Is it difficult to escape the encapsulated tourist economy?
I was just thinking it’s probably much simpler to just go to Miami for lots of Cuban culture.
Cubanismo!!!
That’s the Cuban-American culture, not quite the same.
From what I’ve seen, Cuba and Dominican Republic are definitely in the bottom price tier.
I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the resorts they went to (e.g. poor food, non-modern facilities). Everyone said the beaches were nice, though.
You mean people go to Cuba expecting modern facilities? Have they been living under a rock for 50 years?
What’s the point of going anywhere?
Every country has its unique history, culture, music, food, etc. And people are worth getting to know wherever you are.
If you are just looking for a generic resort vacation, I guess it makes sense to go anywhere nice that is cheap. But there are a million other ways to travel.
This may shock you, but lots of major hotel chains have modern resorts in Cuba.
The 4 star place I stayed in had trouble keeping toilet paper in my bathroom. Took an hour to clean up a smashed glass in the lobby. The “a la carte” restaurants were pretty obviously using food from the buffet restaurant - which kept using a completely broken steam table for 4-5 days. Spanish company. There’s a reason every Canadian ( who make up a big chunk of Cuban tourism) always say to knock off a star or two when choosing a Cuban resort.
As has been said, there are major hotel chains in Cuba that have perfectly modern resorts.
Cuban food, like in other Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands, is not particularly spicy so some may consider it bland. In hotel chains or hotels run by the government it can be rather generic and not top quality. However, excellent meals can be found in the paladares, the privately run restaurants in Havana.
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I was just thinking it’s probably much simpler to just go to Miami for lots of Cuban culture.
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Yeah, and you could just go to Chinatown in New York instead of visiting the Great Wall, or go to Little Italy instead of going to Rome.
It seems like you’re looking for reasons not to go to Cuba, the more ridiculous the better. I’d ask again, what does appeal to you? Are you asking about this seriously, or are you just interested in dismissing the interest others might have in going there?
This is what an all-inclusive resort looks like in Cuba. (Last time I went was 2004.) Most of the personnel is from Cuba, but the directors and some employees are often from Europe. The “all-inclusive” part typically includes all food and drinks and most activities. There’s Internet access and a gift shop. You can also purchase excursions, such as a guided bus tour to Havana.
Food quality is a complaint I hear often, though I didn’t notice it myself. Much of the food is from Cuba, as far as I know, so it’s not as diverse as what you’d find in a Mexican resort.
You seem to imagine some kind of North Korea with better weather, but Cuba is a very popular tourist destination for everyone who isn’t American and the tourist industry makes good money.
It was one of the most important Spanish colonial cities, so for a history buff there’s lots to see.
Yeah, as Colibri points out, that’s true for probably most of the Caribbean—it’s not particular to Cuba. The food on the Caribbean coast of Colombia (where I spend a good portion of the year) is pretty similar. It’s the least thing I miss when I get back to California. In his book A Way in the World, V.S. Naipaul actually expounded on this character of Caribbean food–being comprised so heavily of “ground provisions.”
Not really, but if you don’t appear to be Cuban, most people, on first contact, will see you as part of the tourist economy, and interact with you on those terms. They just assume that you have no interest in doing anything else so you kind of have to make an effort to convince them otherwise. But there’s nothing stopping you from getting some regular pesos (moneda nacional) and getting in line at, say, the Copellia ice cream place in Havana, for example. I think it helps if you stay in a casa particular (private house that rents out a room) instead of a hotel, too, because you’re more likely to run into people who aren’t solely engaged with the tourist industry.
The food in Cuba is the single worst thing about the country. Outside of the all inclusive resorts, pickings are very thin (‘do you want chicken or fish?’), and yes, very bland. They clearly struggle to get spices. The diet consists in large part of plain fried pork, chicken or fish (including lobster) with plain rice and refried beans. That’s it. I’m not exaggerating.
The great things about Cuba are the beautiful, unspoilt beaches and the amazing musical culture - you can’t walk into a bar, hotel, airport lounge, public square, etc etc without seeing a live band.
Shodan, the World Health Organization estimated around 5 years ago that 91% of Cubans had access to clean drinking water.
These trips cost between $5-8k, and only the latter includes airfare. Of course, these are both high end/luxury travel companies, and they seem to have done whatever is necessary to secure Uncle Sam’s blessing.
“Spices” are as close as a backyard garden of pepper plants etc. Why in the world would obtaining food spices be any kind of challenge in a tropical environment?
And one of his cites if from the Canadian International Development Research Center in a 2014 report which states:
“Over the past ten years, Cuba’s economic decline has led to a slow but steady deterioration of water supplies and sanitation services — and a resulting increase in water-borne disease.”
The WHO could well have been right half a decade ago, but that doesn’t disprove what this NGO reports.