Yes, when I visited Cuba I also was only able to rent a 50cc moped from my hotel at Playa Ancon near Trinidad, The bike was very old and quite unreliable - not something you would be able to tour around Cuba on.

Cuba is also quite a large island with poor road infrastructure, and very difficult to find accommodation if you are not booked on a group tour. You would find it quite difficult to see much of the country by bike - better to fly or take a tourist bus between population centres.

__________________
Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

I suppose it's like anything else. Some places rent crap, some have newer stuff. The moped I rented (in 2005) was almost brand new and took me right up the 20 percent grades into the hills north of Trinidad. There was a booth in town where the guy had about 6 new mopeds for rent. But I do agree that a moped is a bit small for touring ...but doable in small chunks.

It's too bad you had that experience. I bicycled parts of Cuba for one week each, also rented a car for a week and the moped for 3 days. Finding accommodation was never a problem. The only reservations I made were the first two nights in Varadero. When entering a town I would just ask around for a "Casa Particular". Once in a Casa Particular, the owner can often call ahead to your next destination to hold a room in a house of one of his/her friends in that town. In the more touristed areas, and even some not so touristed areas, I would be mobbed by pesky touts trying to get me to stay at one of the Casas particulares with whom they had connections. Guide books such as Lonely Planet and Moon also list a few of them. Of course things can get a bit tight in the peak seasons around the popular resort areas. My friend bicycled a more remote area by herself and had no issues finding places to stay, including being put up by a local woman in her hut. The smaller non-tourist towns will probably not have any "official" accommodation. The more Spanish you speak the easier it becomes.

Cuba is indeed quite big. 1200 km's from one end to the next. If anyone does find a way to rent a bike there, please post. I'm interested in doing this as well.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com