7DaysinParadise
Cuba => Cuba => Topic started by: JJay on February 08, 2006, 01:12:00 PM
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Has anyone been to the Guardalavca area in May and if so have mosquitos been really troublesome. I have been reading numerous hotel reviews to try and choose a hotel and some people are really complaining about the number of mosquitos, day and night. Usually they don't bother me but they do enjoy a good nibble at my husband and I wouldn't like to go anywhere that he would get eaten alive as some reviews have mentioned.
Also is it recommended to take precautions for malaria when travelling to this area.
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I was in Cayo Santa Maria last May and there were no mosquitoes to speak off.
I think a lot depends on the weather. If there is rain, there will be mosquitoes.
Just buy the Boots Insect Repellent Spray -Extra Strength with 50% DEET. It works well for me _ now suffer minimal bites.
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Dont' forget Bellagio, I was there a couple of weeks after you (early June) and the mosquitos were absolutely horrific!! People were covered in bites, and this is with the hotel fogging morning and night! I'm not trying to freak you out, JJay, but those buggers can be really bad, so do prepare yourself as Bellagio recommends, just in case. I wish we had the access to DEET products that you do over there :(
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JJay, I can't help you with Guardalavaca, but we were in Cayo Coco last May, which is supposed to be mosquito heaven because of the mangroves and we didn't get bitten once.
Believe me, they seek me out!
bellagio is right. If it rains, there will be mosquitos.
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I guess better be safe and bring what Bellagio said, better safe then sorry...
And taking the those pills, remember you have to start weeks before you go away so don't leave that to the last minute ;)
Bulldog :s:
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We were at Playa Pesquero last May and we weren't bothered at all by mosquitos.
I never had to use bug spray once.
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I was near Holguin last June. The first 3 days were perfect and dry, then the 2 year drought broke. Big time. Two years worth of dormant eggs hatched and the hungry mosquitoes had a taste for imported blood. I had taken 3 bottles of 97% Deet and 2 bottles of Aloe Vera gel. It made a nice paste when mixed together and kept the mosquitoes to a single layer on my skin. Everyone wanted to be my friend when the sun went down.
I won't be travelling during the wet season again. May would be perfect.
Bigjohn.
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Originally posted by Bulldog:
I guess better be safe and bring what Bellagio said, better safe then sorry...
And taking the those pills, remember you have to start weeks before you go away so don't leave that to the last minute ;)
Bulldog :s:
Be careful with the malaria pills. They can make you very nauseous.
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I didn't know there was any risk of Malaria in Cuba. I've never seen it mentioned before. Is this new?
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I'm not pro pills...just wanted her to know if she wants them the only work if you start them 4-6 weeks before you leave ;)
Bulldog :s: (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_12_7.gif)
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I've never heard of a malaria scare in Cuba.
I know a few people at work went to Punta Cana last year and they took the malaria pills.
They didn't enjoy their vacation because they felt ill the whole time. A side effect of the pills.
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JJay, I was at the PCV third week of May last year and I didn't find the mosquitos bad at all, but my daughter did, and I am usually a mosquito magnet.
The only time I was bothered was on the last night and we had dinner at the Cuban restaurant which is not enclosed. I was so used to not putting any bug spray on at all that I went out without even thinking about it. Well that night the wee buggers were all over my ankles. So do put bug spray on when eating in any non-enclosed restaurants.
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We was there last May swmbo is bug bait, she used deet mozzie spray, she also eat loads of fruit and garlic, aparently they don't like vit C, she also wore a wristband which contained deet at night, all these seemed to work, take a good after bite just in case
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Thanks everyone. I will speak to the nurse at my doctors re whether or not malaria tablets are essential. She got quite annoyed one year when she found I hadn't been taking them to go to the Dominican Republic. That said, it had been her that told me I didn't need them, however, it had been a few years previous!!! So now to save a slap on the wrist I always ring up to check. The tablets I took for Punta Cana were fine and had no ill effects, so hopefully it will be the same ones for Cuba. They do differ though depending on which country you travel too and some can make you rather nauseous.
I always take plenty of spray with me and have never been too bothered. It sounds like Cuba gets bad when it rains, so I'll be praying for no rain. We usually travel to Mexico in May and have never been troubled with bites.
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I have been there in Oct not one bite.
If you go there have a zombie for me they are soooo good :1:
This link might help a bit...
go down the page till you find Cuba
http://www.who.int/ith/countries/listc/en/index.html (http://www.who.int/ith/countries/listc/en/index.html)