Soldato
After Freefaller's thread regarding his trip to Cuba, I decided it might be good to have a general tourist thread, for those of us not as adventurous or just plain enjoy a relaxing all in holiday.
First of all, I would say, the hotel choice is reallly important. Cuba started accepting tourists in the early 80's and some of the hotel's show this, looking and from other people's reports, feeling rather dated. We chose the Playa Pesquero, opened in 2003 by Fidel himself!!! Catering for up to 2000 guests, it is the largest hotel in the caribbean and one of the best in Cuba by soime way. 5* All inclusive, and not your typical all in hotel either as it really is just about EVERYTHING included, from a massive choice at the badr, through the 8 a la carte restaurants, the huge choice of drinks, 24 hour food, 24 hour room serivce and even the watersports, right through the the two 24 hour bars, coffee bar, snacks, the biggest pool I have EVER seen and even little golf buggies to ferry you around - this is some hotel.
A small army of 400 staff run Pesquero and there is always someone around to help. Your glass is never empty, whether it be rum, beer, soft drinks or water, they keep you topped up. The water is a godsend to be truthful as dehydration over here is VERY easy. The minibar in the room gets 2 cans of beer, 2 cokes and a 1.5 litre bottle of mineral water each day, all free. When we haven't got through the water or beer, I just take it out and pop it in the cupboard and hey presto, more appears in the fridge
The choice of food is better than ANY hotel I have ever been to. You can have brussel sprouts and cauliflower for breakfast if you choose!!! There is truly something for everyone and you can eat something different every day. Only 4 a la carte bookings are allowed per week, but the buffet is generally as good anyway with a much wider choice. We are talking around 120 feet of food counters, some pre cooked and some cooked in front of you. The La Trattoria snack bar is open 24 hours and does great sandwiches, pizza's etc.
There are three pools, one for the kids, one general (and it's monumental in size, including a pool bar), one for the kids and one sports pool. Sun loungers are plentiful and there is a good mix of sun and shade available. If you can't be bothered with the pool, the beach is 200 yards away and the atlantic is as warm as the pool. Snorkelling gear, windsurfing, kayak's, sailboats, pedalo's and catermaran trips are all avaliable for free, though you have to book them that day. I've not had any problem getting any of them. The beach is lovely and again sun loungers are in ready supply.
Playa Pesquero is a strange design from a western point of view as the majority of the hotel services complex has no walls at all, just a roof. There are the odd exception, such as the Romantica restaurant and the karaoke bar, both of which have air con. It does work well - my current seat has a nice breeze blowing through and I am comfortable, even though it's 35 degrees outside. The rooms are ace - we have a super kingsize bed, excellent air con, big TV (with US and mexican satallite channels) and a nice big bathroom. They are set in two-storey blocks and have 25 rooms each. I have yet to be disturbed by another guest.
Downsides are the ususal stuff - mosquitos are a nightmare and meant Sarah had to have an injection she had that many bites. Repellant seems to encourage them, but lime juice sems to scare them off. The heat is oppresive in the sunlight and doesn't really drop below 25 at night. Humidity is generally above 95%. You burn even when the sun is behind the clouds so watch for that. With the lack of walls, birds tend to get in the eateries. Not in great numbers but they can be annoying.
We are in Holguim province, around 400 miles from Havana. Day trips are not advisable, you get no free time, it's an awful flight and Havana is full of beggars who interrupt your little freedom. If you want to do havana, do a 2-day trip (costs about £250 each but you get to go to the Tropicana club and another 5* hotel is included). Holguim also doesn't suffer from Hurricane's as it's shielded by Haiti/The Dominican republic.
Trips through Cuba are amazing. The back roads are literally mud tracks and a 4x4 is needed to get through. Don't drive it yourself, go in a convoy as there are no road signs. There are so many things to do and I will go into those when I get home.
The final thing is just what an incredible country this is. There is a higher rate of literacy than the UK and all children have to go to school until at least 14. Education is free, even up to top level university. EVERYONE has a smile and a wave, even when you drive past what is a shanty town in the middle of nowhere - it's so friendly. The staff at the hotel say hola everytime you pass them and are genuinely grateful for tips.
That's it for now, part 2 on Monday as my internet time has expired.
Well, that's our hote
First of all, I would say, the hotel choice is reallly important. Cuba started accepting tourists in the early 80's and some of the hotel's show this, looking and from other people's reports, feeling rather dated. We chose the Playa Pesquero, opened in 2003 by Fidel himself!!! Catering for up to 2000 guests, it is the largest hotel in the caribbean and one of the best in Cuba by soime way. 5* All inclusive, and not your typical all in hotel either as it really is just about EVERYTHING included, from a massive choice at the badr, through the 8 a la carte restaurants, the huge choice of drinks, 24 hour food, 24 hour room serivce and even the watersports, right through the the two 24 hour bars, coffee bar, snacks, the biggest pool I have EVER seen and even little golf buggies to ferry you around - this is some hotel.
A small army of 400 staff run Pesquero and there is always someone around to help. Your glass is never empty, whether it be rum, beer, soft drinks or water, they keep you topped up. The water is a godsend to be truthful as dehydration over here is VERY easy. The minibar in the room gets 2 cans of beer, 2 cokes and a 1.5 litre bottle of mineral water each day, all free. When we haven't got through the water or beer, I just take it out and pop it in the cupboard and hey presto, more appears in the fridge
The choice of food is better than ANY hotel I have ever been to. You can have brussel sprouts and cauliflower for breakfast if you choose!!! There is truly something for everyone and you can eat something different every day. Only 4 a la carte bookings are allowed per week, but the buffet is generally as good anyway with a much wider choice. We are talking around 120 feet of food counters, some pre cooked and some cooked in front of you. The La Trattoria snack bar is open 24 hours and does great sandwiches, pizza's etc.There are three pools, one for the kids, one general (and it's monumental in size, including a pool bar), one for the kids and one sports pool. Sun loungers are plentiful and there is a good mix of sun and shade available. If you can't be bothered with the pool, the beach is 200 yards away and the atlantic is as warm as the pool. Snorkelling gear, windsurfing, kayak's, sailboats, pedalo's and catermaran trips are all avaliable for free, though you have to book them that day. I've not had any problem getting any of them. The beach is lovely and again sun loungers are in ready supply.
Playa Pesquero is a strange design from a western point of view as the majority of the hotel services complex has no walls at all, just a roof. There are the odd exception, such as the Romantica restaurant and the karaoke bar, both of which have air con. It does work well - my current seat has a nice breeze blowing through and I am comfortable, even though it's 35 degrees outside. The rooms are ace - we have a super kingsize bed, excellent air con, big TV (with US and mexican satallite channels) and a nice big bathroom. They are set in two-storey blocks and have 25 rooms each. I have yet to be disturbed by another guest.
Downsides are the ususal stuff - mosquitos are a nightmare and meant Sarah had to have an injection she had that many bites. Repellant seems to encourage them, but lime juice sems to scare them off. The heat is oppresive in the sunlight and doesn't really drop below 25 at night. Humidity is generally above 95%. You burn even when the sun is behind the clouds so watch for that. With the lack of walls, birds tend to get in the eateries. Not in great numbers but they can be annoying.
We are in Holguim province, around 400 miles from Havana. Day trips are not advisable, you get no free time, it's an awful flight and Havana is full of beggars who interrupt your little freedom. If you want to do havana, do a 2-day trip (costs about £250 each but you get to go to the Tropicana club and another 5* hotel is included). Holguim also doesn't suffer from Hurricane's as it's shielded by Haiti/The Dominican republic.
Trips through Cuba are amazing. The back roads are literally mud tracks and a 4x4 is needed to get through. Don't drive it yourself, go in a convoy as there are no road signs. There are so many things to do and I will go into those when I get home.
The final thing is just what an incredible country this is. There is a higher rate of literacy than the UK and all children have to go to school until at least 14. Education is free, even up to top level university. EVERYONE has a smile and a wave, even when you drive past what is a shanty town in the middle of nowhere - it's so friendly. The staff at the hotel say hola everytime you pass them and are genuinely grateful for tips.
That's it for now, part 2 on Monday as my internet time has expired.
Well, that's our hote
) he has been to cuba a few times and absolutley loved it
). I think that Castro has got to be careful that he doesn't create a two-tier society, having supported tourism in recent years. 
After some investigation, the throttle linkage on my outboard seemed to have fallen to pieces. ***** repair and we were off