I offer the following advice to make your stay more enjoyable and a guaranteed good time:

• Bring a good travel mug - this helps keep your beverages cold and holds WAY more booze than a little plastic cup. Also nice to fill it with fresh orange juice in the morning just in case you run into someone with a bottle of rum on your way to the the beach.


• Fridge Bevvies - If you want to stock up on essential beverages in your room, such as beer and water, take out what's in your fridge and put it in your suitcase for later so when the maid comes in to clean your room, she'll restock your fridge... and might even get a few extra if you've left her a few pesos on the bed.


• Always carry a few pesos in your pocket just in case you want to show someone your appreciation for their service--whether it's the bartender, waitress or server.. they will always be grateful, will make sure they remember you and will always give you great service in the future. 


• Make sure they see you leaving them a tip. For example, on the first day, I give the bartender 5$ right in front of everybody and yell, Salud! They remember you and you'll get your drinks faster.  Plus, Canadians are notorious for tipping and in turn, are a favoured nation by the Cubans.  European websites always talk about how much we tip and they can't figure out why we get great service...


• Go to the dollar store before the trip and stock up on anything that has a Canadian flag on it; the Cubans love us and will take anything with a maple leaf. Also, bringing things for kids like pens, pencils, coloring books will be mucho appreciated by the locals as they have very of that stuff down there.  They also like anything that smells nice. 


• Obviously, bring the highest sunscreen you can find and use it every 1-2 hours; it only takes like 20 minutes to burn - almost the same time as it takes to drain your kick ass travel mug.


• The only 2 kinds of bugs that might bite out there are little no-seeums and mosquitos, so bring some bug juice in case your blood happens to be their favorite type.


• If you like fishing, bring some line and a few hooks.  You can get your "bait" from the buffet section in the morning by stealing a few shrimpies from the salad bar and putting them in a plastic bag for later. Then just walk in the water, set up your hook and start jigging. You'll be amazed at what you can catch with just a hook and a shrimp head! You can also get a paddle boat loaner from the hotel for some real "deep sea" fishing...


• Don't go swimming if there's a red flag on the beach; you might not make it back.


• You can make your own "To Go Breakfast" by gathering some bread, fruits, sandwiches etc and stashing them in your backpack before going on an excursion. Now might also be a good time to stock up in your suitcase some of your fridge bevvies.


• I use a backpack as my carry-on luggage because it will keeps your 2 hands free while travelling and will come in handy once you're there...(see related tips "To Go Breakfasts" and "Fridge bevvies").
  


• The Spanish word for bathrooms is "banos", pronounced baan-yos.  Comes in handy because they don't all understand the way we say it in English... especially if you don't have the time to explain it.


• Bring lots of quick dissolving Immodium and eat it like candy the moment you feel something isn't right... (This should be higher up on the tip list.)


• You can fortify your immune system by taking Acidophilus for a week or so prior to the trip and once daily during the trip. This will make your body more resilient to their germs and prevent you from having to learn the word Banos. 


• Toilet seats are not mandatory by Cuban standards (especially in public areas).

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