in mind that things can change in any country you are visiting and right now Cuba is quite a bit different
than 2-3 years ago. This is not the time to travel and end up saying *well I didn't know*.

My son and his dad just got back before Christmas.
Many restaurants and bars are not open for indoor eating and also the evening hours are shortened.
Russia recently sent aid to Cuba. They have surging Covid cases.

Covid has increased the amount Cubans that are suffering economically right now. For the first time they (family) heard talk openly on the the streets of political unrest. (It's always been there just not openly).

Usually medical is available at the Resorts for guests however this time there was a long wait.
Please become aware of the what happens if you develop Covid in Cuba and what are their rules and regulations on isolation.
I definitely think a beach vacation is possible with some planning and prior knowledge.

Hugs Mel

This is an article from someone who went recently
https://globalnews.ca/news/8495286/positive-covid-pcr-test-while-on-vacation/

That link is good information and I will look for more reports and articles that may expand it further. I have zero concern about my actual health if I contract Omicron; the common experience of now millions of people (confirmed by medical experts) suggest the symptoms will be mild, if any at all. I am however, very concerned about the possibility of testing positive and being unable to return home as scheduled. Understanding and planning around that very real possibility has the highest priority.

 

[ronandannette]

Have you researched a bit? It's gotten out in the news in Quebec that their quarantine installations are less than stellar, if you end up testing positive before your return to Canada.

The article posted by bababear gives a good example. La Presse had a similar article this week.

I don't know about other sun destinations, but I agree that Cuba doesn't seem the best place to visit right now

Thank you. Any other links you could post would be very helpful (English only please; regrettably, I'm not bilingual ).

The Sunwing insurance implies (or at least does not specify otherwise) that one would quarantine at the resort but maybe that's an incorrect assumption based on less-than-clear information in their documentation. It's definitely worth being very, very sure of before departure.

 

[azrivest]

Thank you. Any other links you could post would be very helpful (English only please; regrettably, I'm not bilingual ).

The Sunwing insurance implies (or at least does not specify otherwise) that one would quarantine at the resort but maybe that's an incorrect assumption based on less-than-clear information in their documentation. It's definitely worth being very, very sure of before departure.

I don't have an article in English sorry, but the information was more or less the same. Limited (and sometimes uncooked) food, limited water, and testing every 5 days, for 150$/night.

The woman in the news story got moved overnight by ambulance to an unused resort with other positive cases, so in their case they didn't get to stay at their resort. But this was in Cayo Coco. Maybe Varadero is different.

 

[bababear_50]

The Vaccination rate is actually higher in Cuba than here.

Cuba

31M 31,000,000

9.7M 9,700,000

85.6%

Tourism is their number #1 industry
Cuba is dominated by the tourism industry and the exports of skilled labor, sugar, tobacco, and coffee.
They must do everything in their power to keep the open Resorts as Covid free as possible.
I do believe this is their reasoning for moving sick guests as quickly and quietly as possible to isolation.
Some of the best Doctor's I've met in Cuba has actually done a lot of their training here in Canada.

Word to the wise do not travel on day excursions or out for the evening with large sums of American dollars.
Yes USD are preferred right now ,,but break them up into small denominations ($5-10).
You are not going to be able to exchange any Cuban money you get back into USD or CAD dollars and Cuba is the only place you can use it.
The Cuban $ is called a CUP.

Quick article on how this changed in 2020. below
https://www.tourepublic.com/blog/cuban-currency/
Censorship to internet access is extensive/expensive.

I have found the People of Cuba to be very honorable , caring ,kind and giving.

Hugs
Mel

 

[samsteele]

I also enjoyed 3 or 4 one week beach vacations to Veradero about 15 or 20 years ago. I stayed at Arenas Blancas for all but an older resort even then and probably has been renamed by now. The beach was gorgeous and the people incredible. US $ was really the only currency they wanted from vacationers. Possibly euros may have been taken as, at least then, many Spanish guests on package deals.

I agree with all the tips and suggestions above. I took a bus day trip into Havana arranged through the hotel and rank it as one of my best travel experiences. La Floridita bar, the architecture, the Malacon and the Tropicana all were incredible visits. But I stuck tight to my guide as even then, on a morning and early afternoon tour, we were approached in the street to buy drugs, girls, boys, whatever was wanted. So, at least for me, it was fine to visit in a group with a guide but I wouldn't be comfortable on my own.

I also agree with some of the cautions noted above. I haven't been back to Cuba for so long because it has become more unstable and may be for some time. Covid adds another significant layer of worry.

 

[mort1331]

So no experience with Cuba in the last couple of years, but have had many trips to most parts of Cuba.
Most have explained whats up with Covid and what could happen. I will tell you Cuba health care is some of the best in the world with what they have to work with, they send there doctors all over to help out.
The resorts always have great people and the beaches are some of the best. Now the downside all talk about is the food. It and the water are safe, not like DR that you sometimes take a risk with. But because of lack of supplies and spice the food tends to be on the bland side. We go for the beach, relax and knowing we are safe. No vendors coming up and down the beach bugging you. They dont want to upset you, the tourist , their biggest income.
We dont do day trips or outings except for the odd scuba/snorkel run. With all that is going on, I would welcome a place to just exscape from like that right now. Go with that expectation and it wont disappoint.
Yes their airports are not special, But a lot of the small islands do not have big airports.
Enjoy.

 

[ronandannette]

So no experience with Cuba in the last couple of years, but have had many trips to most parts of Cuba.
Most have explained whats up with Covid and what could happen. I will tell you Cuba health care is some of the best in the world with what they have to work with, they send there doctors all over to help out.
The resorts always have great people and the beaches are some of the best. Now the downside all talk about is the food. It and the water are safe, not like DR that you sometimes take a risk with. But because of lack of supplies and spice the food tends to be on the bland side. We go for the beach, relax and knowing we are safe. No vendors coming up and down the beach bugging you. They dont want to upset you, the tourist , their biggest income.
We dont do day trips or outings except for the odd scuba/snorkel run. With all that is going on, I would welcome a place to just exscape from like that right now. Go with that expectation and it wont disappoint.
Yes their airports are not special, But a lot of the small islands do not have big airports.
Enjoy.

Funny you say that about the airports - give me a primitive "walk off the plane and out the front door" airport any day over the behemoth international hubs we usually travel through. Gad, I hate them and their multi-terminals and moving sidewalks and having to race around entire city blocks to find your gate or the luggage carrousel.

 

[wdwmom3]

I would be very cautious about traveling to Cuba right now. Mainly because of the reports from people who have tested positive. You need to consider what will happen if you test positive. And I would listen to the actual stories, not by what you thing Sunwing says they will do. By the sounds of it Sunwing did not assist people at all.

I have heard some reports from people who tested positive in Mexico and that seemed to have been handled a little better? But do your research.

It’s very different traveling somewhere like Cuba and testing positive then say traveling to the US.

 

[papertraveller]

We were last in Cuba (Cayo Coco) in January 2020.
We exchanged Canadian dollars for Cuban pesos at the airport, and tipped with those. We did exchange some more at the hotel, for virtually the same rate.
We also took a variety of other things with us for our housekeepers, the groundskeepers, bartenders, etc. We brought work gloves, baseballs, feminine products, toothbrushes and toothpaste. I also took some used clothing and shoes (all in good condition). I asked one of the receptionists at the front desk whether they would like cash or these types of items, and she said most definitely personal care, because while they can find some of these items locally, they cost a lot. She was expecting her first child, and as it happened I had a friend coming to the same resort two weeks later. I asked the receptionist what she could use, and without missing a beat she said "children's Tylenol."
We used the Cuban pesos for tipping the bar and dining wait staff primarily, but some fancy hair barrettes and such were also well received.
You are not permitted to take Cuban currency out of the country (and as a PP noted, you can't exchange it if you bring it back home). You can convert it back at the airport -- and at a different rate than purchase, I would note, that certainly favours the national bank!
A friend told me that on one of his visits a staff member was trying to unload the Canadian currency they had been left -- no market for that!

 

[vegs1]

Tonight on the 6 pm Toronto Global News program, they interviewed a woman who just travelled to Holguin, Cuba. She said if she knew the anxiety and stress that they would go through they definitely wouldn’t travel now. She ended up in a quarantine hotel with no hot water, and bad food. Her boyfriend did not test positive so didn’t go with her.

I think the transmissibility of the virus has changed the game for this virus and none of us know who will get it. I guess it all comes down to if the risk and anxiety to yourself and to anyone you come in contact with is worth it.

As to the money for tipping... USD are used in the “dollar stores” to buy overpriced shampoo, soaps, cleaning supplies, etc. I have heard that these stores are pretty well out of merchandise. They do love receiving personal items like shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Tylenol but I also know that when given these items on the property, you have to be certain the staff won’t be in a position that makes it look like they stole them from your room. They could lose their jobs.

 

[ronandannette]

...As to the money for tipping... USD are used in the “dollar stores” to buy overpriced shampoo, soaps, cleaning supplies, etc. I have heard that these stores are pretty well out of merchandise. They do love receiving personal items like shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Tylenol but I also know that when given these items on the property, you have to be certain the staff won’t be in a position that makes it look like they stole them from your room. They could lose their jobs.

How would that happen if a guest didn't report a theft or make some kind of complaint? How would one go about giving these things as a gift? And I confess to being uneducated; I'm quite shocked to hear that public commerce is being conducted in Cuba in USD.