Can Americans travel to Cuba ?
So, Can Americans travel to Cuba now?
One of the most recent buzz phrases from Key West to New England is “Can Americans travel to Cuba?”
The short answer is a resolute YES and, many of us have already taken the plunge, often times at exaggerated tour rates just to be one of the first through the cold war era iron wall created by the U.S administration over 50 years ago.
So, as we ponder the question “can Americans travel to Cuba?” how are most of us getting there?
Well, there seems to be two distinct groups of travelers at the moment. There are those with deep pockets who are joining the numerous tour groups visiting the island under the auspices of people-to-people exchanges which, in most cases, are simply tours created over 15 years ago but were not very popular with their target audiences of Canadians, Europeans and other nationalities. However, one should not be fooled into thinking that these “tours for Americans” are anything new, nor are they any different to tours being promoted at the same time to other nationalities. Probably one key area of difference is that these tours, when promoted by those licensed U.S TSP (Travel Service Providers) who have been conceded the OFAC “license”, miraculously cost twice or three times the cost of exactly the same tour sold to the aforementioned markets. So, when we ask the question “can Americans travel to Cuba?” we must also consider – at what price?
Like any novelty item, first comers are often those who pay the price of a brand or the simple right to be “first”. In a consumer society the bragging rights of being the first to have, behold or brag about something is part of the equation. Therefore, while the first visitors who are sampling these “tours” may feel honored and part of this special fictitious fraternity other savvy Americans are taking the high road, so to speak, and going it alone and, in the process, saving thousands of dollars while achieving the same (or better) final outcome.
So we´ll repeat the question but, after rephrasing it – Can Americans travel to Cuba and NOT use one of the artificially inflated “tours” sold in the US?
The answer is another resolute YES but, some key areas need to be analyzed if we are not to fall foul of the law. Below are key points to look out for when planning and making your “go it alone” trip to Cuba.
First let’s take a look at the General License section of OFAC Rules
What most Americans don´t yet grasp when asking themselves “Can Americans travel to Cuba” is that the new “general license” is a paperless, application-less procedure where, if you can perceivably meet one or some of the criteria mentioned under the general license section then, you need do nothing more than buy a ticket and start your “research” all by your lonesome. Or a group of buddies could travel together all targeting different areas of research. Hell, you could even be a freelance journalist who wrote one (yes one) post trip article about Cuba and, you fulfilled your deemed requirements as defined by OFAC.
So, Can Americans travel to Cuba by themselves? The answer is YES so long as you intend to research something. Now, let’s cut to the chase here. How many of us travel ANYWHERE these days without trying to emerge ourselves in the national culture or gain valuable knowledge about the country we visit? Basically, when you visit Cuba then you´ll do the same. Now, if your vacations typically include a plane ride, then a bus ride to your hotel, then a short walk to the beach/Pool, sleep/food and a repeat trip back home, of course complying with the “general license” criteria is going to be impossible. However, if you´re the type who travels to get to know a country, carry a backpack, camera, take notes and mingle with the locals, then Cuba an your application-less license is going to be a synch. Enough said.
Probably the most confusing area for Americans looking to “go it alone” is the purchase of travel services both to get to Cuba (flights) and, service required while in Cuba (hotels/tours/car rental, etc)
“Can Americans travel to Cuba from a third country?”
First off, Americans with a specific license or the aforementioned (paperless) general license are formally PROHIBITED from purchasing travel services of any type from Travel Companies located in Cuba. These rules are specified under the Trading with the enemy act and, also stipulated in OFAC rules. The forewarning to this hard and fast rule is that the U.S government deems ANY TRAVEL SERVICE PROVIDER with a physical presence in Cuba as a “national of Cuba”. This defining factor is what can turn your completely kosher general license trip into a legal nightmare if you are not careful. In fact, the purchase of travel services from an operator located in Cuba could turn your general license trip into a sanctionable offence which carries in itself hefty fines. Therefore, you could actually be legally traveling to Cuba but have broken the law by obtaining travel services from a “national of Cuba”.
The above minefield is probably the most complicated aspect of organizing your trip because, Canadian, European and other agencies with representation in Cuba (offices/phone/staff) are all too happy to oblige in providing their services to newly arriving Americans. Some, who know you are breaking the law, will even go so far as to say “we will invoice this service through Panama/Canada/Antilles” etc. but, the fact remains that these agencies are considered nationals of Cuba under US law and must be avoided. If you are confused by the myriad of offers out there, ask a few simple questions:
1. Does the website show a phone number or office address in Cuba?
2. Does the operator claim that one of its professional merits is “being in Cuba”?
3. Have you received the tell-tale communiqué “don´t worry we will bill this service in X country”
If the above issue confuses you then take a look at these figures. Over 100K Canadians traveled to Cuba in 2011. 95% of these Canadians bought their travel services from agencies with NO PRESENCE IN CUBA. The same goes for Cuba´s second largest market with 75K visitors, the United Kingdom, over 90% of these purchased their vacation from a UK companies with NO PRESENCE IN CUBA. In fact, those tiny Cuba based specialist agencies serving insignificant sectors such as: health tourism, cycling, hiking, sailing or diving trips make up less than 3% of visitors to the Island as per Cuban Tourism Ministry figures.
Therefore, buying travel services from an agency or provider NOT LOCATED IN CUBA is what the greater volume of travelers to the island already does. Therefore, finding these services as an American is a piece of cake by simply applying the above 3 question rule to any transaction. So, Can Americans travel to Cuba using ANY agency based in Cuba. NO
One of the recommended online operators “par excellence” NOT located in Cuba and thus 100% legal have to be Cuba Travel US which has organized travel for many Americans over the past few years. Another would be www.Jetcost.co.uk who offer excellent online flight offers to the island and are not located in Cuba.
As an American, when is a good to travel to Cuba if I decide to go it alone?
There are several answers to the above question so we´ll categorize:
Budget – If you are on a budget you´ll be amazed how much difference there is in prices between low and high season. Savvy Cubans have figured out that they can charge top dollar for high season months and, consequentially, raise rates by anything from 30 to 100%! Yes, the same stay at a hotel can be double the cost by simply choosing the wrong dates. If your on a budget and asking yourself Can Americans travel to Cuba? the months to avoid if you´re on a budget are: January, April, Second week of July, August, December.
Weather – Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th each year. 97% of all tropical cyclones in the Atlantic fall within this period of time. The month most likely to have a hurricane is September. The above dates are a little ambitious and although official are rarely the cases. You can expect heavy rains throughout these months though so, if you´re not into fighting the weather then stay away during these months. While the weather is generally mild in winter there are months of snappy cold spells, especially outside of major cities or on higher ground. Can Americans travel to Cuba in hurricane season? We would strongly NOT recommend this.
Crowds – The upcoming Pope trip to Cuba is one good example of how off-season turns into a logistical nightmare. However, this high profile event is not unique in Cuba in so far as Havana and some other major cities hold governmental events (conferences/summits) which play havoc with prices and/or general availability. Can Americans travel to Cuba during high profile event such as this? We would recommend you weigh the pros and cons of the inconvenience.
We hope to have answered some of your questions regarding “Can Americans travel to Cuba?” and we welcome your participation and responses below.
Can Americans travel to Cuba 101
Pope Visit to Cuba
Pope Visit to Cuba
The Pope Visit to Cuba is causing serious problems for Americans trying to book travel to Cuba. Hotels are hanging up their collective “sold out” signs already, almost unheard of in the month of February. Local travel professionals said “the Pope Visit to Cuba has brought thousands of staff from all professional sectors, from diplomatic to journalists and everything in-between”
It seems that staff from news outlets around the world are getting and early start for the Pope Visit to Cuba and sending their correspondents and anchors to Havana way ahead of time. The same seems to apply to un-related diplomatic and security staff from nations who are sending high ranking officials to Cuba.
“Sold Out signs – Pope Visit to Cuba”
After contacting the primary booking dot com site used by Americans Cuba Hotel Reservations ,our chat with agents revealed that, like a tsunami wave, the bookings started in the center of Havana and Old Havana and have now fanned out as far afield as the Marina Hemingway or Playas del Este, as visitors scramble to tie up rooms for their stays.
One nonprofit group which plans to visit Cuba in early march didn’t expect this: “we thought that the heat would be on at the end of March but, not the first week, we have people from our group staying in 6 different hotels as there is no availability”
The same has been confirmed this week on tripadvisor, as a quick scout through the listings reveals a similar picture.
What is really surprising is that even after the Pope Visit to Cuba , two weeks after appears to be booked too. All we can gather is that as these crews and support staff wraps up their stays after the visit they need time to move on…go figure.
The Pope Visit to Cuba did not affect however the recent cancellation of flights from Cancun to Havana by the airline Aeromexico has also brought widespread problems for Americans who had planned to visit Cuba by that route. Cuba Travel US has proposed different routes with Copa to cover the route.
Transport on Viazul has also be struck by the Pope Visit to Cuba “bug” as many of the buses have been commandeered for official use, presumably for Cuban communist party staff or officials.
Good luck if you´re traveling down there. Anyone else finding problems related to the Pope Visit to Cuba?
Pope Visit to Cuba
Flights to Cuba from USA 2012
Flights to Cuba from USA 2012
For those looking to booking flights to Cuba from USA online and without hassles, several posters have recommended booking at Cuba Travel US
The previous problems encountered when booking flights to Cuba from USA have now been resolved and the booking platform has garnered 31 successful bookings over the holidays for visitors to this blog, so we can now recommend this method.
“flights to Cuba from USA for just $246”
Of course, when booking flights to Cuba from USA there´s still the Cubana phone numbers in Mexico which may still provide verbal bookings but, as some have found, when passengers arrive they must pay in cash and some have been bumped from their verbally confirmed flights at great expense of spending one or more nights in Mexico.
On Cuba Travel USA several passengers paid just $246 for their seats and received immediate confirmation and a e ticket for Cuba online. We’ve also checked and this is a third country agent and therefore not related to Cuba so completely legal under OFAC rules.
Therefore, as a 2012 recommendation for flights to Cuba from USA we heartily recommend this method
If anyone has any other experiences however, please post your comments here
Flights to Cuba from USA 2012
Cayo Largo
Cayo Largo
Cayo Largo, a 26 km long island off the south coast. The beaches are great and diving is good. There are plenty of packages for all budgets, though you have to use local air transport to get there, which may not be to the taste of nervous flyers.
“Cayo Largo, turquoise sky contrasts superbly with white coral sand”
27 km of virgin beaches, Cayo Largo del Sur extends along the warm and crystal-clear waters of the coast. The sand is very fine, white and enduringly fresh, uniqueness which are unlikely to be found in Place in Cuba and rarely in the world.
The constant turquoise sky contrasts superbly with the white coral sand. The moderate tropical weather offers an average temperature of 27c and has very little rainfall.
Oddly, Cayo Largo actually has some history because 800 years ago the Taino Indians lived here. This location offers a natural kingdom of ecological exquisiteness in perfect harmony that is home to 360 iguanas, chelonian, herons, pelicans and various parrot species. The sea contains vibrant and varied fauna, as well as a 19 nautical mile coral reef where different species of black coral can be admired in less than 35 m of water. This diversity characterizes the vegetation along the coast and 4 types of mangroves decorate the old dunes, coastline and beaches. We took a snorkeling excursion from the Havantur desk at the hotel reception which was very nice.
Day four of our week in Cayo Largo at the Barcelo Cayo Largo Beach Resort the weather turned. Unusual (we were told) intermittent thunder showers turned to a full on tropical system for our last 3 days. Big contrast! and we are told, very rare in cayo Largo. We watched the previously bone dry restaurant fountain fill to overflowing and all out flood the low paths. The rain was very heavy. Bravo to the hard working staff to keep hotel functioning in the monsoon weather- we had a “humid lunch” by the pool on our last day, a river ran right through the middle of the tables, the waiters happily rolled up their pants and splashed through the torrents to keep us served. This was our first experience with any rain at all in CL. Our room leaked down one wall quite a bit (our maid was nice to give us extra towels to staunch the flow and use as mops.) The rain also caused a short in our AC unit which meat the circuit breaker went off continually and we had no power until it let up. Not a big deal, Cayo Largo was fun and the storm, in hindsight, made for an eventful few days…(-:
Cayo Largo Trip report
Cayo Coco
Cayo Coco
If you prefer a Cuban beach-only vacation you would be better going to the smaller tourist only resorts at Cayo Largo, a 26 km long island off the south coast than the tiny Cayo Coco. The beaches are great and diving is good. There are plenty of packages for all budgets, though you have to use local air transport to get there, which may not be to the taste of nervous flyers.
“My favorite activity at Cayo Coco was walking along the white sand beach”
We absolutely loved and enjoyed every minute of our stay at this beautiful location which, until we arrived we did not know was called Jardines del Rey (meaning gardens of the king) The beach, sea and scenery are stunning and this was complemented by the friendliness and efficiency of all the hotel Melia Cayo Coco staff and management. Nothing was too much trouble for any of them. The choices of excursions were excellent and I challenge anyone to find something that they would not eat. The bars were always fully stocked and the selection of beers, wines and spirits were always available. The grounds of the hotel were immaculately maintained on a daily basis by the ‘army’ of gardening staff. The security staffs were always discretely visible but we could not understand why they were required as the place is perfectly safe. The nightly entertainment was entertaining but the shows were of a very high quality, the dancers were amazing. We took a rent a car in Cayo Coco and drove all the way to Holguin which I highly recommend if you want to see at least a little bit of the “Real Cuba”. Some friends of ours were staying at the Blau Colonial Cayo Coco and while there was nothing remotely Colonial about the hotel it looked quite new and our friends room was very nice. However, there are several Hotels in Cayo Coco so, you have quite a choice.
My favorite activity at Cayo Coco was walking along the beautiful, white sand beach looking for seashells to bring home. Not only did we get exercise to walk off all those calories from the “All You Can Eat Buffet” but we walked in the crystal clear ocean and enjoyed the view up and down the island. For swimming I preferred the very large pool closest to our room but the beach was lovely to walk along. There are also several beach restaurants that you can go to in your bathing suit. The grilled cheese sandwiches are excellent there. 🙂
Cayo Coco Trip Report
Varadero
Varadero
Around a third of visitors to Cuba go all inclusive to Varadero, the Cancun of the Caribbean. Regrettably it has been turned into a tourist ghetto. Varadero is the Caribbean’s largest resort complex with a check-point at the entrance to make life difficult for Cubans getting into the 14 miles, thin spit of pure white beaches which pokes out into the Florida Straits. There are around 29 immense hotels in Varadero to and from which air charters “ship” about 500,000 tourists a year. We can´t help using the metaphor “ship” due to the cargo type tourist who visits Varadero. Lying on beaches, getting sun tanned then returning to places like Calgary speaking of the idiosyncrasies of Cuban Culture… Varadero has its own airport (see reviews) and is about 120 km or a 2 hour drive from Havana. There are slow buses from Havana that seem to stop even for dead dogs en route, or there´s a taxi for about $120.
Varadero was urbanized as long ago as 1872. But boom-time came in Cuba’s roaring ’30s when the American chemical heiress, Irenee Dupont, built an estate complete with a mansion, airstrip and yacht harbor. Other wealthy Americans followed, including Al Capone. In the ’50s Ava Gardner and Cary Grant sunned themselves on Varadero white beaches.
Straight after the revolution all of Cuba’s beaches were declared public. But in the interests of ensuring that the foreigners are not pestered by the locals, and the locals are not contaminated by the foreigners, Cubans are now kept away from the beaches in front of the big hotels unless they are paying more than 1 years salary for a night´s stay at these behemoth cyclical sleeping quarters…
Almost the whole length of Varadero has been urbanized. It is package-vacation utopia you could say. One can snorkel at Varadero, or go out to sea and kill big fish, scuba dive or go yachting, party on the Discotheque El Galeon or even sky-dive out of an old Soviet-built Antonov bi-plane – jumping out may be less hazardous than going up in the first place. Hotels organize volley-ball, five-a-side football, tennis tournaments and Salsa dancing classes.
The beaches are excellent and the mainly Western-managed hotels are fine. Alas you might as well be anywhere, Jamaica, Cancun, Cayman Islands; the place is totally devoid of charm and above all, Cuban Culture. Probably the best option is the Hotel Paradisus, one of countless Cuban hotels managed by the Spanish Sol Melia group and the first joint venture between a Western hotel group and the state tourism company, part of Cuba’s strategy to replace Soviet roubles with capitalist dollars.
“Sadly, Varadero is totally devoid of charm and Cuban Culture”
It is permanently thronged with Spanish, Italian and German tourists but has one big upside: bungalows several hundred meters from the main hotel, set in coconut groves just off the beach. These are not cheap at around $200pn, but the setting is lovely and the part of the beach they are on is relatively quiet. If you go for a bungalow, insist on one near the beach and away from the main hotel. Some are at the back on a road. If you stay at the Sol Palmeras you can also use facilities at the neighboring Sol Melia hotels, including some half-way decent but quite pricey varadero restaurants.
Here is an extensive list of Hotels in Varadero along with reviews and prices
But the final drawback for Varadero is Cuba’s oil industry situated a few kilometers outside the town. This has lacked investment and sulfurous smells periodically waft over to Varadero. Varadero is also quite a way from Havana and 2-3 hours from other places worth seeing however, I strongly recommend taking Car Rental in Varadero as you´ll be able to escape th monotony of the arriving white tourists. The nearby town of Cardenas has a certain run-down charm, but not much else.
Oh and, there is also the three storey former Dupont mansion, originally named Xanadu, which stands on a bluff overlooking the ocean just along from the Melia hotels. With its white walls and green pan-tiled roof it looks like a swollen version of the faux-Mediterranean villas built in California or Florida in the ’30s, except that Xanadu has an 18-hole golf course and the library has been turned into a restaurant called Las Americas, don´t bother however as the food is truly vile and extraordinarily over-priced. Like much of Varardero, once you peel away the communist fabricated façade, you are left with the sentiment of being in a leech like cash extraction machine, created specifically to rid you of every last cent before you climb the stairs to the airplane…
Varadero Trip Update
Playa Giron
Playa Giron
Playa Giron is a small beach resort close to the Bay of Pigs and loacted in the Matanzas Province 120 KM east of Havana. Giron is 191 km from Havana – about 3-4 hours by bus and around 2-3 hours using your Cuba Rent A Car. A taxi from Havana will cost you around $120. There is a small Bay of Pigs museum and the resort is half an hour’s drive from the interesting Boca de Guama swamps, but that’s about it. Anything else worth visiting is a good two hour drive.
The Villa Playa Giron hotel consists of two long, utilitarian blocks surrounded by a strung out series of concrete bungalows and a handful of dirty coconut palms set in a large, rutted, grass field by a rocky beach. Mixture between a Russian Gulag and Stalag 15, stuck it in the Caribbean and you begin to get the flavor. The rooms are around $25pn single and $35pn double. The dismal bungalows are about $40pn and the buffet food is to match. The clientele are mainly on packages. Playa Larga Hotel offers something a little better and is near the Bay of Pigs monument and also on a nice beach.
“Playa Giron is better knowns for the Bay of Pigs Invasion”
The beach itself is run of the mill, though there are some better small coves further along the coast. The main beach is also protected by the ugliest concrete sea wall looking like the New Orleans breakwater after Katrina…. There is, though, reasonable diving: apparently the big attraction is a blind fish which lives in underwater caves. Just as well they can’t see the environment….(-:
Check out all the gloomy hotels near Playa Giron
Playa Giron Bay of Pigs 101
Santiago de Cuba Beaches
Santiago de Cuba
In the furthest south-east of Cuba lays the country’s second city and old colonial capital – Santiago de Cuba . There are a number of hotels and resorts along the coast, many of them either bad and run-down or very bad and touristy. The best beach at ANY resort in Santiago de Cuba is the Club Bucanero 25km south-east of Santiago with all mod-cons for $60-120pn.
“Santiago de Cuba Best Hotel Casa Granda“
By far the second best place in Santiago de Cuba is the Villa Gaviota Santiago de Cuba, a 20 minute drive from Santiago on the Reserve El Indio nature reserve. There are two sections to the hotel: further from the beach are motel style buildings in woods; close to the small, sandy cove are cabanas with porches and rocking chairs – specify one of these when booking or on arrival. There is also a small pool by the shore. $30-50pn – the food is better than most, though overpriced.
Take the road fromSantiago de Cuba, east to Siboney Beach. On the way, you will pass 26 white monuments in memory of the heroes who gave their lives during the attack on the Moncada Barracks with Castro. At the “farm”, where the attack was planned, you will see a museum display of the plan of attack, including the weapons.
Then on to the beach – Playa Siboney and the more secluded cove known as Playa Daiquiri, where the Americans landed in 1898 on the way to Santiago de Cuba
Here´s a concise and extensive list of Hotels available in Santiago De Cuba
Santiago de Cuba 101
Playa Ingles Cuba
Playa Ingles Cienfuegos
“Tip: Best Hotel in Playa Ingles is Hotel Jagua“
Playa Ingles 101
Playa Ancon Trinidad
Playa Ancon Trinidad
Playa Ancon Trinidad until recently was a tourist-only beach on the south coast, but it has two big pluses: it is 6 kilometers of largely empty white sands; and it is near the historic town of Trinidad. The diving is also spectacular at the Playa Ancon Trinidad. You can get there by bus or train, but it will be slow – allow 5-6 hours. The 373 kilometer journey from Havana takes 3-4 hours by car. A taxi from Havana to Playa Ancon Trinidad will cost you about $160 so your best off with a Car Rental from Havana or wherever you are…
Playa Ancon Trinidad is 12 km south of Trinidad on a narrow peninsula with the beach on one side and a swamp leading onto a large bay on the other.
The ugly Hotel Ancon is the largest hotel with rooms at about $50pn for a single and $65 for a double, the food is dire. The Club Amigo Costasur is better and all inclusive. It is smaller and has sea-front cabanas. The main hotel block is a typical ’60s-’70s Cuban effort and therefore no chocolate-box, so try and get a cabana if you can. Single rooms are around $30 and doubles $45pn. The cabanas which have a small sitting room tend to range from $45 to $55pn. There is a pool and the food is just about edible. Both hotels are bookable through packages, room-only through Cuba-specialist travel agencies or direct.
“Playa Ancon Trinidad 3 miles of bliss”
There are one or two cheaper hotels towards Trinidad and private-flats and houses in Trinidad itself. It is worth booking if you want the Costasur as it gets full. If you want a cabana, insist on it and do not let them bump you into a main block room when you get there – one of their favourite tricks. Phones are rudimentary.
See 7 other Hotels in the area of Playa Ancon
The Costasur’s beach is nothing special, but a kilometer along towards the Ancon the white sands are almost deserted. Playa Ancon has good deep sea fishing, excellent diving and other water sports. The sea tends to be calmer than the northern coast, but there is usually a bit of surf and, as always, take local advice on swimming conditions and currents.
A new 4-star hotel, the Las Brisas Trinidad del Mar , opened recently on Ancon Beach and is modeled on old Trinidad buildings. It is available on an all-inclusive basis and we have received good reports. Prices around $95 per person, all inclusive, with drinks – still quite steep for a hotel with regular power cuts and a frequent lack of hot water, but the breakfast is excellent and the food generally good. You should get a better deal here booking through an agent rather than as a walk-in.
Visit these websites for more information Cuba Sancti Spiritus and Cuba Trinidad
Playa Ancon Trinidad 101
