CUBA - The next 'HOT' destination?

[curtiejoe]

Now that Fidel Castro's turned 80 and seems gravely ill, I wonder what may happen once he no longer rules Cuba with an iron glove? Will this island, the largest one in the Caribbean, and less than 100 miles from Florida, return to its pre-Revolutionary hey-days? Will tourism boom again as it did in the 1950s before Castro took over? Will old Havana see a forest of new high-rise hotels and condos reach for the sky? Will Cayo Coco and the other amazing islands (including Cayo Guillermo, a favorite of Ernest Hemingway's)that stretch like a fabulous string of pearls just of the north coast of Central Cuba become "the" place to see and be seen? Will Americans once more flock south to this mostly-unknown destination and rediscover its people and wonderful landscapes? WHO KNOWS?

[mhmiskin]

Cuba has great beaches and is a perfect holiday spot but there service level is not up to American standards. The food they serve tourists is generally bad. Canadians (like me) have enjoyed Cuba as a cheap Caribbean holiday for many years. Once Fidel is gone the change is likely to be gradual opening and expanding of quality tourist services. This will not happen overnight. The best way to speed up the process is for the US Government to ease travel restrictions and allow business with Cuba. This may start happening after President Bush leaves office and probably not sooner regardless of whether Castro is gone soon.

[curtiejoe]

Interesting perspective. I agree that as long as the status quo remains politically within Cuba and externally vis a vis relations between the Communist island and the USA (especially with Bush in the White House, things will not change dramatically. However, I remeber back to 1959 and Castro's overthrow of the US-friendly Batista regime. Once Casyro and his cronies were in power, it didn't take long for the 'old ways' in Cuba to change. That can happen again. i also agree that the best thing the U.S. could do is to lighten up, loosen or eliminate the trade embargo and resume normal relations with Cuba. After all, the U.S. and Bush have no qualms at all dealing with and trading with China, the biggest Communist country in the world.

[lhbrown]

Cuba could very well open up once Fidel Castro is gone. He seems to be on his last leg.... The Europeans have long used Cuba as a cheap Caribbean get-away. From what I understand from my friends over there, Cuba has quite a double standard when it comes to foreign tourists. However, I do think, Cuba will open up little by little and the hotel industry will flock to it to open up new hotels and bring Cuba up to the rest of the standard in this region. At least I hope so...

[curtiejoe]

Hi L. Brown: Thanx for your reply. I tend to agree, but think that the change, once Castro and the Communist regime are gone,may very likely be quite fast. I feel there's a huge pent-up demand for first-class resorts and attractions in Cuba, mainly because of the general lack of them now and perhaps more tellingly, because Americans and U.S. business interets have been largely denied access to that potentially huge market for the last 47 years. Curtiejoe

[claassenam]

It is so interesting to hear these perspectives on Cuba as I've always had an inkling in the back of my mind to go but never wanted to deal with the governmental red tape. I never considered that Cuba is considered a low budget type of place for tourists, as it's kind of been romanced to us Americans in movies, books and magazines. It seems like a great mix of sun, beach and culture. I hope the standards in hotels and food (although I can't for the life of me imagine a bad Cuban meal!) do rise - and quickly - once it is (hopefully) reopened to US tourists. However, I also hope that doesn't mean a complete change with high rise after high rise being built.

Thanks, curtiejoe, for bringing up this interesting discussion.

[curtiejoe]

hi claas

Winston Churchill once referred to the Soviet Union as "an enigma wrapped in a mystery".The same could be said today about Cuba. My wife and I have vacationed in Castro's Communist "paradise" three times in the past five years. As Canadians, we have an easy time entering Cuba in comparison to U.S. citizens, and find that we are warmly welcomed by the "common" Cuban people that we encounter at the resorts (where they work) or in the cities we visit on the island. As you point out astutely, Cuba's at its most attractive because of the glorious sun, the fabulous beaches, and the mix of Spanish and Carib cultures.

Our main reason for visiting is the unbelievable beauty of the beaches along the north coast at places like Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo. Also, the pace of life is slow and easy, so we find our visits very restful and relaxing. We do not, however,find the current political system in Cuba to our liking at all. It's clearly repressive, backward-looking, and not beneficial to the common people. In fact, to us, it's a very sad and depressing situation.

Contrary to what you think, one of the most common complaints of travellers to Cuba is the fact that most of the time and in most resorts, the food always comes in below par. The exception, thankfully, is fruit and vegetables which are always excellent. But, I'm sorry to say, we've had more bad meals than good, no matter where in Cuba we've been. They just don;t seem to have what it takes, especially when it comes to meat dishes. Most others we've talked to agree that the poor quality of food is a real problem.

As to what happens ante-Castro is anyone's guess.

curtiejoe

[DOLLARHIDE]

What is meant by the "DOUBLE STANDARD FOR TOURISTS"?

[curtiejoe]

Hi dollarhide

My understanding of it, based on half a dozen vacations in Cuba over the past 10 years, is that basically there are two standards of living in operation on Castro's island. this is probably similar to the situation that exists in many Third World countries.

Tourists who visit Cuba usually stay at up-scale resorts that are either off-limits to Cuban citizens (expect for those who work there as maids, waiters, gardeners, etc.) or much too expensive for the great majority of Cubams to be able to afford (the average monthly wage income for Cubans is apparently about the equivalent of $30 US per MONTH! Off the resorts, in the cities and towns that we've visited (like Moron in Central Cuba), there are a few special stores (known as "Dollar Stores") set up just to cater to tourists. These stores are very well-stocked and feature Cuban cigars and lots of the latest consumer products at a reasonable cost , when compared to retail prices on similar goods in the USA, Canada, or other Western European countries. But again, ordinary Cubans are either barred from them or simply can't afford to buy anything in them. Side-by-side with these special Dollar Stores are regular stores that yhe local Cubans frequent. We were shocked when we entered several of these on our visits. The shelves are usually almost bare, except in outlets that sell fruits or vegetables, and the prices of the few items available are ridiculously low (by our standards).

Cubans are proud of their educational system which provides 'free' schooling for all citizens. They have, as a result, one of the highest literacy rates in the Third World, which is fantastic. Similarly, the Cuban people are very proud of their Universal Health Care which theoretically provides 'free' care to all citizens. Unfortunately, as we found out, their doctors and hospitals are critically short of medical supplies. So bad is the situation, that tour guides begged all of the tourists on our excursion for any asperins or other pills or medications that we happedned to have with us. They asked for these to be donated, so they could be given to the sick and in dire need of even the most basic medicines! Seems the US embargo against trade with Cuba makes it very difficult to get these sorts of supplies into the country. it's really a sad state of affairs.

This, is what the "double standard" means in real life in Cuba today.

curtiejoe

[two2go]

Hi curtiejoe,

Since you've been travelling to Cuba over the pass 10 years, can you suggest some good properties that you've stayed at? We always hear of their great beaches and that the peopleare so warm and welcoming.Of course food is very important to us. Are there any resorts that you've been to that the food wasexcellent? That seems to be the problem in Cuba,alot ofpeoplethat go there come back witha horror storyof not eating during their stay or being sick.