Cuba - Going to CUBA June 07 - lots of advice needed..

Hi,

My girlfriend and I are going to Cuba midway through June for a few weeks.

Some advice i need please, we are staying in 'Cayo Coco' area

some people have said it is rainy and hurricane saeson june-nov

is it really that bad??im worried in case i get there and it is rain for 2 weeks solid.

also what good travelling tips do you have, where to go etc??

we are both really excited and have read tons of books about going to Cuba, but want to get stories and advice from people who have actually been there

thanks for your time

bob.

sorry should have said

im from the UK

thanks

I'm American - so I can't go to Cuba legally. Don't know anything about it. However June is the start of the rainy season here in Florida (and probably Cuba too). It's not monsoons - more like regular (although not daily) storms in the late afternoon. June 30 is the start of the hurricane season - although storms do occur earlier. I travel with a notebook - and when I'm out of town during hurricane season - I always keep an eye on things on one of several storm-related websites. One problem with Cuba is that if you have to get out fast for any reason - there is no direct air service to the US. Robyn

As far as June goes, expect the same weather there as in Miami: hot, humid, rainy, and a few hurricanes.

As far as Cuba goes, I went a few years back on a trip to visit where my family grew up, went to school, etc. [As my mother is Cuban-American, we were legally granted permission to visit by the U.S. Gov't.]

We went to Havana, Havana "Vieja" (Old Part of Town), and Varadero.

Varadero was an hour or two away from Havana and was filled with German and other European tourists (like you!). It was alright, but I wouldn't go again...I do live in Miami and a beach like that isn't all that great.

Havana was really fun as I expected it to be totally different then what it was like. Note that the food there was, and I am sure is, HORRIBLE. Oh wait, your from the UK ;) :p. Honestly, really bad food. At least coming from someone who loves Cuban food.

I did not feel unsafe while there and had a few chances to distribute toiletries from the hotel to people we meet who needed them desperatly. The island's people seemed happy, but the conditions we saw in some areas were a notch below deplorable.

Overall, it was an amazing trip for me and my family because it was the first time many had been back to the island since leaving ~35 years ago. My mother and grandmother's home were still intact, and basically nothing much changed.

What area of Cuba is Cayo Coco? Is that a beach resort or in Havana?

bhd87 - What might be useful information for the OP and other tourists (since many are from Europe - which is pretty far away from Cuba) is what is the best way to get to the US (only 90 miles away!) - if there's an emergency (whether it's a hurricane or a heart attack - I know the Cuban health care system is supposed to be pretty good - but I think I'd rather have bypass surgery in Miami instead of Havana). Are there scheduled/charter flights available from the US for people who are allowed to travel to/from Cuba legally?

By the way - here is a link to one of the better free websites I use for storm information: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/. I do subscribe to one which I think is better - but it is probably overkill for someone who doesn't live in coastal hurricane areas. Robyn

P.S. When you mentioned toiletries - I recalled the stories my hairdresser in Miami (from Cuba) told me about bringing "female necessaries" to her family when she went to visit. There are a lot of things we take for granted that simply aren't available in Cuba on a regular basis.

Are there scheduled/charter flights available from the US for people who are allowed to travel to/from Cuba legally?

I've never been to Cuba either, but I've seen flights to HAV on American carriers (such as, IIRC, AA) listed on the monitors at MIA. Maybe one of those flights is how bhd87 got to Cuba?

A friend I was travelling with had a blister on her foot and needed a bandaid!
after lots of drawing and negotiation they wanted 20euro for a packet of bandaids. she paid 10 and they asked for her pen!:D
pens are scarce in Cuba:(

I've never been to Cuba either, but I've seen flights to HAV on American carriers (such as, IIRC, AA) listed on the monitors at MIA. Maybe one of those flights is how bhd87 got to Cuba?

IIRC, I flew an AA a/c to HAV, and a CO a/c back. These flights may be operated by AA/CO, but can not be bought there any traditional means. They have no AA/CO flight numbers, etc. For all purposes, they were private charter flights.

To my knowledge, there is no flight from HAV to USA available for any traveller sans private charter flights.

If I was a European tourist and something "bad" happened in Cuba, I would take the first available flight to either Canada or Mexico. I believe there are scheduled flights to both those locations.

P.S. When you mentioned toiletries - I recalled the stories my hairdresser in Miami (from Cuba) told me about bringing "female necessaries" to her family when she went to visit. There are a lot of things we take for granted that simply aren't available in Cuba on a regular basis.


Thats a great idea. I remeber seeing electronics, like simple radios, selling for hundreds of USD. When I visited Cuba, the USD was still the official currency.

Thats a great idea. I remeber seeing electronics, like simple radios, selling for hundreds of USD. When I visited Cuba, the USD was still the official currency.

It's funny to me that countries whose governments don't like the USA still are happy to use USD (e.g. Cuba, North Korea).

I haven't been there for a few years, but it is a nice country. Caribbean on the cheap. The people are friendly, and quite a few speak English. Prices are about medium, not really cheap, but value for money. Sounds like your place is a resort of some kind, probably all inclusive. Some of the resorts a quite a way out in the country. Even if it rains, it will be warm. I shouldn't worry about medical care, it is said to be of a high standard. Have a good time.