The Best of Western Cuba

The trip was very enjoyable. It gave a good insight into how the country operates. The tour guide was excellent, he was very helpful and friendly and was gave lots of interesting information about the country. The country seemed very safe. The coach and driver used for the trip were both of a high standard. All of the people we met were very friendly as well. You do need to go with an expectation that some of the infrastructure does not operate as you would be used to in other countries. There may not be electricity or water for a few hours each day. The hotels and guest houses are not the same standard as at home. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food we head. The choices available were fairly limited but all of the meals we had were very enjoyable. The food was fresh and cooked to a high standard. Paying for things in restaurants and shops was confusing but you soon get used to how things work and adapt. Take cash with you in euros or dollars and do expect to be able to use credit cards. We would definitely recommend the trip but just go with a relaxed attitude and take things as they come.

Would rather stay in a hotel then a casa, because there was no hot water. If you weren’t with a guide, the locals tried to rip you off, which really puts you off going there.

Our leader was well-organised, punctual, friendly and helpful. His talks were better than most tour guides and local guides that I have had with Explore. He was very knowledgeable and with a clear, loud presentation that was very understandable (albeit slightly repetitive). There could have been a few more "inclusive" itinery items, rather than "optional extras" on the trip.

Hello there, first of all thank You for organising the trip I had a nice time. From my perspective it could have been better. A few notes: - we could have stayed 1 extra day in Havana. The first day's city tour was a little rushed and if we were to stay for an extra day we could have walked around a bit more and enjoyed the city vibe - Trinidad was a little boring, as there is really not much to do. 2 nights instead of the 3 is enough - Trinidad free day: we paid 55 usd/euro/gbp for a barely half day trip (from 9am to 2-2:30pm, including 1 hour lunch break) which included some drive and a little walk in the forest. You might consider to look into some of these recommendations for your future trips As well, please add USD on the recommended currency to bring bcs that is a very good option too ☺️ Regards Zsuzsanna Angyal

Not Explore's issue, but our bags were lost by BA/Iberia so that set the tone for the trip. Explore did, however, send us to the wrong location (as they'd detailed in the final confirmation to us). This was extremely stressful and meant we walked for several hours in the outskirts of Havana. The duty manager apologised at the time, but my request for a detailed explanation of what happened has been ignored. The tour itinerary was mostly good and the guide was very helpful. We've had very good trips with Explore. This was not amongst them.