[The Fantasist]

Stunning beaches,great weather,hot women.....Cuba seems to have it all! So why is it that this seemingly island paradise has so little info on it posted on here? There are data sheets posted here on seemingly far less appealing locations: FSU shit holes,Manchester,Bishkek....yet a place that is only 90 miles from US is a black hole of information ( I used the search function and drew a blank ) why? It seems strange..

I have not been myself but have heard a few comments over the years from guys who have: 'paradise','hottest women on earth','the women love foreign men','they love to fuck' etc. etc. probably a lot of bravado and exaggeration but there must be an inkling of truth in it. Added to that it has very few Americans due to the travel ban and hence you would think non American forum members would have been all over it by now to take advantage of the lack of competition. Where else do we have a nation to ourselves? I've also heard that away from the resorts it's cheap especially with the black market currency deals to be had with USD. Am I missing something obvious as to why there is no info on the place??

So who has been and what is the truth about Cuba? Who of us has gone and at least tried to bang out there? I have this image of me cruising the hinterland of the country in a convertible with a straw hat on,a massive cigar in my mouth and a dark skinned Cuban beauty sucking me off.

Surely someone has done it?

[Hencredible Casanova]

I've never been to Cuba, but I have friends who have. It's a tough place to travel to for Americans which is why I've been reluctant to visit. Technically, Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba, we just aren't allowed to spend any money there. Hence the reason the embargo is maintained by the Department of Treasury rather than the State Department, etc.

So because of the embargo, we can't use our check cards or credit cards while over there. Also, the dollar to Cuban peso exchange rate is rape, so Americans have to 1) bring all the money they intend to spend in cash with them 2) convert their money to another foreign currency (i.e. Canadian dollar, British Pound, or Euro) before coming to Cuba.

There's also a lot of restrictions on the Cuban people for how much level of interaction they may have with Americans.

I really want to go there just out of curiosity. I've never been to an officially communist country, so I want to see what that's like. I also want to visit before Castro dies. I feel the country will change dramatically after that happens.

[Timoteo]

Another factor that scares Americans off of Cuba is that there are no direct flights from the US. You have to go through Canada, or Mexico or other points in the Caribbean. While you probably won't encounter problems, if you do, there's no Embassy to help you. Hencredible laid out all of the other headaches, so when faced with all that, most Americans pass on Cuba.

A friend of mine and his girlfriend went a few years ago. She's a professional photographer, and wanted to take pictures on the island. I think they flew from Mexico.

I'm not quite sure how much Cuba will change when Fidel dies. I see Raul making perhaps small changes (and nothing that will benefit the Cuban people), but I can't envision anything sweeping. At least not for some time. From our end, I think the Administration wants to relax some of the restrictions for family to visit the island.

[Hencredible Casanova]

(04-01-2012 11:35 PM)Timoteo Wrote:  

Another factor that scares Americans off of Cuba is that there are no direct flights from the US. You have to go through Canada, or Mexico or other points in the Caribbean. While you probably won't encounter problems, if you do, there's no Embassy to help you. Hencredible laid out all of the other headaches, so when faced with all that, most Americans pass on Cuba.

A friend of mine and his girlfriend went a few years ago. She's a professional photographer, and wanted to take pictures on the island. I think they flew from Mexico.

I'm not quite sure how much Cuba will change when Fidel dies. I see Raul making perhaps small changes (and nothing that will benefit the Cuban people), but I can't envision anything sweeping. At least not for some time. From our end, I think the Administration wants to relax some of the restrictions for family to visit the island.

There are direct flights to Cuba from several US airports: MIA, JFK, and LAX, among a few others, but typically only Cuban-Americans with family on the island can board those flights. Also, the Obama Administration eased restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba. You can now go with a school, cultural, or religious group as long as the activity involves "substantial cultural exchange" with the Cuban people. These programs often cost a grip though and they are highly structured.

If you wanted to travel on your own as a "non-Cuban American," you would have to fly via other countries like Timoteo mentioned. My boy went to Havana via the Bahamas last year. There's a charter flight once a day.

[Hencredible Casanova]

(04-01-2012 11:47 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(04-01-2012 11:35 PM)Timoteo Wrote:  

Another factor that scares Americans off of Cuba is that there are no direct flights from the US. You have to go through Canada, or Mexico or other points in the Caribbean. While you probably won't encounter problems, if you do, there's no Embassy to help you. Hencredible laid out all of the other headaches, so when faced with all that, most Americans pass on Cuba.

A friend of mine and his girlfriend went a few years ago. She's a professional photographer, and wanted to take pictures on the island. I think they flew from Mexico.

I'm not quite sure how much Cuba will change when Fidel dies. I see Raul making perhaps small changes (and nothing that will benefit the Cuban people), but I can't envision anything sweeping. At least not for some time. From our end, I think the Administration wants to relax some of the restrictions for family to visit the island.

There are direct flights to Cuba from several US airports: MIA, JFK, and LAX, among a few others, but typically only Cuban-Americans with family on the island can board those flights. Also, the Obama Administration eased restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba. You can now go with a school, cultural, or religious group as long as the activity involves "substantial cultural exchange" with the Cuban people. These programs often cost a grip though and they are highly structured.

If you wanted to travel on your own as a "non-Cuban American," you would have to fly via other countries like Timoteo mentioned. My boy went to Havana via the Bahamas last year. There's a charter flight once a day. The Cuban authorities are cool about Americans going there like that. They won't stamp your passport. Instead, they'll stamp a document that you are to keep with your passport while you're in the country.

[WanderingSoul]

There are quite a few data sheets/threads from forum members who have been to Cuba on here. I just did a search and came back with 3 or 4 legit ones. Use the Google forum search and see what comes up.

Personally, I would love to go to Cuba within the next five years. I don't think it is a place Americans could spend an extended period of time due to the fact that we can't withdraw money from an ATM, but you can take enough cash for a couple of weeks to check it out.