dlq04

zeroptzero

I recently posted my 2024 vacation plans in the 2023 thread before this thread was started, so here is a quick recap. My wifey and I will be going to Cuba in early July 2024. We will be on an outer island called Cayo Santa Maria. We were last there in 2022, and we love Cuba for a number of reasons. Great people and beautiful beaches, it is a unique island and we love its quirkiness . It is not for everyone, and 5-star resorts in Cuba are not like 5-stars anywhere else, but you learn to love the island and adapt to any surprises that may arise on any given stay.. I suspect few people on these forums get to Cuba for obvious reasons, and keeping the politics aside it really is a country worth seeing. Much of life in the countryside looks like nothing has progressed in 75 years, I know I was there 28 years ago and there has been very little progress since that time. It is still a beautiful country to see and understand.

My wife and I are simple travelers, we do not go there expecting a cruise ship experience. Many people who do that tend to be disappointed, but we have grown to love the island. Just plop my ass on a beautiful beach for a week and I won't complain much. There is plenty to eat and drink, and we always feel safe and welcomed by the locals. Vacations have been hard to come by in recent years , my wife and I appreciate any time we can spend together, so we are really looking forward to this one.

We are staying at the Iberostar Coral level Ensenachos resort

Kyras

It would be nice if the 2023 thread was closed first.

Kyras

DUDE! Where are you!! I hope you're okay. You seemed to have left the earth.

Oh, I hope you're currently island hopping in the Caribbean.

MsPerky

Yeah, I started this one back in September when I made the Phoenix trip plan. Probably got lost.

buckeyesue

The 2023 thread has been closed now.

I think it used to be an option where the person who started the thread could close it.

However, now I think that a moderator (?) has to close it.

In any case, the 2023 thread has been closed now.

MsPerky

Pics of Vito at the race, my cousin’s house, etc. Younger nephew and two of his friends were visiting, too and rented some fast cars for the day. Vito ran the Lost Dutchman half marathon hence the gold references.

Heyitsgary

Patty- I think one of the admins locked 2023 so that should be squared away now.

Gene/Lainey - TY for the info. Ray, keep me posted on what you find. A friend at work was there in October and also gave ideas.

I think that's the struggle with a trip like this where there's not a real central place to stay. Surely don't want to drive 5-6 hours on a day to a location that we'll be at for 1.5 days. Surely want to see some things that are a 5-6 hour drive.

I'm now looking at something like this:
Fly into Moncton, NB. Do a two days near the Bay of Fundy. (I think this would be similar to the Finger Lakes where we'd drive down/back on the NB side, then the same on the NS side.
Head to PEI, do Green Gables and the touristy stuff.
Head to Wood Island for the 3 or 6 PM ferry to Caribou NS.
Stay over somewhere between Caribou and Cape Breton NP
Head back to Moncton to go home.

Probably spend 2 nights at 3 locations and day trip from each.

zeroptzero

We just seen a news report that the country of Cuba is experiencing a shortage of many goods, and asking the UN for help. The people of the island were under extreme duress last time we were there in 2022, it would be hard to imagine how they could be worse today, how low can things get ?

There is a real need for basic supplies along with food, they always had electricity blackouts ( 16 hours a day) and that is not getting better either. We will make a real effort to take down many of the supplies that the people are in need of, so we can give them away to the people we are fortunate to meet. The resorts do not suffer in the same way, so hopefully our trip will still be okay in that regard. Cuba's inflation is running at 30% , when the average wage is $40 a month that is a real kicker. They still grow a ton of tobacco, but very little food. I was surprised how little food production they have there, you don't see any large farms through the countryside which we drove through. It is very odd for a country that is so lush and fertile. They tend to blame the US embargo, but they are free to trade goods with 99% of the world other than the US. Many Europeans, Russians and Canadians visit Cuba as tourists.

MsPerky

We told my younger nephew we would come visit him in Detroit. Looks like there is a race Vito can run near Detroit at the end of June. So that may go on the calendar.