My response is really about Virgin not about Cuba as I have never been. I do always book holidays with Thomson and have been very happy with the flights, and everything. Last February I wanted to go to Mexico and within a week (long story and won't bore you with it), so I looked at Virgin, and decided to go U/C with them, never done it before and possibly won't again for a while, but have to say from the moment i got to the Airport I felt like a Princess, going to the U/c check in and the Club lounge etc.

I don't know if you are going U/C but it is fab- and the Air Crew service were wonderful.

we are looking at going to Cuba. We normally go with Thomson but they don't do Cube

Back by popular demand. Cuba is now available through Thomson......November 2015 - October 2016

http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/caribbean/cuba/holidays-cuba.html

Sanji

Sanji wrote:

we are looking at going to Cuba. We normally go with Thomson but they don't do Cube

Back by popular demand. Cuba is now available through Thomson......November 2015 - October 2016

http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/caribbean/cuba/holidays-cuba.html

Sanji

Unfortunately it's only LGW-VRA, and only May-October 2016, or I'd have thought about going back to Guardalavaca in March.

SerendipityJo wrote:

Hi all

we are looking at going to Cuba. We normally go with Thomson but they don't do Cube (however this morning they have just added it with first choice). We have been looking at Virgin holidays and have never been with them before.

When is the best time of year to go and are virgin holidays good?

we also like to go adult only if possible.

Thank you

Virgin are fine. They only fly into Havana, and Thomsons are now flying into Varadero (but only during the Summer), so it depends on where on the island you want to stay? Personally it would be in February-April if I was to go back.

Been with Virgin to other parts of the Caribbean but preferred Thomson for Cuba. Generally I find that Virgin are more expensive -presumably Miss Pink must have won the lottery to go U/C with Virgin
As per sunaddict we preferred resorts around Guardalavaca - altho' for a first visit it is probably worth going to Havana/Varadero if only to see Havana and its colonial architecture before the Yanks tear it down to put in Dennys or Red Lobster outlets everywhere!!

brewerdave wrote:

Been with Virgin to other parts of the Caribbean but preferred Thomson for Cuba. Generally I find that Virgin are more expensive -presumably Miss Pink must have won the lottery to go U/C with Virgin
As per sunaddict we preferred resorts around Guardalavaca - altho' for a first visit it is probably worth going to Havana/Varadero if only to see Havana and its colonial architecture before the Yanks tear it down to put in Dennys or Red Lobster outlets everywhere!!

Not Quite Brewerdave, but 18 year redundancy package made it possible

We are going to Cuba for the first time in May. Staying adults only all inclusive at the Royalton Hicacos, Varadero. Flying with Thomas Cook from Manchester in their new Premium Cabin. We thought they offered a very competitive price when booked.

Cadge16 wrote:

We are going to Cuba for the first time in May. Staying adults only all inclusive at the Royalton Hicacos, Varadero. Flying with Thomas Cook from Manchester in their new Premium Cabin. We thought they offered a very competitive price when booked.

I'd be interested to know what you think of the Royal Hicacos, so if you could post an update when you get back I'd be grateful. I do like Guardalavaca and Cayo Coco, but we've thought about visiting Varadero. It would have to be adults only so I'd given it a quick look at. I'd probably fly Thomsons though.

Just come back from 2 weeks A/I in Cuba on a Virgin holiday. Couldn't fault them really apart from the poor hotel they put us up in Havanna when we did the overnight trip (hotel was the Chateu Miramar - avoid like the plague). We stayed at Memories Jibacoa which is around an hour from Havanna. Really loved the hotel which is on the beach but appears to be in a really secluded jungle location. Nowhere near as in your face as Valedero and the staff are absolutely fantastic. This is a no under 14s hotel as well which is a real bonus as my wife works in a school. if full on party mode is your thing this is not for you as this is total relaxtion heaven . The staff do put on lots of activities/shows but you don't get forced into anything. Apparantly the best time to go is April which we can confirm was fantastic with virtually no humidity.

Did a really great "real" Cuba trip with a local cab driver who charged around £30 for a half day trip. I actually ended up driving a local train from Hershey station! Really recommend the guy who was really knowledgeable and helpful. Can supply his number if someone wants it.

All in all think you should go for it. Cost wise it was 2.5 k for the two of us : Flights,hotel and transfers.

Thanks you everyone. Kilgoreck that is the hotel we have been looking at with Virgin to go with, sounds just up our street really. We would like to do a few trips and relax alot on other days. Would be grateful for the taxi drivers name as that sounds really good. Also from there can you do the old car drive into Havana?

thank you

Yes you can do the old car trip to Havanna. The can drivers hang round outside the hotel although some of the staff are also part time cab drivers (seem quite a few like that in Cuba). I will hunt down the guy's name and number.

On a slightly worring note I looked on the Virgin site for the same hotel next year and roughly the same time (Thu before Good Friday for 2 weeks) and it appears to have gone up by £600 per person! Surely this cannot be right? I know Virgin site prices have jumped around quite a bit in the past but this is a bit exteme and will put people off.

Just a few tips about using taxis in Cuba that might be helpful if you are a first timer.

There are three types of taxis in Cuba:

1) Government 'official' taxis which are metered and whilst you can often negotiate the fare it is more like that on short journeys, unless you already have an idea of the cost then it will probably cost you more than if you insist on it being metered!

2) Licensed private taxis which are allowed to take tourists but are usually not metered and you should negotiate and agree the fare first. You can and should ask to see the driver's licence to carry fare paying passengers. If they are genuine licensed taxis they will not object to showing you it. If likely to be doing a particular journey frequently then use a metered taxi the first time, make a note of the fare and then subsequently make it clear if using a private taxi that this is what you are prepared to pay at the most.

3) Unlicensed private 'taxis' that are not allowed to carry tourists for money and if you want to avoid a confrontation with the police it would be advisable never to sit in the back on your own leaving the front passenger seat empty and have enough Spanish to convince the police if stopped that you are a family friend and not a tourist paying over the odds.

With all except Government taxis, and even some of them, do not expect them to conform to European standards! Old US cars can be found in all three types of taxis but if you want a reasonably comfy ride the Government Peugeots are probably your best bet!

With regards to fares and costs for private tours in a licensed taxi, bear in mind that most Cubans earn no more than 25CUCS per month and Kilgoreck was, therefore, charged not far short of double the average monthly wage for a half day trip. How you feel about this is up to you but bear in mind that Cubans barter and will expect you too as well. I regularly use private licensed taxis to get to places of the way in Cuba, one of which is Finca el Porvenir where there is nice swimming pool. It's about 20kms away and being taken there in the morning and have the driver either wait until we are ready to leave in the late afternoon or come back for us is usually around 15 CUCS and no more than 20. I hope that this gives you an idea of what is reasonable to pay.

Just one more thing - tipping. Most tourists over tip and I am not saying don't tip but the people you are likely to meet as a tourist are going to be already amongst the most well off of Cubans, even the chambermaids in your hotel. 1 CUC is a sizeable tip for most services and if in a bar just rounding the bill up to the nearest whole CUC is sufficient. At the end of a two week dance holiday I give tips of no more than 30 CUCs in total to everybody associated with the dance company that includes the cleaner etc and not just my dance partners and teachers. 10 CUCs at the end of a week long tour to the tour guide and driver is similarly regarded as very generous.

If you have any other questions do ask.

SM

All good advice but to be fair I don't think we were ripped off with our 45 Cuc fare for the half day trip. We asked around quite a bit about what people were paying for their taxi trips and this was about the norm from Jibacoa. The average for a trip to Havanna was around 60 to 70 Cuc or more if you wanted to go for the Tropicana in the evening. Our cab driver was great and even got my wife a cd of Cuban music when she showed some interest in it and refused to take payment for it. He also refused to take a tip and knocked money off as we bought him lunch.

Think the tipping info is spot on. I really had to put the breaks on the other half as she was tipping everytime we got a drink. It's no surprise that the most sought after job in our hotel was the Piano bar. They served the more akward drinks like Cuban coffees and cocktails and people were tipping a cuc everytime. The tip jar was costantly being filled up and emptied into the drawer.

Hi, I don't think you were ripped off either - in fact I think it is impossible to be ripped off in Cuba because we are all well off in their terms and I think Rule No 1 as a tourist is to spend money I wa just rrying to set it into context and gently suggest that they never really expect you to pay the 1st asking price! Great if you do but nobody will hold it against you if you try and negotiate downwards.

The official trips on the otherhand are really expensive in my view - it might be your tour operator or hotel that are selling them but they are all provided for the same set prices by one of the Cuban Government owned tour agencies. In particular, I do think that the Tropicana trips are very overpriced for what you get but it is an experience you'll never get elsewhere!

SM

SerendipityJo wrote:

Thanks you everyone. Kilgoreck that is the hotel we have been looking at with Virgin to go with, sounds just up our street really. We would like to do a few trips and relax alot on other days. Would be grateful for the taxi drivers name as that sounds really good. Also from there can you do the old car drive into Havana?

thank you

Just Pm'd you

Thank you so much for the info in the PM..

What would you suggest we take in money? Cuben or GB sterling..

We are still looking at booking with virgin, it looks like about £3000 for
the 2 of us all inclusive..

thanks everyone

Jo

It's very unlikely that you will be able to obtain Cuban currency in this country before you go - the best thing is to take Bank of England notes in £10s and £20s. Scottish and N Ireland notes won't be accepted and travellers cheques aren't worth the hassle, even if you can find something other than American Express ones (which to the best of my knowledge still aren't accepted). The simplest option is to take whatever you think you will need in cash, change some into Convertible Pesos (CUCs) at the Bureau de Change at the airport as you arrive and then use the exchange facility at your hotel. Keep the rest in the safe in your room.

If you are planning on going off the beaten track and/or wanting to buy fruit etc from street pedlars then you might want to get a small supply of Monaida National pesos. These are usually only obtainable from a Cadeca in the nearest town and are roughly 25 MD to 1 CUC. Most tourists are unlikely to need any but never change more than around £5 worth - they go a long way in the few places that will be ble to spend them! Never, ever change any currency on the street - you are bound to be ripped off and/or given forgeries which will cause you no end of trouble if the police get involved.

Finally, in an emergency you can always obtain CUCs against your credit card in a bank, from a Cadeca or some ATMs. The opportunities to use a debit card are none existent in shops and are limited in banks and ATMs because on the whole they have no way of knowing whether you are good for it with a UK debit card. But be warned it is a very expensive way of obtaining it and using your credit card to buy goods will also be more expensive than using cash. This is not only because you will be paying the extra transaction fee charged by your bank but you might also be charged in US $ and will then have to pay a foreign currency exchange fee as well. Also, just to be on the safe side, check with your own bank or cdit card supplier that it will be accepted in Cuba, not all will be as long as the US embargo remains in place.

SM

i just changed sterling notes at the hotel reception in Memories. The rate used is exactly that for US dollar transactions. I used a credit card once and that was for an overnighter to Havanna booked thru Virgin rep.
One thing that worries me though is that the same holiday (14 nights at Memories with Virgin starting Thursday before Good Friday) has gone up from £2,500 this year to £3,600. That is one hell of an uplift and I'm wondering if it's because Cubans were only allowed to treat Easter as a holiday this year?

I doubt it because Good Friday has been a public holiday in Cuba since Easter 2012 but there has not been a prohibition on celebrating the major Christian festivals for some time. The Castro regime tolerated the Roman Catholic Church in a way that the old Soviet regime in the USSR didn't the Orthodox Church.

I would suspect that this has far more to do with when the UK school holidays are than anything else. This year, Easter fell on the 1st weekend in April and hence the middle weekend of the school holidays for most schools in England and I would bet that there is a good chance that prices for 2 week holidays departing on the Thursday before Palm Sunday this year were similarly hiked up. But next year, Easter falls on the last weekend in March and this will probably be the 1st weekend of the school holidays for many areas, hence the price hike. If you can go a week earlier or a week later there is a good chance that you will get a much better price.

Santeria is far more important to most Cubans than Catholicism and in many ways it is the feast days of the Saints that are associated with the various Orishas that are more important in Cuban life than the feast days associated with the life of Jesus. The Catholic Church in Cuba has reached an amazing accommodation with Santeria beliefs even to the extent that images of Our Lady of Charity, (the patron saint of Cuba) are usually dressed in yellow not the blue that most would associate with the Madonna. Yellow of course is the colour of Oshun who is associated with the Virgin in Santeria.

SM