Royal Spa

Info on Cuba needed

S

sc dave

New member
Dec 23, 2003
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SW Ontario
Cuba
Looking for info on Cuba - Holguin in particular. Not hobbying, taking the wife too and she doesn't share

Heard that the Yankee $ isn't accepted anymore - do you tip in loonies & toonies?

Are there any excursions worth taking from the Holquin hotels that I'd have to take extra $$$'s?

What's the temperature like mid-January?

PM's or replys

Thanks in advance

Dave
 
sc dave said:
Cuba
Looking for info on Cuba - Holguin in particular. Not hobbying, taking the wife too and she doesn't share

Heard that the Yankee $ isn't accepted anymore - do you tip in loonies & toonies?

Are there any excursions worth taking from the Holquin hotels that I'd have to take extra $$$'s?

What's the temperature like mid-January?

PM's or replys

Thanks in advance

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi there,

I haven't been to Holguin in a few years but most resorts have many different trips that you can take; moped tours, shopping, safari etc. the cost differs as to what trip and the length of it. I enjoyed doing the moped tours to the different villages and meeting locals.

You are correct, Cuba no longer accepts the us dollar, they will only accept their peso now. I haven't been there since the change over. Apparently if you are wanting to exchange US for their peso's down there there is a heft surcharge now.

Hope this helps
 
I posted some pictures from Cuba in another thread. The Cuban peso is now the only currency that is accepted. You can change Canadian dollars at the resort.

This site is a great resource for travel information.
www.debbiescaribbeanresortreviews.com

Some of the resorts are in the tourist town, like Brisas Guardalavaca, and some are in the middle of nowhere. I stayed at Sol de Luna which is quite nice and about 5 Km from town. Rio Oro is an upscale resort that people on the bus back to the airport seemed to really like.
 
sc dave said:
Heard that the Yankee $ isn't accepted anymore - do you tip in loonies & toonies?
Click to expand...

There are now two types of Cuban currency. One is the regular Cuban Peso which Cubans use and you won't be using. The other is what is called the Convertible Peso which is valued at equivalent to the US exchange rate. If you plan to purchase anything by cash you will be using these. You can convert canadian currency to convertible pesos at hotels and banks. As far as tips go I think you should be fine with Canadian bills but you will likely want to convert some to cp's for this purpose or other purchases. You can still use US$'s but there is a 10% surcharge on any exchanges.

The tourist hotels are about an hour or so, maybe slightly more, drive from Holguin. I've stayed at Club Guardalavaca and Atlantico hotels. Guardalavaca beach is excellent. I haven't seen the hotels kbear mentions but I've heard they are very nice.
 
Watch the cow

Which is roughly what Guardalavaca translates to.

Had a very enjoyable vacation there last year - spent 7 great days at the Pardisus Rio de Oro. Fantastic resort with great amenities & fabulous food. I found the Cuban people on all 3 of my trips to be warm, friendly & very helpful. If you have the option of a Pardisus resort for your Cuban excursion I would definitely go with that choice - worth the few extra bucks for high end a al carte dining options & extensive international liquor inclusions. For example i had a choice of a dozen or more single malts from the lobby bar when having my evening stogie (hey - that rhymes with Rogie!). Of course i do the lazy man's vacation & mostly lounge around the beach or pool when not overimbibing rum drinks, which is probably why i recommend spending a few bucks extra on a higher end resort.
 
thanks all

saw a review of our hotel on debbies reviews and the first entry was a scare - but the rest were fine.

will report back when we return
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread.....

Thanks for the tips here & there. I was actually searching this to get the......ya know info! :D Then again, I know I am highy unlikely to get out of my wife's eyesite so any info down there is pretty much useless. I wouldn't mind knowing though........

Anyhow, I am heading down to Holquin this Saturday. Did a little research of my own. Thought I might want to share with you.

1) It's better to bring small gifts such as toothpastes, make-ups, fragrances.....from dollar shops. Apparently they work just as good as cash.
2) Bring a few sport bottles to hold your drinks because they only give you a very small cup everytime you ask for it.
3) Have your own toilet paper when you are going to the public ones because you have to pay for them. There're ladies standing in front of the washrooms to hand them to you.
4) Internet/long distance callings are luxurious activities that you wouldn't want to spend too much time on.
5) Carry small changes for tips.

Getting too excited about the trip for I haven't been to one with my wife alone for almost seven years. Looking forward to it.
 
Another resort review forum.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147270-i91-Cuba.html

The pictures mentioned in the previous post are still avilable http://www.chicerotica.com/temp/cuba1/

Never noticed that the money the ladies want at the public washrooms is connected to the toilet paper. 25cents is good for the washroom, don’t think it is worth it to carry around toilet paper. There is no lady in the washrooms at the resort.

Light colored t-shirts and shorts from Goodwill are inexpensive, and appreciated. The people really want money, tips. Carry lots of change.

If you are staying on the resort you will not need to bring much. Some medicine, sunscreen, large cup for coffee and drinks, hat.

Calling Canada costs about 1.30 cdn per minute.

There are next to no available ladies in the area you are going, just police. You would be wasting your time to try and slip away from your wife. A day trip to Holguin city could be an adventure for you, but if it is your first time there it could still be difficult to figure things out.

Have fun.
 
civic82 said:
4) Internet/long distance callings are luxurious activities that you wouldn't want to spend too much time on.
5) Carry small changes for tips.
Click to expand...

Many of the hotels now have internet access and you can buy time. Usually 5 pesos per hour.

Do not tip with Canadian coins (loonies/toonies). It is useless to them and they can't exchange them to pesos. Use their currency. Either 1 pesos bills or coins that you receive in change while there.
 
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