Good afternoon to you all,
I am wondering if you could all help me with a few pointers, it is our first trip to Cuba and want to be really prepared!
We are a couple in our mid-late twneties and travelling on the 19th Septemeber for 2 weeks at the 'Brisas Guardalavaca' has anyhone been here before?
-What plug adapters do i need.
-It's the hurricane season but can we still expect some hours of the Sun?
-Is currency generally better to exchange here in England or Cuba?
-Has anyone experienced a trip to Havana and is it certainly worth the trip, is it beneficial to stay the night or to return the same day.
-Any other advice and tips would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Regards
Chris
Hi, I hope that you enjoy your trip to Cuba - but be warned - Cuba can become addictive. 
I usually stay with families rather than in hotels so the following is offered as general advice rather than being specific for your hotel but here goes:
The local supply is 110v and you'll need a US style flat 2 pin adaptor for that but is there is a 220v socket in your room then you'll usually need a European round 2 pin adaptor for that. I have encountered other variations (the straight line 3 round pin socket that I later discovered was Russian flummoxed me!) but if you take a US and European adaptor you should be OK in any European managed tourist hotel.
Yes, in September you are still within the hurricane season, so you're likely to get bright, sunny mornings followed by it turning increasingly humid as the day wears on with the possibility of it becoming overcast with short sharp showers in the late afternoon/early evening. Unless you are unlucky enough to within the tracking area of a tropical storm (when it will also be windy) it will be all over in a short time with the sun coming out again and the air being less humid and hence more pleasant. It gets dark around 8ish nearly all year round in Cuba and the increased humidity during the hurrican season means that if you are going to be out of doors after dark then you need to protect yourself against the mozzies.
As a tourist you'll have probably have no need of National Pesos (they're only used for things that you won't be wanting/needing to buy) and will need to get Convertible Pesos known as CUCs but neither are available outside Cuba so take £Sterling with you and change it at your hotel - tourist hotels usually have an exchange desk in Reception. There's no point in shopping around as you'll get the same exchange rate everywhere. If you do want to get some National Pesos (used by street traders) then you'll have to get them from a Cadeca (exhange bureau) but few tourists bother with them. You'll find a lot more info on currency and money topics in the 'sticky' thread at the top of this forum.
In my opinion Havana is an amazing city and well worth the effort of visiting. As you are staying in Guadalevaca then the trip is likely to be based on flying to Havana from Holguin because it's a very long journey by road. Going for just the day means that firstly it will be a very long day and, secondly, you won't get to experience the city at night and experience the nightlife. For the extra it's likely to cost, doing an overnight stay would give you twp days there and probably represent better value. There's so much to see too that one day isn't going to be enough see everything the city has to offer.
If you do the overnight stay, you will probably be offered the option of going to the Tropicana night club as an added extra. This will bump the cost up a lot and whilst many people love it I don't think it's worth it for a mediocre fried chicken meal (albeit accompanied by limitless supply of free rum!) whilst watching a cabaret show aimed exclusively at tourists and probably not that much better than a cabaret performance at your own hotel but each to their own. Far better in my opinion to head off into Havana Vieja where you'll find numerous bars with live music and more opportunities to meet the locals.
It's difficult to know where to start - some info on what makes a good holiday for you would help but both Holguin and Santiago de Cuba are worth a visit and are doable as day trips - in fact Holguin is probably going to be offered as a half day as it is so close. If you browse through the rest of the forum you'll find laods of information to start you off.
SM
I usually stay with families rather than in hotels so the following is offered as general advice rather than being specific for your hotel but here goes:
What plug adapters do i need.
The local supply is 110v and you'll need a US style flat 2 pin adaptor for that but is there is a 220v socket in your room then you'll usually need a European round 2 pin adaptor for that. I have encountered other variations (the straight line 3 round pin socket that I later discovered was Russian flummoxed me!) but if you take a US and European adaptor you should be OK in any European managed tourist hotel.
It's the hurricane season but can we still expect some hours of the Sun?
Yes, in September you are still within the hurricane season, so you're likely to get bright, sunny mornings followed by it turning increasingly humid as the day wears on with the possibility of it becoming overcast with short sharp showers in the late afternoon/early evening. Unless you are unlucky enough to within the tracking area of a tropical storm (when it will also be windy) it will be all over in a short time with the sun coming out again and the air being less humid and hence more pleasant. It gets dark around 8ish nearly all year round in Cuba and the increased humidity during the hurrican season means that if you are going to be out of doors after dark then you need to protect yourself against the mozzies.
Is currency generally better to exchange here in England or Cuba?
As a tourist you'll have probably have no need of National Pesos (they're only used for things that you won't be wanting/needing to buy) and will need to get Convertible Pesos known as CUCs but neither are available outside Cuba so take £Sterling with you and change it at your hotel - tourist hotels usually have an exchange desk in Reception. There's no point in shopping around as you'll get the same exchange rate everywhere. If you do want to get some National Pesos (used by street traders) then you'll have to get them from a Cadeca (exhange bureau) but few tourists bother with them. You'll find a lot more info on currency and money topics in the 'sticky' thread at the top of this forum.
Has anyone experienced a trip to Havana and is it certainly worth the trip, is it beneficial to stay the night or to return the same day.
In my opinion Havana is an amazing city and well worth the effort of visiting. As you are staying in Guadalevaca then the trip is likely to be based on flying to Havana from Holguin because it's a very long journey by road. Going for just the day means that firstly it will be a very long day and, secondly, you won't get to experience the city at night and experience the nightlife. For the extra it's likely to cost, doing an overnight stay would give you twp days there and probably represent better value. There's so much to see too that one day isn't going to be enough see everything the city has to offer.
If you do the overnight stay, you will probably be offered the option of going to the Tropicana night club as an added extra. This will bump the cost up a lot and whilst many people love it I don't think it's worth it for a mediocre fried chicken meal (albeit accompanied by limitless supply of free rum!) whilst watching a cabaret show aimed exclusively at tourists and probably not that much better than a cabaret performance at your own hotel but each to their own. Far better in my opinion to head off into Havana Vieja where you'll find numerous bars with live music and more opportunities to meet the locals.
Any other advice and tips would be very much appreciated.
It's difficult to know where to start - some info on what makes a good holiday for you would help but both Holguin and Santiago de Cuba are worth a visit and are doable as day trips - in fact Holguin is probably going to be offered as a half day as it is so close. If you browse through the rest of the forum you'll find laods of information to start you off.
SM
SMa wrote:
(albeit accompanied by limitless supply of free rum!)
SM
Actually, half a bottle per couple...
ATB,J.
Only a quarter of a bottle per person? They were much more generous with the rum when I went to the Tropicana in Santiago with the Venuzualan Navy! But that's another story 
SM
SM
It was one bottle per couple when I went and luckily we ended up sitting with a couple who didn't drink,so it worked out as 1 bottle each.
I must say though that although the Tropicano show is really just for tourists and wouldn't normally interest me, I guessed that this might be my only visit to Cuba and must admit was a bit curious having heard about the Tropicano for years and years so I paid the money and went to the show. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was colourfull, the costumes were fabulous and the music really feet tapping. I 'm certainly glad I went. I found Havana a great city to spend a few days in, wandering in and out of the bars on Obispo listening to the music was another highlight.
Santiago is a place not to miss, listening to Son music in the Casa de La Trova was another unmissable experience, especially trying to have a conversation with an elderly lady who seemed to be a regular there, she pointed to a painting on the wall of a young lady in perhaps the 1930's-40's and told me the lady was her, whether that was true or not I don't know but it all added to the atmosphere.
Cuban men love to flirt so and I was made to feel quite special, the youth cult doesn't seem to exist over there despite some of the young women being the most gorgeous you will ever see.
Sorry I seem to be hijacking the thread, but for anyone planning a holiday to Cuba please don't limit your holiday to just beach resorts, even though they are lovely, the country and it's people have so much more to offer.
.
I must say though that although the Tropicano show is really just for tourists and wouldn't normally interest me, I guessed that this might be my only visit to Cuba and must admit was a bit curious having heard about the Tropicano for years and years so I paid the money and went to the show. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was colourfull, the costumes were fabulous and the music really feet tapping. I 'm certainly glad I went. I found Havana a great city to spend a few days in, wandering in and out of the bars on Obispo listening to the music was another highlight.
Santiago is a place not to miss, listening to Son music in the Casa de La Trova was another unmissable experience, especially trying to have a conversation with an elderly lady who seemed to be a regular there, she pointed to a painting on the wall of a young lady in perhaps the 1930's-40's and told me the lady was her, whether that was true or not I don't know but it all added to the atmosphere.
Cuban men love to flirt so and I was made to feel quite special, the youth cult doesn't seem to exist over there despite some of the young women being the most gorgeous you will ever see.
Sorry I seem to be hijacking the thread, but for anyone planning a holiday to Cuba please don't limit your holiday to just beach resorts, even though they are lovely, the country and it's people have so much more to offer.
.
Please don't apologise, Judith, I think that the more info from as many different viewpoints as possible that people have themore likely that they'll be able to choose what's right for them.
And also, you sum up why I so love Santiago and can't resist going back. And you are right about the absence of a youth cult in Cuba - and that Cubans are born knowing how to flirt and age is no barrier for either sex. Young and old flirt equally with everybody and I know I digress but on one magical afternoon downstairs in the Casa de la Trova I watched an elderly man get up and dance every dance with a different woman across the whole age range with a manner and attitude that clearly said to all the young bucks 'This is how you do it - your job is not to show off your own dance skills but to make every woman you dance with look good and feel special. And I can personally vouch for the fact that he did And that his expertise was openly admired by all said young bucks including the professional dancers that we were with and who deferred to him with great respect on the dancefloor. I really can't imagine young men ceding the floor to someone in their 70/80s here but they do in Cuba.
I can also remember a musician half my age with limited English haltingly telling me how much I reminded him of his grandmother and the way his British wife, when she saw the consternation on the face of one of my friends (unused to Cuban ways!) jumped in immediately to explain that he meant this as a compliment because his greatly loved grandmother (now dead) that he had been very close too had been a renowned beauty, an excellent dancer and strong, brave woman who'd fought for the Revolution. And his dismay when he realised that what he'd said could have been construed as an insult by a non-Cuban.
And before the Mods gently ask us to get back on topic I just have to add that all Cuban women, regardless of age, size and shape have tremendous self confidence and high self esteem and I think that this is because they have all grown up being told that they are beautiful every day of their lives. Staying with families, you see just how much people bring their kids up on a diet of positive comments. And the adults mutually reinforce each others self esteem too - every time someone is greeted, it is with a positive comment on their appearance, health, new shoes or whatever - men as well as women. I always leave the Casa with an extra spring in my step at the beginning of night out because the whole household (kids too) will have complimented me approvingly on the lovely dress I have on, the way I've done my hair, the earrings I'm wearing or whatever. And in return I've learnt how to always look for something about them that can provide the opportunity for a compliment in return and we all part with a smile on our faces. What's not to love about a culture where it's so important to make people feel good about themselves in that way?
SM
SM
And also, you sum up why I so love Santiago and can't resist going back. And you are right about the absence of a youth cult in Cuba - and that Cubans are born knowing how to flirt and age is no barrier for either sex. Young and old flirt equally with everybody and I know I digress but on one magical afternoon downstairs in the Casa de la Trova I watched an elderly man get up and dance every dance with a different woman across the whole age range with a manner and attitude that clearly said to all the young bucks 'This is how you do it - your job is not to show off your own dance skills but to make every woman you dance with look good and feel special. And I can personally vouch for the fact that he did
And that his expertise was openly admired by all said young bucks including the professional dancers that we were with and who deferred to him with great respect on the dancefloor. I really can't imagine young men ceding the floor to someone in their 70/80s here but they do in Cuba.I can also remember a musician half my age with limited English haltingly telling me how much I reminded him of his grandmother and the way his British wife, when she saw the consternation on the face of one of my friends (unused to Cuban ways!) jumped in immediately to explain that he meant this as a compliment because his greatly loved grandmother (now dead) that he had been very close too had been a renowned beauty, an excellent dancer and strong, brave woman who'd fought for the Revolution. And his dismay when he realised that what he'd said could have been construed as an insult by a non-Cuban.
And before the Mods gently ask us to get back on topic I just have to add that all Cuban women, regardless of age, size and shape have tremendous self confidence and high self esteem and I think that this is because they have all grown up being told that they are beautiful every day of their lives. Staying with families, you see just how much people bring their kids up on a diet of positive comments. And the adults mutually reinforce each others self esteem too - every time someone is greeted, it is with a positive comment on their appearance, health, new shoes or whatever - men as well as women. I always leave the Casa with an extra spring in my step at the beginning of night out because the whole household (kids too) will have complimented me approvingly on the lovely dress I have on, the way I've done my hair, the earrings I'm wearing or whatever. And in return I've learnt how to always look for something about them that can provide the opportunity for a compliment in return and we all part with a smile on our faces. What's not to love about a culture where it's so important to make people feel good about themselves in that way?
SM
SM
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