Cuban Holidays

Too many holiday destinations claim to be unique. Too many say there has never been a better time to visit them. But Cuba is right on both counts. Its recent history means time feels like it has stood still in the cities, while its beaches have always been world-beaters. And in the post-Castro era it really will be cool to say you were there before everything changed. We’ve done the research, spoken to recent holidaymakers and picked more than a dozen key pieces of advice and must-see sights for anyone going to Cuba. We’re starting off with the practicalities.

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and it’s around 10 hours from Britain if you get a direct flight. Virgin is the best-known airline to fly direct, though several other big airlines also have routes and plenty of charter flights are in hot competition. If you can be bothered touching down in places like Paris or Madrid you can shave a little off your fare. There’s a five hour time difference, the local language is Spanish and you will need to sort out a visa before you go. There’s also a departure tax you have to pay in cash at the airport, so don’t spend everything on your last day.

US dollars used to be desperately sought after but new political tensions have changed that. You’ll need to change sterling into the ‘convertible peso’ when you are there – and you can’t change excess cash back or take it out of the country. Finally, if your credit cards are issued by an American bank you can’t use them, even if you got them in Britain. When it comes to climate it’s warm and tropical most of the time – with May to October the rainiest months and September and October the hurricane season.

Neil Simpson is an award-winning journalist and author and has written travel articles for the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday.