I would like to travel from the US to Cuba in december. Does anyone have any good travel advice?

Question

I am specifically looking for good travel companies to book through and any good suggestions on where to stay. I am interested in mid-level places. Preferably in the Havana area.

Answer 1

My brother works in Tourism there ,the hotels they qualify as 4 stars are not even 2 star to US standars , due to the US embargo there are no companies in the US to book any package to travel to Cuba... It is punishable by law to spend US dollars on vacation packages to Cuba for a US citizen or resident.
Use this website from Canada instead if you are really interested into travelling there,
http://www.searstravel.ca/sts/home.do
To flight over there you will need to do it from a third country if you do plan on travelling without the Us permit to go there: Mexico City, Cancun , Bahamas, Jamaica , they all can be used to go to Cuba.

Hotels you might try in Havana City with decent accomodations are mostly located in Old Havana which is the best part to see in Havana
Telegrafo Hotel
NH Parque Central Hotel
Santa Isabel Hotel

You can also use a website that I used myself, this one is directly from Cuba:

http://vacacionartravel.com/default.asp

And yes you might think that not drinking the water may be a joke or not polite , but is true , buy bottle water , there is plenty over there, do not bring US bank Credit cards as they will not be accepted there for the same reason I gave at the beguining of my answer, US embargo. bring cash , and be ready to drop 20% of every US dollar you spend there , as there is a new law in Cuba since 2004 which charges a 10 % penalty to every us dollar and a 10% tax.

Answer 2

Stay in the hotels, you would get a better stay there. I do not suggest drinking the water straight from the tap though. I myself am a student of a university in Cuba, stayed in Havana a few months b4 i went to other areas and there is a lot of cases of stomach flu, worms and other "bathroom problems". If you are going to experience Cuba, do not stay in Havana, there is a lot more to see. Tips for Cuba: they would scam you of your dollar, so be smart. And as the lady said above, US based credit cards are not accepted. I use a caribbean based visa credit card. The best advise for the US dollar is to change it to Euros then on the airport in Cuba change the euros to pesos. Also, don't forget to hold on tight to your belongings. Things that are not readily available to them (eg. american products) they would probably want. Enjoy!!

Answer 3

US citizens can travel to Cuba. Shouldnt be a problem for tourism purposes. There are no flights to Cuba from any part of the United States. You must make your way to Canada or Mexico first in order to get to Cuba.

Answer 4

if you are planning on going through Canada a good company to book through is Selloff Vacations, they handle all the major Canadian travel wholesalers, Transat, Sunwing, signature Tours etc. Check the offerings on their web site, then you can look at the reviews on trip Advisor. Enjoy Cuba, it's wonderful. By the way, you can drink the water straight from the tap although most resorts will provide free bottled water and the beer and rum are great.

Answer 5

if you are an American citizen it is illegal for you to travel to Cuba......you do know that, right?

Cuba has been embargoed by the US since 1962....whether there is a conservative Republican or a liberal Democrat in the White House, ALL have seen something bad about American citizens spending money in a dictatorship......a dictatorship where thousands of Cubans have risked death tubing across the Florida Straights rather than live in tyranny..

so why would you want to go there?

Now some Americans sneak in via Mexico or Canada.....and if you are caught coming back, you are in a world of trouble

Answer 6

dont drink the water