HAVANA CUBA CITY GUIDE

Let me start off… by making it really clear that I only spent a few days in Havana, therefore I am by no means an expert about where to go or what to do! But I will share with you a few of my favorite highlights from the trip that I’d recommend so consider this basically a mini guide to Havana, or simply a recap of what I loved! But before I get into that I will share a few things to keep in mind before you apply for a visa; which leads me to my first thing, you need a visa! After obtaining that, you will need to plan your trip according to the type of visa you obtain, meaning there are certain requirements set by the Cuban government for American travel. Ours included attending a certain amount of educational activities in order to further our understanding of the Cuban culture. Most of these activities are things you would likely want to do anyway when visiting, so it’s an easy thing to embrace! Another important thing to keep in mind is the fact that credit cards are very unlikely to work in Cuba, so it’s important to bring cash before going so you can exchange it for the Cuban peso. There were mentions that some debit cards might work but I really wouldn’t risk it! I would also make sure you know what the hotel you are staying at accepts for payment, so you are prepared. Fortunately, Cuba is extremely affordable as compared to the United States, so your money will go a very long way. Next is the internet. Havana is the major city in Cuba and getting wifi was still extremely difficult during our stay. Out hotel had wifi, however, it was very hard to connect to and I can’t honestly remember any other locations outside of our hotel that offered wifi to guests. I happened to love this opportunity to disconnect, as I would expect most American travelers would, however, if you are planning to get work done while there I would suggest you make accommodations so that you can be free of internet for long periods of time. I also tried to get cellular service during my trip but neither my carrier or my fiancé’s had available plans to do so. They did however inform me of how much it would cost per minute to make a call or send a text off airplane mode and it wasn’t cheap so I would really plan ahead to be somewhat unreachable during your time there. Last but not least, is that despite Havana being in the Caribbean, Americans are not welcome at the beach and therefore this trip didn’t involve any lounging or time spent on the ocean as one might expect when traveling here. I could be wrong about this or perhaps there are specific beaches outside the city where Americans are welcome but it was a big surprise to me when our guide pointed this out! Aside from that I felt extremely safe throughout the entire trip and really enjoyed my time getting to experience the Cuban culture. I hope this guide inspires and is helpful, enjoy!

We stayed at the Iberostar Parque Central which was a great experience. In terms of customer service, cleanliness and amenities it had everything we needed. There was a nice bar and restaurant with live music and good food options, a cashier to exchange money at and the hotel was in a good location where I felt safe and close to everything. The wifi was very weak but this just seems to be a difficult amenity to come by in Cuba, a country that just recently got 3G internet. Aesthetically, I wasn’t really blown away by the architecture or decor but it was an easy and comfortable stay. There were a few boutique hotels I explored but really can’t speak to beyond my appreciation of the beautiful interiors. Some of them were Hotel Florida, Hotel Raquel, Mercure Sevilla Havane, Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Ambos Mundos. Again, these were just beautiful places I explored so I would do a little research before booking! We also went to the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which is full of Cuban history and prestige, a great place to expand your understating of the culture and sip a fabulously sweet mojito.