Lovelies in their finery,
ready to pose for pesos in Havana Vieja
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When we left for Cuba we had a rough idea of our total spending. You must, because as a United States citizen, the cash you bring into Cuba is what you have to spend. Period. No plastic will work. No debit cards. No credit cards. Yes, it’s awkward and frightening, but if you think of it as our punishment for allowing the insane and inhuman embargo of Cuba to continue, you realize that it’s a logical consequence and it’s tolerable.
Our only fallback, in the event of catastrophic miscalculation, was to phone home and beg someone to send cash by Western Union. No, thank you! We were determined to stay within our budget—- the $1700 Canadian, and if desperate, dip into several hundred USD hidden away in the luggage. Now, where did all the money go? Let’s look…
An Overview
(Cost for two people in USD, for simplicity)
$410 Airfare to and from Fort Lauderdale (for two)
$608 Lodging for 13 Nights in Casa Particulares (purchased in USA prior to the trip)
$241 Transportation in Cuba
$331 Tours and Experiences
$485 Food and Everything Else
$2,075 Our Grand Total
Stunning, isn’t it! Can you spend thirteen days in the sunny Caribbean anywhere else for that sum? I think not. My guess is that if you’re thinking of traveling to Cuba, you’d like a bit more specificity…
The Flights
What a short flight! 65 minutes from Ft Lauderdale to Havana, and only 55 minutes back. Cheap, too. The cost of our Jet Blue flights to and from Havana were slightly different, but each leg was around $100, so our total for the two of us only amounted to $410. If I were to go again I would plan to fly into one city, travel through the country, and fly back to the states from a different city. Costs would be similar, but no backtracking.
Craig peeking out from the kitchen/dining
area in our last Havana apartment
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Lodging
I had booked all of our accommodations through Airbnb ahead of time because it was easy and convenient. In the future, I hope to have the persistence and courage to try using the Cuban sites. It is also possible to directly communicate with potential hosts via email, rather than using any travel site at all. My understanding from speaking with various host families is that it is in both of our best financial interests to avoid any outside organization claiming a slice of the pie. For example, a hypothetical apartment that rents for $60/night through Airbnb might rent for only $30/night if arranged privately.
No matter what kind of accommodations you need or want, you'll find it in Cuba. Here are the particulars of our lodging expenses with photographs of each in separate posts:
$219 3 nights in Havana
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/02/first-impressions-part-2.html
$163 4 nights in Boca de Camarioca
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/02/boca-de-camarioca.html
$125 3 nights in Playa Giron
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/03/playa-giron.html
$47 2 nights in Viñales
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/03/vinales.html
$54 1 night in Havana
Our transportation to our Playa Giron casa de particular |
Transportation in Cuba
We used a variety of types of transportation, from bicycle taxis to luxury buses. If you’re planning your Cuba trip, the following itemization might be useful. All numbers represent the cost for two travelers.
$15 Shared taxi from airport to first casa (shared with Ken, who we met on the plane)
$50 Cubacan bus from Havana to Varadero (early drop off in Boca de Camarioca) – our priciest trip
$15 Taxi to Miramar prior to bicycle experience
$2 Collectivo back to Havana from Miramar
$2 Two days of round trip buses between Boca de Camarioca and Varadero
$24 Viazul bus from Varadero to Playa Giron
$4 Bicycle taxi (twice) in Playa Giron
$26 Viazul bus from Playa Giron to Havana
$30 Taxi from Havana to Viñales
$16 Two taxi rides in Viñales
$4 Collectivo in Viñales
$24 Viazul bus from Viñales to Havana
$25 Taxi to Jose Marti airport in Havana
Typical bus between Varadero
and Boca de Camarioca
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School children also ride the "nickel bus"
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Tours and Experiences (cost for two in USD)
$120 Havana buggy tour (we got scammed!)
$20 Havana, Key to the New World, plus $31 for entry fees and transportation
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/03/cuba-day-of-tours-afternoon.html
$60 Four hour bike tour west of Havana
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/02/cuba-day-of-tours.html
$25 Dive/snorkel trip in Playa Giron (includes dive gear for one person)
$25 Dive/snorkel trip
$40 Four hour horseback ride through Viñales
$10 Entry fees for Cueva de los Indios
Pizza, part of our Boca "value meal" |
Restaurant value in Boca de Camarioca: just on the east side of the river |
We experienced quite a range of food expenses during our trip, from economical breakfast emparedades --- two for 50 MN$, the equivalent of $2 USD --- bought with
Appetizers at our Boca value restaurant |
We enjoyed an amazing value meal at a restaurant in Boca de Camarioca one night: appetizers, beer, fruit drink, and enough pizza for a meal the next day, all for 155 MN$, the equivalent of about $6 USD. You’ll save money if you can eat where the Cubans eat and shop for food where the Cubans shop. Places geared for tourists are invariably much more expensive.
We ate quite a few meals in casa, some prepared by our hosts and some prepared by yours truly. Breakfasts prepared by the host family routinely cost $5 and $10 each as described in Lonely Planet. One exception was our Viñales casa where we had the option of a lighter breakfast for $3 each: freshly-made juice, coffee, milk, eggs, bread, jam, and fresh fruit. We opted for that rather than the heavier version which would have added ham and cheese.
We appreciated our lighter $3 breakfast in Viñales |
Boca sandwich with bread, cheese
and vegetables purchased from street vendors
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My home cooking occurred over the course of a few slightly panicked days in Boca de Camarioca after we discovered more than $140 USD missing from our luggage (a sad tale for another day). Our home-cooked meals were the cheapest by far, as you might expect. The $17 CUC we spent between Varadero and Boca provided a weighty bag of 8 or 9 fat frozen, chicken thighs, a bottle of rum, coffee and a couple of ice creams for the road. That, plus vegetables, rice, bread, and queso from the Boca street vendors, supplied plenty of food for the next five meals. Even after we started counting every peso, we did not suffer in the least, at least not over food quality or quantity. Although we denied ourselves quite a few expensive rum drinks, we bought a couple of bottles of rum over our thirteen days and, with fresh fruit and juice, made our own luscious tropical taste sensations.
Kathy making produce selections in Boca de Camarioca |
Not from Coppelia, but good! |
Everything Else
We spent $5 on internet cards, but did not use them all. We couldn’t resist buying a few cigars, so there went another $20. It’s hard to keep track of all the little things—- a dollar here, a dollar there. Tips. One small bottle of rum for the cab driver who waited a painful amount of time for Craig to extract himself from a Havana grocery on a Sunday, everyone’s day off.
I told Craig about this post and he asked me if I was including the $140 that was stolen from us. Well, if we add in the cash that “went missing”—-our unexpected contribution to the Cuban economy—-our grand total comes to $2,215.
$2,215 for thirteen unforgettable days.
More about the currency in "Cuban Currencies: Pesos y Pesos"
http://mycubadream.blogspot.com/2018/02/cuban-currency-pesos-y-pesos.html
Wow, I am surprised that it is more expensive than MX. I thought it would be less. My lodging in MX this April, at some great places, including 4 days with a pool and 7 nights with a view of the ocean or a lagoon, will be $315 for 16 days, 4 locations. I will have to remember this when I plan to go to Cuba. I need to Save , save , save. {I wonder if it is cheaper to fly from MX than from Florida?] Loved all the snorkeling you did.
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