CUBA

Hey everyone! We are going to Cuba and I'm a little overwhelmed with finding info
Mainly I'm now looking for recommendations on where to stay in Habana the first night (we get there at 4pm and will leave the next day to Viñales, so near a bus station would be ideal) and who's "casita" is good in Viñales :)
My email isdelfibrest@hotmail.com or I'm happy to read on here
Thanks!

Hey Delfi,

We booked all our lodging through Air BnB with great success, lots of choices and lots of information.  We flew into Havana, got a cab and gave the driver the address and he took us there.  Buses are notoriously unreliable, so we made all our travel plans with the Air BnB hosts; they all had connections and set everything up to get to our next destinations in shared taxis and vans.  The Climb Cuba website has some climber oriented suggestions for lodging,  but we stayed at other places which were all great.  Vinales is a pretty small town, so the climbing is very accessible from anywhere.

Cuba is a pretty unique place, and the climbing is spectacular, so you'll have a great time!  Be aware of a few things--No ATMS, so bring a bunch of cash, preferably Euros or Canadian dollars or British Sterling (American dollars have a 10% fee) and cell phones and internet are not easy to access, so don't count on easy communication.

Hope this helps, feel free to reach out for any other information.

Grant Kendrick 1 wrote: Hey Delfi,

We booked all our lodging through Air BnB with great success, lots of choices and lots of information.  We flew into Havana, got a cab and gave the driver the address and he took us there.  Buses are notoriously unreliable, so we made all our travel plans with the Air BnB hosts; they all had connections and set everything up to get to our next destinations in shared taxis and vans.  The Climb Cuba website has some climber oriented suggestions for lodging,  but we stayed at other places which were all great.  Vinales is a pretty small town, so the climbing is very accessible from anywhere.

Cuba is a pretty unique place, and the climbing is spectacular, so you'll have a great time!  Be aware of a few things--No ATMS, so bring a bunch of cash, preferably Euros or Canadian dollars or British Sterling (American dollars have a 10% fee) and cell phones and internet are not easy to access, so don't count on easy communication.

Hope this helps, feel free to reach out for any other information.

This is all such great info thank you so much!! 

Hi! I’d recommend bringing a water purification system as well. Unless things have changed since I was there in 2018, the tap water at the places I stayed (casa particulares) wasn't safe to drink per the locals. Bottled water was hard to find sometimes and expensive when we did find it. But maybe check with Airbnb host just to see what they say. When in doubt, just drink mojitos instead! 

Cuba is cash-only for US citizens, US credit cards do not work at all, not anywhere. You change money at your hotel, cash-to-cash. Plan on bringing clothing you can leave there for the locals. Many people who travel to Cuba leave clothing and personal items, and return with only the clothes on their backs. A steri-pen or similar is a handy water purification system. Bring all products you need, like batteries, comprehensive first aid and medicine kits, tape, chalk, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. Consumer items and medicine are very sparse in Cuba. For that reason, don't get hurt! They have amazing doctors, but few medical supplies. Save some Cuban cash for the airport exit fee, when leaving the country. Don't muss around with politics or do anything reckless, or that could be interpreted as anti-cuban, or that draws attention to you. They do keep an eye on vistors. Don't drink too much. Don't try and smuggle cigars or booze back into the US. Remember all service employees work for the state: taxis, hotels, restaurants (except the newer at-home style). They are hardly paid.

I traveled to Cuba last winter and here are some thoughts. Airbnb worked great for Havana. Every other house in Vinales is a casa particular so no worries there. The meals at our casa were by far the best food I had on the trip. Water was super tricky. Had to buy bottled and they became scarce and expensive after the new years. The mosquitos at some of the areas were insane. Costanera and the newer Palenque wall were the worst if I remember correctly. Bring lots of chalk. Hope this helps. Have fun!

Hugh Heinrich wrote: I traveled to Cuba last winter and here are some thoughts. Airbnb worked great for Havana. Every other house in Vinales is a casa particular so no worries there. The meals at our casa were by far the best food I had on the trip. Water was super tricky. Had to buy bottled and they became scarce and expensive after the new years. The mosquitos at some of the areas were insane. Costanera and the newer Palenque wall were the worst if I remember correctly. Bring lots of chalk. Hope this helps. Have fun!

Thank you so much! Do you remember the name of the casa particular family? Im sure they are all wonderful but would deffinitely prefer someones recommendation :)