[Tail Gunner]

(03-09-2014 11:22 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

One day I'd like to own a nice property in Cuba, simply because I love being there.

I would, too. After the regime change. I have had a number of Cuban-American friends over the years. All cool hardworking people. Absolute spine-chilling tales about their families living in post-revolution Cuba. I have had extended family die in Siberian camps, so I can relate.

[lavidaloca]

It's a difficult country. With that said in terms of the average happiness level I wouldn't be surprised if it's as high as Canada or the US. All young people there want to make more money without exception. They all complain about shitty salaries. Which is true.

It's surprising though how many woman are completely content with how things are there. Both my girlfriends are happy with Cuba in general and support the revolution. Over the coming years a number of issues need to be addressed though.

I wouldn't hold up hopes for a regime change. The next guy in line is handpicked. Cuba won't be opening casinos and luxury hotels anytime soon. The new regime will likely make new reforms slowly but are internal that allow for the redistribution of wealth.

I agree with you though, purchasing real estate now seems like a lose / lose. If the market opens up then there will be many more condos available increasing supply and lowering prices. So I don't really see any investment gains in purchasing the properties available there.

Right now the expensive properties ($50,000+) are basically all being bought by Cubans abroad (often in Family members names). Those are the only really decent investment properties as you can find 3000 square foot homes in the top areas well finished for Cuba in the 150k range. In the case Cuba opens up they may appreciate in value but even then I don't see much value increase simply due to a simple fact. People buying second homes abroad aren't typically looking to buy places built in the 1950s. They want something nicely finished and Cuban property is not that.

[rcraig33hb]

(03-09-2014 10:32 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

You'll have a blast there I'm sure.

For reference the area you are referring to is classified as Vedado. Once you pass the university you are back in Centro Havana generally speaking.

I've been to all the places you mentioned in your report minus El Conejito. I've passed by it many times.

They recently reopened Hotel Capri. I went and had a drink there at 1030 one evening in one of the first nights it was open. I My girl and I were the only people there and they had a full staff plus group of vocalists. It was a really chill place but doesn't have the swank vibe you'd expect from a place formerly run by the mob.

Cienfuegos is certainly the most beautiful in terms of architecture. It's a place I'd love to spend more time in for sure.

Yea, I wouldn't think it would be worth it. For the price you pay for a room there, you could rent for a week a decent place. The one thing about Cuba that irks me is there really is no reasonably priced luxury housing. I.e. 3 or 4 bedroom villas.

You get your standard 35 dollar a night places in Vedado and then you jump to 400 dollar a night places. There really isn't any middle ground and the 400 dollar a night type places are laughable compared to the quality. They are basically the $35 a night places with 3 more bedrooms + pool.

What square do you mean?

I like the Hotel Nacional for the pool. 15 / 10 (15 entrance + 10 consume)

I haven't been to the Turquino. I was of the impression that it was basically a place without Cubans and just foreigners there.

Your not missing that much with El Conijito! The beer is nice and cold and they always have European soccer playing on tv....pretty small. Drink can get pricey hence I recommend not by drinks for anyone else accept those you travel with! I have always been told to try the Rabbit for dinner but have never it as of yet. There is a dinning room on one side w/ sep entrance and the bar on the other side.

The square as I call it is the Coppelia.....not a square in the true sense but gets packed most night and very lively on a Friday and Saturday eve. It's nice to park yourself on La Rampa, have a seat and just watch the scenery and events at Coppelia!

Turquino has live band and known for the 360 view of Havana! The view is amazing! There are mostly tourists in there...we were able to sign in some locals and bring them up with us to the club. We have come across big groups of tourists from South America there each time. Shocked to see a few (2-4 at most) working girls there as well, most don't know it but I know they are...easy to spot!!!

I agree with the housing costs! Either it is economical or super expensive! In your report, you mentioned the villas in Playa del Este, I always wanted to check that out since they have private pools and security. I have heard from a few people that the issue there is theft and break ins. Happens very often despite security always doing patrol. Not sure if security is IN on it. I would hate to be there with 4 buddies then we we leave for an evening, our valuables are gone once we return.

Never been to Hotel Capri but will check it out. I am a big fan of walking into Hotels in Havana and just getting a drink and relaxing for a bit. I consider myself a Mojito snob (I grow my own mints in Toronto...4 diff types) so I want to make my way around different spots in Havana and measure which place makes the best drink. I still favor the quality made at Hotel National over El Floridita. A bit overrated. I will check out Capri and try their Mojito!!! :-)

[lavidaloca]

Gato mentioned playa del este! I have no idea about what theft is like there. I'm always cautious and not overly confident in security measures. I was short about 500 or 600 dollars at one point last summer. Now maybe I overspent or brought less money than I thought I did but I don't think so. I just chalked it up as a learning experience. Asi es la vida.

For drinks, theres a nice place on 17th or so. You make a left when you reach the Focsa building and its within a block or 2. The name escapes me at the moment but its a great date place. They have little table set ups with lounge like seating and each table seperated by a wall. A good date place, but no one goes their single and it's Big yellow building, it has a bit of outdoor seating but inside is where it's really well done. The ceilings are very high as well perhaps 15-20 feet high.

I prefer walking the Coppelia area during the day (avenida 23). I have walked it at night before but typically on off days as I tend to go to discos on weekends.

If you want the cheapest decent mojito in Cuba check out 23 y G (I'm pretty sure this is the direction). They have 10 peso Cubano mojitos. (40 cents) They aren't too shabby either.

I've had drinks at Floridita and Hotel Nacional (they're both good for Cuba) but nothing spectacular. At that price for drinks my preferred place is the Melia Cohiba. They have a nice lounge bar as well as Havana Cafe.

[nomadicdude]

"White man's Paradise" --- always laugh when guys post stuff like this. Very simplistic.

[Tail Gunner]

(03-10-2014 07:53 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  

"White man's Paradise" --- always laugh when guys post stuff like this. Very simplistic.

I always laugh when people do not read the whole thread.

FYI: Troll thread with troll thread title with OP banned.

[InternationPlayboy]

I knew OPs post was b/s before I even read the replies. I'm most likely headed to Cuba in May. For those who have been, is it worth it? It seems like if you are American (I am) it could be a headache. Anyone have any ballpark ideas of how much a flight should cost from Jamaica with only buying the ticket a week in advance? It seems like it's pretty hard to hook up there without p4p simply because of logistics. Do you guys think I should go there over anywhere else in the Caribbean (excluding the DR and Jamaica because I'm already going). Getting laid isn't the deciding factor though. I more want to go because I hear it's a very rare place, unlike anywhere else. My budget should be a grand or less for a week, that should be doable right? I plan on doing the stay with a family thing. Any crucial advice you would give a first timer? I've read through most of the data sheets and they seem to be great, but if there are a couple things that are crucial that I should know I would appreciate the info. I already know to bring euros. If you had to pick one city/town besides Havana, which would it be?

[rcraig33hb]

(03-11-2014 12:50 AM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I knew OPs post was b/s before I even read the replies. I'm most likely headed to Cuba in May. For those who have been, is it worth it? It seems like if you are American (I am) it could be a headache. Anyone have any ballpark ideas of how much a flight should cost from Jamaica with only buying the ticket a week in advance? It seems like it's pretty hard to hook up there without p4p simply because of logistics. Do you guys think I should go there over anywhere else in the Caribbean (excluding the DR and Jamaica because I'm already going). Getting laid isn't the deciding factor though. I more want to go because I hear it's a very rare place, unlike anywhere else. My budget should be a grand or less for a week, that should be doable right? I plan on doing the stay with a family thing. Any crucial advice you would give a first timer? I've read through most of the data sheets and they seem to be great, but if there are a couple things that are crucial that I should know I would appreciate the info. I already know to bring euros. If you had to pick one city/town besides Havana, which would it be?

Hey InternationPlayboy,

All depends on what your looking to get out of your 1 week vacay. The posts from El_gato & lavidaloca have some good suggestions and I am on board with their tips since I generally stay close to that area!

Havana - Many pockets in Havana where you can chill for a week and get a chance to know the city. Here is a nice street map of Havana: http://www.bedincuba.com/casa_particular...lucion.htm

Playa del Este would be my recommendation since you can choose between a resort, Casa close by or private villas. As detailed in the report by El_gato & lavidaloca, cost to bus it into Havana is very cheap....you can actually google the bus schedule in advance and bring a hard copy...I did and it made a difference! Larger Map of Havana w/ Playa del Este: http://www.7daysinparadise.com/smf/index...pic=4341.0

Guanabo is not bad but not my recommendation on your first visit!

Barreras, Guanabacoa - I personally stay here but would NOT recommend to a 1st timer since it is very secluded and a small village.

As for the P4P scene, it all depends on communication! Going to the beach and running your day game is great ONLY if you can communicate in Spanish! Once the women know your a tourist, it helps and if you can communicate with them, even better! If you have zero Spanish then your stuck with P4P bro.

Good luck on your choice for a vacay!

[InternationPlayboy]

Cool, thanks for the info. My Spanish is intermediate. I can definitely get by and I've bedded girls before who only speak Spanish so it shouldn't be a problem. I haven't decided whether or not I'll spend 2 weeks in Cuba or the DR. My car just broke down this morning and set me back $400, so that puts a damper on my trip.

[lavidaloca]

At a grand you'd be fine for a week in Havana. Less than that would be tight. Note: most guys who go are on budgets of quite a bit less than 1000 a week. While I say that 1000 may be tight it really depends what you want. Some guys are willing to go away and eat street pizzas and pure street food while renting a bedroom in someone elses house, sharing the place with the family + other tourists. It really depends.

With 1000 a week you shouldn't really have to cut corners and can live pretty well. You can get a nice 1 bedroom independent along the malecon for about 35 a day. You'll have enough money to eat out, club, do whatever you please. You can eat well for 10-15 a day. (what I do typically) You can eat super cheaply for 2-3 dollars a day(I wouldn't bother doing this.). You can eat at the best restaurants for lunch + dinner for 30 or so a day. Top restaurants charge between 6 and 15 dollars a plate from my experience. Although you have to be careful as there are a lot of restaurants hosing tourists charging prices in that range for food that should be 1 dollar. But there are some places that actually have really good food and you do in my opinion get your moneys worth.

Entrance to nightclubs will usually be 5-10 dollars. 5 being most common. If you go to a really big show it could be 20-25 but those types of luxury events may only happen once a week at most. Domestic beers will probably run you about 2 dollars while out, Corona 3-4.

[InternationPlayboy]

Nice! Sounds like cuba isn't too expensive. With that those types of expenses it seems like you should easily be able to get by at $50 + that $35 accommodation. That would only put you at around $600 for the week. That sounds pretty reasonable right? I probably wouldn't go out drinking every night either. Maybe 3 or 4 nights.

[lavidaloca]

It all depends how you plan on doing things. Remember you get hit on conversion. With Canadian dollars 1 Canadian dollar = 0.90 Cuban.. american dollars you'll get smoked on as well because of the tax charged. Changing money before hand you still are paying a transaction fee and then lose roughly an additional 3% when changing. Keep that in mind. It can easily add $100 to your budget.

Taxi's aren't particularily cheap. (cheaper than NA) You can use the taxi collectivo system but if you don't really understand Havana well on a 1 week vacation it would be pretty difficult for most.

So basically right off the bat accomodation = 40 (converting to dollars) x 7 = $240
Departure Tax = 25
Taxi ida/ vuelta airport = 50 (roughly)

So you are at about 315 dollars before you do anything. When you go on dates you'll be paying all of your dates expenses including her taxi to meet and her taxi home. Note: for meeting depending on where they live and their level in Cuban society, suggesting they use taxi collectivos is fine. (.40-.80 cents) On the way home, taxi official. Expect it to be somewhere between 5-10 dollars.

Visit to pools usually is around 15/10 (pay 15 and consume 10)...assuming you go with a girl..double that. So about 33 US if you don't go over the consumable amounts which is rather easy to do.

Thats why I always say aim for atleast $100 a day.

Expect to get hosed a few times on scams / silly shit. Most of the times its small i.e. you go to a restaurant and pay 15 bucks for what is a $1-2 dollar meal. They just give you a "yuma" menu. Or a taxi driver substantially over charges you.

With a $100 a day you'll have a good time. It won't be wild but you'll be able to have a good time.

JJ Roberts seems pretty knowledgeable about Cuba based on the posts I've seen him make on Fisto's site. Perhaps he could guide you as to expenses as everyone is different.

[Dalv17]

(03-11-2014 07:42 AM)rcraig33hb Wrote:  

(03-11-2014 12:50 AM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I knew OPs post was b/s before I even read the replies. I'm most likely headed to Cuba in May. For those who have been, is it worth it? It seems like if you are American (I am) it could be a headache. Anyone have any ballpark ideas of how much a flight should cost from Jamaica with only buying the ticket a week in advance? It seems like it's pretty hard to hook up there without p4p simply because of logistics. Do you guys think I should go there over anywhere else in the Caribbean (excluding the DR and Jamaica because I'm already going). Getting laid isn't the deciding factor though. I more want to go because I hear it's a very rare place, unlike anywhere else. My budget should be a grand or less for a week, that should be doable right? I plan on doing the stay with a family thing. Any crucial advice you would give a first timer? I've read through most of the data sheets and they seem to be great, but if there are a couple things that are crucial that I should know I would appreciate the info. I already know to bring euros. If you had to pick one city/town besides Havana, which would it be?

Hey InternationPlayboy,

All depends on what your looking to get out of your 1 week vacay. The posts from El_gato & lavidaloca have some good suggestions and I am on board with their tips since I generally stay close to that area!

Havana - Many pockets in Havana where you can chill for a week and get a chance to know the city. Here is a nice street map of Havana: http://www.bedincuba.com/casa_particular...lucion.htm

Playa del Este would be my recommendation since you can choose between a resort, Casa close by or private villas. As detailed in the report by El_gato & lavidaloca, cost to bus it into Havana is very cheap....you can actually google the bus schedule in advance and bring a hard copy...I did and it made a difference! Larger Map of Havana w/ Playa del Este: http://www.7daysinparadise.com/smf/index...pic=4341.0

Guanabo is not bad but not my recommendation on your first visit!

Barreras, Guanabacoa - I personally stay here but would NOT recommend to a 1st timer since it is very secluded and a small village.

As for the P4P scene, it all depends on communication! Going to the beach and running your day game is great ONLY if you can communicate in Spanish! Once the women know your a tourist, it helps and if you can communicate with them, even better! If you have zero Spanish then your stuck with P4P bro.

Good luck on your choice for a vacay!

Thanks for the map and housing site. Pretty helpful but most people say old havana doesnt have too much so Id like to stay in new Havana. Close to the bars and everything as most of you have suggested throughout the thread. Anyway from the map what would be "new havana" Plaza de Revolucion, or Centro Havana? Because Ive heard Vedado is more expensive. Ill be going in August with a buddy we both plan on taking lik 500-700 so we might be a bit tight on cash.

Thanks BTW