going to CUBA- your input required asap--Havana or Varadero

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I am thinking of going to Cuba end of August for 7 days.
Should I stay in Havana or Vara. I plan to stay in a 4.5-5 star.

Vara is 1.5-2 hours away from Havana.

I favor Havana due to more to see and do.
I am not a type that likes to sit on a beach all day.

I read there are some small decent beaches close to Havana.
I also want to go on the Jeep tour, that looks fun.

Anyone suggest a good guide book (got one to loan), start reading before I go.
I am presuming Chapters sell them in store I can get one.

Please let me know your thoughts and experiences.
Feel free to PM me also.

Thx
 
If you're after a more cultural experience, go to Havana. Very cool city! Lots of hustlers though. Varedero has better beaches, and a more laid back vibe. The best beaches are along the cosway. The jeep tour is ok, but nothing to write home about. We had a better experience renting a jeep from a local, and driving where we wanted to. No schedule that way. Cuda fishing is decent too! Enjoy!
 
Havana all the way!

Varadaro is only for tourists, even the Cubans are not allowed past a certain point if they don't work for a hotel.
 
Ok, thanks for the info thus far, that was the general theme I read on a few sites.
There is a Jeep tour they take you to the caves to swim and also the catamaran boat trip.

keep the feedback coming

and tips etc...
 
pack some patience.

The last time I was there (granted a few years ago, so maybe things have improved), the airport/customs were an absolute nightmare.
 
Oh yeah, I almost missed one flight back (late 90s) and he did.

They took my bf to be a local who was trying to defect! That was a nightmare.
 
I've never had customs issues, but, I'm white as a ghost!!

I went on a similar jeep tour that you speak of. The cave is very cool, but packed with tourists...hard to even jump in the fresh water pool at the bottom, without clipping peeps! I found it to be terrible. The catamaran ride is fun. The jeep drive is boring. They advertise it as "offroad" The offroad portion was gravel roads.....It's a fun day overall, very touristy. My wife loved it!

It's a lot less busy in the summer. I've been there all times of the year, and summer is the best.
 
MNSTR said:
I've never had customs issues, but, I'm white as a ghost!!

I went on a similar jeep tour that you speak of. The cave is very cool, but packed with tourists...hard to even jump in the fresh water pool at the bottom, without clipping peeps! I found it to be terrible. The catamaran ride is fun. The jeep drive is boring. They advertise it as "offroad" The offroad portion was gravel roads.....It's a fun day overall, very touristy. My wife loved it!

It's a lot less busy in the summer. I've been there all times of the year, and summer is the best.
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awesome, thx
 
MNSTR said:
I've never had customs issues, but, I'm white as a ghost!
Click to expand...

As am I, just to clarify - it wasn't a 'me' issue. Crazy long lines, slow processing, vague 'you need to be in this line for x, that one for y' - that kind of thing. Granted I was travelling with my autistic son, so travel days are always an ordeal and I was on edge to start with.
 
Been to both ..

Vara is alot more quiet and no one bugs you as a tourist.
Havana is quite the opposite and before you even get off the bus, they are banging on the doors and windows for money etc.

Jeep tour is cool depending on your guide. Since we were the only jeep booked in that day, he took us off the usual tourist'isty roads and into the little towns and villages.
That was something to see how the regular folk lived and survive. We got to go into one persons house and got to learn the truth behind how the government controls them.

Fly the canadian flag on an article of clothing and many cubans will come up and talk about Canada. Not so much if you have the red/white and blue .. lol.
Cuban food for the most part is really good. Choose your resort wisely and look up the reviews on it via trip advisor.
 
If you didn't already know, check out the lonely planet discussion forum called Thorntree - I use it for all my non-moto travels and you can access it on your phone which makes it the most up to date resource. It's free
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-cuba/cuba

This website also looks useful: http://www.cuba-junky.com/

When I went there it was 2006 and before the easing of US restrictions and when Raul was just taking over, so I don't know how things have changed since. I went to my local dollar store and bought a lot of stuff with canadian flags on them - things like pens, pencils, erasers, mini flags, playing cards, and even frisbee's and socks and more. I went to a local community school in Havana and gave them to the teachers who gave them to the students. I also gave any old or extra prescription or non-prescription meds to a local medical clinic there, because some of the more coon stuff like tylenols and advils were harder to come by than the serious meds. I brought all my old t-shirts, shorts and jeans that I never wear anymore and gave them away to people who worked in the places I stayed - they were very appreciative of it.

By doing all this, I had made a lot of empty room in my luggage and was able to bring back some pretty cool things from the markets there including many types of cigars of which I smoked a lot and sold a bunch.

I really liked both Havana and Varadero. Get out on a catamaran tour if you can of the islands - that was some serious fun times with a huge beach party on some smaller island.
If I was going alone, I would stay in Havana and maybe do a day trip or overnighter to Varadero.
If I was going with others, I would likely stay in Varadero and do a few nights in Havana
 
There are quite a few different jeep tours and a motorcycle tour company there now. I like varadero , since you are only 2hrs from Havana, but i also like the ocean. The catamaran sails are a bit of a joke, they dont really 'sail' , they motor around with a sail up, I wouldnt bother again with one. Could you do a split, couple days in varadero and a couple days in Havana?
 
If you can find them take bicycles usually airline won't charge you and they are like gold to the kids and adults.

I spent a lot time down there and it's gotten better but that's nowhere near how good we have it.

Find it funny I'm a type 1 diabetic and when in Cuba I eat a ton of rice and other carbs and also drink regular pop yet I have to turn my insulin pump off says something about what we do to our food up here.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk
 
MNSTR said:
If you're after a more cultural experience, go to Havana. Very cool city! Lots of hustlers though. Varedero has better beaches, and a more laid back vibe. The best beaches are along the cosway. The jeep tour is ok, but nothing to write home about. We had a better experience renting a jeep from a local, and driving where we wanted to. No schedule that way. Cuda fishing is decent too! Enjoy!
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+ 1

OP - We got back about a month ago. Some of the warmest water my wife and I have ever swam in. Had to swim around to find cool spots. No joke. Varadero is quieter and safe (someone mentioned above the locals can't pass certain "check-points" unless they work on a resort).

We ended up taking a day trip to Havana through Sunwing. You'll be out for almost a full day but it was worth it. It's pretty safe since you're with a tour guide and in our case about 25 other people.
 
I'm going to try and save you some headaches.

As romantic and awesome as it sounds to be in the "real City" Havana is just a pain in the ***. Busy, you get hassled every min and even the city where the tourists normally visit is painted and manicured as an attraction and not the reality of how people live.

I have been in cuba many times with the last time being last year. if I was you, I would stay in Varadero, arrange to rent a private vehicle (forget about cabs or tours) and go explore on your own.

Best hotel I have stayed and only one that actually had "really" good food (and this is something I wouldn't say about any other hotel in cuba) is
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Re...Americas-Varadero_Matanzas_Province_Cuba.html
 
As has been mentioned, book in Varadero and spend a few days in Havana.

No need for a tour guide in my experience, it's easy and safe to explore on your own.
 
Make sure you consider Zika and the risk it may pose to pregnant travelers and/or couples that plan to become pregnant soon.

Not trying to be a dick, just puttin' it out there; Cuba's on the list of countries where active transmission has been seen.
 
Just don't **** any mosquitoes and you will be fine
 
Do they have tours around the area where America lost the invasion?
 
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