CUBA

HAVANA CUBA: We left our five kids with grandma and we went to Havana for just a short four day anniversary trip. I learned so much from this group BEFORE going so thank you. We are glad we knew that our credit cards would NOT work in Cuba and that we could not withdraw money either (we have USA and Swiss banking cards and none of them were accepted) We flew direct Newark New Jersey (USA) airport to Havana and we had no visa issues (we are Swiss and USA passport holders). I ordered a visa online (you receive it blank before going) and they didn't collect it until we left Cuba. Most people I know even buy the visa page at the airport, but I didn't want any hiccups so paid a little more to have it ahead of time. There's always a lot of info out there about embargo and limits, but after talking to all the local people in Cuba, it's not as complicated as it seems to be. We went into the country under 'support the Cuban people' when they checked us in at EWR airport, they just glanced at our empty visa page (separate from our passport, not attached), and logged that into the computer on the United Airlines side. Nobody in the USA or in Havana asked for any supporting documents to show we would indeed go to 'support the Cuban people' i.e. tours booked, humanitarian plan etc even though I did have those ready. I researched some Cuba travel companies online and I thought I had to have a company plan everything for me or else it wouldn't "pass" the visa test, but when I spoke to my airbnb host Maylin (a lovely person) she said I really wouldn't have an issue getting into the country and she was right. There are no issues in Cuba for receiving tourists (they want the business) so all the limits come from the USA side. We booked an airbnb (I'll add link in comment) because we understood that foreigners cannot stay in the hotels there (I actually never did end up asking about this when in Cuba) and I picked one based on location (right in the heart of Old Havana and we LOVED it) and because of all the reviews and high ratings. The best part is that it overlooked the Plaza Vieja and had loads of restaurants in the area so we could walk to everything. Maylin was a huge help before we left for our trip, answering all my questions and I believe we paid about 100 USD/night, and it's just a basic apartment but there was air-conditioning and a clean bathroom and we were overlooking the square so it was super fun for people watching. Our two highlights was an all-day trip to Vinales Valley which we loved and I booked this ahead of time on airbnb experiences, and we chose it again on ratings, it's 3 hours away in one of those old cars with aircon which is a plus, and it was a full day and we learned so much from our guide Thomas about Cuba, how the government works, how the tourism industry has been affected by the end of the cruise ships coming in, how the local market works, why the prices/cost of living is so challenging for locals, etc. We loved seeing the tobacco farm, plantation of other local fruits/veggies, coffee beans growing, horse-back ride, boat ride through a cave etc. We had a few other stops and a super local lunch that had so many local dishes. We also booked an Airbnb experience called 'Biking food tour' and that was in Havana and was also a highlight because we love trying local street food and biking and it was an awesome way to see the city plus our guide Abdiel had local Latin music playing which added a lot of ambience. It really helped to book these ahead of time so I could pay on my credit card through airbnb and I didn't have to have the cash equivalent in the country. It took us awhile to realize that they operate in TWO currencies, the Cuban dollar (CUC) which is more or less equivalent to the US dollar but you lose anywhere between 10-15 percent of the value when you convert USD to CUC, so we learned that you don't get hit with the loss when you bring in Euros instead which we had on hand. There's this local money (Cuban Peso) that is equal to 24 CUP to one US dollar (or there about) so you will want to check when you pay, but we hardly used the second one except for buying some local drinks and snacks. We also spent a couple hours at Santa Maria beach only a 30 min ride by taxi and super relaxing, we would have loved to go to the famous Varadero beach but we didn't have another two hours back and forth to travel there. It was a great experience, a beautiful country, and most importantly, we were really touched by the kindness and warmth of the people. The culture reminded me a lot of my own culture (the Philippines)and I felt right at home there.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18386427?source_impression_id=p3_1570726151_OvHdGPVE45t3n15N


https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/258176

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/223054?adults=1&source=p2