It will depend a lot on which one you had in mind and when you were thinking of going. But are you sure that it was mosquitoes that were the problem? May isn't usually a bad time for them - they get worse as the humidity builds up through the hurricane season but they aren't usually a problem in spring and early summer. And they are rarely a problem anywhere that is prone to offshore breezes or winds. They need still, stagnant water to breed and the Cuban authorities have done a pretty good job, especially in the main tourist areas, of eradicating the places where they can breed. Admittedly I am rarely troubled by them but the only occasions I have been bitten have been in July/August time in the centre of Santiago where the numerous patios can provide perfect breeding conditions for them. To be honest, I find the midges around the lochs and moorland areas here at home in Scotland in August to be a much bigger problem than anything I have encountered in Cuba

But some beaches are positively alive with sandflies which have just as nasty a nip and can be a real problem at any time of year if you are susceptible to them. If the bites were mainly on your lower legs and ankles then I would finger sandflies rather than mozzies as the critters giving you problems. If you were getting bitten during the day rather than after dark, then that would be another clue too. That said some beaches are worse than others so hopefully you'll get more detailed info from others on HT shortly.

SM

I agree... I've never been particularly troubled by mozzies (liberally applied DEET round exposed areas and round ankles), but Sandfleas... rampant on some beaches... worse first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon and they aren't put off by deet

DO take a couple of tubes of Antihistamine cream and 1% Hydrocortisone cream and put a dab of each on the bites and massage in, especially after a bath or shower....

There was a bit of an urban myth about Strong Vitamin B tablets a few years back... I took them and still got bitten, there was an interesting side effect though....

ATB,J.

worse first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon

That's because like all sensible creatures they stay out of the glare and heat of the mid-day Cuban sun and by evening they've had their fill of nourishing tourist blood and need to sleep it off before making a fresh assault the following morning

SM

Hi. We stayed on Cayo Guillermo last June and because the Islands are mainly mangroves there will always be a mozzy problem, unlike mainland Cuba. I am not usually bothered by the lil darlins, but last year even though I was wearing 75% deet I still got eaten alive as did most people there, so bad I had an allergic reaction to them and had to have a cortizone injection, on saying that I would go back to the cayos, but not in June.