Havana

[The Tall Man]

Hi Tall Man. I wouldn't say it is dead. I live here and I have enough girls on my plate to go around whenever I feel like it. IMHO, there is just too much hassle to get some action here. You need to really want it to get it. The trouble of finding a girl friendly room etc and the language barrier can be a major put off for some. However, once you have a strong footing, its great. I moved here last summer and I love it so far. Sometimes the girls that I still keep in touch with are just too pushy. Keep asking when I can see them again. I don't like it and keep on repeating myself to them no calls no msgs. I will look for you when I feel like it. They just can't understand this simple concept. Thats when they get blocked. I also dislike the begging attitude that most girls have, wanting this and that. I totally understand that life is not easy for them but begging in my culture is bad. People will give what they want when they want to. You don't need to ask all the time and come up with sad stories each time you see them. I always tell them to fuck off the moment they start asking for more. Maybe I'm too spoiled because I know what I can get in DR or other neighbouring countries. You are right that it is greener elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I love Cuban women but sometimes they annoy the shit out of you the moment they get comfortable.

Just talked to a few people in Havana and things are getting tense. Electricity and food shortages, police stopping girls and casa owners logging people into the Casas. With this said I'm booking a trip very soon. Cubans are tough people and they will eventually get back to their partying ways.

The key is to make local connections and tap into the local vibe. With everything going on in Cuba its probably best for info here to go dark, that way we won't expose how we are operating. Use the PM function guys for info for the time being till things cool off. We have been making it too easy here for the local authorities to monitor our monger activities. Ex: if you find a good spot for girls maybe you should save the specifics for guys who inquire via PM on ISG. It's time we upped our game as they up theirs. In a couple years Cuba hopefully will be back to normal then we can go back to open sharing of the Cuban Hotspots.

We see the problems happening in my beloved DR now. This will impact Medellin, where I'm living now so it's important to preserve special spots to stay two steps ahead of the game. I just returned to Medellin from a great Colombian city about 5 hours from Medellin. Also I have been on the other side of Cuba and its great unspoiled spots there. My point is we need to share these spots using the back channel so we don't always have to follow the tourist who is only on a weekend pass and broadcasting to police how we operate.

Guess one thing you did not clarify is, seeing girls is one thing, but not mentioning 99% of them wanting to see you because they are expecting you pay them after the deed is another thing. Think you confused people Cuban women love foreigners just to be with them without expecting anything.

Cuba is definitely not like before especially in the last 3 years ever since the country lifted exit visa for Cubans to go overseas, Clubs used to be women outnumbered guys in the past but not the case anymore, most discos are indeed dead now or only with regular girls, many working girls and I mean many have left Cuba to other Latin countries or in the States. I know at least 10 of them plus many of their female friends I used to meet them in discos have left Cuba. Even Malecon is dead most of the time. Every Time I go back I am very disappointed because comparing to the past experience.

I've been to Cuba many times and its really gotten bad -- in addition to which the Cubans are becoming very freaking arrogant.

I just got sick of the headaches and the scams. You can never trust a Cuban. Remember that.

Well it was a good run for the past decades but now it is gone, lets have a moment of silence, OK RIP Cuba now where to head to next? There are indeed many options.

The Tall Man.

[Adinga]

I've been to Cuba many times and its really gotten bad -- in addition to which the Cubans are becoming very freaking arrogant.

I just got sick of the headaches and the scams. You can never trust a Cuban. Remember that.

[Tica Man]

Sometimes the girls that I still keep in touch with are just too pushy. Keep asking when I can see them again. I don't like it and keep on repeating myself to them no calls no msgs. I will look for you when I feel like it. They just can't understand this simple concept. Thats when they get blocked.

Guess one thing you did not clarify is, seeing girls is one thing, but not mentioning 99% of them wanting to see you because they are expecting you pay them after the deed is another thing. Think you confused people Cuban women love foreigners just to be with them without expecting anything.

Cuba is definitely not like before especially in the last 3 years ever since the country lifted exit visa for Cubans to go overseas, Clubs used to be women outnumbered guys in the past but not the case anymore, most discos are indeed dead now or only with regular girls, many working girls and I mean many have left Cuba to other Latin countries or in the States. I know at least 10 of them plus many of their female friends I used to meet them in discos have left Cuba. Even Malecon is dead most of the time. Every Time I go back I am very disappointed because comparing to the past experience.

[DiavelLoco]

Very little to read and see here in the Cuba forum sections, is anything going on or is the hassle by police just too much and so many are simply going to greener / easy pastures somewhere else?

The Tall Man.

P.S. - It has been 4 years since I mongered in Havana, or 3 years, damn time goes by so fast. I enjoyed the newness of it but now it is so easy to find delicious pussy in Colombia so that is where my heart / dick is, hehehe.

Hi Tall Man. I wouldn't say it is dead. I live here and I have enough girls on my plate to go around whenever I feel like it. IMHO, there is just too much hassle to get some action here. You need to really want it to get it. The trouble of finding a girl friendly room etc and the language barrier can be a major put off for some. However, once you have a strong footing, its great. I moved here last summer and I love it so far. Sometimes the girls that I still keep in touch with are just too pushy. Keep asking when I can see them again. I don't like it and keep on repeating myself to them no calls no msgs. I will look for you when I feel like it. They just can't understand this simple concept. Thats when they get blocked. I also dislike the begging attitude that most girls have, wanting this and that. I totally understand that life is not easy for them but begging in my culture is bad. People will give what they want when they want to. You don't need to ask all the time and come up with sad stories each time you see them. I always tell them to fuck off the moment they start asking for more. Maybe I'm too spoiled because I know what I can get in DR or other neighbouring countries. You are right that it is greener elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I love Cuban women but sometimes they annoy the shit out of you the moment they get comfortable.

[Mr Gogo]

Just talked to a few people in Havana and things are getting tense. Electricity and food shortages, police stopping girls and casa owners logging people into the Casas. With this said I'm booking a trip very soon. Cubans are tough people and they will eventually get back to their partying ways.

The key is to make local connections and tap into the local vibe. With everything going on in Cuba its probably best for info here to go dark, that way we won't expose how we are operating. Use the PM function guys for info for the time being till things cool off. We have been making it too easy here for the local authorities to monitor our monger activities. Ex: if you find a good spot for girls maybe you should save the specifics for guys who inquire via PM on ISG. It's time we upped our game as they up theirs. In a couple years Cuba hopefully will be back to normal then we can go back to open sharing of the Cuban Hotspots.

We see the problems happening in my beloved DR now. This will impact Medellin, where I'm living now so it's important to preserve special spots to stay two steps ahead of the game. I just returned to Medellin from a great Colombian city about 5 hours from Medellin. Also I have been on the other side of Cuba and its great unspoiled spots there. My point is we need to share these spots using the back channel so we don't always have to follow the tourist who is only on a weekend pass and broadcasting to police how we operate.

[Eclectic]

How hard is it to get around like to Holguin or Santiago de Cuba. I am looking on Latina Cupid and lots of chicas from other cities. It looks like they are pretty far.

I visited Holguin in April, 2019, after many visits to la Habana.

Holguin is a cleaner city, but there is not much going on. No real clubs. No good restaurants.

I rented what I thought was an independent casa. It was the upstairs of a two-flat. As soon as I got settled, the landlady brought an older Cuban friend to live in the lower unit. He waited up for me to return each night. No visitors. But with some work, I was still able to find girls in the main park downtown. We had to go to private locations. I did have some unexpected success, as the landlady's young rental agent wanted to do a blue eyed gringo. She insisted on visiting me during the day when the Cuban chaperone wasn't downstairs.

To get to la Habana, I intended to take a airline flight, but it was fully booked for about 10 days in advance. So, I had to take the bus. For 13 hours.

All in all, the Holguin girls are willing, but because of the tight enforcement, opportunities are limited. I prefer la Habana.

[The Tall Man]

Very little to read and see here in the Cuba forum sections, is anything going on or is the hassle by police just too much and so many are simply going to greener / easy pastures somewhere else?

The Tall Man.

P.S. - It has been 4 years since I mongered in Havana, or 3 years, damn time goes by so fast. I enjoyed the newness of it but now it is so easy to find delicious pussy in Colombia so that is where my heart / dick is, hehehe.

[TomJackin]

Questions:
(1) Can you go to the Bank or Cambio and get a better rate since you are an "official" tourist?
(2) What about language issues? Given the restricted wi-fi, the Google translator is mostly used in offline mode?
(3) Given the currency, Wi-Fi, Toilet seat / paper hassle, is Cuba worth it? *Asking strictly from a mongering perspective*.

Answers:

(1) I don't think you will get a better rate. Many places were taking 12 cents of each dollar. My host changed all my money and only took 10 cents off each dollar.

(2) I was a tad nervous going there, even though I can speak intermittent Spanish. Why? Because the Cubans tend to speak faster and the accent is different. The Google translator is about useless because of the lack of Wi-Fi.

(3) From a mongering perspective? Yes and no, there are girls in the clubs, but on the street, it really seems like a "Cat and Mouse" game, which just wasn't worth my time. One of the reasons I went was because there was only 4 Spanish speaking countries that I have not been to, now there are 3 left.

Hope this helps.

[GrownMan1]

Also understand if a girl is in a club with prostitutes she has a pimp. The club owner the Pimp and the police all are getting a cut. The girl doesn't set the price the Pimp does. And the pimp is like tell him this price or don't go home with him. Four years ago the asking price in the tourist trap was 70-80 negotiable. Now it's 100 - 120? I've never paid over 50 and only had one bad laid from a repeat.

[GrownMan1]

Back from Cuba, spent 6 nights of my trip in Havana.

The report sounds negative but I actually had good fun 4 of the 6 nights, but just had some real problems with the other two that dampened things. I do think the place has loads of potential, I admittedly made plenty of mistakes. My main advice would be get a local sim, focus more outside the clubs for less hardcore girls but if you go clubs do 100% confirm everything before leaving including when payment is. And stay out of Tikoa, haha.

Man if I've never been to Havana after reading your report I would not go. However all the mishaps that you encounter I can see it happening in Cuba. Cuba for years were light on American tourism. Now that we are here they are in full force of catching up with all the money they lost over the years. Cabdrivers pimps chicas and club owners can give you some real tourism bullshit.

The days prior to the death of Fidel were very tolerable. After his death; Cuba hasn't been the same. There was a time I did Cuba six months in a row. I used to catch a flight out of Orlando for under 250 bucks. But now reading all the reports good and bad my return Apprehension has been validated. It's going to be a while before Cuba settles itself back in.

Our president has cut some restrictions on traveling. Actually I'm kind of happy. Not for the normal people that actually benefit but the snakes have gotten out of control. I used to tell my Cuban friend your people are going to burn their bridge before it's built. You treat your tourist like prey yet you want the Americans to come. The nerve of a Chica acting the fool leaving the room of a tourist after the selling him sex. When I was there, the last thing a Chica wanted to do was make a scene. If the police would have arrived she knew she definitely was the only one that would be in trouble. But your example shows how out of hand shit has gotten.

The police constantly harass the cab drivers and the chicas and now I see it's for good reason. The only problem is we get caught up in the middle.

I'm in the DR now enjoying their culture and freedom. It's a beautiful thing to walk around the corner and see a so many beautiful available chicas. With a little broke in Spanish and after five minutes of talking she's butt naked in your bed for $35 to $40 dollars. Then she showing you pictures of her friends that she could also connect you with.

[Ty Down]

No more US Cruise Ships to Cuba. Therefore, more chicas for me and you.

https://onemileatatime.com/new-restr...s-cuba-travel/#comment-4195719.

[BKKguru]

Money: There are two currencies in Cuba; the CUP and CUC. Why, I have no fucking idea.

CUP (for Cubans) 1 US for 25 pesos.
CUC (for us fucking visitors) 1 to 1.

But it is never one to one, because of the service charge. I received, from my host, 1 dollar = 90 cents.
<snip>
Internet / Wi-Fi: Have fun with this one! My host helped me out on this. But, the Cuban government does not want outside communication from Cuba. Thus, the internet is expensive for the Cuban people. You can buy ETECSA cards, not sure of the price. But then you have to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to use the internet,
<snip>

TJ,

Thanks for the detailed report. Your reports have raised the bar.
As you noted, the Educational activities and people to people travel is not an option. The new restrictions go into effect today.

You write "all wanted 100 CUC for 2 hours". Using 1 CUC = 90 cents as the conversion rate, 100 CUC is US $111. Expensive!

Questions:
(1) Can you go to the Bank or Cambio and get a better rate since you are an "official" tourist?
(2) What about language issues? Given the restricted wi-fi, the Google translator is mostly used in offline mode?
(3) Given the currency, Wi-Fi, Toilet seat / paper hassle, is Cuba worth it? *Asking strictly from a mongering perspective*.

Thanks again for a great report.

~BKKguru

[HSendatsu]

How hard is it to get around like to Holguin or Santiago de Cuba. I am looking on Latina Cupid and lots of chicas from other cities. It looks like they are pretty far.

I am looking for a trip to Holguin (from Spain) and they are via Montreal.

Doesn't seem very difficult from the States (looking at skyscanner I see flights from Miami for about 200 $).

[Jbj64]

How hard is it to get around like to Holguin or Santiago de Cuba. I am looking on Latina Cupid and lots of chicas from other cities. It looks like they are pretty far.

[DiavelLoco]

I have been curious about traveling to Cuba for years, but never pulled the trigger. Finally I did and I had a blast!

Logistics: Can people from the USA travel to Cuba? YES! But, you must declare one of the following reasons to travel to Cuba:

Here's the full list of categories:

Family visits.
Journalism.
Professional research.
Religious activities.
Public performances.
Support for the Cuban people.
Educational activities and people to people travel.
Humanitarian projects.
Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes.
Exportation, importation or transmission of information or informational materials.

I choose the most common and broad reason; Support for the Cuban people.

What activities count toward Support for the Cuban People?

The category is fairly broad, so it really depends on your interests. In general, you'll need to:

Stay at a casa particular (these can be booked via Airbnb).
Support and engage with local businesses and independent entrepreneurs like artists, musicians, food vendors, filmmakers, etc.
Whatever your interests, you can find a way to support the Cuban people.
Eat at local restaurants or paladares.
Avoid transactions at military-owned businesses.

There is a new article out today about the "People to people" category that no longer exist:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/...ggbePH9juPIM7c

So, I'm not sure what will happen now. I know the "People to people" category was replaced with the "Support for the Cuban people" category some time ago, but I could be wrong.

Visa: I bought my visa online at Easy Tourist Card. I bought the green card because I was arriving from Mexico. I paid 35 Euros, plus 35 for shipping. Did I pay too much, I think so. I was told by Aeromexico that I could purchase the visa in Mexico City, but I wanted it before I left. From the US, the visa is a different color.

Travel insurance: I paid $43 for the Med Evac plan from Travel Guard.

Getting there: I flew round trip from Tijuana to Mexico City, and on to Havana for less than $500.

My trip to Havana: I took the CBX bridge for $30 round trip to the Tijuana airport. I headed to the VIP lounge and paid around $22 for free flowing drinks and chow.

Immigration in Havana: The line was not very long, but I arrived at 10:30 in the evening. I was under the understanding that my passport would not be stamped, but it was when I entered and when I left; that surprised me to say the least.

Logging: I stayed at an Airbnb in a great area for a good price. I was the only one in the apartment and the host was great. I will not go into details because I don't want to cause any trouble for the host.

Money: There are two currencies in Cuba; the CUP and CUC. Why, I have no fucking idea.

CUP (for Cubans) 1 US for 25 pesos.
CUC (for us fucking visitors) 1 to 1.

But it is never one to one, because of the service charge. I received, from my host, 1 dollar = 90 cents. During my research, I was informed that I would receive a better exchange rate if I brought canadian or euro currency; no time for that crap.

Weather: I was concerned about the heat, humidity, and those pesky fucking mosquitoes. But because Havana is next to the ocean, there was a great breeze and the weather was pleasant, and without the flying pests!

Electric: The apartment had 110 and 220 outlets. Word of advice, bring a surge protector because there are power surges in Havana.

Internet / Wi-Fi: Have fun with this one! My host helped me out on this. But, the Cuban government does not want outside communication from Cuba. Thus, the internet is expensive for the Cuban people. You can buy ETECSA cards, not sure of the price. But then you have to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to use the internet, like in one of the parks or other places. It sucks!

Getting around Havana: The most expensive thing I experienced in Havana was the taxis. They all want 10-20 to go any damn where. From the airport or back is 25. Most will bargain, but the classic cars won't. A lot of my money went straight to the taxis.

Warning: Almost all of the restrooms in the restaurants, bars, clubs have no toilet seats, and even worse, no toilet paper. Thus, bring your own just in case.

Food: Don't go to Cuba for great food. But I did find some decent to good food in several restaurants.

El Guajirito. Good lobster dish, but pricy.
El Biki. Good chicken in a wine sauce dish.
D Lirios. Good mixed meat dish.
Habana Blues. Unique place with good food.
O' Reilly. Good drinks and food.
El Aljibe. Good roasted chicken and excellent black beans.

Street food stand. Next to Hotel Nacional and across from the Malecon, there were several food stands. I noticed there were several pigs being roasted and just had to have a pork sandwich; it was so damn good!

Drinks: Yep, I did my share of drinking there.

Flordita. Hemmingway's old hang out; daiquiris of course.
Hotel Nacional. Just because it's a must.
Gran Hotel Manzana. Great rooftop bar with a great view.
Caf Mambo Habana. Nice place in Plaza Vieja.
Turquino at the top of Hotel Tryp Habana Libre. Great band, show, and view of Habana; 10 CUC cover.

Venues: I went to several venues and here are my thoughts:

Club Up and Down: I was there around 1:00 Thursday night. There were about 10 hotties and they all wanted 100 CUC for 2 hours. I guess there is a chica union in that place.

Piano Bar: I was there around 2:00 Thursday night. First off, the place has a butt-load of fucking stairs! But, many options for chicas inside. Pulled one for 60, + taxi for two hours. She was a blast in the rack!

Went back there on Friday around 2:00. I partied with two girls and could not chose between the both, so I took them both, 60 each for 2 hours. They were hungry, so I ordered the food platter; it sucked. Did I mention the place has too many fucking stairs? Both of the chicas were a blast during rack operations!

On Friday night, I headed for three clubs in Miramar:

Mio why Tuyo: Got there around midnight. Very nice place with around 10 chicas. I chatted with a couple and was quoted 100. I stayed there for around 30 minutes, before I realized I was just wasting my time.

Q Bola: A short walk from the last club. Got there around 12:45. Nice club with a lot of chicas, but I think it was just a regular club. Really no eye contact. I offered to buy a few drinks, but was turned downed; no worries, off to the next club!

Casa de la Musica: Got there around 1:30. Big music joint with a great band; 15 cover. Lots of people, but it seemed like a dating place; full of couples and groups. I did not see much opportunity there; fuck it, back to the Piano Bar!

Street action: I walked down La Rampa twice during my stay. I did see many women available, but also many police and cameras; was not worth my time to play the "Cat and Mouse" game. It was the same on the Malecon. Others have had luck, but I had enough on my plate, so I didn't waste my time.

Other chicas: Before I left, I was talking to three chicas on WhatsApp. One was solid, the other two were a bit flaky. This takes a lot of time and effort, but it can pay off in the end. My solid chica stayed with me for my last two nights and never asked me for a single CUC. One of the best GFE experience I've ever had in years!

Overall thoughts on Havana: I loved the place and the people. The people are hurting, but they are resilient and proud!

I urge everyone to visit the country in order to support the people; enough said.

As always, just my two pinche pesos.

Very detail and great report! Glad you enjoyed your trip!