We Booked Our Honeymoon!!!!

[kevinsbride2B]

So getting an actual wedding honeymoon package was completly totally and utterly out of the question due to our minimal wedding budget. And the fact that this month ALL of my money has gone into this bloody event!
But we waiting till a sell off and we have booked our honeymoon oh ya!
Kev and I are going to Varadero, Cuba. Our flight leaves at 5:45pm on the 16th the day after the wedding and we return the following Sunday.
Things were looking pretty bleak in this department. Kevin didn't originally see the reason behind why we needed to go away. It turned intoa big fight where I left the conversation saying "I'm going on a vacation, the question is will you be joining me?!"
But it's booked! We're doing what they call "Riu Rolette". Basically their are 2 Riu hotels in Varadero both 4 stars but we don't know which hotel we're in until we get to the airport. Both are beautiful and I couldn't be more excited!
Here's the 2 websites for each hotel...
http://www.riu.com/en/hotel-riu-las-morlas-varadero-cuba.html
http://www.riu.com/en/hotel-riu-turquesa-varadero-cuba.html

[Dani]

How exciting! I hope to see some great pictures of Cuba!

[val24]

YAY i am so excited for you! Glad you are going somewhere. It will be lots of fun!!

[kevinsbride2B]

I go and pick up my passport on Thursday morning, and I'm set!!! All that's left is following the weather and watching for the dreaded Hirricane. Nothing liek a honeymoon during Hurricane season lol. Come rain or shine I'll be on a beach. Even with turrential downpours you'll see me sitting there lol.

[SerendipityCrafts]

Congrats. You will have a blast!

We've been to Cuba twice ... here are some tips -

Bring your camera and a back up memory disc :)

They don't accept US money in Cuba any longer so bring a bit of cash to change over to gov. sanctioned/official Cuban currency. You can do this at the airport when you land but you will also be able to do it on the resort. This is for souvenirs, tips and such. Spend all of it when you leave because you will not be able to exchange it back home.

I would suggest that you bring a roll of toilet paper. They restock your bathroom but we once ran out before they restocked. Toilet paper from home will be softer too. Not to worry, the water on the resorts is filtered and you will also get bottled water but bring gravol and anti diarrhea just in case. It's also not a bad idea to bring tylenol & calamine lotion too.

Stop by a dollar store before you go and stock up on kids stuff, shampoos, socks, nylons, crayons, bandaids ... or anything that you can think to bring. They appreciate monetary tips but often they can't get products even when they have the money. Leave some stuff on the bed every morning for the chamber maid and you will return to find creative creatures (made from towels) on your bed. :)

We asked for a ground floor room because we brought my 80 year old mother and we didn't want her walking the stairs. It was a bit musty smelling. I heard from some others that theirs was the same and that they were bitten by sand fleas. I was bitten as well but I can't say for sure that I was bitten in our room instead of on the beach. Oh ... bring some calamine lotion LOL

Go to the orientation. Your tour guide will give you lots of valuable tips & tell you about side excursions. These will cost you more - anywhere from $50 US and up. Even if you go on one of these trips, also take the bus trip into Varadero. It's cheap ($2 a person) and the town is lovely. Save your souvenir shopping to do there.

The buffets and pool bars always have food available but you have to book the specialized restaurants in advance so make this one of the things you find out about and do first.

Guard your pool towel like a hawk. Some places, will charge you if you don't turn in your towel at the end of the trip. If your towel is stolen, you might have to go steal one yourself (lol like my Mom did) or pay 25 pesos (about $30) before you leave.

My last and most important tip ..... stay away from the guy on the three wheeler that rides up and down the beach yelling "coconuts!". I can't swear by it, but I had a coconut drink on the beach and I believe that it was what made me sick (DH & Mom only had a tiny sip). I was out for a full day! Yeck.

[Danielle9608]

Yay! You both will need some r&r after all the stress you guys have been through. How is the foot?

[kevinsbride2B]

Congrats. You will have a blast!

We've been to Cuba twice ... here are some tips -

Bring your camera and a back up memory disc :)

They don't accept US money in Cuba any longer so bring a bit of cash to change over to gov. sanctioned/official Cuban currency. You can do this at the airport when you land but you will also be able to do it on the resort. This is for souvenirs, tips and such. Spend all of it when you leave because you will not be able to exchange it back home.

I would suggest that you bring a roll of toilet paper. They restock your bathroom but we once ran out before they restocked. Toilet paper from home will be softer too. Not to worry, the water on the resorts is filtered and you will also get bottled water but bring gravol and anti diarrhea just in case. It's also not a bad idea to bring tylenol & calamine lotion too.

Stop by a dollar store before you go and stock up on kids stuff, shampoos, socks, nylons, crayons, bandaids ... or anything that you can think to bring. They appreciate monetary tips but often they can't get products even when they have the money. Leave some stuff on the bed every morning for the chamber maid and you will return to find creative creatures (made from towels) on your bed. :)

We asked for a ground floor room because we brought my 80 year old mother and we didn't want her walking the stairs. It was a bit musty smelling. I heard from some others that theirs was the same and that they were bitten by sand fleas. I was bitten as well but I can't say for sure that I was bitten in our room instead of on the beach. Oh ... bring some calamine lotion LOL

Go to the orientation. Your tour guide will give you lots of valuable tips & tell you about side excursions. These will cost you more - anywhere from $50 US and up. Even if you go on one of these trips, also take the bus trip into Varadero. It's cheap ($2 a person) and the town is lovely. Save your souvenir shopping to do there.

The buffets and pool bars always have food available but you have to book the specialized restaurants in advance so make this one of the things you find out about and do first.

Guard your pool towel like a hawk. Some places, will charge you if you don't turn in your towel at the end of the trip. If your towel is stolen, you might have to go steal one yourself (lol like my Mom did) or pay 25 pesos (about $30) before you leave.

My last and most important tip ..... stay away from the guy on the three wheeler that rides up and down the beach yelling "coconuts!". I can't swear by it, but I had a coconut drink on the beach and I believe that it was what made me sick (DH & Mom only had a tiny sip). I was out for a full day! Yeck.

AWESOME INFO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ya I was goign to go by the dollar store and get a bunch of stuff, and we have a makeup outlet down the street where I can get a jam packed bag of stuff for $9.99 I figured that might be a good idea too.
How is the conversion from Canadian to Cuban Peso's? How much money with an all inclusive do you think would get me by? I've never goen to Cuba. It was super cheap and that was our main reason behind it all lol.
I hear the food is sort of blahhhhhh to so should I bring salt and pepper and stuff?

[kevinsbride2B]

Yay! You both will need some r&r after all the stress you guys have been through. How is the foot?

My foot is hanging in there. I will admit this, but only on here as Kevin can't hear me admit this... I haven't been takeing care of it properly. Honestly it's a pain to stay on crutches when there is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to do and so much running around. By no means have I gone running or anything, but I know I could be doing better. Only 11 more days and I can chill easy on it though. Thanks for asking :)

[SerendipityCrafts]

AWESOME INFO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ya I was goign to go by the dollar store and get a bunch of stuff, and we have a makeup outlet down the street where I can get a jam packed bag of stuff for $9.99 I figured that might be a good idea too.
How is the conversion from Canadian to Cuban Peso's? How much money with an all inclusive do you think would get me by? I've never goen to Cuba. It was super cheap and that was our main reason behind it all lol.
I hear the food is sort of blahhhhhh to so should I bring salt and pepper and stuff?

I don't remember how much we changed but we didn't change over all that much, maybe $150.00 between the three of us for tips and souvenirs. We bought & charged our cigars at the airport so that we could guarantee their authenticity (they have an official seal). If you go on one of the excursions, we have been told that people will try to sell you "fake" cigars.

If you run out of money you can get a cash advance on a visa at the resort or believe it or not, you might be able to use your interac. Ohhhhhhhhhhh don't bring any US based credit cards like CITIBank or an American Express and don't bring American Express traveller's cheques. They will not be accepted. Just some cash will do ya.

LOL but ...... if you want to make some money just spread the word that you are going to Cuba and people will surely ask you to bring back cigars. On our first trip, we didn't know this but we brought back some cigarillos to pass out to friends etc. What cost us $8 USD there, was $75 in the smoke shops here!

You can leave your salt and pepper at home - they have got it :) I am sure the food from one resort to another can differ but if you like seafood sauce with your shrimp, bring a bottle because they don't serve it. Their lobster is different from ours ..... smaller and not nearly as tasty. You will see lots and lots of chicken and pork. Their breads and rolls were amazing! I noticed that there isn't much dairy available so you won't find desserts with whip cream (they have a lot of custard desserts). They do have butter but there might only be milk for your coffee.

Something one of my friends did - She had bought & brought tons of school supplies - pencils, markers, erasers etc. and went into a school in Varadero to give them to the teacher. She told us that they were so well received there that they felt like honoured guests.

Most everyone on the resort will speak English and even at the market in Varadero but learn a little Spanish anyhow. Hola!

[samantha01]

Awesome! I wish I was there like right now, and I bet you do too.

[Nik54545]

How awesome! I love the fact that we are both getting married on the 15th and leaving for our honeymoons within the same hour on the same day! Next week is going to be awesome for both of us! Congratulations!!!!! Can't wait to see pics!!!

[tinkerjew]

My foot is hanging in there. I will admit this, but only on here as Kevin can't hear me admit this... I haven't been takeing care of it properly. Honestly it's a pain to stay on crutches when there is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to do and so much running around. By no means have I gone running or anything, but I know I could be doing better. Only 11 more days and I can chill easy on it though. Thanks for asking :)

I say this with all the love in the world...

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, LITTLE MISSY?!?!?! You stay off that **** foot and take care of it properly!! :hothead: I don't want you to have to walk down the aisle with crutches!

[KMS]

Oh how freakin exciting! I can't wait to hear all about it.

[twu]

Hurray!


I hope you have a good experience on your honeymoon with the Riu hotel. I stayed at a Riu hotel while I was on vacation in Malta, and it was, unfortunately, not so good. But hopefully things will be different for you.

[sjk1431]

Looks nice I hope it all goes well. You better start taking care of your foot no crutches on wedding day.