Havana September 2012

Havana Viejo I

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a month in Cuba in September. I didn't really know much about this Caribbean island beforehand except that US citizens weren't legally allowed to visit Cuba due to the outstanding embargo.

Legally US citizens can't visit Cuba directly but can fly from Canada or Mexico and all other nationalities can fly directly. I flew from London Heathrow (LHR) to Jose Marti Airport in Havana with a connection in Paris on Air France. I wouldn't recommend this airline as it's the worst I've been on. The connection was 1 hour and the flight from Paris to Havana was 9 hours and 40 minutes. 

Cuba has 2 currencies, Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) for tourists and moneda national (pesos) for locals. Some places will only take pesos and these places are solely for locals. The Cuban currency is also a closed currency meaning you can only exchange the currency in Cuba. So take the amount you need and change it at the airport. ATMs are scarce and credit/debit cards from US banks or operated by American banks are not accepted e.g. Visa, Mastercard, AMEX. When exchanging currency and currency except US dollars is recommended. A 10% tax is levied on all US currency exchanged in addition to a very low exchange rate. 

Once I got out of the airport the first thing I noticed was the infamous automobiles which annot be found anywhere else in the world today. We rented an apartment just outside central Havana, we found this via the internet. Hotels are also a regular mean of accommodation. 

When visiting (Old Havana) Havana Viejo you notice several derelict and run down buildings, the roads and pavements are also run down. The US embargo has a noticeable negative effect on Cuba. It's a third world country but more noticeable than its Caribbean counterparts. It's more reminiscent of South America. Hardly anybody speaks English so a phrasebook/app would go a long way in Spanish. 

We also saw the National Building which was based upon the US Senate building in Washington D.C. 

National Building 

The weather was also divine. In September it was 31 degrees daily. September is also the hurricane season so be aware when booking. 

Playa Santa Maria

The nearest beach to Havana is Santa Maria which is about 30 minutes away. It's quite a large beach with a few water sports available in addition to a restaurant offering cheap but good quality food. Lunch at the beach included chicken, rice, salad and plantain which was 7CUC/$7/£5. We rented a car to go to the beach but you can get there by bus or taxi.

Lunch at Playa Santa Maria

Internet connections are scarce unless you are staying in a hotel. One thing I loved about Cuba is the plethora of fresh fruit that was on offer at the markets such as guava, mango, oranges, figs, watermelon, avocado, pineapples, papaya and several other tropical fruits. 

Most of the things in Cuba are very cheap from food to accommodation, travel and sights. I had a steak, dessert and drink for 20CUC/£15/$20 whereas in the UK the steak would be £15 alone. Food gets cheaper the further you go out of Havana. 

Rum is also ridiculously cheap ranging from £1-£5/3-9CUC/$3-$9 depending on bottle size for Havana Club. 

Certain dried foods and US brands are non existent/rare so bring products you will need e.g. Doritos, Tropicana, Hershey's, Cadburys, tea, toiletries etc. A flashlight for the occasional flashlight would also be helpful.