ATM in Cuba how-to and what-if?
Can I use an ATM in Cuba? The answer to that question varies… But the short answer is ‘Don’t‘ And that’s a pure economic answer. If you use an ATM it will give you Pesos at the official rate of 1 USD for 24. And 1 USD on the street is about 4 times that […]
Dollars to Cuba?
If you want to send money to friends or family in Cuba see below. Do you take US Dollars to Cuba or exchange them before you go into another currency? Well, conventional wisdom states that, since there used to be a 10% penalty on the exchange Dollar/CUC you should win a few percentage points by […]
Why is Cuba so hard to understand?
To prove my point this post is written in Cuban Logic. If you get it you might want to try to get Cuba. We westerners draw the wrong conclusions about Cuba for several reasons: 1 Observation We tend to believe what we see. All travel guides describe in amazement how the Cuban disposable lighter repair […]
How to get around Havana?
This post explains the different ways to get from A to B in Havana. Havana is huge. A lot bigger than you think and walking is only an option if you want to limit yourself to the Old Town, Centro and Vedado. Here’s some more info about Havana, this post is about getting from A […]
Cuba Cheap
How to make Cuba Cheap Here are a few tricks to make Cuba cheap, although it will never become as cheap as Asia. Buy food at the market and preparing your meals will bring down prices of feeding yourself by 80%. Eat in MN restaurants and cafeterias. A meal for 1.50! Buy big 5 litre […]
Hostel or Hostal?
The concept ‘hostel’ is a bit confusing in Cuba. Basically there are 2 types of accommodation in Cuba: Hotels and Casas Particular. Hotels are state owned (at least 51% but let’s not get technical) and don’t live up to the international classification. Deduct at least one star for the real comfort level. So if you are […]
Things about Cuba you want to know before you go.
Things about Cuba you want to know before you take a plane: I’ve got a tough reality for you: Nothing that you know about Cuba is true. OK, I’ll admit, it is an island and they have a lot of old cars, but the rest of what you think you know??? Simply NOT true. (And […]
Rent a car
Last update April 2019 The second best way to explore Cuba is to rent a Car. If you want to rent a car, do so before you go. But you might want to read this post to the end (and our book) before you do so! Once in Cuba the agencies never have the car […]
Havana es Havana!
Havana: Nothing compares to it! Last update 12/2018 Some fun facts about Havana and a few must-sees just of the beaten track. The capital of Cuba is the biggest city in the Caribbean. ‘Havana es Havana’ say the Cubans, and it is hip and happening. The Old Lady is bent and bruised but just got […]
Hurricane season in Cuba
Officially the Cuban hurricane season starts at the first of June and ends the 30thof November. That’s 6 months. That does not mean you have hurricanes for 6 months a year but that there is a probability of a hurricane during those months. It’s not like the tulip season in Holland where you are sure […]