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Old 04-27-2011, 08:03 PM   #21
prarieboy
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So much good inforamtion already posted but I'll add the following.

Food - The more stars at yoour hotel the better. If you go to Varadero go in to town for dinner. Some good restaurants and not to expensive.

Cigars - Listen to what has been already posted. Don't buy fakes. Good prices at the airport.

Havana - Just go. It's one of my favorite cities on the planet. Very different from what you see in Canada.

What to take - Toothpaste and Maxwell House Instant Coffee seemed popular with the locals.

Rum - Don't buy the young stuff!

Have fun! Don't forget to tell us about your trip.

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Old 04-27-2011, 11:04 PM   #22
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I was in Varadero for work last June/July and the weather was good. Like Cheese said, high 20's to low 30's. But the notable thing was that every single day in the early evening, a big thunderstorm would roll in and pretty much flood the streets in a half hour period. Then the clouds would scurry off and your day would carry on.

I stayed at the Villa Tortuga which is not a luxurious place by any means, but I thought its location was excellent. Right in town so you could walk down the street and check out the various bars and restaurants. The resort food was mostly bad but the restaurants nearby were actually really good.

Cigars are everywhere. When you go to one of the streetside bars you may be asked, in order, if you want 1) a mojito, as each bar claims they make the best one in Cuba, 2) a cigar, and 3) a girl. If you're a couple, maybe they won't ask you #3...

One of the Canadians that worked down there had a connection to get cheap cigars so they can be gotten cheaper than what the shops will offer. I think we got two boxes for 60 pesos... not sure of the possible repercussions of getting caught in this situation!

I'll echo the posters that said the Cuban people are excellent. Very friendly and they love their Canadian visitors.

Edit - oh yeah, the beach was easily the most beautiful I have ever seen. Clean warm water, soft white sand. The only problem is keeping your beer cold because of the shortage of ice in Cuba.

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Old 04-28-2011, 09:25 AM   #23
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Alright, and another question, for booking these trips, what service do you use?

- Westjet vacations?
- itravel200.com?
- Expedia.ca <- Which I see doesnt service Cuba?

Who has the best deals?

I'm looking at the first of June-ish for a week or so.
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Old 04-28-2011, 10:02 AM   #24
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I've done 4 all inclusive trips, two in Mexico and two in Cuba. One was to Varadero and the other was to Cayo Coco. I found Varadero to be better than Cayo Coco in every respect, except we had better snorkeling in Cayo Coco. Varadero is a bus or car ride away from Havana, but Cayo Coco is a short flight and Havana is a must IMO.

Already lots of good advice on here. Stay away from buying cigars from anything other than an official store and buy aged rum. I will second the airport as a good place to buy cigars and rum as well. Similarly priced to other stores I came across and you'll have time to kill as they like to get you there early. Not sure what you like for rum, but I recommend the Havana Club 7 year dark rum. Delicious and a big bottle is so, so much cheaper than it is here.

My biggest complaint about all inclusive resorts is the food. A lot of it is either mediocre, hard on the system or open at poor times. My resort at Cayo Coco was all of this. There would be big blocks of time when there was no where on the resort when you could eat. As someone who was up late partying and therefore not up early in the morning I would miss breakfast and would have to wait till 11:30 for the lunch buffet to open. A lot of the food was bland and everyone from the group spent their fair share of time on the toilet. This was at a 4 star resort. I had better luck at the resorts in Mexico, although nothing to write home about.

The best place I've stayed at was the Iberostar Varadero. The food was easily the best I've had at any resort I've been too. They had puff pastries that were shaped like swans! Food was available 24/7. All the restaurants were great. Everything was clean and tidy, pool was huge, the bars and booze were great, no complaints. I don't believe it was cheap though. EDIT: looked at the prices and it's not too bad, found one for $1500 for a week for two people.

Travel advisor has it ranked number one in Varadero apparently. Link.

Last edited by Burninator; 04-28-2011 at 10:07 AM.
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Old 04-28-2011, 10:23 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke View Post
Alright, and another question, for booking these trips, what service do you use?

- Westjet vacations?
- itravel200.com?
- Expedia.ca <- Which I see doesnt service Cuba?

Who has the best deals?

I'm looking at the first of June-ish for a week or so.

All Canadian tour operators offer the *exact* same prices through every website, so don't waste time trying to 'price compare' between any of the following:

- RedTag
- Itravel2000
- SellOffVacations
- Escapes
- FlightCentre
- FlightNetwork
- Any 'Canadian based' site you've ever heard of
- Travel agents

^^^ World #1 - prices from Canadian tour operators

WestjetVacations offers their packages through any of the above, so it's a waste of time to check them individually (unless you like to limit yourself to one tour operator when searching). Same goes for any other individual tour operator site (Nolitours, Sunwing, etc).


World #2 - Prices from American-owned sites

Expedia.ca falls under the 'American-owned' world of all inclusive prices. You can throw Orbitz and Bookit.com into this world as well. Typically they will all be very similar as they are simply mashing together the cheapest flight from the major airlines with the latest hotel prices.

However, Expedia.ca ALSO offers prices from World #1. You just need to click on Vacations -> Find a pre-packaged vacation. As you noted though, they have eliminated Cuba, because they are an American-owned site, and American sites will never display packages to Cuba.

When you choose 'Build your own' on Expedia you are looking at prices from World #2.


Typically, world #1 of prices (Canadian tour operators) are the best deal. With so much competition here in Canada, they usually beat World #2. However, that's not a certainty, and it can be worth checking both.

Just be aware that in World #2, they are mashing together the cheapest flight option first, which can often be a really bad flight.


http://yycdeals.com/how-to-get-the-b...lusive-package

^^ My long-winded attempt to explain the two worlds of prices that exist when it comes to all inclusive prices, and how to get the best deal.

cM
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Old 04-28-2011, 10:33 AM   #26
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I'm 100% biased but I booked through http://airlineticketcentre.ca but I did it through the office and not online. But I'm biased as I used to work for them.
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:46 PM   #27
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Yes....while that list is impressive it also pretty well sums up my issue, too many options.

At the moment, I've found probably the best deals (marginally) through itravel200 and Westjet.
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:49 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cmyden View Post
At $987/person after tax, Sirenis la Salina is priced ok for June. I would put it in the class of 'average' though in terms of all inclusive resorts.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...dero_Cuba.html


Barcelo Marina Palace at $1050 is a worse deal in my opinion. It's in the 'below average' range of quality.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...dero_Cuba.html


Breezes Jibacoa at $1002/person in June is a much better deal than either of these in my opinion. That gets you just into the range of 'extremely nice'.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...orte_Cuba.html

The downside is it's in the middle of nowhere, and you mentioned wanting to be close to town.


Iberostar Playa Alameda at $1066 is probably worth a look too (high side of average quality, *just* below 'very nice') ..

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...dero_Cuba.html
This actually looks really nice, I'm giving it a lot of thought, but where do you see it for $1066 and how far away from Veradero is it?
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:58 PM   #29
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I went to Breezes Jibacoa in 2002. The resort is really nice, it is in the middle of no where (half way between Veradero and Havana) and the beach isn't very good compared with Veradero.
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Old 04-28-2011, 01:57 PM   #30
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I used Roger at Big Ben Travel (CP member) and he got us a better deal then anywhere I could find online.

I personally like the 3 year rum, and some of the 5 year stuff. Pretty cheap so give them all a try.
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Old 04-28-2011, 02:19 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke View Post
Yes....while that list is impressive it also pretty well sums up my issue, too many options.

At the moment, I've found probably the best deals (marginally) through itravel200 and Westjet.
Hmmm, still not sure if my message is getting through to everyone.

There are only two sources of *unique* prices, so your options are really far more limited than you might think

Quote:
This actually looks really nice, I'm giving it a lot of thought, but where do you see it for $1066 and how far away from Veradero is it?
Try a June 4, 11, or 18 departure on any site from World #1 of unique prices listed above...

ie: RedTag.ca

Calgary to Varadero - put a checkmark beside 'all inclusive'




But you can find it on any other site from World #1 mentioned above, or any Canadian travel agent, who also has access to identical prices.

The package is actually through the tour operator Air Canada Vacations, so you can also book it through AirCanadaVacations.com

Google Map of where it is. The red pins are the resort.

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Old 04-28-2011, 03:31 PM   #32
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^^

Thats really good! Frame of reference wise, how far away is that hotel from Varadero? Obviously too far to walk, but a ballpark cab ride?
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Old 04-28-2011, 03:45 PM   #33
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Quote:
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^^

Thats really good! Frame of reference wise, how far away is that hotel from Varadero? Obviously too far to walk, but a ballpark cab ride?


That blob of icons represents things to do, places to eat, nightlife, etc.

I'm gonna go with 6-8km to the heart of the action.

Check out the section on the TripAdvisor review page though, where it says:

"What travelers say about Iberostar Playa Alameda Hotel"

And then click on Double Decker bus...


Quote:
“Double decker bus to get to Varadero...$5 for whole day, step on and off whenever.”
Quote:
“We took the double decker bus into Varadero for 5 CUC and you can get on and off when you choose.”
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Old 04-28-2011, 04:50 PM   #34
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I'm really leaning towards that one right now.
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Old 04-28-2011, 05:10 PM   #35
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Quote:
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I'm really leaning towards that one right now.
Just to note, I wasn't sure if you were going by yourself or not, but the world of all inclusive travel prices tends to revolve around 'price per person based on double occupancy'.

For solo travelers, it tends to be about 20-25% more. Or put another way, it's 20-25% less per person for couples, since they're splitting the cost of the room in two.

If you're not totally set on Cuba, the Royal Decameron down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is the best deal in all-inclusive land at the moment. Currently at $760/person after tax for early June (for 2 people). Over May long weekend it was down to $640 which was a pretty ridiculous price. It's pretty much identical to the Alameda in terms of quality.
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Old 04-28-2011, 05:10 PM   #36
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One more plug for Guardalavaca

NM it seems like Nov is the start of travel from Calgary to Holguin
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Old 04-30-2011, 09:26 AM   #37
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I think I'm set on Iberostar Playa Alameda. Thats the one that looks the best to me, I'll hopefully book on Monday, when the man finally pays me!
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Old 04-30-2011, 01:42 PM   #38
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The veradero beach is amazing

But the only hotel with good food is the Sandals all others are disgusting.

PS. You may want to know that the tourism industry is owned by the Cuban Military so don't kid yourselves if you think the money goes to the people's needs.
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Old 05-01-2011, 06:12 PM   #39
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I just came back from Barcelo Solymar today and it was a blast (3rd time). The resort was really busy, and just a good overall vibe aside from the few asshats who can't act properly while on vacation (smashing bottles, hollering, trashing the place etc). Anyway, a certain Oiler d-man rhyming with Beckham was also there and what a vain asshat. Firstly, has his name tattoo'd across his back, pulled the line, "do you know who I am" endlessly, broke bottles, glasses etc to show how tough he was, then proceeded to tell the staff he can afford to pay anything, and worst, kept asking randoms for a certain recreational drug. I don't know how NHL testing works, but considering his craving for it, and the apparent money he has, you can assume he probably got it. I've also never heard a player being so disrespectful to the average woman who came near him (you think these guys can casually drop the NHL player line, but he blatently was an aggressive prick). Just a complete idiot overall, and I'm sure not one person who came in contact with him the whole week left with a good impression. Anyway, end of rant, but hearing him do an Adam Sandler impression every minute of the day was annoying.
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Old 05-02-2011, 08:54 AM   #40
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Quote:
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dont buy in until a month before you leave...prices will drop.
It looks like the opposite has happened. The one I wanted for $1066 is now well over $1600.

Back to the drawing board.
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