Cuba

Adriana and I were debating where to go on holiday this December, and it was between Cuba and the Philippines. We decided to visit Cuba to get a chance to experience this nation before it changed given the borders with the US have recently opened up.

The trip then grew and it became a group of eight of us — Vaibhav, Ryan, Ahu, Adriana, Svetlana, Bastiaan, Popy and I that descended on this little island for 17 days and visited Havana, Vinales, Trinidad and Cayo Coco. This mixture of locations allowed us to take in everything from the 1950s-era classic cars and Spanish-colonial architecture to the white sandy beaches and tobacco farms.

Shivani Tejuja

December 23, 2016

Tips and Recommendations

It's all about cash: Cuba is still mostly a cash economy and there are often long queues at banks and ATMs. So, get it at departures at the airport as arrivals can get quite busy. Get a good amount (ideally enough to fund your full trip) as you will need it for almost everything. We budgeted about 100 CUC per day which was pretty accurate especially since we were able to use credit cards at the beach (both at the hotel and for diving).
US dollars: If possible, use Euros or GBP as there is a 10% fee in addition to the current exchange rate on USD while the other currencies do not incur this fee.
Cuba has two currencies: The National Peso (CUP), and the Convertible Peso (CUC). You will most likely use CUC for almost everything (apart from the local transportation, market or street food which you can use either currency in).
ATMs: Non-US credit cards and bank cards should work, but the group had various challenges depending on the ATM so it would still be beneficial to carry a decent amount of cash with you.
Mobile reception: It was a mix on which carriers had data – some said they had roaming agreements, but as a group, we struggled for 3G for the most part. Voice calling was better although text messages went through intermittently on both my US and UK phones.
Internet is a pain: Don’t expect it at your casa. You might have dial up if you are lucky, or potentially a nicer hotel will have it in the lobby. ETECSA, the local telecomm company has started adding WiFi hot spots in hotel lobbies and public parks, and for 2 CUC an hour, you can buy a card and access it. It's often slow and sometimes not working.
We had heard from the majority of the locals that salaries are about 20-40 CUC per month. So the reason workers don’t show up or service is poor is because they are not incentivized for turning up (and not fired for not showing up!). They survive on this, but greatly benefit from small tips, etc.
Most of the cigar and coffee farms are run by locals but they families only get to keep a 10-20% ration where the remaining goes to the government.
Hotels vs. Casa Particulares: Casas are rooms or apartments rented by locals for a daily fee (like Air bnb). We had been told that casas are a lot better than hotels and our experience would suggest that they are better value for money. As there are only a few hotels in many of the cities, the casas provided more options. The quality does vary dramatically so do your research. Also note that there are stricter rules in casas, such as not being able to bring in guests who are not registered there as the casa owner could lose their license. Casa owners also make quite a bit more for services so they are keen to get you to book through them or potentially even eat meals there. There is a lot of word of mouth booking since the internet is not widely accessible. While you will find options on Air Bnb and Vacation Rentals, you can often ask a casa owner to recommend a place in your next city and have them book it.
Transportation: While Cuba is well connected by bus, taxis are also a good option. We used "Taxi Collectivos" or shared taxis to get around almost everywhere.
Safety: This country couldn’t feel more safe. No one will harass you. Cuba is rapidly changing so be sure to get a more up to date view when you visit.
Outlets: The info online didn't make it clear but every casa and hotel we stayed at had US sockets. Interestingly while US plugs, some of the locations at 110 V and others 220. The 220V sockets were labelled though.
Mosquitos: the houses are sprayed by the government once per week which is what keeps the mosquito population down. We experienced quite a few mosquitos in Vinales and at the beach, but not in Trinidad and Havana. I would recommend carrying Deet with you.
Essential packing: Shorts/shirts, casual dresses, sweater/shawl for the evening, comfortable walking shoes, trainers, flip flops, sunglasses, your own snorkel, toiletries, sunscreen, deet (and for Vinales, a fumigation spray for the room), toilet paper/wet wipes, and a towel. Overall, most casas offered laundry service so washing clothes was not a problem at all.

Comments:

Rhonda and Jelly Bean

January 28, 2022

Hello Shivani,

Thank you for your helpful information. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions?

We are going in March and since we have to take all of the cash we will need with us and I'm sure the locals are aware of this as well.

I am wondering how do you keep your money safe? We are renting rooms on Airbnb. Any suggestions?

We are only there 5 days, and are planning on spending a couple days in Havana and thinking about flying to Santiago. Any thoughts on what your favorite destination was or best places to spend our time.

Thank you, Rhonda

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