Varadero, Cuba Vacation in 2024-2025? Inexpensive things to do off resort.

[@marc803]

Hello Michael, i am thinking about another fall trip to Varadero. Can you tell us how things are there with regard to power failures, food or beer shortages? The recent news on Cuba gives the impression its very bad. We know that things can sometimes be exaggerated just to add some drama to the story. From your experience of your last trip how was it compared to before Covid? Was the buffet as big as normal? Did they close any of the bars on the resort? Did they add any restrictions to how many drink you could have is the service for the tour buss reduced or up in price? Have they reduced the number of hotel staff or closed parts of the beach?

[@DownMichael]

Things in Cuba are tough for Cubans. Not much change for tourists though. The hotels are open and running pretty much normally but with fewer tourists. That means it is easier to get on and off the $5 all day tourist bus. Nothing is closed. Covid didn't hurt Cuba and tourism as much as Trump's declaration of Cuba as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" which is still in effect. They keep Varadero running electrically as a priority. Safest place in the world and anybody who has been there knows that. Reports of hard times are for the locals, not the tourists.

[@elixis2847]

How is it recently?

[@DownMichael]

Cuba is experiencing shortages of everything. Travel there is less expensive than anywhere else so I pay for an extra suitcase with specialty food for myself and gifts for the Cubans I've met. I put the smaller one in the larger one on the way home so I don't have to pay both ways for the empty extra suitcase.

[@MsKleinlaut]

@@DownMichael I buy the extra suitcase from a Thrift Store for $10 and leave it behind. The animal rescues use them as a bed for dogs or cats that are being treated by a vet. They can't roll out after recovery from surgery. The extra suitcase can be left with Yeraldine who works at the Scuba place next to Camp Kawama.

[@DownMichael]

@@MsKleinlaut Thankyou.

[@glenflett682]

@@DownMichaelwhen are you going back. Good deals on now. Dad and I are booking. He’s going to club tropical and me grand memories with my daughter

[@DownMichael]

@@glenflett682 First went to Cuba in 2007 because it was the least expensive and I'm relatively poor. No change in either circumstance. lol I'll be going in December for a couple weeks taking a lot of food and medicine for the Cubans I've met.