Ask Tom: going Dutch

Ask Tom: going Dutch: "

Lonely Planet's expert Tom Hall answers this week's questions about restrictions on Amsterdam's coffee shops, travel in and around Johannesburg and group accommodation in Cuba

Amsterdam has long been one of my favoured travel destinations and I've heard rumours that 'coffee' shops are due to be prevented from selling 'coffee' to non-Dutch nationals. Could you confirm the truth of this ugly rumour please? Also, as I have one child (well an adult now) born in Zaandam to a Surinamese lass holding Dutch nationality might I have a get-out clause, so to speak?
Cellarman

Both this question and the one below were asked during last week's live chat and I've had the chance to follow them up in the meantime. Next week we'll be going live again, and then doing so fortnightly with our regular blog in the weeks in between.

For the latest on coffee shops I asked the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, who must be fed up of talking about this subject. They confirmed that the new coalition government in the Netherlands has recently announced its intention to introduce restrictions for usage of coffee shops in Holland. This may mean that in the future foreign tourists will be unable to access coffee shops. These measures have been proposed in order to reduce the use of soft drugs among young people as well as cutting down crime and street nuisance near coffee shops. Dutch MPs will decide upon the suggested proposals in the near future. How such a ban would be enforced is not clear.

Frankly I'm at a loss as to why anyone would spend any time in these places, which are by quite some distance the least interesting thing about Amsterdam and tend to be tourist traps. Bars such as House of Bols (houseofbols.com) and MiNiBAR (minibaronline.com) are more reflective of the nightlife agenda in Amsterdam.

There's always something interesting going on in the city, including many cultural and musical events. Of particular note are the lounge evenings at the Van Gogh museum every Friday during which lounge chairs, video projections, live music, DJs and a bar transform the museum's central hall into a relaxed place to meet. Moreover, with the opening of the Hermitage Amsterdam in 2009 and the reopening of the Stedelijk Museum in 2011 and Rijksmuseum in 2013 the art scene in Amsterdam, already rich, will be going into overdrive.

I'm hoping to travel to South Africa in September next year and really want to visit the fossil fields at Sterkfontein. I'm not sure whether to stay in Johannesburg or out at the site. Finding accommodation at the site is difficult but I am concerned about staying in Johannesburg. Any advice?
Tom Marshall

Johannesburg has a fearsome reputation in some quarters, but the story is very different from many of those who live there or have visited the city. Yes, you need to be on your guard and yes, crime does happen, but most visits there are trouble free and plenty of people love the place. Have a read of this post from the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree and also mug up on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's travel advice for South Africa which has some good general safety tips.

One thing that rarely gets noted about Johannesburg is how close it is to some wonderful attractions, with Sterkfontein being a case in point. Sterkfontein's fossil fields are known locally as the Cradle of Humankind (cradleofhumankind.co.za), a 47,000-hectare area that forms one of the world's most important paleontological zones. The Sterkfontein Caves, where the remains of more than 600 hominid fossils have been found, are a must-see. You'll find half and full-day tours easy to arrange from Johannesburg if you decide to stay in the city but there's also enough to justify an overnight stay, but you'll need a car to get around. For that reason a tour from Johannesburg may be a better bet.

Many visitors opt to stay in the suburbs of Johannesburg, and aiming for somewhere a little way away from the city centre is a good idea as you can get settled and get local advice on where to head to and where to steer clear of. If you're on a budget, Brown Sugar Backpackers (brownsugarbackpackers.com) is a good place to meet other travellers and also has a useful tour agency attached. Alternatively, if you'd rather stay in a guesthouse with a variety of rooms, pool and garden, Sunbury House (sunburyhouse.com) in Melville is a short walk from the bars and restaurants of this area of Johannesburg.

We are a mature group and are going to be travelling around Cuba for two weeks in Jan/Feb. We'd like to stay in casa particulares but they appear to only ever rent out two rooms. We need three – a double, a twin and a single. Do you have any idea how we might find places really near each other without my pouring over a street map for every place we intend to visit?
Gail Romanes

Legally Cubans with a licence to operate casa particulares have for many years only been allowed to rent out two rooms, with no more than two people in each one. You won't generally find any Cubans prepared to break the terms of this agreement. There are rumours that this legislation is being relaxed, but the most recent chatter I can find on this point is inconclusive. You're best off keeping an eye on Cuba sites such as Cuba Junky (cuba-junky.com) but it's unlikely anything is going to change by the time you travel. You could try searching at casaparticularcuba.org which lists some establishments with more than two rooms, but these tend to be more upmarket options than traditional. In smaller towns you'll have to split up or stay in hotels rather than casas."