To go to Trinindad or not?

[powell]

Will be in Cienfuegos for 1 day from 8am - 10 pm and deciding whether it's worth the drive to Trinidad or whether we should just tour in Cienfuegos instead.

[Go-Bucks!]

Will be in Cienfuegos for 1 day from 8am - 10 pm and deciding whether it's worth the drive to Trinidad or whether we should just tour in Cienfuegos instead.

I heard that Trinidad is nice, but we stayed in Cienfuegos and LOVED it! It was our favorite city out of the 3 we sailed to. We did a custom-made private tour and had a blast. This city appeared to be more well off than the others we went to.

[powell]

Who did you use as a guide and what was your itunerary?

[caviargal]

I heard that Trinidad is nice, but we stayed in Cienfuegos and LOVED it! It was our favorite city out of the 3 we sailed to. We did a custom-made private tour and had a blast. This city appeared to be more well off than the others we went to.

 

Can you provide a contact for the guide you used as this is exactly what I have been searching for? Thanks!

[Go-Bucks!]

Can you provide a contact for the guide you used as this is exactly what I have been searching for? Thanks!

Certainly....his name is Fernando Hernandez Mora. He says to send any emails to both of his email addresses because one of them was having some trouble.

 

1) fernando8205@nauta.cu

2) fehmor1982@gmail.com

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We customized his tour:

Panoramic Cienfuegos

Dolphin show (at the Delfinario)

Lunch

Walking tour

 

Cost: $50pp for guide, driver and classic car, $10pp for dolphin show, and $10pp for lunch.

 

What we did:

1) Walked around the lovely neighborhood of Punta Gorda, near the Palacio de Valle (a gorgeous former palace). We could see our ship plus a Viking ship from the Malecon running through Punta Gorda.

 

2) Went to the Parque Jose Marti Square, where the Teatro Tomas Terry is (but we didn't go in it, although I wish we had had the time). Visited the Cathedral and sat on park benches and did some "people watching."

 

3) Went to the dolphin show at the Delfinario. It was just outside the city and gave us a nice look at the countryside. It was a good show with a shady amphitheater, a concession stand and decent restrooms.

 

4) Went back to the Palacio de Valle to tour it and go to the rooftop for a soda pop.

 

5) Went to a local beauty salon (I don't think they'd ever had a tourist there before!) to get our hair cut. Very nice people and nice to see "local life"....women getting their nails done, watching TV, we talked to the owner who knew English.

 

6) Lunch in a local paladar....don't remember the name, but I had Shrimp Creole (lots of delicious shrimps), rice, salad, vegetable, drink, and dessert for $10! Met several very nice people.

 

7) Walked down the street and stopped in a flea market and other shops along the way, including a drug store where I got some "crema"....hair conditioner. Lots of people in there shopping. One nice guy alerted me, as I was walking out, that I had left my phone at the check out counter! Bless him! :halo:

 

8) Stopped in a rum and cigar shop to make those purchases. Very knowledgeable saleswomen.

 

9) Went into the Union Hotel and looked around this lovely place. Went up to the rooftop and had a delicious Cuban coffee (like a latte). Could see all over the city and our ship.

 

We took a taxi back to the ship and dropped our guide off at her home. Her name is Beatriz and she was EXCELLENT!!! She speaks several languages and perfect English. She knows many local people and places so took us "off the tourist track." The Cubans dress just as stylishly as Americans, have cell phones, are on the Internet, obviously have enough money to shop as the stores were full, and seemed to be happy. Cienfuegos (and to some extent, Havana) seemed economically better off that Santiago de Cuba.

 

A website that I found has some great pictures of some of these places on it, as well as a mention of a City Tour in a Train that lasts 20 min. but only costs 3 CUC's. The website is: https://www.cuba-holiday-guide.com.

[kbubbles]

This is wonderful information. Thank you. We used Fernado in Havana and thought his services were great!

[paumarier]

We were in Cienfuegos for two days so we did a private tour of Trinidad one day and did a pedicab in Cienfuegos the second day. Our guide to Trinidad was Gio's Cuba Photo Tours and he was excellent. Trinidad is over an hour away from Cienfuegos so I would only suggest going there if you had the 2 days. Since you only have one day, stay in Cienfuegos, There is plenty to see. If anyone wants to go to Trinidad, we highly recommend Gio. We had a great day with him.

One recommendation: Make sure you understand exactly how much your bicicab will cost. We thought we did but once our driver, Jorges, was dropping us off, he told us the price was double what he originally quoted and he became quite adamant about it. So beware.

Edited October 8, 2018 by paumarier
forgot to add something