Useful tips for travelers to Cuba. Let's pack our suitcase and dig through our pockets! What you need to know about Cuba for those traveling there for the first time What to take with you to Cuba Varadero
Liberty Island is famous for its mild, warm climate, so you should not take a large amount of things to Cuba. Unless it is possible to experience the local winter - from December to March. Then you will not need the warmest sweater, raincoat or umbrella.
You should also take full personal hygiene items to Cuba: toothbrushes, pastes, soap (hotels have them, but of terrible quality), shampoos, conditioners, shower and shaving gels, razors, hand, face, body, and after shaving, before and after tanning, deodorants.
Don't forget to take an adapter with an adapter to Cuba! In Cuba, the electrical system is 110 V, 60 Hz and has flat-prong plugs.
What medications to take to Cuba
In Cuba, first aid and ambulance are free, and the first visit to the doctor is also free. But there is a shortage of medicines, so it is better to take the medicines you need with you. Malaria is common in some areas of the country, so it is necessary to stock up on anti-fever medication. It is recommended to drink special bottled water, as there is a danger of contracting hepatitis.
What to take your child to Cuba
As for children, you should take comfortable and comfortable clothes to Cuba, preferably made of cotton, linen, comfortable shoes, as well as sunscreen and, of course, a hat.
You can see a detailed list of things needed for the trip in the list: what to take to Cuba. You can also add additional items or exclude unnecessary ones.
Have a nice trip.
When getting ready for the trip, I read a lot of reviews on the Internet, which really helped me organize my stay in Cuba. As a token of gratitude, I decided to make my contribution to the preparation of a “savage” holiday on the island of freedom. So the information below is not an ironic amateur description of your adventures, but a series of practical information that may be useful to amateurs independent rest. Those who prefer organized “all-inclusive” tourism in Varadero with multi-colored bracelets on their hands are unlikely to find this reading entertaining.
1. Season, off-season
In Cuba, the most favorable season for vacation is the end of November - beginning of April. This is mild and warm (in our opinion so hot) weather with quite tolerable humidity. May-October is the rainy season and summer stuffiness. There are also hurricanes in October and November. However, having visited Cuba in October and previously made sure on Gismeteo.ru that water will ooze from the sky for the entire two weeks, I responsibly report: tropical rain almost always begins unexpectedly, ends in 10 minutes, and after another 5 minutes the sun is already actively shining. During the entire two weeks of our stay, we had to take out the umbrella once, and the raincoats purchased in advance remained untouched at the bottom of the suitcase. So there is no need to be afraid of rain, but it won’t hurt to prepare for it. But during the high season (especially December-January), you may have to wade through multilingual crowds of tourists who are fleeing to the south from the domestic cold, and also overpay for food, housing and entertainment (the price tag grows significantly). All prices below are correct as of October 2007.
2. Entry into Cuba
For citizens of Russia and Belarus (unlike, for example, Ukraine) a visa-free regime has been established for a stay in Cuba of up to 30 days. To enter Liberty Island you are officially required to have a valid passport, return air ticket and confirmation of your hotel reservation (or travel voucher). In fact, the nice woman in green uniform at the José San Marti airport did not ask for a ticket or confirmation of the online reservation, which had been carefully printed out in triplicate in advance. Judging by the reviews of other “savages,” this is not an oversight by an individual official, but normal practice. In addition to your passport, to enter you need to fill out an immigration card, which is usually handed out on the plane or can be asked from the women in uniform before passport control. It indicates the hotel in which the tourist has booked a room. Nobody bothers you to write down any hotel you know in Havana on this card, for example Nacional, Parque Central, Inglatera, Sevillia or any other. This will be quite enough. The entry stamp is not placed on the passport (so that later there will be no problems with obtaining an American visa), but on this very immigration card, half of which must be saved for departure.
The only way to get from the airport to the capital is by taxi. The upper limit, which is announced immediately upon leaving the terminal, is 25 convertible pesos. Quite quickly they drop it to 20. But we firmly stood at 15. As a result, the taxi driver mafia gave in, and after a three-minute wait for the suffering dates with Havana, the tourists were put in a taxi with some thrifty Swede, who, apparently, refused to pay more than a chervonets. By the way, to immediately close the topic of the cost of a taxi from/to the airport, Pantaxi (local economical taxi on domestic Zhiguli) usually asks 15 convertible pesos from the city, but according to the meter from the center of Havana it will be exactly 10 (from the Vedado area, of course, more). Tested from my own experience. So if, with the help of hypnosis or strong suggestion, you can force a poor Cuban to travel such a distance on the meter, then you can save five.
3. Money
There are two in circulation in Cuba monetary units: the regular peso (often called "peso cubana" by locals), which is used by mere mortals, and the convertible peso (CUC, "convertible" or sometimes "peso fuerte"), invented specifically for foreign tourists. Something like the Soviet foreign currency ruble. On price tags, both regular and convertible pesos are indicated with a dollar sign $.
One convertible peso can be exchanged for 24 regular pesos at Cadeca banks. These Cuban pesos are used to pay wages to workers in socialist industry (12-16 dollars per month) and with them they use cards in special government shops at ridiculous subsidized prices to purchase cereals, sugar, soap and other basic necessities. These stores, with their empty shelves, are painfully reminiscent of a general store during the collapse of the union. Judging by the guidebooks (Lonely Planet), there are supposedly good restaurants in Cuba where you can pay with these pesos. I admit, I have never seen anything like this, except for the scary-looking snack bars and cafeterias that offered cheese and ham sandwiches (5 Cuban pesos) and no less scary pizza (10 - 15 pesos). Cubans consume this fast food with pleasure, and if suddenly you had to stay on the island of freedom with absolutely no money or are craving something exotic (if you have a plentiful supply of immodium, chloramphenicol, or at least smecta), then you can try it. In addition, remote from hiking trails On the streets, for these rogue pesos you can buy freshly squeezed juices (1-2 pesos per glass), ice cream (1-3 pesos) or coffee (30 centavos! for a small cup). Real benefits from local pesos can also be obtained at agricultural markets, where the party and government have allowed rural workers to sell their surplus produce. There's a place to go for a walk! They sell pineapples, papaya (called “fruita bomba” in Cuba), guava, bananas, etc. practically free of charge. Prices range from 3 to 5 pesos per pound. One really huge papaya will cost about 15 Cuban pesos (that is, a little more than half of one convertible peso). Bring a folding pocket knife in your luggage to peel and cut fruit.
Convertible pesos (bills with the inscription pesos convertibles) are exchanged (October 2007) at the airport and in banks at the rate of 1.25 - 1.26 pesos per 1 euro. Those. for 100 euros they will give you from 125 to 126 “convertibles”. It’s better not to take dollars with you to Cuba, as they are exchanged with a 10% commission and for 100 bucks you can only get 89 “cookies”. The owner of the treasured foreign currency rubles in Cuba has access to a taxi, good restaurants, hotels and normal shops with a limited selection of goods, though still incomparable to distribution shops.
Money can also be withdrawn from a card (but not issued by American banks), but apparently for a fairly significant commission. So the cash is everything, and save the card in case of an unforeseen financial disaster.
4. Prices
Taxi
Pantaxi (Yellow or white checkered Lada - the most economical option) from Havana to José San Martí Airport - 15 CUC, from the Vedado area to Old Havana - up to 5 CUC, from Old Havana through the tunnel under the harbor to the fortress with the lighthouse - 2- 3 cookies, from the center of Havana to the beach of Santa Maria Del Mar (15 km from the city) - no more than 15 cookies, from the center of Havana (Capitol) to the Viazul bus station - 5 cookies. Pantaxi has meters and you can offer to drive along it, which is usually cheaper. Tourist taxi OK with good new cars with air conditioning costs significantly more, both with and without a meter. Pedicabs do not formally have the right to carry foreign tourists, but they will very strongly offer their services for 1-3 CUC depending on the duration of the trip. This does not threaten the tourist, but the rickshaw may have problems with the law enforcement officers. There are also scooters in Cuba with yellow booths for two people - Coco taxi, which can sometimes be bargained for reasonable price, but more for the fans. I am silent about pleasure carriages. It all depends on the season and your persistence.
Food in restaurants and cafes
Beer Cristal (light) in an aluminum can 0.35 ml - 1 kuk, in a glass can - 1.5, Bukanero (stronger) - 1.5 kuk. We managed to find draft beer (by the way, very good) in one place - in a tavern on Plaza Vieja in Old Havana - 2 CUC per glass. Austrian brewing equipment - Salm Brau. Anyone who has been to Vienna will understand what we are talking about.
Cocktails almost everywhere cost 2.5 cookies, but there are places where the price starts from 1.5 cookies for a glass of “cuba libre” (rum and cola), 2 cookies for a “mojito” (rum with lemon, soda, mint and sugar) and up to 2.25 for “ piña colada (rum with pineapple juice and coconut milk).
Coffee - 1 - 1.5 CUC per cup.
The price of a hot dish in normal restaurants starts from 4-5 cookies (chicken or pork), 5-7 cookies (fish, beef), 6-8 cookies (shrimp or lobster tail). Side dish (rice, rice and beans or fried potatoes) - about 1 cookie. Soups 1.5 - 3 cookies. Although there are establishments (for example, I ended up in such a very decent place in Varadero), where at lunch the price tag for a hot dish starts from 2.5 cookies, and in some advanced restaurant in Old Havana in the evening it can start from a chervonets and reach more than twenty for a lobster . Ask for bread, because... it is usually not brought without an order and is “valued” at 1 cookie. On average, for a normal dinner you need to shell out 8-12 cookies. Portions in Cuba are huge, so don't overdo it. For those who will be in Havana, I highly recommend the worthy restaurant El Coquito at Malecon 107 (second floor of the Asturian Sociedad, on the first there is some kind of bar and billiard tables). Very tasty cuisine at affordable prices, high-level service and a balcony overlooking the ocean and the Havana promenade. Unfortunately, there is no sign, but the number on the house has not fallen off yet.
When visiting Cuban restaurants, pay attention to the fact that, firstly, they like to shortchange tourists, and secondly, in a number of places a service fee of 10 to 20% is added to the bill (this will definitely be written on the menu). Tips are very welcome. At a minimum, you can round up the bill and leave “change” or, if you really liked it, give one or two cookies on top. Tea is always collected by musicians who perform music in cafes and restaurants. It will be enough to leave them 0.5 -1 cookies. You can immediately buy a disc of the band you like for 10 cookies (a little expensive; in a tourist store, good discs start at 6 cookies).
Sandwiches and pizzas for convertible pesos - from 1 to 3 cookies. For example, in the fairly widespread fast food chain El Rapido.
Rum? Rum... Rum! Havana Club Anejo Blanco (the cheapest, it is added to cocktails) in the store - 3.50 CUC per 0.7 liter bottle. and 5.2 cookies per liter. Rum aged three years is somewhat more expensive, although you probably won’t feel much difference in taste. Excellent aged rum Havana Club Reserva or Santiago costs around 7.5-8 cookies per 0.7 liter. They are drunk separately, without mixing with cola and without ice. In taste and softness - like good cognac. The top bar is Havana Club aged seven years. Options for cheap and “tasty” drinking: buy a package of a mixture of pineapple juice and coconut milk (called piña colada and costs 4.20 CUC), rum and make cocktails yourself (believe me, cocktails are made from the same package in restaurants). It's the same with cola. Carbonated drinks in aluminum cans in cafes and restaurants, in discos - 1 CUC per can. Cola (local, of course) in one and a half liter bottles in the store - 1.5 kuka. Packaged juices - 2.1 CUC per liter.
Entrance to museums from 3 cookies (Capitol, climb to the top observation deck towers of the José San Martí memorial on Revolution Square, the house of the Spanish Governor General in Old Havana - highly recommend), 5 cookies (Museum of the Revolution - terrible boring, the Granma yacht, exhibited in a glass pavilion, can be seen from the street), up to 10 convertible pesos ( tour of the Partagas tobacco factory - don’t spare the money, it’s worth it).
Entrance to the disco is 3-5 cookies, usually one drink is included. You should definitely go to the local discos. How Cubans dance salsa... Even 70-year-old old people rock the dance floor, let alone young people.
A sun lounger or umbrella on the beach costs 1-2 cooks (unless you live in a hotel that is adjacent to the beach and charges this fee), entrance to the beach is free almost everywhere.
Gasoline - 0.75-0.85 CUC per liter.
Water in the store for a one and a half liter bottle costs 0.7 -1 kuk, in a cafe it usually costs 2 kuk, and for a half liter - kuk.
Airport tax when leaving Cuba is 25 cookies.
5. Housing
Hotels can be booked online (unless, of course, you buy a package with flights and accommodation from a travel agency). www.venere.com sometimes offers quite interesting rates. Costs start from 30-35 euros per night with breakfast in a dirty three-star hotel out of season. The upper ceiling is lost in the clouds. For cheap options in Havana, I recommend Hotel Deuville on the Malecon embankment (intersection with Avenue Italia). Don't expect a palace and scraping staff for pennies. The home is quite shabby both outside and inside. But on the plus side: location (5 minutes walk to the Prado, 10-15 minutes to the Capitol, half an hour to Old Havana), hearty breakfast, clean linen and towels, decent pool on the 6th floor overlooking central Havana and the ocean, bar 24 hours a day, as well as a daily disco (except Tuesdays), where hotel residents are allowed in completely free of charge. The guests are mostly middle-income, unpretentious foreigners from the most different countries world (from Australia to Poland). In Varadero, a good option that lives up to its three stars is Hotel Aquasul. Quite neat both outside and inside, it is located 200-300 meters from the municipal beach.
"Casa particular", i.e. private rooms that the good Fidel allowed Cubans to rent out to foreigners in their homes so as not to starve. This is a real opportunity to communicate with Cubans (even if you don’t speak Spanish), look at their life from the inside, and get a lot of useful information and assistance in planning trips around the country. Casas can vary greatly in location, level of furnishings and friendliness of the owners, but do not differ much in price. 25-35 CUC per night for a room (two people can share it) in Havana and 20-25 CUC in the provinces. In the capital, rooms in the area of Old Havana or the Center of Havana (closer to the waterfront - Malecon) are preferable if you want to be in the thick of things and close to attractions and nightlife. However, at first glance, central Havana does not make a very rosy impression - beautiful but crumbling houses, sometimes dark and dirty streets, dubious characters around. This option is good for night adventure seekers who are ready for hardships, although there are also very decent kasas. The Vedado area is a quieter green area with villas, where it is good to stay with a family. However, it is a long way from Old Havana, so budget at least 10 cookies a day for a taxi unless you are a marathon runner or race walker. I can recommend the house at Prado 20 (José San Marti Avenue), which has already appeared on the internet more than once. Rooms are available for rent on almost every floor, excellent view and location, terraces are brilliant (I apologize for Ellochka the Ogre's vocabulary), but the place is popular, so there may not be room. By the way, a person with a suitcase on the street is immediately grabbed by the hand with an offer to show him a “casa particular” or “habitacien” (room). If there are no other options, then you can follow Susanin. You may have to look through several apartments until one catches your eye and the price will be at least 5 cookies more expensive for you, since the owners will pay a commission to the conductor. Another option, if you were unable to stock up on addresses from forums or specialized sites in advance (type casa particular Habana in Google), is to rely on white A5 size labels with a blue or green triangle and the inscription rentator divisia pasted at the doors of houses. This means that the room(s) are available for rent. In an apartment building, the elevator operator will happily respond to the magic word “casa” or “habitsien”, who will show what is available and where.
The owners of the kasa often cook for their guests. Breakfast of sandwiches, scrambled eggs, fruit, coffee and fresh juice will cost 3 cookies (up to 5 in Havana). Dinner per person - from 7-8 for chicken or meat to 8-10 for seafood. A very good option - tasty and very filling. The main dish is usually accompanied by salad (cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, etc.) and fruit. They can also pamper you with Cuban wine (in the store it costs 2.5 CUC for a bottle of red or white “cracker”).
A digression on the topic of sex.
Living in a casa, in addition to the advantages listed above, in some (but not all) cases makes it possible to bring guests, including overnight ones. In such, I repeat, few cases, the owners either do not live in the apartment and leave for the night, or give the guests a key to the entrance locks, and themselves sleep behind a locked bedroom door. Officially, of course, the bringing of any Cuban guests by tourists to the cash registers is strictly prohibited, and envious neighbors, watchmen and security guards at night parking shamelessly knock on the police. So, if the owners do not give the entrance key (they will open the door to a knock themselves at any hour of the night) or frantically wave their hands, saying “BUT MUCHACHA,” then there will be no need to arrange a brothelero. However, there are those rooms that the owners provide (unofficially, of course, and at great risk for themselves, but not for the tourist) for short meetings of foreign citizens and women thirsting for affection with local Juanitas or Pedro (don’t be surprised, for Spanish women in Cuba, both for faithful and reliable Russian women Turkey). Such a room usually costs 20 cookies, regardless of the duration of the meeting. The address of the nearest hangout will probably be known to the Cuban woman you like. Take care of your pockets - they are VERY likely to be carefully cleaned. By the way, to close the topic of sex tourism, I’ll add that in a few mid-range hotels, security guards sometimes work as pimps (the same twenty on top for services), priestesses of love (30 cookies) are very persistent in their desire to get a client and concentrate in Havana in the area of the Malecon embankment . Meeting even an ordinary girl still means either free drinks at a bar, or a gift (Gobsecki, don’t think that savages live on the island of freedom who have never seen a ballpoint pen or a mirror), or money for a taxi. Free love in Cuba it is very rare and the reason for this is the widespread poverty of the population. It is imperative to take protective equipment and personal hygiene with you and large quantities. It’s difficult to find them in Cuba, so if you don’t use them, give them to the locals as a contribution to the health of the Cuban nation.
6. Transport around the country
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about car rental, except that it is not only possible, but also wonderful. The downside is that signs on the roads are rare; you will have to pay a lot for a car.
There are two types of intercity buses: Astro and Viasul. Both are new, air-conditioned cars with uniformed, sedate drivers and conductors (Viazul is still more comfortable, but do not forget about something warm from clothes: the air conditioners work at full capacity). The difference is that Astros are designed for ordinary Cubans and take them around the country for ridiculous money. Therefore, the buses are full; without knowing Spanish, buying tickets for them can be a little difficult (but quite possible). On each flight, a certain number of seats are reserved and sold for convertible pesos to tourists. Viazuls are buses specially designed for foreigners, tickets for which are sold only for convertible pesos and cost on average 5 cookies more than the “tourist” seats in Astro. They go strictly on schedule. Reliable and basically inexpensive. Havana - Cienfuegos - 20 cookies, Havana-Trinidad - 25 cookies, Havana-Santiago de Cuba - 55 cookies. Places must be booked in advance (arrive at the station and sign up), especially during the tourist season from December to March. Probably, there is a reservation by phone (oh, I wish I knew Spanish - maybe the owners of the ticket office will help) and supposedly on the Internet (I definitely DO NOT BELIEVE this). During the off-season, buses run half empty and tickets are easily sold half an hour before departure. The stations at Astro and Viazul are most often common (the waiting rooms and ticket purchases are different), only in Havana Viazul has its own small station, located quite far from the center. Just tell the taxi driver “omnibus Viazul” and he will take you there. Pantaxi will cost no more than 5-6 cookies from almost any area of the city. Be careful with your luggage. It is accepted for transportation (just like on an airplane), given tags, carefully placed in the belly of the bus, but... still occasionally gutted. A locked combination lock will be enough to protect your property and mood. When issuing and loading luggage, they sometimes ask for a tip of 25-50 centavos (convertible, of course).
7. Security
Cuba is probably one of the safest countries in Latin America. This is where the notorious “order” is, which the fans of Joseph Vissarionovich so lack. The police are at every turn, both in uniform and in civilian clothes. A tourist is a “sacred cow,” so you can have a conversation with law enforcement officers only if they begin to advise you not to carelessly carry a camera or a woman’s handbag, joyfully waving it in the air while walking. But the locals have a hard time. Contacts between Cubans and especially Cuban women with foreigners are not very welcome, so if they see a local foreign tourist in the company, the police can check his documents and, if they are missing, take the Cuban citizen to the police station. They will not say a word to you and will not explain anything. And despite this, Cuba has a big problem with molesters on the streets. You need to be mentally prepared for this and endure it stoically. Every 5 minutes in Havana (especially Old Havana) and a little less often, but still often in the provinces, a person will approach you and joyfully shout in broken Russian: “hello, comrade” or “Russo!” or simply “how are you, where are you from, do you remember me?” They immediately begin to insistently introduce themselves, report some important news (“Don’t miss it, today is the first day of the salsa festival, let’s go show you,” they told us every day during our two-week stay), name your hotel (sometimes even the name found out at the reception) and so on. In 99 cases out of 100, the goals of the acquaintance are transparent:
A guide (with varying degrees of professionalism, he will take you around various nooks and crannies of the city, and then demand money for living and work);
- sell fake cigars (at the same time he will present a pass card to the cigar factory and tell a sob story about how they have to be stolen in order to feed the family. See below about cigars);
- just ask for money for living (uncle, give me ten kopecks) or for milk for children (in Cuba, children have enough milk, the Cubans themselves talked about this);
- propose a girl (“chica caliente”, “faki faki”, “muchach”);
- sell cocaine (I strongly do not recommend);
- to scam a foreigner out of money (after such a nice conversation, a Spanish friend had no watch, glasses, phone or money left, although no one hit him on the head or threatened him with a knife; he doesn’t understand how this happened);
- exchange currency at a favorable rate (the result is a “doll” with fewer bills, or regular Cuban pesos, instead of convertible ones).
So the best answer to the pesters: “but comprendo” (I don’t understand) a calm continuation of the walk, without stopping or turning around when called out or persistent “excuse me”, etc. Once you give up, stop and engage in conversation, it will be much more difficult to get rid of it.
Pickpocketing (especially by passionate Cuban women) and a banal gop-stop are still possible and do happen, especially with those who have drunk in dark alleys far from the tourist trails. So don't carry all your money, documents or tickets with you. It is better to rent a safe at the hotel and store them there or, if you are staying at a cash desk, hide them at the bottom of a suitcase that is locked with a combination or padlock. If there is no lock, then there is a high probability (especially in a hotel) that someone’s caring hand will go through your suitcase. Some kind of internal pocket on clothing, with a small slit and fastened with a safety pin and button, would be good. Unattended items are stolen on beaches, so be on the lookout.
By the way, there is also a category of barkers who offer to go to their restaurant (bar, cafe) and enjoy music and food. If it is located right at the entrance to the establishment, then there is no need to be afraid and you can quite easily look in and check what is on the menu and what the price tag is. You can find a good place to suit your taste and budget. But if you need to go somewhere, “there’s literally 100 meters around the corner,” etc., then decide for yourself (see above).
Medicines (aspirin, iodine or streptocide, immodium and levomecycin, activated carbon, etc.) must be taken with you. Having passed by local “pharmacies” several times, I still didn’t understand what they were selling. Some rare jars and boxes on half-empty shelves. Be sure to take a sunscreen with good protection. You won’t find it in Cuba, but you’ll burn your skin to blisters. Supposedly the first visit to the doctor is free. I don’t know, thank God I didn’t check.
8. Cigars
Like Mayakovsky: We say Cuba, we mean cigars, we say cigars, we mean Cuba. It’s amazing that even non-smokers want to buy real Havana cigars at a cheap price in Cuba. There are many types of Cuban cigars from the most elite Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo and Juliet at prices ranging from 3 to 10 or more cookies per piece, to machine-rolled Guantaramera at 1-1.5 cookies. Each type has different sizes (most often 4 main ones) and different thicknesses. The price depends on this. Cigars are sold individually and in cardboard boxes (3.5 pieces) and boxes (10.25 pieces). There are official stores everywhere, you can walk around and ask the price. If you are planning to buy cigars as a gift to someone who understands them at least a little, and you yourself are far from the world of tobacco, then it is better not to risk it, but to buy a smaller box, but in an official store. And there will be no problems with customs. As for the cigars offered on the streets, they can sell a frank awl, which is right there on Malaya Arnautskaya Street and is rolled from an unknown material.
If you have decided to take such a step and know so much about cigars that you can tell by eye or by smoking what they are slipping you, I’ll tell you. A smart merchant finally dragged us into some apartment in Trinidad under the pretext of showing us a cigar store (he caught loitering foreign tourists near a closed outlet). We go into the back rooms, the front door is padlocked behind our backs. Well, that's it, we're stuck. Nothing of the kind, the police are afraid of smugglers. They dump boxes on the table: you can open, look, smell and even smoke everything (if you like it, pay for the whole box, including the smoked cigar; if not, then theoretically you can pay nothing, but it’s unlikely that they’ll let you leave so easily - at least a couple you will have to pay cookies for a cigar or argue for a long time, threatening the police). The price tag for cigars that are actually stolen from the factory is from 25 to 40% of the store price. The boxes have holographic stickers, a numbered green tag with a coat of arms and the inscription “Made in Cube”, etc. Still, for testing, we bought one box of 10 cigars for 17 cookies (they asked for 20, its real price is about 50). At home they smoked it with a large group, including “experts”. The conclusion is this: the cigars were unanimously recognized as genuine, they did not disappoint in taste, smell and “smokiness”, they were only very dry (apparently they were carried around in a bag for a long time before they found the client). According to various sources, customs in Cuba allows the export of from 23 to 50 cigars (even the official store confirmed to us that the new rules increased the number to 50). So lottery fans can try to save money or lose a couple of dozen convertibles.
9. Beaches
It is not true that the best beaches in Cuba are in Varadero. Cuba has many great beaches. A very good place - Playa Del Este is 15 km away. east of Havana. White sand, palm trees, ocean. There are no beaches in Havana itself (there is some kind in the west of the city, but clearly not Bounty). Playa del Este is a fairly long series of beaches, the most famous and beautiful of them is Santa Maria Del Mar. You can get there by taxi for 15 convertibles. There is some kind of city bus that goes there, but we didn’t dare look for it, especially since one of the reviews found on the Internet talked about a three-hour wait (!) to board this ill-fated bus. It is easier to find travel companions and share a taxi between four people. There are hotels in Santa Maria Del Mar, sun loungers, umbrellas, police, beer and coconut milk sold right on the beach and all the other small pleasures of those who like to bask on the sand. Riding on a banana. I saw a jet ski in the distance. Very beautiful beaches on the Caribbean Sea in the Trinidad area (by taxi from the city 5-6 kuk). Spreading large trees grow right in the sand, in the shade of which you can sit comfortably without fear of sunburn. That's what the locals do. You can take a catamaran ride for an hour to the diving site with a mask and fins for 10 kuk per nose. There are also excellent beaches on the islands, and everywhere on the island. Developed resorts organize deep-sea fishing and boat/catamaran rides, etc. entertainment. So great sea holiday guaranteed in Cuba.
HAVE A GOOD VACATION, CUBA O MUERTE!
Pages 1
4,8 /5 (155 )
levomecytin not levomecycin!
I consider the advice regarding levomecytin, which is an antibiotic and is not prescribed by oneself, but only by a doctor, to be bad.
Only Russians can take advantage of your advice; in civilized countries, all antibiotics are strictly prescribed.
Do you swallow it from all misfortunes? Beware of allergies in this case. LevometsiTin
My wife and I vacationed in Cuba from November 21 to December 2, 2010. Before the trip, we reviewed a lot of articles on the Internet, looking for answers to emerging questions, but our hunger for information was not completely satisfied. That’s why I decided to write mainly about what we didn’t find, what we were worried about and were a little afraid of. It so happened that for the first time in the last 20 years I went abroad on vacation, so I couldn’t compare Cuba with other resorts.
Flight
Flight. We took off from Domodedovo at 15.00, Boeing 777, Transaero Airlines (Moscow - Varadero), economy class. The flight is non-stop, the total flight time is 11 hours 30 minutes. They fed you twice, not a lot, but you won’t die of hunger. I really didn't like the lack of entertainment on board. At best, individual monitors show a map of the aircraft's flight. For 1000 rubles they will offer you a video player with videos, but there are not enough of them for everyone. Therefore, if you fly with Transaero, be prepared to provide your own leisure time.
Take books, don’t sleep for 24 hours, ask for a seat only by the window, don’t miss duty-free, etc. Just don’t overdo it with alcohol. On way back We had a fight between a passenger and the stewards on the plane. The police met him at Domodedovo, and I think he will remember the flight for a very long time and not necessarily when he is free. Be smart and be smart. Those who fly with Aroflot do not face any difficulties with leisure time, since everything they need works there (video, music, games), but the Moscow-Havana flight.
After landing it is 2 hours by bus to Varadero. Before landing, right on the plane, you will be asked to fill out a migration card. It’s better to do this right on the plane, because if something is unclear, you can ask the flight attendants, they will help you fill it out. This card will be with you until departure. It is there that the local customs stamp will be stamped about your arrival in Cuba, and upon departure this card will be collected there.
They don’t put anything in foreign passports, so only Domodedovo stamps will remain as a memory of the trip. We arrived in Varadero around 20.00 local time. It took a very long time to go through passport control. The meeting representative of the tour operator (TEZ-tour) put us on the bus, gave us a memo about meeting with the representative at the hotel and sent us to the hotel. We arrived at ARENAS DORADAS only around 22.00, and as a result, we were late for dinner.
ARENAS DORADS
ARENAS DORADAS. Tourists at the hotel are accommodated in 11 houses, with 25-30 separate rooms in each. The furniture is far from new. The furnishings in the rooms are quite modest - a large double bed, 2 bedside tables, a built-in wardrobe, a large mirror, a table with a TV, a separate table with 2 chairs, a paid safe (2 cookies per day), a small refrigerator, air conditioning. There is no mini bar. The toilet and bath are in a separate room, right here in the room.
The lighting in the bedroom is only floor lighting consisting of 3 floor lamps, which is clearly not enough for us Russians. To read a book normally, you need to expose the light bulb on the bedside floor lamp. The voltage in our room is 220 volts, which made us incredibly happy. European adapters were also not needed. Before this I read that you need to buy a 110 volt adapter. I searched the whole city in Tver, even tried to order an adapter through a service center in Moscow, but nothing came of it. It turned out that it was for the better.
The door to the room is opened with an electronic key, which must be immediately inserted into a special receiver next to the door, otherwise not all electrical appliances in the room will work. The room has electrical outlets and lights that are constantly powered, but most only work when you insert the electronic key into this special receiver. This is especially true for a refrigerator, for which you need to look for a constantly working electrical outlet.
Each room has a balcony with plastic furniture (2 chairs and a table). Each tourist is provided with 3 towels (legs, face, body), which are changed regularly. The shower room has a built-in hairdryer. A small bar of soap and 2 small bottles of shampoo and gel are also provided. We used our own; I can’t tell you how much local shampoo and gel are available for. There is only one Russian-language channel - NTV America, so those who like TV series about cops are in luck.
The staff is polite, room service is daily, but of poor quality. They will make your bed, change your linen and towels if necessary, wipe the floor here and there, put in new toilet paper, take out the trash, but forget to wipe off the dust. And so every day. At the end of your vacation, you will be able to draw pictures on the bedside tables. Although it may just be that we are so “lucky”. The electrician came after the call only on the third day, the TV remote control was brought only on the 4th day after the request. They were probably waiting for another room to become available.
In Cuba you cannot drink tap water. For drinking, there should be a bottle of water in each room, which you will refill free of charge at the bar if necessary. It was not in our room, and after requesting it, it was never brought. I had to buy Coke at the store and use my own bottle. Soundproofing in the rooms is not very good. The thin door between our room and the next room was especially annoying.
If the neighbors are restless (for example, drunk Canadians), then there may be problems with sleep and love on schedule (while the neighbors are on the beach). The door to the street is also very thin, you can hear everything, especially if one of the neighbors is walking at night. Among the positive feelings, I would like to note the lack of officialdom when moving to the beach. You can go swimming from your room in your swimsuit. My wife and I got a room in house number 7, 80 meters from the beach, just Super!
The hotel area is quite well-groomed, with a lot of greenery. There is one pool with blue water that smells slightly of chlorine. It is winter in Cuba in November, so it gets dark at 17.30. Those who like to swim in the evening under artificial light and drink beer at the bar in the center of the pool (building no. 13) will certainly like it. There are also special tennis courts on site, although their condition is not the best.
Daytime animation is rather weak in my opinion. On the area near the pool you will be offered table tennis (1 table), small billiards (1 table), the game “Put a ring on a bottle of rum”, darts, short training in local dances, mini-football with a palm tree in the middle of the field. Every evening at 21.30, small shows by local artists take place in a separate indoor show area (building No. 10). At the end of the show there is a disco. I can’t say anything about it; my wife and I have never gone.
There is cellular communication on the hotel premises. I had Megafon, my wife Beeline, and both operators worked through the local Pyramid. At least we sent SMS constantly. I don't know about roaming, but messages are not very expensive.
Nutrition
The food at the hotel is not very varied. Everything is quite monotonous, but satisfying. There are no such dastarkhans as in Turkey and Egypt in Cuba. Trips to the dining room (building No. 9) are divided into breakfast (7.30 - 10.00), lunch (12.30 - 15.00) and dinner (18.30 - 22.00). At lunch and dinner, at your request, the waiters can serve wine and beer. During dinner, local musicians play and sing in the dining room. Tables for a maximum of 4 people, but for big company or for a holiday you can order a large table.
And if you pay the musicians, then you will have a small quartet or trio playing. For those who did not have time to have breakfast or lunch, there is a Grill bar “Los Loritos” on site next to the pool (building 12) which is open from 10.00 to 18.30. They serve French fries, hamburgers and other snacks. By the way, not every hotel in Varadero can boast of such luxury. Tourists from neighboring hotels came to our bar, where only breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This restriction applies only to food, since cocktails, beer, cola and other drinks are also available in the beach bar (building No. 17), next to the reception desk (building No. 2) and in the pool (No. 13). I didn't like the cocktails, but the beer was very good. Lovers beach holiday In order not to wear clothes, they can also have lunch next to the beach (No. 16) from 12.00 - 16.00. The hotel also has 4 restaurants, to visit which you must register in advance at the reception desk.
We signed up a day before the trip. If you want to make an appointment 2 days in advance, talk to a representative of the tour operator, he will make an agreement, and a tip will seal the contract. I advise you to visit “El Galeon”, where they serve seafood (lobster, lobster, etc.). All restaurants are free for vacationers. For example, you will be offered lobster on excursions for 10 cookies per serving, but you can try it for free in a restaurant.
Beach
The beach at the hotel is not bad at all. Nice light gray sand, wonderful clean, clear, beautiful water. My wife and I were very lucky with the weather; all the days during our vacation were sunny, air temperature +24-26, water +22-24. Sometimes it rained a little at night, but there were clouds until lunchtime at most. 3 days before our arrival there were 2 days of rain and wind. Only on the day of our departure, the waves in the ocean were larger than expected, so swimming was prohibited. But as they say: “If you can’t, but really want to, then you can.” Moreover, it's so cool.
For relaxing on the beach, it is advisable to get beach towels. A deposit of 10 cookies is taken for each towel; when you leave, this money will be returned to you. The sun in Cuba is very harsh, so be sure to take protective cream, and if you read under the sun, then sunglasses. It's better to take your own, local ones are very expensive. There is not much entertainment on the beach. In good weather, you will be offered a pedalo, a trip with an instructor on a catamaran under sail, and kayaks. All this is free, but only for 30 minutes.
Also, in any weather, for lovers of active tanning, volleyball. Perhaps in higher class hotels there are more beach activities. A “banana” floated past us, and a “wing” was also visible somewhere. These services were not available on our and neighboring beaches. If you go with children, it is advisable to take swimming goggles; salt water is not very good for the eyes. There is no underwater world of the beach. At a distance of up to 250 meters from the shore there is only sand without corals and fish.
The depth of human height starts from 50 meters, so you won’t have to walk for long. If possible, I highly recommend bringing your own mask and snorkel. There is no place to use them on the beach, but on almost all excursions you will be offered to swim in coral reefs with fish. Local free masks are really dangerous to health. It very often happens that at depth, with an awkward movement, they begin to let water through, although they were tightened well.
As a result, instead of contemplation underwater world, there is a struggle for survival. I wasn't the only one with these problems. Local craftsmen sell souvenirs right on the beach. For those who want to cool off, the beach bar (from 10.00 to 18.00) offers free cold cocktails, beer, and cola. And as I wrote above, you can have lunch without going far from your sun lounger.
What money to take
What kind of money to take? For foreigners in Cuba, local convertible pesos (or cookies in common parlance) are in circulation. You can exchange currency for cookies at bank branches or exchange offices. These points are located in every hotel and at airports. There are few of them in cities. As the guide told us, it is better to change money at the airport. In hotels the rate is not much, but less. At the time of our arrival at the airport 1 euro - 1.203 cookies, the next day at the hotel 1 euro - 1.18 cookies, after 3 days 1 euro - 1.16 cookies.
At the time of our departure, 1 euro - 1.16 (1.163) cookies, 1 dollar - 0.8 (0.83) cookies, 1 Canadian dollar - 0.82 (0.85) cookies. In brackets are the data of the exchange office at Varadero Airport. Now arm yourself with calculators and count. During our arrival, the euro exchange rate was falling, but the dollar was stable. A lot of Canadians vacation in Cuba. For them, Cuba is like Türkiye and Egypt for us. Therefore, if you decide to take a dollar, it is better to take a Canadian one.
What to take from clothes
This question seriously worried my wife and I. There was no place to consult; we couldn’t even find answers on the Internet. As a result, more than half of the things taken were not needed. I think you will avoid our mistakes. I will write about men, and you women, choose outfits that suit your companion. At the hotel, almost everyone wears shorts, flip-flops and a shirt (T-shirt). Moreover, this outfit is used in the dining room, on excursions, and at the evening show.
If you are planning to go to a hotel restaurant, go to the city of Varadero or Havana, then wear trousers or jeans instead of shorts, and summer shoes or sneakers instead of flip-flops. In case of bad weather, you can take a sports jacket. I needed swimming trunks, 3 changes of underwear, 2 T-shirts, a shirt, light jeans, shorts, flip-flops, sneakers - that's all. If you plan to go to local discos or city clubs, then dress appropriately for the city. It is advisable not to take synthetics.
Nice shorts can be purchased at the local hotel store for 15 CUC. It’s more difficult with women, but I can definitely say that there is no place to wear expensive evening dresses. There is a shortage in Cuba, take all kinds of medicines with you, just in case.
Language knowledge
Before leaving, we were told that many people in Cuba speak Russian and love Russian tourists. In reality, everything turned out to be not quite like that. The main language in Cuba is Spanish, but almost all hotel staff can speak English. Nobody knows Russian, only some of the most common words and phrases. My wife and I don’t speak languages, so before leaving we had well-founded concerns about communicating with the service staff.
I want to say right away that the fears were justified, but partially. It is quite possible to vacation in Cuba without knowing any languages. Firstly, do not miss the meeting with representatives of the tour operator the next day after your arrival. He will explain everything to you about the hotel, excursions and show you where the special folder with information is located. I want to say right away that a representative of the tour operator visits the hotel regularly 5 times a week at a certain time. Therefore, all questions regarding the arrangement on site, problems with staff, calling specialists to the room, etc. can be resolved through him.
In a special folder of the tour operator, which is freely accessible to everyone, there will be a schedule of the representative’s arrival and a description of the excursions. During check-in, at the reception you will be given a tourist guide to the hotel. There, in a brief form, the basic phrases for communicating with staff will be indicated, but it is better, of course, to take a phrasebook with you. In general, if everything goes well, communication with hotel staff can be kept to a minimum. Learn a few phrases, like: “Too beer, please,” “Red wine, please,” “Too cola (orange, aqua mineral, ice cream), please,” “One coffee, please,” etc.
I think everyone understands that this is 2 beers, red wine, 2 colas (fanta, min. water, ice cream) and 1 coffee. As a last resort, you can show with your finger what you need and how much. Ask the representative what the most delicious cocktails are called, and simply insert their names after the numerals. All bartenders will understand you perfectly. It's more difficult with restaurants. The entire menu is in English and Spanish, which was very disappointing. With such an influx of tourists from Russia, they could insert a line in Russian.
If you lack knowledge, you will have to order not what you want, but what you understand on the menu or how much patience and knowledge the waiter has when trying to unravel your gestures and clumsy explanations. For this reason, we did not like the restaurants. In stores all prices are in cookies. Just ask: “How much?”, and if you don’t understand the price, they will show it to you on a calculator. Believe me, you will get used to it on the second or third day of rest. In addition, there are a lot of compatriots in each hotel.
According to my feelings, tourists from Russia make up about 1/3 of all vacationers. Now in Cuba the Velvet season for Russians and Canadians. If you don’t find anyone right away, go to the beach at 7 o’clock in the morning. Almost everyone who swims early in the morning is ours. And those who run in the morning are not ours. In the dining room it’s even simpler, whoever has the bigger plate is ours. You will see a pretty girl, she is 85% from Russia, but not single. Therefore, do not be afraid, you can always find out everything and ask your friends, including where the tour operator’s folders with the representative’s arrival schedule are located (if you are suddenly late for the first meeting).
Excursions
