MessageSaturday, Septemb

I have not received the requested e-mail address of Ronnie Holden. However since a number of listees have also asked me for the Cuba info, it is hereby enclosed. Hope it helps> >> >>Ronnie Holden >> >>Alaskan 53 "Island Breeze" >> >>Sunset Beach, NC >> >> Said they are planning a trip to Cuba in December. I have obtained >> about 12 k of info from frequent Cuba travellers (boaters). Alas I >> have lost Ronnie's e-mail address. Please reply to me so I can >> forward the info. MessageSaturday, Septemb From: maggie7@yesic.com Subject: Re: TWL: Cuba To: George Geist Hi George, Not sure this is what your friend is looking for when it comes to travelling to Cuba by boat, but some of the info. will certainly be pertinent. We are about to go to Cienfuegos on Monday and will have more information for you when we return in two weeks. As it says, grab a drink and happy reading, Maggie. From: Maggie & Ian Ross, N.Y.M. <maggie7@yesic.com> Subject: Re: Cuba. (Download - grab drink and comfortable chair!) Date: March 15, 1998 5:41 PM So far we have been to: (1) '95 - Playa Santa Lucia, Camaguey, (2) '96 - Club Guardalavaca, Holgin, (both of these are on the north shore towards the middle of the length of the coast), (3) '97 - Farallon del Caribe, Granma and (4) '98 - Bucanero, Santiago de Cuba (these are on the southern-most coast - just north of Jamaica. Everything is in U.S.$'s. Ratings in stars are Cuban stars. (1) Very, very (repeated deliberately) shallow water near shore, max 10 feet out to the reef about a mile offshore. We preferred to take the 10 min. bus ride ($2. ea.. return) to Playa Los Cocos which is the entry channel to the port of Nuevitas where the snorkelling and swimming was more to our liking. Had to buy lunch or beer which were available on the beach (beer= $1.50) but included at the hotel. Lazos Lobster House served a delicious seafood lunch too. Downfall: Open prostitution on the beach and too many vendors hustling for the shirt off your back! Both beaches great, swimming better at Playa Los Cocos. Rated 3 stars at Villas Coral. (2) Very nice beach area accessed through Hotel Atlantico, but near Club Guardalavaca. Bars and food available on beach at cost. Several hotels in the area, mopeds available and roads good. Small village nearby with a "dollar store" (merchandise sold for dollars only) Club Guardalavaca rated as 3 star. We walked and rode to two other hotels, 5 km. west, but could not be allowed into one of them as it was all inclusive (we could see the staff wearing bow-ties) while the other was very nice and had a beautiful beach where we bought a beer at the bar. (3) The Farralon has a decent dark sand beach with shallow, clear water, but has a free trip by bus and boat to Cayo Coco which has white sand and is part of a reef, where you can do some snorkelling. You must make reservation for this trip before 5 p.m. so that they know how to plan for lunch on the island. There were millions of different and pretty shell to be found on the beach and lying on the bottom in knee deep water. We also used our toes and dug up sand-dollars in knee deep water in front of the other hotel's beach bar. Included at the island were the bar and BBQ lunch. Guest at the other hotel, Marea del Portillo - named after the small village, had to pay $15. each per trip to the island. Roads were horrible, so mopeds not available. Best food ever in Cuba. Rated 4 star. The other hotel on the beach was two stories high set among sea-grape trees. The beach bars of the two hotels were part of the all-inclusive feature at the two hotels so never had far to walk to quench your thirst. The setting was of a protected anchorage where we saw many foreign boats come in and anchor in the protection of a point of land on the far side of the entrance from out hotel. When we were at the island, we were within sight of Pilon which is a port of entry and where some Canadians leave their boats rather than take them to Florida. This is the only place where we have seen sailboats. We like this hotel so much that we recommended it to the owner of the marina and he took his wife for a week Shortly after we returned last year. They liked it and we will go there again in the future. (4) El Bucanero was the nicest 3 star hotel so far, with food almost as good as the Farallon. The main drawback here was the relatively small beach (400'). The sand was good, but ended at water's edge, then rock. Nice snorkelling close in. 2 bars, pool and beach. The only view was the ocean between here and Jamaica. There was a five story cliff behind the hotel which was on a coral cliff about 15 to 20 feet above the water. You had to descend a long flight of stairs to the beach. If you were in the unit of rooms, all two storey, nearest the entrance to the property, you had to walk about 1 km. to the beach and half that distance to the dining room, pool and bar. This does not really suit someone who cannot take long walks from the room or the stairs to the beach. Rooms could be had closer to the centre of activity. Almost all hotels in Cuba offer tours to the nearest city, which have old buildings, but nothing much to do. We went in to Santiago de Cuba and noticed the smell of low-quality gas fumes. Stores were there in abundance, but had little in the way of stock for sale. You must understand that, in Cuba, all staples are provided through ration depots and paid for in pesos. Luxuries are only acquired from "dollar stores" at seemingly outrageous prices and quality. When we talk to people about Cuba, we always say that if your idea of a holiday is to window shop downtown and take in a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant, don't go there. This does not exist. If you want to lie around the beach or pool, absorbing rum and beer together with the sun, loaf and relax, Cuba is the place to go. Things to take: Shampoo, soaps, toothbrushes and paste, every first-aid product you think you might need including sun-screen (available at outrageous prices). Pens, pencils, paper, colouring books, erasers, rulers etc. for the schools. We take unopened large size bottles and containers. If we need them, or someone else has hurt themselves, we open the bottle/box. Before we leave we try to take a trip to a doctor as far from the hotel, and away from one of their organized tours as we can get and leave everything with them. We do not leave it at or near the hotel because these are the people who get everything that the visitors bring down. Very few people take the trouble to distribute their supplies to the Cubans who are in remote areas and would never gain from what is left at the hotel. If you like to have the odd peanut or pretzel with your drinks, take them with you as they are generally not available. We took large bags of Planters Peanuts on our last trip, ate some ourselves in the room, if we were reading or relaxing on an evening instead of watching the nightly entertainment, and took some to the bar and shared them with friends we had made and with the bar-tenders. Take candles if you are celebrating a birthday or other event - they are quite impressed when you set the table and use two plastic glasses to create a holder and globe to stop the 20 knot wind from blowing them out, as we did for our lobster dinner, served outdoors at the bar, on our 35th anniversary on Jan. 12. They do go out of their way to make your special day extra special. Musicians, Chef, Wine steward, Waiter, Bar-tender and a specially made cake for the occasion - all unexpected. I had make reservations for a lobster dinner for four as it was our 'day'. Muy importante ! Bring everything with you that you might need while there. They may not be available at any price. When you see something that you feel like buying, don't wait until later to get it, it will probably be gone. Example. In Playa Sta. Lucia, I was in the hotel store when they unpacked 12 cans of Planter's peanuts. Price was $4.00 for a can. I wanted some, and bought the first can. 2 hours later, I thought it would be an idea to get another - all gone, never to be seen again. ALSO - take a tissue or toilet paper when you leave your room - make public toilet do not have any or there is someone selling it at the door to the washroom. If you forget to pack tissues, save your paper napkins at mealtime. Another point - don't wait to buy anything at the airport - they a very small selection and usually costing more than at the hotel or craftsman's table on the beach. We have already decided to go to Cienfuegos, next on our next trip. Another couple we met on our first trip were there last year and enjoyed it very much. They said they would stay in the small of the two hotels there as they felt the larger on was really too big and not worth the much higher cost. Last night I watched a video of Sierra Mar - just east of Bucanero, taken by another couple we met last year, and that looks very good too. This year they went to Cayo Coco, about as far west of Santa Lucia as Guardalavaca is east of S. Lucia, on the north coast. They found it far too big a resort and difficult to really form any connection with other tourist for independent trips etc. The place had nine (9) swimming pools. We like the smaller places better as the staff also get to recognise you and be more friendly. Fair winds, Maggie. > >