Cuba summary

[pauleiro]

Preparing a trip to Cuba around year, I read most of the articles published on various posts ot this forum and prepared for myself a synthesis which I publish below together with a certain number of questions.  Thanks to Meteorb, Axiom2001, SolaceSoul, Alaska Bear, Handlebreck, Torogen, Sf Castro, Bilatin, Floridabob, Endlessdream and others from I copied and pasted extracts of their posts. If you have answers to the questions I raise, thanks to answer ! 

 

I found also an internet site which gives what seems to me valuable and updated information on gay Cuba (whynotcuba.com). Anyone knows this site ? (https://whynotcuba.com/category/insiders-tips/)

 

Basic rules (obvious) No public sex, no porn and no obvious sollicitations. Keep secret what the boys are doing in private

Prior to travelling, "interesting book to read is “Before Night Falls” by Reinaldo Arenas. It gives some insight into the Cuban Revolution and persecution that LGBT people faced in the 1960’s (forced labor camps).  He also talks a lot about cruising and sex in Havana".

Better to bring condoms and lube in sufficient quantity as it can be difficult to find locally 

Insurance : travelers from US are covered by insurance the price of which is included in the price of the ticket. What about visitors from Europe ? 

Change : at arrival at airport outside the airport on the right. Change USD or Euros into CUC. Rate is approximately 1 CUC = 1 USD. Are there ATMs which can be used with Visa card ? Is it more convenient than to change at airport ? 

Weather : in December, the weather is cooler and not as good for the beach but it seems very nice in January but can be chilly & windy and many of the guys return to their provinces. Since I plan to stay 10 days starting end of December, I wonder if I will see boys in La Havana ... lol

Safety : all visitors consider that it is really safe to be in the streets, even late at night, respecting common sense rules. The largest danger might be car accidents. 

Internet : wifi in Cuba is very difficult. Buy wifi card to be used at wifi spots. Where can it be bought ? At airport ? Mobile internet seems to be available since very recently but how to get connected ? 

Gay sites : not very much used. Gayromeo is available. Grindr is blocked not because of Cuban government but because of US government.  Better to meet guys at the bars or in the street, "but offline cruising can be time consuming and require patience, language skills, and most important, luck"

Where to stay :

(SolaceSoul) : "Get yourself an additional casa particular or arrange a room at a casa where the host doesn’t mind guests having Cuban “visitors” (check with the host in advance). You can also just wait until you get to Cuba and ask around — there are plenty of Cubans that are renting apartments and rooms as a side hustle, and many don’t mind if the foreigners have Cuban guests (with restrictions, usually they must present their ID and the name must be written in a book, by Cuban law). Cuban locals are restricted from visiting hotels.

In addition (Meteorb) :  "there are plenty of short time casa particulars nearby, 10 CUCs for one hour".  "there are many sex motels around (actually just homes of local people). The guys all know at least a place to go.

Anyone can recommend a specific AirBnB place or casa particular where I can stay and get visitors easily ? thanks to pm me.

Gay places to visit : 

According to Whynotcuba : "There are a lot of places you can go to. If you want something more high end and expensive, I can recommend Cafe Cantante or Tablado (in the Gran Teatro de la Habana). It depends on the day of week, both of them its on Thursday. If you want to spend a bit less money you could go to Las Vegas. They have drag queen shows every day of the week. Drag queens are fun to talk to, some of them have the most masculine day jobs. There are a few private bars too, like XY (Thursdays there is a comedian there, lots of gay jokes), El Essencia and El Bar Pasillo.

If you are really really low on funds go to the corner of Infanta and 23 close to Las Vegas. Saturdays and Sundays people go to Las Vegas. 

Gay jineteros (prostitutes) are called pingeros. There will be pingueros in Las Vegas. If you wanna go to a bar without being stalked by pingueros go to XY because you have to spend more money, and that’s expensive for someone looking for work. Go to Cafe Cantante, which has a 5 dollar entry fee. There you’ll meet professionals: lawyers, doctors, architects and the like". 

According to Meteorb : "malecon (avenida 23 & calle hospital),  cafe Toki (calle 25 & Infanta), parque central are the top spots to cruise.  Parque central in the day time, just sitting and watching young men passing by;  Malecon & Cafe Toki at night (and after midnight)"

According to SolaceSoul : "At night I went out to the usual spots - Las Vegas (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are when Imperio performs and the best nights), Karabali on Wednesday, Cafe Cantante on Saturday" + Cafe Cantante was really good as usual, it is probably the biggest gay party of the week.  Lots of cute guys, a lot of transgender girls hang out there also"

Gay night club Karabali on La Rampa only certains nights.  Bilatin mentions there are drag shows and stripper shows. Are there really stripper shows ? Is it the only place in Havana with stripper shows ? 

Night Club ??  on Thursday nights near Parque Central close to the Inglaterra Hotel 

Beach :

"When you go to Cuba, make sure to check out the sanddunes at Mi Cayito beach Saturday and Sundays are the best days to go.  There is a trail that goes through the sanddunes, but you have to walk east a little ways from the main entrance to get to it". 

Mi Cayito in Boca Ciega has a gay flag next to the Cuban flag. It has about 10 km of beach. I also heard from someone that in Cayo Santa Maria a new hotel opened, just for gay tourism (from Whynotcuba).

To go there : taxi (30 minute cab ride from Havana) or there is a cheaper option which is a tourist bus that leaves every hour from Parque Central in Old town.  Just tell the driver that you want to go to Micayito and they will drop you off as close as they can get.  It’s about a seven minute walk up the road to get to the entrance

Restaurant : the following link can be useful

https://cubaexplorer.com/best-of-cuba/restaurants

Costs (feel free to comment or amend) : 

Taxi from airport : 25 CUC

Taxi to beach Mi Cayito : 25 CUC - Bus : 5 CUC 

Cafe Cantante : 5 CUC 

Club Karabali : 2 CUC 

Las Vegas : All tables are reserved for people ordering bottle of alcohol (bottle of rum + 3 colas as mixers) : 25 CUC. Possible to pay 10 CUC as table fee (no bottle) + drinks to be paid. 

Service : average : 20/30 CUC. Can go down to 15 or even 10 and up to 40 and more (locals pay 5 to 20 CUC) . No discussion as in Brazil on what is going to be performed and for how much. Average monthly salary for Cuban is 25 CUC

Casa Particular : 25/35 CUC per night 

Sex Motel : 5-10 CUC for an hour

Bottled water : 1.5 CUC / 1.5 l

Wificard : 2 CUC one hour 

 

 

 

After this work, I already feel more familiar with La Havana ! 

 

[floridarob]

I wouldn't use mobile data on your phone, keep it in airplane mode or you'll be VERY surprised when you get your bill.

You can buy the internet cards at the airport, as you come out, turn right and look for a little ETECSA shop, they are rude and may say they are out (they sell to their friend to sell on the street for twice the price) ask if they have ANY cards, usually will have 20cuc cards because most cubans won't buy those.

Insurance, you'd be on your own...they "require" that foreigners have insurance, but I only saw them enforce it once with one of my friends and he had to buy it at the airport at a higher price than you can get in your own country.

1usd= about .86 or 88 cents cuc ....I use debit cards, easier I've found because they scrutinize EVERY BILL when you are changing.

Everything is pretty much correct  these guys have some really nice apartments, but charge on the higher side for Havana....if you're bringing back various guys, need to be discreet entering the building, neighbors are envious/jealous  of people renting rooms/casas.
http://myproudhavana.com/

otherwise, just check out airbnb for the area where you want to stay, look at the pictures carefully, some are very old and haven't updated their furniture since Fidel came to power, lol

[pauleiro]

5 hours ago, floridarob said:

these guys have some really nice apartments, but charge on the higher side for Havana....

Indeed. Minimum per nite is 100 € ? 

Anyone already experienced Casa Viola which is mentionned by Whynotcuba ? 

[12is12]

Thank you Pauliero for this helpful Cuba summary.

I posted one on the Dominican Republic; come February I'll be visiting both.

2 follow-up questions regarding this paragraph: "Service : average : 20/30 CUC. Can go down to 15 or even 10 and up to 40 and more (locals pay 5 to 20 CUC) . No discussion as in Brazil on what is going to be performed and for how much. Average monthly salary for Cuban is 25 CUC"

1) "No discussion" could mean either they're willing to do anything, or problemas in bed. Which is it?

2) The rate for a meeting really equals a monthly salary?! 1 meeting per day turns a pingero into a local millionaire?!

[pauleiro]

44 minutes ago, 12is12 said:

2) The rate for a meeting really equals a monthly salary?! 1 meeting per day turns a pingero into a local millionaire?!

I will let the people who actually went to Cuba answer, but remember that in Cuba there are 2 currencies CUC (convertible pesos)  and CUP local pesos, the money used by locals). 1 CUC = 26 CUP.

So 25 CUC = 25*26 CUP = 650 CUP

I found very interesting this article on cuban money : 

https://whynotcuba.com/category/essentials/cuban-money/

[floridarob]

I would be VERY upfront on what was expected...or there is no pay. Sooo many straight guys, not even gay for pay, have found out the money is great...for Cuba turning a few tricks. Then many try to fake, can't get hard, say they'll do everything...etc.... then expect you to pay.  Cubans are hot blooded, but also hot tempered. The police isn't what it was like years ago either, they still exist, but cameras everywhere has replaced many police in the street. And the guys know it.....Many foreigners just pay for them to leave to avoid a "scandal"...and that's what alot of the straight guys plan on.

Also, hide everything, don't keep anything in plane sight...even fingernail clippers. Many will be talking to you with their voice, but scanning the whole apartment to see what is there. Many will go directly to your closet and want to try your clothes on and want you to give some to them.

Not trying to scare you, but I've seen it change over the years.....there are some good guys, but it seems the number of bad guys are outnumbering the good ones.

This was an AIrbnb I was going to stay at a few months ago, but cancelled because something came up....good location, seems nice and I told the owner I would be having "friends" over and he said as long there were no parties or loud noise, he was ok with that.....clarify yourself if you pick this one, I can't vouch for it.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/30151998?source_impression_id=p3_1572027536_sRb%2FvBE0urXF6kGF

[axiom2001]

In terms of currency conversion in Cuba, I'd recommend that you exchange Euros or Canadian dollars for your CUC's.  A fee is changed when one exchanges dollars but not for other currencies.

Edited October 26, 2019 by axiom2001

[pauleiro]

Anyone in Cuba around year end ? What are the places which are recommended to go to on December 31st ? 

[pauleiro]

Just saw a hot threesome performed by Xhottoyszonex (2 hot muscular latinos and 1 girl : Marcela and Andres and  X) broadcasted live in HD   without any interruption from Havana, Cuba. I did not imagin the internet so good in Cuba Maybe it was not from Cuba... The 2 guys were gorgeous. Perfect abs, big thick cocks, firm ass ...  

[12is12]

No link?

[pauleiro]

1 hour ago, 12is12 said:

No link?

https://fr.chaturbate.com/xhottoyszonex/

[pauleiro]

Basic rules (obvious) No public sex, no porn and no obvious sollicitations. Keep secret what the boys are doing in private.

Prior to travelling
"interesting book to read is “Before Night Falls” by Reinaldo Arenas. It gives some insight into the Cuban Revolution and persecution that LGBT people faced in the 1960’s (forced labor camps).  He also talks a lot about cruising and sex in Havana".

Better to bring condoms and lube in sufficient quantity as it can be difficult to find locally. 

Insurance 
Travelers from US are covered by insurance the price of which is included in the price of the ticket. Visitors from Europe need to buy a specific insurance. Visa Gold card holders can obtain on line a document confirming they are duly insured. 

Change
At arrival at airport outside the airport on the right. Change USD or Euros into CUC. Rate is 1 CUC = 1 USD. Many ATMs can be found in La Havana accepting Visa credit card. 
1 CUC = 25 CUP = 25 MN (Moeda Nacional).

Weather
In December, the weather is cooler and not as good for the beach but it seems very nice in January but can be chilly & windy and many of the guys return to their provinces (Indeed in end of December - beginning of January, I did not see that many boys).

Safety
All visitors consider that it is really safe to be in the streets, even late at night, respecting common sense rules. I went back home in Vedado often very late at night (2 am) without any problem. The largest dangers might be car accidents and uneven pavements with many large holes and poor street lightning in many areas. I experienced only one problem with a rather agressive young drunk cuban in a shop. I spoke to people nearby and they managed the guy. 

Internet
Wifi in Cuba is difficult. Buy wifi card to be used at wifi spots (many parks, hotels, ...). It can be bought at airport, at booths in the street, at hotels. Some Airbnb flats have wifi (you need to have a wifi card though, but you have permanent access to wifi in your apartment which is quite convenient).
People (and yourself) are not permanently on line so exchange of messages can be long and tedious. 

Gay sites
Gayromeo is available and (relatively) pretty much used. Grindr is blocked not because of Cuban government but because of US government.  Better to meet guys at the bars or in the street, "but offline cruising can be also time consuming and require patience, language skills, and most important, luck"

Where to stay

(SolaceSoul) : "Get yourself an additional casa particular or arrange a room at a casa where the host doesn’t mind guests having Cuban “visitors” (check with the host in advance). You can also just wait until you get to Cuba and ask around — there are plenty of Cubans that are renting apartments and rooms as a side hustle, and many don’t mind if the foreigners have Cuban guests (with restrictions, usually they must present their ID and the name must be written in a book, by Cuban law). Cuban locals are restricted from visiting hotels.

In addition (Meteorb) :  "there are plenty of short time casa particulars nearby, 10 CUCs for one hour".  "there are many sex motels around (actually just homes of local people). The guys all know at least a place to go. Some houses advertise in spanish "rooms to be rent by hour or by day" 

Places to visit

If it is your first stay in La Havana, taking the red bus HavanaBusTour line T1 leaving from Parque Central in Centro Havana is certainly a good start. You can hop on hop off during a whole day and have a good view of major touristic sites.

Out of beaten tracks is trying to better understand "Santeria". 
Santería, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla de Ifá, or Lucumí, is an Afro-American religion of Yoruba origin that developed in Cuba among West African descendants. Santería is a Spanish word that means the "worship of saints". Santería is influenced by and syncretized with Roman Catholicism.  You can do so by going on the other side of the La Havana bay to museums in Regla and in Guanabacoa using the ferry or bus 15. Another Santeria museum is located in Central La Havana close to hotel Saratoga, in front of Parque de la Fraternidade (very close to Capitolio).

Gay places to visit 

According to Whynotcuba : "There are a lot of places you can go to. If you want something more high end and expensive, I can recommend Cafe Cantante or Tablado (in the Gran Teatro de la Habana). It depends on the day of week, both of them its on Thursday. If you want to spend a bit less money you could go to Las Vegas. They have drag queen shows every day of the week. Drag queens are fun to talk to, some of them have the most masculine day jobs. There are a few private bars too, like XY (Thursdays there is a comedian there, lots of gay jokes), El Essencia and El Bar Pasillo.
If you are really really low on funds go to the corner of Infanta and 23 close to Las Vegas. Saturdays and Sundays people go to Las Vegas."

According to SolaceSoul : "At night I went out to the usual spots - Las Vegas (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are when Imperio performs and the best nights), Karabali on Wednesday, Cafe Cantante on Saturday" + Cafe Cantante was really good as usual, it is probably the biggest gay party of the week.  Lots of cute guys, a lot of transgender girls hang out there also".

My personnal experience on Las Vegas was disappointing. On Friday nite for instance, I arrived at 10 pm (Las Vegas opens at 11 pm) and sat down in nearby Toke Cafe, outside and close to the street. Perfect location : boys indeed came to discuss with me, and I could invite to join me for a beer first whomever I had a good feeling with. I did not really like any of them and waited to be inside Las Vegas hoping to have a better choice inside. Wrong move ! Maybe because it was very beginning of January, but most of people inside were parties of 2 to 4. Single guys were just a few. A few came to me, immediately very friendly, putting their arms on my shoulder but none attracted me at all. I watched the crowd and spotted a cute guy in his 30s. I went close to him but he was a customer and not at all interested in me. I then spotted another one. Cute. Manly. Since it was extremely crowded, it took me some time to be close to him. When I arrived, a cuban was already speaking to him and they left soon after. :-(( Better to find someone outside of Las Vegas, pay his entry fee and drinks and enjoy the evening with someone you like, which I did the saturday.

Gay night club Karabali on La Rampa only certains nights.  Bilatin mentions there are drag shows and stripper shows. 

Night Club ??  on Thursday nights near Parque Central close to the Inglaterra Hotel 

Bar La Esencia (Calle B between 21 y 19, Vedado) (not visited) : various feasts on mondays including drag queen shows. Other days are gayfriendly with people dancing in this nice mansion on cuban musics. Opens at 6 pm for great cocktails.

Bar Fresa y Chocolate and Cine Club Diferente on Calle 23 (intersection wih 12). Nice bar worth a visit. It is supposed to hold, once a month, one of the biggest regular gatherings of LGBTI Cubans and friends. I was told it was the second tuesday of each month and I went there that day. But dates have been changed and it seems it is now on sundays. The cine show movies tackling themes of sexual diversity—some quite polemic. Past screenings have included Outrage, Harvey Milk, ... The name comes from the movie Fresa y Chocolate (strawberry and chocolate) which was a cuban gay movie from the beginning of the 90s.

Fashion Bar La Habana (not visited) San Juan de Dios, intersection with Aguacate, Habana Vieja
Waiters are cute and bare chested. On saturdays it opens at 9 pm and later there is a show, a mixture of drag queen, erotic, sexy aerobics, ...

Beach

"When you go to Cuba, make sure to check out the sanddunes at Mi Cayito beach Saturday and Sundays are the best days to go.  There is a trail that goes through the sanddunes, but you have to walk east a little ways from the main entrance to get to it". 

Mi Cayito in Boca Ciega has a gay flag next to the Cuban flag. It has about 10 km of beach. I also heard from someone that in Cayo Santa Maria a new hotel opened, just for gay tourism (from Whynotcuba).

To go there : taxi (30 minute cab ride from Havana) or there is a cheaper option which is a tourist bus HabanaTourBus line 3 that leaves every 40 minutes from Parque Central in Old town. You must leave bus at last bus stop (Hotel Atlantico - bus stop number 6).
Walk to the beach and then follow the beach on your right until Mi Cayito Boca Ciega which is indicated with a gay flag. It’s about a fifteen minute walk. At the beach there is a local restaurant, Las Palmitas, where you can get good cuban food and drinks at reasonable prices.

Restaurant

the following link can be useful :

https://cubaexplorer.com/best-of-cuba/restaurants

Prices

Taxi from airport : 25 CUC

To beach Mi Cayito 
Taxi :25 CUC - 
Bus HavanaTourBus T3 : 5 CUC. 

Cafe Cantante : 5 CUC 

Club Karabali : 2 CUC 

Las Vegas : All tables are reserved for people ordering bottle of alcohol (bottle of rum + 3 colas as mixers) : 25 CUC. Possible to pay 10 CUC as table fee (no bottle) + drinks to be paid. 

Service : average : 20/30 CUC. Can go down to 15 or even 10 and up to 40 and more (locals pay 5 to 20 CUC) . No discussion as in Brazil on what is going to be performed and for how much. 
Average monthly salary for Cuban is 25/30 CUC, with little variation according to job or education level.

Casa Particular : 25/35 CUC per night 

Motel : 5-10 CUC for an hour

Bottled water : 1.5 CUC / 1.5 l

Wificard : 2 CUC one hour 

To be paid in CUP (= MN = Moeda Nacional) 
Bus : 1 CUP (or coin of 0.05 CUC)
Ferry (to Regla) : 2 CUP
In popular feasts, it is not easy to be sure if we talk of CUC or CUP. 
Sometimes price in CUP for cubans is the same as in CUC for foreigners (eg Museo de la Revolution : 8 CUP or 8 CUC). Sometimes it is different as in Teatro Nacional ...

Cine Yara : 2 CUP (I was not sure if, as a foreigner, I could pay only 2 CUP so I gave my smallest bill in CUC ie 5 CUC. The lady at cashier looked desperate as it was corresponding to entrance fee of 60 persons, same as if you were paying entrance to cinema in Europe with a 500 Euros banknote ... So I gave my 2 CUP. No doubt my cheapest movie ever !

[curiousnature12]

@pauleiro Thank you for including all of this information and your experiences from your visit.

Bottom line, would you go back and visit Cuba again? Would you recommend that people should visit, given the precautions and restrictions with being a tourist and meeting the locals?

 

 

[pauleiro]

Cruising

The major cruising sites are supposed to be : 

Praya del Chivo

It is called Praya (beach) because it is close to the sea but has nothing to do with the beach Mi Cayito which is 20 km east. Praya del Chivo is just after the tunnel close to the Castillo del Morro. Going there is easy : take any bus taking the tunnel and stop at first bus stop just after what look like toll gates. Cross the road and take a small path following the beach. 

The beach is ugly, dirty but it is a cruising site which is active all day (and night but I was told that people were attacked during the nite). I went there once at noon (that day, 5 minutes after I arrived, a guy in his thirties came a few meters from me and started pissing (or rather taking his dick out for me to see) and another time around 5 pm. The guys on the beach are either fishing or cruising (if they have a fishing rod, they are fishermen ; if they have only their own "rod", they are cruising). From the number of condoms on the beach and taking into account that not that many cubans use condoms, it is clear that many people come here for various reasons : 
- it is very close to Havana Centro (to the contrary of Mi Cayito) and easy and quick to reach 
- no policemen (or only homosexual ones)
- lots of bushes to have sex 
- lot of group sex
- many students go there
- normally no tourists and no sex for money (but it can be discussed of course - basic spanish needed).

In Vedado, most of cruising occurs in specific areas around Calle 23 ("La Rampa")

I did not see much during the day and most of cruising occurs at night. 

The supposed cruising sites are indicated on the map below.

Bim Bom Heladeria = B B H

At Malecon around avenida 23 and Infanta at night (and after midnight). Not that many guys were alone and cruising though (but I was in Cuba around year end and it may make a difference). Many gay guys around particularly during the week ends. A good way of starting discussion is by bringing a bottle of rhum and glasses or "ron in a box" and share. You will make friends rapidly ! 

Toke Cafe, close to Las Vegas = L V T 

Sit outside and close to the street. Perfect location : boys indeed come to discuss, and accept to be invited for a beer first and more.

Arbolas Pabellon Cuba on Calle N = A P C 
This map may be old. I did not see any activity (in fact, I did not even see the "Arboles" (trees) and the park. It is supposed to be almost in front of Capri hotel.

Bano Quijote (B Q)

Small park close to Cine Yara. You cannot miss the statue of Don Quijote on his horse.
During the day, there is supposedly action inside the restroom. You pay the old man on duty at the entrance (you guve him 0.1 CUC). From recent posts, there is indeed activity, not the days I went there at least during daytime. At night it is different. It is obviously a cruising place but the restroom is closed. So you need to find a place to go. It is not always easy to make the difference between the boys waiting for the bus, the boys who are in the park for the wifi and the boys cruising or hustling. 

Hospital Calixto Garcia (= H C G).
This place is worth investigating in more depth at night (I did not find time to do so). There is a University nearby and a huge residence for students. The whole triangle on the map with the red crosses is where action is supposed to happen. Cruising on saturday around 10 pm with the Cafe Cantante nearby is certainly a good idea !To cruise efficiently or even pick up, are needed : lot of caution, some boldness, some language skills, lot of patience and above all : luck.

Slang words useful for cruising 

Tú sí: I like you

Cochero, a palacio: let us go 

Potajera: cruising place

Pinguero: prostitute

Cheo: heterosexual, who do not like gays

Lo más grande: something anormally good, exceptionnal

A la lucha: going out with the objective of making money through sex

Buenos días: used if you do not like much someone 

Buenas tardes: used if you like someone

Buenas noches: used if you like someone very much

Hacerse la dura: para referirse a alguien que “se cree cosas”

Fresa:
For a situation means that everything is ok
For a person, it means that the person is effeminate or that the person is gay

Chocolate: means that someone is manly or hetero 

Yuma : foreigner or local mature man
 

[pauleiro]

On 1/10/2020 at 1:12 AM, curiousnature12 said:

@pauleiro Thank you for including all of this information and your experiences from your visit.

Bottom line, would you go back and visit Cuba again? Would you recommend that people should visit, given the precautions and restrictions with being a tourist and meeting the locals?

 

 

I do not think I will ever go to Cuba again. Compared to Brazil, meeting boys is very difficult. In addition, finding a bottom - and one  who is not effeminate - is challenging.

I was dreaming of Cuba 15 years ago where these "fiestas de 10 pesos" were taking place and you were taken by taxi to an outdoor orgy. Certainly risky but exciting ! 

Going to Havana and Cuba is worth : there are so many things to discover, apart from the boys.

Go there if you want to be surprised : 

- music and people dancing everywhere

- tourist guide whose main work is surgeon at emergencies at hospital

- people collecting garbage while smoking huge cuban cigars

- pay with the smallest coin in your wallet and be given many banknotes as a change 

- imagin that the ferry used to go from Havana to Regla was seajacked twice by people willing to flee Cuba and go all the way to Florida 

- have the door open for you at your bakery shop by a cute guy wearing black suit, tie and hat

- go to a museum in the middle of nowhere and see a female agent with a super short skirt, 3 sizes smaller than it should be, and super sexy black stockings

- see people throwing a bucket of water at midnight on Dec 31st to get rid of bad things of passed year 

- ceiling of your room 12 ft above your head 

 

[floridarob]

As I've said many times before...I used to put Cuba sexually on par with Brasil.....15-20 yrs ago. Now I can't even think about going there, other than to see friends from before or to go with current friends (from mexico) that still love it (they've never been to Brasil).

 

 

[davet]

From my two trips almost 20 years apart: Cuba is rough travel but unforgettable experiences too many to recount. The food's not my favorite, but the music is awesome and everywhere. It seems every person on the island can play a musical instrument. On my first trip, all 3 guys I found eagerly ejaculated with no prompting or demand for cash bonus. On my second trip, the two guys I found (both of whom had kids!) rimmed with no prompting or demand for cash bonus. They are not a sexually-reserved people.

[pauleiro]

10 hours ago, davet said:

From my two trips almost 20 years apart: Cuba is rough travel but unforgettable experiences too many to recount. The food's not my favorite, but the music is awesome and everywhere. It seems every person on the island can play a musical instrument. On my first trip, all 3 guys I found eagerly ejaculated with no prompting or demand for cash bonus. On my second trip, the two guys I found (both of whom had kids!) rimmed with no prompting or demand for cash bonus. They are not a sexually-reserved people.

In Cuba they say that the only things which are left to them by socialism are sex and music (and rhum)  :-))

[cactusjack75]

On 10/25/2019 at 2:21 PM, floridarob said:

I would be VERY upfront on what was expected...or there is no pay. Sooo many straight guys, not even gay for pay, have found out the money is great...for Cuba turning a few tricks. Then many try to fake, can't get hard, say they'll do everything...etc.... then expect you to pay.  Cubans are hot blooded, but also hot tempered. The police isn't what it was like years ago either, they still exist, but cameras everywhere has replaced many police in the street. And the guys know it.....Many foreigners just pay for them to leave to avoid a "scandal"...and that's what alot of the straight guys plan on.

Also, hide everything, don't keep anything in plane sight...even fingernail clippers. Many will be talking to you with their voice, but scanning the whole apartment to see what is there. Many will go directly to your closet and want to try your clothes on and want you to give some to them.

Not trying to scare you, but I've seen it change over the years.....there are some good guys, but it seems the number of bad guys are outnumbering the good ones.

This was an AIrbnb I was going to stay at a few months ago, but cancelled because something came up....good location, seems nice and I told the owner I would be having "friends" over and he said as long there were no parties or loud noise, he was ok with that.....clarify yourself if you pick this one, I can't vouch for it.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/30151998?source_impression_id=p3_1572027536_sRb%2FvBE0urXF6kGF

I haven't been to Cuba in 5 years but this was exactly my experience on my last visit.  Prior to that I went about 4 times.  The straight guy who pretended to be gay was the icing on the cake for me not returning.  Exactly as you wrote.  The one I had was very hot and came on hard so I took him to my place.  We agreed on price and as soon as we were to get down to business, he couldn't get hard and was simply faking it for the money.  At that point, i'm not going to get into a confrontation with him because he couldn't perform so I just paid him and got rid of him.  Plus he had what looked like gang tattoos on and was simply a bigger and stronger guy than me.  I'm not going to risk a violent confrontation with such a guy for 30USD. Maybe I shouldn't have just to sort of support a stop in this behaviour but it can be easier said than done!

This tainted my experience though and after that just gave Cuba a pass.  There are so many other places in Latin America which are easier to hook up with locals in.  Cuba can be a bit tricky.  That said, you are right in that there are good guys there, they are just becoming drowned out by the fake straight guys looking for easy money.

As for them scoping out your apartment - very true.  Almost all the guys I had in Cuba did this and they are not shy asking you for things.  Between the fake str8 guys and the desperation of the people for material items you have, i'm not really feeling the Cuban heat much anymore!

[pong]

As to the insurance thing: surprised to see its included in ticket (I assume you mean the airline booking) and I guess its specific for those from USA due to general ban. Europeans are so accustomed to the idea its just normal to take out insurance (most have it as permanent besides all the other usual insurances) it would not even bother them. Except perhaps the Brits-they are those caught out the most often, seems to be result of believing that their NHS (national health medicare) is universal. So 1 CUC=exactly 1 EUR, also probably due to the US-ban (North Korea has the same type of exchange). What you mention as surprise was also pretty normal in the days of the red flags and hammer and sickle in East-Europe.

Thanks anyway for this inside and insightful report, as you have a lot of other experience to compare with. For me it looks like even that Dominican republic has more to offer.

[12is12]

Thank you VERY much Pauliero, for your VERY useful post.

 

My conclusion is: no sex in Havana: my Spanish is only basic; too much trouble to find a guy; and then there's apparently an above 51% chance he's gay-4-pay who won't deliver.

Pity; I was really looking forward to it     )-:

I'll hang around some cruising spots, but there's no way to discern between the frauds and the real; especially when it's not customary to discuss in advance what I'll be paying for.   

[floridarob]

3 hours ago, 12is12 said:

 

I'll hang around some cruising spots, but there's no way to discern between the frauds and the real; especially when it's not customary to discuss in advance what I'll be paying for.   

That's why I said to be very specific...No action=no money

Or if a guy claims to be a top and can't get hard, I say "Ok, I'll fuck you" That usually gets them to working on it .

[pauleiro]

On 1/19/2020 at 12:20 AM, 12is12 said:

 

My conclusion is: no sex in Havana: my Spanish is only basic; too much trouble to find a guy; and then there's apparently an above 51% chance he's gay-4-pay who won't deliver.

You can try gayromeo or hunqz.

[axiom2001]

21 hours ago, pauleiro said:

You can try gayromeo or hunqz.

I think I might have written the following previously but can't remember, so I'm rewriting here.  A Brit acquaintance and a world traveler of mine has visited Cuba almost yearly during the past five years.  He relayed to me that Parque Central across the street from that gorgeous hotel is full of guys on the hunt.   He told me that he's hooked up many times while frequenting this area.  He mentioned that during his last visit that he stayed in a hotel and obtained a room from Frank for play.  ...asked my acquaintance if he gave Frank a fee for obtaining company, and his response was NO!  [ If I had been in his shoes, Frank would have received a gratuity if not a specified fee, for after all, he supplied the company.]  

 Frank, a native, rents out 2 or 3 of his rooms as well as obtaining guys, and his Facebook account is under Zarzamoracuba.Frank.  I met one of his guys, Yoel when I was in Habana in 2015.  

I have been in contact with Frank on two occasions in which he's given me his contact phone numbers.  Currently, I do not know where they are, so my advice would be to go to Frank's FB page, and if you are a member-- send him a detailed message (written simply), and go from there!

[12is12]

Thanks a lot Axiom, but I'm not on FB.

Even the prospect of sexy cubans wouldn't entice me to join.   (-: