Originally Posted by kellyalexsmith
We are planning to be in Cuba from 9th to 22nd of January 2006, and want to go to Jamaica afterwards...Did you manage it by boat or plane?...Any advice welcome..
I went last November for 10 days in Cuba + 4 days in Jamaica. It was great and I think you should enjoy it. To enjoy Cuba you need to have the right and realistic expectations. It's run down but very interesting. My main aim was to know the people and culture and I can say that my trip to Cuba was an experience not a vacation. There was some hardship involved and your best way to enjoy it is to consider it as a boyscout trip.
I visited Havana, Trinidad, Pinar del Rio and Vinyales. I highly recommend staying at casa particular if you are there for the real experience. Varadero is to be avoided as you see only tourists and you don't mix with Cubans. Also, if you are going to Jamaica, I suggest you leave the beach life to Jamaica. You can still enjoy the beaches of Cuba, but try to focus on the Cuba-specific experience and activities.
Going from Cuba to Jamaica is only possible by air. If I have one advice to give, it would be flying into Montego Bay. I made a mistake by flying into Kingston which has less tourist oriented. I stayed at Ocho Rios and finding transportation from Kingston to Ocho Rios was not straightforward and came out very expensive.