Tips for first time out of the country

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by Jim Blake

Another thing I just thought about is loonies and toonies are not accepted by the Cuban Bank for deposit, and therefore useless as tips and/or purchasing anything.

And our banks won't accept Cuban pesos, so no sense getting a bunch of them.

[stob]

Imodium

[Hunter5425]

I was there last in 2022 and a few small things to point out. You need proof of medical coverage or they can refuse entry though they only checked a few people on the flight. American currency is preferred as there is a thriving black market and the Cuban peso is distained by most locals. I got the twinex shot for the hepatitus alphabet and stayed away from cigars and booze purchases as there aren't any real deals and I dislike rum. If you need to convert CAD to pesos do it on the shuttle as the banks at the airport will do you dirty. Read the official cuban website to get the paper work you need ie QR codes and there will be no problems.

[omega50]

We took a lot of take-out packaged condiments. Ketchup and mustard packages, Durkees Red Hot Sauce etc.These can go a looooong way to making the food somewhat palatable
.We take a small fanny pack with a handful of condiments with us to the buffet and made many friends with fellow travellers by offering them some of our stash.
We also take a box of mini-chocolate bars like you find at Halloween that we take for small tipping moments.. The staff often get forced to surrender their monetary tips before they leave the resort , but appreciate these little treats as they can eat them discretely on their break or manage to take them home for their kids.
Had a few servers chase us down after a few days to get in on the action. Even at the back of a long line my standing drink order always seemed to find my hand.

Taking a insulated thermal mug for drinks will keep them cold instead of the plastic cups the bar uses.
Not sure if it has changed , but used to be horror stories about renting a car and getting involved in a injury accident and not being allowed to leave the country for quite a substantial length of time.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cuba/commen...nitely_please/

[elkhunter11]

The GF's granddaughter, and her boyfriend and his family got back from Cuba yesterday. The family had stayed in the same resort in 2018, and they said they couldn't believe the difference in food. They said the food was plentiful and better than they had expected in 2018, but there was far less variety this year, and even the quality of what they did have was poor. And unlike 2018, when they went in February, last week the mosquitoes were terrible.

[JohnB]

Don't forget the sunscreen, sunburn aloe stuff and advil.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Don't forget the sunscreen, sunburn aloe stuff and advil.

I had my nurse daughter in law fix me up with a suitable first aid kit on the assumption some things might be hard to come by in the event.

[dunl]

I've only been twice, and can't add anything except the following:

-treat your staff that wait on you with simple kindness, and they will treat you like gold. Seriously. Learn how to say small things like "hello", "thank you", "how are you" in Spanish, and if you see regulars, learn their names. They deal with enough tourist that treat them like **** that if they find someone who treats them like a real person trying to make a living for their family, they sincerely appreciate it. And if you make an effort to learn some Spanish, they appreciate you took the time to do so.
- we hit the $1 toiletries section at Walmart, to leave for the room staff each morning. A couple each morning and the room was tip top shape every time.
- We saw reviews for the resort online that talked about the place being run down, peeling paint, etc. I'm originally from PEI.....we were there 5 minutes and realized all the bad reviews about the condition of things were the normal things you find in a saltwater environment. Yes, there were lots of things rusted, peeling paint, etc, BUT we constantly were seeing work crews out fixing things non-stop. Peeling paint? Yes. Probably painted once or twice per year? Also yes. So take that for what it is worth.

Last point, and I think it is a good one.....take fishing supplies. LOTS OF SUPPLIES. I went to Walmart and bought the clearance stuff that I could find....I took three $15 rod/reel sets,,,,put the reels in my suitcase and the rods in an ABS tube capped on both ends, cost me another $10 at the time. Spools of fishing line, and all kinds of hooks, sinkers, and lures.

NONE OF THIS CAN BE BOUGHT IN CUBA.

Customs at the airport look at the tube carry-on, and motioned questioningly if I was going fishing with a casting motion. I said yes and got a thumbs up.

I did a little fishing here and there, and then passed it all off to one of my favorite ladies at the resort who I got to know, who had mentioned that her son and husband go out fishing every day to support the family while she works. They use string wrapped around a tin can, with a bent nail for a hook. So those supplies are like gold. I gave it to her for free, and she still brought me bottles of rum in return.

Last note: a little tip to the chef at breakfast and he might find you some shrimp or raw fish to use for bait.

Hope that helps.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by dunl

I've only been twice, and can't add anything except the following:

-treat your staff that wait on you with simple kindness, and they will treat you like gold. Seriously. Learn how to say small things like "hello", "thank you", "how are you" in Spanish, and if you see regulars, learn their names. They deal with enough tourist that treat them like **** that if they find someone who treats them like a real person trying to make a living for their family, they sincerely appreciate it. And if you make an effort to learn some Spanish, they appreciate you took the time to do so.
- we hit the $1 toiletries section at Walmart, to leave for the room staff each morning. A couple each morning and the room was tip top shape every time.
- We saw reviews for the resort online that talked about the place being run down, peeling paint, etc. I'm originally from PEI.....we were there 5 minutes and realized all the bad reviews about the condition of things were the normal things you find in a saltwater environment. Yes, there were lots of things rusted, peeling paint, etc, BUT we constantly were seeing work crews out fixing things non-stop. Peeling paint? Yes. Probably painted once or twice per year? Also yes. So take that for what it is worth.

Last point, and I think it is a good one.....take fishing supplies. LOTS OF SUPPLIES. I went to Walmart and bought the clearance stuff that I could find....I took three $15 rod/reel sets,,,,put the reels in my suitcase and the rods in an ABS tube capped on both ends, cost me another $10 at the time. Spools of fishing line, and all kinds of hooks, sinkers, and lures.

NONE OF THIS CAN BE BOUGHT IN CUBA.

Customs at the airport look at the tube carry-on, and motioned questioningly if I was going fishing with a casting motion. I said yes and got a thumbs up.

I did a little fishing here and there, and then passed it all off to one of my favorite ladies at the resort who I got to know, who had mentioned that her son and husband go out fishing every day to support the family while she works. They use string wrapped around a tin can, with a bent nail for a hook. So those supplies are like gold. I gave it to her for free, and she still brought me bottles of rum in return.

Last note: a little tip to the chef at breakfast and he might find you some shrimp or raw fish to use for bait.

Hope that helps.

Unlike other countries, the service people in Cuba are very possibly some of the most educated in the country, it's a privileged status that gives them access to real money , not the pittance in pesos the government would otherwise pay them . Our hotel had a doc turned gardener, one of my tour guides was an engineer, trained and worked in East Germany, another spoke Italian, besides English and Spanish.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

Unlike other countries, the service people in Cuba are very possibly some of the most educated in the country, it's a privileged status that gives them access to real money , not the pittance in pesos the government would otherwise pay them . Our hotel had a doc turned gardener, one of my tour guides was an engineer, trained and worked in East Germany, another spoke Italian, besides English and Spanish.

I had a few chats with a bartender at our resort, he told me that as a doctor he was paid the equivalent of $40 per month, but as a bartender, he could easily make ten times that in tips.

[Sporty]

Originally Posted by dunl

I've only been twice, and can't add anything except the following:

-treat your staff that wait on you with simple kindness, and they will treat you like gold. Seriously. Learn how to say small things like "hello", "thank you", "how are you" in Spanish, and if you see regulars, learn their names. They deal with enough tourist that treat them like **** that if they find someone who treats them like a real person trying to make a living for their family, they sincerely appreciate it. And if you make an effort to learn some Spanish, they appreciate you took the time to do so.
-

This! When I went to Cuba, I was disgusted how the tourists treated the locals. Ironically, the worst were were of the French speaking persuasion.

When traveling, realize that you're a guest in their country so treat them with the same respect you'd expect here at home.

If you go to Havana, know that the begging is wild. Out of every country I'd been, Havana was the worst for begging when out and about. If you happen to take "gifts", donate them to a local church.

Resort staff doesn't want gifts, they want pesos to purchase what they need/want. We took items that were needed to Saint Elvira Church in Varadaro. Things like school supplies and children's over the counter medicines like children/baby Tylenol. A former priest of the church was from Canada and he used to run a program that distributed these items to communities away from the tourist zones, and that was carried on after his death.

I read about taking condiments before going the first time and was sorry that I didn't take that advice. Absolutely true and you'd be shocked at how thankful you'd be finding a little forgotten about black pepper packet in your pocket after a few days of eating. Cuba doesn't have black pepper, at least they didn't the last time I went.

[KGB]

I honestly don’t understand why would anybody go to Cuba these days. There are plenty of other places and islands where you can actually enjoy yourself without worrying about food and diarrhea… Cuba used to be cheap to go compared to other places but not anymore. So what’s the point?

[JD848]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

They're called sand fleas, common on the beach after dark, they bite legs. Me after a dusk stroll to see the sun set on the ocean. Luckily, my daughter in law had prepared me a suitable first aid kit.

You went on holiday to get those bug bites, been there once and I wore long pants after seeing a guys legs on my first day .Was going 6 days ,lasted 36 hours and scored a ticket on out,no return.

Looks like your having ball ,bet you can't wait for the next return trip .

[tranq78]

Originally Posted by KGB

I honestly don’t understand why would anybody go to Cuba these days. There are plenty of other places and islands where you can actually enjoy yourself without worrying about food and diarrhea… Cuba used to be cheap to go compared to other places but not anymore. So what’s the point?

From the discussion in this thread, going to Cuba sounds like a lot of work so I think I'm with you on this. I've never been vacationing to Cuba. My father fled communism and my grandfather fought communism. So it's a personal thing with me. Everyone's mileage will vary so I don't judge anyone that goes.

Maybe the OP needs to have his g/f take him to Taiwan like he mentioned in his post. Taiwan just had a big earthquake so the place is going to be quite stable now that the tectonic fault line has been relieved. Plus Taiwan has nice weather, good food, people are pleasant, you can go about freely without worry about being robbed and it's quite cheap as local wages are quite a bit lower vs. Canada.

My oldest just spent 9 months in Taiwan and loved it. We went there for 2 weeks in Feb 2024 to pick him up and we had a great time.

[KGB]

Originally Posted by tranq78

From the discussion in this thread, going to Cuba sounds like a lot of work so I think I'm with you on this. I've never been vacationing to Cuba. My father fled communism and my grandfather fought communism. So it's a personal thing with me. Everyone's mileage will vary so I don't judge anyone that goes.

Maybe the OP needs to have his g/f take him to Taiwan like he mentioned in his post. Taiwan just had a big earthquake so the place is going to be quite stable now that the tectonic fault line has been relieved. Plus Taiwan has nice weather, good food, people are pleasant, you can go about freely without worry about being robbed and it's quite cheap as local wages are quite a bit lower vs. Canada.

My oldest just spent 9 months in Taiwan and loved it. We went there for 2 weeks in Feb 2024 to pick him up and we had a great time.

Funny you mentioned that! I fled communism, my father was a communist( not because he wanted to be but because he had to be in order to advance on his job) and his father spent 20 wonderful years in GULAG….
WE WENT to Cuba in 2015 and this was first and last time! Everything reminded us of the good old Soviet days, lol! Was it worth it to go? I would say yes especially to show our kid how it was back in the 80s….

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by KGB

Funny you mentioned that! I fled communism, my father was a communist( not because he wanted to be but because he had to be in order to advance on his job) and his father spent 20 wonderful years in GULAG….
WE WENT to Cuba in 2015 and this was first and last time! Everything reminded us of the good old Soviet days, lol! Was it worth it to go? I would say yes especially to show our kid how it was back in the 80s….

My interests lie in history and politics, Cuba is the closest thing to North Korea a guy can visit and come home on schedule.

[KGB]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

My interests lie in history and politics, Cuba is the closest thing to North Korea a guy can visit and come home on schedule.

Not always, lol! My daughter and her boyfriend went to Cuba about 7 years ago, he calls us from the airport saying that she was detained and taken away by the border guards…. We almost crapped our pants! They let her go after an hour of questioning…. They were questioning her because in her Canadian passport the place of birth says Israel…. Yes she was born there and left when she was 2 months old….Havent been there since… Idiots though she is a spy?