Sophie & Mike

IT'S A GO !!

Advantage Meadowvale Travel Inc.

2283 Argentia Road, Unit 9-B

Mississauga, Ont.   L5N 5Z2

Contact:     Marcia Faber - Senior Consultant

519-622-7925

www.meadowvale-travel.com 

email:  meadowvale@sympatico.ca

Marcia has been, and still is, Mike's corporate travel agent.  She has always gone the extra mile for them and so we trust her with all of our wedding travel arrangements.  We suggest dealing with Marcia directly to ensure your reservations and to minimize the chances of any errors. 

We have worked with Marcia and have secured the best pricing available with Nolitours/Air Transat for one week all-inclusive at the Sirenis.  

We depart from Toronto Saturday, May 16th and arrive back in Toronto Saturday, May 23rd. 

A non-refundable deposit of $200.00 CAD is required at the time of booking to secure a spot and the rate. 

Have the following information available at time of booking:

1)  Your full and complete name as shown on your passport; 

2)  Your mailing address so that Marcia can send you your confirmation; and

3) A credit card (best) or certified cheque or money order

If you are traveling solo you will be happy to know that the Sirenis does not charge a single supplement during the month of May.  This means you can have a room all to yourself at no extra charge.

If you would prefer to stay at another resort then that is perfectly ok!!!  What matters most to us is your presence on our special day.  Keep in mind though that you will be required to purchase a day pass for the day of the wedding.  Please factor this cost into your budget when planning your holiday.  

All Canadians travelling to Cuba must have a valid passport and the passport must not expire within three months of your departure date from Cuba.  In our case your passport must not expire before August 23, 2009.

Cuban immigration typically does not stamp your passport.  Instead they provide a stamped visitors visa which will include your exit visa.   DO NOT LOSE THIS VISA INFORMATION.  Keep it with your passport in your room safe at all times.

For your return flight, you must each pay 25.00 CUC, in cash, at the Cuban airport.  This is  for your departure tax.   If you do not have this they WILL NOT allow you to board the plane.  So drink all the $1 rums at the clubs as you can and shop till you drop, but do not forget to save 25.00 CUC.  We advise that once you exchange your money at the lobby bar, take 25.00 CUC and put it in your passport.

Lastly, do not be surprised if the resort takes your passport during your stay.  Some resorts are now holding onto passports until you leave.  We are not sure if Sirenis is one of these resorts.

For guests interested in purchasing travel insurance we would like to recommend AIG TravelGuard insurance. 

We have checked out their site and their rates seem reasonable.  Below is the link for those interested.

www.travelguard.ca

Please refer to the links below for new government restrictions applied to canadians travelling by air.

Some guests have been asking us what is included in an all-inclusive resort.  EVERYTHING is included!  Your liquor, food, accomodation, flight, taxes (excluding departure tax) and tips are covered; everything.  

Once you have paid for your trip you can theoretically leave your wallet at home (well bring enough money for your departure tax), board your plane at Pearson/Trudeau/Vancouver and not have to worry the entire week about anything financially. 

If you would like to participate on any of the excursions though, there will be an extra cost.  Credit cards (Canadian issued only) are accepted for these. 

There are also little extras offrerd at the resort at an additional cost such as a salon, motorized water sports, and golf, should you wish to take advantage of them.

Again, we recommend bringing tipping money with you.  Although it's covered in your package and you don't have to, tipping the staff while you're there will get you far better service for the week.  That's not to say you will not get good service without tipping, you'll just get superior service if you tip.  Try it and you'll see what we mean.

A little note for those of you that cannot funtion without your morning coffee like us.  Coffee service at breakfast is notoriously slow at every resort we've been to in Cuba.  You would be lucky if you were offered a coffee within 10 minutes of being seated.  We would like to suggest giving your waiter a $5 tip on your first day.  They will be at your table with coffee every morning before you even sit down!!!  Trust me!

• Visitors leaving Cuba can take out 50 cigars, and 1.14 litres of liquor (two 750ml bottles).  To export other items, such as art and antiques, obtain a permit from the National Registry of Cultural Objects.  Most legitimate vendors have such permits, and can officially stamp your receipt.

•  American money is not accepted in Cuba nor are american issued credit cards.  The hotel lobby can exchange canadian cash.  Only exchange what you may need as you cannot change it back.

• It is recommended that you buy your cigars from authorized vendors and not from street/beach vendors. The cigars they let you sample may be authentic but the box they sell you is probably full of cigars wrapped in banana leaves.  We have seen this happen over the years.

•  Because of the US trade embargo Cubans cannot get their hands on many Western goods.  Therefore you could take some t-shirts/baseball caps etc, and use as tips.  They will be ecstatic! Baseball is their national sport so they will be particularly pleased with anything related to this.  Last time we were in Cuba they were going nuts trying to get Mike's Nike shirt!

•  On trips out to the poorer areas the locals may ask for pens or soap. This is worth knowing so that you can take some with you if you wish. There is not much begging or hassle, and if all they want is pens...you can decide for yourself if it is appropriate.

•  Tipping the staff little and often ensures good service. A small tip of 2.00 CUC is equivalent to a week's wages, so a little money goes a long long way.