Cuba... Caribbean with a Difference.

Advantages: Tropical Paradise, Havana, All inclusive hotels.
Disadvantages: Scary Customs.

...Introduction = A few years ago my wife and I were walking from Rotterdam to Vienna. Unfortunately by the time we got to Cologne we received a call telling us we had been burgled back in the UK. Having to cut the trip short and being unwilling to resume the walk we decided to take a couple of weeks in the sun. Looking around for last minute deals we managed to find 10 days All Inclusive in Cuba for £449 a price I doubt you can get unless you are going very last minute (we left two days later). Visas and Vaccinations = There were no visas necessary for entry and because US customs take a dim view of people who go to Cuba they stamp an insert for your passport that can be discarded (or kept) afterwards. If you are taking this as part of a larger tour then you cannot fly to Cuba from the USA, but will need...

hero164 24.10.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Varadero (Cuba)

  Form an orderly Cu-ba!

Advantages: Varied destinations, great people
Disadvantages: Can be hard work at times

...From around the age of twelve or thirteen when I first became interested in politics I have wanted to visit Cuba. As a teenager my political leanings were way over to the left and so Cuba held a mystical appeal. With the break up of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe, Cuba became even more attractive - a country that would not let go of communism. This year I finally made it to the "Promised Land" as used to call it in my idealistic youth. Before going I read voraciously about the country, its history and its customs but nothing could have really prepared me three weeks of backpacking in this strange country of contradictions. Everyone I spoke to on the subject, it transpired, was an expert on Cuba - particularly those who had never been there! I was told about the grinding poverty, the fantastic health...

fizzytom 07.12.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of General: Cuba

My fancy frolics in Cuba

Advantages: Scenic, different, not too spoilt
Disadvantages: Flight

...the Iberostar Daiquiri, other hotels on the Island included the 5* Melia and the 3* Sol Club We visited the north side of Cuba, a couple of Islands that make up the Cayo’s. There is Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo. Cayo Guillermo is where we decided to go as it’s less developed and joined to Cuba by a 68km causeway. The Cayo’s are in no way the real Cuba, if you go here you must take trips out of the Cayo’s. The Cayo’s are shut off from all locals and the only Cubans allowed in have to stop at a checkpoint and they make sure they are employees of the four hotels that are situated on Cayo Guillermo. Apart from the four hotels on the Island there is not much more. We decided on Cuba, as it’s one of the less developed, less commercial Islands in the Caribbean. We looked on the internet for information...

Redhead 06.06.2002 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of General: Cuba

Havana ball in Cuba!

Advantages: Loads to see and do, great people
Disadvantages: Many hustlers, can become tiring

...) enjoy the sunset. Since entry to clubs is beyond the reach of young Cubans, many sit on the sea defence wall sharing a bottle of rum with friends. If this happened in England there would be uproar - young people drinking on the streets! In Cuba the atmosphere is friendly and safe. This is the only part in Centro where money for restoring the buildings is starting to filter through. Years of being battered by the Atlantic have wreaked destruction on the wonderful buildings which overlook the sea and work is starting to gentrify the area. Indeed, the waves which crash over the sea wall can be huge and it's terrific fun to take a walk next to the wall, getting soaked by the waves which crash over without warning. When it's really rough yopung Cubans lads like to stand on manhole covers and wait for the surge of the water under the storm drains...

fizzytom 15.12.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Havanna (Cuba)

Lonely Planet-Cuba

Advantages: info on history, culture
Disadvantages: inaccurate directions,casa info

...In 2006 I spent some time traveling around Cuba, it was always a dream destination of mine. I was accompanied by my sister and as two girls alone it soon became clear we were not going to have an easy time. The Lonely planet was our only source of information (since there is very little access to the internet in many places). It was a disappointment to find ourselves arriving in a city in the evening, looking for the "casas"(you stay in family homes rather than hotels)to find the map was completely wrong, and the casas listed didn't even exist anymore. As a last resort we attempted to find the only hotel listed in the book(which would have used a weeks worth of money from our budget) only to find it had closed down 5 years ago! It was not an enjoyable experience. I think it is time for them to update the book. Although the guide...

melanderson80 03.05.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lonely Planet Cuba - Lonely Planet

Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force DS Game - Virtual penguin world

Advantages: Upload coins to your club penguin website account
Disadvantages: Once you have completed it. thats it.

...The game is pretty basic, with good colouring throughout, but it has a nice style and the simplicity works well for the target age group. There is a certain amount of vagueness that potentially makes the game more difficult. If a player gets stuck there isn't a lot in the game that says what to do next. There is a lot of reading through speach bubbles between the penguins, though the reading level is very basic. Adventure games rely heavily on the story and writing, and in Club Penguin the writing is actually pretty good. There's a lot of humor and charm with the characters of the Elite Penguin Force, and the story is very kid-friendly, but manages to be fairly action packed. The game very linear, but the over a dozen missions offer a fairly lengthy gaming experience. During the adventure the player will participate in a number...

budge 11.04.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (Nintendo DS)

My kind of clubbing

Advantages: Save money on something you were going to do anyway
Disadvantages: Waistline!

...Do you know what? They made it better! It's still the same price, but they now give a voucher for a free bottle of Proseco (Italian sparkler) with your membership every year when you renew (or two for a joint membership) and you can now submit a members questionnaire every quarter for a £10 voucher. This all just makes this great scheme even better! *** This is a bit of an addicts club (could have been called 'Pizza Anonymous' I suppose) but I am a big fan of it. Now in my 5th year of continuous membership, I continue to enjoy the benefits - and the pizza - and heartily recommend it. *It works like this?* Membership is £40 per annum for one person, £80 per annum for a couple. Four times a year, each member is sent a voucher, valid for the quarter, which can be used at any time in any Pizza Express restaurant in the UK...

andyk910 23.08.2007 (04.11.2009) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Pizza Express Club

Cuba's Resorts Are All Over Veradero

Advantages: The beaches and beautiful people
Disadvantages: Hustlers and aggressive souvenir merchants; expensive trips to Havana

...Veradero may not be Rio De Janeiro, but it has its own sets or charms. Among are the resorts, the beaches, the constant sunshine and the people. Veradero is a beautiful place. In my mind, it is one of the richest cities of Cuba thanks to the tourism industry. If you intend to spend some time hanging around a pool and enjoying the Caribbean ocean, this is the place for you. Just know that you are not going to be close to Havana. Any time you want to go there, it will cost you some money. Going to Old Havana can be an exciting trip for you if you get the time to see some of the historic buildings. On any given week, you can expect to find a lot tourists from European countries such as Germany, Belgium, France and so on. I think the Germans outnumber everybody else. Every now and then, you will run into some other nationalities...

digitalshare 10.02.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Varadero (Cuba)

Lonely Planet Cuba

Advantages: Easy to read, useful info
Disadvantages: Not up to date info

...I went recently to Cuba and this book was the only source of information we had and I found it very useful and helped me to allocate places around the cities very quicky. I booked all my guest houses I found in the book before we left so I did not have to get lost in the night, etc. As Lonely Planet said, Cuba is a very safe place and all maps were accurate and finding museums, restaurants, etc was fairly easy. All details on transportation was very helpful and you move around anyway in cabs or foot. Lonely planet is always a good way to get your head around a new place. But always check last minute information about the place, nothing better like having up to date info...

lalitared 28.05.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Lonely Planet Cuba - Lonely Planet

going to cuba

Advantages: cheap, scenic, fantastic
Disadvantages: flight, out and about

...sat, visited Satiago De Cuba, what a culture shock from one end of the country to the other, this is where Fidel started the rebellion. This is where Bicardi was started but fled the country during the rebellion and also visited numerous museums and forts. We also visited banana plantations and sugar factories but October was the dead season so the tobacco factories were closed, but did see a gent outside a fort in the sweltering heat rolling cigars very interesting. The restuarants outside of the hotel complexs are quite basic but good fun, we had lunch outside Guardalavca and hens running about my feet at the table! Cuba is a must for motoring enthusiasts to see all the old american cars mostly in pristeen condition. The music was lovely with many street musicians and street artists. Beware the begging children etc in...

hutchy245 09.11.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of General: Cuba