Top 5 Things To See And Do In Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba used to be the playground for the rich and you can still experience that celebration at the famous Tropicana. I put the Tropicana on my top 5 list, but only so you can make the decision about whether or not you want to partake. Tickets cost $90 each and you can buy them online before you arrive. You can add dinner at the restaurant for an additional $30 per ticket. Dinner is nice and if you eat dinner there, you cut the line to get in. You can also buy VIP tickets so you can sit closer to the stage. Personally, every seat in the house is good so I don't see a point to paying more. When you enter, they will ask you to pay $5 so you can take photos. We paid, but no one ever checked and I saw lots of people taking photos and video. FYI, a taxi from Havana to the Tropicana will cost about 30 CUC each way. 

Back to the top things to see in Havana:

1. FREE Walking Tour - this was amazing! Our guide walked and talked for 4 hours. He showed us Hemingway's bars, the museums, the plaza, the capital, the classic cars, the architecture, the history, the murals and more. You can make a reservation online before you go. This is a FREE walking tour so be sure to tip your guide. 

2. Museum de la Revolucion - this museum traces the history of the revolution in Cuba led by Fidel Castro. It really helps to give you perspective and to hear some of the propaganda told to the Cubans about the west. Fidel Castro's boat, Gramma, is housed here. Admission costs 8 CUC. 

3. Cannon Ceremony at Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana - This ceremony happens every evening at 9pm and is not to be missed. You can take the ferry from Old Havana to the Cristo and walk for 1 CUC or you can take a taxi for 10 CUC. Admission to the fortress is 8 CUC so go early. Starting at 8:45pm, the soldiers parade and then ready a real cannon. At exactly 9pm, they shoot the cannon to symbol the end of the day. 

4. Hemingways Haunts - So if you are an Earnest Hemingway fan, then you won't want to miss his room in the Hotel Ambos Mundos, Floridita Bar and La Bodequita Del Medio. In Hotel Ambos Mundos, you should buy a ticket for 5 CUC to check out Hemingway's room #511. Just the ride in the elevator is pretty cool. The rooftop bar is also worth checking out. FYI, this hotel is on Trump's list of hotels to avoid so you may not want to stay there.  Floridita Bar is packed and features a statue of the writer. La Bodequita Del Medio cannot be missed due to the graffiti on the wall and the music blaring out of it. Apparently, Hemingway drank one drink at this bar one time, but tourists flock to it. 

5. Ride in a classic car to Fusterlandia - Here's a twofer for you. Choose a classic car in the main plaza and rent it for 2 hours. Each hour should cost about 30-35 CUC. Have the driver take you on the Malecon to Fusterlandia. The Malecon is a beautiful stretch of highway that runs along the ocean. You will see the Hotel Nacional (it is worth checking out the lobby and hall of fame) and the closed US Embassy. Fusterlandia is a Gaudi like town that is just plain crazy. Spend 15-20 minutes walking through the gallery. Don't buy souvenirs here instead buy them in Trinidad. On the way back, the driver should take you through the park and next to the cemetery. Great tour and bang for your buck. 

How I Saved $750 On Flights To Panama

Every time I score 5 FREE flights to some faraway place, I jump for joy just like in this photo! 

And now I have done it again! So I have to share the how with you so you can do it too. Everyone can do this. Travel does not need to be expensive!  

This latest coup is scoring 5 FREE round-trip flights from LAX to Panama City, Panama over the holidays. Now I must tell you getting saver award tickets over the holidays is not easy and getting 5, wow! 

So here's what I did. First, I found that Copa Airlines and United Airlines offered the most direct flights to Panama City.  I started checking them every day about 300 days out. Yes, that's 300 days out. I finally found saver availability from LAX to Panama City, Panama and then return to Houston. But the last leg back to LAX wouldn't open up. 

Since United and Copa do not offer good transfers from Starwood, my trick is to transfer Starwood points to Singapore Airlines and then use Kris Flyer points to book on United. 

I always call Singapore Airlines first to confirm availability. Sometimes, they will put a hold on the seats while the points transfer. In this case, they would not hold them so I took a chance. 

I transferred 140,000 Starwood points to my Kris Flyer account at Singapore Airlines. The points transfer 20,000 Starwood points for 25,000 Kris Flyer points. Starwood to United transfers at 2:1 so that's not a good deal. Transferring to Kris Flyer, you actually get a 5,000 point bonus. 

I needed 175,000 Kris Flyer points so I transferred 140,000 Starwood points. That's essentially like getting one round-trip flight FREE. 

Now here's a word of warning, once you transfer to Kris Flyer, you cannot get the points back. 

Once the points transfer which can take a few days, I call Singapore Airlines and book the flights. 

The last leg still had no availability so I booked the other three legs for 35,000 points each. You still have to pay the taxes which totaled $425.  I put the taxes on my Capital One Venture card and erased them using points. (See my previous posts on how this works)

Now, here's the kicker. I found flights from Houston to LAX for $147 each so I booked those, paid for them with Capital One Venture card and erased them too.  Essentially, I just got 5 FREE round-trip tickets, but wait it gets better. 

Yesterday, I receive a change notice for our flights from Houston to LAX. They pushed the flight two hours earlier which usually would be great. But now our flight is departing Houston as our flight from Panama City is arriving. Hmmm, that's not going to work. 

I check United and bam, now you can book an award ticket all the way from Panama City to LAX for 17,500 miles. I call Singapore Airlines and they are willing to make the adjustment as long as I pay the additional airline taxes approximately $425. I call United about the change of notice and get a $916 refund for the tickets. 

The bottom line is it pays to keep checking even after you book your tickets to see if you can get a better deal. Hope you could follow that. If you need any help, feel free to email me or comment below. That's how we do it at almost FREE family travel. 

How To Book Your Casa Particular In Cuba - Easy!

Yes, you can travel to Cuba on your own. It's easy and cheap. In Cuba, airbnb.com (if you use this link, you will get a $40 credit towards your first booking) is operating and these types of accommodations are called casa particulares. 



They are rooms inside private homes. They can be hosted or more like an apartment. They cost approximately $20-$30 per night and consist of a private room with a private or shared bathroom. The host will provide towels and linens. Some have air conditioning. 
I highly recommend hosted casa particulares. Why? What I love about casa particulares is that the host will serve you breakfast for $4-$5 and dinner for approximately $10. 

Here's a look at lobster dinner. YUM! Breakfast included eggs, coffee, fruit, fresh juice and even a pancake. 

The hosts vary, but we found both of our hosts very hospitable and eager to talk and share their story with us. And isn't that what traveling is all about? Our hosts also arranged shared taxis, rides to and from the airport and even a horseback ride to a waterfall in Trinidad. 
Next blog post, a day in the Cuban countryside. 

Finally, Some Good News From Marriott/SPG

Finally, some good news out of the merger between Marriott and Starwood. One of the perks of the old program was that you could transfer points to dozens of airlines AND get a 5,000 mile bonus when you transferred 20,000 points. 
But United Airlines was one of the few that didn't participate. In fact, under the old Starwood program, the transfer rate was actually 2:1. Boo! 
But now under the new program, United Airlines is actually rewarding you with an additional 10% bonus when you transfer points to miles. 
For example, if you transfer 60,000 points (remember when the merger occurred, all points were tripled so this is the same 20,000 points from the old program), you get a bonus of 15,000 points (same 5,000 bonus from before) AND a 10% extra bonus. That's another 2,500 miles. 

Marriott/SPG 60,000 points + 15,000 bonus + 10% United bonus = 27,500 United miles

Now that's finally some good news! My old trick was transferring Starwood points to Singapore Airlines to book a United flight. But sometimes Singapore Airlines can get you on the taxes. United does not charge the same taxes AND you get the 10% bonus. Woohoo! That's how we do it at almostFREEfamilytravel! 

Southwest California Sale Ends Today!

Southwest is promoting a sale just for California, but it ends tonight! $39 one way fares connecting San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Burbank. 

There are blackout dates around the holidays, but if you want to swing up to SF for some chowder or to SD for some tacos, you may want to hop on this one! 

If you have the companion pass, it makes it a no-brainer. 

Hurry! Southwest Priority Bonus Ends Tomorrow

Southwest launched the new Priority credit card about a month ago and they are saying that the lucrative offer will end August 22nd. The lucrative bonus offer includes 65,000 points which count towards the companion pass (40,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months and 25,000 points when you spend $15,000 in the first year), 4 upgraded boarding passes, $75 Southwest travel credit, 7,500 points on your anniversary and no foreign transaction fees. The card earns 2x points on Southwest and 1x on everything else. 
The annual fee is $149, but you get the $75 credit so it actually costs less than the Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card. 
The offer is pretty sweet especially if you can swing the extra $15,000 spend in the first year. 
One other catch, if you currently have a Southwest personal credit card OR have received the bonus in the past 24 months, you are not eligible for this card. 
Depending on what the new offer is on this card, I may cancel my personal Southwest Premier card and apply for this one. I will time it so I get the bonus in early 2019 to qualify for the companion pass. The companion pass is a buy one, get one FREE on Southwest flights. It is good for the year you earn it and the following year. Amazing perk! 
I'll keep you posted. 

Everything You Need To Know To Travel Well In Cuba!

Cuba is surprisingly easy to travel IF you plan ahead. So I'm going to help you with the details that could make or break your trip to this fascinating country. 

1. Money. 

American credit cards are not accepted in Cuba. Your ATM card and your debit card will also not work in Cuba. So you need to take cash and enough cash to last you the entire trip. 

First, try to pay as much as you can before you arrive in Cuba. You can pay for your airbnb.com when you book. You can pay for some tours online before you arrive. If you plan to visit the Tropicana, you can buy your tickets online before you arrive. Depending on your spending habits, you can plan for about $50 per day. Breakfast costs 4-5 CUC. Dinner costs 10-15 CUC. Transportation is expensive in Cuba. Taxi to the airport is 30 CUC. Shared taxi to Trinidad is 30 CUC. Taxi from the Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana to the main plaza in Havana Vieja costs 10 CUC. 

There are two types of currency in Cuba: one for tourists CUC and one for locals CUP. 

CUC have monuments on them so check your change. You will not be able to spend CUP. 

Every cambio/bank in Cuba charges the same exchange rate and commission so go ahead and change your money at the airport. There is a change booth inside the Southwest terminal that has a smaller line than the one outside. 

Besides the exchange rate, there is a 10% commission charged so, for example, we changed $500 and received 432 CUC (less $50 commission and an exchange rate of 89 CUC per $1). 

I would recommend changing a substantial amount at a time because banks close at different times each day and there are lines at all of them. 

  

2. WIFI

If you can't live without WIFI, you may not want to travel to Cuba right now. The WIFI system is not great. Here's how it works. You have to buy a WIFI card good for 1 hour for 1-3 CUC. You can buy the cards from the Telefonica for 1 CUC, but you will wait in line for about 30 minutes OR you can buy them in any local park or plaza for 2 CUC. Your Airbnb may also sell them for 3 CUC.  Then you log onto the network and enter the pin off your card. You have to remember to turn off WIFI access after you are done or your clock will keep ticking on your card. 

Sometimes the WIFI just stops working altogether and you just have to wait. 

3. Transport 

Transportation in Cuba is expensive. However, there are a few things you can do to save money on taxis. The best thing to do is find a shared taxi. This means that instead of a taxi just taking you or you and a friend, the driver will find two more people to fill the taxi. Now the cost is shared by four people instead of two. Your Airbnb host can call a shared taxi for you. You can use these to get to Trinidad from Havana or to Vinales or anywhere else you may want to go. 

4. Water and Food 

Do not drink the water in Cuba! You can either buy a Lifestraw from Amazon which will filter the water for you. OR you will need to buy bottled water. Most places will sell big bottles of water for 2 CUC. However, if you can find a water or grocery store, they will sell a bottle for .80 CUC so stock up. The rule on food is if the restaurant looks clean, it probably is. If it looks gross, don't eat there. 

Next post: FREE walking tours and the best place to buy souvenirs