Cuba for honeymoon in September - need information
- Thread starter boris
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redchariot
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Cuba is a great destination but I am not sure what it would be like for a honeymoon though.
My first piece of advice is to avoid booking a package deal as you would almost certainly end up in Varadero which while is a really nice resort, you do not see the real Cuba. By all means spend a few days there if you want to have some relaxing beach time but do not go to Cuba for the beach alone, otherwise you would be far better going somewhere like the Bahamas or St Lucia.
We were in Cuba almost 3 years ago; flew with Air France whom I would highly recommend.
You need to have at least 3 nights accommodation booked before travel or otherwise Immigration will book it for you at an hefty mark up fee.
You need to obtain a tourist card (basically a visa) prior to travel; you can get this at the Cuban consulate off the Adelaide Road in Dublin.
Would definitely recommend hiring a car to travel around the island; best way to see the country.
Places to I would recommend you go to:
One last thing, Cuban food generally is quite poor even in the top resorts. From what I hear, it has not improved since we were there. You will find the odd good restaurant if you really look particularly pizza places.
If you have any more questions, send me a message and I will be happy to help
My first piece of advice is to avoid booking a package deal as you would almost certainly end up in Varadero which while is a really nice resort, you do not see the real Cuba. By all means spend a few days there if you want to have some relaxing beach time but do not go to Cuba for the beach alone, otherwise you would be far better going somewhere like the Bahamas or St Lucia.
We were in Cuba almost 3 years ago; flew with Air France whom I would highly recommend.
You need to have at least 3 nights accommodation booked before travel or otherwise Immigration will book it for you at an hefty mark up fee.
You need to obtain a tourist card (basically a visa) prior to travel; you can get this at the Cuban consulate off the Adelaide Road in Dublin.
Would definitely recommend hiring a car to travel around the island; best way to see the country.
Places to I would recommend you go to:
- Havana - Old city
- Trinidad
- Vinales
- Varadero (if you are looking for a beach stay)
One last thing, Cuban food generally is quite poor even in the top resorts. From what I hear, it has not improved since we were there. You will find the odd good restaurant if you really look particularly pizza places.
If you have any more questions, send me a message and I will be happy to help
newbuild05
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hi boris
we were in cuba in january for our honeymoon and loved it. great place people are really nice.
We did the real touristy thing and booked up a package deal stayed 3 night in havana and 10 night in varadero ( princess del mar).
We stayed in havana for our first 3 nights so we had 2 days should have really stayed another day to get everything in but we really enjoyed our time there, we took a trip in the vintage cars which was a tour of the city and all its landmarks in an old vintage car with our own tour rep in the front, we loved it. had a great time walking around the markets, gets very hot though.THe hotel we stayed in was the saratoga, really nice but poor service for a 5*, apparently the praque central has better service and just as nice, both have roof pools which give a great view of the city and they are both excellently located, we were just across the road from the capitol building.
Really enjoyed the 10 days at the beach resort, there are loads of day trips that you could go on or if like us you just wanted to chill out by the pool you can, after all the rushing of xmas then the wedding and then the parties after the wedding we were both wrecked so to be able to relax and have somebody wait hand on foot for you was great. it was our first time all inclusive and well worth it, food at the hotel was lovely
We went to one resturant in havanna that was really nice los nardos i think it was called, have to q with all the locals but well worth it, it is situated across from the capitol building
the temp when we went out was in about 25 but our tour rep reckons it gets up to 36 in the summer with no air???? so you might want to check that out cause that could make it very uncomfortable out there
if you hae any more questions pm me
regards NB05
we were in cuba in january for our honeymoon and loved it. great place people are really nice.
We did the real touristy thing and booked up a package deal stayed 3 night in havana and 10 night in varadero ( princess del mar).
We stayed in havana for our first 3 nights so we had 2 days should have really stayed another day to get everything in but we really enjoyed our time there, we took a trip in the vintage cars which was a tour of the city and all its landmarks in an old vintage car with our own tour rep in the front, we loved it. had a great time walking around the markets, gets very hot though.THe hotel we stayed in was the saratoga, really nice but poor service for a 5*, apparently the praque central has better service and just as nice, both have roof pools which give a great view of the city and they are both excellently located, we were just across the road from the capitol building.
Really enjoyed the 10 days at the beach resort, there are loads of day trips that you could go on or if like us you just wanted to chill out by the pool you can, after all the rushing of xmas then the wedding and then the parties after the wedding we were both wrecked so to be able to relax and have somebody wait hand on foot for you was great. it was our first time all inclusive and well worth it, food at the hotel was lovely
We went to one resturant in havanna that was really nice los nardos i think it was called, have to q with all the locals but well worth it, it is situated across from the capitol building
the temp when we went out was in about 25 but our tour rep reckons it gets up to 36 in the summer with no air???? so you might want to check that out cause that could make it very uncomfortable out there
if you hae any more questions pm me
regards NB05
newbuild05
Registered User
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we booked it through the holiday place in london had to arrange our own flight to london. we found it was cheaper than booking it through an irish travel agent.
We went on honeymoon there in September. I would reiterate what previous posters have said about trying to book more independent means of travel and hiring a car. We didn't and I regret it. We booked through Tropical Places. 4 nights in Havana at the Parque Central hotel and 7 nights in Breezes Jibacoa which got great ratings on Tripadvisor. Parque Central is probably the best hotel in Havana. Bear in mind that September in Cuba is pretty much peak hurricane season. We really wanted to go there so we didn't let this dissuade us. As it turned out we lost 2 full days out of 11 to a hurricane but it was an interesting experience! Glad it wasn't for longer though.
We stayed in Breezes in Jibacoa as I didn't want to go to Varadero as felt we didn't want to travel all that way just to go to a tourist town which could be anywhere. It probably didn't make a huge difference except that we felt pretty restricted in terms of what we could and couldn't do and tended to feel we had to stay at the resort (which was all inclusive).
If i were you I'd do as much research and planning as possible and try to work out routes, places to stay etc. We just didn't have time to do this in the run up to our wedding as we decided relatively late that we wanted to go. I wouldn't rule out the beach thing and all-inclusive hotels for a few days but 4 would really suffice. It's very relaxing but can begin to get a little boring after a few days.
Other points: I found the heat in Havana almost unbearable during the day - try and work out what you want to see on a day by day basis before leaving your hotel as the heat saps your energy so much that you can only spend a few hours in it before returning to the air-conditioned environs of the hotel.
They have dual currency in Cuba - one currency for themselves and one for tourists. Don't be fooled into using the tourist only currency or you will end up paying a few hundred per cent more than locals.
The food is pretty abysmal but is better in the top class places.
We flew with Air France and were upgraded because we were on honeymoon. It made a huge difference as it's a long flight.
We stayed in Breezes in Jibacoa as I didn't want to go to Varadero as felt we didn't want to travel all that way just to go to a tourist town which could be anywhere. It probably didn't make a huge difference except that we felt pretty restricted in terms of what we could and couldn't do and tended to feel we had to stay at the resort (which was all inclusive).
If i were you I'd do as much research and planning as possible and try to work out routes, places to stay etc. We just didn't have time to do this in the run up to our wedding as we decided relatively late that we wanted to go. I wouldn't rule out the beach thing and all-inclusive hotels for a few days but 4 would really suffice. It's very relaxing but can begin to get a little boring after a few days.
Other points: I found the heat in Havana almost unbearable during the day - try and work out what you want to see on a day by day basis before leaving your hotel as the heat saps your energy so much that you can only spend a few hours in it before returning to the air-conditioned environs of the hotel.
They have dual currency in Cuba - one currency for themselves and one for tourists. Don't be fooled into using the tourist only currency or you will end up paying a few hundred per cent more than locals.
The food is pretty abysmal but is better in the top class places.
We flew with Air France and were upgraded because we were on honeymoon. It made a huge difference as it's a long flight.