Travel Questions and Advice

[Mondo707]

Hi,

I've read that some people have met Cuban girls through Badoo. I've tried it but it takes forever to get a reply. Has anyone tried any other social sites?

Thank you.

Hey Capichon,

Yeah, I too would like to find the golden goose as far as an internet way to hook up with the lovely Cubanitas.

Maybe someone here on this board who is more up to speed on this issue can post info regarding this.

I am pretty sure for now, access to the internet, being what it is for most Cubans (not affordable) this kind of hook up would be very difficult unless you meet someone outside the country who has contacts in Cuba, so far, I have not seeing any info on that.

Mondo.

[Capichon2010]

Hi,

I've read that some people have met Cuban girls through Badoo. I've tried it but it takes forever to get a reply. Has anyone tried any other social sites?

Thank you.

[Mondo707]

Anyone have recommendations of good paladeres in La Habana or elsewhere in Cuba?

Hey WS,

Below is a link about 10 paladares in La Habana. I can't vouch for 'them since I've never eaten in any of them, but they seemed to be pretty good.

Anyway, remember Google is your friend as far as getting the info you seek. If you're going let's say to Santiago or Holguin I think all you need to do is google the town you are searching for with the word "paladares" and voila, the info will pop right in front of your eyes. LOL.

That's what I'd do if I was looking for this sort of thing, maybe someone else can chime in with individual recommends.

http://havanatourcompany.com/top-10-paladares-in-cuba/

Mondo.

[Walk Softly]

Anyone have recommendations of good paladeres in La Habana or elsewhere in Cuba?

[Vedado Fun]

The phone was originally Verizon but not being in the US, I'm not a Verizon customer. The phone's hardware setup is determined by the original network it is sold for though. Verizon phones of that era matched well enough with Telus, the cellular network I'm on in Canada.

No doubt it was your post I was remembering but I was unable to recall what section or date and couldn't find it. Had no luck with the search function!

I've spent hours mucking around with my phone today loading apps and trying to figure out the necessary settings with little success. Good thing I've still got a month to prepare!

Cheers! WS.

Pretty well any unlocked phone will work in Cuba. Some Samsung phones unfortunately will not work with WIFI in Cuba once you put a Cuban Sim card in them. You can get this problem fixed for 5 to 10 CUC at most any cell phone repair place in Cuba though.

I've used several different unlocked phones in Cuba including both iPhones and Android based phones. I bought a Cuban Sim card at Etecsa. It costs 40 CUC and you get an initial 10 CUC credit on the phone with that. You can buy phone top up cards in many places around Havana plus you can even do online top ups if you like.

[Vedado Fun]

Check again.

Now. 74.

I bought $USD's two days ago at 1. 37. Ya I got bent over by the bank.

Not sure what you're replying to Terry. Yes todays rate is 0. 7464.

I haven't changed any money myself in Cuba in quite a while. I still have quite a few CUCs on hand.

Not sure why you even mentioned US dollars. As you know they haven't really been used in Cuba for a few years now.

[Walk Softly]

The phone was originally Verizon but not being in the US, I'm not a Verizon customer. The phone's hardware setup is determined by the original network it is sold for though. Verizon phones of that era matched well enough with Telus, the cellular network I'm on in Canada.

No doubt it was your post I was remembering but I was unable to recall what section or date and couldn't find it. Had no luck with the search function!

I've spent hours mucking around with my phone today loading apps and trying to figure out the necessary settings with little success. Good thing I've still got a month to prepare!

Cheers! WS.

[Mondo707]

I recall WhatsApp being mentioned in earlier posts and looked into it a bit. I ended up with more questions than answers!

If I buy a cuban SIM card or phone, how much of a hassle will it be to load / install WhatsApp given the nature of internet service in Cuba?

WhatsApp only wants 1 mobile device on the account though now, at least, you can link your computer to that.

Also, if anyone has tried using a Verizon phone with a local SIM card in Cuba, how well did it work? At least this way I could have the App downloaded already and just do the install with the local SIM.

Thanks! WS.

Hey WS,

Don't know if you read my post of this past March? I have and old smartphone (Moto droid) that my work provides and use it for business purposes only, not for mongering purposes, for that I use a hobby phone.

Having said that, when I went this past March I got a local sim card which I rented for $2 CUC daily. Once I switched sim cards on my Motorola droid phone I purchased an internet card for $CUC and from there I had access for making calls and texts within Cuba. I was not interested in making calls and / or texts internationally since these tend to be expensive plus the internet is not reliable as far as I could tell. I got enough time to last me a whole month without having to purchase a new add on card, if you are a talker or big texter then you prolly need to purchase an additional card.

I heard you can also purchase a sim card from Etecsa and it costs about the same.

Before I went I checked with Verizon tech support and was guaranteed that Verizon phones could be used outside the US with locals carriers and was told to either purchase a local sim card or rent one which is what I did and it worked flawlessly. So, if Verizon is your service provider I suggest you check with tech support by calling them. They seemed to be very knowledgeable compared with their be&M stores.

I read recently that by year's end the whole Malecon will be a wifi zone, don't know exact date but hopefully it will be reliable and fast.

Mondo.

[BeersTerry]

I wish us Canadians could get 97 CUC for 100 Canadian. Today's rate is 0. 7623 CUC to 1 Canadian. Not sure if the bank skims another 3% off of that or not. I was just in Havana a couple of weeks ago but never had to change money myself. Other Canadians were getting 74 to 76 CUC for 100 Canadian.

Havana is not like it was 10 or 15 years ago. You really need the help of a very experienced person to show you around and teach you a few things. If you're mainly interested in tourist type stuff there are lots of tours available from most of the hotels. If you want to have a cheap tour around Havana hop on the red double decker bus that you will see at bus stops near certain hotels. There's one stop near the Habana Libre. It's actually on Calle L between 27 and 25 but very close to 25 on the same side as the Habana Libre. The price should be 5 CUC unless it has changed recently. The bus goes all over the Havana area and you can get off and on at any of the stops.

http://www.bc.gob.cu/Espanol/tipo_cambio_METROPOLITANO.asp

Check again.

Now. 74.

I bought $USD's two days ago at 1. 37. Ya I got bent over by the bank.

[Walk Softly]

I recall WhatsApp being mentioned in earlier posts and looked into it a bit. I ended up with more questions than answers!

If I buy a cuban SIM card or phone, how much of a hassle will it be to load / install WhatsApp given the nature of internet service in Cuba?

WhatsApp only wants 1 mobile device on the account though now, at least, you can link your computer to that.

Also, if anyone has tried using a Verizon phone with a local SIM card in Cuba, how well did it work? At least this way I could have the App downloaded already and just do the install with the local SIM.

Thanks! WS.

[Mondo707]

Thank you for the replies Mondo, Mr. G and VF. I suspected that was the case with the money, but so much was made of how desirable the greenback was that I thought I'd check.

Seems like finding a semi-reasonably priced hotel room for the first night in Havana is going to be challenging with the upsurge in travelers from the US. I may just go with a casa particular from day 1.

One website I found actually lists whether each casa is guest friendly which is handy but the prices didn't seem that great. If anyone has a suggestion for a good casa in Vedado or a good website, please PM me.

Thanks again! WS.

Hey WS,

I was planning to go this November for music fest but a couple of things bum me out. 1st direct flights from the West Coast won't happen till early 2017 and my place in Vedado is all booked up for November.

I mentioned this cause when I email the apt owner I got "we have vacancies for December" back from them. So, that said, if you are interested in this place PM me for the info.

This place is in a primo Vedado location right on the corner of the famous Malecon.

Just one thing, not knowing you I hope if you end staying don't mess it up for me.

Mondo.

[Walk Softly]

Thank you for the replies Mondo, Mr. G and VF. I suspected that was the case with the money, but so much was made of how desirable the greenback was that I thought I'd check.

Seems like finding a semi-reasonably priced hotel room for the first night in Havana is going to be challenging with the upsurge in travelers from the US. I may just go with a casa particular from day 1.

One website I found actually lists whether each casa is guest friendly which is handy but the prices didn't seem that great. If anyone has a suggestion for a good casa in Vedado or a good website, please PM me.

Thanks again! WS.

[Mondo707]

I wish us Canadians could get 97 CUC for 100 Canadian. Today's rate is 0. 7623 CUC to 1 Canadian. Not sure if the bank skims another 3% off of that or not. I was just in Havana a couple of weeks ago but never had to change money myself. Other Canadians were getting 74 to 76 CUC for 100 Canadian.

Havana is not like it was 10 or 15 years ago. You really need the help of a very experienced person to show you around and teach you a few things. If you're mainly interested in tourist type stuff there are lots of tours available from most of the hotels. If you want to have a cheap tour around Havana hop on the red double decker bus that you will see at bus stops near certain hotels. There's one stop near the Habana Libre. It's actually on Calle L between 27 and 25 but very close to 25 on the same side as the Habana Libre. The price should be 5 CUC unless it has changed recently. The bus goes all over the Havana area and you can get off and on at any of the stops.

http://www.bc.gob.cu/Espanol/tipo_cambio_METROPOLITANO.asp

Hey VF,

Yeah, you are right, not only you but anybody would love to get 97 CUC for 100 Loonies, LOL. I meant to tell him that if he has Canadian dollars it's a no brainer to take those instead of USD, because the Canadian dollar doesn't get the 10% gravamen that the the USD incurs.

What I meant to say without realizing that the exchange rate for Canadian was at 131+ to 100 USD, of course one has to do the conversion as far as what one gets in CUC but yes no way you get 97 CUC, sorry my bad.

USD vs Canadian dollar conversion as of today.

1 US Dollar equals.

1. 31 Canadian Dollar.

Mondo.

[Vedado Fun]

Hey WS,

I'll comment on the topics I know of.

First of, If you are Canadian, since you mention Canuck, I would recommend taking Loonies with you since they are not penalized like the greenback (US dollar) US dollar has a negative -10% versus other currencies. So, forget about exchanging Loonies for greenbacks.

When you exchange foreign currency they take a 3% fee, so for a 100 Loonies you get 97 CUC (the currency you use while in Cuba).

As far as getting a driver, I agree this would be your best bet to get more bang for your Loonie (no pun intended) since on your own you would be hard press to find things you're interested in doing or chicas on your own without paying your newbie dues first. I suggest you go try a few taxi rides and talk your way into the things you are interested in and follow your gut feeling so as not to be "taken for a ride", pun intended. I would suggest if you like cultural stuff I'd suggest la Cienega de Zapata, not that I've been there but for sure I will visit down the road. This place is a marvel as far as nature is concerned and completely unspoiled. This is the area where the US invasion in 1961 took place (Bay of Pigs).

One thing I would only go during winter time since mosquitoes will have a feast off of you (I think) in the summer time.

I think Habana Libre hotel (23rd & L) has many tours that they sell daily and usually they can help you pick & choose according to your interests.

These are the things I can suggest, maybe other mongers here can help you out too.

Mondo.

I wish us Canadians could get 97 CUC for 100 Canadian. Today's rate is 0. 7623 CUC to 1 Canadian. Not sure if the bank skims another 3% off of that or not. I was just in Havana a couple of weeks ago but never had to change money myself. Other Canadians were getting 74 to 76 CUC for 100 Canadian.

Havana is not like it was 10 or 15 years ago. You really need the help of a very experienced person to show you around and teach you a few things. If you're mainly interested in tourist type stuff there are lots of tours available from most of the hotels. If you want to have a cheap tour around Havana hop on the red double decker bus that you will see at bus stops near certain hotels. There's one stop near the Habana Libre. It's actually on Calle L between 27 and 25 but very close to 25 on the same side as the Habana Libre. The price should be 5 CUC unless it has changed recently. The bus goes all over the Havana area and you can get off and on at any of the stops.

http://www.bc.gob.cu/Espanol/tipo_cambio_METROPOLITANO.asp

[Mr Gogo]

Hello Sir,

Mr Mondo gives great advice. I would also throw in a trip to Penar del areío if you like scenery. Having two weeks in the Havana area can work to your advantage because you don't have to rush things. Find a taxi or bicitaxi guy who speaks English and pick his brain. You can actually book a hotel for the first couple days and walk around and find a Casa you like, the taxi guys can help with this. Find the right Casa and just hangout near there and people will develop a comfort zone with you and the girls will play.

I tell guys all the time don't act like tourist because it marks you. Don't wear those notorious Cuban hats, sitting in the tourist spots, or acting bored and desperate will get you the hardcore hookers and the cops watching. Sit outside your Casa with a bucanero beer, go up la rampa and have a beer, or just walk the malecon (it's a nice 45 minute walk from prado on the malecon to 23 avenida). If you aren't comfortable with this there are plenty of tours and historical places to keep you busy for a few days.