Julio
Chubby Chaser
 
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RE: Urgent: Booking for Cuba tomorrow
When I went I found my casa particular in http://www.thecubanhouses.com
It was a bit more expensive but we had a nice villa with swimming pool in Miramar close to Vedado.
I also saw options on rentincuba (they had a few appartments in the atlantic building which is reaaly nice). It depends on your budget.
But you will find lot of stuff on the link you gave. You email them, negotiate the price for your stay and you pay once you check in (not before).
Btw the link you gave is an appartment in Vedado not Varadero.
Where are you going exactly?La habana or Varadero?
(04-10-2014 06:35 AM)Atlantic Wrote: ^^^ Thanks man.
Have been checking sites like this... http://www.casaparticularcuba.org/viewpr...=0&PopUp=0
Should I contact a few owners and just see whats going and then just get a taxi over when I land. Pay cash up front for a few nights and see how it goes?
Thanks again for any advice
(This post was last modified: 04-10-2014 09:07 AM by Julio.)
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| 04-10-2014 09:06 AM |
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lavidaloca
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RE: Urgent: Booking for Cuba tomorrow
Irish, I'm going to just give you a simple break down of do's and don'ts notes.
-Do bring $100+ a day on top of accommodation and airfare. On a short trip for someone not in the know I'd say $150 might be ideal. If you more than 1 guy deep 100+ above accommodation and airfare is fine.
-For others if you are on a lower budget you probably will be home a lot. I think most people would agree it's surprisingly expensive. You just get smoked a bit everywhere and it adds up. The currency exchange, the taxi, the food, the drinks...everywhere along the way.
-In other countries you have simple methods of mass communication like badoo, dominicancupid etc. In Cuba there is none of that. Many girls don't have a cell phone (the phone they have with them could very well be shared by their entire family and cause shes out of the house she brings it with her). Getting a sim is $3 aday. Internet is $2.25 (30 minutes), $4.50 (1 hour) at ETECSA. In hotels more.
-Don't bring out your new "friend." The guy will undoubtedly be a hustler and not be of benefit to your whatsoever.
-I bring one guy out with me in Havana, hes late 30s (looks about 10 years younger) and a male dancer (non-gay). Girls instantly like him because he comes off as down to earth as oppose to the guy telling the girl that he'll buy the drinks so the "yuma" overpays. I've never met another decent guy in Havana who I'd want to go out with except for a few foreigners.
-Do watch your mouth if you end up at one of the upper class places like Shangri-La. The guy to your right may very well be the kid of someone very important, to your left his personal plain clothes security and ahead an ambassador of ____ country.
-The closer you are to hotels, the more likely the place is a rip off joint. If a place is charging 10+ per plate look at the interior, is it very nice for Cuba, look at the other customers are there many (there should be), look outside are there modern vehicles (there should be)...if 2/3 of these are missing, you are probably going to get hosed. (i.e. food well beyond what it should be priced.)
-There are 2 casa de la musicas. The one which Mark has alluded to in his blog post is on Galiano (Centro Habana)... It typically plays reggaeton Monday, Tuesday and Sunday nights. It is a hooker joint or dead zone. (depending on the band) By dead zone I mean no one goes. Sometimes due to police presence. There other one in Miramar has a more salsa presence. Still I would have to say it is again more working girl oriented. 1 night a month or perhaps the gods align and casa de la musica is incredible. I don't know why this is. It's just for whatever reason all of Havana decides to descend upon it and lots of beautiful woman that aren't working end up there. Still ends up with 50%+ working chicks on that night, but due to venue size (big) and lack of competition it is good. With that said the other 29 nights its bad.
-Cuba is best experienced if you are 1 of 2 types:
1) stupid amounts of time. (with a decent bankroll...75+ CUC a day)
2) a very high bankroll
-Its a place where you either absolutely fall in love with it and don't stop going back. Or you hate it.
-Learn where collectivo routes are if you want to save money, I could write for an hour straight on this but I don't have the energy.
-Innovate on where you meet girls. Re: it probably won't be in night clubs. All the best girls I've had I met while they were working. Typically dancing in cabaret shows/ other nightlife shows. But that's a different angle and I play on a lot of local knowledge to manage that. In terms of one night stand club approaches I really haven't had great results.
-If someone starts talking to you first, ignore them...act like you don't speak English, or Italian or Russian.
-If a girl stares at you, there's a reason and it isn't because you look like Enrique Iglesias unfortunately. This is what typically causes people to think all girls are hookers. Its just the girls who give strong indicators of interest usually are.
-check out all the areas. Don't just stay in Centro Havana / Havana Vieja/ Vedado. Explore a bit. Spend time in Guanabo, playas del este, miramar, marina hemmingway etc. You'll enjoy it a lot more that way.
-Everyone will try to sell you cigars and they all have a job at the cigar factory or there cousin does. They don't. The cigars are home rolled. Some will be duds.
-Price before you go anywhere or buy anything. Don't go to a restaurant and order a drink before knowing the price. Don't jump in a taxi and think hes gonna put the meter on.
-If someone asks you if you want cigars or chicas, and you don't respond then he says chicos...don't get silly with him and tell him you prefer trannies. Why? Because he will be chasing you down with what he believes to be your preferred type.
(This post was last modified: 04-10-2014 11:26 PM by lavidaloca.)
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| 04-10-2014 10:32 PM |
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lavidaloca
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RE: Urgent: Booking for Cuba tomorrow
It's good that your buddy's hooked up. Be skeptical though of the people around him. If they are overly friendly towards you...he may be hooked up in a bad way. (Most tourists) You'll know what I mean when it happens if it does. Especially if he has guy(s) with him who seem to always be with him, speak english and seemingly know half the neighborhood.
Honestly, if your buddy has a girlfriend there you'll get laid 100% because his girlfriend will have a girl who wants a tourist for sure. I'd take advantage of that situation.
You'll have a good time just having a buddy with you. I find Cuba can be somewhat lonely when you are a lone foreigner as there isn't much of an expat scene unless you are 40+ and make friends with the older foreign business men and ambassadors. This lack of other foreigners is probably what causes a lot of guys to get trapped in the process of bringing there jinetero friend everywhere. The problem is when you have one of these guys with you it's like walking around with a big $ sign on your head except not the type regular girls want to be seen around.
My one buddy (Cuban) who goes out with me has provided huge dividends. Simply because hes probably the nicest guy most of these people will ever meet , Hes a good dancer (which helps with the ballerina crowd).
It pays dividends for me on a lot of levels
1) I have a wing
2) Girls like him (they wouldn't date him but hes more "the best friend" type.)
3) I fall out of the short-term tourist, sex-tourist what have you stereotype.
4) The dancers (they love to dance) like dancing casino with him. It helps hold them at our table and keep the friends there. (Contrary to popular belief most Cuban men don't actually dance well.)
5) It disarms the girls I prefer (dancers and models) and gives me an in as he was part of the industry even though he doesn't know the current crop mentioning that seems to instantly make them more comfortable. I'm not sure why this is from a game standpoint.
These are the types of friends you want to have. Try to avoid guys who you meet who tell you an english first name (Charlie, Tony, William, Michael, Peter, Thomas), and the guys who speak english too well. They are typically entrenched in the intermediary zone but that usually involves hookers.
I've never met a hustler who told me his name was Yuneilixis. I've met a ton who went by very english names. There are exceptions to the rule but it's a good hard and fast rule.
(This post was last modified: 04-10-2014 11:59 PM by lavidaloca.)
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| 04-10-2014 11:47 PM |
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Atlantic, Wayout
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