1st Trip To Cuba this Monday....advice/rec's please

[gmoney]

Hi everyone!!  Been awhile since I've been on these boards, hope everyone is well and off to a great 2017!!!

 

This will be my 1st trip to Cuba arriving this Monday and leaving Thursday so that gives me 3 nights and had a few questions.....

1) Money-- My understanding is that US currency is not accepted along with credit cards from US banks....So is my only option to bring a foreign currency (euro, Canadian dollar, etc) there and exchange for CUC's??  Based on today's US dollar exchange rates what would be the best currency to buy and exchange in Cuba??

2) The only two things are a must do is visit a cigar factory.  How easy is it getting a tour?  The other thing was to visit the Hotel Nacional.

3) Advice on buying quality custom puros

I'm open to any and all other recommendations and advice.

 

Thanks for everyone's time for reading this!!

 

Cheers!!

[JohnInCleveland]

I'll give you a little help.  

 

I took euros bc my wife works at a bank and conversion is simple at any resort.  I'd recommend it if it's not too difficult.  

 

Yolanda has great customs at melia habana LCDH.

 

Visit Hotel Nacional.  They have a large LCDH.  Great place for a mojito and a smoke.  I also liked visiting Club Habana, which is a private club but you don't have to pay to get in if you tell them you're only going for the LCDH.  Melia Cohiba has a nice store too.  

 

Don't eat all your meals at resorts bc the best grub is at Paladars.  My Spanish is shitty and I dont remember my favorites but I had some great meals once I stopped being a lazy tourist and asked around.  

 

There's a GREAT write-up on some great restaurants in an old Cigar Aficianado that happens to be sitting in a lot of the LCDH's you may venture into.  It lists some wonderful restaurants to try.

 

Have fun !!!  Share your experience when you get back.  

[jrusso14]

I am also making the trip next week. I like to think I have done enough research but will be interested to see responses from other members.

[El Presidente]

The majority of this is still relevant

Toby's Tips Havana Autumn 2014.pdf

Three days isn't a lot of time. First trip I would just wander and let Havana wash over you. 

The "Customs" Trek is a nice way of seeing the cigar side of Havana. Get a list of LCDH in Havana, start at Conde de la Villeneuva (Reynaldo in Old Havana) and go from there. 

 

[gmoney]

11 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

The majority of this is still relevant

Toby's Tips Havana Autumn 2014.pdf

Three days isn't a lot of time. First trip I would just wander and let Havana wash over you. 

The "Customs" Trek is a nice way of seeing the cigar side of Havana. Get a list of LCDH in Havana, start at Conde de la Villeneuva (Reynaldo in Old Havana) and go from there. 

 

Thanks Rob!!!

1 hour ago, JohnInCleveland said:

I'll give you a little help.  

 

I took euros bc my wife works at a bank and conversion is simple at any resort.  I'd recommend it if it's not too difficult.  

 

Yolanda has great customs at melia habana LCDH.

 

Visit Hotel Nacional.  They have a large LCDH.  Great place for a mojito and a smoke.  I also liked visiting Club Habana, which is a private club but you don't have to pay to get in if you tell them you're only going for the LCDH.  Melia Cohiba has a nice store too.  

 

Don't eat all your meals at resorts bc the best grub is at Paladars.  My Spanish is shitty and I dont remember my favorites but I had some great meals once I stopped being a lazy tourist and asked around.  

 

There's a GREAT write-up on some great restaurants in an old Cigar Aficianado that happens to be sitting in a lot of the LCDH's you may venture into.  It lists some wonderful restaurants to try.

 

Have fun !!!  Share your experience when you get back.  

Thanks John!!

[JohnInCleveland]

3 hours ago, SenorPerfecto said:

I have heard that as a US citizen, buying Euros in the US, exchanging them in Cuba, then converting them back to dollars (if you have some left) is not worth the hassle of simply bringing USD and taking the 10% hit when converting to CUCs.

You may very well be right, we didn't pay the conversion bc of the bank connection.  

[Corylax18]

4 hours ago, SenorPerfecto said:

I have heard that as a US citizen, buying Euros in the US, exchanging them in Cuba, then converting them back to dollars (if you have some left) is not worth the hassle of simply bringing USD and taking the 10% hit when converting to CUCs.

It really depends on how much money your are bringing and what rate you can get on this end. There is a 3% conversion fee on all currency transactions in Cuba, regardless of currency. The enforcement of this is lax, both to the upside and downside. But as long as you can convert currency for less than 7% here in the states it makes sense. I was able to get 5% here in Denver and saved myself enough on a two week trip to buy another BOX of cigars. It might not makes sense for a 3 day trip though. 

[Icaminero91]

I was there two weeks ago and had a blast, still have writing my trip report pending due to being a big time procrastinator.

Please do go to El conde de villanueva and make sure to spend some time with Reinaldo and his son, they made my trip remarkable between Bucanero beer, santiago rum and coffee, needless to say with some magnificent smokes too.

Regarding money exchange, i would recommend you to change some money at the airport so you can pay for the taxi into the city.

 

I changed my money with a guy that was recommended to me by another friend of mine who visited too. Try contacting him at +53 5284 3360, his name is Albert and tell him Irving the Dominican guy told you about him. He will give you 95 CUC for every $100 or .95 CUC for every $1. He drives to wherever you are too. Can't beat that deal.

My first trip was two weeks ago and i already booked two more trips for march and april. I fell in love with the city.

[NorCalAaron]

Thanks for the great information, I hope to plan a trip soon and this will most definitely help.  Safe travels Gmoney, be sure to let us know how it all goes. 

[NSXCIGAR]

I've never been myself, nor do I know much of anything about the island itself, but I do know this: DO NOT rent a car!

[cybermadhatter]

I went for my third time last weekend.  My hostess at the apartment called a woman who gave me $95 cuc per $100 usd. 

Last trip in nov 2016, the concierge helped us convert too, at the same rate.  

They probably make 2-3%

 

during my first trip in nov 2015, we had a guy come by and gave us $93 or $94. 

I had cuc's left over, so I could cab it to the Casa particulare.  

[Bigronbee]

I went a couple of weeks ago. Besides the stuff people have already written a couple things come to mind. First and foremost, my girlfriend was thrilled we brought tissues and wet wipes. Many places didn't have toilets seats let alone paper. My gf would've lasted all of a day.

We downloaded a map app, Magellan pro, that lets us have offline maps with a searchable index.

I added helpful links to my safari reading list so I could reference them offline. 

This cigar aficionado list helped me find shops to check out near me. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/buying-cuban-cigars-in-havana-18115

 

[gmoney]

Thanks Everyone for the Tips and Info!!!!  Looking forward to sharing my experiences.....

[SaintMickey®]

Good luck. Have fun. Take lots of pictures.

BUY 300+ of those Hotel Nacional ashtrays everyone wants!

A suggested transportation method.




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[coderyder]

just got back from Cuba. Avoid the Nacional LCDH as their cigars are moldy. If you want to try a Behike, your best bet is to get to Habana Libre in the morning when they open (9 ~ 10:30).