Tell me about Cuba
 

Wife and I are looking to go for cheap 7 day vacation at the end of June. Only been to Cozumel and Maui. Both met are top priorities listed below:

1. Nice Beaches: un-crowded natural beaches
2. Snorkeling (beach or snorkel tours)
3. Good local food
4. Cleanliness
5. Not overly busy (I'd hate Waikiki for example)
6. We enjoy exploring via a scooter on our own (not structured tours)

Unimportant things are nightlife, seeing Havana or buying cigars.

Anyone have input on Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa Maria or Holguin?

Thanks

Seeing Havana is pretty cool. Good local food doesn't happen at resorts. Staying at a B&B could get you some amazing meals and some free Spanish lessons.
I don't do tours, so can't comment on that. Never really saw scooters there either.
Clean as most other 3rd world destinations. More or less :)

Cayo coco. Stay at the sol. Food is great. Reef off shore. Best resort I've been at over 4 trips down. The food in Cuba is not great at most places.

The Sol has very good ratings on trip Advisor. Use trip advisor. It won't steer you wrong.

But it's far from Havana. Far.

Beaches -awesome
RUMMMMM- best in the world
People - friendly not pushy and genuine
Food- bland they don't import a lot of spices so they arnt know for there food there sweets taste kinda like they need more sugar BUT there fruit is so fresh makes up for it

Cities are safe and easy to get around, honestly you have to havea mojijio at a random bar in Havana that's just what you have to do, and have a Hemingway at his bar as well.

We travel like you don't do any tours unless maybe some of the boat tours to the little bays to snorkel or dive way awesome, you can see the sights yourself

I've stayed I'm varedaro at resorts and non resorts and In Santa Clara if reccomend varedaro it's closer to things you wana do

Just my 2 cents have a good trip

We enjoyed Cayo Coco. I saw a huge variety of fish, including a huge school of a few hundred atlantic blue tangs.

There is a town you can go on a group excursion to if you want to experience the culture, otherwise you would have to travel quite a ways or stick with the tours. If snorkeling is your thing, do the catamaran tour and you'll probably encounter a few new species.

You'll find good rum-based drinks, but don't eat the sushi. That is all.

Cayo Coco is sounding good.

Any other suggestions?

We were at Cayo largo, everything you mentioned. It's on an island with only a few other resorts on it. Very nice indeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you can, bring along some pencils, crayons or other such items for a local school where you will staying. They have very little and these things are very much appreciated.

varadero all the way. Clean and organized 15-30 minutes from the airport if i remember correctly and 2 hours to havana. Its goes oldest resort to the newest in order on the peninsula with the town being first. We scootered and horse carriage into the market/town.Beaches were white sand no seaweed and no garbage but we were near the town i think the very end where the new resorts are may not be as nice of beaches. We plan on going back in the next few months to the Blau this time. Oh i could go on ....

I have never been to Cuba, but a good fiend of mine goes yearly to Varadero and keeps telling me I should try it, I'm going to give it a try next spring I think.

We have been to Cuba 3 times...so it must be good. But personally I would try somewhere else if you are looking for good snorkelling and good food.

FOOD: The food all over is bland and is mainly rice and black beans and chicken or sausage...Not a lot of salt around there. You definitely get what you pay for going from a 3 star to a 5 star resort in the food (have stayed at both). If you go to Cuba understanding that the food will be mediocre at best, and the Cuban people eat the same food (or worse) then you will be OK. You will only come home fat from cocktails :)

BEACHES:
The best! Stunning, but no good snorkelling that we have ever found off shore...you can snorkel but don't expect too much. But the beaches are stunning. We stayed at the very first hotel from the bridge into Varadero and the beach was just OK. As you got further up near Breezes Varadero it got better. Way better. I think it was near the golf course.

SCOOTERS:
I don't recall seeing them or maybe we were warned against renting them, as in any foreign country.

CLEANLINESS:
I don't recall thinking it wasn't clean, so I would say it was clean...But you won't get as much of the pristine manicured feel that you get in Hawaii etc but it's Cuba, and they are totally different countries...

BUSY:
Certainly not like Waikiki...there is nowhere to really shop, other than a local craft market selling cigar humidors and other local art...Also, not a ton of restaurants etc where you will line up like in Waikiki. I do remember going to this wonderful restaurant in Cuba, wish I could remember the name because it's probably still there. They had bands come through playing music etc. It was the best food I had in Cuba and one of my most memorable nights. I think it was near Josone Park, which I loved by the way...

There are many other things other than what is listed above that I love Cuba for...

We got to know our chambermaids very well. The first few days there we noticed that every time we went back to our room CNN was on the TV. We found out that it was during the time of the Elian Gonzales escape from Cuba. Well his mother worked at our hotel as a chambermaid and was good friends with our girl. The only way the people in Cuba could find out what was really going on (this was before internet was so prevalent) was by watching CNN in the guest rooms. She had so many good stories for us. If you go take, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, school supplies, etc etc for the kids and people...Also, we had travel mugs...well every bartender wanted them...not sure if they would sell them to a future customer or take them home to their friends. But they were an absolute hit!!!

After spending so much time there we got to know a local tour operator Walfreido. We ended up getting invited to his wedding. What a wonderful wonderful evening we had!

Every Cuban seems to have a side business. They are, for the most part, highly educated and underemployed...and underpaid drastically. So get to know them...

In my opinion, what makes Cuba so wonderful is it's people and their stories...and the beaches :) If you can set aside everything else you will love it. If you can't, choose somewhere else.

For some reason I don't have any desire to go back now though...maybe because I am not into the all inclusive huge hotel type place. And we are scuba divers...Although I have never been to Cayo Coco and Cayo Largo...

There is world class diving in a place just south of Cuba called Jardines de la Reina...watch this youtube video from 60 minutes It's my dream to go here...which is possibly why I won't go to the touristy areas of Cuba again...warning, watching this video may convert you to be a diver :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2nMUnK7S-A

That is what I know about Cuba...

I have been lots it's great but i would look into the Dominican also in my opinion it's a similar experience but better rum and food

Would you consider going somewhere totally off the grid? We spent 3 weeks in Cook Islands a couple years ago. Got super cheap flights on Air New Zealand and it's a 9 hour overnight flight from LAX. I could recommend some beautifully gorgeous inexpensive places to stay on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. It checks all your boxes and then some!

Amazing snorkelling in Muri Lagoon and Aitutaki Lagoon, scooters everywhere (or bicycles), amazing food all caught locally or grown in their gardens, restaurants on sand floors with less than 10 tables, all the women wear flower leis or flowers in their hair every day, gorgeous rainforest covered mountain in the centre of the island, beautiful beaches, and not busy at all...paradise in this world...it's like what Hawaii would have been 100 years ago. And probably a quick flight from Vanc to LAX to Air NZ. Would just be a matter of finding seat sales... Just a thought :) Although you may have to stretch your trip out to 10 days (over 2 weekends...a week probably isn't enough).

That is an A+ scouting report

Cuba
 

Ok, Varadero lots of activity and you are not stuck on an island. Lots to do off the resort but BUSY good for the young / party crowd.

Cayo Coco NICE beach and nice sand. If you get rough weather you will get ALLOT of jellyfish in the water. If you have ever been stung its not fun.

Santa Maria pretty much a virgin beach that is starting to become popular. BY FAR THE NICEST BEACH AND SAND IN CUBA. You can rent scooters at all of the above. To Access the main land is via a cos-sway that is roughly an hour across, interesting if you have never seen one.

it makes me smile when all he hot dog and hamburger eaters talk about the lack of food blah . blah .If you want hot dogs and hamburgers stay where you are . They have FRESH fish everyday, FRESH bread, FRESH eggs etc. etc. etc. You will not go hungry, The hotdog people make it sound like they eat steak and lobster everyday. Silly people.

As for the Dominican it is very lush and green as apposed to Cuba that is very dry. The Dominicans are SAVAGES !!! The Cubans are VERY well educated. You bartender, maid etc. will be either a doctor, engineer, lawyer etc. etc.

The first time I went to Cuba I stayed with a family in Havana for a week, and during that time Fidel Castro was speaking at a rally just up the road. I got to go hang with 50,000 Cubans and listen to Castro speak. (A lot) Was really amazing to be there.