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in reply to: Beaches near Havana #16930
Hi, there are 2 beaches that are OK. They will be a bit cool this time of the year, but it is fun to check it out for a day. Both beaches are beside eachother.
The info to get to guanabo beach is here: https://bestcubaguide.com/portfolio-items/go-playas-del-este-guanabo/
The info to get to playa Santa maria is here: https://youtu.be/H199wCzPg2Y
Have fun,
Mario
in reply to: Getting to Fusterlandia #16742Hey!
Thanks, I will work on that for the future. Have a great time in Cuba.
Mario
in reply to: Baseball games #16740Hi, I have the schedule until Dec 26, 2016 here: http://www.baseballdecuba.com/schedule.html?force=1&page=24&language=en
For the games starting in 2017 I cannot find it online. It’s really difficult to make arrangements far ahead of time.
Sorry… I think we have to wait for the future schedule. If you are able to find any more info on this I would be happy to put it on my site to share.
take care,
Mario
in reply to: Getting to Fusterlandia #16671Hi,
There is a taxi particular route that would go to Fusterlandia. The best way is to get to Linea street in Vedado. It runs parallel to 23rd street. You take the taxi going west. Not all taxis will go as far as Jaimanitas. You might have to ask a few taxis particulares until you finally hit one that says yes. Once a driver says yes, get in the taxi and once you pass the tunnel out of Vedado, just mention that you want to get off near Fusterlandia, and he will tell you when to get off. The trip will cost 20cup (mn). The driver might offer to drop you off directly in front of the place if you pay him a bit more.. Maybe 2cuc. In my opinion, it is a deal, and I would take the offer, just for the convenience.
There are also yellow and black buses that run along Linea and follow the same taxi routes. I am not sure if all of them go to Jaimanitas. But you can ask the drivers. If they do, you can take those buses. They are the same as taxis particulares, just in bus form. The price will be 10cup (mn) I think, so it’s even a bit cheaper.
If you find that no drivers are willing to take you from vedado to Jaimanitas, then just take any taxi going west on Linea, and ask them to take you to the “paradero” in Miramar… As far as I know, almost all the taxis particulares on Linea will go there. Its like the mid point between Jaimanitas and Vedado. It’s the main bus stop in the area. From the paradero you can take another taxi to Jaimanitas pretty easily.
I hope this helps. Have fun in cuba.
Mario
in reply to: Best Area to stay in Havana #16589Hi Tony,
I personally think that Vedado would be the best place for a casa in Havana. The second best would probably be Central Havana.
I have a nice writeup about the difference between Vedado and Old Havana here: https://bestcubaguide.com/old-havana-vs-vedado-which-to-choose/
There is also an article here detailing why I think Vedado is the place to rent in. https://bestcubaguide.com/cheap-casas-particulares-havana-cuba/why-vedado-is-the-best-neighborhood-to-rent-a-casa-particular/
I have many good places listed on my website. You can see the casas in Vedado and Central Havana here: https://bestcubaguide.com/cheap-casas-particulares-havana-cuba/
Basically, I think you are best off getting off a main road, as those can be very noisy and dirty. A side street with a nice balcony overlooking a quiet street is best. In Old Havana, there are some casas that overlook the main streets where all the tourists walk down. But those casas are usually very noisy and dirty. It is best to go a little bit out of the tourist area for renting a nice casas.
If you have more questions, just ask.
Take care,
Mario
in reply to: Cheap casa particulares #16399Also, for your needs it might be good to check out this website and look for casas being offered by landlords in Guanabo..
in reply to: Cheap casa particulares #16398Hi,
Ok, I will be honest with you, my specialty is in casas in Havana. I would not feel comfortable confirming your family in a casa in Guanabo or Varadero for 1 month in each town, if I did not personally know the casa and know how good the casa was. It is very common to have problems with the casas and I do not want to be responsible if things do not go as expected.
That being said, I will check on a couple of casas that I do know in Guanabo and Varadero and ask the landlords if they would accept your price.
Please tell me how many people will be traveling and how many beds you need? Also, your exact dates.
Also, have you been to Guanabo or Varadero before? Do you know the area? Are you familiar with Cuba?
take care,
Mario
in reply to: Holidays with a child #16147Hi, I have a good video posted here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIBIQUVFcr8
There are diapers available in some high end supermarkets, but they are very expensive. probably over 1$ per diaper. It is far cheaper to bring your own diapers.
Factor that in Cuba, you will not be able to get any baby products. Perhaps you can, but always assume that you will be unable to. Cuban children have very little. They have few toys, few clothes, few personal items. Very few luxuries at all. And these things are hard to find and very expensive.
If your child is a picky eater, you might even want to bring some of their favorite foods (if they are packaged foods and can travel well).
Restaurants do not have kids meals. The kid will have to get used to eating regular foods (chicken, pork, beans, rice) or settle for simple items which can be ordered separately, such as eggs and omelettes and bread and butter. When I traveled with my 2 year old girl, she ate fruit, eggs, bread, and some simple pasta dishes. It’s not great nutrition, but she survived.
My advice is to not give kids street food. it might look good, but if it is under-cooked or badly cooked, the kids seem to get sick easily and it is not fun. As an adult, I can handle a tummy ache, but most 2 year olds cannot… And I would only give the kids juice that comes from a juice box or sealed package. You can get cheap juice at markets which are sold by the cup, but for delicate kids, it can cause stomach problems.
Anyway, your kid will be fine. Maybe they get sick a few days, but it will only make them stronger and it is usually a mild stomach ache. Traveling with kids is always a challenge, but it won’t be so bad.
I won’t be there during your trip… sorry.
take care,
Mario
in reply to: Americans traveling to Cuba #16001Hi, it is highly unlikely that customs will ask you why you went to Cuba. Honestly, under the Obama administration, travel to cuba is being encouraged and all roadblocks at this point are simple technicalities which will not be enforced.
You can click here for some more info and some links to discussions on this topic. https://bestcubaguide.com/forums/topic/us-travel-visa-to-cuba-neede/
Fundamentally, there is no problem and you can simply say you went to cuba to take some photos and share the culture.
Have a great trip!
Mario
Hi, sorry the ticket is for one time use only. If you miss the bus, it is useless and you lose the value.
A bit of Spanish is better than none. Cubans speak fast and with slang. It won’t be easy, but at least you know a bit. With some effort you should be fine.
Just tell me if you have more questions.
in reply to: Advice on casa particular booking #15914Hi, in mid December there will be a lot of tourists in Havana. At this point in time I dont know how easy it would be to find another casa.
If you like the actual casa that you booked, then I think you should keep your reservation. If your only concern is the location of the casa, then I really dont think it is an issue.
You really won’t be spending a lot of time in the casa. You will always be walking around the city. If it was me, I would just keep the reservation.
I like Vedado. It’s my preferred place to stay in Havana. Some people really like Old Havana. I find that there are too many tourists there. But, in your case, you are not staying in a part of Old Havana with many tourists nearby. You are in the poorer, regular Cuban part of Old Havana, so i think it will be better.
For photography, I think you are staying in a good location, and you might be able to get some unique shots.
And as for safety, you won’t have a problem. People will chat you up as you walk around. They will use a hundred different lines to start up a conversation. It’s safe to say that any Cuban who starts talking to you as you are walking around Havana has a goal of somehow getting some money from you. But its a safe country and you won’t be robbed. They will just be nice to you and bring up how poor they are and then maybe ask you for something. That’s about as dangerous as Havana gets.
Take care man,
Mario
Hi, thanks for the questions and for purchasing the book. Here are some answers:
- Yes, you can just show up for the bus and pay the driver directly. But, in most cases, the bus will be full. This was never the case before, but now, with the increase in tourism, the Vaizul fill up fast. Maybe you get lucky and there is a seat, but on Christmas, Cuba will be a zoo. Already Havana is almost completely fully booked. Last year was perhaps the busiest Christmas ever in Havana and this year it is noticeably stronger. Maybe some people will be getting off at the airport, so they will leave an empty seat, but then again, there will probably be many people waiting at the airport to board the bus headed to Havana, so you might have competition.
- You should buy the tickets in advance. And honestly, sometimes even when you have a ticket reserved in advance, the bus is still full and you get screwed, or the driver lets you in but you have to sit in the middle of the aisle. I have looked on Viazul and there is a bus for 12:35, 14:25 and 16:35.
- I don’t know where you are coming from. Canadians usually speed through customs rapidly. From USA it takes like 1 hour.
- As for putting your passport number online, I would not worry about it. I don’t think much can be done with just your passport number and your name. Maybe I am wrong. But in Cuba you will have to give you passport number to many people, for any type of reservation booking, so, you can’t really side set that.
- If you take the bus, you should give the driver (written on a piece of paper) the cross road of the street where you want to go. I would slip this info to the driver as soon as you enter Havana (You take the tunnel into the city). Your stop (Padre Varela/ Neptuno) is right between the Vedado stop and the Old Havana stop. You can get off at either one. But it will be a long distance to walk to your casa. About 20 minutes. It’s completely doable, but if you have lots of bags and don’t know your way around, it might be frustrating. If you tell the driver, then he might be able to stop very close to your casa location. Do you speak Spanish? If it was me, I would offer the driver a 5cuc bill and ask him to drop me at the corner of Padre Varela/ Neptuno. It’s on his was anyway.
- I don’t know if you saw it, but here is a video of how to take the bus at the Varadero airport. You notice that the bus only stops for a few seconds.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWlDdCwEc6Y
- If you miss the bus, or if you just decide that it is too much trouble, you can always take a taxi to Havana. The official price is posted at the airport. I think it is 88cuc. I don’t think it has gone up. Anyway, you can likely negotiate a bit with the driver. But I think they will always want at least 80cuc. Maybe they want 90cuc since it is Christmas. In my opinion, this is money well spent. You won’t regret it. The ride is fast and direct. No stopping at small towns. You get to Havana in less than 2 hours, vs almost 3 hours with the bus. Always negotiate with the taxi driver. And if he shoots out a high number, ask other drivers. After about 10 minutes someone will come to you offering a deal.
- Anyway, if you have apprehensions, you can not reserve any bus ticket and then just try to grab the bus while at the airport. If you make it, it’s only 10cuc. If you don’t make it, you can negotiate a price with a taxi driver. And it will cost 80 to 90cuc, but it has the advantage of speed and convenience.
I hope this helps. Take care,
Mario
in reply to: Advice on casa particular booking #15868And, if you are a photographer, then you will probably appreciate the broken buildings and “authentic” Cuban views. The neighborhood kids will be in the streets playing soccer and baseball. The old men will be under a dim streetlight playing dominoes at night. There will be chickens and dogs on the building roofs.
People go to cuba to see these things. I think you will be fine.
in reply to: Advice on casa particular booking #15867Hi,
Your casa, at the corner of Habana and Acosta is situated in the southern part of Old Havana. This is a poor area. Probably one of the poorest areas in Old Havana.
But, this does not mean that it is bad. The casa will probably be OK looking. The casas are usually fixed up better than the local homes.
Fundamentally, your location is a bit distant from many popular landmarks. You can walk to the Capitolio in about 15 minutes, but the Malecon is distant. Vedado is distant. Even the popular walking streets in Old Havana are a bit distant.
But still, the advantage of being in this area is that there will be fewer tourists and you will be able to experience Havana from a locals perspective.
I dont think it will be that bad. You will do more walking and maybe have to spend a bit of extra money on taxis, but you can still see the city and have fun. As long as you keep an open mind it will be fine. The neighborhood will be noisier and dirtier than Vedado, but you will probably spend most of your time walking around in other places, so it won’t make much of a difference anyway.
Take care,
Mario
in reply to: Cuban Currency #15848Hi, I will make a clarification.
In most state owned stores (these stores usually sell processed food, canned foods, imported meat, liquor, etc) The prices will be marked in both currencies and you can pay with either currency.
In state owned restaurants, you can always pay in either currency. But, the thing is, scams are common and the waitresses will sometimes try to convince you that the other currencies are not accepted and they might try to scam you out of some money. Be vigilant. If there are problems do not discuss it with the waitress, simply demand to speak to the manager. And don’t take no for an answer. The manager is always in the store. There is always a manager on duty.
In most smaller independently owned stores (these stores usually sell handmade items like hand sewn clothes, Cuban made shoes, pots and pans etc…(These are like flea market stores) the prices are usually marked in MN but you can pay in either currency. But they might not always have correct change. But they usually do their best to give you the change in either currency or sometimes both currencies.
In most independent restaurants you can pay with either currency. But again, the change is always an issue. For example: you buy a hamburger and it costs 15MN (roughly 65cents). You pay with a 1cuc note. You will get back like 25cents cuc, or 5 mn. They won’t count out the coins and give you exact change. If you pay with a 20cuc note, they will not like that… It will take all their change.
So, a basic answer to your question is, yes, CUC is always accepted and even usually preferred. But for small items, you must have change in cuc, so you should always walk around with cuc coins. Or, use MN, which is basically like cuc coins.
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