Cheryl Scremin | Flight Centre Independent | Home Based Travel Agent
Flight Centre Associates

Cheryl Scremin

604 290 2895

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Posted on: Thursday July 27, 2017
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CUBA BEACHES

Cuba points:

  • Cuba has 11m people, 2.5m in Havana and 10,000 in Varadero
  • The Varadero peninsula is 20km long; there is a 5CUC double-decker hop on hop off bus that runs the strip of Varadero; 10CUC for the double-decker in Havana.
  • Most people buy homes and there are few renters; they can only have 1 house per person in 1 place (1 town, 1 beach).
  • There are no homeless people, just sometimes too many people living in one house.
  • Not all credit cards are readily accepted here, Visas and Master Cards from some Canadian banks are, but no Amex or Capital One.  You can use Visa debit but not other debit cards; some ATM’s will accept Master Card.  You will have to go to a bank with a passport to withdraw cash.
  • Cars cost more than houses!  They keep the old ones (before 1959) and just replace the engines because new ones are a fortune.  It’s a business to have an old car.  The public could only buy and sell cars older than 1959 themselves (government imported and sold new cars to Dr’s and lawyers), now the Gov’t imports for anyone but charges a fortune ($30k goes for $70k).
  • Hitch-hiking started in the 1990’s, gov’t vehicles cannot travel empty so on the way back to Varadero or Havana they pick up people along the way for 1 CUC (vs 10 CUC at the bus station); a blue line on plates indicates a gov’t vehicle; some drivers don’t like to stop as they don’t get paid (the passengers pay the inspector, not the driver).
  • The #1 export is “human capital”, Dr’s and teachers go to Asia, South America & Africa to work and make more working in other countries.  Surprisingly, there is not a lot of defection; the average gov't worker earns 500CUC/month.
  • #2 is tourism: 4m people in 2016.
  • #3 is biotechnology, science, and medicine.
  • A farmer used scorpion poison for his daughter’s lung cancer and came up with a cure for lung and mouth cancer!
  • Most hotels only allow 3 passengers max/room.
  • Free wi-fi is rare, the cost is 1CUC/hour in Varadero and 2CUC/hour in Havana.
  • The day-trip to Havana from Varadero is 2 hours each way;  check out old Havana and the Tropicana show.  Take in a Mojito for 5CUC at the iconic National Hotel, and the famous Saturday night Buena Vista Social Club. 

 

HAVANA

IBEROSTAR BELLA VISTA

OCEAN VISTA AZUL

 

 

PARADISUS VARADERO


BARCELO SOLYMAR & ARENAS BLANCAS

 

 

 

 

 

SAILING DAY-TRIP TO PLAYA BLANCA

 

Name:
Cheryl Scremin

Location:
Surrey, British Columbia

Contact Number:
604 290 2895

Alternate Number:
778 783 4158

Email:
cheryl.scremin@fcitravel.ca

About Cheryl:

I run my personal travel business in partnership with a company known throughout Canada for wonderful travel experiences at amazing prices - Flight Centre


Contact Cheryl

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CONTACT INFO
  • phone 604 290 2895
  • Alternate Number: 778 783 4158
  • email cheryl.scremin@fcitravel.ca
  • web flightcentreindependent.ca/CherylScremin
  • address Surrey, British Columbia, Canada