hi.

My mum and dad went to nthis hotel - well im 99% sure it waqs this hotel about 2 years ago and they caughtthe bellboy routing through my mums suitcase when they put them in the luggage room.

The rep told the guy to take his name badge off so my mum and dad cudnt get his name.

Sorry to put a downer on your trip bgut be careful!!!!

I'm afraid that wherever you go in Cuba you need to be careful with your luggage - compared to Cubans, tourists are rich beyond their wildest dreams. But don't let this put you off - it is rare for anything to be pilfered in the hotels but it's always best not to put temptation in people's way. So never leave your luggage unlocked and take measures to make it clear that it will be quick and easy to see if it's been tampered with.

So as well as locking their bags some people use cable ties that will have to be cut off and cannot be re-fastened but I've always just taken a roll of brown parcel tape with me! My lightweight semi-rigid cases are zip fastened and I just tape round and round them over the zips. Does the double duty of preventing water seeping in - invaluable when our cases sat around on the runway in Santiago during a tropical storm one year - and makes it instantly obvious if the case has been opened. Any pilferer won't want you to discover that your case has been opened until you are well away from where it happened and this seems to be just enough to deter them and make them look for another one instead. It's a bit unsightly but then it also makes my cases look as if they are a bit battered and being held together by the tape and, therefore, probably not holding anything of any worth! Friends do laugh at me but so far it seems to have worked - I'm one of the few people I know who has made multiple trips to Cuba and so far has never had their luggage rifled despite Havana airport being notorious for it!

I would never let this put me off going to Cuba or staying at a particular place, the penalities for being caught stealing from tourists are draconian enough to deter most people from even attempting to steal. And few hotel employees would want to take the risk of being sacked and losing legitimate access via tips and gifts etc to the extra money that can be made from tourists but you are always well advised to take that extra bit of care. As in most places, your luggage is going to be most vulnerable when in the hands of the airport baggage handlers rather than in your hotel.

SM

Thanks guys ! I've already been twice to Cuba without any problems so I'm not particularly concerned about it.
However, in the meantime, I've booked but I've changed from the Blue Bay Cayo Coco to the Tryp Cayo Coco, going on 25th Jan 2011 and already can't wait !!!