Swindling in Cuba

[Robusto]

That is probably a very ungracious title for this thread, but I am currently making my way through the Rough Guide To Cuba in preparation for a trip.

I just wondered if any folk on here who visited Cuba found they were over-charged when eating out, or were offered different accommodation to the rooms they had pre-booked?

The Rough Guide has given me the impression that advantage may well be taken - and I'm wondering if a gloomy picture is being portrayed.

The guide says that you may well reserve homestays or hotel rooms in certain places only to be found that you are greeted and taken to a completely different place.

The guide also says that outside main hotels and centres you should insist on checking your restaurant order against the bill charged because it's pretty standard practice for tourists to be overcharged.

We're going to have a great time come what may - and I don't always trust the Rough Guide - but I wondered if anyone has examples of being taken for a ride.

Or if you had a very easy ride, please say so.

[bigbarneyhotdog]

Where are you staying? I can only give my opinion of Havana. No real stories of being ripped off although the beggers drove us mad! Eating out is easy, there's plenty of places. All with menus and prices in English. Just keep your marbles with you, same as any town / Country.

[Deano]

I think the books are over zealous, but I'd keep an eye out as much as you can, same as any poor country - I'm sure the odd person will try to get what they can, and who can blame them.

I for one, didn't have any problems.

[cj121]

Same story here Bryan. You're a tourist that will inevitably attract some attention at some point, but I had no dramas, even 'round the back streets in Havana. Respect and smiles go far, and get reciprocated in my experience.

[Pantomimehorse]

will you be going Cowboy Bry?

[Robusto]

I hadn't thought of that, Pant lol. I'll probably just go as an overweight pale-skinned Brit.

OK. Thanks for these reassuring answers.

I will not be over-worrying about all this, but I am in the process of looking for homestay accommodation. Reading the guide, quite a number of new rulings have come into play about how many rooms can be let out in one private house. In a roundabout way, I'm concerned that I might pre-book what sounds like great accommodation - some of which can be pre-booked online - only to find that this is overlooked and we get sub-standard rooms on the other side of the town.

We are not Five Star Hotel people and go through life modestly and cautiously by choice and by means. However, this accommodation 'scam' is highlighted in the guide.

I am well versed in being very nice and very patient and judging when to turn up the volume or not. The guidebook says don't throw wobblers over slow service in Cuba because it's just not worth it!

One other thing I wanted to ask people is...

When off the tourist path, how much English is spoken?

I am a fluent French and German speaker, but know only a few Spanish words and no Portugese.

It is going to be VERY strange for me not to be able to talk my way through or out of situations when abroad, or not to be able to ask intelligent questions, because I won't know the language.

As a language teacher, I ought to get the whip out on myself. This is a cardinal sin in my book, and I'll only know phrasebook stuff by October.

[deltawhisky]

I hope you have a top time, Bryan, come what may. Hopefully the weather will be a little more clement than its British counterpart! Deffo on my to-visit list.

[Fratton]

We had no problems out there this year. As highlighted, there are those wanting money for nothing but same goes for London. TBH I feel London is more of a scam paradise than Cuba was. We didn't really go away from the beaten track but managed to comunicate without any great difficulty. Never had a problem in any restaurants/bars.

There are those who sit outside perfectly serviceable toilets in hotels and expect money for cleaning them - I didn't give. However, in the countryside it was a different manner as you can see these guys/girls really working. We avoided the temptation to by the 'high quality cigars' from the bloke in the street but did get 5 direct from a leaf farmer - very nice they are too (go to Pinar Del Rio - beautiful).

At the end of the day you just have to be aware. IMO I think our great capital takes advantage of tourists more than most other countries, God knows how the foreigners cope as I hate the place.

Just go and enjoy. I guarantee you will be made to feel so welcome you'll wonder why you took so long to get there.