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When I win the lottery my dream is to hot air balloon across Cuba;this is a stunning set of pics!
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I go Nov or April but have been to Holguin in June. Hot,but i am in the water,
and the room AC worked pretty well.
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A long-time Cuban acquaintance (not a romantic interest) has been invited to visit Canada by a friend. I don’t know the person handling the invitation but my Cuban acquaintance has now approached me, asking for a temporary loan of 300.00 CUC, which will be returned during my next visit. This person has stressed that the money is only to satisfy a Cuban Government requirement to have a certain amount in a bank account before being granted exit permission, as some sort of insurance that they will indeed return to Cuba… The money will not be spent.The request was a bit of a shock, I have known this person for over a decade and has never asked for money before. Do any of you know whether there is indeed such a requirement (money in a bank account)? What would you do?
You can PM me as well if you don’t want to post publicly.
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"A big Reset for the resort workers who will change status from Ultra Rich to US Bartender and US Maid, paid at the local rate."
I would like to read further about this, if you could elaborate. I never thought of that! ![]("http://images.proboards.com/v5/smiley/smiley.png") Eloisegirl
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Friend of mine and her hub will be going to Havana Monday March 16, 2015 and would like to know of some reasonably prices Casas with meals included, hopefully close to the main tourist areas. Please PM me or post your favourite links to this thread.Is the famous Pototo still around? And does anyone have his email if so?Thanks!
Eloisegirl
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Benni, you and hubby are going to have a fun experience, and I hope you do a blog of your adventures. Best of luck and keep asking questions!
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Oh I know about not flushing wipes up here; but in Cuba, don’t flush the toilet paper either. I was surprised to discover this when I first visited a house.
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I tell anyone going to Cuba for the first time to pack as if you are going to the interior of Algonquin Park – because if you don’t bring it, you won’t be able to find it. In 2005, I had a heck of a time trying to buy tampons for my friend who had forgotten her feminine hygiene products; in 2014, it is just as impossible to find them. Do not expect to say, Oh well, I’ll pick it up at the store. Usually, there IS NO store, or if there is a store, they sold the last one the other day and are waiting for "maybe tomorrow" for new stock. "Maybe tomorrow" can be the next day, but usually it is a lot longer than that. There are very few places to buy clothes. Your hub might want to invest in some Tilley clothing, socks and underwear, as it is washable and dry by the next morning.
Wash cloths – I pick up a few at the dollar store, as well as one of those soapy puffs for showering. There are no wash cloths at AI resorts. You might want to pack baby wipes for cleanup/washroom use. Do not flush your products down the toilet, put them in the garbage can beside the toilet. Cuban sewer systems are not like ours with the superpower flushability!
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Merry Christmas and all the best in 2015! Here’s hoping Santa brings you lots of Cuban rum, coffee and cigars… in the form of a ticket under the tree! May all your Cuba dreams come true! Love, Eloisegirl
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I have to say, a surprising number of people have offered their "condolences" to me about this news; they imagine Cuba will become Americanized in the next two weeks. I don’t know what will happen.Change is inevitable. I hope Cubans will be able to make the best decisions for their country while preserving their very unique island, without any external influence. Stay tuned, folks! |
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Au contraire, mon frere, I would love to see the Ugliest Jinitera in Cuba shaking "her" booty!!!!
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Thanks, flygt! I liked this hotel and the staff were friendly. I forgot to mention that they have terrific musicians playing in the dining room, there were two separate bands while we were there. Otherwise they play music in the DJ booth by the pool, modern Spanish dance music and the occasional North American stuff.
Oh yes, every afternoon there is BINGO with rum as the prize, and if you want to see relaxed tourists get cutthroat, just watch it when someone yells Bingo!
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There is no Cadeca at Carisol, which is where we stayed, as Los Corales was not opened as of November 19, 2014. You just go to the front desk and they exchange it, about 83 CUC for 100 Cdn. I liked the hotel, the pool was clean, nice swim up bar, shows every night, long beach to walk on. Sure, the food was limited but if you can manage on veggies and grilled meat, it’s fine. Lots of fresh Fruta Bomba (Papaya in Canada), pineapple and guayaba, as well as supersweet bananas. No problems with my room, toilet worked, shower was hot, AC was super cold, TV worked although the CTV channel had no sound for a couple of days, which everyone noted, not just me.Nice staff, very safe, and Ibia who used to work at Bucanero is there. 35 people signed up for the free ride into Stgo, but a bus for 20 showed up. Ibia arranged a minivan for us because our group of five really wanted to go, and had sandwiches and drinks for us to take. She is a wonderful employee. If you are going there and have some spare English books, she has a friend who is starting an English book library so Cubans can improve their English reading comprehension. She would be glad of any donations.As always, there are "independent business women" who are guests of Canadians but they were pretty low key.The only down side is the Canadian yahoos who like to bring six beers to the front row of the show and comment loudly on the price and attractiveness of dancers. Several of these utter douchetards made me embarrassed to be Canadian. When the ballet aquatico performs, you get the pervs bringing out their video cameras doing close ups of you=can=guess=what. Yikes.
Other than some loser Canadians, great trip and lovely place to visit. Take lowered expectations and you will be quite pleased. About 40 mins from the airport through pastoral scenery.
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Just back from Santiago and my Cuban buddy gave me a small waterbottle full of fresh field honey. There are some bits and pieces in it, but man it looks good!
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Does anyone know if there is a Cadeca on the hotel grounds? I only have 5 CUC at this point. I always like to get my 25 CUC Exit Fee money on the first day and lock it up with my passport. Also I like to get a lot of 1 CUC coins for tipping.
I am told that on Sundays there is a free ride to Santiago so looking forward to a bit of exploring and a mojito at the Casa Grande balcony.
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Thanks-that makes sense. Everybody run out to your local farmer’s market! I have a squeeze-bear of Toronto honey for my tea. I heard a kid call the squeeze-bear "teddy bear juice". Cute!
Would love to get some honey fresh from a Cuban farmer. Still, a jar of Apisun Cuban honey for less than two dollars is a pretty good deal, and makes a great hostess gift. There used to be a large display at the Frank Pais Airport in Holguin.
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Don’t know if this is true, but someone told me to consume local honey from your area, as it helps with allergies. I still like to bring home Cuban honey – I advised a friend travelling recently to bring some back because "you can taste the Cuba!" He agreed. Very subtle flavour that takes you right back to the island.
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Thank you, flygt! That will be very helpful! Do they not make cigars in Santiago? I know they do in Holguin, I’ve been the factory there. I thought there were factories throughout the island. Live and learn. Yes, I will definitely open the box and check for beetles. Learned that the hard way. (Mind you, they must make a satisfying "POP!" sound if you smoke the beetle in the cigar!)
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