Cuba Independently... while staying at a resort???

So my mom may be paying for a "girls' trip" to Cuba in August, which will invariably mean we will be saying somewhere of the all-inclusive resort variety. I've never been to Cuba, but I've heard about how the culture is one of the most interesting things. I'd like to get out and see life beyond the resort. I'll probably be doing the booking for the trip, so is there any area I should be focusing on? Any especially interesting things to check out?

Replying to my own post to say I've been doing some research, and it's basically told me that tourists can be frustrating. One of the regular complaints at Trip Advisor for various resorts is that "it's mainly Cubans". Because the only thing you want to see when you travel to a different country is your own nationality! *shudders*

Oh, and:
"the staff don't speak English" (welcome to a Spanish-speaking country!)
"The food is something the locals eat" (Um... yep. Why didn't you stay at home?)

Anything posted on Trip Advisor should be taken with a grain (bucketful) of salt as they ban anyone who tells the truth on the Cuba forum!!

jessus wrote:Replying to my own post to say I've been doing some research, and it's basically told me that tourists can be frustrating. One of the regular complaints at Trip Advisor for various resorts is that "it's mainly Cubans". Because the only thing you want to see when you travel to a different country is your own nationality! *shudders*

Oh, and:
"the staff don't speak English" (welcome to a Spanish-speaking country!)
"The food is something the locals eat" (Um... yep. Why didn't you stay at home?)

You should understand the context here. If a resort or facility in Cuba is patronized mainly by Cubans, it's usually a dump. There are two economies in Cuba: the local economy using Cuban pesos, and the tourist one, using convertible pesos. Cuba really is the one country where you want to stick to facilities meant for foreigners, with the exception of casas particulares. (You'll be paying for those in convertible pesos anyway.)

Hard-currency food is awful in Cuba, but the stuff for Cubans is barely fit for livestock.

You'll see what I mean. I'm not saying you should limit yourself to Varadero. Havana is one of the most atmospheric cities in the world, and you'd be crazy to miss it.

Actually it is since the resorts were opened up to Cubans a year or so ago the complaints about Cubans have started on Trip Advisor by the tourons (tourist morons) that prevail on that site!

Varadero would probably be your best bet as from there you can take off for a couple days stay in a CP in Havana then a couple more in Trinidad & on Santa Clara to get a feel of the country. Just remember that you will have an ATM stamp on your forehead in Havana so just say NO!!

Actually the food at most AI resorts isn't bad & at the CP's it's most times very good but not cheap, I do have a fondness for the street pizzas which are super cheap so change about 5 CUC to the local CUP for your off resort forays.