International Travel Desk

Try not to drink water from the tap. It is fine for locals but not for tourist. You will not have the required antibodies in your organism and will end up going to hospital. I know it sounds drastic but the last thing you want is to spend a week on a clinic instead of a hotel room.

The best government owned restaurants are La Bodeguita del Medio, El Floridita, El Aljibe, Los Nardos, El Template, La Domenica, La Mina, El Patio and Mediterraneo this last restaurant is located on the lobby of Parque Central Hotel and it serves gourmet food.

Bring lots of repellent for mosquitoes. It could be very annoying especially in beach resorts like Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Levisa, Cayo Las Brujas, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Guardalavaca and Varadero. It is not likely to find mosquitoes in the cities.

The best bars in Havana are El Floridita, El Patio, La Bodeguita del Medio, La Mina, La Dichosa, La Lluvia de Oro. All this bars with the exception of El Floridita are outdoors and they all are a perfect venue for soaking up the atmosphere of Havana.

Try to avoid taking a non official taxi in Cuba. It is not as safe as taking an official one. It is very easy to tell the difference between them both. The official taxis are new modern cars with the company name written everywhere and the none-official ones are mainly Ladas, Moskvich and old American cars.

If you want to book a sight seeing trip around Havana the best tour guides are employed by San Cristobal Company. These tours can be organized collective or privately. You can even have a horse and carriage ride along the old streets of Havana Vieja (Old Town).

The best night clubs are Casa de La Musica de Centro Habana, Salon Rojo Capri Hotel, Casa de La Musica de Miramar, Jazz Caf, La Zorra y El Cuevo, El Turquino in Habana Libre Hotel and Habana Caf in Cohiba Hotel.

If your tour operator has an office in Cuba which offer representation to their clients try to be contacted on the lobby of your Hotel or if necessary you can visit their offices. There have been cases of scam in which tourists are contacted on the streets and taken to a bar for an information meeting in which you might end to buying few excursions thinking you are dealing with an employee of your tour operator.