Cuba help.

eclipse1966

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we stayed in Varadero and found that if weather was crappy not much to do (it rained 4 out of the 7 days we were there). Unfortunately Havana is a bit far to make short day trips as I could have spent more time there when it was raining.
 

thegeneral

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Varadero is awesome. Don't worry about leaving the resort, its SAFE. The steakhouse La barbacoa is probably the best meat availible anywhere. There is a chinese restaurant called Lai Lai and they have the better chinese food than I have ever had in Edmonton. We also always grab a cab down to the mall americas and grab a bunch of junk from the grocery store in there for our room. We have stayed in resorts that have all of the condiments and spices youd get at home but then we have stayed where there was nothing at all. Bring Ketchup and mustard at a minimum.
Best excursions IMO are 1. the jeep tour ( part of the tour you go on a river boat and lobster tails are $10 ea, very good quality
2. catamaran tour without the dolphin stop. Dinner is provided on a private island and you can buy extra lobster tails for cheap.
3. Sky diving! yeah it sounds crazy to think about it(lax safety regs) but its really worth it, you land on the beach at your resort
 

X-it

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Not sure why everyone is on about the food it is all included, sure it does not taste quite the same as here. But man it was awesome, ate like a king and lost 5 lbs..go figure. You would never get that food here so enjoy it while it last. You will be back to our crappy diets in no time.
 

thegeneral

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I've got the digestive system of a dump Gull so I love the Cuban food. But if you've never been to Cuba before it can be a real shock compared to the food at almost any other resort destination. (especially if you've been to a high end Mexican/Dominican resort)
If youre someone that tends to find the fault in every situation, please stay away from Cuba. I don't want to read your petty review of how bad Cuba is on Trip Advisor lol

Not sure why everyone is on about the food it is all included, sure it does not taste quite the same as here. But man it was awesome, ate like a king and lost 5 lbs..go figure. You would never get that food here so enjoy it while it last. You will be back to our crappy diets in no time.
 

the_real_wild1

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Because when food is supposed to hot and isn't every single day it sucks. When lobster is burnt to a black crisp on one side and a white liquid on the other it sucks. But I have it figured out that it really is luck of the draw for food there. Some get great food and others not. When we came back it made the news. Our flight and two to Ottawa had everyone sick for between a few days and a few weeks.
 

X-it

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Everyone in our group was complaining about the food to, no hamburgers, steaks and fries and all the other so called great food. Lots of fish, rice and beans
 
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the_real_wild1

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I figured out that they were doing fresh eggs the first morning so went that route the rest of the week. One thing I did find that people were friendly. But hate when people are always trying to sell you things. The big no no was buying fake cigars. I admit I got suckered. DONT DO IT. I cut them open when I got home and inside was total garbage. And the bathroom deal where they expect you to pay to use it or pay for toilet paper.
 

goodngrubby

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We got married on the beach at Breezes Jibacoa...halfway between veradero and Havana. Awesome resort, incredible food. The local cuisine in either town was brutal. The people don't have much, so as Arrf mentioned, they do appreciate the things we take for granted, such as gum, candy, and crayons. We found out the hard way that their medical system is far superior to our own....my mother had a dirty wreck involving a concrete wall and a scooter. Had an MRI and a CT scan done that afternoon. The locals are friendly...we walked around Havana at night, I felt safer there than I do in Red Deer after dark. You definitely want to stock up on Tylenol, Zantac, and other pharmacy items as they're hard to acquire down there. We had great weather for the two weeks we were there. Id go back again.
 

Bogger

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Ahhaaa.... I came home with the chits, you came home with a wife....

We got married on the beach at Breezes Jibacoa...halfway between veradero and Havana. Awesome resort, incredible food. The local cuisine in either town was brutal. The people don't have much, so as Arrf mentioned, they do appreciate the things we take for granted, such as gum, candy, and crayons. We found out the hard way that their medical system is far superior to our own....my mother had a dirty wreck involving a concrete wall and a scooter. Had an MRI and a CT scan done that afternoon. The locals are friendly...we walked around Havana at night, I felt safer there than I do in Red Deer after dark. You definitely want to stock up on Tylenol, Zantac, and other pharmacy items as they're hard to acquire down there. We had great weather for the two weeks we were there. Id go back again.
 

abiceman

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The only real good place I found was al Capones restaurant. It was a cooling house they used when someone had to leave town for a bit. Awesome view of the beach and the best lobster I ever had. Had the worst at the resort. Food sucked in most places
were did you stay Kieth , Nancy and I are going on feb. 7 to Varadero
 

the_real_wild1

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were did you stay Kieth , Nancy and I are going on feb. 7 to Varadero
Trying to remember the name of the place but we can't. It was in Varadero though. Did the tour to Havana which was ok. We also did the adventure tour where you take "Jeeps", "Speedboats", go diving and a couple other things. It wasn't that good, but does give you something to do for a day. I think you guys will probably enjoy it more then we did, but you will have to let me know how it is. We are doing Maui again in January.
 

007sevens

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Trying to remember the name of the place but we can't. It was in Varadero though. Did the tour to Havana which was ok. We also did the adventure tour where you take "Jeeps", "Speedboats", go diving and a couple other things. It wasn't that good, but does give you something to do for a day. I think you guys will probably enjoy it more then we did, but you will have to let me know how it is. We are doing Maui again in January.

We enjoyed Maui, I want to go back as well. It's the only place you can find two guys arguing in line to pay for gas about their president. :rolling:
 

jeepchic

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We went down for Christmas and New year's with our Kids. Was awesome. But if your a food critic don't go. They do cook a lot of rice and beans. Fish and chicken. Not a lot of potatoes beef or pork. They cook fairly un spiced but all in all we loved it as it was a different culture that we had a chance to experience.

The resort will exchange your Canadian fund's into the right currency for you with no problem. You can't exchange it back to Canadian so spend it there. Remember the fee to leave the country. Your resort should tell you that. We used a Canadian bank visa with no problems.

Take toilet paper and bottle water whenever you leave the resort. Do not expect toilet seats in any public washroom.

Go to both an import and export cigar factory for a tour they are very different and interesting! Even as a complete non smoker!

We Loved our trip. Is a very interesting culture being the government controls everything. Take a tour into a nearby town it is awesone the history.

Enjoy.
 

the_real_wild1

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I should add to what I said before. We didn't care for it but it is a trip a person should take once in their lives. While we won't go back I don't regret going at all. :beer:
 

TylerG

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We went down for Christmas and New year's with our Kids. Was awesome. But if your a food critic don't go. They do cook a lot of rice and beans. Fish and chicken. Not a lot of potatoes beef or pork. They cook fairly un spiced but all in all we loved it as it was a different culture that we had a chance to experience.

The resort will exchange your Canadian fund's into the right currency for you with no problem. You can't exchange it back to Canadian so spend it there. Remember the fee to leave the country. Your resort should tell you that. We used a Canadian bank visa with no problems.

Take toilet paper and bottle water whenever you leave the resort. Do not expect toilet seats in any public washroom.

Go to both an import and export cigar factory for a tour they are very different and interesting! Even as a complete non smoker!

We Loved our trip. Is a very interesting culture being the government controls everything. Take a tour into a nearby town it is awesone the history.

Enjoy.

sooooo what did your husband eat? Pretty sure he couldn't get a "plain bacon cheeseburger" down there ;)
 

TommyV

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For cigars, transportation, tours or anything ask the pool boys. They have all the connections. If you like diving go to the Bay of Pigs and dive the wall. It is a bus ride from the hotel to the other side of the island but worth the trip. Havana is a great day trip, we hired a guide so he did all the translations and security for us. Felt safe in Havana as long as you stay on main streets. It is a great holiday spot. We stayed at the Paradisius Varadaro. Place was clean but dated due to trade issues with USA. Food was probably the best I have ever eaten at an all inclusive. Service was firs class, I would go back.
 
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