Cuba

[davec]

Hi you well travelled lot, we may be going to Cuba for a family wedding in late 2013. So I would be grateful for any advice on the usual does and don'ts, packages or booking separately, where to get married and stay in Havana and or at the beaches. It would appear a number of the booking sites and some airlines I normally use do not want to give any details on travel to Cuba. I have already encountered a case of one airline who will not quote or show flights to Cuba giving a price via a third party site. We are probably talking about late next year so maybe a bit early for exact prices on booking flights but any guidance would be welcome.
TY
Dave

[shockey]

It would appear a number of the booking sites and some airlines I normally use do not want to give any details on travel to Cuba.

Presumably the sites and airlines are US sites and airlines or US owned - the US government does not allow them to do business with Cuba. For the same reason you cannot use credit cards issued by US banks or their subsidiaries there - Visa/MC cards issued by UK owned banks/building societies are OK.

Virgin Atlantic flies to Havana from the UK. There are also charter flights to Varadero and other places, on which you can get all-inclusive holidays with First Choice and others - they might be good value even if you do not use the food and accommodation all the time. There are plenty of hotels or B&Bs ("casas particulares") once you get there, not sure how easy it would be to book them in advance.

Of course, things may change by late 2013. Who knows - you may be able to go from Florida by then. It's so close - one cruise we went on from Florida sailed so close you could clearly see the buildings of Havana from the ship.