The simple answer is 'Not much' once you've got the rum and the cigars!

Tailormade Suits - Cuban tailoring and dressmaking is of a reasonable standard in my experience but on the whole the fabrics aren't so there is no bespoke tailoring trade aimed at the tourists in the way that there is in the Far East. Ask around and you'll find that someone will know someone who can do it for you but I predict that you'll be disappointed in the results unless you take everything needed to make it with you. And I do mean everything and not just the outer cloth. I make a lot of my own clothes and it gives me a common interest that I can talk about with Cuban women, Cuban men also take a great deal of effort with their appearance and the common denominator is their envy of the quality of the fabric that I have access to in the UK compared to what they can get.

Cuban shirts - if you mean the traditional 'formal' shirt found in much of Latin America with the fine pintucked fronts and mother of pearl buttons then, yes, these are definitely worth buying but you need to be careful re the quality (see above). Those which are sold in the craft markets are often made of cheap polycotton blends (with the emphasis on the poly!) with plastic buttons. To get a pure cotton one with real mother of pearl buttons then try and find a Quitin shop - these are of beautiful quality both with regards to both the fabric and the quaility of the workmanship. Quitin also sells the most beautiful women's and children's clothes based on the same styling and it's worth seeking out. Expensive even by UK standards for a white cotton shirt let alone by Cuban standards but value for money - from memory the shirt I brought my Dad back cost from memory 25CUCs from the Havana shop but still as good as new after 7 years and he wears it a lot.

Fedora hats - can be had but wool felt hats aren't suited to the climate and when you find them they are expensive even by UK standards. My local gents outfitters sells them cheaper here. You're much more likely to find panama or trilby style straw hats about but not necessarily cheaper than here if of good quality. The height of Cuban hat style for men is a Kangol lightweight flat cap as per Compay Segundo and I get asked if I can take them with me as presents!

Original Art/Antiques - you need to be very careful and make sure that they have the appropriate sticker on them allowing you to export them. There is an awful lot of original oil painting on offer in the various craft markets but a lot of it is simply awful - you'll have to sort through a lot of dross to find anything worth buying in my view but you might think differently. The Cubans are very proud of their colonial heritage and you'll find few antiques on sale - most are still family treasures that even during the 'Special Times' didn't find their way onto the market. Many people ate their cats but few sold their furniture! But even if you are offered something for sale, it probably won't have the sticker/stamp that will get it through the airport security checks for you if you are stopped. And if something does have the sticker then it will probably be reproduction rather than original. As for 1950s stuff - anything in good condition is going to still be in everyday use and not for sale

But it's worth looking at a few other things as altenatives:

CDs - if you are into Cuban music than CDs are a bargain, whether of contemporary performers or vintage re-issues from the Egrem archive. You'll pay half the price for them compared to what you'd have to pay here. Nearly every town has a Casa De Musica and nearly every Casa de Musica has a shop where you can lisen before you buy as well as have a good chat with a knowledgeable sales person.

Craft products - there's a lot of tat about and most of the silver in the jewellery is heavily debased but you can find some good stuff amongst the dross. The hand embroidered tableclothes are usually of very good quality if you like that sort of thing - I do. My nieces love the costume jewellery made from shells etc that I bring them back for them. And the Cubans are great recyclers and you'll often find quirky but good stuff that taps into this - the very 60s styled handbags made form recycled pull tags from soft drink cans spring to mind! So it's worth rooting around in case something takes your fancy.

SM

thats an excellent and very quick reply, thanks, its very much appreciated and a good insight.

You sound like the right person to talk to about Cuba. We travel out at the beginning of April, 4 days in Havana at the National and 10 days in Valadero. Can't wait!

Pleased to be of help.

When you are in Havana head for Obispo - it's the main shopping street in Hvana Vieja and you'll find a branch of Quitin there as well as a shop that sells nothing but accessories including hats for both men and women. They're both on the lefthand side as you walk up away from the river as is the Cadeca where you'll be able to get a few National Pesos if you want to buy fruit from the street traders as well as CUCs.

On the right hand side there is a music shop but their CDs can be on the pricey side - they know that it will be mainly tourists buying there. So make sure that you ask the prices and keep a running total in your head. It's one on the same side as the dog grooming parlour - I kid you not! One of the most bizarre sights to be seen in Cuba - anybody using it must be receiving remittances from Miami. Once you get to the end treat yourself to a Diaquiri in La Floridita - expensive by local standards but worth it just to soak up the atmosphere and the photo op with the bronze statue of Hemingway propping up the bar!

The old outdoor craft market has given way to a huge indoor one down on the quayside in a converted warehouse - lots of stalls all mainly selling the same stuff but the last time I was there there was one stall selling miniature models of the three ships in Columbus's fleet in little wood and glass cases which were well made, as well as one selling quite decent handmade mugs and other small items of pottery. Assuming they are still there they'll be worth a look amongst all the Che memoribilia - more often than not made in China! On the whole the best Che T shirts are to got at the shop in the Museum of the Revolution - they're not quite as tacky as some.

But you can't go to Cuba and not come back with at least one tacky Che item - my favourites are the homemade fridge magnets with pictures of him that have clearly been cut from magazines, newspapers and postcards etc and glued to small pieces of plywood. They are to be had from every little craft stall and market everywhere you go. At an asking price of 1 CUC they are overpriced, so buy 5 and barter and give one to everybody you know. And marvel at the entrepreneurial spirit of Cubans who can not only fashion tourist tack from stuff that said tourists would just throw away at home but also charm them into buying the stuff to cart back home across the Atlantic

The Nacionale used to have some designer concessions in the lobby but don't expect any bargains even if it is still there. Cuba is not the place to buy imported European designer goods! But the hotel shops can be a good place to shop for CDs and souvenirs - not necessarily the cheapest of prices but decent quality at a reasonable price. You can haggle at street stalls and in the markets but the shops are all fixed prices so don't even bother to ask.

One thing I did forget to mention is that beautiful fans are also worth bringing back - I have quite a collection now but then I am a woman - though Cuban men also use fans without any embarassment and think nothing of asking the women to borrow one on a night out dancing. It's possible to get very 'arthouse' ones with designs by contemporary Cuban artists (usually to be obtained at the best prices from Artex shops) as well as more traditional handpainted ones. There's a shop called Abanico near to Plaza Francisco where you can watch them being painted and for the quality and beauty of the designs the prices are good value - much less than I've paid in similar shops in Seville and Granada including for the very big ones used by flamenco dancers.

One thing to bear in mind - nearly all the above can be bought at Havana airport on the main home but at higher prices. So it's possible to find nice things to use up any CUCs you've still got left but better to buy beforehand if you can. The only thing worth buying at the airport as a conscious decision is rum if you are wanting something special because the older, much smoother Havana Club rums are not always easily found in the ordinary CUC shops but the airport shop seems to always have them and at prices which undercut what you'd have to pay at home but not necessarily cheaper than in the CUC shops if you see it.

SM

once again very helpful and useful advice. The wife and I are digesting your advice and making notes.

Thank you very much

Great info SMa thanks

Hi there... SMa has pretty much covered all the bases, If I might suggest a couple of things worth doing whilst in La Habana?

Take the open top bus city tour (leaves regularly from Parque Central) - if you sit on the top deck be careful, there are lots of low-flying wirs and overgrown trees on the route

Also, don't expect the commentary to be much good, it's mostly barely audible...BUT it is a great way of seeing bits of the city that you otherwise might not get to...

The big "warehouse" that SMa refers to is down on the Malecon... just walk down Obispo, across Plaza De Armas, and then on the seafront turn right and it's about 400 yards on...most of the stuff is tat, but it's good for picking up cheap stuff for friends.....

If you don't fancy the bus, then take a horse-drawn carriage tour (again, from P.C.) - the drivers don't speak much English, but their guides are fluent... negotiate/haggle the price... remember the stock phrase for anything "it was cheaper yesterday"

Overall, though, just enjoy the old place and marvel at the contrast between the derelict stuff and the places where work has been done (as in the Plaza Vieja where there are "before and after" photos)

Have fun!!
Salut!

ATB,J.

More good stuff from Merseygull for you there but re my earlier comment:

And the Cubans are great recyclers and you'll often find quirky but good stuff that taps into this - the very 60s styled handbags made form recycled pull tags from soft drink cans spring to mind! So it's worth rooting around in case something takes your fancy.

I was down in London at the weekend and what did I see in a trendy, expensive designer shop? Yes, 60s style metal handbags and purses made from the ring pulls of drinks cans! I did a quick doubletake but they were identical to the sort of thing that I've seen in Cuba where they were a fraction of the price that the shop here clearly though they could sell them for!

SM

I've been considering Cuba for a spring break 2013, and after reading the above it's just making me more convinced it's the right thing to knuckle down, make some plans and decisions and choose an operator to get us there. So any advice on good, bad or indifferent tour companies/operators would be most appreciated.

Would definately want to be in Havana for a few days and then coastal for diving. So any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Scoya, are you "British-based?"

ATB,J.

Yes. Live in the UK.

I'm currently going through the Lonely Planet which gives some great advice about Cuba, quite comprehensive and suitable for all budgets, definitely worth considering before you make your final decision. But I'm hooked and rearing to go.
Cuba seems to offer so much - music, drinking, architecture, history, wildlife, beaches, the only thing it seems to lack is good food, however the family run restaurants (Paladares) look worthy of hunting down.
Cuba is supposed to be excellent for diving with a huge amount of sites and excellent dive companies. Visibility is high and there are many ships of historical value and purposefully sunk specifically for diving. Punta France on the Isla de la Juventud and Maria la Gorda are rumoured to be the best sites.The Bay of Pigs and the Playa Santa Lucia are both very popular. Varadero, Cayo Coco and Guardalavaca are popular destinations for both holiday makers and dive bases. Santiago de Cuba is said to have the best ship dive, a Spanish warship sunk by the Americans in 1898.

Scoya, most of the big agents will be able to put a package together for you... we usually do Fly gatwick-havana, stay Havana 3 nights,(hotel booked in package) private transfer to Varadero, 14 nights there, Private transfer back to Havana, flight home..

ATB,J.

please try to stick with topic.

Cheers
Graham

2 weeks back from my holiday in Cuba and Ive still got the holiday blues. I found the points made here to be very accurate, but as there seemed so much to do in Havana we've already decided another visit is a priority.

Traditional Cuban shirts (Guayabera) in Havana were about 35 CUC, however we found them cheaper in the markets at Varadero. I picked up 2 at 15CUC and 18CUC, good quality with wooden buttons. Apart from straw fedora we couldn't find any felt hats which was disappointing, we even asked a member of the band we followed around but his gift of a diesel hat was politely rejected.

Some of the art is, as suggested, quite awful. Basic rules of composition and perspective thrown out for stencilled images with additional brush work. Some of it is almost on a cottage industry of mass reproduce. However, there are some good buys, notably the very colourful African influenced art and the obigatory American car or Che pic none of which amounted to more than 50 CUC.

We came away with a few CDs, the band that played in our Varadero hotel sold us a couple and the resident band of La Bodeguita del Medio, famed by Earnest Hemmingway, produced some lovely female vocals. Most CDs seemed to cost 10 CUC.

Costume jewellery seemed extremely cheap, as were simple gifts of fridge magnets. These were often available within doorways of apartment blocks and although not always of great build, at 1 CUC for a large necklace (or man beads as I've come to term them) you can't complain. The increase in tin can art as well as papier mache is very evident as is coconut caricatures.

We visited Floridita for a daiquiri which was very good, but twice the price of one we found in a small bar nearby (which also put the rum on the bar for us to top up at will). However, worth a visit to watch the conveyor belt of tourists and some good music. I preferred the atmosphere in La Bodeguita del Medio with its graffiti on every wall, and apparently the food is very good here. We settled for a few mohitio's, a crystal beer and a cigar and a toast to world peace.

So, a big thanks is due for the help provided, it came in very useful. I'll be writing a full report on my experience with Cuba in other parts of the board. But, to summarise, I think its a fantastic place to visit, very friendly, very safe, inexpensive but you can't help wonder what it would be like without the embargo of over 50 years.

Hi, glad to hear that you had such a good time and, yes, there is so much to do that the usual 3/4 days in Havana is not enough to do it all. Be careful though - you might get addicted

I picked up 2 at 15CUC and 18CUC, good quality with wooden buttons.

Just a cautionary word - there's a good chance that your buttons aren't made of wood but of either coconut shell or another nutshell that I can't remember the name of. If they are made of coconut, then they can be brittle and break easily. The others are more hardwearing (and do look more like wood) but they do become bleached with repeated washing in bio-detergents. The best way of keeping either of them looking good is to handwash anything with them on but who wants to be bothered with the faff of handwashing a cotton shirt? You'll help protect them if you always turn your shirts inside out before putting in the washing machine - it means that they won't be hitting the drum all the time and neither will the rattle of them doing so be quite as annoying. Don't ask me why they make more noise than plastic buttons - they just do!

And if they do start to break then you can always replace them with mother-of-pearl buttons which are easy and relatively cheap to obtain here from places like John Lewis or any number of button specialists on the Net. Also, they are much more hardwearing but again it's always advisable to wash any garment with them on inside out. They'll also give your shirt a more authentic look into the bargain.

SM