Cuba is under the spotlight this month as president Obama announced a rekindling of relations with Cuba and John Kerry traveled to Havana to raised the American flag. So what does it mean for disabled people travelling to Cuba? Louise Sugden, friend of BBS and Paralympic Basket Ball player, has started a Blog for the Disabled Traveller and she’s allowed us to use her story of a visit to Cuba including where to stay and how to get there……….
Life can be tricky as a disabled traveller but from my experience anything can be achieved if you have willing helper and are not afraid to ask for help occasionally.
Having read the very little information I found online about disabled travellers experienced in Cuba, it made me cautious and I took a lot of time researching accommodation and travel options. The serious lack of information made me want to share my experiences so it may help other travellers in my position.
Cuba – An Exciting Place To Visit as long as Your Wheelchair is Road Worthy
Firstly, I would very much recommend a Freewheel or RGK Frontwheel. Without this I would undoubtedly have ended up face planting on the floor even more than I did (which was quite a lot). The pavements are poor and you will be happily going along and there is a massive crater in your path. Most paths are uneven and there are regularly tree roots to contend with. Then just when you think you’ve got it sussed you get to a curb and it is almost a foot high…and that’s the small ones. Very occasionally there will be a dropped curb but they are infrequent and just because there is one on one side of the road, it doesn’t mean there will be one on the other side. I did find at times that it was easier to push along the road although I wouldn’t recommend this on busy roads!
RGK Front Wheel – enables you to travel across grass, cobbles, mud, gravel and other uneven ground easily by keeping your front castor wheels off the floor at all times when you move in any direction
(We’ll be reviewing other rough terrain solutions soon! Ed).
That said, it is a magnificent country with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They are happy and always willing to help.
Tourist Cuba At a Glance
Holguín
We started our journey in Holguin, mainly because it had the cheapest flight from the UK. On arrival at the airport I was carried down the airplane steps by the assistance team at Holguin airport. It’s important to note that they use latex gloves to search you on exiting the airport and they wouldn’t let me get in wheelchair until we were outside the airport, in fact I got straight in our taxi from the airport wheelchair. I’m sure if you needed to use the toilet, they would let you but it’s probably best to go before you get off the plane instead!
Holguin – Cuba’s 3rd Largest City
Our first night was spent in a Casa Particular (‘Home Stay’ in English), in the home of the very generous Gustavo. Gustavo arranged our transfers from the airport for just 15CUC each way. If you are traveling to Cuba I would recommend you spend at least one night in a casa to experience Cuban hospitality at it’s best. Although the casa had two large steps to get in there was always someone willing to help get me inside the house. Inside we head a triple room with a private bathroom. It was quite narrow to manoeuvre into the bathroom but with a small ish wheelchair it was do-able. We had use of the entire house although it was quite busy in the house at times.
We took the opportunity to have a look around the city before dinner at the casa. Holguin is called the city of parks due to it having 6 parks in a very small area. Beyond the parks and a couple of churches, there isn’t a huge amount to see but it is a very traditional Cuban city and I’m very glad we spent a night there.
Havana
The next day we travelled to Havana, so back to the airport in the taxi. Once we arrived at the airport we were taken to the front of the queue to check in and told that my wheelchair needed to go on the conveyer belt. I managed to hold on to my chair for about 30 minutes but I then sat on an aisle chair for over an hour waiting to be boarded onto the airplane. I would recommend, if you are wheelchair bound, staying with your chair for as long as possible for your own comfort and independence more than anything.
The flight was straight forward, as was exiting the airport. We didn’t have a transfer booked from the airport but there were loads of taxis outside the airport as you would expect. Taxi drivers didn’t seem at all bothered by my wheelchair and were very helpful when necessary. The taxi cost 25CUC.
Our next casa was booked through the same company as the Holguin accommodation and again was very good in terms of accessibility. Initially I was concerned as it seemed to be the house in the street with the most steps but there was a driveway running down the side of the house which was a little uneven but did the trick. Inside there was a good size double room, a bathroom and a kitchenette. The only issue we encountered was the bathroom door was very narrow. I’d had conversations with the booking company and although we had agreed measurements, they hadn’t taken into account that the door didn’t open fully, making it just slightly too narrow to easily fit through. The solution though was simple, we just took off the door and I could get through with no problems.
Havana – Colourful Capital of Cuba
After settling in we decided to go and see a bit of Havana. I decided not to take my freewheel which was a huge mistake and not one I made again! It was roughly 7km (just over 4 miles) from our casa to Havana which, on the one occasion we decided to wonder in, took us roughly 2 hours. The taxi journey was 10CUC in a normal taxi or 12CUC in an old American car, it is always best to confirm the price before departure as they are not run on meters. The small ‘bubble’ taxis are charged on a meter and are actually quite pricey but very fun (my wheelchair sat on the back shelf quite easily).
I’m not going to go through all the things to see in Havana because we would be here all day! We spent the majority of our time in Havana just wondering around and taking in the atmosphere. We saw a few of the ‘sights’ including Habana 1791 (handmade perfumes), Casa del Abanico (handmade fans) and Real Fábrica de Tabacos Partagás (hand rolled cigars), all of which required assistance from passers by to get in to. The only sight we were advised wouldn’t be suitable due to a large number of steps was the Museo del Ron which is the Havana Club Museum.
Playa Girón
We had planned a trip to Playa Girón and Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), this area was of interest to us due to its fascinating history and also due to its natural beauty and the Las Salinas Wildlife Refuge.
Bay of Pigs- An Unassuming Beach Where in 1961 a Failed, CIA Backed, Invasion of Cuba Took Place – The Rest Was a Cold War History!!
We had a driver booked for 180CUC for the day, which seems quite expensive but when compared to a coach tour at 65CUC per person, it is actually very reasonable as you are more in control of your itinerary and you don’t have to get on and off a bus all day.
Unfortunately, due to illness, we had to cancel this trip but next time we go to Cuba we will try and arrange this again. I believe that taxi is the best way for me, as a wheelchair user, to see Cuba and you have the added advantage that the driver might be able to show you things that tourists don’t normally see, some local hidden gems. We didn’t arrange anything like this until we were in Cuba and found the owners of the casa very helpful in helping us arrange this.
Playa Pesquero
After 6 days in Havana it was time to go an enjoy a bit of luxury at the Playa Pesquero Hotel, a 5 star all-inclusive resort. We took another internal flight back to Holguin and had a similar experience at the airport. When we arrived back in Holguin, Gustavo’s driver was waiting to take us on the hour journey to the hotel. Again, it would probably have been cheaper to get the hotel transfer to and from the airport but for the convenience of not having to climb on an off the bus we paid 35CUC each way.
Hotel Playa Pesquero was excellent, the food was excellent, as were the staff and the wheelchair access was by far the best we encountered throughout our entire trip. We were in a superior double accessible room which was spacious and fully equipped with handrails and equipment for people with limited mobility. Unfortunately this also means a toilet with the cut out bit at the front, which personally I find very difficult to work with, and a shower with a removable shower seat which I’m never very confident sitting in. I had a look at a standard superior double room and this was similar in dimensions but had a standard toilet and a shower over the bath. All of the ground floor rooms are level access, therefore next time I go I will just be asking for a ground floor room.
I didn’t find anywhere within the resort that didn’t have an ramp or an accessible route. Even the beach was easy-ish to push on (with my good friend the freewheel), there were large areas of compacted sand and it was just a short distance to the sea so not too far to struggle across the sand.
5 Star Playa Pesquero Hotel – Ramp Access All Areas & Equipped Accessible Room
Overall experience
My experience of Cuba was a very good one and I would really love to to back. There are a few useful bits of information I can give you that I found during my research:
• Cuba has a closed currency, you have to take another currency to change into CUC but not US$ as you may get charged for the privilege! The exchange rate for CUC is linked to the US$ and it is worth checking that exchange calculations are correct before you take your money.
• There is a local currency which we didn’t need to use at all. There are 25 Pesos to 1CUC.
• You need a visa but ours was supplied by the airline, best to double check this.
• Car hire isn’t advisable as it is costly and if you have an accident you are required to stay in Cuba until the claim is resolved. That said, I know people that have hired a car and not had problems.
• Pavements are uneven and difficult in a wheelchair but not impossible. A lot of locals walk in the road, I did a reasonable amount of pushing in the road but it wouldn’t be advisable on very busy roads.
• I didn’t see a single disabled toilet while out exploring the cities. You will have to make do with using the standard toilets which, even in my very narrow wheelchair, I sometimes struggled with.
• Toilet paper is a bit of a luxury, make sure you have some on you for emergency situations.
• It’s also advisable to carry antibacterial hand wipes and hand gel. My hands and arms got very dirty, very quickly while pushing around the cities.
• It is not advisable to drink the water. Bottled water is your best bet. The locals boil the tap water before they use it. Also be cautious of salads and uncooked items as they may have been washed in the tap water.
Cost
Cuba isn’t a cheap place to visit but here is a break down of how much it cost us for 2 people. It is obviously possible to spend more or less depending on your personal budget.
• Airport Hotel and Parking – Etrop Hotel Manchester – £123.50
• Flights – Thomas Cook Premium Economy (airport assistance booked on Thomas Cook website) – £1,713.96 (£856.98 per person)
• Internal Flights – Cubana Airways via Opodo (airport assistance booked directly with Cubana Airways) – £342.80 (£171.40 per person)
• Holguin Accommodation – 1 Night – Holguín La Casa de Gustavo y Maelia booked via mycasaparticular.com – £30.50
• Havana Accommodation – 6 Nights – La Habana Hostal Rosario booked via mycasaparticular.com – £148.84
Casa Particular, La Habana Hostal Rosario – Old Skool ‘Home Stay’ Cuba
• Playa Pesquero Hotel – 3 Nights All Inclusive booked via Travel Republic – £367.00
• Spending Money – roughly £500
What a trip and now that America has softened relations with Cuba, many of the international hotel chains have moved in with their regulation accessible rooms. Even Saga Holidays go there but I don’t know about you, I think Louise’s journey was much more authentic and interesting. Let us know if you’ve had a similar journey through Cuba or anywhere else.
Next we’re adding to our information on Taiwan so look out for that.
