Cuba

[recce43]

hi looking for feedback
wife wants to book a trip to cuba
varadero
iberostar resort
i want to go deep see fishing
and maybe some fishing in local area rivers and beaches

[leeelmer]

Cuba is beautiful.
But the food sucks, even at the resorts.
Everyone I have ever talked to has said the same. Food sucks!
The rest of the trip was great, but the food being terrible ruined the trip.
I would not recommend it, especially with the other options in the Caribbean being way better.

[fordtruckin]

Going for some cigars?

[Sooner]

Bugs? A mom I know came back covered in No See em bites from some kind of bug. She had a horrible time due to the bites and never ventured off the all inclusive resort.

[recce43]

cigar tours rum tours
go to Havana

[fishpro]

I've been to Cayo Coco twice, and while the food is mediocre, the flats fishing was awesome and reasonable priced.

[fordtruckin]

I think there’s probably better places to go down there than Cuba, although it does look like an interesting place to visit.

[elkhunter11]

I have been to Cayo Coco, and Cayo Santa Maria and both resorts were excellent. The food wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't awful either.

[Rdamours]

We were at the Iberostar last March. They call it Iberostar Selection now. We ate at the a la carte restaurants 4 times and went mainly for anything lobster or seafood. All restaurants were good but did not eat at the Japanese restaurant. The Cuban restaurant was good for the lobster and the traditional soup which was surprisingly good.

The beach is fantastic and did not see a bug once while there. Throw the bartender in the lobby or bar open late 5 CUC and get them to fill your insulated bottle with wine for your room. Good cigar store and coffee shop right off the lobby. Our ritual was to have a cigar and drinks in the lobby bar before supper after a long day at the beach. This is one of the nicer resorts in Varadero but is more like a 3.5/4 star Mexican resort due to different standards.

Get your phone unlocked and make sure wifi calling can be enabled. Put your phone into airplane mode with wifi on and call home or text without roaming or using data. They issue you wifi cards at 1 cuc and hour. Connect in and disconnect after you are done as the timer keeps running.

They tell you about tours in the lobby the next day if you get in late but someone will be assigned to you depending on how you got there by airline or tour operator. We tipped a couple of CUCs and lunch and 3-5 at supper and were treated like kings the whole time there.

[omega50]

Originally Posted by leeelmer

Cuba is beautiful.
But the food sucks, even at the resorts.
Everyone I have ever talked to has said the same. Food sucks!
The rest of the trip was great, but the food being terrible ruined the trip.
I would not recommend it, especially with the other options in the Caribbean being way better.

Bit of a broad brush, but some truth to it.
Food at our Jibacoa resort was better than some I have had in Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
Bring condiments that you like. The Cuban equivalent is lacking in quality and selection.
Small bottles of Hot sauce etc are easy to pack. Take-out packs of ketchup and mustard are easy to start collecting now.

We tipped at restaurant and bars on resort with mini chocolate bars from Halloween pacs. Often staff are searched for cash, but easy for them to pop a chocolate in their mouth.
Pay a little extra for the VIP lounge on departure can be booked through your tour operator.Best decision I made in Cuba.

[sns2]

My wife and I have been twice. Once to Varadero and once to Cayo Coco. Both times we went, we chose brand spanking new resorts. Because of that they were less than half capacity, and were pulling out all the stops, as Tripadvisor reviews are everything to resorts. Food was top of the heap, and I cook for a living. If we ate anymore lobster we'd have grown claws. Rooms brand new. Beaches were stunning.

As a result, reviews were exceptional. Elk11 went to one of the same resorts a year later and his experience was polar opposite. Once they are operating near capacity it seems things slide.

So do your homework, read hundreds of user reviews and you will get a clear picture of what your holiday will be.

[Skoaltender]

Food is meh... better than I was told.

Beaches were unbelievable (Cayo coco)

Locals were very friendly and welcoming.

Price was super reasonable.

Drinks were horrific, and WTF is up with their ketchup?!??

[R3illy]

I stayed at the riu veradero which is beside the iberostar. Our upgraded rooms provided us lobster every evening if we wanted it. Everyone likes to complain about food but they clearly cheap out on rooms or resorts. I havent been bothered by the food in cuba.

The iberostar was beside the riu. It had the nicer of the beaches and better looking resort. The riu was super new so wasnt as lush.

[recce43]

thanks for all the info
i will be packing a take down rod

[bat119]

Leaving tomorrow for the Starfish Varadero just down the road I'll leave a review in 10 days

[Sundancefisher]

I have a guide connection if you want to fish a day for flats bonefish and a day for river tarpon.

Just PM me. You will need a 10 weight fly rod or heavy spinning rod for the river tarpon and an 8 weight fly rod or medium action spinning for bonefish.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Sooner

Bugs? A mom I know came back covered in No See em bites from some kind of bug. She had a horrible time due to the bites and never ventured off the all inclusive resort.

Sand fleas, easy to avoid, unless you're stupid. They love the beach at sun down, lying on a deck chair doesn't help. Good thing my daughter in law made up a first aid kit with antibiotic cream, at least fought the possibility of infection.



Grizz

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by R3illy

I stayed at the riu veradero which is beside the iberostar. Our upgraded rooms provided us lobster every evening if we wanted it. Everyone likes to complain about food but they clearly cheap out on rooms or resorts. I havent been bothered by the food in cuba.

The iberostar was beside the riu. It had the nicer of the beaches and better looking resort. The riu was super new so wasnt as lush.

New rationing introduced for Cubans, while I was there. Guy on tv leaving a store with a few eggs, bushel basket in our restaurant, every morning and night, pure white. Sad, but that's what keeps the island afloat. Not 5 star, by any means, but no worse than finding a decent meal in the Yukon.

Grizz

[ssyd]

Out of curiosity, is the food better if you venture out of the resort? When I think of vacationing I wanna do it Anthony Bourdain style. I've never been on an airplane but Cuba really seems interesting.

Local restaurants, street meat and the like.

[58thecat]

Some food just like here in North America I chew and spit out....Cuba and I tell you this has the best chicken, pork and fish along with great bread so can't go wrong that way...enjoy after all it's what you make of it....luv cuba

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by ssyd

Out of curiosity, is the food better if you venture out of the resort? When I think of vacationing I wanna do it Anthony Bourdain style. I've never been on an airplane but Cuba really seems interesting.

Local restaurants, street meat and the like.

The best food that I ate in Cuba, was at the theme restaurants in the resort. It was actually very good. The buffets at the resort were pretty basic, and while the food was not fancy, I didn't mind it. We had a few meals while on day trips, and it varied from bland to quite good. I don't drink a lot of coffee, but what was served at the resorts was not what I am used to. The one resort had excellent facilities, the other had plumbing issues, as in a water leak that resulted in moving some people from floors beneath us. There were also a few days where the water was barely warm, and the shower drain was plugged, and the toilet valve was stuck. After waiting a few hours for someone to come, I fixed both issues myself and we had no more issues. The beaches were beautiful, far nicer than Maui.

[Indy]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Sand fleas, easy to avoid, unless you're stupid. They love the beach at sun down, lying on a deck chair doesn't help. Good thing my daughter in law made up a first aid kit with antibiotic cream, at least fought the possibility of infection.



Grizz

Oh boy, I had the same thing happen but mine were a lot thicker. Never felt anything like that in my life - brutal. The wife didn't get a single bite. Take some Benadryl itch/bite cream and bug spray. We encountered a few bugs nothing bad though (other than the sand fleas).

I thought the food was decent. We ate out a lot and the food was good. I can live on fresh garden vegetables though so YMMV.

Our biggest regret was not making it to Havana. We did a snorkel / sailing trip and a 4x4 truck trip that were both good. The sailing trip took us to a different island that was one of the nicest places I have ever been. They cooked food on open fire on the beach an it was pretty good.

Also, I took extra ball caps and a few folding knives and the wife took clothes. Use them as tips for the housekeeping staff or use to barter with. I got a nice bottle of rum for a buck folding knife (~$10 new). That guy and I went back and forth for a few days on that trade but apparently he said he couldn't get anything like that there.

[huntinstuff]

Don't try to save a few dollars by booking less than a 5 star.

Those few bucks are worth the food quality and service and beach. I've had friends go less and regret it

Enjoy the fishing. you'll love it

[R3illy]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Don't try to save a few dollars by booking less than a 5 star.

Those few bucks are worth the food quality and service and beach. I've had friends go less and regret it

Enjoy the fishing. you'll love it

interestingly my wife booked a 3 star over new years one year in Cuba for her and the kids and she said it was one of the best times shes had. She loves Cuba over any other country.

She paid double the price that it normally costs to go at that time of year... ugh.