Cuba Cruisin'

A beautiful escape

Wanna go for a ride... back in time? 🚗

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$These long drives around Cuba make me long for older days, I can only imagine it\x27s glory ✨$ These long drives around Cuba make me long for older days, I can only imagine it's glory ✨

Since public transportation to smaller villages in Cuba is a bit unreliable, the best way to know the country, without a doubt, is to have your own wheels.

Havana is a very nice city, mixing tropical vibes with colonial Spanish architecture. Havana old town is very pretty and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hotel Nacional: where it all went down, where it all goes down

Hotel Nacional: where it all went down, where it all goes down

I was able to book my stay ahead of time using the Spain-based website, Destinia.es. My grand total, including taxes and daily breakfast, came to $203.34, which I thought was extremely reasonable, especially since I’d made my reservation just three weeks before the trip.

After paying, I received an email confirmation with the voucher I needed to print out and show upon arrival — it basically serves as your proof of payment and the hotel will ask to see it. Because of the lack of Wi-Fi and printing options in Cuba, I would highly recommend you have this voucher printed and ready before you get there, just in case.

The lobby is massive and is more like a very long hallway than a square space. Upon entering, you get the feeling you’ve stepped back in time, with wooden ceilings and imposing chandeliers on display around you. There are several desks where you can check in, as well as some areas with chairs for guests to sit and relax while they wait. The reception and payment windows have wooden bars, which seems a bit off-putting at first but it’s actually kind of cool.

The room is probably the least exciting thing about this hotel, although we could spot the edge of the ocean from one of our windows, which was nice. I had heard the rooms were dated so I was really interested to see if that was true — mine was definitely a bit stuffy and the decor wasn’t really my style. A flat-screen TV was pretty much the only modern aspect of the room, though we never used it.

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Adventure, Caribbean, Jetsetter, Road Trips

Travel Tips

1. Take cash with you Even though things with the States are settling down now, it’s a good idea to take some hard currency on your trips to Cuba. 2. Take Euros or GBP Sterling – these get the best exchange rate. 3. Don’t take Aussie dollars, they don’t know what to do with them. Don’t take American dollars, the exchange rate will be terrible plus you have to pay an extra fee every time. 4. Cuba has two currencies: CUC (Cuban convertible peso or ‘Cuban dollar’) aligned to USD which tourists must use, and CUP (Cuban national peso) worth around 1 CUC = 22 CUP. NonCubans shouldn’t have any CUPs on them – though people do. As Cuba/USA relations ease, the likelihood of the CUC disappearing and the CUP remaining is high. US dollars will also probably become more accepted too. 5. You will find dual pricing in most places and the CUP and CUC prices won’t match up. It’s important not to let this bother you! 6. Get a VISA card for Cuba Due to it being an American company, MasterCard has never really worked in Cuba though with changes happening all the time, more and more American companies are working with Cuba now. VISA is usually ok. Usually! 7. Check to see if your bank has any American alliances. If it does, you might not be able to access your money regardless. As US/Cuban relations improve, things will change. 8. Where to get money in Cuba Try to get money out of the ATM upstairs on level 1 of Havana International Airport. Avoid using the bureau de change at the airport though. They’re known to give incorrect change and the rates aren’t as good. Hotels and resorts usually have a bureau de change. 9. Every town will have two types of bank – Banco de Cuba, which are proper banks, or Cadeca, which is like a currency kiosk. The bank usually gives better rates. 10. Only one person at a time can be served in the bank. If you’re traveling with a friend or your partner, flip a coin to see who goes! Towns usually have ATMs too – though some smaller places like Viñales don’t. 11. Tell your bank you’re going to Cuba It’s a good idea to do this every time you leave your country anyway, but one of our top Cuba travel tips it that it’s even more important for this destination. International calls are expensive and internet access is very limited. If your bank thinks your cards are being used without your consent, they will cancel them on your behalf and leave you stranded. 12. Travel Insurance for Cuba You need to have travel insurance to travel to Cuba. They do spot checks at Customs and if you can’t produce policy documentation, they make you buy insurance there. The credit card we use to buy flights has nominal travel insurance included. It doesn’t cover everything though but we took the gamble. We weren’t checked going into Cuba. 13. Print out any travel documents before you leave for Cuba Tech is really hard to come by during travel in Cuba. If you need any travel documents while you’re in Cuba or for your next destination, print them before flying to Havana. 14. Getting your Cuba Visa Most nationalities require a visa for Cuba called a “Cuba Tourist Card” to enter – here’s a site with a list of countries requiring visas. How to get a visa for Cuba? You can either buy yours through your local Cuban embassy or before checkin at a Cubana Air desk. Your airline may include the Cuba visa on the price of your flight tickets – but you’ll still need to collect the tourist card at the Cubana Air counter before you check in. 15. Travel as light as possible When you fly to Cuba, if you can, go with cabin luggage only. We managed to and it was the best. We didn’t have to worry about losing our stuff or about it getting damaged.