Been there on multiple occasion in different capacities but it has been a while, more of an ABC islands kind of guy. Was there for Friendlies decades ago and befriended a Cuban pilot that defected and went and visited his family since he couldn't. Met his wife's father that was a General during the revolution and learned a lot and the country has a ton of history ( I'm a bit of a history geek ) I was taught how to make a langosta farm that I use that works really good. Superb beaches and water and safer than most islands. If going for sun and sand I'd be cautious going in January or February, happened to a few people I know that went and it never got above 20c,but that's on the North side. Great fishing be it reef or deep sea and scuba also is wonderful. Just thoroughly examine and test the equipment as it's not up to standards. A few more golf courses would be cool, they only had one last time there and that's in the very touristy Varadero, maybe it's changed? People complain about the food but I have no problem with food. I can always find something I like and tend to eat a lot of langosta. Not much in the way of shopping but booze is cheap and so are the cigars. Tropicana's are fun and I like the music and the dancing. If you're driving around, be on your toes as the roads were not great in some areas. Medical service if needed is good but don't look for illicit items as crime is severely punished. Outside of touristy areas, English is not very common, but maybe that has changed. Baseball is big and it's a fun time but the stadiums are not what you see in the US. Internet and mobiles phone service last time was very limited and spotty. They have some interesting wildlife there and its possible, depending where you are that you see dolphins, barracuda, sharks and crocodile from the beach, don't go in the water if you see them and iguanas and little reptiles and all sorts of bugs all over the place. Use US dollars for tipping as they prefer it and if you go, have fun and SPF 30 minimum.
