A guide by pauloneill79
Just 20 minutes by taxi from Old Havana there are perfect Caribbean beaches – fine white sand and inconceivably turquoise water — which are the perfect escape from the heat of city. There are a few beach bars serving decent fried fish, etc. Swimming pools are a rarity in Havana, but there is a good one in the lovely Hotel Sevilla — cocktails available.
Based on the Malekon, overlooking the sea and the bay, this is the best hotel in Havana - full of history and atmosphere. A tour of the hotel is a must, as you can see the trenches and bunkers built in the early 60s in preparation for a possible US invasion.
Calle 21 y O, Vedado, Plaza, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba, 10400;
tel: (53-7) 836 3564 al 67;
www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com
On the Malekon - cannot miss it
Try pizza for Cubans, sold from house windows. If you look around you can get this cheap and tasty local pizza for as little as 5 peso cubanos. Greate taste. Enjoy your meal!
Try Piro Guinart, the green house on the corner, a few metres from the bus terminal.
Visit the largest flea market in Old Havana for souveniors, paintings, carvings and T-shirts. Bargaining is possible, unlike the rest of Havana.
In Havana old town.
Outdoor club dating back to the 1930's. Amazing floorshows, colouful costumes and girls with endless legs! Go there.
Calle 72, Marianao
Tel: 7/267-1010
We stayed in the wonderful Sevilla Hotel in Havana and then 2 Casa Particulars (people's houses) in Trinidad and then back in Havana. In retrospect I would probably have finished with the hotel as after 2 weeks in Cuba you really need a bit of luxury! The casas are great however, as you get to stay with a proper Cuban family and they love kids.
Carrie found us all the casas, and she was invaluable. Her site is www.cuba-particular.com and you can contact her at carrie@cuba-particular.com
Behind the Capitalo building there is a cigar factory. Well worth a visit. It is amazing to see how they are actually put together and boxed.
Search Been there
