Cuba Travel Restrictions
Cuba Travel Restrictions – Latest news
The U.S. government has imposed Cuba Travel Restrictions since 1960, after Fidel Castro came to power. The American government has essentially limited sanctioned travel to journalists, academics, government officials, those with immediate family members living on the island and others licensed by the Treasury Department.
In January 2011 President Obama issued an executive order easing Cuba Travel Restrictions on travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba. The changes are similar to ones put in place during the Clinton administration who himself eased Cuba Travel Restrictions. But those changes were rescinded under the administration of President George W. Bush who took a harder line on Cuba Travel Restrictions. The latest Obama move makes it easier for American students and religious and cultural groups to visit the island.
Cuba Travel Restrictions also allow for authorized travel to Cuba typically which takes place via charter flights from Miami, since direct flights by U.S. airlines are illegal. Cost of the short flight typically exceeds $500 per round trip.
Cuba Travel Restrictions “This is the most significant relaxation of the Cuba Travel Restrictions in the last two decades” said Geoff Thale
However, current Cuba Travel Restrictions make it illegal for any U.S. visitors to bring back any purchased goods from Cuba, such as cigars. It also is illegal to contribute to the Cuban economy in any way, such as by paying for a hotel room. Although recent treasury department guide lines allow for the purchase of such Cuban services via third country agencies not domiciled or present on Cuban territory.
Some U.S. citizens, flaunt the Cuba Travel Restrictions, tens of thousands, by some estimates and skirt the travel rules by entering from the Cayman Islands; Cancun, Mexico; Nassau, The Bahamas; or Toronto, Canada, and requesting that Cuban immigration officials not stamp their passports which, as a matter of fact, Cuban immigration does not do anyway. However, violators of the Cuba Travel Restrictions can face fines or more severe penalties although, over recent years the numbers have dwindeled.
The number of individuals penalized by OFAC has fallen considerably since 2006 as backloggedcases have been resolved. A total of 290 individuals were penalized in 2004, 579 in 2005, 21 in 2006, and 17 in 2007. In 2008, OFAC reported that 32 individuals were penalized, with the great majority for having purchased of Cuban cigars over the Internet, while in 2009, just three individuals were penalized, and just one individual in 2010. To date, no individuals have been penalized in 2011 for violating the Cuba Travel Restrictions with record numbers, upwards of 500,000, Americans estimated to visit Cuba this year.
Although under current Cuba Travel Restrictions, American tourists will still be unable to travel to Cuba for vacations, the new travel rules broaden the categories of persons authorized to travel to the Communist nation, which previously had been limited to Cuban Americans and a handful of other people. The changes will also allow ANY U.S. citizens to send up to $2,000 a year to help Cubans support religious institutions or run small businesses. Previously, only those Americans with family in Cuba were legally allowed to send money to the island nation.
The new Cuba Travel Restrictions will also allow authorized religious institutions and universities to issue permits for their members to travel to Cuba, while other cultural and educational groups will be able to seek licenses for such trips under the updated Cuba Travel Restrictions. The measures also will allow more U.S. airports to operate charter flights to Cuba, and Americans will be permitted to send up to $500 per quarter to Cubans, excluding senior Communist officials. This latter point being a monumental change in strategy under Cuba Travel Restrictions, the new rules do not require congressional approval as they were approved under executive order.
Cuba Travel Restrictions “implemented in 1962”
The Washington Office in Latin America (WOLA), a think tank opposed to Cuba Travel Restrictions said the Obama’s administration’s new rules are a positive step toward changing a failed policy. “This is the most significant relaxation of the Cuba Travel Restrictions in the last two decades” said Geoff Thale, program director at WOLA. WOLA said the changes significantly ease rules on travel to Cuba for educational, religious and cultural exchanges. They also permit “people-to-people” travel, allowing licensed groups to travel to Cuba for interchange with the Cuban people. “This is a welcome step that comes at an opportune time,” said Thale.
A White House announcement pointed out that it is maintaining the economic embargo against Cuba instituted in 1962, it said the new changes in Cuba Travel Restrictions “will increase people-to-people contact; support civil society in Cuba; enhance the free flow of information to, from, and among the Cuban people; and help promote their independence from Cuban authorities.”
Among the changes to the Cuba Travel Restrictions : More U.S. airports will be allowed to offer charter flights to serve delegations that travel to Cuba under the expanded rules.The latest airport to be added to a, now long list, is Oakland.
An estimated 400,000 U.S. citizens (including legal Cuban Americans) traveled to Cuba last year despite the Cuba Travel Restrictions
Cuba Travel Restrictions 101
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA
For most of us Americans, booking a Rent a Car in Cuba from USA will be the most logical thing to do. After all, we can´t carry that much money and getting money in Cuba is quite difficult so, arranging the Rent a Car in Cuba from USA “before” arrival is probably the best option.
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA : “we wasted no time in Cuba”
There are several things to watch out for though. If you decide to Rent a Car in Cuba from USA be extremely careful not to book or ay the car to an agency based in Cuba. Why? Well, it is a second infraction to buy ANY travel services from companies or agencies based in Cuba. Based meaning those with offices or representation on the Island, however, this is not a problem because there are many online agencies who can facilitate the booking and accept US credit cards that are not based in Cuba and thus are totally legal under the OFAC rule of “third country bookings” One such third country approved reseller is Cuba CAR and another is Havanautos both of which offer have confirmed vehicles for us from Cuba´s Transtur.
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA online payments, easy
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA – Car Rental Cuba Guide for Americans
So, booking your Rent a Car in Cuba from USA is a piece of cake and it will be assured upon arrival.
Rent a Car in Cuba from USA 101
Amelia Bar – Miramar Trade Center
Amelia Bar Disco
Amelia Bar – Miramar Trade Center (3rd avenue side)
Some of you who have been to this place throughout the week will wonder why I am recommending it yet its still one of the very popular Places for Americans in Cuba. Why you ask? It’s a pretty drab none descript place sandwiched between two tours of the Miramar Trade Center behind the Melia Habana and Triton Hotels. However, the secrets out because this place “IS” one of the popular places for Americans in Cuba BUT only on Friday nights… Yes on Friday night this place is buzzing with young Cubans from the more upscale area of Miramar, sporting their designer clothing and good looks. Why? Well, this remains to be established but Friday night offers an open bar and cheaper drinks and the whole place is emptied of tables (it’s usually a restaurant) and the party begins.
Amelia Bar – Friday´s only!
Take up a position outside Amelia bar and mingle with the Cubans who hang around outside. The whole party is not inside but outside Amelia Bar, between the two towers of the MTC that surround the Amelia. This is a perfect Friday night “starter” bar as the party begins at around 7pm and ends around 11pm. follow the congregation to one of many other Clubs in the area.
Great starter bar from 7pm onwards Amelia Bar Miramar Trade Center
El Gato Tuerto
El Gato Tuerto Jazz Bar
El Gato Tuerto Havana Cuba – Another one of the Popular Places for Americans in Cuba is a jazz bar just down from the Hotel Nacional and on the Malicon near la Piragua and a very Popular Places for Americans in Cuba. A good venue both early evening, for your starter drinks or, later on as the night’s final scene, El Gato Tuerto is probably one of Havana´s most recognized Jazz bars after the Jazz Café which is conveniently located just a few blocks up the street off La Rampa. Most evenings there will be bands playing of varying talent but, even average Cuban bands are excellent you will find.
El Gato Tuerto – Viva la musica!
Although known primarily as a jazz bar, the El Gato Tuerto often hosts other bands and groups playing hip hop, Reggaeton, Salsa, etc. As a tourist trap prices are usually higher than other places but, you´ll soon meet a group of Cubans who have mysteriously “imported” their own bottle into the place and the fun ensues…The action can get quite “hot” as the Cubanas and Cubanos gyrate to the tunes around you. Snacks are also served throughout the whole time should you wish to leave the music and eat something at the snack bar near the entrance. All of the Old Havana Hotels are very close by and the Hotel Nacional is literally next door.
Tip: El Gato Tuerto requires more casual dress code
Club Nautico Marina Hemingway
Club Nautico Marina Hemingway
The Club Nautico Marina Hemingway sits at the beginning of Canal 2 at Havana´s infamous Marina Hemingway and is one of the most Popular Places for Americans in Cuba. To get to it you simply drive along the Malicon and then continue along after the tunnel onto 5th Avenue. 5th is an extension of Malicon so no turns required. You´ll drive through the trendy Miramar district along 5th passing some beautiful buildings and also Fidel Castro´s compound which is on the left, up a side street, as you make the turn before Club Habana. Continue past Club Habana for 1KM until you get to Hermanitas (birth place Jennifer Lopez first husband) and the Marina Hemingway is on your right. Simply, one of the most Popular Places for Americans in Cuba. Contact Club Nautico Havana yachtclub@cnih.mh.tur.cu
Club Nautico Marina Hemingway opens at 11am until late…
The Club Nautico Marina Hemingway – is a beautifully decorated yacht Club which overlooks the Canal, yachts and power cruisers. The Club Nautico offers a large selection of drinks and cocktails plus, hot and cold fresh sandwiches and an assortment of light snacks. During the daytime it can be pretty quiet but from 7pm till late you will often meet several longtime Cuba visitors from the US. Many of whom have boats at the Marina and spend long stretches in Cuba. This is an ideal place to get the low down on Cuba from specialists and, more importantly, fellow Americans. The Club Nautico Marina Hemingway also accommodates private parties and has an excellent sun deck at the back for sitting outside in the sun. The Hotel Acuario, right next to this Club is the only all inclusive hotel in Havana and is very reasonably priced.
Tip: Club Nautico Marina Hemingway also sells tickets to all the fishing tournaments in Cuba
Club Nautico Marina Hemingway Americans welcome 100%
Paladar in Cuba
Cuban Paladar
A Paladar is a restaurant usually situated in the home of a Cuban family. Cubans being entrepreneurial by nature have turned this slight easing of controls into a whirlwind success. And this despite the insurmountable odds faced when opening a business your government begrudgingly had no choice but to permit. Owners of the Paladar, and you will hopefully talk to many of them, have to jump through hoops and tackle bureaucracy you only thought existed in movies… However, these are the people who are the fledgling generation a democratic Cubans
“we ate at a Paladar the food was excellent”
So, hopefully you´ll need no coaxing to use a Paladar as much as you can when dining out in Cuba. It’s not easy to shun these mythical places like Bodegita del Medio, El Aljibe or the Tropicana Cabaret, we know this but, by using these family owned restaurants you’re directly empowering the Cubans who work there, their families, relatives and friends, rather than a massive government tourism cash machine which controls everything.
Paladar in cuba 101
Internet in cuba
Internet in cuba
Like many of us you are probably “wired” to your cell phone for everything from simply calls to email to even the internet in Cuba. Unfortunately, your cell phone will not work in Cuba. In fact, no US carriers offer any type of roaming in Cuba. If you have family or friends in Canada then they could get you a Canadian line and phone which will work in Cuba and also provide slow but reasonable data services. One such carrier who offers this type of roaming is Rogers. If you don´t have a Canadian friend then there are two ways for an American to stay in touch in Cuba. The first is to take a cheap cell phone which accommodates GSM communications. All tri-band GSM phones from the US will work in Cuba. Obviously, the phone would need to be liberated (not tied to a specific operator) for it to work. Such phones can be bought on Ebay for almost nothing on Ebay and will make an excellent gift to a Cuban when you leave. With the phone in hand, simply visit any Cubacel office and purchase a line for 40 CUC. This line will then be able to be “topped up” with credit using abundantly available recharge cards sold almost everywhere. Some enterprising Americans have managed to sell the line for half its cost upon departure but, again, this can be gifted to the Cuban of your choice when you leave.
The second (and cheaper) option is to forfeit cell phone usage all together and use either your hotel lobby or casa particular as a message center. You will be unable (in most cases) to call abroad from your casa particular and rates at hotels are around 2 USD per minute. Many who don´t need to be in immediate touch with the States are quite comfortable with this option.
Accessing the Internet in Cuba
First off, forget about home internet in Cuba. Very few Cubans have access to the internet in Cuba and those that do tend to be high ranking staff that only has access during work hours. This rules out using a “friends” connection while on the island. However, like anything which is aggressively controlled by the state, you will sometimes find “resolvers” who can lead you to somewhere that offers open internet connections at somebody’s home. While extremely rare this is becoming more and more available these days.
For those who simply want a sure fire way of getting online & internet in Cuba then Hotels such as Havana´s Parque Central Hotel or any of the Melia Hotels across the island offer both WiFi and fixed business center type PC connections. The going rate for a 30 minute card is 5 CUC. But, don´t expect to achieve anything more than 56K at any of these locations. 56K is the type of connection you had back in the early nineties and something you wished you´d never have to experience again…In Cuba you will and, all the time.
This is a list of Hotels which offer WiFi internet in Cuba
Most other hotels offer the fixed type PC/connection scenario however
Ciudad de La Habana
(Correct as of May 2011)
Dial Up connections seem to be coming on stream but, generally, are not available to tourists. If you have a student visa or are participating in educational studies in Cuba “sometimes” there can be the option of contracting a dial up connection with Cuba´s Enet. Enet Cuba is the company which controls and provides all internet connections in Cuba and is owned by Cuba´s state run/owned Etecsa. Etecsa is a joint venture between Italia Telecom and the Cuban government.
To connect to Cuba´s dial up network you will need a standard modem which allows for automatic speed reduction within the firmware. This sounds complicated but basically most mid 90´s until the present day modems will fit the bill. Try to find one which is V.90 chipset and you´ll be good to go. These can be had on eBay second hand for pennies and buying a second hand one will give you exactly the same speed as a new one. Any Casa Particular will allow you to connect and this will be by far the cheapest route for you. This is because private homes in Cuba pay for phone calls in Cuban pesos at around 5 cents per minute. As there are about 24 Cuban Pesos to 1 USD then this makes the cost to dial the server very cheap. It can work out very very expensive calling dial up from a hotel however as local calls can be anything from 20-30 cents of a dollar per minute. Keep this in mind of your one of the lucky few who can get Dial up connections in Cuba.
Cell phone & Internet in Cuba 101
El Diablo Tun Tun
El Diablo Tun Tun
El Diablo Tun Tun – Behind the gas station just up from La Maison in Miramar
Not many reviews about this Club but still one of the Popular Places for Americans in Cuba and sometimes called a Piano Bar (not sure why…) Quite frankly the El Diablo Tun Tun is the jewel of Clubs in Havana and far away the best place to be connected with the real Cuba and how real Cubans like party. Not a popular tourist haunt but the El Diablo Tun Tun very popular places for Americans who seem to have found out about it through Cuban Americans who flood this place every evening.
El Diablo Tun Tun – Hot, sweaty but BOY is it good!
There´s usually a live band on plus there´s a kind of quasi VIP zone to sit and chill or else there´s the bar area for those wanting to stay in the “action zone”. Packed full most evenings you can expect to see some of Havana´s most attractive people at El Diablo Tun Tun. Drinks are reasonably priced although the bar is quite limited in its offerings. Stick to Mojitos, Cuba Libres or beer though and you´ll be fine. This place is infectious, you´ve been warned!!
Tip: Unless you want to end up broke…don´t take all your money to El Diablo Tun Tun (-;
Cuba travel for educators
Cuba travel for educators field trips
Cuba travel for educators should be considered as one of the latest authorized sectors for visiting the island. Anybody in the education profession can visit the island either alone or with a group of students in order to study the subject or subjects of choice. The main areas are usually architecture, Cuban history & Cuban Culture , Cuban museums , Cuban Art, Medical & Health, Cuba Sports
Cuba travel for educators “Requires no application, no permission, and no prior approval from Washington”
Cuba travel for educators can be organized by specialist agencies to ensure that every aspect of your educational trip to Cuba is correctly organized. Above all, Cuba travel for educators must be either organized by a third country agency or an OFAC approved TSP
Cuba travel for educators is now considered a “general license” Requires no application, no permission, and no prior approval from Washington to travel to Cuba.
Recent changes in OFAC regulations mean that Cuba travel for educators is as simple as organizing the trip
Cuba travel for educators 101
Habana Cafe Havana Cuba
Habana Cafe
Habana Cafe Havana Cuba – Located on the ground floor of the Melia Cohiba Hotel this American Bar wannabe does have some interesting attractions but one cannot help feeling the lack of Cuban ambience spoils the overall feel of the place. However, this is still one of the Popular Places for Americans in Cuba and is worth a visit, albeit short one. The Habana Cafe food is not bad but more catered for the burger crowd than the connoisseurs.
Habana Cafe – a slice of the US of A in Havana
Drinks are expensive and in this writers opinion, not very good. However, I may have been on a “bad bar night” as often can be the case in Cuba. The interior decorations are somewhat original with a 1940´s small Cubana passenger plane suspended from the roof along with memorabilia from the 50´s, not the most original venue but one of the popular places for Americans in Cuba.
For many, the Habana Cafe could be the best bar they went to or the worst, depending on your tastes. One cannot help but suspect that the Melia Group who own the towering hotel above wanted to rip off some American culture while creating this venue so, you tell us, is Habana Cafe good or bad?
