Are the hotels and food cheap for visitors?
If it’s not cheap, I don’t see the appeal when you can visit lots of other places in the area such as Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, etc. without the extra trouble (for Americans)
It’s not expensive. But the main appeal of a visit is going to be cultural. Cuban society of course is radically different from that in Puerto Rico. In some ways it’s frozen in time. If you just want a beach resort, it may not be worth the hassle. But if you’re interested in music, architecture, Cold War history, and other cultural aspects it’s fascinating.
Can you drink the water? Not sure I’m interested in seeing a bunch of 57 Chevys.
What are you interested in seeing?
Since the answer to what the appeal is will be a matter of opinion, let’s move this to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Can’t think of anything there worth seeing but maybe someone can tell me about stuff to see.
But I am curious about the water.
If what you’re interested in is a beach vacation, then there are dozens of different places you could choose from in the Caribbean and Latin America. Most of those will be less hassle for an American. Some of them will be more expensive, and some less expensive, than Cuba. Which destination you choose is going to depend on your personal preferences and interests.
What **Colibri **said. Out here we get a lot of “Try to go before it all changes!” which is only partly about rising cost, it’s also referring to “before it becomes indistinguishable from any other tourist destination”, to (very importantly) “see for yourself how it is” and in our case for younger generation “go so you can have an idea of how it used to be”. And while there’s the frozen-in-time aspect for some things, then there is for others how things evolved for the sake of adaptation to the ups and downs of the regime – dining at paladares, for instance.
Old Havana is one of the most interesting colonial cities in the Americas. The tobacco growing region ofPinar del Rio is quite picturesque. If you like Latin music the music scene is extremely vibrant. And as I said, there is lots to see pertaining to Cold War history.
Like in much of Latin America (in fact, much of the world) it is not recommended to drink tap water. But bottled water is readily available.
I know you didn’t actually ask this, but it’s worth mentioning that even with the establishment of diplomatic relations, there is no timetable for the U.S. to allow Americans to make tourism visits to Cuba. For now, travel is still restricted to certain categories. You must have certain family, educational, cultural, or other exchange visits lined up and approved by the Treasury Department.
Technically speaking, it’s not illegal for Americans to go to Cuba. What’s illegal is spending money there (unless you’re there under one of the approved categories). Of course, it’s basically impossible to travel there without spending money.
Speaking as a Canadian, Cuba is one of the hot (as in warmth) destinations that the package vacations feature, along with Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, et al.
Cuba is typically the cheapest option, but conventional wisdom is you need to “buy up” in Cuba e.g. a 4 star resort in Cuba compares to a 3 star elsewhere. This holds for Varadero and other beach destinations, I don’t know about Havana.
Take a look at http://www.sunquest.ca/en/destination/Cuba for an idea of what is on offer.
The first time I went, back in the nineties, it turned out to be the most expensive vacation that I had taken. Vera Dero, and it was in a german hotel, that had an all inclusive package. Coming from Canada, we had a weaker dollar than the American buck, and Cuba was supposed to be taking Canadian dollars.
In actual fact, the whole place ran on American money, so any Canadian I brought down, had to be first changed into American Dollars, at their exchange rate.
Accupulco was more bang for the buck, definitely, even with a higher price for the package.
I went back to Cuba for new years last January, this time at a different part of the country. The first change I noticed, was that we were now using tourist peso’s that could only be used at the resort and area. One thing about Cuba, is that its an extremely attractive country. Beautiful beaches and countryside.
For a first time visitor to Cuba, you might want to wait a few years until after the new money starts rolling in. Its a cheap vacation for a reason. They do the best they can , with what they have, but you are going to get what you pay for.
Declan
Cars.
I believe that what is illegal is spending money earned in the US. Although I am a US citizen, virtually all my money is from Canadian sources. They would have a hard time to prove that the pittance I get from Social Security is funding my possible trip to Cuba. Of course, money is fungible, but it seems unlikely they would bother.
My understanding is that it is illegal for American citizens to travel to Cuba without a license. In years past, licenses were more restricted in number and declared purpose. The typical workaround was to go to a third country first, booking passage to Cuba there. Supposedly a Cuba stamp in the passport, if noticed by American officials on the way back, could lead to questions.
Cuba has a famously good public health system and a longer life expectancy than the United States, so yes, I’m sure they chlorinate their water.
This. And the approved cultural/educational exchange tours are ridiculously priced. (Ok, for me, a person who travels on the cheaper side, they’re ridiculously expensive.)
This is the reason I’ve gone to Cuba, though I haven’t been for a while. Yes, a lot of the musicians manage to tour the U.S. in big cities like L.A., but it’s not very often. In Havana, they’re playing all the time–often in free concerts in public. If you like timba, it’s like nothing you’ll ever experience in the states.
As far as I’m concerned, a beach is a beach–and the emptier it is, the better–I don’t know why people go to Varadero. (Playas de Habana is just as good.) So I wouldn’t go to the trouble of traveling to Cuba just to sit on a beach.
If you do tourist things–within the encapsulated tourist economy–Cuba won’t be particularly cheap. Effectively you’re spending U.S. dollars. But if you know people there, and get some real Cuban money, you can do things cheaply–your options, though, are going to be limited–a lot of just hanging out.
We are considering going this year - one thing that always perplexes me is most people I know that have been report back that the food is bland?