Have you been in Cuba? Or Planning to go? Tell us about it.

[Pantomimehorse]

will do

[Scottish_Cuban]

I`m a newbie to the site so just reading through alot of things on here first. Some great things to go into over time, but re trips to cuba. I went a few years ago and found that, yes the hotels may have some bad negativities, its all to do with what you expect!. Its an old historic city is Havana, and the hotels aren`t the uk star ratings.Some are well done out and have everything there, but a few do look amazing from the outside and the photos but really they are very basic and nearly falling apart inside.I found a website simular to the one you mention, and it gives you all the hotels in and around Havana, i`ll find it again and post a link for it!. If your after your home comforts, go for a package deal with excursions, but if you dont plan on staying in your hotel much then go for a short stay, i did a whole week in several hotels in Havana and have to say when i go for the festival next month i`ve got an apartment. Its the only way if you plan on stopping for any length of time. i`m spending a further week out in the hills with some friends i met when i was there. Also dont go for car hire! the roads are worse than the ones up here in Scotland in the Highlands haha.Use hotel taxi`s, i found them more acceptable. Just to add if you are planning a lads trip, try looking for apartments for groups, its much cheaper and you can do as you please then!.

First post! thanks to Deano for posting on the The Cigar Smokers Club!

[Robusto]

Planning a holiday this year. Please keep posting info about your experiences.

[Scottish_Cuban]

http://www.amadeus.net/home/destinations/en/guides/cuba/intro.htm

Theres a start, its a destination guide to cuba. Hope this helps and gets you more in the know about Cuba!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotels-g147271-Havana_Cuba-Hotels.html

This one is self explanatory, guides and what have you for hotels and others.

http://www.cuba-hotels.co.uk/havana/havana_hotels.asp

This one is just hotels in Havana.

http://www.cubaldn.com/home.htm

You will need a visa to visit Cuba so take a look here too, not too bad i dont think.

[Scottish_Cuban]

Forgot to add this one! it has a couple of shop address`s in Havana so you have a rough guide where to head for once your there!. If you do plan on going i`ll give you 3 hidden address`s and you will get lost in there for days haha, i did.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Cuba_Detail/0,4604,104_travel,00.html

[Robusto]

I've been perusing these links this afternoon.
Great stuff!

[Robusto]

We are on the point of committing to a week in Cuba in October. I've been in to have the costs worked out this morning, and will be planning on flights with Virgin to and from Havana, three nights in a 4 star hotel in Havana and then four days/nights under our own steam to head wherever we please - Trinidad maybe, or towards the tobacco plantations - by bus or by car. The last part of the trip I shall look into home stays, which several people have told me are abundant.

We decided against staying in one of the coastal resorts because that's really not us. We'll get to beaches under our own steam. The resorts - lovely as they appear - would be the same in many parts of the world, and we want CUBA rather than four days in a generic beach resort.

I'm just about certain we are going to move from nice dreams about doing this to actually going over there. It's getting exciting!

[Robusto]

And it's done.

The missus, my two lads and I are bound for Cuba for eight days this coming October. Booked today.

What a long way to go to smoke cigars. He he!

[Deano]

Lovely! It may be, but it's more that that. Beautiful island, lots of history, lots of culture. Plus you've got them over there before it all changes - i.e. pre-Castro etc all dying off and it been democratized - which I presume it will be before long.

[Robusto]

Agree with you on all points, Deano. The island is bound to change now that Obama is in power.

Have booked into the Parque Central for the first few days. That's the hotel you stayed in, I believe.

[Pantomimehorse]

who did you book with Robo?

im gutted Im not going now my bros backed out the trip, still have the rest of the year to convince someone though I guess

[Robusto]

Trailfinders in the end. I used Trip Advisor to help me think before committing.

I went to a couple of Travel Agents and phoned a couple, too, but they seemed to have a very packaged idea of holidays. (I'm a cigar boy, and some firms didn't really cater for the possibilities for that on the island. One woman didn't know that Cuba produces cigars. That inspired confidence...). This firm have helped me tailor-make the family trip, and their advisors seemed really knowledgeable and helpful.

This is the one that best suited me for the family, but I'm sure we all have different ideas of what we want. I want to make my own way, and don't like to be herded around like a twat and surrounded by twats. I'm pretty sure this will not be the case.

Fingers crossed, anyway! You can't tell til you get there, sometimes...

Thus far, I cannot fault TF, and the price is excellent for the four of us.

Another tailor-made firm were quoting the same arrangements at 50% more.

There will be as many differing opinions about Travel Agents etc as musicians have about amplifiers! I've shelved out, and I will cope!

And now I must go and play some kick-ass gigs and save my takings to pay our way. That starts this evening!

[Scottish_Cuban]

Sounds like your trip is signed sealed and nearly delivered Bryan, you must of worked a ton on your mrs haha. You`ll have a blast when you get there, just keep an eye out for street traders!.
I`m leaving this sunday, i have an appartment sorted for 10 days, then staying with friends. I was thinking about an all inclusive resort for a week after but see how i feel when i get there. My pad is slap bang in the middle of the old town, surrounded by old shops and Cuban clubs. I was ment to be on my own but managed to get 3 mates to come that also smoke cigars so going to be great fun. Have to say with the way the currency is going though they are going over with pound notes and changing them there, its alot better rates to change them there. I take it you still cant bring tobacco plant seeds back to the uk haha. Worth a try lol.

[Robusto]

Have the best of times, SC.

We want to do home stays for part of our week when we travel around.

I've smoked a banana leaf cigar recently brought back via a mate from a beach hawker.

No more!

[Scottish_Cuban]

Lol Bryan did you get high? i read a few years ago in a south african magazine, a guy had smoked a banana leaf or 2 and he couldn't remember getting home haha.
I`m starting off in La Habana for 2 weeks, i want to do some fishing, smoking, drinking and seeing some friends have there first Cuban experiance. Then off the to the far west near Gunae for 5 days then spending 4 days in the south close to santiago. Maybe come home, see if i can hide away lol.