[Wayout]

To add what hasn't been mentioned yet - depending on your budget - try to understand what's sold for local moneta nacional ( fruit,cuban sandwiches), and what's sold for convertible peso..anything quality.
Cuban have no qualms taking your money even if you are overpaying 10X!
Foreigners are protected by the police - so don't be afraid to tell some shady guy to fuck off! Same in a venue- if some Cuban is moving on your target - tell him to fuck off! As a foreigner you are always right and the Cuban is always wrong! (This might have changed since I went to Cuba 2 years ago).

Cuba is often a sex tourism destination for women. I met several Japanese girls ( in their 20!) who came to Cuba to bang Cuban guy and dance salsa!..Yes..this is pure gold info I never told anyone! If you see a Jgirl- straight up invite her to your casa to dance salsa!
Don't be stranded in Cuba without cash - especially if you are American! Always have a backup,hide some cash somewhere in the apartment. Know where the nearest western union is and have a buddy back home willing to wire you some money!

[lavidaloca]

In Varadero Cabaret Continental is very good. Tomorrow Gente de Zona is hosting a bienvenido concert at the melia cohiba. Should be a lot of well heeled people there.

[Atlantic]

Thanks again guys. Ill send Pms when Im back in town. And definently some rep points too.

[rcraig33hb]

(04-11-2014 11:38 AM)Wayout Wrote:  

Foreigners are protected by the police - so don't be afraid to tell some shady guy to fuck off! Same in a venue- if some Cuban is moving on your target - tell him to fuck off! As a foreigner you are always right and the Cuban is always wrong! (This might have changed since I went to Cuba 2 years ago).

This has not changed! I was walking w/ my brother from a club at 3am through dark street in Gunabo and some local punk was following us just chatting....no big deal. Out of nowhere, 4 cop cars and 12 cops surround us....they check our CDN I.D.'s and let us go within seconds...the Cuban dude was hauled away for associating himself with Tourists. Same would have happened to a women as well!

(04-11-2014 11:38 AM)Wayout Wrote:  

Cuba is often a sex tourism destination for women. I met several Japanese girls ( in their 20!) who came to Cuba to bang Cuban guy and dance salsa!.

There are tons of CDN women that go there looking for sex partners & husbands. While staying at the Habana Libre last year, we noticed a couple of Cuban dudes always hanging solo in the lobby lounge...my buddies an I knew they were looking for female tourists. Game goes both ways!

I am sure most of you read this funny story! Look at the grin on that dudes face. Sorry to go off topic but had to share this! :-)

http://canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-vie...iage-fraud

[lavidaloca]

Foreigners are protected by the police to a certain extent. That holds when you are in the tourist areas. Outside of there not as much.

[InternationPlayboy]

I'll be in Cuba May 9th for a week or two. Probably at least a week in hanvana.

[lavidaloca]

I'm in Holguin on May 4 for a month.

If Atlantic is reading this thread I think that Descemer Bueno is playing at the IPANEMA Saturday (it's advertised with Sarao promotions but I can't call from Canada to check). Hes got the top hit in Cuba right now which recently was remade with Enrique Iglesias singing his part in the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUsoVlDFqZg Should be good in terms of non pro talent. But it won't be an easy place to pull.

[InternationPlayboy]

Hey, do you guys know if I can call the US from Cuba? There is no internet access in Cuba, is that correct?

[lavidaloca]

There is internet access and yes you can call the US from Cuba. Note: It is possible that your cell phone service provider won't work. You can rent a sim card for $3 a day at etecsa. (With that you can put minutes on your phone and use them to call the US). However, what I would do is just buy the international calling cards they sell in ETECSA they cost 5,10,15 dollars. With that you can call the US with a landline. It is rather expensive though about $1.80 a minute. Ask the etecsa worker the code to enter in advance of the number you are planning to call. I believe it is 1191 followed by the US number.

Internet is $4.50/ hr or $2.25/ half hr in ETECSA. (basically a computer center)

In some hotels WIFI is available. At Melia Cohiba its $14 for 2 hours of WIFI. At parque Central various offers are available ranging from $8 /hr to $500 / 200 hr or something in that range.

Typically in hotels computers will be between $6 and $10 an hour. If you need good internet I'd recommend Havana Libre business center. It's $5 / half hour or $10 / hour but it's pretty good.

There is also a new service that allows Cuban people with nauta accounts to check their emails with their phones (similar to data) which is very cheap. However, it's unclear as to whether foreigners have access to this service. My guess is that they don't.

[InternationPlayboy]

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know a contact for a travel agent prefferably in Jamaica, or another country that could set me up with a flight? I have been looking online and it's much more expensive to buy flights the week before as opposed to maybe two of three weeks before. I emailed a travel agent in Mexico that a friend of mine knows, still waiting to hear back. Should a travel agent from Mexico be able to set me up from Jamaica going to cuba? Then after that I need a flight cuba to the DR. Also, how much do you think I should expect to pay if I only book one week in advance?

[InternationPlayboy]

Just found an agency in Canada that can book cuba flights with your tourist card. Mine was $620 total from Montego Bay to Havana and Havana to santo Domingo and that's only 2 weeks advanced purchase.

[lavidaloca]

As a heads up internationplayboy theres been a few reports of them stamping American passports and other nationalities in Cuba in the past month. Not sure if they are true... But prior to this they never stamped any nationalities passports, they stamped the visa card. Hence, my passport is nearly blank but I've been to Cuba dozens of times.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/f...af59bd3a9f

[InternationPlayboy]

Damn that's bad news, thanks for the heads up. What do you think they'd do if you came back with a cuban stamp in your passport? I heard something about a $10000 fine, but you think they'd really charge you that much? You think I can slip buddy in customs a $20 or 50 and he'd look the other way?

[lavidaloca]

I'd be very careful with doing that. (the bribe) The reason is, is that there's a camera in the booth where the customs officer is pointed right at you. You basically go right into a little tiny room, say 2 square meters. So it's not as if the picture would be blurry or difficult to hear what you say. And your word verse his when they've got you on camera is pretty much meaningless. The camera does function as they do take your picture each time you pass through.

If they are stamping all passports you have to imagine atleast 10,000 US citizen this month are going to have stamped passports from Cuba whom didn't take a licensed route to visit.

I don't know about the legal side of it. The best plan of action assuming you go is to ask that they stamp the visa (you'll be given 2 green visa slips on the plane 1 for exit and 1 for entry) and not your passport with no mention of money. Previously they've always stamped the visas and never the passport of any nationality. I'm flying in May 4th, if you want I could email or pm you whether they stamp my passport although I'm flying into Holguin not into Havana. (could be different + I'm not American)

[InternationPlayboy]

Hmmm ok good to know, thanks for the heads up. That would be awesome if you could pm me and let me know if they stamped you or not. I'm almost considering holding off on booking my flight tomorrow. I'm gonna try talking to the travel agent about it and see if they know anything. Only problem is I don't know they'll be straight up with me if they're out to make a buck. The company did come recommended by a friend who has gone before and her friend has used many time to go to cuba. The company is based out of Canada so that makes me feel a little more at ease as compared to Jamaica or Mexico. Also the people I'm talking with specialize only in Cuba travel, so they should be familiar with it if they have been stamping passports.

[InternationPlayboy]

I was just reading up on it and it seems that the traveling restrictions to cuba are chill now. Sounds like not many Americans have been busted in the last ten years

[lavidaloca]

I'm of the impression it's chill as well. Somewhat surprisingly quite a lot of American celebrities visit. It's a good place for them as no one has a clue who they are unless they are mega latin stars (daddy yankee, pitbull, marc anthony, don omar, j-lo, enrique iglesias) or Brad Pitt. Even many extremely popular latin musicians are virtually unknown on the island. When Jay-Z was there with Beyonce no one had a clue who Jay-Z was. None of my girlfriends have had a clue who J. Balvin is for example (and these are dancers) people who are around music night and day. Those are the people I think who would be most at risk of being fined as they are setting an example for the public.

Perhaps its best to ask one of the US lawyers on the board. Things can change in an instant when it comes to Cuba. There were 700,000 visitors reported last year as belonging to the "other" category and its believed the majority of those were American. Surely a lot of them on those educational tours but others going just the same way that you are.

I'll send you a pm when I'm there to let you know whether my passport is stamped.

[InternationPlayboy]

I talked to the travel agent. He said he books thousands of Cuba trips a year and would have heard about it. He also said even if they know you went they don't care as long as you aren't bringing back goods from Cuba. Just booked the trip, will be spending 13 days in Cuba. I'm definitely going to check out havana. What should my other city be as someone new to cuba? I speak decent Spanish, definitely enough to get by and meet friends that don't speak english.

[Tully Mars]

You will hv zero problems. You hv to go through a gateway country, you hv to ask for a tourist card and pay for it (copa air charged me $25) just make sure you stay in a Casa Particular...i loved Havana and had a great host family with a smoking hot daughter who was a dancer that performed for tourists in Havana Restraunts. Cant wait to get back but like everyone has stated its a huge prepago scene so be prepared.

[lavidaloca]

Internation what city you should visit really depends on your personality / desires.

For example someone who just wants to chill in a little fishing type town might like the Cojimar part of Havana or Pinar del Rio. Someone who wants to be grinding to reggaeton with a more afro-centric crowd would like Santiago. Someone who wants to wallk the malecon on a daily basis and take in the beautiful sights may like Cienfuegos. Someone who wants a beach with a party scene may like Varadero and Santa Lucia.

Within Havana a photo or artistic type probably would prefer old havana. An older successful businessman would probably prefer to be out in Siboney area. By contrast a young hip hop type may very well feel out of place in Siboney just as the businessman may feel out of place in Old Havana.

13 days isn't a lot so you aren't going to want to go to far out of Havana. That leaves you Isla de Juventud, Pinar del Rio, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Matanzas, Sancti Sprinctus and Varadero as viable options. If you want a tourist centric party scene then varadero is fine.

If you want a Cuban centric scene Matanzas would be better. I'm not a fan of Trinidad but others are. Cienfuegos is the most visually pleasing city in Cuba. Nightlife it's tough for me to go in depth in these places as the bulk of my experience is in Holguin / Havana. I'd probably do Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad if I were you. Cienfuegos and Trinidad are close. And within Havana you could check out Guanabo for a beach and/ or Playas del Este.

[InternationPlayboy]

Awesome man, thanks for the info. I'm looking more for a local scene. I'm already gonna be in Jamaica with my family at an all inclusive resort for a week before I go to cuba, so that should be my tourist attraction for the trip. Plus spending 5 days in punta Cana with some other friends and I'm sure I'll have more of the tourist scene than is wish at that point. I'm looking for some cool scenery, warm nice locals, and maybe a couple of cool bars. I'll definitely keep those spots in mind. Sounds like I'm gonna want more matamzas than verdero. As far as Cuba goes, I'm going more for the culture, women are secondary, only because it seems like the p4p scene is so big. If I meet a cute girl on my trip, sweet, but that won't necissarily be the deciding factor as to where I go. I'll probably focus more on women in the DR, though I'm sure Cubans are probably better looking. It just seems like a pain meeting them in Cuba unless you have some time to dedicate, or unless you want to pay.

It's a good thing I booked through this travel agent because I found out there are no direct flights from Jamaica, meaning you can't get your tourist card there. I would have had to get it in the Cayman Islands, given I actually had time between flights.

[lavidaloca]

Theres plenty of nonpros in Cuba. 95% of woman are non-pros there. It's just in selective environments where tourists congregate the numbers are the opposite i.e. 95% are pros. Logically if a pro were to go and hang out in diez de octubre (a large Cuban barrio where there is next to no tourism) where are her potential clients? They go where they expect tourists to be and this goes into nightlife as well. What makes it seem so widespread in nightlife is there are a lot of tourists from different cultures with different tendencies. The French and Italians like to go hard and party really late so places like Dos Gardenias and Diablo Tun Tun attract them as they are open till god knows when (6 or 7am I think)... not that I go out that late. Whereas the Canadians tend to be more reserved and be closer to the "hotel." So more Canadians make it from parque central to casa de la musica Galiano.

The Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Chileans etc. have flawless spanish they are more likely to get "good advice" but they too then congregate in an area over time. I find in hotels there are a lot of spanish tourists in Melia Cohiba for example. Whereas the Canadians that do make it to Havana seem to choose the parque central (Old Havana) hotels.

So what happens is the nightlife pro scene poors into a bunch of venues. Then theres the Cuban-American scene...these guys may be the most adept at picking good non-pro venues if they are young and in the know. But some pros go to those venues to target those guys.

Then you have operativa guardia (guard operations) where police surround a disco at night. This happens randomly at all discos where prostitution goes on. So all of a sudden the pros can't go to their normal haunt and end up elsewhere. Thats why it seems like there's so much pro action. The tourist may very well go to a place where it's 98% non pro but that girl who seems really pursuant and the most likely candidate happens to be a pro.

Once you are there enough spotting a pro vs. non pro is as easy as tieing your shoes. But I agree for a new guy or a guy who only takes a few short time trips, its as hard as proving definitively that pepsi or coke is better.

Occasionally, I will be unsure. Typically this is when I'm at a disco that has a fair bit of prostitution and 2 or 3 girls are sitting together dressed exceptionally well. Sometimes it turns out shes a Cuban living abroad other times a pro.

At every venue if there is a good show on, there will be some young non-pros. But if you expect non-pros to go out and spend 25 CUC to see Los Van Van play or Pablo Milanes you'll be out of luck. As those bands cater to a much older demographic and tourists.

The best tip I can give you is do some homework on the Cuba music scene, and when you hear one of them is playing go to that venue assuming its not an obvious hooker haunt. Or better yet, go way outside of Old Havana, Centro Havana, Vedado and even Miramar. If you can find pro action in Tarara I'd be shocked. Example, Los Desiguales (popular reggaeton duo with a big youth following) is playing at casa de la musica galiano. That would be a no go cause its an obvious hooker destination. But if they are playing at copacobana thats a definite go.

No different than when a tourist targets a girl whose obviously incredibly poor. Those girls have real needs. To me it's obvious based on how they dress, talk etc. But a lot of tourists pick targets they feel more comfortable talking to in day time. So instead of the 9.5 dressed to the nines, they go talk to the girl with a orange top with ripped yellow jeans and sneakers that are 5+ years old or sandals. The girls may without clothes be equivalent in looks but the one is so poor shes thinking about how to live today nevermind tomorrow.

The lack of online game also really hurts. But with time, trust me when I say that the vast vast majority of girls are not hooking up for cash. With that said regardless of a girls income you will be paying for each and every date + taxi. It's customary for men to buy their girlfriends stuff sporadically there (even amongst Cubans). It is not customary for a guy to sleep with a girl there and throw her a $20 bill despite what anyone will tell you. Cubans will tell you all foreigners do and have to. The reason being that basically every tourist who brings a girl back to their casa is paying for it. Over time there the difference becomes obvious. Dating guys with superior economic status is prevalent. So when you see a smoking hot Cuban with a guy of mediocre looks and you scratch your head a bit thats probably the case.

You'll have a great trip. Havana alone is a huge city. If you do end up making it all the way to oriente and end up in Holguin send me a message. I wish I could go to Havana for a month right now but I have too much stuff to get done for June which I wouldn't ever get done if I went there. Holguin is nice and quiet most of the week which keeps me on a somewhat regular schedule.

[pitt]

Lavidaloca are you in Cuba right now? How is the internet in Cuba at the moment?

I am really looking to go to Cuba this year but I need to be using the internet most of the time. Is it possible to get a casa particular in Havana with fast (or decent) internet?

[lavidaloca]

I am not, will be there soon.

You will not find internet in a casa particular in the price range acceptable to most I.e. At $100+ per room there are places with it. More than likely to get a place with decent internet you'll be looking at specialized properties in the $300 a night plus range. It won't be particularly fast at these places but it exists. The only places I know of that have wifi internet rent for $1000 a night. This is in Havana.

Outside of the capital theres a 0.000000001% chance you will find a casa particular with internet with decent internet. The odd place has internet because the owner happens to have dual citizenship but the internet in these places resembles dial up from the 90's. The good internet is reserved to specific locations.

Based on the body type you like pitt, I'd be lieng to you if I didn't say DR will be about 10 times better. Most Cubans eat from rationed goods and then buy small amounts of foods in the market. (Hence the vast majority of girls are from skinny to medium build) As a result there aren't many woman with huge butts unless you start targeting the over 40 demographic as by that age their metabolism has slowed.

Cubans in the US vs. Cubans in Cuba are a different game altogether. Remember in Cuba they all eat the same rationed items which tend to keep them slim as their diets aren't calorie dense enough. In the US they have access to near unlimited amounts of food.

[Gringuito]

(04-25-2014 12:09 AM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

As a heads up internationplayboy theres been a few reports of them stamping American passports and other nationalities in Cuba in the past month. Not sure if they are true... But prior to this they never stamped any nationalities passports, they stamped the visa card. Hence, my passport is nearly blank but I've been to Cuba dozens of times.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/f...af59bd3a9f

A few friends just arrived today and they tried to stamp each of their passports in immigration. You need to ask them to stamp the visa instead.