Family adventure holiday to Cuba
Price
£1599To£1940 excluding flights
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More info
Prices based on 2 adults sharing.
From £1439 - £1765 per child ex flights.
Mimimum age 7.
From £1439 - £1765 per child ex flights.
Mimimum age 7.
Last minute
Late availability on these dates: 17 Dec
Description of Family adventure holiday to Cuba
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Price information
£1599To£1940 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Prices based on 2 adults sharing.
From £1439 - £1765 per child ex flights.
Mimimum age 7.
From £1439 - £1765 per child ex flights.
Mimimum age 7.
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Travelling in Cuba with kids is easier than you might imagine. Self-drive holidays are popular and suit family travel – just sling the luggage in the ...
First things first, family adventure holidays aren’t all designed for super high-achieving families who spend the weekends up at dawn, donned in match...
Holiday information
Small group family adventure:
This is a small group family adventure - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves.
Reviews
2 Reviews of Family adventure holiday to Cuba
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 23 Apr 2023 by Anders Kirkeby
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Cruising Havana in old American cars, the almost private beach on the small island and hiking in the mountains were all memorable highlights of the trip.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The money situation is likely to change. But from the information we got and what we gleaned from the web it wasn't clear that you should still bring cash
to cover the whole trip. The ability to pay with card is limited and ATMs limited. What's worse is that any withdrawal will be done in pesos but you will NEED
hard currency in many private establishments or accept their conversion which may be up to 50% worse: ATM withdrawals from a GBP account was done
via at 120 pesos to the dollar - so already two conversions there - but private restaurants converted EUR/USD restaurant bills to pesos at 180 pesos to
EUR/USD. EUR/USD/GBP are treated as interchangeable - so bringing USD is cheapest.
Also, eating out in Cuba isn't cheap. Southern Europe would typically be cheaper. Be prepared to pay upwards of USD for dinner for a family of 4 in many of
the private establishments suggested by the guide. State run restaurants are somewhat cheap.
Had I known this in advance I would have brought at least USD 3k in cash for a family of four for this trip.
We arrived a couple of days early and stayed in the old town first. That was great to get familiar with Havana and to see more of it than we would if we only
had the official itinerary 's does of Havana.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There's no doubt our holiday benefited a lot of people given the dysfunctional state of the economy. It's aggravating when everybody gets tipped relatively
generously for even the most basic service and when you suspect everybody gets a cut for each activity you undertake. But the government runs the country in such a poor manner that it might be fair to simply look at this as a way to supporting a number of locals. But I did leave Cuba thinking I'd rather prefer they rose up and affected change to the system so the whole of the economy could be lifted. Our holiday probably did little to support the poorer eastern part of Cuba but it did make life a bit more tenable for urbanites in and around Havana.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Great holiday. Pace was good and the itinerary well organised. The guide and driver was great.
I would have upgraded a couple of the accommodations - not a biggie but would have been happy to pay the difference. Given the hygiene standards at the
camp sites some of us would have preferred a single night in a tent - eg it was a struggle to manage contact lenses.
The money advice should have been better. The ambiguity of the advice provided cost us several hundred pounds in FX rate losses. The advice should have
been that Cuba and/or the organised holiday is safe enough to bring enough cash for the whole trip, and here is our suggested minimum cost for tips kitty
and guide organised restaurants for the various meals not covered.
Reviewed on 14 Aug 2022 by Mel Smith
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Watching a Cuban farmer roll a cigar for us to try. Snorkelling in the bay of pigs. Driving in 1950s American cars around Havana. Swimming at the waterfall. Chilling on the beach.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take Euros. The monetary system is bonkers and you’ll be entertained and frustrated in equal measure as some places will only accept pesos; some only cards; others any currency except pesos (and the rules will change randomly and without logic too). The best way to change money (as of Aug 2022) is to pay in large denomination euro notes at a restaurant and they will give you many thousands of pesos in change - 4-5 times more than you’ll get from a cash machine or hotel exchange, though that is supposedly changing. However, you need to balance the requirement for some pesos with the fact that increasingly people only want you to pay in euros... Despite what some websites say, cards are increasingly accepted and sometimes required, but you’ll get the govt exchange rate, which tends to make everything hugely expensive. Try all the cocktails; they are cheap and good. If you have under 18s, be aware that they can drink in many places too - they have a very relaxed approach to age restrictions in most places. Be aware that food is generally bland and, despite what the menus say, usually consists mainly of rice (with black beans, which is really nice), plus either pork or chicken and either arrowroot (boiled it is unpleasant, mashed with cheese, it is really quite nice) or plantain (fried slices are nice). It’s tough on vegetarians in Cuba! The big hotels have a much better selection though. Also be aware there is a huge fuel/energy crisis in Cuba currently. Expect power cuts at any point. In some hotels that have pumped water, power cuts = no water either. The air conditioning won’t be on all night unless you’re v lucky.
The fuel crisis also means that transport is problematic. In rural areas, horses and oxen replace cars and tractors and there are often queues at fuel stations. It also means that supply chains are erratic and places can run out of food, alcohol and even bottled water and cocktails on occasions, so be prepared!
Finally, take mossie repellant, pref with a high percentage of DEET; there are lots of mossies both daytime (some of which carry dengue fever) and nighttime so be prepared if you have sweet blood...or ensure you have a sacrificial partner with you!
Relax and enjoy it....it’s a great place!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The locals are desperate for tourists post covid and as most of our trip involved staying at and eating at local places, and using local guides, I’m confident we were helping the locals.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It’s such a good experience; so different to anywhere else I’ve been, mainly due to the weird monetary system, but we also learned a lot about Cuban history and saw loads of the island, it’s flora and fauna....I’d thoroughly recommend it.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
On our family tour to Cuba we take the chance to visit the lesser-known destination of Topes de Collantes where we sleep under the stars and stay at a hacienda hosted by the local community. They cook wholesome local food for us and also provide the guides that we use on our walks in the area. By staying at the hacienda we support local people directly and use minimal resources when compared to staying at a hotel. The night in the hacienda is always listed as a highlight of the tour by our customers as they have a chance for interaction with the locals, which is often much harder in larger cities.In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.
As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. Cool Earth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.
People
We use a local tour leader which not only ensures we maximise the income and employment opportunities for local people, but also that we get first hand information on life in Cuba. Our ground handling agent in Cuba is locally owned and run and the majority of the hotels we stay in are locally run and not part of a chain of hotels or other large conglomerates that dominate tourism in Cuba. We also encourage our groups to eat in small Paladars run by the locals. Whilst the menu options may be more limited in Paladars compared to the hotel restaurants, by eating in them it not only supports the local economy but also gives our customers a real insight into the realities of Cuban life.Popular similar holidays
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