Private excursion findings - Cienfuegos, Trinidad Cuba

[Budski54]

I am not sure if you have returned from your cruise yet, but did you eventually take a tour of Trinidad/Cienfuegos with Tony?  If so, can you share your experience?

[ebslcc]

On 12/15/2018 at 11:56 AM, Budski54 said:

I am not sure if you have returned from your cruise yet, but did you eventually take a tour of Trinidad/Cienfuegos with Tony?  If so, can you share your experience?

We just got back last night.  I have a lot to share with the excursions (ship and private) we took.   We had a great time in Cuba.  We packed in as much as possible for our 5 days in Cuba on our 10 days cruise.  We enjoyed all our experiences.  We will likely go back again.  With the holiday season coming up I will try to find some free time to post but if there are specific questions you have please let me know.  Are you booked with Tony? 

 

Cuba is changing fast.  While we are there the Cuban government telecom just started to provide 3G data on the island.  Like India and China I am sure this will drastically change the internet usage part of the Cuban culture in the coming years.  This is the time to visit Cuba before the big changes ahead. 

 

Laurence

[Budski54]

Thanks for the reply. I contacted Tony, but he is booked. He contacted a few other tour operators, but they too were booked.

Since you mentioned 3G, is it possible to text or call on our cell phones? Or do we need to have an international phone?

 

[ebslcc]

9 minutes ago, Budski54 said:

Thanks for the reply. I contacted Tony, but he is booked. He contacted a few other tour operators, but they too were booked.

Since you mentioned 3G, is it possible to text or call on our cell phones? Or do we need to have an international phone?

 

There are a few guides who are available inside the gated area as you disembarked.  I asked them what their prices were and they are relatively expensive: starting price of 40 CUC per hour for a taxi for 3 to 4 people.  Tony said the guides inside the port are guides from Cuban government tour operators and not private ones.  I am SURE that they will go down in price if you negotiate.  When we got off the ship next to the taxi is There are some Yellow Taxis just outside the port.  I will post a map where to find them later.  You may be able to get tours from operators hanging around the main square... more iffy how trustworthy they are IMHO.  

 

When we got off the port there was also a Conch train like ride that was collecting passengers for a city tour for 5 CUC.  You can catch the train later in the main square.  Worth it IMHO if you don't have any particular plans.  I saw the train go around town and then down to Punta Gorda - probably similar route to my DIY maps I posted above in this thread.  

 

Laurence

[ebslcc]

26 minutes ago, Budski54 said:

Since you mentioned 3G, is it possible to text or call on our cell phones? Or do we need to have an international phone?

Oops I forgot to answer your question re: cell phone use.  Please check with your carrier if they have any arrangements with Cubacell (what shows up when we are in port).  I am sure it will be VERY expensive!  It's best to just use wifi on board and forget about using your cell phone while you are in port.  

 

Also, you may want to look into using the app What's App on board to communicate with others on board as well as your friends and family back home via the ship's wifi.  We are able to text, send photos and even do voice calls.  It works very well.  

 

Laurence

[Budski54]

Laurence, 

Thanks for the info.  I will continue searching for a tour operator who can take us to Trinidad and Cienfuegos. But if  I cannot find anyone,  I'll just have to be content with spending the day in Cienfuegos. So, thanks for all of the details about Cienfuegos. 

[ebslcc]

17 hours ago, Budski54 said:

Laurence, 

Thanks for the info.  I will continue searching for a tour operator who can take us to Trinidad and Cienfuegos. But if  I cannot find anyone,  I'll just have to be content with spending the day in Cienfuegos. So, thanks for all of the details about Cienfuegos. 

 

You are welcome. I will post my experience and tips on the 3 ports we visited over time.  Our travel group encountered some petty scams that people should we aware of.  E.g. when you purchase anything at the stores in Cuba add up the prices and make sure you are getting the right change!!!  Our friend almost got cheated at the government cigar store in Cienfuegos!!!

 

Laurence

[cpayne]

Would like more info on the train/tram tour offered near where the ship tenders.  Anyone have any insight?  Is this a hop on/hop off concept?  Route?  Cost?  Etc....

[cpayne]

How many adults do the pedicabs hold?  I assume 2?  

 

Thanks 

[Bernie21]

On 10/6/2018 at 4:09 PM, ebslcc said:

I have been looking for private excursions for Trinidad and Cienfuegos for our December 2 days cruise stop in Cienfuegos Cuba. I have combed through forum postings on Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor and exchanged emails with many Cienfuegos tour operators including Caribbean Pearl, fertours2havana.com, Out-of-the-box Tours, trinidadsightseeing.com. We have finally settled on using a new independent tour operator Tony (Antonio) Castillo tony.cubavacation@gmail.com He looks to be a very good new tour service for Centrifuges. I found Tony by asking Roly, owner of Havana Memories for a referral. We are using Roly's Havana Memories for our Havana private excursion in our December cruise. I find Roly to be very trust worthy from my communication with him https://havanamemories.jimdo.com/

 

Tony is the owner of Hostal La Verde in Centrifuges. His house is located in a very nice area in Centrifuges. He has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor: mostly 5 stars. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g609122-d2292137-Reviews-Hostal_La_Verde-Cienfuegos_Cienfuegos_Province_Cuba.html#REVIEWS

I got a very good impression of him reading the reviews, seeing photos of his house on TripAdvisor and AirBnb and seeing a video of him that one of his guest posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1G5ThBEUvI.

 

Tony is just branching out providing AirBnB experiences and cruise excursions. He has 20+ years experience in the hospitality business. He speaks 4 languages and speaks English perfectly. He used to be an English professor (Roly was a Physics professor may be that's how they knew each other?).

 

There has been NO reviews of him conducting tours online. I found out that he took a group from a recent Royal Caribbean cruise stop for his Trinidad-Centrifuges tour in September. I posted a request for review in the Roll Call but it looks like no one is looking at the Roll Call any longer. I didn't get any replies.

 

We want to go to Trinidad on one of the 2 days we have in Centrifuges. One big concern I have is the transportation with private tours in Cuba! I read review of one of the private operator driving up with a junky car when a AC van was promised. There is always this possibility when going with a private tour in Cuba since good quality vehicles is scarce. Tony's responded to my concern puts me more at ease:

 

 

Do you only have one van? What is the maximum number of passengers? How old is

it? Is the van yours or is it a rental as needed? Does it have air conditioning?

 

 

We rent a private van in perfect conditions with the official license or permit to

 

transport tourists and the maximum number of pax in it is 7. It has air conditioning. The v

an was made in 2006 and it is in perfect conditions as previously said. Chofer is a very

experienced professional driver and doesn´t drink alcoholic beverages. A person I trust

100%. If you have more than 7 people, we have to rent a van from the government.

Tony is very good with his responses to my queries point by point. He appears to be very well organized from his responses. He has been very helpful as we try to figure out what to do with our two days of touring with him. It appears to be true that he does what he says: "We will always try to move heaven and earth to get what you need and try to please you." He said it in our email exchange and I also found this quote in his TripAdvisor reviews.

 

One negative I found with Tony is he does take a few days to reply to my emails. I think I figure out why: Internet services is very poor in Cuba. I think he downloads his emails and then write his answer offline and then post them as an attachment email with his next connection to the internet. He apologizes often for his late response. He mentioned that when he is on multi-day tours he may not have internet access for days. This is the same problem I found with other independent operators like the highly rated Yuri at Cubaguider.

 

Unlike other independents who jacks up their prices for cruise passengers I find Tony's pricing to be more than fair. I am pretty sure that he is charging us the same rate as what he charges for his Casa particular based tours. He quoted us 160 cuc for 4 people per day for our 2 full day tours: 1st day to Trinidad-Cienfuegos and a second day customized Cienfuegos local tours (7 hours). This is the best price quote I got from a Cienfuegos tour operator. I like the fact that his touring with us is completely private and completely customizable. He gives us ideas and we get to set our own pace and where to go. His pricing and flexibility in customization is comparable to what we are getting with Roly at Havana Memories: 150 cuc for 4 with driver + guide for 7 hours. I have also asked Tony what he charges for 4 hour customized local tour, his price is 25 cuc per person minimum 4. Like Roly at Havana Memories Tony does not require any advance deposit. You pay him in cash when you meet him for the tour.

 

If you are thinking of using a private cruise excursion you may want to look into Tony's offerings for your comparison. Tony's pricing is excellent. I have no clue on how Tony is as a tour guide. We will not experience what it is like touring with Tony until December. If anyone go with his excursions it would be great to hear back from you with your review.

 

I will be posting my detail notes on what I have gathered from other Cienfuegos tour operators and my impressions from my interaction with them later in this thread. Below are the contact info for other private tour operators. You may want to check out their website and contact them and form your own opinions who you would like to pick for your needs. Searches for their reviews on Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor are also helpful.

 

Fernando Hernandez Mora at https://www.caribbeanpearltours.com/ Emails: fehmor1982@gmail.com, fernando8205@nauta.cu (try both emails!!!)

Yuri at http://cubaguider.com Email: Yuri.arcayaborrego@nauta.cu

Fernando at fertours2havana.com Email: fertours2@gmail.com

Yoennis Díaz Moreno at http://www.outofthebox.zone/ Email: yoe@outofthebox.zone

Anna at https://trinidadsightseeing.com/ Email: info@trinidadsightseeing.com

 

Summary

Tour operator: Antonio Castillo

Contact: tony.cubavacation@gmail.com

Email communications: spotty, can be days between replies!

TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g609122-d2292137-Reviews-Hostal_La_Verde-Cienfuegos_Cienfuegos_Province_Cuba.html#REVIEWS

AirBnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6397026

Reviews: none yet on his tour services

Tour prices: 25 cuc pp for 4 hours tours, 40 cuc pp for 7 hoour tours 4 people minimum

Vehicle types: 2006 van with AC

Tour capacity: 4 minimum, up to 7 with his private van

Deposit required: none - pay when we meet

 

I think it would be good to have a consolidated thread on private tours for Cienfuegos-Trinidad. Please reply if you have experiences to share.

 

Laurence

Hi Laurence,  I had some private questions I wanted to ask about Cienfuegos, when I tried to email you privately, I wasn't allowed.  Is it possible to contact you some other way?  Thank you, Bernie

[ebslcc]

On 1/1/2019 at 7:00 PM, Bernie21 said:

Hi Laurence,  I had some private questions I wanted to ask about Cienfuegos, when I tried to email you privately, I wasn't allowed.  Is it possible to contact you some other way?  Thank you, Bernie

Sorry we have been busy with the holidays. I will get back to posting our eye opening Cuba experience and getting ready for our next cruise soon.  Yes please contact me if you want to chat privately ebslcc at gmail.com

 

Laurence

[Choli]

On 10/21/2018 at 10:45 AM, ebslcc said:

Gio's Cuba Photo Tours

 

Gio is a Trinidad native with a solid set of 100% 5 stars reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html.

He provide tours in Trinidad and surrounding areas. His pricing is a little higher than the other top independents however I am pretty sure that he is worth every penny he charges. Gio quotes a separate charge for the "taxi" pick up and drop off at Cienfuegos port and then charge for his time. The "Taxi" cost for a full day is $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

 

I posted his quote here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

 



 

Summary

 

Tour operator: Gio's Cuba Photo Tours

 

Contact: toursbygio@nauta.cu, giovanni.guerra@nauta.cu

 

Email communications: good / excellent - within 24 hours

 

TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html

 

Reviews: 70+ all 5 stars - see TripAdvisor

 

Tour prices: Taxi fee: $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

 

Vehicle types: modern car / van or a Vintage one with A/C

 

Tour capacity: 2 minimum

 

Deposit: Not required

 

Tours and prices:

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

 

Beside Trinidad Cienfuegos combination tour from cruiseship terminal Gio can arrange any tour that you like.

 

 

 

Bottom line: Reasonably priced truly independent guide from Trinidad.  From the reviews I think touring with Gio is like touring with a very knowledgeable friend who would bring you to the best places and help you get the best value for your money.  If you are into photography or wants a good local who knows Trinidad well Gio is THE GUIDE to use. If you want to know what Gio is like as a guide just read all the 5 star reviews he has on TripAdvisor.

 

 

 

BTW, this is the YouTube video which will convinced you that you should go and see Trinidad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuaaId1s5qU

 

Gio's Cuba Photo Tours

 

Gio is a Trinidad native with a solid set of 100% 5 stars reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html.

He provide tours in Trinidad and surrounding areas. His pricing is a little higher than the other top independents however I am pretty sure that he is worth every penny he charges. Gio quotes a separate charge for the "taxi" pick up and drop off at Cienfuegos port and then charge for his time. The "Taxi" cost for a full day is $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

 

I posted his quote here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

 



 

Summary

 

Tour operator: Gio's Cuba Photo Tours

 

Contact: toursbygio@nauta.cu, giovanni.guerra@nauta.cu

 

Email communications: good / excellent - within 24 hours

 

TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html

 

Reviews: 70+ all 5 stars - see TripAdvisor

 

Tour prices: Taxi fee: $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

 

Vehicle types: modern car / van or a Vintage one with A/C

 

Tour capacity: 2 minimum

 

Deposit: Not required

 

Tours and prices:

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

 

Beside Trinidad Cienfuegos combination tour from cruiseship terminal Gio can arrange any tour that you like.

 

 

 

Bottom line: Reasonably priced truly independent guide from Trinidad.  From the reviews I think touring with Gio is like touring with a very knowledgeable friend who would bring you to the best places and help you get the best value for your money.  If you are into photography or wants a good local who knows Trinidad well Gio is THE GUIDE to use. If you want to know what Gio is like as a guide just read all the 5 star reviews he has on TripAdvisor.

 

 

 

BTW, this is the YouTube video which will convinced you that you should go and see Trinidad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuaaId1s5qU

 

Hello there!

 

I'm Giovanni Guerra,Manager and Owner at Gio's Cuba Photo Tours.

 

See bellow updated info about our TOURS:

 

Gio's Cuba Photo Tours

Gio is a Trinidad native with a solid set of 100% 5 stars reviews on TripAdvisor.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html. 
He provide tours in Trinidad and surrounding areas. His pricing is a little higher than the other top independents however I am pretty sure that he is worth every penny he charges. Gio quotes a separate charge for the "taxi" pick up and drop off at Cienfuegos port and then charge for his time. The "Taxi" cost for a full day is $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

I posted his quote here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

 

Summary
Tour operator: Gio's Cuba Photo Tours 
Contact: toursbygio@nauta.cu, giovanni.guerra@nauta.cu
Email communications: good / excellent - within 24 hours
TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html
Reviews: 70+ all 5 stars - see TripAdvisor
Tour prices: Taxi fee: $100.00 CUC for 2 people in a modern car, 160 CUC for 4-5 people a minivan ,200 CUC for 6-8 people and for 9-10 people a bigger minivan is $250.00 CUC. The charge for his time is 60 cuc for 2 - 6 passengers,after 6 people would be $10.00 CUC per person during a full day tour.

Vehicle types: modern car / van or a Vintage one with A/C
Tour capacity: 2 minimum
Deposit: Not required
Tours and prices: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-S4EJweVposln4nJnJcGPJjo5b36AXhatFVLkTNYiEg/edit?usp=sharing

Beside Trinidad Cienfuegos combination tour from cruiseship terminal Gio can arrange any tour that you like. 

 

Bottom line: Reasonably priced truly independent guide from Trinidad.  From the reviews I think touring with Gio is like touring with a very knowledgeable friend who would bring you to the best places and help you get the best value for your money.  If you are into photography or wants a good local who knows Trinidad well Gio is THE GUIDE to use. If you want to know what Gio is like as a guide just read all the 5 star reviews he has on TripAdvisor.

 

BTW, this is the YouTube video which will convinced you that you should go and see Trinidad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuaaId1s5qU

[Choli]

Hi there!

I'm Giovanni Guerra(Gio) AKA "Choli".

 

See bellow updated info about our Tours:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g285731-d13317735-Reviews-Gio_s_Cuba_Photo_Tours-Trinidad_Sancti_Spiritus_Province_Cuba.html

[pauon]

What an amazing thread !  You have done a great job and it has been fun to read as well.  Your resources here have made looking for private tours in Cuba fun.  Thank you for all the time you have spent on this. 

[mmark14]

Tony Castillo was awesome!  We found him to be authentic , engaging and passionate about his people!  We covered Trinidad and Cienfuegos with Tony catering to our specific needs and  answering all are questions .  What an education we received !  The passengers on the ship’s tour were very disappointed since they spent so much time shopping and so little time learning about Cuba and seeing the sights they came to see.  

Not all the individual tours written about here are truly private enterprises,.  They are directed by the government and scripted.  If you tour with Tony Castillo,  you will have a true sense of Cuba!

[JMKrzesni]

Six of us took a tour with Tony Castillo from “Tony’s Cuba Vacation" on 1/17/19 in Cienfuegos.  I would recommend his tours. 

 

He waited for us around two hours because we couldn't get off the ship as early as we thought.  He had an air conditioned  van comfortable for six of us.  His english was very good.  He was interesting and informative.  He took us to a good local restaurant for lunch.  

 

His e-mail is tony.cubavacation@gmail.com

[pauon]

Great recommendation, thank you .

[flans66]

Just back from Empress of the Seas, 1/21/19 and had private tour in Ceinfuegos with Yuri at  cubaguider dot com and can recommend him very highly.  His english is perfect and I felt we had great tour.

We also had tour in Havana with Blexie tours with Jorge which was great.

 

[Rewind]

1 hour ago, flans66 said:

We also had tour in Havana with Blexie tours with Jorge which was great.

 

 

We are scheduled to go with Jorge in April - good to hear it was a great tour.

[Cienfuegos]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:06 PM, ebslcc said:

Thanks!  We plan to bring Canadian $.  Part of our group is from Canada so we can swap USD to CDN then to CUC.

 

The rates are actually set by the government, and we found the exchange rates in both Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba to be the same.

 

People exchanging US $ are subject to a 10% penalty, then the 3% conversion fee. So, a hundred US $ exchange to about 86.6 CUC. If you swap 100 CUC back to US $, they should give you $97.

 

People exchanging Euro, Canadian dollars, Mexican pesos, etc avoid the 10% penalty, but are subject to the 3%, each way.

[esquirecpa]

On 11/5/2018 at 9:58 PM, tunafish said:

Forgot to mention, if you can avoid exchanging money in Cienfuegos please do. If you can, bring euro. Port exchange booth was a rape for usd. 0.86cuc for a buck one way, 1.25cuc back to get a us dollar before departure.  Doing a simple math, you are losing 31.2 cents on a dollar with two way exchange. 

Thank you for the great and very useful insight and information.Much appreciated.

[JMKrzesni]

Our guide, Tony Castillo, had us skip the exchange line at the cruise terminal.  He took us straight to Trinidad, and we exchanged money there.  There was no line.  The rate seems to be the same everywhere 87 CUC for 100 USD.  We probably saved 1/2 hour in line and got to see Trinidad before it got too crowded.  

[Perl of the Seas]

Hi all.  I have been reading your questions and reviews about private tours in Cienfuegos.  I have written many reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor.  I have been on 55 cruises.  I have done all kinds of tours, large groups,  small groups, private, local taxi and where there are Hop on Hop off buses did those too.  So now let me tell you about TRINIDAD SIGHTSEEING.  I have never experienced such an outstanding company.  Anna is your contact person.  I felt like Anna was a long time friend making sure that we had an outstanding tour.  We met our guide just beyond the port where he was standing holding a card with my name along with other guides.  We then met our driver and off we went.  The gentlemen who was our PRIVATE guide is an English Professor and everywhere we went there was a former student who ran up to give him a hug.  We sat for a while in the city square while he explained some of the history of Cienfuegos.  Then we walked around the “downtown” area before returning to our driver.  Off we went to see the beautiful homes along the water.  We stopped in a lovely restaurant (did not eat there) and enjoyed the live music for a bit.  We walked over to a beautiful hotel and oh how I wish I could have stayed there instead of going back to the ship.  Then we went to lunch and invited our outstanding guide to join us.  All I can say is don’t even think of considering another tour company as TRINIDAD SIGHTSEEING is first class all the way.

i plan on returning to Cuba for my third visit and I will be contacting my new friend Anna to set up a tour to Trinidad for us this time.  I really don’t even know how to put into words my complete delight with this company.  You can reach Anna at https://trinidadsightseeing.com/ and her email. info@trinidadsightseeing.com. Tell her Jill sent you.  You have my promise to have the best tour ever at a unbelievable fair price.  Go visit Cuba!  It’s unlike any Caribbean Island you have ever been to. 

[Cienfuegos]

Thanks for a great overview, Perl of the Seas.

 

Our cruise director on Viking gave sage advice before our first Cienfuegos visit.  "Remember, many Cubans are just as curious about you, as you are about them."  I found that to be very true, unlike some islands, where tourists are a fruit to be harvested.

[midagecruiser]

This is a review of the recent tour of Cienfuegos with Tony Castello of Tony Cuba vacations. Tony met us, aparty of 4 in a confortable AC Van. We wanted a slower paced tour for this cruise stop so we elected to stay just around Cienfuegos and not go to Trinidad. Tony wanted us to see the real Cuba as well as the tourist sites. We started the day by going to a beautiful beach hotel. My husband mentioned that he was interested in baseball, so we went to the stadium and watched batting practice and met some players. We even went to visit his Hostal LA Verde here he lives and rents out. We went to the yacht club and the palaces, but also saw the fruit market and the ration store where the Cuban people shop.We couldn't ask for a more informative day. Tony was so concerned about our comfort and is a true ambassabor for Cienfuegos.