Cuba’s a fun country to visit and felt safe to us but there’s some things you should know before visiting:

Hey mate nice shoes?

Don’t be fooled by the guy who shouts that at you, it’s his “in” to a conversation starter to get you talking. We worked out fairly quickly that to make some extra cash some locals will choose to partner up with bars to get you in there and in return they will get commission. We fell for this twice, the second time was less obvious as it was a couple just walking by us and just talking and then suggested we try this cocktail and hence suckered in. Both times we found once we ended up in the bar they tried to sell us cigars or outright asked for money. So beware they will be extremely friendly but politely and firmly say no thank you and stick to your guns and walk away.

Enjoy some time offline

In Cuba there is no 4G or even 3G so you have to connect to wifi. There are wifi spots around the city but they are few and far between but most hotels will have wifi. You will need to purchase an internet card (from hotel receptions) and that code will log you on for 1hr. Make sure you log-out too otherwise your hour will very quickly run out. Expect to pay 1 CUC per hour

Two different currencies

The locals use a different currency from the tourists here which can be very odd and confusing. The main thing is as a tourist you will use CUC and 1CUC is worth more than 1 of the local currency so always check your change. Your notes should always have buildings on and not faces. If you get given one with a face on ask for CUC immediately as they are worth a lot more.

Cash is King

You won’t be able to use cards really at all in Cuba so get yourself some cash. You won’t be able to get it from outside Cuba so take some of your currency and they won’t accept US dollars. You can get it at the airport but we used the hotel or the banks in the centre of Havana. Mastercards (as they’re american) are tricky and won’t be taken at every bank. Having said this I used my Starling MasterCard to get cash out (with NO FEE check out http://www.starlingbank.com) which worked fine. Also only get what you need for a couple of days so maybe 100-200CUC max just incase.

Avoid the Mossies

If you’re heading down to Varadero to relax and chill by the beach don’t forget your insect repellent. You won’t notice them during the day but come the evening they’ll get you. It’s not pretty photo but here are my legs with precisely 134 bites ek! Also there is a small risk of the Ezka virus so if you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant give Cuba a miss

Stock up on Rum

Know the alcohol limits that you can take home and get some rum. In fact Rum’s the same price anywhere but weirdly we managed to get a deal in a supermarket by not taking the box it came in. I can recommend Havana Club 7 years neat!

Enjoy! kell x