Search Results for 'Trinidad'

[Mario]

#9272 In reply to: 14 day itinerary??? |

Hi,

So, if you are planning to travel around in Cuba, then you will definitely make good use of your son’s Spanish. Even in Havana you will not find many good English speakers. In a town like Trinidad which is small and is a popular tourist destination, you should be ok. In Remedios I do not think English will be common at all.

I think you will enjoy Christmas in Cuba because you will be with your family. But there will not be many other  celebrations happening, other than the event in Remedios. Personally, I do not think it is worth it to go to Remedios just for the festival. It is good, but Remedios is far. There are some details here: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g671534-i14167-k6848734-Christmas_in_Cuba-Santa_Clara_Villa_Clara_Province_Cuba.html

If I was you, I would consider Vinales too. It’s like Trinidad, but more about nature. Trinidad is a bit more about architecture in the town. They are similar in many ways, but Vinales is a bit closer to Havana (190km), so there is much less time in transit. Trinidad is 260 km from Havana.

 

I would spend time in Havana. Do the tourist things for the first few days, and then start doing the local things. I wrote in the book about the beaches located both west and east of the city. Take a taxi particular to each. The western beach is small, but very close to the city. The eastern beach is much larger (Guanabo) and only about 30 minutes away. Consider arriving there in the morning and then walking around the town a bit and finding a casa to stay in for the night. I mention how you do this in the video I just linked to. You will have to knock on a few doors, but it will be fun and you will meet people. You can stay at a nice casa near the beach. But pick a nice warm day.

 

If you go to Vinales, stay for 2 or 3 days. The town is tiny, but you go there to explore the Valley, which is huge. You can see the plantations, the tobacco fields. Ride on horses, explore caves and climb up limestone hills. It’s a great place. It’s like country living hundreds of years ago. It has well developed tourist infrastructure. The beach is not very close to Vinales.

Also, have you considered going to Varadero? In terms of relaxing and having fun, it is good. It’s a tourist area, but still, a few nights at an all inclusive (drinks and food) resort never hurt anybody. You can find some cheap deals on the website http://www.Sunwing.ca.

 

I did not want to confuse you with too many options. My best overall advice would not be to overthink it too much. Cuba is the kind of place where you do not need to make very big plans. You could land in Havana right now and ask a few people on the street, and they would be able to find you a good casa particular to stay in. Everybody knows everybody. And taxis are easy to take. 

 

 

 

 

[Mario]

#9267 In reply to: 14 day itinerary??? |

Hi, your plan is absolutely doable. But I will give you some advice.

 

Havana – It’s going to be a great experience. But you must absolutely start looking/book your casa particular reservation soon. This week. Because there will be thousands of tourists going to Havana for Christmas. (Cuban’s don’t even celebrate Christmas, but many people are wanting to take vacations in Cuba this year..) If you want, you can look on this website, under the casa particular link and find a casa that you like. It might be occupied, but my assistant and I can find you other choices.

I recommend that you stay at least 5 nights in Havana to start with. You can view the whole city, without rushing. Maybe take a taxi tour too. And you can go to the beaches in Eastern Havana (Guanabo) for the day, whenever you want. It’s a nice experience.

In Old Havana you can take a tobacco factory tour. It’s not cheap, but it’s popular.

For the baseball game, I cannot find the schedule. The stadium in Havana is located in the El Cerro neighborhood. The easiest way to see a game is to find out when the Havana Industriales team plays, and then just show up at the stadium. It costs less than 1$ per person to enter. If you arrive after about the 5th inning you can just walk in and nobody will say anything, or give the security guard a couple of bucks if he stops you. There are no assigned seats. It’s very casual. But I cannot seem to find the December schedule online. I guess they have not posted it yet. 

As for the classic car ride, you will likely have many opportunities. Most taxis are old cars, so you can just hop on one to get around the city. They cost 10 pesos (MN) each, for a ride (40 cents USD). Or you can take the taxi tour that I mentioned above.

For Trinidad, you can spend maybe 3 days. It’s a small town. Very nice, but you will likely get bored if you spend too long. There is a beach nearby. Every town is close to a beach in Cuba. You can go horseback riding. That is fun. And maybe visit a small tobacco farm and see a guy rolling cigars.  

In Remedios, it might be hard to find a casa now.. Try looking on the website http://www.bbinnvinales.com/bedandbreakfastrentweb/?remedios-(17),72

They have 17 available. Email each of them. Even if the casas are booked, ask the person if they know of a vacant one. Remedios is tiny… I would almost say that there is no reason to visit the town, but they do have a popular festival for Christmas. But it is distant from Havana… You have to determine if it is worth the effort to go there. You can stay maybe 2 days in Remedios…

 

But there is Cayo Santa Maria Beach which is close to Remedios. There are only state owned hotels on this beach, but you can stay in Remedios and then take a taxi to the beach if you want.. without having to pay for a hotel. 

 

After Remedios, you can go back to Havana or stay a bit in Varadero (the biggest beach community, which is about 1.5 hours from Havana)

 

Is this your first time in Cuba? How old are you kids? Do you/they speak Spanish? Is your ideal vacation about relaxation or more about viewing lots of things? I can give you some tailored advice if you tell me more about what you are expecting.

 

[Eileen]

#9264 In reply to: 14 day itinerary??? |

Hola Mario,

I’ve just bought your book and am looking forward to it’s arrival because I really need help!

Could you give me some advice?

My husband, two grown up children and I are going for 14 days over Christmas. We want to spend some time in Havana and Trinidad, go to Remedios for Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day on a beach. Also, a tobacco factory, a baseball game and a ride in a classic car, have all been mentioned. But, that’s as far as I have gotten.

Does this sound like a workable plan?

How many days would you spend in each place? How can I find a nice place to stay near a beach near Remedios?

Any advice at all would be great, thanks so much.

 

[norkitt]

#8309

Topic: Booking a Casa Particular in forum General |

Website: http://cubabookingroom.com

#1 Service, it works online 24 hours-7 days a week- 365 days of the year.

They are a group with significant experience about tourism products in Cuba. Their goal is to manage and assist to us and our family on seeking and rental rooms in “Casas Particulares”. They will provide listings for the most important destinations in Cuba, such as Havana, Trinidad, Varadero, Viñales and many others, so if you seek an unpublished specific destination, contact them, together will find what you desire. The team can help you since the arrival to the airport, plan and develop your whole holidays in Cuba.

FUN IS GUARANTEED!

Attachments:

1. 

   cubabookingroom.jpg