Cuba - Lonely Planet [2]
As with most islands, Cuba struggles with food supply and prices reflect this – especially if you crave something imported such as canned corn or nuts. Paladares and casas particulares usually offer good value, with monstrous meal portions (no rationing here), including a pork chop, rice and beans, salad and french fries, costing around CUC$8. Add a couple of beers, dessert and a tip and you’re looking at CUC$12 (or more). Drinking is considerably more affordable than eating, with a strong mojito costing CUC$2 (in a non-Hemingway-esque bar) and a fresh juice or beer CUC$1.
For tourists to Cuba there are many transport options and as many prices to go with them. From Havana to Santiago de Cuba, for example (a trip of 861km), you will pay around CUC$114 to fly one-way with Cubana, from CUC$50 to CUC$62 to take the train and approximately CUC$52 to do the journey on a Víazul bus. Rental cars are expensive – bank on CUC$70 a day for a small Fiat to CUC$220 a day for a convertible Audi.
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HOW MUCH?
Room in a casa particular CUC$15-35
Museum entrance CUC$1-5
Cross-island train ticket CUC$62
Bike rental per day CUC$3-5
Internet use per hour CUC$6
See also Lonely Planet index, inside front cover.
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There is, of course, the double economy, whereby Convertibles and Cuban pesos circulate simultaneously. In theory, tourists are only supposed to use Convertibles, but in practice, there is nothing to stop you walking into a Cadeca (change booth) and swapping your Convertibles into moneda nacional (Cuban pesos). With an exchange rate of 24 pesos per Convertible, there are fantastic saving opportunities with pesos if you’re willing to sacrifice a little (or a lot!) in quality, service and/or comfort. For example, a pizza in a fast-food joint costs CUC$1, but street pizzas cost seven pesos (less than CUC$0.25). Pesos are also useful for urban transport and some cultural activities (such as movies), but almost everything else is sold to foreigners only in Convertibles: the symphony or theater, interprovincial transport and taxis are but a few examples where Cubans will pay in pesos, but you won’t.
Before you become indignant about the marked price differential, remember that the double economy cuts both ways: while Cubans may sometimes pay less for the same services as foreigners, they also have to stand in line, frequent ration shops and stay in the kind of fly-blown substandard hotels that most foreigners wouldn’t poke a stick at. Furthermore, Cubans (who earn between 200 and 400 pesos – or CUC$8 and CUC$15 – a month) have to survive in an entirely different economy from outsiders; a financial minefield where access to valuable Convertibles is a daily crapshoot between tips, personal guile and who you know.
Since April 2009 Cuban-Americans traveling legally to Cuba in order to visit relatives have faced no financial restrictions (they were limited to spending US$50 per day under the Bush administration).
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DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…
You’ll quickly find that basic commodities such as toothpaste, toilet paper and soap are widely available in Cuba. However, condoms, aspirin, dental floss, sunscreen, insect repellant, contact-lens solution, moisturizing lotion and reading material in any language besides Spanish definitely aren’t.
Clothing-wise come prepared. Aside from