Ready to visit Cuba? Better be sure about that

by Chris Owen on

The good news is that, thanks to President Obama, you can visit Cuba. Policy changes encourage more contact between Americans and citizens of Cuba. The not-so-good news is that you probably won’t be lounging on the beach all day and bringing back a box of Cuban cigars. Your trip will be jam-packed with required educational opportunities and an immersive Cuban experience.

The United States Treasury Department is once again granting the “people-to-people” licenses, created under President Clinton, stopped under President Bush, which greatly expand travel opportunities for Cuba-bound American visitors. Still, travelers won’t be surfing the Internet to buy a flight, coordinating it with a hotel stay and rental car on their own any time soon.

Traveling to Cuba requires planning your trip through one of several groups authorized to operate the “people to people exchanges” and the rules are strict. The Treasury Department says the tours must “have a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba.”
Ranging from about $1700 for a weekend to over $4000 for a week, the trips are packed with immersive travel opportunities enabling us to meet local citizens and learn about Cuba’s culture. Going it on our own? Not going to happen. Still, booking a package is easy.

“All a U.S. citizen has to do is sign up for an authorized program and they can go to Cuba. It’s as simple as that” Tom Popper, director of travel company Insight Cuba told the New York Times.

This is a really good example of travel plans that can benefit greatly with the aid of a qualified travel professional. Actually, this is probably the best example ever of how valuable a qualified travel professional can be: the packages put together by these authorized groups make using a travel professional required. Rightfully so, requirements are strict for the program content, traveler documentation and putting the packages together takes a great deal of planning.

“We’ve been preparing for this day for seven years” said Popper. “Now that we have the license in hand, anyone and everyone can reserve their spot on one of our carefully crafted travel programs to Cuba from August 2011 through September 2012. We’ve created six exciting new experiences, which can be found on our website, providing unique access to people and places the average traveler rarely sees.”

Insight Cuba hand-picks exclusive experiences for its 16-person (maximum) groups and has an in-country host/escort along for the ride. The all-inclusive packages feature some of the best hotels, all meals, ground transportation, domestic flights in Cuba (where required), all entry fees, professional guide services, U.S. Treasury Department license and Letter of Authorization, and travel insurance. Insight Cuba has these six itineraries with over 130 departures through September 2012:

A single supplement of just $300 ($200 for Weekend in Havana) is available also.

Another company, USA Cuba Travel specializes in travel to Cuba and urges would-be travelers to Cuba to take a very realistic view of what is ahead of them.

“Cuba which is still a socialist country, lives at a slow pace. At the same time, the country is very popular with the almost 2,000,000 tourists who travel there each and every year. In Cuba there is no central reservation system equipped with sophisticated computers that is open 24 hours a day” the company says on it’s website adding “It takes time, (up to one week) to make any reservation.”

Learn more about travel to Cuba at the US Treasury Department website.

Flickr photo by flippinyank

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Photo of the day – What’s for dinner?

by Meg Nesterov on


Food photography (or less delicately, food porn) are always a popular travel subject. Travelers love to capture the unusual, the delicious, and the beautiful eats of the world. This shot by Flickr user Marisoleta of

a live lobster tied up in Kyoto, Japan manages to be all three. Marisoleta explains that it was part of an offering demonstrated by a priest in one of Kyoto’s largest festivals, and as usual, the Japanese show their flair for food presentation. The lobster seems to be at peace with his fate, whether it’s to be boiled and eaten with melted butter, or untied and set back into the water.

Add your favorite food shots to the Gadling Flickr pool and if they make us hungry, we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.

Budget Maldives: How to find perfect beaches and unbelievable snorkeling on a relative shoestring

by Justin Delaney on

The lowest lying country in the world does not offer much above sea level, just 7 feet 7 inches at its highest point. This fine sliver of sun kissed atolls is so postcard perfect it borders on ridiculous. White sand beaches, Kool-aid blue seawater, and densely populated coral reefs are de rigueur in The Maldives. It is a different kind of world, a water-world with flying taxis and manta rays measuring over 20 feet from tip to tip, soaring over their colorful underwater kingdoms.

With 1,192 islands covering 26 atolls, the Maldives island chain covers a significant portion of the Indian Ocean between India and Africa. The scantly populated nation boasts only 400,000 humans, many of which are Muslim. The one time British protectorate and Islamic sultanate habitats only 200 of its many islands with the rest defending the deserted island ideal – groves of shady palms trees, tide pools filled with skittering creatures, soft white beaches that disappear into cyan water, and nary a human in sight to spoil the dream.

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Getting there
From the New World, reaching The Maldives is a serious commitment, but the effort is rewarding. While no direct flights exist from the United States, London and Dubai provide worthy hubs to the island nation. British Airways and SriLankan Airlines fly direct from London to Male – the capital city of The Maldives. Emirates flies direct from Dubai in just about four hours.

From Southeast Asia, Singapore Air services The Maldives from Singapore. The easiest (and cheapest) connection to Male is from nearby Colombo in Sri Lanka via SriLankan Airlines. Colombo can be reached cheaply from the hub of Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia.

Lodging
The Maldives is home to some of the nicest resorts on the planet. It is one of the most exclusive and expensive places to visit, but value can be found for those that look. Websites such as Kayak will show aggregate pricing from a number of hotel booking sites, and it is possible to pounce on insanely good deals. Just be sure to factor in airplane transfers (seaplane taxi can reach $500 per person from the airport) and the inevitable massive dining bill on top of your nightly fee. For a mid-range resort in the Maldives, expect to pay at least $35-$100 per meal per couple (without massive alcohol consumption) and be sure to choose a package that includes a free breakfast.

A great workaround to the expensive seaplane taxi is to book a resort that can be reached by yacht. Resorts such as Kurumba and Kuramathi are close enough to the airport for cheap boat transportation, but the trade-off of hearing planes landing may not be worth it for some people.

Since every property in the Maldives outside of the capital city of Male is on its own private island, it is very important to choose wisely. The commitment is unlike choosing a regular hotel in a regular city because you are literally on an island, forced to eat and sun exclusively on island, with the exception of occasional excursions. If the food is sub-par and expensive, then you will be a slave to this dining arrangement for the duration of your stay. Therefore, it is very wise to do research on sites like Tripadvisor to insure yourself against the plague of daily disappointment.

Underwater
As far as snorkeling goes, it does not get better than the Maldives. With 200 species of coral reef and 300 species of fish, the underwater beauty is mind-blowing. It is one of those rare locations where the snorkeling is as good as, if not better than, the scuba diving. Experiencing both is ideal, but if you are not into breathing compressed air, then snorkeling the Maldives will certainly suffice in providing one of life’s great experiences.

The coolest thing about the snorkeling is the accessibility. The water is extremely calm, and many offshore reefs are shallow. This provides an environment that even novice swimmers can be comfortable with. Most resorts also have house reefs that begin just steps from one’s guestroom. This proximity to the coral reefs provides a convenient, and free, gateway to the underwater kingdom of the Maldives.


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The Capital
Malé is the island capital of the Maldives (above) with 100,000 Maldivians making it one of the most densely populated islands in the world. The island is filled with tall buildings, mosques, and fish markets. People do not generally visit the Maldives to see this bustling island, but those that do visit the capital find an extremely interesting society based around the worship of Islam and bounty of the sea. It is also the cheapest place to stay in the Maldives with sub $50 rooms.

Maldives on a Budget
So what is “budget” in an island playground for the wealthy? The term “budget” is relative. Visiting Quito, Ecuador on a budget may involve a $35 per day allowance, while a budget Maldives trip can be realistically done for $250 per day per couple. A huge difference, but the price of paradise has a premium.

The Maldives is one of the most expensive destinations in the world. Just getting there will cost at least $300 round-trip, and upon arrival, the real hemorrhaging of cash begins. Rooms reach upwards of $1000 per night, private taxis from the airport can cost over $500, and food, bearing hefty logistical costs, is also quite expensive.

If done right though, it is possible to book a room for a little over $100. Airport transfer can also cost a fortune, but, if the resort is close enough to the airport, it is possible to pay only $25 each way for private boat transport.

Utilize websites like Kayak and Agoda to find cheap rooms and inquire directly with the resort about cost of transport from the airport. On my last visit to the Maldives, I paid $166 per night for a room at Kurumba (with breakfast, crucial, for stealing snacks later called lunch) and about $50 per person for return transport to the airport. My daily budget averaged $280 for two people that drink modestly – not a shoestring, but relatively cheap for one of the most expensive destinations in the world. (Disclaimer: I ate chicken nuggets off the toddler menu twice.)

Global warming and the Maldives
In 2009, the president of the Maldives and his cabinet held a meeting underwater to illustrate the Maldives status as one of the few endangered countries on the planet. With sea levels rising and the Maldives being the lowest lying country in the world, its fate as the first submerged nation is very possible. All the more reason to visit this spectacular land while it is still above sea level.

All photography by Justin Delaney
Aerial photo of Male from Wikimedia Commons

Photo of the day – Little girl, big gun, little goat

by Meg Nesterov on

It’s always interesting to see what’s in the Gadling Flickr pool when we look for a Photo of the Day to feature. We see a lot of regular travelers posting pictures each week, some professional photographers, some lucky shots (I’ll insert a gentle reminder in here to make sure your photos are available for download if you would like them featured, thanks!). Today’s was pretty easy to choose as it really jumps out at you. Who doesn’t like pictures of baby goats, especially with cute children? Wait a second, is she pointing a GUN at the goat?! Oh, well, it’s just a toy gun apparently. I guess that makes it okay, but still a bit different than your average sunset or street scene. An interesting slice of life from Nepal by Flickr user Dan Fellini, hope the goat obeyed the little girl’s orders!

Have any unusual pictures to share? You know the drill – add them to the

Gadling Flickr pool and look for it in a future Photo of the Day.

Seven courses at the highest restaurant in the world – At.mosphere in Dubai

by Justin Delaney on

Dubai is a city of realized hyperbole. It has the tallest building in the world, man-made islands shaped like the world’s continents, and a restaurant high high above the towering skyscrapers below. At.mosphere, a restaurant in Dubai’s towering Burj Khalifa, provides a dining experience with a view reminiscent of glancing out the window of a plane. It is preposterously thrilling to savor a plate of foie gras 122 floors above what appears to be the world’s largest game of Sim City developing below, spreading out into open desert.

Reaching At.mosphere involves a few steps absent from most dining arrangements. First, one must enter the tallest building in the world, approach a sleek metal elevator, and make a very important choice that is really no choice at all. Only one option exists in the elevator – floor 123. With no stops to make on the way up, the elevator travels with a speedy transcendence that feels just a few technological steps removed from teleportation – 33 feet per second. In the time it takes a middle school graduate to read this paragraph, the doors swing open to reveal a spiral staircase leading to the restaurant one floor below.


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At.mosphere is not a large restaurant, but floor to ceiling windows exaggerate its humble boundaries. It feels as though the entire sky is yours. Designed by Adam Tihany, the space strikes a fine balance between opulence and simplicity, allowing the view and the food to inspire diners unobstructed by unnecessary appointments. The lacquered mahogany walls and white tablecloth tables combine to create an elegantly modern aesthetic without being too pushy or over-extravagant – an issue that seems to surface frequently in Dubai.

Holding diners’ attention with such a world class view is a challenging proposition. Chef Dwayne Cheer is up to the task and delivers inspired dishes with ingredients as globally sourced as Dubai. Vegetables from Provence, bush lamb from Australia, and lobsters from Maine round out an unlikely cast of characters to be found in the Middle-east. Due to a safety issue of cooking at such a lofty height in a confined space, using gas in the kitchen is not possible. The Chef and his team side-step this issue by employing the “Mighty Josper” – a BBQ oven that utilizes Binchōtan charcoal to grill tender vessels of deliciousness. The Josper Oven is a Spanish invention and has enjoyed tremendous success throughout Europe.

The food is worthy of superlative, and the occasional joy-filled expletive. While the a la carte menu boasts many intriguing selections, the set menu provides a tantalizing flight around the world. From first to last, each dish inspired. Like a man with no issues regarding his expanding waistline, I took to each plate with a reckless abandon, devouring seven in a row while putting back no less than three mocktails. I felt like an imperial Epicurean, conquering all foods into the empire of my stomach. At the end of the feast, as sugar coursed through my body and the taste of wagyū lingered on my palette, I was ever thankful for Chef Cheer and his mighty Josper oven. Here is how I reached this point of culinary nirvana:

Course One: Asparagus soup with king crab, pea shoots, and gold

Course Two: Seared diver scallops with cauliflower puree and grapefruit grenobloise

Course Three: Pan fried fois gras with espresso reduction and amaretto foam

Course Four: Pan fried whitefish with lemon balm in mangosteen broth

Course Five: Wagyu Beef with baby veggies, potato puree, and smoky pepper jus

Course Six: Fromage frais with raspberry sorbet and fresh apple

Course Seven: The Gianduja – gianduja mousse with bitter chocolate sorbet and caramelized hazelnut, topped with gold

Every dish stole my heart. The fois gras tasted delicate and extremely sweet, challenging my taste buds with its complex dichotomy of flavors. The wagyu beef fell apart with each bite, its tenderness lending an ephemeral quality to the storied Japanese beef. The Gianduja almost changed my religion. I contemplated worshiping only food after the third bite.

In the end, I felt like an upmarket Adam Richman, exhausted from this crippling conquest of food and drink. Without a doubt, when in Dubai, visit At.mosphere. The view is unparalleled, the food is exquisitely concocted, and while the name is a bit on the contrived side, it is the one thing that is undoubtedly forgivable in a restaurant. At.mosphere is a special restaurant, and as the highest in the world, it will remain one of Dubai’s most popular establishments.

Eating there: At.mospere is located in downtown Dubai in the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world. Reservations are a must and can be made by emailing a reservation request to reservations@atmosphereburjkhalifa.com. The restaurant side of At.mospere, known as the Grill, is open for lunch from 12:30pm – 3:00pm and for dinner from 7:00pm – 11:30pm. The lounge portion of At.mosphere is open from 12:00pm – 2:00am. An a la carte menu can be viewed here. Offerings range from 110 AED ($30) to 590 AED ($160).

On a budget, but want to take in the view and atmosphere? Stop by the At.mosphere lounge for an adult beverage or mocktail.

All photography by Justin Delaney

Support for this program was partially provided by DTCM, with no limits on editorial or photographic content.