Havana, Cuba

Being born and raised in the United States Cuba always seemed like a country that was off limits, but visit Cuba we did!

Cuba is not off limits to US citizens, there is however, a process that requires a couple of extra steps. Those steps can change so I suggest you always check the US Embassy In Cuba website. As an American citizen you cannot travel to Cuba as a tourist or just for pleasure. You can, however, travel on "support of the Cuban people." Basically, you can't go to Cuba to stay a resort and sit on the beach. You need to interact with the Cuban people by staying in their homes (think B&B), going to museums, and learning about their lives and culture. But, hey, that's why we travel anyway! You can purchase the required Cuban Entry Permit at the airport when you depart to Havana. We flew on United Airlines and purchased ours at the Houston airport on our final leg of our journey. You will need a valid passport, however it will not be stamped. At the time we also needed Covid-19 vaccinations, that may change.

Money in Cuba is very confusing, but apparently less so now than in the past. Cuba's currency is called the CUP, or Peso Cubano, and its value varies greatly from place to place. Cuba used to have a local currency and one for tourists, that is no longer the case and they only have one, the CUP-Peso Cubano. This is also where the stress comes in. Credit cards on American banks are not accepted in Cuba, this means you need to bring cash. Talk about stress, I was very worried we would run out of money. I read and did research and found conflicting information on the topic of money. Some things I read said no US money, others said yes, it was a mess. We brought US dollars and Euros and found both were accepted everywhere. So, from our experience, yes, the US dollars work well. Excluding accommodations and big tours, I would say you need at least $100 per day for food, drinks, and taxis. Inflation has hit Cuba and things are more expensive than it used to be.

The best time to go to Cuba is December to May because this is when you will experience the best weather. We went in March and the weather was perfect. We wore t-shirts and shorts everywhere as Cuba is very casual. Do wear comfortable shoes as we walked several miles each day on uneven cobble.

As I mentioned, as a US citizen you cannot stay at large resorts or hotels. This is because they all have some connection to the Cuban government and you are not allowed to interact or contribute to the Cuban government. There are many "casa particulars" (think B&B) that you can stay at. They range in price and comfort. We stayed in Old Havana at Madero, which is a higher level casa particular with private bathrooms and air conditioning. It was clean and I felt safe while staying there. Daily breakfast was included, they would also make lunch for a nominal fee. It was a nice place with 24 hour access by ringing a bell.

Drinks in Cuba are wonderful. If you like gin and tonics they make them good and proper, it was our favorite drink while there. We did try the big three at the places that made them famous. Get a daquiri at El Floridita, a mojito at La Bodeguita, and El Negron at un d Callejon.

There are plenty of restaurants in Cuba

with a range in price and menus to please your palate. A traditional dish you should surly try is Ropa Vieja. Ropa Vieja is similar to a pot roast type dish and found on most menus throughout Cuba. It is served with rice and vegetables. We also had some exceptional seafood on our visit as well. Note, that the menu may have their currency exchange rate listed, this is something that varies and should be noted. We found ourselves eating a lot of pizza in Cuba, not sure why!?! Take a tour to the farms outside of Cuba to see how they grow their food. Our guide was disheartened with how much land was not being utilized to grow crops for the people of Cuba. Supplies run low an there are shortages and people are hungry.