It is a poor country but well-educated and reasonably healthy. We had no problems. There were touring cyclists and others in rented cars who stopped for a night at our hotel.

Our hotel was not glamorous but the staff were friendly, the rooms were clean, the bougainvillea was beautiful. The entertainment was spirited and talented but not sophisticated, and the food on the buffet was home-style (rice for dinner meant rice salad for lunch!). There were visitors from all over Europe, some Americans, lots of Canadians.

You might consider entering from Canada. Several charter and tour companies offer packages. Try: http://www.holasunholidays.com/ http://www.albatours.com/destinations/abcuba.asp Many others - Sunquest, Sunflight, Conquest, etc.

For a write-up of my visit, see: http://caribtravelnews.com/c0499_02.htm You will find other reviews there too. If you are interested in Ancon Beach, you might look for reviews of Brisas Trinidad del Mar. It was being built when we were there and it looks attractive. However, it has more stars than our hotel, the Costasur!

For other reviews, links, see: http://www.virtualvoyages.com/carib/cuba/cuba.sht

For maps of Cuba, try: http://cubamapa.com/

For private home accommodation, try: http://www.casaparticular.com/ http://home.t-online.de/home/ms-sch/anfang.htm http://havanalodging.com/

General: http://www.budgettravel.com/cuba.htm http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/5902/cubaguid.htm http://www.bicyclingcuba.com/

Frances Toronto, Canada