Havana

Stayed in a casa on Industria and San Miguel close to all the street action AC in the bedrooms 4th floor with elevator and no security guards and had a balcony.

Breakfast was at Parque Central Hotel for 900 CUP each morning.

WIFI at same hotel was 500 CUP per hour.

Hotel Inglaterra wanted like 25 us for breakfast. I passed on that rate.

Exchange rate was 340 or 345 depending on what day I exchanged.

Prearranged ride from Casa host from airport $30 in USD to airport was $25 (used my left over CUP and covered the rest in UDS).

Did a lot of tourist things but Badoo girls were anywhere from $30 to $40. We would go out. Have some drinks or food and come back shower and fuck. I like the flacas. Everything small. Ass and tits) Yep a lot of them asked / wanted $100 to $180 no fucking way from me.

Picked up a few from the street or the Park for the same (30 to 40).

Day at the beach (Santa Maria) Taxi was $50 round trip (thank you for the driver contact Nomars777).

HOT as fuck from around 10 am till the afternoon rains. Reminded me of Thailand heat.

Entering into Cuba and leaving was like 10 min max for both directions.

Entering into US at Miami was also no problems or questions asked.

Havana airport has no working AC. This trip was the only time I did not wear jeans on the flights (cause I knew it would be hot at the airport) I was freezing on the plane but both my air legs were less the 1 hour.

Best food. Lobster and shrimp dinners at Cafe Mambo (2 slots down from Kilometer Zero and kitty corner Gran Hotel Bristol.

Great hang out / drink and people watch was at a little bar on San Rafael (maybe part of Hotel Inglaterra but at the end of the same building towards Consulado Had many coffee, beer and mojitos there.

Best mojito place for me was Cafe Mambo again. I think 400 CUP (I like them a little sweet).

Beers at tiendas were like 200 CUP.

I need to upgrade my Badoo game, apparently. I went the Bumble route and those chicas are too full of themselves and their worth. Ah well. Live and learn!

Thanks for the details!

[QUOTE=Eustisflman;2927049]Stayed in a casa on Industria and San Miguel close to all the street action AC in the bedrooms 4th floor with elevator and no security guards and had a balcony.

Breakfast was at Parque Central Hotel for 900 CUP each morning.

WIFI at same hotel was 500 CUP per hour.

Hotel Inglaterra wanted like 25 us for breakfast. I passed on that rate.

Exchange rate was 340 or 345 depending on what day I exchanged.

Prearranged ride from Casa host from airport $30 in USD to airport was $25 (used my left over CUP and covered the rest in UDS).

Did a lot of tourist things but Badoo girls were anywhere from $30 to $40. We would go out. Have some drinks or food and come back shower and fuck. I like the flacas. Everything small. Ass and tits) Yep a lot of them asked / wanted $100 to $180 no fucking way from me.

Picked up a few from the street or the Park for the same (30 to 40).

Day at the beach (Santa Maria) Taxi was $50 round trip (thank you for the driver contact Nomars777).

HOT as fuck from around 10 am till the afternoon rains. Reminded me of Thailand heat.

Entering into Cuba and leaving was like 10 min max for both directions..[/QUOTE]

I'm not new to Havana. Been a few times. I have historically changed money with my Airbnb host. I tell them in advance I want a lot, and I want 1000 peso bills. It's worked out.

How do I put this delicately? I'm going soon, and I'll be seeing a number of girls. If I ask my host to change that much money, I think it'll be obvious why. Like why would a person need that much money for a few days in Cuba.

So this time I want to find reliable money, changers who carry big bills.

I've never had to look for one myself. How do you do that?

I did buy bottle water but was expensive compared to beer or mojitos. I boiled water at the casa and set it in the fridge each night. Then in the morning I had a days worth of water. It was a bit sandy but no stomach problems (full boil for 5 minutes).

[QUOTE=Eustisflman;2927049]Stayed in a casa on Industria and San Miguel close to all the street action AC in the bedrooms 4th floor with elevator and no security guards and had a balcony.

Breakfast was at Parque Central Hotel for 900 CUP each morning.

WIFI at same hotel was 500 CUP per hour.

Hotel Inglaterra wanted like 25 us for breakfast. I passed on that rate.

Exchange rate was 340 or 345 depending on what day I exchanged.

Prearranged ride from Casa host from airport $30 in USD to airport was $25 (used my left over CUP and covered the rest in UDS).

Did a lot of tourist things but Badoo girls were anywhere from $30 to $40. We would go out. Have some drinks or food and come back shower and fuck. I like the flacas. Everything small. Ass and tits) Yep a lot of them asked / wanted $100 to $180 no fucking way from me.

Picked up a few from the street or the Park for the same (30 to 40).

Day at the beach (Santa Maria) Taxi was $50 round trip (thank you for the driver contact Nomars777).

HOT as fuck from around 10 am till the afternoon rains. Reminded me of Thailand heat.

Entering into Cuba and leaving was like 10 min max for both directions.

Entering into US at Miami was also no problems or questions asked.

Havana airport has no working AC. This trip was the only time I did not wear jeans on the flights (cause I knew it would be hot at the airport) I was freezing on the plane but both my air legs were less the 1 hour.

Best food. Lobster and shrimp dinners at Cafe Mambo (2 slots down from Kilometer Zero and kitty corner Gran Hotel Bristol.

Great hang out / drink and people watch was at a little bar on San Rafael (maybe part of Hotel Inglaterra but at the end of the same building towards Consulado Had many coffee, beer and mojitos there.

Best mojito place for me was Cafe Mambo again. I think 400 CUP (I like them a little sweet).

Beers at tiendas were like 200 CUP.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=AmericanPi;2927210]I'm not new to Havana. Been a few times. I have historically changed money with my Airbnb host. I tell them in advance I want a lot, and I want 1000 peso bills. It's worked out.

How do I put this delicately? I'm going soon, and I'll be seeing a number of girls. If I ask my host to change that much money, I think it'll be obvious why. Like why would a person need that much money for a few days in Cuba.

So this time I want to find reliable money, changers who carry big bills.

I've never had to look for one myself. How do you do that?[/QUOTE]Well you'll be hit up by countless money changers on the street. I doubt your hosts think you are there for bible study, just ask them. It's just your guilty conscience at work hahaha. BTW the official places like banks and hotels will give you about 33% of the real exhange rate, so don't try that.

[QUOTE=JinaWrangler;2927252]Well you'll be hit up by countless money changers on the street. I doubt your hosts think you are there for bible study, just ask them. It's just your guilty conscience at work hahaha. BTW the official places like banks and hotels will give you about 33% of the real exhange rate, so don't try that.[/QUOTE]Totally know not to go the official route. It's actually way worse than 33 pct even I think.

But last time I was in Havana, just a few months ago, I was not hit up by any money changers in the street. I mean lots of jineteros who asked to help with whatever I need and I'm sure I could say I want money changer, but that seems risky. I guess I'm asking how do I find authentic, reliable, non-scammy money changers. Not the money changer equivalent of the guy who sells fake cohibas for 3 dollars each.

[QUOTE=AmericanPi;2927343]Totally know not to go the official route. It's actually way worse than 33 pct even I think.

But last time I was in Havana, just a few months ago, I was not hit up by any money changers in the street. I mean lots of jineteros who asked to help with whatever I need and I'm sure I could say I want money changer, but that seems risky. I guess I'm asking how do I find authentic, reliable, non-scammy money changers. Not the money changer equivalent of the guy who sells fake cohibas for 3 dollars each.[/QUOTE]You're asking for authentic relaiable non scammy illegal money changers. Good luck.

[QUOTE=Zeos1;2927457]You're asking for authentic relaiable non scammy illegal money changers. Good luck.[/QUOTE]There's nothing odd about my ask. You can buy street weed at home and still care that you're buying it from a guy who reliably produces a quality product. And changing currency in Cuba is hardly an underground criminal enterprise. It's not sanctioned but it's a known, accepted part of the economy. Every Airbnb host is happy to change to dollars for inflation hedged currency.

Anyone (else) have any thoughts?

[QUOTE=AmericanPi;2927210]I'm not new to Havana. Been a few times. I have historically changed money with my Airbnb host. I tell them in advance I want a lot, and I want 1000 peso bills. It's worked out.

How do I put this delicately? I'm going soon, and I'll be seeing a number of girls. If I ask my host to change that much money, I think it'll be obvious why. Like why would a person need that much money for a few days in Cuba.

So this time I want to find reliable money, changers who carry big bills.

I've never had to look for one myself. How do you do that?[/QUOTE]Hey AP,

Just wondering why you want to pay the girls in CUP? I was there back in March and I had no problem paying the girls in USD. I actually paid 1 girl in CUP and I was laughing to myself about how rediculous it was to watch her count it all out when a few USD $10's and $20's would have been much easier. Just paid the girls in USD after that.

[QUOTE=EMode;2927481]Hey AP,

Just wondering why you want to pay the girls in CUP? I was there back in March and I had no problem paying the girls in USD. I actually paid 1 girl in CUP and I was laughing to myself about how rediculous it was to watch her count it all out when a few USD $10's and $20's would have been much easier. Just paid the girls in USD after that.[/QUOTE]Yeah I totally agree, although some taxistas want pesos when they are delivering girls from BFE where there are no dollars haha. On a couple occasions I was talking to a chica, "What do you mean the taxista doesn't want USD is he crazy?" Eventually he did take the dollars.

Again, you also want some pesos for the little mercados all over Havana, because their prices are in pesos. Those little stores have some useful stuff in them (eg, juices and sodas in cans made in the US).

Just ask your hosts to change your money and tell them its for cigars haha.

BTW you cannot walk down San Rafael looking like a Yuma and not have 5 guys ask you, "CHANGE MONEY?! Cohibas?

[QUOTE=EMode;2927481]Hey AP,

Just wondering why you want to pay the girls in CUP? I was there back in March and I had no problem paying the girls in USD. I actually paid 1 girl in CUP and I was laughing to myself about how rediculous it was to watch her count it all out when a few USD $10's and $20's would have been much easier. Just paid the girls in USD after that.[/QUOTE]Honestly never occurred to me. I always made offers in CUP and they were accepted as such. And my host was always willing to change back to dollars what I didn't use.

[QUOTE=AmericanPi;2927581]Honestly never occurred to me. I always made offers in CUP and they were accepted as such. And my host was always willing to change back to dollars what I didn't use.[/QUOTE]When I was there, I exchanged $300 USD to pesos and came back with about $100 worth of pesos. It wasn't a problem in my case cause a buddy was going to Cuba a few weeks after me, so he just bought them off me. I never worried about exchanging too much at a time. Nor did I ever worry about what anyone thought about me being there. You're a single foreign guy going to Cuba, I don't think anyone is thinking you're there to sell bibles. The host won't care since they want you to be happy so you rent their place again.

[QUOTE=Eustisflman;2927049]Stayed in a casa on Industria and San Miguel close to all the street action AC in the bedrooms 4th floor with elevator and no security guards and had a balcony.


Did a lot of tourist things but Badoo girls were anywhere from $30 to $40. We would go out. Have some drinks or food and come back shower and fuck. I like the flacas. Everything small. Ass and tits) Yep a lot of them asked / wanted $100 to $180 no fucking way from me.

[/QUOTE]My last trip to Ciba was in 2001, before 9/11. Are you telling me that girls in Cuba are now asking for 180 Dollars for sex? Holy shit! They wanted 2 years of a typical Cuban's salary? Have things changed that much?

I was there again in January, first time since the pandemic. I have been going to Havana and other cities since about 2010. Just want to help out the people that have not been there before, and the ones that haven't visited in many years.

Like everywhere else, things changed for the worse over the years, especially once Trump took power, and then the pandemic put the final nail in the coffin.

I used to go to clubs in Miramar, where all the better ones were, and there were about 60 ladies outside waiting for a foreigner to take them inside. Inside there were a few also, that knew the bouncer. Looks wise, plenty of 7's, few 8's (in my rating scale). No problem anytime in clubs, flagging someone on the street. Prices ranged from 40-60 CUC (US equivalent back then). Towards the end of the Obama period, when he lifted some restrictions, the US and Mexican flooded the place. It was party time, Cubans had money, people happy, prices of ladies surged to 100-150 US in the clubs (always lower outside).

Fast track to post pandemic and I am lucky if I find a 5 in the streets or Badoo. The Badoo 6's want 100 US, but I guess in the land of the blind she who has an eye is queen. Also, club scene is dead. Regular Cuban ladies have no money to go out, so stay home. The attractive 7's and over that lived in the bigger cities are either married to a Euro, Canadian, Mexican or American; or sold everything they had and risked their lives in the hands of a coyote to make it to the US; or go to the clubs because they have benefactors, money from outside (and want nothing to do with yumas).

Just keep this in mind people. And yes, I understand that the available current crop is perfectly fine for many.

[QUOTE=Nomars777;2925448]1st trip to Havana. June 14-19 - one of the weirdest trips ever. I honestly don't know how I feel about this place. Half of me thinks it's the greatest place I've ever been, the other half of me thinks it's the worst. And the reality is it's probably somewhere in between. But enchanting enough that I've already got my return trip from 7/3 to 7/8 booked. We will see.
Nomars777.[/QUOTE]This is a fantastic review.

I would like to know how much did you pay for the accommodation, and how much where you paying for the meals. If you had troubles finding water and if restaurant had fresh fish Last time I was there, they did not have gasoline, and most restaurants didn't have most of the menu items.