Havana Travel Forum

We will be in Cuba next February. Can we get a boat to Bahamas, Jamaica or somewhere like that and then get another boat to Ft Lauderdale/Miami?

planning 2 visit cuba in jan-feb2010. as i am traveling alone is there any one willing to join my trip on the island?
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zakir1011@gmail.com

My girlfriend and I are visiting Havana just before Christmas and would love to go to an orphanage and donate toys, gifts and treats to the children.

Does anyone know of a local orphanage that we could visit/donate to in or around the area?

All comments, ideas, suggestions, contact numbers and addresses appreciated

Thanks in advance


Johnnie

I was in Havana last week. At the airport in terminal 3 (I think-where Margarietaville Restaurant is) there was a gallery with local artists works. Many wood sculptures, oil painting, unframed pictures, etc. I would like to purchase a picture I saw there and would like any help in contacting that store.
Any help would be appreciated. Sorry I did not buy it then!!

I want to make sure, if I can take american dollars to cuba, how much is the fine to pay? just wondering, since I heard 20% is the fine for changing US dollars for Cuban pesos.

Is there any way to buy Cuban pesos outside Cuba? could be with travel agency, I don't know. Pls I really appreciate your comments.

Thank you,

I am planning to got to Cuba for the first time in Mid October.
As a US citizen, should I worry about double entry stamp in my passport?
(I am planning to go through Canada)
What are the best Hotels in Havana assuming money is not an issue?
What are the happening night clubs for someone in 40s?
Any other important issues that I should know?

ENGLISH: Could anyone translate the plack in the museum which has the polish eagle on it?
Would be much appreicated if you could!

SPANISH: ¿Podría cualquier persona traducir el plack en el museo que tiene el águila polaca en él? ¡Appreicated mucho si usted podría!

HI,

Just want to know if you can walk for yourself around old havana, or is it a long distance? Just wondering, since I don't know how big is the historic area.

Just give an idea how long it takes? half day, a day?

Thk,

Hello VT,

I will be in Varadero last week of October, but i would like to spend 2 or 3 nights in Havana. How would i get there? I heard Varadero is like 2 hours away from Havana.
Is there gay friendly hotel in Havana or bed and breakfast owned by gay people? I am gay asian-canadian male.

AJ.

Hi all,
I will be in Havana for 10 nights from the 9th sept as a solo traveler , I am looking for cheap places to eat etc near by, small, friendly and cheap ! And any general advice, i have read a few reviews of the hotel itself so am not expecting European 4 star but any general tips, do's or don'ts etc would be welcome :o)

Thanks in advance
Gary

A Canadian friend of mine just returned from an one-week holiday trip in Havana, Cuba. He said that there were no prices shown in ALL the restaurants menu he went with his girlfriend.

This restaurant price, if true, sounds unusual to me. I wonder if toursts are being charged more than the local people eating in the same restaurant?

Hi there,

I'm a single female, traveling from Ireland to Cuba in late October. Would anyone recommend a good hotel to stay in, central but not overly expensive that would be a good place to meet people? any other tips also appreciated!

What hotel would you recommend, at a very reasonable price in Old Havana, for 2 Americans, who want to walk through the town, but also enjoy salsa dancing at night (not the expensive clubs, but local places).
Thank you for the info!

Hi my name is Crystal, me and a few friends want to get away and come to Havana, but we have a few questions.

Do we need electical converter? If so, what kind?
Where are the best place for drinks, night life, live band etc...?
Do they have spas? We will be staying for a week and want to enjoy as much as we can, we want to do as much as we can as well, stay at the best places, eat the best foods, shop in the best shops, and dance and drink our nights away. Any activitys or any special events coming up? what is the best way to convert our currency, traveler checks, visa card,....?
Please send me all you got, we are looking to have a great trip.

Hi all

My husband and I want to travel to Cuba next week...I know it will be hot but is it unberable hot? What is the humidity like? Will all the rain put a damper on things, have seen on the internet that's its been raining all week.

Also what is a Casa?

Now the big question...I live in Dubai and can't seem to look at flight details/prices from here to Havana on the internet, it says that because of the american regulations details cannot be provided!!! How on earth can I book a flight from Dubai to Havana then? Will I have to travel somewhere else and then get a flight?

Please can someone help with this.

Much appriciated

Hi. We desperately need a visitor to Havana to take some photographs of a Cuban home in central Havana (arranged with the resident). It will need about an hour of someone's time and a digital camera. UK contact - chaldons at tiscali dot co dot uk. Thanks.

Hi
I'm getting into Havana @ about midnight next week.
Are there airport taxis at this time and about how much would they cost to get to old habana.... are there other options like minibuses or metro ?
Thanks in advance
Kikili

Hello,
I am planning to visit Cuba as the first stop on my solo world trip, which I'll be starting in late October / early November this year.

I've already started to think about where to stay, and would prefer to stay in a casa particular in Havana, if possible, but all the rooms available seem to be double or family rooms, and I am travelling alone. Does anyone know of any places with single rooms available? If not, are there any places you know of with dorm rooms? I hope to avoid paying a single room supplement, if possible, and don't mind sharing rooms.

I plan to stay in Havana for at least 2 weeks before moving on - so if anyone knows of similar places in other Cuban towns, could you let me know?
Thanks,
Suzanne

Hi,

I am thinking about heading to cuba later in may early june by myself. I have traveled quite a bit. Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Mexico..

I don't speak all that much spanish just enough to get me by.

Would this be safe?

Thanks for any experiences or feedback!

Hello,

Me and my friend, both around 30 year old men are arriving at the start of June for 3 weeks stay in Cuba, and would like to book a hotel (cheap if possible) in advance for the first 3 nights till be get our bearings. Would it be best to contact the hotels directly or use booking websites ? Also what would the daily budget be if we were to stay in casa particulars , do some travelling and enjoy the nightlife.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Tom

Hi,

I am traveling to Havana in September and I'm now in the process of planning my trip. Before leaving I'm doing some research. I would like to get in touch with people living in Havana. The Miramar or the La Sierra area would be ideal.

The reason for asking is I have to go there for work to do research on a company that used to be located on 5ta Avenida. I will not mention the name because I do not want to advertise altough the company does not exist anymore. I would like to chat or email with people in the vicinity before I go. It will help me a great deal. Any help is appreciated! You can reach me at William Lamotte at Hotmail dot com.

Thank you very much in advance!

William

Hi VT members.
Does anyone know the existence of any book market, or used books in Havana? My search is more about cuban authors.
Thanks in advance.
Pedro

Hi all. I'm going to Cuba on Saturday (yippee!) but am getting increasingly confused about the money. Most guide books are out of date. I have read in a couple guide books that ATMs are sparse and some need a 6-digit PIN and therefore UK cash cards won't work. I spoke to my bank who advised me to take a credit card in case (although if a debit card won't work then neither will a credit card!). So, was just wondering, what is the current deal with Cuban ATMs - how common are they? (probably covering Havana, Trinidad, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos). I'd rather withdraw cash as I need it, instead of taking over all my UK pounds and exchange over there and carry a fortnights worth of money with me. Presumably ATMs give out convertible pesos?

Hola VT Cuban members!
i'll be in Havana these days and i wonder if some local members would like to join to have a cerveza. saludos. Pedro

Hello,

We are in Cuba just for one week. We have already booked the first 3 nights in Havana old town centre. We would like to spend perhaps 3 nights elsewhere before returning to Havana for our flight home.

Trinidad seems a good place to go but it seems to be quite a distance and not easy to get to. Any advice please?

We don't want to spend lot's of time on the beach but would like to snorkel while there.

Would we be better off doing day trips from Havana or going to Varadaro or perhaps to the West?

Any advice most welcome, thanks.

Matthew and Julia (on our 20th anniversary trip!)

Hello, I´m going to fly to Havana and my boyfriend´s gonna fly to Varadero. I need to get from the Havana airport to Varadero (to the airport or to our hotel). Does anybody know about any direct connection? And is it safety for alone girl? Thanks a lot for answer. Barbora - Czech rep.

I will be in the states later on this year with family and a couple of us are planning to go onto Cuba - Is it possible to travel from Miami to Havana by boat/plane or by another route maybe Mexico??

I will be traveling to Cuba first of march for two weeks. I will be staying in Havana, but want to travel elsewhere as well. Wondering if there are any other solo travelers there during this time. Just checking if anyone feels like meeting up for a mojito or a trip to Santiago for the day. Whatever anyone is into let me know

Does anyone know if there are certain restrictions traveling with your dog from the states to cuba ? Are dogs prevalent in the city. Is it like Europe that small dogs can go to restaurants / bars ?
thx

I am looking for some assistance in booking flights from Tijuana to Havana for later this months. Does anyone know of a travel agency that can assist me?