Is it worth going to Cuba? Let's get acquainted with the reviews and impressions of tourists from a vacation in Cuba. Find out what people think about prices in 2021, weather, beaches, excursions and activities on Liberty Island. Actual information about the rest in Cuba now, with a pandemic.
Socialist Cuba is a unique place. This country will either fall in love with you, or terribly pissed off you. Yes Yes! Rest in Cuba does not leave anyone indifferent: either they like it very much, or not by foot anymore. Let's find out why.
Exchange rate: 1 CUC = 1 US dollar = 25 CUP.
Holidays in Cuba now
According to the situation for February 2021 for tourists, the conditions of arrival in Cuba are quite loyal:
- From January 10, 2021, a certificate with a negative covid test done no more than 72 hours before boarding is required.
- You will also have to take a free PCR test right at the airport. If the result is positive, then the tourist will be hospitalized, and his companions will be isolated in the quarantine zone of the hotel.
- Upon arrival, fill out a health questionnaire.
- Wear masks and gloves at the airport and during the transfer. It is not necessary to wear a mask on site.
- Have a voucher, return tickets, insurance.
Attention: From February 6, 2021, independent tourists will have to leave Cuba for a 5-day quarantine at the hotel at their own expense. From this, tourists who arrived in the country as part of an organized group, that is, on a voucher, are exempted. This is a temporary measure, which is planned to be canceled by March.
November 2020 there was a collapse with Russian tourists... The fact is that the situation with covid in Cuba is very easy - there are very few infected and sick people, and there were almost no infected among Canadians (the main tourists of the country). And then the very first plane from Russia to Cayo Coco arrives as many as 11 infected. "What to do, how to be ?!" - the Cubans grabbed their heads and, in a panic, all COVID-positive tourists were sent to the Military Hospital with the conditions of a not at all 5-star hotel. Of course, tourists who paid 150-300 thousand rubles per tour are shocked. Fortunately, they will be accommodated at the Moron Hotel, a hospital hotel. The contacts turned out to be in better conditions, but also not very well - they were isolated in the quarantine building of the Pullman Cayo Coco 4 *. The food is modest, you can't go out. So so vacation!
So if you don't want to sit in isolation, carefully read the rules for entering Cuba, buy travel cancellation and COVID-19 insurance.
According to tourists, the beaches are now completely deserted - only very few Canadians and Russians are resting. Hotels are only 50-60% full, no more. Outside the hotel, you need to wear a mask.
You can pay in hotels only by cards - for excursions, internet, shops and restaurants. This is done to make contact less. At the same time, you cannot pay from your phone (ApplePay, GooglePay).
In Cuba, food has always been not very good, but now the choice of food is generally minimal - there are few restaurants, they also cook a little, because the hotel occupancy is small. Part of the infrastructure is idle, the animation is also weak. However, this does not upset tourists - after a six-month lockdown, they are happy with fruits, the sea, the beach and turn a blind eye to these shortcomings.
julwsl: "Not everything works in the hotel, especially the restaurants, so the food is a bit of a failure. The rum is delicious here, so you won't be lost. Cayo Coco is an island, you can't leave it because of the crown, we tried to go to Varadero - not There are few excursions here (again, all because of restrictions). Well, who likes to just lie like a seal near the sea, just right. Money is not accepted in cash (I don’t know why), only a card. Internet 1 hour - 1 $ ".
And here is how the arrival and test at the airport goes:
Olga @vinogradovamur: "We went to the airport, not everyone was launched. There are lines everywhere, so that there is a distance. We filmed the whole thing on camera. When it’s the turn to hand over documents and tests, they silently point the finger at the door ... you go in like a horror movie They take the test, all silently and again point the finger where to go. Nobody smiles. In general, I was not the only one who thought it all strange, especially after Turkey, where everyone was smiling and everything was more civilized. They waited for luggage too long and after that they finally went out into the street , and there we were already greeted with songs and dances. Before receiving the test, we were told to wear masks everywhere except the beach and the pool. In general, the first impression is of course very strange ... ".
Other Russian tourists were more fortunate and they were able to relax in Cuba in November 2020 without any problems. Their video will tell you in detail about the procedure for passing the tests at the airport and the conditions of rest on the island of Cayo Coco:
Is Cuba Good or Bad? Should I go?
Cuba is different for everyone... We have read many reviews from tourists, and they are all very different. There are two reasons for this:
- Someone has had bad luck with hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and just people. Alas, there are many problems with the service in Cuba. These people remain extremely unhappy with the rest.
- Some tourists go to Cuba with high expectations and are shocked upon arrival. Others relate to life more simply, they are not embarrassed by either simple living conditions or the lack of normal service.
Conclusion: Come to Cuba without high expectations and carefully choose your hotel and leisure program. Find out why you should fall in love with Cuba and come back again.
On the Vinsky forum, the traveler Sapfir wrote a large negative review about her vacation in Cuba and made the following conclusions:
You won't like it in Cuba if
- you are not a fan of alcohol marathons;
- you are not looking for cheap paid love in unsanitary conditions;
- you are traveling with a small child / children;
- you are used to the comfort of your vacation;
- you are a foodie;
- you love cleanliness and order;
- you are a fighter for the environment;
- you don't like paying more for questionable service or lack of it.
Cuba you might like if
- you are a photographer and hunt for unique shots, you don't care where to live and what to eat;
- you are nostalgic for the Soviet Union;
- you are a lover of long sandy beaches, but unpretentious to the service on them;
- you are an architecture lover.
Of course, this is the opinion of the individual. Perhaps these tourists were catastrophically unlucky with everything at once: housing, people, food. But still, this review draws some idea of the specifics of holidays in Cuba.
Of course, there is another opinion: many tourists write in reviews about delicious food, good hotels and a pleasant stay with children. We repeat once again: Cuba is different for everyone.
But for tourists Riana and Yuri I liked it very much in Cuba. Watch their video - this is the best review on Cuba on YouTube:
Main pros and cons
Cuba's main problem is that everything there is unreasonably expensive... The state and many local people believe that all tourists are snickering bourgeois, and they need to be milked, milked, milked! Hotels in Cuba are more expensive than in Paris and London: for $ 100-200 per night you get what the red price is $ 30-50. Get ready for a massive imbalance in price and quality.
Nature in Cuba gorgeous. The ocean and beaches are praised by everyone! But the natural attractions on land are rather boring: there are no grandiose mountains, waterfalls, gorges.
Mosquitoes... There are many mosquitoes and nasty midges in Cuba - all tourists write about this in their reviews. Dinner on the air is simply impossible. Get repellents and fumigants.
Danger in the water... The water is inhabited by jellyfish, including deadly ones. Be careful.
People and safety. The people of the country are generally praised. In the reviews, tourists vacationing in Cuba in 2020 note that the local people are sociable and friendly, and the young ladies are not burdened with a puritanical upbringing and willingly get to know foreigners. There are cases of theft, but in general, rest in Cuba is safe, it is one of the safest countries in Latin America. There are beggars, as well as those who want to cash in on tourists by imposing services and assistance.
The food is bad. Those who will definitely have a hard time in Cuba are gourmets.Cubans do not pay enough attention to the culinary arts, which is why the food here is often tasteless. You still have to look for good establishments where they know how to cook. Tourists especially often criticize food in hotels, so you need to carefully read the reviews or not take "all inclusive". Going to buy groceries in the store and cooking yourself will not work either - the store shelves are depressing with a meager assortment.
Hotel reviews
Hotels in Cuba are expensive and often bad. It is necessary to carefully choose according to the reviews of other tourists.
Lovers of rest in Cuba in their reviews give only one piece of advice: you need to go to a proven hotel of at least 5 stars and all inclusive. Then the buzz! But you will have to spend well on such a vacation, and you will not get to know the country especially.
If you are planning a package trip, choose the well-reviewed hotels on Travelata.
Want to save money? Choose to stay private houses (casa)... It is better to look for housing already in Cuba: not everyone is friends with the Internet, so the choice on the spot will be wider. There are casinos in any city. And even if there are no vacancies, the owner of this ticket office will definitely find accommodation for the tourist through friends. But looking for a room like that is inconvenient. We still recommend booking your accommodation online in advance.
There is a large selection of accommodation in Cuba on Booking, but none of them have any reviews and ratings - it is difficult to choose a good option. For some reason, all Cubans leave hotel reviews on TripAdvisor. We advise you to look for housing on Airbnb - there are ratings. Read also the main rules for finding hotels.
Weather reviews: when is the best time to go to Cuba
Beach holidays in Cuba are year-round, but it is better to go in the winter from November to April... This is the dry season. Especially a lot of people come to Cuba during the New Year and Christmas holidays.
The temperature in January-February is +26 ... + 28 ° C during the day, + 18 ° C at night, and the sea + 24 ° C. Sometimes the weather changes and it can rain easily during the day. There were times when strong winds blew, and the air temperature during the day dropped to +12 ... + 14 ° C, disrupting all plans for a carefree beach holiday.
In March-April it is always warm and comfortable: during the day +28 ... + 30 ° C, at night + 21 ° C, water +25 ... + 27 ° C.
In reviews of their holidays in Cuba, tourists write that in summer it is humid, stuffy and hot in Cuba: in the afternoon +32 ... + 35 ° C, sea water +27 ... + 29 ° C, after lunch there are often strong tropical showers ... The Cubans themselves prefer to take a vacation at this time, so the beaches and hotels are quite crowded. Hurricane season begins in July and is most likely to occur in August and September. In autumn, it is as warm as in summer, but due to strong winds and storms, this period is not in demand among tourists.
Reviews of prices, excursions and activities in Cuba
Cuba beaches free for visits. Umbrellas and sun loungers cost 1-2 CUC. Windsurfing in Cuba is still developing, but lovers of diving, snorkeling and spearfishing can find excellent diving sites. There are several dozen dive centers on the island.
the Internet expensive and slow and still poorly distributed on the territory of the country. An hour session costs from 1 to 8 CUC, which is equivalent to $ 1-8 at the current rate.
Tourists vacationing in Cuba in 2020 write in reviews that all excursions on the island are expensive: for a day trip may request 100-120 CUC. If you negotiate with local "guides", you can save up to 50%. Entrance fees to museums and zoos are inexpensive - from 3 to 10 CUC. Entrance to nightclubs costs from 5 to 25 CUC, the famous show in the Tropicana cabaret - from 80 to 100 CUC.
Do not take excursions from a tour operator, author's excursions on the Sputnik and Tripster sites will be cheaper and more interesting.
Popular excursions: a trip to Havana, an Indian village, Bellamar caves near Varadero, Pinar del Rio province with a visit to a tobacco factory, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba, sea cruises to the islands, a crocodile farm and a jeep safari.
Food prices... The owners of the cashier often offer breakfast and dinner to their guests, costing from 3 to 10 CUC. You can dine in a regular cafe for 10-15 CUC, in a restaurant it is already 2-3 times more expensive. Alcoholic cocktails from 2.5 CUC and above. In Cuba, it is customary to include the service charge in the total bill.
Shopping in Cuba it will hardly seem interesting, you can buy here only souvenirs. They are not cheap, for example, a T-shirt with the image of Che in Havana costs 15 CUC, about the same costs a bottle of 7-year-old elite Havana Club rum.
Reviews of resorts and beaches
The best beaches in Cuba are located on secluded islands - Cayo Largo and Cayo Levisa... Resting on the islands is very expensive and prestigious, so the beaches are practically deserted: white powdery sand, turquoise sea, a minimum of people and silence. The sandy and pebble beaches of Baracoa are not particularly beautiful, and the Maria La Gorda beach is great for diving, but the rocky bottom makes it unsuitable for swimming.
In reviews of their holidays in Cuba, tourists note that good sandy beaches are located in Varadero, Trinidad, near Cienfuegos and Holguin. There are no beaches as such in Havana, there are unequipped swimming places in the Miramar area, with an uneven bottom and inhospitable inhabitants like sea urchins. But literally a 15-minute taxi ride from Havana begins a whole strip of excellent beaches of Playa del Este, the most popular of which is Santa Maria del Mar.
Compare holidays in Cuba with the Dominican Republic. Take a closer look at Mexico.
Independent travel
Traveling around Cuba on your own is difficult and expensive. Prepare for suffering and hardship if you want to experience authentic Cuba without tourists, visit small towns and villages, as well as attractions away from the resorts and the capital. Tourist buses are expensive, the infrastructure is poorly developed, housing conditions are mostly Spartan, it is simply impossible to find tasty and inexpensive food in some places.
Car rental is expensive - from $ 80 per day.
Intercity transport for local people is very slow. Sometimes tourists spend 7 hours on the road 70 km.
It is quite difficult to travel without knowledge of Spanish.
Many places that are considered authentic and atmospheric are already spoiled and overcrowded. For example, they write about the city of Trinidad that it is already bursting at the seams from tourists, and the locals are struggling with prices for food and housing.
Only those who love Cuba very much and are not afraid of difficulties should go on an independent trip around Cuba.
You can fly to Cuba on a cheap charter - from 12,000 rubles one way. Find out how to search for cheap flights correctly.
Prices in Cuba. Important tourist information