- Cuba
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Staying at The Big House was one of the highlights of our holiday in Cuba. Why? Because the host Arturo is one of the coolest people you could wish to come across.
He is fun, warm and friendly - undoubtedly you will end up chatting and laughing over a late night beer with him and his friends in one of Vinales' simple but welcoming bars. If you’re not a Spanish speaker the most important thing is that Arturo has excellent English, so you can really connect with your host - something that frustrated us on our travels as we met so many lovely people who we struggled to communicate with using our paltry Spanish!
He has two rooms both with a private bathroom and a lovely outside area - perfect for pre-dinner drinks and some of his delicious home made potato chips. Dinner was a tasty, extensive spread of fresh fish, chicken, great rice and beans and plenty of fruit and veg and salad. Oh, and flan for pudding - not what we’d call flan in the UK - more like a creme caramel (which normally I hate but this I loved!). He'll also take care of ensuring the fridge is always full of beer and water. Breakfast is typically Cuban - coffee, fresh juice, eggs, bread and fruit.
The house is literally the Big House, dwarfing all the neighbours thanks to a capacious roof, and it's located in a quiet road just off the main drag. Vinales is well worth the visit as all the guidebooks say, sweet little town in stunning scenery with plenty to do nearby or a reasonable drive away - walking, horseriding and an hour away from the beautiful, unspoilt Caya Levissa beach. Arturo can help organise and pre-book these for you.
The Big House Rafael Trejo #33, Vinales Pinar Del Rio Cuba CP 22400 Tel: 048 793342
Email: lusien@correodecuba.cu
Uba is one of the greatest places to cycle. The roads are great (mostly concrete), very little traffic, friendly people and it’s as safe. They say the crime is almost non-existent. It’s not an expensive country and you can have a great time with less than CUC $ 40 a day, which equates to around UK £25 (March 2008).
Havana is too big to see on foot. Take a ride in a horse and carriage, the driver is a proper tour guide.
We had a two-hour drive up to Plaza de la Revolution and back, stopping where we wished for photos and finding out lots of local knowledge.The funniest part was the driver chatting up girls walking along the street while we trotted along beside them.
Central Havana, we found Leonardo and Picasso outside the Hotel Inglaterra where there is a bar where you can sit and look out on the busy street.
They'll try to sell you real Cuban cigars at a price that is slightly cheaper than the shops to indicate that they should be genuine at the price, but not too cheap to give you the feeling that they're fake. In fact all they are made of is old dried banana skins and they crumble apart once you light them. Steer clear of these sales people and spend a little extra on the real items.
Anywhere in Havana
If you want to see how confident the new gay generation is in Cuba, check
out gaytourguidecuba.com.
It's a gay tour guide service for gay travelers in Cuba! Nice college kids,
openly gay and they seem to feel that the government isn't against gays.
Meeting these people was the highlight of our trip. They really opened our eyes to a Cuba we could never have discovered on our own.
In the country that invented three classic rum-based cocktails (the mojito, daiquiri and cuba libre) it’s no surprise that you can get one in every bar in town. The bars of the city’s many historic grand old hotels are the best places for a pre-dinner sundowner (but eat in a paladar rather than the hotels — the food is rank).
Some of the best are the elegant garden at the Nacional and the rooftop bars of the Moorish-style Sevilla (the setting for Our Man in Havana) and Ambos Mundos (where Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls). The two more famous Hemingway haunts (Floridita and La Bodeguita) are just tourist traps these days.
Lovely, lovely people. Clean, comfortable rooms. Great food. Great hospitality and very moderately priced ($20).
House located in the vicinity of La Maison, a kind of nightclub with fashion shows in the evening.
Address: Anacaona 107
e/ Aguilera y Taino
Terrazas de Vista Alegre
Santiago de Cuba
Telephone: +53-22-641970
Website: www.geocities.com/hospedajesantiago/HS_en.html
This is the sea wall around Havana, and a fantastic place to cool off after a hot day. You can sit in the night's cool air, feel the sea breeze and enjoy the local rum.
It's also a great place to meet and talk with the locals.
If you like photography then taking photos of people and places in Havana is amazing. If you can learn the Spanish for "may I take your photo" you will be rewarded with some really great shots:
www.alib.co.uk/photos/index_cuba06_people.htm
Stay at least one night in the Hotel National just for the history. The view from the garden is amazing. Grab a drink and watch the sun set over the old city.
For more personal tips see my guide with a couple of suggestions:
www.alib.co.uk/guides/index.htm
Cycling in Cuba is a great way to get fit, get around, see lots & have an adventure! People are very friendly & helpful. Brings snacks if you are cycling! Staying in casa particulares will almost guarantee you get a good feed if you have your meals at the casa but the motels & hotels serve up less satisfying meals.
West of Santiago, Cuba is a remote, beautiful stretch to cycle with hardly any traffic, no Casa Particulares and not much food! Bring energy bars, peanuts etc from home. It's worth bringing a water filter as well since we could not buy mineral water at the motel we stayed at. There were lots of mosquitoes at night all along the coast so bring your insect rep. Some parts of the road next to the sea had been washed away but you'll be fine on a mountain bike everywhere. We had racing bikes and had to take it slow to avoid punctures but it was only stretches of 100 meters, no more. Happy cycling!
Forget the Tropicana - if you want the most authentic Cuban music experience in Havana go to the Casa de la Musica. This is where the Cubans come to go out. Arrive early, get a table, get a bottle of rum and then watch the place erupt as the tables are thrown aside and the salsa begins.
Casa de la Música “Miramar”.
Avenida 35 esq. a 20, Miramar
There is almost no shopping ... other then food and some basic household stuff. O.k. maybe the artisan market in Calle Heredia being the exception.
Artisan market, Calle Heredia
Santiago de Cuba offers many private houses with rooms for rent (Casas Particulares), many are of good standard and again, I recommend this as a true experience for anybody who really wants to experience country and people.
You can undertake excursions/daytrips and explore the Sierra Maestra, go to the beach or Parque Bacanao from Santiago.
I recommend a trip to 'El Cobre' a pilgrim's church just outside of town (by taxi), well worth seeing and for a Christian a very impressive experience.
As for beaches ... there are many around with different characteristics ... though none have white sand and/or a great deal of infrastructure. Try 'Siboney'- the beach most frequented by tourists. Expect some hussling, or 'Mar Verde' or 'El Frances' all about half an hour's taxi ride from town.
The music played in Santiago is mainly traditional Cuban music (Son, rumba, trova). Listen to it in the Casa de la Trova, which is open during the day or in the evening head to Patio de dos Abuelos, Cafe Cantante, El Rincon del Feeling or Casa de las Tradiciones.
You should be aware that personal space for a Cuban is very different from ours and you may perceive their close approach as threatening. A firm 'no' is usually sufficient to keep things at bay.
All women - note that Cuban men are very, very complimentary and open in their admiration and approach. This is not meant to be disrespectful and the power to take things further is entirely with the ladies! Don't get frightened, just enjoy !!
Santiago is 'hilly' and to walk around in the heat is quite exhausting - take water and don't overdo it.
Homestay is THE way to go if you want to really get close to the Cuban people and culture. And my Spanish has come on really well with my trips to Cuba because the people are interested in talking to you and have the time to do so.
There is lots of help available these days with regard to investigating and even pre-booking homestays. Websites like www.cuba-junky.com provide lists of homestays and first information on the houses. And companies like www.takeyourtimetravel.com offer holidays in Cuba with homestay, pre-booked from the UK.
This venue hosts a show, live music (Son and salsa) and dancing to recorded music after. It is located in the basement of Teatro Heredia (weekends only).
Airconditioned and therefore a nice place to go to especially in the summer.
You need to get your tickets before 7.00 p.m. on the door and that way find out if the venue is open to the public that day.
Teatro Heredia, Plaza de la Revolucion, Santiago de Cuba
Friendly cheap casa particular in Vinales.
The owners only speak Spanish so it's an excellent opportunity to practice.
Excellent evening meals!
25 C. P. del Rio No 6B,
Vinales
Pinar Del Rio
Telephone : 79 3105
Accessed just off of the road into Vinales. Phone ahead and they'll meet you off the bus.
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