Vacations and World Travel Visiting our beautiful city? Come stay at the Arbutus Vista - Vancouver's Bed & Breakfast.
How was your trip? Which tour packages would you recommend/avoid? Must do's and must eats? Share tips, photos and experiences with other senior RS members who just want to get away.. |
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01-07-2009, 07:40 PM
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#1 | | Official Texas Ambassador
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,333
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| Cuba
Since I'm leaving for Cuba soon I'm wondering if anyone recommends me hitting anywhere up? Where should I stay away from? Anyone?
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01-07-2009, 07:43 PM
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#2 | | Tech Team Mod
Join Date: Dec 2001
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I've been to Cuba and was in the Hoguin area. Where area are you in?
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01-07-2009, 10:56 PM
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#3 | | Willing to sell body for a few minutes on RS
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Cloverdale
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When you step outside the airport look out for the guys trying to carry your bags to the bus assuming your in Varadero and taking a bus to a resort. They'll just grab them so hang on to your bag and tell them to fuck off or if you want to be nice just say no I got it.
I really liked Cuba as far as a nice place but I hated the food so much that I will never ever go back. I am a picky eater (no seafood for me) so this effected what I could eat a lot. Havana is pretty cool to check out but the poverty in general is fairly depressing. If you do go to Havana go with a tour and do not venture off to far on your own. I know one of the groups I was in there was a guy who had his 3 year old son with him who wandered into the wrong store. They basically roughed him up and forced him to buy some counterfeit cigars before they would let him leave. That was a one off though I didn't really feel unsafe or anything on any part of my trip, the army and there machine guns are very visible.
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The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I donīt care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. Thatīs how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. - Rocky Balboa
Last edited by quasi; 01-07-2009 at 11:00 PM.
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01-07-2009, 11:08 PM
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#4 | | Official Texas Ambassador
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,333
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Varadero for me. And it sounds like Mexico so yea. I can understand wher eyou're coming from here
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01-08-2009, 07:22 AM
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#5 | | Willing to sell body for a few minutes on RS
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Cloverdale
Posts: 11,533
Thanked 3,731 Times in 1,322 Posts
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Where you planning on staying? I stayed at Beaches which was pronounced [Bitches] by the locals which for some stupid reason made me laugh everytime. Welcome to bitches.
__________________
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I donīt care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. Thatīs how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. - Rocky Balboa | |
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01-08-2009, 08:06 AM
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#6 | | Proud to be called a RS Regular!
Join Date: May 2005 Location: Vancouver
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Varadero. I stayed at the Barcelo Solymar, all inclusive. Take a trip to Havana. It is a nice place where you can see Old Havana and New Havana. The cigars can be bought at your hotel. For foreign exchange, there should be foreign exchange place/store in your hotel. The hotel will also do foreign exchange but will charge a bit more.
Lastly, save 25 CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) as you will need this to leave the country. Also, the airport has government Cigar stores and liquour stores.
Have a good time.
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01-08-2009, 11:11 AM
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#7 | | My homepage has been set to RS
Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 2,385
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If you leave the resort, make sure you ASK FOR THE MENU BEFORE YOU ORDER ANYTHING. F*cking commies charged me and the gf 30 CUC for a shitty meal and 1 beer at a restaurant in Varadero city.
Take the bus from the airport to the hotel. Taxis will rip you off.
Make sure you bring all the cash you will need. There is no ATM or CC capacity anywhere in Cuba. And BTW, Cuba isn't cheap since they make foreigners use the CUC. Whatever you think you will spend, bring 2X that amount.
Bring CDN. The USD exchange rate is horrible and subject to a 10% penalty or something like that.
Damn, Varadero has one of the world's best beaches, but the country is definitely a POS. That's what they get after 50 years of unrepentant communism!
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01-09-2009, 03:11 AM
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#8 | | Official Texas Ambassador
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,333
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Can I use straight up CDN? Or do I have to exchange to CUC at a rate of 1 to 1.31CUC?
Even the Euro which is currently (approx) 1 to 1.6CND is 1 to 1.28CUC
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01-09-2009, 07:35 AM
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#9 | | Willing to sell body for a few minutes on RS
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Cloverdale
Posts: 11,533
Thanked 3,731 Times in 1,322 Posts
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I used USD the whole time I was there when I went about 4 years ago.
__________________
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I donīt care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. Thatīs how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. - Rocky Balboa | |
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01-10-2009, 04:35 PM
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#10 | | My homepage has been set to RS
Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Vancouver
Posts: 2,385
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| Quote:
Originally Posted by Los Bastardo  Can I use straight up CDN? Or do I have to exchange to CUC at a rate of 1 to 1.31CUC?
Even the Euro which is currently (approx) 1 to 1.6CND is 1 to 1.28CUC | You have to exchange at the airport once you land.
This currency issue is the biggest joke ever. It's basically a foreign reserve money grab by the Cuban government. I not visiting Cuba again until they change the Castro's for someone else.
And the USD penalty was implemented recently re: Quasi's post above.
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