Pearl of the Caribbean Tour
So, where to start? This was the first time I've flown to Cuba with Virgin and I found their ‘Twilight Check-in' service brilliant. As I had to travel down from Scotland on the Saturday, it was great being able to check-in the bags as soon as I arrived at Gatwick rather than lugging them with me to my friends' and checking them in on the Sunday morning - just kept basic overnight gear in the hand luggage. And of course because even in Economy, Virgin allow you to check in 2x23kgs, it meant I didn't have to worry about whether all the stuff I was taking out with me for friends would tip the scales too much. The flight itself passed in a bit of blur - I slept most of the way and prefer to read rather than bother with the IFE but most passengers seemed content enough.
International arrivals at Havana airport was its usual chaos, long wait as ever for the baggage, queues for immigration, queues for money changing but the Havantour rep was efficient and the transfer to the Sevilla in Havana Vieja was smooth (see hotel review for details). I didn't meet the other tour members until the following morning and was a little taken aback to discover that there were only 4 of us - when I booked I was told to expect 12-15! I had thought of crying off the city tour as I know Havana quite well but was glad that I didn't simply because with only 4 of us it could have come over as a bit ‘standoffish. Luckily we all (my companions all being around the same age as me - a woman from Ireland and a couple from Denmark) hit it off well and got on together. In the afternoon we were due to visit Hemingway's finca but I was exhausted and cried off in favour of relaxing by the hotel pool and was relieved when one of the others asked to be dropped off at the hotel too. I was a bit disappointed that dinner was taken in a restaurant miles away in Mirimar rather than in one of the many more atmospheric restaurants in the old part of the city - OK but just an average suburban place
The following day we headed off for 2 nights in Trinidad via Santa Clara. To be honest, given the overall cheesy nature of the cult of Che, I was very surprised to be genuinely moved by both the simplicity of the inside of the actual mausoleum and the obvious sincerity of the local staff. The ‘Tren Blindado' monument to one of the decisive battles was interesting but a little bizarre! Leaving the carriages where they fallen as they were derailed I could understand - the concrete ‘explosions' I couldn't, especially as the train hadn't been blown-up but was derailed as a result of Che having the brilliant idea of attacking the track with a bulldozer before it came through the city and then lighting fires under the wagons to force the soldiers out!
Trinidad itself is beautiful but absolutely heaving with tourists and almost too perfect in some ways - I got to the point were I felt as if I was on a film set or in a theme park rather than a living working city. Another disappointment to me was that all the main music venues were equally dominated by visitors - I assume because the drinks were relatively expensive compared to what I'm used to in places like the Casa de Musica in Santiago. We stayed 2 nights in the Iberostar Grand (see hotel review for more detail) - probably the best hotel I've ever stayed in anywhere despite the noisy open air disco across the square! But this also contributed to the sense of not really being in Cuba - lunch and dinner here was delicious but when the food was served we all sat there looking at it waiting for the inevitable rice and beans to appear but they never did! The only meals that I've ever been served in Cuba that weren't overloaded with carbohydrates - Osman (our guide) and Jesus (our driver) were especially non-plussed!
We next headed off to the Moka hotel (see hotel review for more detail) in Las Terrazas for 2 nights which was to be our base for exploring the province of Pinar del Rio. On the way we visited Guama and took a boat trip through the mangrove swamps on the shores of Treasure Lake. The replica Taino Indian Village was a little tacky but the actual boat trip through the swamps was really interesting.
Las Terrazas is a sustainable eco-community in the Sierra del Rosario nature reserve. Be warned that at this time of year (July) it is most definitely the rainy season - the humidity would build up every day until around 5.30/6pm when the heavens would open with a tremendous storm complete with thunder and lighting. And then the mozzies would come out in force - if you are going don't forget to pack the insect repellent for you and an anti-mozzie plug-in for the room. One of the treats of being in the Las Terrazas area is that dinner can be taken in the only vegetarian restaurant I've ever come across in Cuba - the food is really good for a country that has not tradition of vegetarian cooking.
Whilst here we had an R and R day on Cayo Levisa - a beautiful little island with a simple hotel (based on secluded bungalows) on it set on a lovely white sandy beach. By this point this is just what we needed - a quiet, relaxing day. It would make a good spot to have a few days peace and quiet but there isn't anything to do other than chill on the beach. Don't expect any night life!
This was followed by day in the Vinales valley where the scenery is stunning as a result of the limestone terrain. The valley floor is fairly flat punctuated by these amazing rounded ‘mogote' mountains. However, one of them has, to our eyes, been vandalised by having the steep side cleared of all vegetation and a huge mural of pre-historic creatures painted on it complete with ancient people who would never have walked through the valley at the same time as the diplodocus dinosaur depicted in it! It is being ‘restored' that is re-painted at the moment though we were clear that it would be better to let it be washed away! The trip through the El Indio cave system (partly by boat) was much more interesting and taxed our powers of diplomacy far less!
After a morning spent in Las Terrazas itself and visiting Polo Montanez's house (only of interest to Cuban music geeks like me - I could tell it was boring the other three!) and visiting a restored coffee plantation, we walked up beside the San Juan river which is a very popular day trip with Cubans because of the natural bathing pools. We, however, took a rain check on a swim because we were all heading off in different directions that day. Nuala was off to Varadero, Kim and Bodil were returning to Havana for few days and were then off to Jibacoa and I was off to Havana airport for an internal flight to Holguin where I'd join up with my second tour group. So we made our farewells at Havana Airport.
Before finishing off, I have to comment on the services of Osman and Jesus - they were brilliant! Osman was a very good guide, nothing was too much trouble for him, including taking us out each evening if we wanted to go out dancing or listening to music. He worked close to every waking hour making sure we got to do what we wanted. Once you get off the main ‘autopista' Cuban roads are atrocious and yet his high quality driving made sure that we didn't get shaken up too much etc. I was to realise just how good a driver was in retrospect after I'd experienced the driving the following week!
Cradle of the Revolution Tour
I arrived very late evening in Holguin and was met by Hector (guide) and Micaelis (driver). I was a bit non-plussed to discover that the tour ‘group' consisted of me! I spent just the one night in the Villa Bosque hotel (see hotel review for more detail) and probably didn't see it at its best - it's a typical Cuban style hotel based on bungalows spread around the grounds and there was a lot of renovation work going on because this year the big annual revolutionary congress around 26th July was taking place in Holguin and the hotel was being spruced up because a lot of the more important delegates were going to be housed there.
Early the following morning, after a short walk around the town itself, we headed of for Barracoa and what a journey that turned out to be! The morning went well enough with a visit to the game reserve on Cayo Saetia - though I did pass on the ‘jeep' safari because I simply couldn't face a dusty journey on the back of a 3 ton truck in the heat of the day when all sensible creatures would be hiding away in the shade. So we got going again straight after lunch and the nightmare started with not only a really jolting journey (Micaelis made no concessions to the state of the road!) but the jolting broke the air conditioning cable. After an abortive attempt at getting it repaired which meant an enforced stop at a hotel on the edge of a town dominated by 2 large nickel processing works - the pollution was indescribable - I was presented with the choice of either waiting at least 2hours for another people carrier to be sent out from Holguin or carrying on to Barracoa, minus air-conditioning, where there was apparently a garage that could do the repair. I suspect that I made the wrong choice but by now I just wanted to be able to get to the hotel and take a shower.
El Castillo in Baracoa (see hotel review for more detail) was like an Oasis in the desert. Originally it was the Spanish garrison fort and it's been converted very sympathetically and has superb views over the town. There's a winding drive for cars but also a long outside flight of some steps that take you right into the oldest and liveliest part of the town. However, by now I was starting to realise just how oppressive it could feel having a personal guide and driver! That night, when I said that I planned on walking down into the town to listen to some music and do some dancing hector and Micaelis not only insisted on accompanying me - not a problem in itself- but insisted on us driving down. Sat between the two of them like bookends, none of the locals were never going to ask me up to dance and what is more neither of them danced! And nor would they accept more than one drink from me whilst at the same time clearly not being in a position to afford to be buying drinks at the prices charged in the bar we ended up in. I on the other hand didn't feel comfortable ordering another drink if they weren't going to join me. So I told them I needed an early night and we trundled back up the drive!
Turned out to be a good call for other reasons - I ended up making repeated dashes to the loo throughout the night! I came to the conclusion that this was a result of getting dehydrated the previous day - no air-con and too much jolting around to be able to keep drinking water whilst on the move. So feeling a bit fragile the following morning I said that all I really wanted to do was to stroll along the Malecon (the seafront promenade) and soak up the atmosphere and take some photos. I had meant on my own but instead Hector walked with me and Micaelis crawled behind us in the people carrier! By this time I was ready for a revolution myself so we had a serious chat over lunch because the next stop on the tour was Santiago, a city I now know really well and where I'd done virtually everything that was scheduled on the tour. Plus, I'd already arranged to meet up with both Cuban and British friends who would be in the city at the same time. So in the end we agreed, and had authorised by the main Havantour office, that they would take to El Cobre on the way to Santiago and that once they'd dropped me at my hotel in Santiago that the tour would end there with a local taxi taking me to the airport on my last evening for my flight back to Havana. Bliss!
On previous visits to Santiago I've always stayed with families in ‘casa particulares' and it seemed strange to be staying at the Sol Melia Santiago (see hotel review for more detail) and having the use of the pool etc for free rather than having to pay for the occasional afternoon spent around the pool. So I soon settled into the routine of taking the short taxi ride each morning into the old part of the city, mooching around, choosing and buying CDs with the aid of Maria, the assistant in the shop attached to the Casa de Musica, taking a coffee and people watching from the terrace bar of the Casa Grande before heading back to spend the afternoon around the pool. And then after dinner, I'd head back up into town for an evening of music and dancing with friends. It's made me realise that this is the Cuba I love, Santiago has a much less ‘touristy' atmosphere and it really does have the best dance and music scene of all the places I've visited - including Havana. If you really want to get into Cuban music and street life then Santiago is the place to do it.
I was sorry to have to leave on my late night internal flight to Havana en route to Varadero - a regret that was deepened once I actually arrived there!
I arrived very late evening in Holguin and was met by Hector (guide) and Micaelis (driver). I was a bit non-plussed to discover that the tour ‘group' consisted of me! I spent just the one night in the Villa Bosque hotel (see hotel review for more detail) and probably didn't see it at its best - it's a typical Cuban style hotel based on bungalows spread around the grounds and there was a lot of renovation work going on because this year the big annual revolutionary congress around 26th July was taking place in Holguin and the hotel was being spruced up because a lot of the more important delegates were going to be housed there.
Early the following morning, after a short walk around the town itself, we headed of for Barracoa and what a journey that turned out to be! The morning went well enough with a visit to the game reserve on Cayo Saetia - though I did pass on the ‘jeep' safari because I simply couldn't face a dusty journey on the back of a 3 ton truck in the heat of the day when all sensible creatures would be hiding away in the shade. So we got going again straight after lunch and the nightmare started with not only a really jolting journey (Micaelis made no concessions to the state of the road!) but the jolting broke the air conditioning cable. After an abortive attempt at getting it repaired which meant an enforced stop at a hotel on the edge of a town dominated by 2 large nickel processing works - the pollution was indescribable - I was presented with the choice of either waiting at least 2hours for another people carrier to be sent out from Holguin or carrying on to Barracoa, minus air-conditioning, where there was apparently a garage that could do the repair. I suspect that I made the wrong choice but by now I just wanted to be able to get to the hotel and take a shower.
El Castillo in Baracoa (see hotel review for more detail) was like an Oasis in the desert. Originally it was the Spanish garrison fort and it's been converted very sympathetically and has superb views over the town. There's a winding drive for cars but also a long outside flight of some steps that take you right into the oldest and liveliest part of the town. However, by now I was starting to realise just how oppressive it could feel having a personal guide and driver! That night, when I said that I planned on walking down into the town to listen to some music and do some dancing hector and Micaelis not only insisted on accompanying me - not a problem in itself- but insisted on us driving down. Sat between the two of them like bookends, none of the locals were never going to ask me up to dance and what is more neither of them danced! And nor would they accept more than one drink from me whilst at the same time clearly not being in a position to afford to be buying drinks at the prices charged in the bar we ended up in. I on the other hand didn't feel comfortable ordering another drink if they weren't going to join me. So I told them I needed an early night and we trundled back up the drive!
Turned out to be a good call for other reasons - I ended up making repeated dashes to the loo throughout the night! I came to the conclusion that this was a result of getting dehydrated the previous day - no air-con and too much jolting around to be able to keep drinking water whilst on the move. So feeling a bit fragile the following morning I said that all I really wanted to do was to stroll along the Malecon (the seafront promenade) and soak up the atmosphere and take some photos. I had meant on my own but instead Hector walked with me and Micaelis crawled behind us in the people carrier! By this time I was ready for a revolution myself so we had a serious chat over lunch because the next stop on the tour was Santiago, a city I now know really well and where I'd done virtually everything that was scheduled on the tour. Plus, I'd already arranged to meet up with both Cuban and British friends who would be in the city at the same time. So in the end we agreed, and had authorised by the main Havantour office, that they would take to El Cobre on the way to Santiago and that once they'd dropped me at my hotel in Santiago that the tour would end there with a local taxi taking me to the airport on my last evening for my flight back to Havana. Bliss!
On previous visits to Santiago I've always stayed with families in ‘casa particulares' and it seemed strange to be staying at the Sol Melia Santiago (see hotel review for more detail) and having the use of the pool etc for free rather than having to pay for the occasional afternoon spent around the pool. So I soon settled into the routine of taking the short taxi ride each morning into the old part of the city, mooching around, choosing and buying CDs with the aid of Maria, the assistant in the shop attached to the Casa de Musica, taking a coffee and people watching from the terrace bar of the Casa Grande before heading back to spend the afternoon around the pool. And then after dinner, I'd head back up into town for an evening of music and dancing with friends. It's made me realise that this is the Cuba I love, Santiago has a much less ‘touristy' atmosphere and it really does have the best dance and music scene of all the places I've visited - including Havana. If you really want to get into Cuban music and street life then Santiago is the place to do it.
I was sorry to have to leave on my late night internal flight to Havana en route to Varadero - a regret that was deepened once I actually arrived there!
Varadero Extension
I started to have second thoughts about this almost as soon as I'd booked it and with hindsight I would have been better off extending my stay in Santiago and then heading straight home from Havana. The Villa Cuba is a nice enough hotel (see hotel review for more detail) but the I rapidly realised that the whole AI beach resort hotel isn't for me for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there really isn't anything to do outside of the hotel - I can see that for families looking for a hotel/beach centred holiday that this won't really be important but for me the hotel is simply somewhere to sleep and I like to get out and about soaking p the local life. But the main problem for me was what was happening in the hotel. Food and drink was available 24/7 - it really was an all inclusive package - and this just seemed to encourage really conspicuous consumption and I was shocked by the amount of wastage. I was taken aback by the amount of food that people would help themselves to from the buffet and just how much of it they would then leave and which would end up just being scraped into the waste bin. I wondered how this was viewed by the waiting on staff and was soon to find out. I know that finding decent food at reasonable prices is a major ongoing concern for most Cuban families, there's little choice and whilst the basic staples on the ration are cheap no one can live off them alone and everybody is always on the look out for how this can be supplemented. I've absolutely no doubt that my tips to Hector and Micaelis when we said goodbye were going to be spent on stocking up the people carrier with fruit and veg bought from road side stalls at much lower prices than they'd pay back home in the shops in Holguin. Observing the staff at the hotel it became clear that they viewed most overseas guests with utter contempt - it was clear to both me and them who were the small number of Cubans staying in the hotel - they were ones who also stacked their plates high at each meal but also ate everything they took.
I'm used to a situation were any tip is based on just rounding up by a few cents to the next full CUC or leaving just 1CUC at the end of the evening when you settle up for an evenings bar bill. All of which left me in a bit of a quandary at the beginning as to how the tipping worked in an AI context. I soon realised that if you wanted to get decent, civil service then you needed to tip heavily and in advance - you ignored the glass on the bar at your peril. This made me even more determined that I was NOT going to be bullied into it but I can see from the staffs perspective why this would become an expectation. Tourists are obviously so rich that they can afford and are used to just throwing food away and leaving the rest of a drink or cocktail once the ice has melted - I lost count of the half finished drinks that were just left to attract flies around the pool etc.
I soon discovered another reason why it was best for me to not get drawn into conversation with other guests in the hotel. Chatting with the patriarch of an extended Quebecois family whilst we all waited for the evening's entertainment to start, I soon realised that they thought that because they were staying in a wholly Cuban owned hotel, that also had Cuban guests staying in it, that they were having an authentic Cuban experience whereas I was thinking that on all sorts of levels that this was the most unCuban experience I'd ever had. I simply didn't know what to say.
Was I glad I did this trip? Yes, I am - I can't fault the overall service from Hanavatour, it enabled me to visit parts of the island that I've never been to before and it has opened my eyes to changes that are already taking place. Would I do it again? No, I don't think I would - it's made me realise that I much prefer staying in casa particulares and how much I love Santiago because those changes have still largely passed it by. I will certainly be going back to Cuba but it will back to my music, dance and language holiday next time.
I started to have second thoughts about this almost as soon as I'd booked it and with hindsight I would have been better off extending my stay in Santiago and then heading straight home from Havana. The Villa Cuba is a nice enough hotel (see hotel review for more detail) but the I rapidly realised that the whole AI beach resort hotel isn't for me for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there really isn't anything to do outside of the hotel - I can see that for families looking for a hotel/beach centred holiday that this won't really be important but for me the hotel is simply somewhere to sleep and I like to get out and about soaking p the local life. But the main problem for me was what was happening in the hotel. Food and drink was available 24/7 - it really was an all inclusive package - and this just seemed to encourage really conspicuous consumption and I was shocked by the amount of wastage. I was taken aback by the amount of food that people would help themselves to from the buffet and just how much of it they would then leave and which would end up just being scraped into the waste bin. I wondered how this was viewed by the waiting on staff and was soon to find out. I know that finding decent food at reasonable prices is a major ongoing concern for most Cuban families, there's little choice and whilst the basic staples on the ration are cheap no one can live off them alone and everybody is always on the look out for how this can be supplemented. I've absolutely no doubt that my tips to Hector and Micaelis when we said goodbye were going to be spent on stocking up the people carrier with fruit and veg bought from road side stalls at much lower prices than they'd pay back home in the shops in Holguin. Observing the staff at the hotel it became clear that they viewed most overseas guests with utter contempt - it was clear to both me and them who were the small number of Cubans staying in the hotel - they were ones who also stacked their plates high at each meal but also ate everything they took.
I'm used to a situation were any tip is based on just rounding up by a few cents to the next full CUC or leaving just 1CUC at the end of the evening when you settle up for an evenings bar bill. All of which left me in a bit of a quandary at the beginning as to how the tipping worked in an AI context. I soon realised that if you wanted to get decent, civil service then you needed to tip heavily and in advance - you ignored the glass on the bar at your peril. This made me even more determined that I was NOT going to be bullied into it but I can see from the staffs perspective why this would become an expectation. Tourists are obviously so rich that they can afford and are used to just throwing food away and leaving the rest of a drink or cocktail once the ice has melted - I lost count of the half finished drinks that were just left to attract flies around the pool etc.
I soon discovered another reason why it was best for me to not get drawn into conversation with other guests in the hotel. Chatting with the patriarch of an extended Quebecois family whilst we all waited for the evening's entertainment to start, I soon realised that they thought that because they were staying in a wholly Cuban owned hotel, that also had Cuban guests staying in it, that they were having an authentic Cuban experience whereas I was thinking that on all sorts of levels that this was the most unCuban experience I'd ever had. I simply didn't know what to say.
Was I glad I did this trip? Yes, I am - I can't fault the overall service from Hanavatour, it enabled me to visit parts of the island that I've never been to before and it has opened my eyes to changes that are already taking place. Would I do it again? No, I don't think I would - it's made me realise that I much prefer staying in casa particulares and how much I love Santiago because those changes have still largely passed it by. I will certainly be going back to Cuba but it will back to my music, dance and language holiday next time.
I enjoyed reading your trip report SMa. The tour sounds as though it was very well organised though I did wonder about the few days in Varadero when you first mentioned the holiday some weeks ago.
It must have seemed quite strange having the two minders accompanying you wherever you went on the second part of the tour.
Hopefully you will be able to resume your normal Salsa and Spanish holidays in the future.
Judith
It must have seemed quite strange having the two minders accompanying you wherever you went on the second part of the tour.
Hopefully you will be able to resume your normal Salsa and Spanish holidays in the future.
Judith
Any idea what the weather will be like in Cuba in November plz, I'm off to Holguin in the 6th. 
Mdollar,
You'll find weather information including history on Wunderground and our dedicated Caribbean Weather topic.
Darren
You'll find weather information including history on Wunderground and our dedicated Caribbean Weather topic.
Darren
Thank you Darren! 
Just seen your report SMa, very interesting reading. I'm really looking forward to our visit to Cuba next year. We are doing a 7 day tour and 7 day AI stay.
We've just come back from Guardalavaca and wow what an amazing place it is! The people, the culture, the weather, basically there was nothing to fault it. I loved the fact it was so quiet on the roads and it wasn't at all touristy outside of the resort. We met a few locals who we made friends with and who were happy to take us on a tour of the town (and the bars!) for a few pesos. We swam with the dolphins which was amazing experience I'll never forget, went horse riding and spent a few days on the most amazing beach which is Esmeralda and was so lucky to have a room looking straight out onto it every morning. All in all I would say this place is the epitome of paradise and I was sad to leave but hopefully it won't be too long before I'm back there again.
I'm thinking about going to Cuba in September next year. However I'm not sure what the weathers going to be like then, the temperature seems to be ok, however it's the rain etc that I'm not sure about.
Where are you thinking on staying? It can make a big difference. September is still well within the hurricane season and you can expect it to be very humid, especially on the south coast and even more so in the southeast. You could strike lucky and get very little rain - on the other hand you could be close to the path of a tropical storm and experience very heavy rain on some days.
SM
SM
Thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to think about going somewhere else then. Don't think I want to take a chance about the weather. It's best to go round this time in the year I take it?
Generally you'll get the most settled weather anywhere in the Caribbean from December through to April - May at the latest. So, yes, now is a very good time to go but you won't get the same very high temperatures that you get in the summer months either. I've friends out in Cuba now and whilst they are glad to be away from all this snow and ice it gets colo enough to need a light cardigan/jumper of an evening. If you don't want to take the chance on getting some rain then you really need to avoid not just Cuba but the whole of the Caribbean and Central America from May to mid-November.
All that lush greenery is a result of high temperatures and heavy rain at certain times of the year. When the rain comes most of the time it tends to come in very short sharp bursts in the late afternoon - great for clearing the air a bit but if a tropical storm tracks through where you are staying it can be quite prolonged. And of course there is always the risk of hurricanes which is why the prices are cheaper during our summer than they are at this time of year. To be honest, that's why the only place that I would travel to in the Caribbean during the hurricane season IS Cuba because their track record of coping with hurricanes is so much better than almost everywhere else, including Mexico and the US.
SM
SM
All that lush greenery is a result of high temperatures and heavy rain at certain times of the year. When the rain comes most of the time it tends to come in very short sharp bursts in the late afternoon - great for clearing the air a bit but if a tropical storm tracks through where you are staying it can be quite prolonged. And of course there is always the risk of hurricanes which is why the prices are cheaper during our summer than they are at this time of year. To be honest, that's why the only place that I would travel to in the Caribbean during the hurricane season IS Cuba because their track record of coping with hurricanes is so much better than almost everywhere else, including Mexico and the US.
SM
SM
Thanks again for the detailed reply. I don't mind rain at all, as you says it clears the air. However I don't want to be in the middle of a hurricane on my 2 week holiday. We have had a chat and she says that we'll go this time next year and go somewhere else in September.
I don't want to be in the middle of a hurricane on my 2 week holiday
This is extremely unlikely to be the case in Cuba - you might not be in the resort you originally booked for but you wouldn't be in the middle of a hurricane either. This is because the hurricanes normally track across the island on a north/south axis and Cuba is close to being 1,000 kms from west to east. So even when a hurricane makes landfall in Cuba is it usually only a small part of the island that is effected. Hotels aren't allowed to be fully booked out during the summer - this means that there is always spare capacity and if a part of the island is in the path of a hurricane then all residents and tourists are evacuated. The locals get taken to the nearest hurricane shelters - usually on army bases away from the predicted track and TOs have to send tourists to another resort/hotel in another part of the island away from the path of the hurricane.
I was out in Cuba in the summer in 2005, 2007 and 2009 and the only time I was affected by hurricanes was in 2005 when I was there in the 'window' between hurricanes Dennis and Emily tracking through the island. There were some problems in that one of the places we'd hoped to visit had suffered damage caused by Dennis before we arrived and so we couldn't go there and the intinerary was adjusted. There were also some problems with water and power supplies but the contingency plans kept the water flowing through the taps and since then smaller emergency electricity generating plants have now been built all over the island that kick in when the main grid is disrupted for whatever reason. In neither 2007 nor 2009 did I experience the sort of blackouts that we did in 2005 and even then it didn't affect people staying in hotels because they all had their own emergency generators. It only affected us because we were staying with local families.
So I don't find the thought of travelling to Cuba in the hurricane season that off-putting but that said, my favourite time of year for visiting Cuba is March - lots of sunshine but very little rain and a great deal less humidity.
SM
I love July back for third time in 2010
oooooooooooooooooooh-and i thought by now i was thoroughly clued up on cuba 
got our tickets today from direct holidays and it informs us that camoflage clothing (hope i've spelt that nearly right!) of any description is illegal-i have never come across this and i am so pleased i bothered to read all the small print-
don't get me wrong, my husband does not spend our holidays looking like he's taken the wrong turn off the assault course, but he did have a few bits of holiday gear in a slightly 'military chic' style, as many men do, i have had to dump 2 pairs of shorts amongst other things in the 'do not pack' pile and get some new pairs in a more neutral pattern-just a heads up for anyone else not aware
got our tickets today from direct holidays and it informs us that camoflage clothing (hope i've spelt that nearly right!) of any description is illegal-i have never come across this and i am so pleased i bothered to read all the small print-
don't get me wrong, my husband does not spend our holidays looking like he's taken the wrong turn off the assault course, but he did have a few bits of holiday gear in a slightly 'military chic' style, as many men do, i have had to dump 2 pairs of shorts amongst other things in the 'do not pack' pile and get some new pairs in a more neutral pattern-just a heads up for anyone else not aware
Oh same here Emma .I didnt know that either . Yes looks like a couple of pairs of shorts may have to be ditched and I think the boys have some of that too.
I know they are not as trendy as they were a couple of years ago but my hubby is always at least a fews years behind . Well more like 30
I know they are not as trendy as they were a couple of years ago but my hubby is always at least a fews years behind . Well more like 30
OMG! Really Emma? My hubby will be gutted he just got a new pair of cargo camoflage type pants for his hols last weekend!!
It seems a little bizzare - what if, as he had planned to do, you are wearing them to travel in - would they just refuse to let you in?
It seems a little bizzare - what if, as he had planned to do, you are wearing them to travel in - would they just refuse to let you in?
Not worth risking it with Cuban immigration - it can be a hairy experience at the best of times.
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cuba or dom rep?
Posted by bushbaby in Caribbean - Cuba Discussion Forum