Who's going to Cuba this year?

[butternutsquashpie]

Hehe...looks like next year now. Just accepted a new job and won't have the time off available (Virgin flights on thur/mon require 12 working days off)

Oh boo you. Who do I give my Pre-Embargo Partagas and 1890s H. Upmanns to NOW?

[Seegarnub]

"What's the most cost effective way of going if attending the festival as well?"

From Surrey. Go Gatwick to Havana, flights with Virgin on Monday and Thursday as far as I know. For different days, go Air France, two flights daily from Paris.
For the festival, get tickets for the opening night and the Wednesday. You'll meet people there to get invites to unofficial events, cigar tastings etc.
Unless you want to see celebrities like Danny Glover or Paris Hilton, don't spend the $550 on the gala dinner. That'll buy you 100 custom rolls.
To save money, stay in a casa particular rather than a hotel. $25-$35 per night rather than $100-$150.
If staying in a casa particular, having a little spanish helps. My landlord has just about no English.
If it's your first trip to Cuba, I'd absolutely recommend a hotel. Havana is different enough already. The hotels have drinking water on tap and don't have power cuts, they have their own back up generators.

Where's the best place to get festival tickets from?