Going to Cuba - need advice

[DarkSky]

Going down for a wedding next April (2011), to Varadero. Never been before.

Can anyone give some advice on how/where to buy cigars? I believe I'm allowed to take back into Canada a max. of 2 boxes (or 50 cigars), and seem to recall reading that's Cuban law as well - people can take OUT a max. of 50 cigars, and must show receipt of sale upon leaving.

I also read to ONLY buy cigars from state-run stores, as the majority of other places sell knock-offs/counterfeits.

Is this all true? And what kind of prices can I expect to pay for a box IN Cuba as opposed to prices elsewhere in the world? I know they can't be as much as here in Canada where we're taxed on tobacco (and alc.) through the nose, but I've heard prices aren't much better even when buying inside Cuba.

.. and if anyone who's actually been to Varadero can lend some locale-specific advice on anything, 'twould be muchos appeciated! Thanks in advance!

EDIT: http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5056-eng.html#s2 <- good for Canadian travellers! (still need advice on buying cigars there - what to do / not to do, what prices are like, etc).

[Ken Gargett]

don't know veradero but in havana certainly only buy from state shops. assume same elsewhere. definitely follow this.

i thought it was 5 boxes and 50 singles for leaving havana but that is a year or two ago. and keep the paperwork or you might lose the lot.

[coneatty]

My advice? If she says she's 21, she is 14.

[tdlfoto]

I was just in Varadero Spet 15-22 - our second time. Last year I was flown in to photograph a wedding at Ibersotar Varadero actually, this year we went down just to relax. My advice:

- take a trip to Havana. I'd recommend this guy to organize everything for you (see my lengthy review within this thread): http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g14727...avana_Cuba.html

- in Havana, do the Partagas Factory tour - it's very interesting. On the first floor there is a LCDH shop from which you can buy - it's busy though so go in with a good idea what you want and just order it.

- if you don't go to Havana, rent scooters from your hotel and spend a few hours in Varadero town. There are a few LCDH stores there - I went to the one on 1st Avenue (main drag). Fair selection and nice staff.

- I brought back 4 boxes (max limit for two adults - wife and I) + about 30 singles. Disclosed the boxes upon arriving at Canadian Customs. Wasn't asked about cigars leaving Cuba though I know they do sometimes look for fakes and confiscate them so as noted keep your receipts.

- Everywhere you go in Cuba you will be solicited to buy "real cuban cigars for good price". Especially if you light up while down there...I had the lifeguards, bar staff, restaurant staff all ask me if I wanted to buy some. Don't.

- Pricing is much better than Canada but not much better than Czar. There is a website that lists cigar prices in Cuba....not sure posting the link here is appropriate.

- Given the small difference in price from Cuba vs Czar, and factoring in the Czar stock is inspected/graded/selected by the crew here, I honestly think buying here is a better. The reason I did buy down there is more novelty sort of thing..."yea, I got this at the Partagas Factory in Havana" has a certain romanticism to it....not that Smithy and Lisa slaving away to supply us with premium stock while Rob has "business meetings over drinks" isn't also an enchanting notion.

- IF you're a collector of things Habanos related, I did see the Partagas Jar for about $220CUC at the airport on my way out. I held it and thought hard but was nervous about being over the import limit and getting burned when I got back to Canada. Had I have known it was there beforehand I would have left capacity in my limit to buy it - it's gorgeous.

Have a great time!

[skindiver]

The best advice anyone could give you is to get out of Varadero, for it is surely not Cuba, it is a tourist ghetto. Buy only at a LCDH. Do not buy from anyone who approaches you as they all have uncles in the factory that sneak them out the back door.

[Blackham]

List of LCDH in Varadero, this may save you from some searching.

Remember to inspect the boxes ON the spot, and always remember to get the staff to write you the receipt

Try to get as many Jars, custom rolled cigars there. Buy boxes here at Czar

[DarkSky]

List of LCDH in Varadero, this may save you from some searching.

Remember to inspect the boxes ON the spot, and always remember to get the staff to write you the receipt

Try to get as many Jars, custom rolled cigars there. Buy boxes here at Czar

Hehe, here in Canada we have something called taxes and duty fees. buying from Czar wouldn't be any cheaper than buying Cubans from the store down the road after I pay all the import fees

Thanks for the map! I'll print it out and hold on to it. Cheers.

[DarkSky]

The best advice anyone could give you is to get out of Varadero, for it is surely not Cuba, it is a tourist ghetto. Buy only at a LCDH. Do not buy from anyone who approaches you as they all have uncles in the factory that sneak them out the back door.

Yah that's what I'm scared of (tourist trap). I really don't give a rats butt for resorts - you could blindfold me, stick me on a plane, put me on a resort and I wouldn't know if I was in Fort Lauderdale, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, or Cuba. They're all the same. I'd much prefer getting a small room right downtown in the working district of some city so I can get immersed in the culture. I'm not going there for the beaches or the weather. May in Canada ain't bad and we have nice beaches here (with better scenery too!) I want to feel CUBA when I'm there.

But, alas.. it's for a wedding and the guy she's marrying lives in Varadero. Hopefully it's not a far drive from there to Havana because I'd really like to walk amongst all the old historic buildings, eat in the little patio restaurants, etc...

[DarkSky]

I was just in Varadero Spet 15-22 - our second time. Last year I was flown in to photograph a wedding at Ibersotar Varadero actually, this year we went down just to relax. My advice:

- take a trip to Havana. I'd recommend this guy to organize everything for you (see my lengthy review within this thread): http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g14727...avana_Cuba.html

- in Havana, do the Partagas Factory tour - it's very interesting. On the first floor there is a LCDH shop from which you can buy - it's busy though so go in with a good idea what you want and just order it.

- if you don't go to Havana, rent scooters from your hotel and spend a few hours in Varadero town. There are a few LCDH stores there - I went to the one on 1st Avenue (main drag). Fair selection and nice staff.

- I brought back 4 boxes (max limit for two adults - wife and I) + about 30 singles. Disclosed the boxes upon arriving at Canadian Customs. Wasn't asked about cigars leaving Cuba though I know they do sometimes look for fakes and confiscate them so as noted keep your receipts.

- Everywhere you go in Cuba you will be solicited to buy "real cuban cigars for good price". Especially if you light up while down there...I had the lifeguards, bar staff, restaurant staff all ask me if I wanted to buy some. Don't.

- There is a website that lists cigar prices in Cuba....not sure posting the link here is appropriate.

- Given the small difference in price from Cuba vs Czar, and factoring in the Czar stock is inspected/graded/selected by the crew here, I honestly think buying here is a better. The reason I did buy down there is more novelty sort of thing..."yea, I got this at the Partagas Factory in Havana" has a certain romanticism to it....not that Smithy and Lisa slaving away to supply us with premium stock while Rob has "business meetings over drinks" isn't also an enchanting notion.

- IF you're a collector of things Habanos related, I did see the Partagas Jar for about $220CUC at the airport on my way out. I held it and thought hard but was nervous about being over the import limit and getting burned when I got back to Canada. Had I have known it was there beforehand I would have left capacity in my limit to buy it - it's gorgeous.

Have a great time!

re: Pricing is much better than Canada but not much better than Czar.

hehe, a couple people in this thread have said to order from Czar. How do I order cigars without paying import duty + HST ? (after that, it's more expensive then to just buy from my local brick and mortar)

Thanks for the info/advice ! I'll print it out and add it to my 'info pack' I'm building

[Wil]

The shop in the basement of the Hotel Nacional is pretty good. Much quieter than the Partagas factory.

[chinamike233]

I also just came back from a short trip from sept 23-26...

here are my experiences from my trip to varadero (iberostar laguna azul):

1: the tabacco store on the resort has some good quality smokes, but they over charge by quite a bit . also, their storing conditions were great. boxes i bought were legit (checked the website)

2: i asked a taxi to take us to a LCDH. so, he brought us to the LCDH on 1st street. DON'T BUY STUFF THERE when I was there the boxes were labeled from 'las casa del tabacos' (lady said LCDH and LCDT are the same, but... i didn't know anything about LCDT) so, not sure where they're from. the worst part was that the smokes were in TERRIBLE condition. was going to get a box of serie p2 but the smokes were WET and MOLDING in TWO boxes. i will say though that the lady was VERY nice. after opening and refusing two boxes she didn't give me any grief.

3: there are other LCDH's but didn't go to them. airport has alot of cigars, but storage conditions are a problem. they just put the boxes on shelves.

4: don't worry about receipts UNLESS you go over the personal exemption (50 cigars)

5: even after over-paying for the smokes it's still significantly cheaper to buy in cuba and bring them back (as long as you're under the allowable amount).

6: you'll get asked by every about cheap smokes. don't listen to them.

in the end, i bought 2 boxes of smokes for a buddy which were in great condition. he over paid, but it could've been worse. i could've gotten him 2 boxes of moldy smokes.

pm is you have further questions!

mike

[DarkSky]

Good news on the pricing... according to some info in this thread: ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1472...adero_Cuba.html ) prices are about ONE QUARTER down there compared to here in Canada. Although I'm not sure how much to trust that site - in their ads they're showing flights from Buffalo to Varadero for $994. Maybe the US embargo got lifted and nobody told me about it...

re: chinamike

Thanks!! (and thanks to ALL in this thread for the *VERY* excellent advice! I'll be heeding all of it.)

Question, re: what can I bring IN to Cuba?

I've read conflicting statements. One web page said you can bring in electronics EXCEPT for DVD players, DVDs. You can bring a laptop by only without DVD player in it. That site also said no cell phones, but it didn't matter because there was no reception anyway. Then another site, for what to take with you, said to take a small cell phone charger (aside from what I don't know... are there BIG ones?) and my girlfriend said her sister takes hers down and has text'd her back WHILE she was there. I really need to take my laptop as I plan on taking a LOT of pictures there, and will need to offload them from my camera -> hard drive.

Are there any items that are banned from being brought into Cuba by visitors? Any I'll need to fill out special paperwork for? I plan to fill out one of those sheets HERE before I leave, that states all the serial #' and what not (why I don't know, it's not like I'm going to Cuba and coming back with a $1000 DSLR camera and $1100 laptop... because Cuba has such a better selection than here. It's not like people go to Cuba to buy their cheap electronics and bring them back. Anyway...) But yah, the only 'big' items I'll be taking are: DSLR camera, camcorder, laptop, cell phone (smart phone though... so I dunno if they'd wonder about it).

Question: anywhere to buy nice humidors down there?

I've only got a desktop humi, probably holds 100 or so. I plan on bringing back at LEAST 4 boxes (me and my gf, 2 each) - hopefully more if I can talk people in the wedding party to bringing some back for me. (I'm such a user of people...) Sure eBay has all sorts of neato humis, but I'd love to get something that's actually hand-made down there. Do most of the state-run stogie shops also sell humidors? Plus if they're considerably cheaper (under $60 specifically) I could ship it back here while I'm there - Canadian customs allows people abroad in Cuba to send back up to $60 of items per day. After 48hrs abroad we're allowed to bring back $400 duty free, and after 6 days, $750. For tobacco: 200 smokes + 50 cigars + 200grams of loose tobacco + 200 tobacco sticks (dunno what they are... mini cigars?) <-- we're allowed ALL that, not 'pick one of them'. Maybe I'll find some pipe tobacco too... anyway I'm off topic of my question So yah.. I was hoping someone knew of a store that sells some nice humidors, under $60, so I could ship one back here while I'm there. If most cigar stores also sell nice humidors, then please disregard.

Question: Safety on the streets

Aside from 1: going down for the wedding, 2: buying an absurd amount of tobacco, my mission will also be 3: photograph as much of what's around me as possible - preferably a lot in the older (ie: more run down) parts of Havana. How safe are the streets during the day in the non-tourist areas? I'd hate to feel for my safety while walking around with a big camera bag and DSLR w/telephoto lens around my neck. Stupid idea to go walking around shooting pictures with a camera like that? Or not to worry?

[El Presidente]

Outside of Satellite phones you can pretty much take anything in as long as it is not boxed (personal use).

I have taken everything in over the years from DVD's (not pornographic) to medicine to wine glasses to NC cigars to PSP games.

If it is boxed (for DVD's take the plastic off) you will likely be asked questions.

I have only been pulled over once for having 50 FOH caps (to hand out at the festival). Customs thought I was starting a Cap business in Cuba. I explained to them the fundamentals of a merchandising business and 50 caps it is not. I gave them one each and was on my way.

[DarkSky]

I have only been pulled over once for having 50 FOH caps (to hand out at the festival). Customs thought I was starting a Cap business in Cuba. I explained to them the fundamentals of a merchandising business and 50 caps it is not. I gave them one each and was on my way.

Gotcha. Stock up on FOS merchandise and use to bribe govt works upon questioning. Will do. If that doesn't work I'll try the Jedi Mind Trick... "You don't need to see my receipts. These aren't the cigars you're looking for... " With that one-two punch I should have the run of the place. Great to hear about the cell phone/laptop coming with me. Cheers.

[El Presidente]

Gotcha. Stock up on FOS merchandise and use to bribe govt works upon questioning. Will do.

!LOL! I have a harder time getting out of Cuba than getting in given a significant part of my crew likes purchasing serious artwork which is a lifetime of wages for the Cuban Custom officials.

God we have had some laughs over the years

[DarkSky]

!LOL! I have a harder time getting out of Cuba than getting in given a significant part of my crew likes purchasing serious artwork which is a lifetime of wages for the Cuban Custom officials.

God we have had some laughs over the years

Yah I read about that (purchasing forms of art). 'Hard to get out without some sort of special permission form. Not sure why - I know they're very protective of their culture, and not wanting it to be diluted by the consumerist/capitalist people of the world. So it would make sense they don't want stuff which could sway the population coming IN to the country, but I never figured out why they don't want their own stuff going OUT. Although after my bags are overly-stuffed with boxes of cigars I doubt there'll be room for many life-sized oil paintings of Che.

[mazolaman]

I'd go along with alot of what has been said.ie never but anything on the street.

we stayed in the hotel Sevilla in Havanna,which I would recommend,as it is near the Partagas factory,and it also has it's own lcdh shop,both boxes that I got from there were great,and well kept.

I still had to be inspected on departure in customs,so keep the reciept,or you'll loose them!

As for your holiday,try to escape Verdadero!

I only know Havanna,which has all you say you like ie the decrepit grandeur of colonial times(buildings litteraly falling down),the classic Caribean easy going people,with the fantastic rythms and music.

The best art I saw was at the Musee de Beaux Art.

So I would recommend a walk to the Partagas factory,walk to musee de beax art,a Mojito and cigar in the classy lounge of the hotel Sevilla,then a walk round the old town for the colonial architecture.

Hope you have a good trip.

[Blackham]

I had a Canon 400D and a 18-200 lens , and a p&s w/me during the entire trip. Never had a problem with it, besides cigar factory which doesn't let u take photos. You'll be automatically be labelled as a tourist though, a few ppl would request a tip if you take photos of them. I've heard a few minor robbery stories but mainly because those people wandered too far in the middle of the night (and drunk), Cuba is a very safe country

[DarkSky]

I had a Canon 400D and a 18-200 lens , and a p&s w/me during the entire trip. Never had a problem with it, besides cigar factory which doesn't let u take photos. You'll be automatically be labelled as a tourist though, a few ppl would request a tip if you take photos of them. I've heard a few minor robbery stories but mainly because those people wandered too far in the middle of the night (and drunk), Cuba is a very safe country

Thanks!

Re: cigar factories don't allow photos

There's tons of YouTube videos of guys rolling cigars inside the factories. Camcorders allowed by not regular cameras?

[CanuckSARTech]

No, they generally don't allow cameras (photo or camcorders) into the factories. Yes, there are some that may try this, but do you really want to be pulled aside by the Cuban police??? Also, some of that stuff on YouTube is from various "movies" or other documentary stuff, or other shoots, stuff that the Cubans / H S.A. have allowed to be filmed.

And, while you can bring in all the stuff you're mentioning (DSLR, camcorder, laptop, DVD's, cell phone, etc., etc.), I don't know why you're bothering. What's the purpose of a trip/vacation when you bring all these gadgets with you? Why bring a cell phone when you get no reception??? Just bring your camera, and you'll make due fine. I think bringing in all these extra items could potentially lead to headaches (lost, stolen, broken stuff, customs issues, etc.), so why bother? Satelite phones and GPS units are a no-no.

And, different people have said yes or no with regards to cigar receipts. Well, all answers are kind of right. It really depends on how the wind is blowing, whether the Cuban customs wants receipts or not. They change the rules back and forth so frequently that their own customs guards often don't know what the current rules are. But, a basic thing is that yes, you have a personal exemption for 50 cigars per person. Anything over that, and/or anything over 24 individual/assorted singles outside of full boxes, and they tend to get a little inquisitive and want to verify things. That's not to say that you're only allowed the 50 sticks a person - I've come back with 4 boxes just myself, besides stuff that my wife claimed. But, be smart and get the official receipts from the LCDH staff - they write the type, number of cigars, your passport info, the purchasing info, etc. It's a little carbon-copy receipt. Some staff sometimes say, "Oh, you don't need it, I don't need to do one for you." But, trust me - insist on getting one done. Everytime a staff member has done that, I know that they also have no idea that I've already bought other cigars there at another LCDH or factory. Especially if you're getting 1 or 2 or 4 whole boxes, you'll be fine - but get the receipt anyways (it only takes them one extra minute - simply tell them you want the proper receipt, or no sale).

Anywho, the receipt isn't necessarily as valuable for using with Cuban customs when you leave - it's also invaluable for proving your purchase with Canadian customs upon your return. And, you can go over your 50-stick limit if you want, you just have to be prepared to pay the taxes and duties on it when you get back to Canada. I've done this before, and I was happy to - I knew that even with paying the additional fees, my purchase price would still be better than what we'd pay here. And then the added bonus - it all depends on what Customs asks you / searches you for. I've done this before, bought extra and was ready to pay the extra - and then, when I got to the customs booth, the guard just looked at me, looked at my passport and paperwork, stamped it and said, "Have a good night." No further questioning or anything - SCORE!!!!

[tdlfoto]

I'm a photographer in both times I went to Havana I walked everywhere, all day, with a 5D+ L lenses and another $10K of **** in my bag and never felt threatened. This past time we even stayed i pretty run down section of Old Havana and still no issues.

[DarkSky]

No, they generally don't allow cameras (photo or camcorders) into the factories. Yes, there are some that may try this, but do you really want to be pulled aside by the Cuban police??? Also, some of that stuff on YouTube is from various "movies" or other documentary stuff, or other shoots, stuff that the Cubans / H S.A. have allowed to be filmed.

Agreed... not worth it. I wouldn't try to 'sneak' anything in of course. If I brought my camera/camcorder and was told I wasn't allowed, I'd adhere to it.

And, while you can bring in all the stuff you're mentioning (DSLR, camcorder, laptop, DVD's, cell phone, etc., etc.), I don't know why you're bothering. What's the purpose of a trip/vacation when you bring all these gadgets with you? Why bring a cell phone when you get no reception??? Just bring your camera, and you'll make due fine.

Why question someone else's vacation needs? I'd like my camera to document my memories - same with camcorder. My laptop ONLY because I need a place to dump my photos on to, as I don't have the $ to go buy 10 16GB memory sticks + 5 more camcorders (my camcorder records to hard drive). So every few days I when my camera and camcorder fill up I can just dump it all onto the laptops drive. I'm not someone who can afford to go down 2X a year every year. This may very well be my ONLY trip to Cuba, so I'd like to bring back as much of it as possible via pictures and videos. As for the cell phone, my GF's sister (the one who's getting married) sends texts back all the time to my GF, so there has to be SOME reception. Personally I don't need my cell phone anyway. I'm not someone that uses a cell phone 24/7 like many people. I use it to call *1* person (my gf) and that's it. And I text only her to. So since she's coming with me, I can gladly leave it at home. Good enough explanation? (I feel like I'm on the grill needing to justify the things that are important to me!)

And, different people have said yes or no with regards to cigar receipts. Well, all answers are kind of right. It really depends on how the wind is blowing, whether the Cuban customs wants receipts or not. They change the rules back and forth so frequently that their own customs guards often don't know what the current rules are. But, a basic thing is that yes, you have a personal exemption for 50 cigars per person. Anything over that, and/or anything over 24 individual/assorted singles outside of full boxes, and they tend to get a little inquisitive and want to verify things.

Yah that's no problem. A receipt is just a piece of paper right? Why not hold on to all of 'em...

That's not to say that you're only allowed the 50 sticks a person - I've come back with 4 boxes just myself, besides stuff that my wife claimed. But, be smart and get the official receipts from the LCDH staff - they write the type, number of cigars, your passport info, the purchasing info, etc. It's a little carbon-copy receipt.

Oh wow.. I thought it was a little print-out like we get in most stores.

Some staff sometimes say, "Oh, you don't need it, I don't need to do one for you." But, trust me - insist on getting one done. Everytime a staff member has done that, I know that they also have no idea that I've already bought other cigars there at another LCDH or factory. Especially if you're getting 1 or 2 or 4 whole boxes, you'll be fine - but get the receipt anyways (it only takes them one extra minute - simply tell them you want the proper receipt, or no sale).

Good advice. Like guns, it's better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it (although I own no guns, I'm Canadian)

And, you can go over your 50-stick limit if you want, you just have to be prepared to pay the taxes and duties on it when you get back to Canada. I've done this before, and I was happy to - I knew that even with paying the additional fees, my purchase price would still be better than what we'd pay here.

Yah I can see myself doing that. Maybe bring back 4 or 5 boxes... 2 duty free and the rest just pay the import fees on. Although I'm STILL not sure what they are here in Canada. I've looked and looked, even on govt sites, and I can't find out. For instance, say I buy a $200Cdn box of cigars, how much import fee (duty + HST) do I pay? There's GOT to be a formula SOMEWHERE.

And then the added bonus - it all depends on what Customs asks you / searches you for. I've done this before, bought extra and was ready to pay the extra - and then, when I got to the customs booth, the guard just looked at me, looked at my passport and paperwork, stamped it and said, "Have a good night." No further questioning or anything - SCORE!!!!

Probably a fellow lover of the leaf

Cheers.

[DarkSky]

I'm a photographer in both times I went to Havana I walked everywhere, all day, with a 5D+ L lenses and another $10K of **** in my bag and never felt threatened. This past time we even stayed i pretty run down section of Old Havana and still no issues.

Thanks! Yah I have no interest in shooting resorts and resort towns (Varadero). Resorts are nationless/cultureless structures that are the same in any country. Shoot a resort in Varadero and tell people it's Cancun.. they're all the same. I'd love to really get into the bowels of Havana, and maybe some rural towns and shoot there.

[Blackham]

if you're interested in visiting Havana, here's a daily schedule for the Viazul coach:

http://www.viazul.cu/asp/reserva/ruta.aspx?id=20

Alternatively you can catch a cab for around $80.

Day trip is doable but time will be tight.. I would go to Havana early in the morning, stay at a casa particulare for one night, then take the last bus to Vara in the next day.

[CanuckSARTech]

Why question someone else's vacation needs?.... Good enough explanation? (I feel like I'm on the grill needing to justify the things that are important to me!)

No worries, Dark. Not trying to pry or grill - just, in my experience, sometimes its easy to miss out on the actual vacation/country for want of getting everything on film instead. Sort of "missing out" on your vacation just so you can "rewatch and re-experience it" later. Not saying anything negative, just a thought. I've done it before myself, and I regretted it.

Oh wow.. I thought it was a little print-out like we get in most stores.

No, not really. They do have the standard cash register receipts like you're thinking of, but they don't really show or prove anything. There's a special "official" receipt that you get - if you really want, PM me your e-mail. If you want, I'll scan into PDF one of my old ones that I have lying around, so you know what they look like.

Maybe bring back 4 or 5 boxes... 2 duty free and the rest just pay the import fees on. Although I'm STILL not sure what they are here in Canada. I've looked and looked, even on govt sites, and I can't find out. For instance, say I buy a $200Cdn box of cigars, how much import fee (duty + HST) do I pay? There's GOT to be a formula SOMEWHERE.

I think on the CBSA website they have some percentage calculation. And/or, you can call their contact line and just straight up ask them what the percentage is (I can't remember right now).