Can We Take a Laptop into Cuba?

Question: Would appreciate any advise you could give us about taking a laptop to Cuba on a trip that we are planning later this year. We are planning/hoping on a couple of weeks in Cuba, including a few days in Havana and some travel inland and to the East, ending in Holguin. We realize that Internet connectivity is difficult at best, even in Havana (at hotels?), but we also use the laptop to download pictures, keep notes, write information, etc.  Are there any restrictions/problems? Would we encounter any issues entering or leaving the country? Any information you could share, either by email or a posting on HT’s web page would be appreciated. Regards.

Answer: There is no problem whatsoever with taking a laptop and accessories on your trip to Cuba. Several hotels in Havana and some in other parts of the country have Internet connections.  Some very slow, others relatively fast (Hotel Melia Habana, Hotel Melia Cohiba, Hotel Panorama, Hotel Parque Central in the capital.).  Most of the hotel websites clearly let you know if they have WIFI, service-only on their computers or no Internet access.  Expect to pay between 6 and 8 CUC (7 to 9 USD) per hour for WIFI.

There are some hotels with round 220 volt electrical outlets so it wouldn’t hurt to bring an adapter that goes from your flat plug in to two round ones, since the adapters are sometimes scarce.