There is a longing for Cuba in my heart and my infinite fascination with the country leaves me speechless and wanting more. If you’re thinking about planning a trip to Cuba, here are my top tips for navigating your Cuban escapade:

Download maps.me on your phone. IT IS A LIFESAVER. 

I'm not kidding. I landed in Cuba late in the evening and had to take a taxi to the casa by myself in the middle of the night. My taxi driver got lost and started circling around Havana asking for directions to random passers-by in the road. Naturally, I felt a little anxious however thanks to the app, I knew I was roughly heading in the right direction and felt more at ease. My driver didn't seem too impressed when I tried to advise him to follow the blue arrow in the direction of the hotel pin, but he got us there in the end.

What's great about maps.me is that it works without a WiFi connection. So perfect for Cuba where you have no connectivity. Not only do you know where you are, but you can pin your hotel, restaurants, bars, banks, hairdresser... you name it! How cool is that?

Money in Cuba

It may seem a little confusing at first to have two currencies circulating as legal tender in the same country. As a tourist you will only use CUC the Convertible Cuban Peso which is equal to the US Dollar. The CUP is the currency the locals use where 1 CUC = 24 CUP. You won't ever need to worry about using CUP, however, be aware that sometimes when receiving change you might be shortchanged with CUP.

Money can be exchanged at the bank or at exchange booths called Cadecas. The trickiest part was finding a Cadeca or a bank until we realised that our maps.me application clearly marked them out for us. When exchanging cash we used Euros and Pound Sterling which carried the standard 3% transaction fee. If you're exchanging US Dollarsthere may be a 10% penalty tax so it could be a good idea to think about bringing an alternative currency beforehand.

The Chocolate Museum is a great way to escape scorching mid-afternoon heat.

Bank Cards

My personal favourite for saving money whilst travelling, a foreign exchange friendly card. To date the Revolut cardhassaved me hundreds of dollars in fees. In fact whilst in Cuba I was able to withdraw CUC 400/ USD 400 from cash machines, only paying the 3% fee charged by the Cuban bank and avoiding paying a single cent in fees on my card!

Stay in a casa particular

A casa particular is essentially like staying in an Airbnb. It's a shared home where the owners rent a room to tourists. The casa network works incredibly well and we often asked our owners to make or confirm our next reservation for us.

BUT. If you're planning a stay in Cayo Coco, this will be (very!) tricky. We found what seemed to be the only casa on the island. Unluckily, due to a sudden case of food poisoning and lack of a flushing toilet we moved quickly into a hotel resort. This was the only exception, our other casas were amazing and it was a really great way to meet local Cuban people and receive advice on restaurants and bars.

For the most part, you can book casas directly via phone or email. Be patient if you're contacting via email, the lack of WiFi makes it difficult for owners to respond swiftly.

For an alternative option, I would recommend booking a room through Airbnb, you have the added security of a confirmed reservation and can do your research beforehand. Plus, if you haven’t used Airbnb before, you can redeem a travel voucherfor your first visit!

Adjust your expectations

Cubans are incredibly friendly and hospitable and will generally go out of their way to help you. Bear in mind, things don't always run smoothly and it's important to adjust your expectations and go with the flow. For example, an ordinary two hour taxi ride from Havana to Viñales, ended up taking us over 4 hours. The driver had to stop and greet a few friends along the way. Cubans are more relaxed and easy going, so don't be surprised if your meal takes longer at a restaurant or you wait in long queues to exchange money or other services.

The infrastructure is poorly maintained. In Central Havana the roads have gaping holes which you'll dodge and hop around and you will notice derelect buildings falling apart. A lack of availability of materials makes it incredibly difficult for Cubans to invest in their cities.

Live offline and disconnect

Or not. One hour prepaid cards are available for $1.50 at Etecsa stores and you can use them all over the country. Major hotels and town plazas commonly have connectivity. If you see a load of people congregating with their phones and laptops, chances are that it is a hot spot.

A little Spanish goes a long way

This was my first time in a Latin American country and my Spanish is very much at the beginner stages. Having a guidebook/phrase book was essential to help navigate the language barriers.

Travel Insurance

This is a MUST if you travel, if only to have coverage for medical expenses.

For Cuba travel insurance is a requirement. I was never asked for proof of travel insurance and therefore I can't comment on how well this is enforced. I personally use World Nomadsas it's a popular provider in the travel community. Depending on your country of residence you may find a better alternative.

Watch the sunrise from the rooftop of your casa particular

My first morning in Havana I was greeted with this gorgeous view. Cuba is wonderfully authentic, vibrant and beautiful so be ready to see the wonderful place that Cuba is.

Take a Cuban Salsa class

If there is a time, do it at the beginning for your trip! Whether you're chilling in the town plaza, being serenaded whilst dining out or just a curious bystander, Cubans love to dance and they'll ask you to dance too! So throw caution to the wind and brush up on those salsa steps. We started with the Salsa Express in Havana, your casa will be able to provide advice on local salsa schools and teachers.

Be very clear and upfront on an agreed price with your taxi driver

For the most part travelling around Cuba in a taxi went smoothly. We went from A to B, agreed on a price with no issues.

On our way from Cayo Coco to Havana we would take a collective taxi where the driver would pick up two other people and we would equally split the cost between the four of us and pay $50 each. The driver picked a couple from another hotel however 10 minutes later he dropped them off, advising that the couple had booked another taxi and my friend and I would have to pay $70 each for the rest of our trip back to Havana. Naturally we weren't happy about this and tried to complain. Not having much of a choice, we ended up having to go with him back to Havana.

Here's a list of what we paid for our taxis around Cuba:

Havana - Viñales: $20 each for 4 people

Viñales - Cienfuegos: $35 each for 4 people

Cienfuegos - Trinidad: $20 each for 2 people

Trinidad - Cayo Coco: $30 each for 4 people

Cayo Coco - Havana: $70 each for 2 people

Since coming back from Cuba, I haven't stopped raving about it. Whilst there may be some hiccups along the way, Cuba promises to be a trip you will never forget!

To learn more about where to go and stay in Cuba, you can read hereand here.

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