Can anyone recomend a place to visit besides Havana? I have 2 weeks in Cuba coming up, my first time there. Thanks guys.
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Can anyone recomend a place to visit besides Havana? I have 2 weeks in Cuba coming up, my first time there. Thanks guys.
[Q]just go and check into Hotel Colina for the first day and it's only $50 (for 2 people). The hotel has a single public computer for internet access ($6/hr [/Q]
$50 a night? That's incredibly expensive isn't it? Am I to expect that of most hotels in Cuba? I'm use to travelling in countries where $5 a night is more common. And $6/hr for Internet also seems very overpriced.
Anyway how hard is it to score with a local chick (non-pro)? Are they open to date gringos? Or is it just too much competition from other gringos to make us all non-exotic?
And how about violence? Is Cuba as violent as Brazil? Do you have to watch your back all the time and not walk around alone outside after 10 pm?
50$ for a Hotel in Cuba is Ok. If you want cheaper, go to a casa particular (bed & breakfast) that should be around 25$ or 20$ in February in La Havanna.
As long as the police is away, you will always find chicas looking for contact. In La havanna Vieja, chicas are more professionnal.
Beside Havanna, my favorite Town is Cienfuegos, as it is not so big and you can't do anything wrong by hanging around the Malecon. The action is always there !
If you have time to go to Santiago, I liked this town a lot. A lot of action around Parque Cespedes and Hotel Casa Grande.
See you,
Latrell
Latrell> Even $ 20 would be outrageously expensive for a room, especially outside of Havanna. In Romania I found places for $ 10, and in Ukraine it wasn't too hard to find places for $ 4 a night. I heard Cuba is really poor and that Cubans hardly make any money, so how can Cuba be so expensive?
And no I'm not talking about hoes. I'm talking about normal chicas who would date you to get nice nights out or marry you for a Western passport.
yes it is possible to get rooms in romania etc cheap, however any respectable casa owner will be registered with the government as a business and will be taxed heavily for the right to have a private buisness. remember communism right. any illegal casa is at risk from the government as far as fines and right up to confirep001ion of the home, furnishings, etc. with risk comes expense. also it should be noted that the expense of fitting a room to western standards is considerable and thus any casa owner needs a return on their investment. also with supply and demand goes cost and you may indeed be able to find a cockroach infested lice ridden mattress or couch somewhere for 5 bucks but good luck. and you had better speak spanish for such a deal. cubans may be poor but they are proud. they will turn you down and hope someone with a little more money will show up. prices for a casa in havana will be 20-25 bucks per room per night. for this you can stay 1 star or 5 star but the price will probably be the same within 5 bucks. outside of havana expect 15 bucks per night minimum. budget accordingly, read the reviews and see for yourself what these things cost. a review of my recent trip to havana to follow.
our havana trip
we departed for havana on feb 2nd flying skyservice from toronto to veradero, cuba arriving at 925 am. this was booked last minute through sun holiday’s vacations in toronto and cost 550 tax included. this airfare was a little higher than we had hoped for but we booked a little early to ensure a seat on the early departing flight ensuing a full initial day and evening in havana. our arrival and time at the airport in to was uneventful, no problem due to our being severely overweight on the baggage restrictions which i’ll admit i was a little worried about. we arrived a little early in veradero and went through the regular routine consisting of a long wait in line for immigration followed by a scan of hand luggage by xray and examination, very thorough, of any electronics. everything went fine until our luggage was scanned by xray in the back and one bag came out with an alarm tag attached to set off the alarm at the gate for customs. we had brought a car cd player for our friend and driver and a scan of the luggage quickly determined this. this led to a very thorough check of all of the luggage and resulted in a duty of 52 us for all of the presents found. our friend was right on time waiting for us and we drove straight on to havana, a 1.5 hr drive. it should be noted that we put the name of superclub puntarena on our tourist cards (provided with our airfare). a tactic which avoids any unwanted questions.
we had booked a casa which we had discovered on a previous visit and enjoyed. we did this simply by emailing our friend and he went and reserved it. this is a private apartment in centro havana on the fourth floor of an apartment building. it has two separate bedrooms on either side of an adjoining bath, ac in the rooms, fans in every room, two fridges, a fully equipped kitchen and a main living space consisting of a living room/dining room combined with a tv, small stereo tape player and an electronic wall safe. the building had a full time elevator operator and a locked lobby with doorman in the evening. the bedrooms are nicely fitted with double beds, dressers, and full closets. the bathroom was also fully equipped and had an electric pump to supply plenty of hot water and water pressure. the building has a grocery store in the main floor and a bank. this casa cost 25 dollars per room per night and included a cleaning lady that would come as often as you wished. for breakfast we simply brought some instant coffee and a jar of peanut butter from canada, simple and sufficient, easy to prepare.
we spent the full seven days in havana mostly partying and sightseeing and spending time with our novias. venues visited were:
casa de la musica: a large cabaret type setup, stage, bar, seating areas and dance floor. the band was great and the crowd really was into it. we went to the matinee which starts admitting people at 400 pm.
we arrived at 530 and found seats right next to the stage. the show starts at 600pm. the tickets were purchased by our friend/driver before he picked us up and i’m not sure if for pesos or for dollars. he wouldn’t let us reimburse him. drinks were reasonably priced at a buck a beer. the show was great and ended around 800pm with the evening show starting at 900 and followed by a disco. i met one chica who said she worked the bar at night. the night show is 10$ admission and the crowd is therefore less cuban and more tourists and rich folk. i was advise to avoid it at night. right next door in the same building is the america theatre, check the bills to see what the action is.
la maison, the house of fashion: a huge renovated estate consisting of a large stately home containing a piano bar a very high end gift shop and a restaurant. out back in the garden is a large cement stage and runway for the fashion show surrounded by a bar and seating for the guests. the show starts at 10pm but dinner is served if you want it before hand. dinner was three options starting at 15$ and going up to 25$ per person for lobster. the show consisted of pre and post fashion show dance routines by a small cabaret style dance troupe. the fashion show was right out of fashion tv with model types strutting the runway showing off the height of cuban fashion, nothing to write home about. the models were hot and the band following the show was good and got the crowd involved. drinks were about double normal but after the show ended at midnight there was the option of an additional 10$ for all you could drink and dancing at the outdoor poorer section of the complex which also had a pool. all in all nothing special unless your into tall good looking women and didn’t mind paying over 100$ for the privilege.
various bars and discos were open but some of the usual were closed. chevrier which is an outdoor bar with a show and pool and all you can drink for 10$ was closed. this is a cuban hang out and usually a good time. in this case it was closed, no reason given. the rio club was a big let down. dead and overpriced this bar which has always been a good time in the past was nearly empty and only the most hardened of professional chicas were in evidence. 10$ to get in you have to take a girl in with you and the talent was lacking. there were a very few top ten women but only a handful and with expensive tastes and aside from them the quality drooped through the floor. our friends told us that this is due to the current well-advertised crack down ongoing. any girls found there with an id card from outside havana had best have a good reason for being there or its off to the slammer for questioning. in addition the practice is to write down names of cubans in attendance and this could lead to further harassment. there was a terrible rock band butchering the english language and bon jovi tunes playing too loud for entertainment and the dj sucked. as i said not the same place as it was just in july.
rosalia de castro, a disco in the building of the society of the same name is a low rent dive not for the faint of heart in habana veija. the clientele consisted almost entirely of old italian men and the girls which they favor. definitely not up to the havana norm for the quality of the ladies the dj was good. the tables and chairs were cast iron uncomfortable and dirty nearly one on top of the other and they wanted more money for you to sit down. 10$ was far too much to pay for this dump. the disco to the left of the hotel inglaterra was in full swing and jumping. the tunes could be heard pounding from outside and it looked interesting. havana club is still closed. turquino club is on the 25th floor of the hotel habana libre. entrance is 15$ american and i’m not sure of the quality as i refuse to pay that much for a night out. café cantante in the basement of the teatro habana is a salsa show with a live band, 10$ entrance with an open bar, and some food included.
prado and the malecon: dead at this time of year, even on the weekend. the prado had a swarm of police rousting everyone in evidence on the one night we walked it.
nightlife was definitely not up to usual standards this time down, whether this is due to the downswing in the economy or the current crackdowns you would think that in the colder months the bars would be busier not less. the entertainment value was certainly harder to come by this trip.
meal wise we have simple tastes and with the exception of one huge meal in china town we stuck to the usual ham and cheese sandwiches, and ham and cheese pizza. groceries were readily available and the stores seemed well stocked. times seemed tougher this time around, whether i’m just getting more attuned to the looks of desperation in peoples eyes or things really are more difficult i’m not sure. we didn’t hit the beach as we spent nearly our entire trip in july there, however it is a great option and we always took a mixed group of friends and girls and were never hassled. the foods at the beach are cheap but don’t expect to see many cubans there at this time of year. i’ve only been to the touristy beach at sierra del mar and would love some feedback as to the areas at each end.
music and drinking wise i recommend the café monserrat as my favorite bar in old havana. jump in a cab and ask them to take you there and sit and enjoy the nice ambiance and usually the best bands playing that day. from there take a right out the door and a few doors down you’ll find the flordita. take a picture and skip the over priced drinks and hang a right turn down obispo. spend the money you just saved stopping in each bar along the street and having a beer and listening to the great bands. when you hit the café paris you’ve reached my second favorite. sit in this little bar have a drink and listen, they also always have a great band. take a left here from obispo and the next block over is o’reilly, on this corner you have an open air bar under a big tree or 20 feet to your left the café oreilly itself. sit upstairs on the balcony and watch the street traffic. keep going straight and you hit the cathedral and adjoining square with café, bands, overpriced stores etc. the cathedral was even open! hang a right and you’ll pass one of the old forts on your way to the malecon and the best and by far the largest open-air market with the best selection of worthless tourist trinkets. buy you souvenirs here. now get in one of the many cabs and go back to your casa to sleep off your drunken state.
the departure was uneventful due to good planning but time consuming. arrive 3 hours early in case of problems at the airport. the usual lineups were very long. if you have an abundance of cigars be aware that only two boxes are permitted per person and that the bags will be x-rayed and 3 boxes will get you called down to the customs for some explaining. you had better have an authentic government receipt for them or they will confirep001e all but two boxes and fine you 50 bucks us. take two in your carry on and two in your checked luggage to avoid this problem, and if traveling in a group make sure all luggage containing cigars is not checked under a single name. at this point canada customs is your only problem.
the departure tax has gone up to 25$ and you line up to pay it. then line up again to exit immigration, again to have your hand luggage checked for fingernail clippers, and again to board the plane. be careful as the plane boarding is not announced and the boarding pass times can be very wrong.
we have the advantage of a friend in cuba with a car and email who is willing to do some legwork for us when we are coming and book our accommodations. also pick us up and drop us off for only the price of gas in veradero, which gives us much more flight options. hiring a driver is the only way to go, cheaper and safer then renting a car and you don’t have to drive, worry about parking etc. find one who speaks english and he can double as a guide and save you all kinds of time and money. 20-40 dollars per day depending on usage is not unfair and when compared to multiple cab rides a very convenient option.
as for the chicas, it was good times, as i have said a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the ladies to discuss buisness in daylight. all in all between me and my buddy we had 11 ladies over the course of the week from novias prepped on our last trip to the hard core pro’s, and everything in between. all 9’s-10’s.
i found all things were available as usual just much more circumspect. i highly recommend packing an extra 50-100 bills and hitting the house of fashion first. pick a model and play your cards right and you could be in heaven for your entire stay in havana.
all in all we had a great time mostly due to the great cuban people we met and talked to. don’t be to cheap to buy someone a beer and you can learn more in a half hour conversation then you can by 5 hours reading some guide book. there is something to do every night, and by the end of the trip i needed to come home to get some rest.
any questions just ask.
Hi,
I'm planing a trip to Havana for the first week of March. It's gonna be my first time, and learned a lot from the reports and tips of all of you guys, thanks!!
I saw some bothering messages though, that current times are not that good for chica hunters...
Can somebody been there recently ell if this true? Is it true that chicks are affraid more then ever to been seen with non cubans, and get arrested? I'm intersted in non-pros...
I heared also that the government is going harder and harder on casas P. owners.
I really want to go there, but having some second thoughts after hearing this, so will appriciate any news from all of you cuba experts!
Thanks a lot,
Shobel
In response to your specific questions about chicas in Havana let me say that the situation is very fluid right now. The crackdown is in full force in the smaller towns but it is more difficult to check on casas in Havana. There are many more casas around and I believe that the government is still wary of putting off the tourists too much. There are many fewer chicas from out of the city from what I saw. The normal bars were mostly open but the girls were not there in the usual numbers. Also this time of year school is in full swing and it will be more difficult to find the non pros which you seek during the day. The bars are frequented by pros and semi pros and I found the normal girls very hesitant to speak to tourists in the daytime. The definition of a pro in Havana is not what it is here. All girls are going to want something and your initial contact is going to be monetary. It is then up to you to find a way to break through the barriers and develop the relationship into something else. This is helped immensly by speaking a little spanish. The pro in Havana is the bar girl who does nothing else but work the bar, no school, no job etc. These are very prevalent in any area which a tourist is likely to visit. The good girls are more difficult to find and the Semi pro one or two night a week bars girls are almost indistinguishable from the hard core ones at first meeting. It should also be noted that they all lie through their teeth. Take your trip but if your hopeing to find a nice girl not interested in you for your money you'd better speak good spanish and have some good friends in Havana. As to the girls being more afraid to be seen with the tourists the problem is not in the bars or night spots but in the daytime walking around. It is possible to take a girl out in a taxi or car or meet a girl in a bar but much more difficult to meet a girl and spend time together during the day. I have taken many girls to the beach during the summer but as I said that is much less likely with school in full swing and the colder weather. Be discreet and bring lots of cash and you will have all the girls you could want. If you are with a girl protect her from the police and take taxis and you shouldn't have any problems like arrests. Note that the crackdown is still in its initial stages and that things could change any time. Avoid drugs or drugs users at all costs.
Thanks bluedrinker!
Well, I got my trip sorted out, and will post report soon as return.
By the way, I'm over in HAV on March 1st to 8th. If somebody is there, give me a buzzzz.
Shobel
shobel...
I will be in Havana fom 3/7 to 3/10
How do I contact you?
This is my first time in Cuba and would appreciate any advice.
In particular, I am looking for a guide (chica) who can show me around the city during the day and accompany me to the Salsa clubs at night. I speak Spanish fluently and can dance pretty well.
Can one find such a guide in local travel agencies or hotels?? I will be staying at the Habana Libre hotel....a little expensive, but a real convenient location and close to all the action.
Thanks in advance for all your suggestions. Based on what I have heard from this board, I am really looking forward to exploring la Habana. Of course, I will report back on my experiences as soon as I return.
Mambomn
Hey Guys -
I've traveled all over Central America, Dominican Republic and hae always used my Wells Fargo Debit Card, Master Card, and Visa. I'm headed to Cuba this summer and have heard that U.S. cards are not accepted due to the travel ban. Is this true? Can I use my cards?
Thanks
Clodbuster
clod-US cards of anykind don't work, because of the embargo. You could open a Canadian bank account, and withdraw funds with a debit card, or just use US cash. I think travelers checks are problematic as well. thor
Well I'm making my first trip to CUBA on the 21st of May. I booked the flight before coming on this site and reading up on all your posts. I'm regreting this trip already!! Everybody is talking about the girls scene not being any good right now and to be honest, thats the only reason I'm going. I'm 20 years old and speak perfect Spanish, I had heard that speaking Spanish would guarantee me tons of pussy! I was really excited until I read all the recent posts. I was hoping someone who has been there with in the past months can tell me where is the best place right now for girls. I am traveling with a cousin and we plan on renting a car so, I would apreciate directions to the "hot Spos" if they even exsist!!!
Also, do girls get in trouble for simply talking to a tourists??
And is it possible to pick up on girls from their colleges?
Thanks in advance for you help!
bone535@collegeclub.com
Hey there YaYa,
Even if the police crackdown got worse than it is now you will still be able to get all the pussy you can handle. You must realize that the reports you are reading are from guys who have been going to Cuba for years and it has changed in the last years, a lot. With all that said let me re-state that if you stay in Havana you will see, and sample many chicas. Your spanish will make a huge difference for you, as you can talk details, and chicas will trust you more.
I will be there April 1st if you want to talk over a beer or some lunch.
Let me know.
Thanks for the motivating reply!!! Unfortunately I will only be staying in Cuba until the 29th of March. If you’re there at the time I would love to meet up somewhere so you can share your knowledge on the whole Cubana scene with me.
What city do you usually visit?
Where is it better for girls?
Thanks Again.
I promise to bring back pictures and video of my adventures over there to share with you all!!!