.., “The world breaks everyone, and afterward some are strong at the broken places”- Ernest Hemingway
Beauty of Havana is like a hidden treasure waiting to be found.Time stopped here 50 years ago but time in Cuba doesn't exist. Three days is not enough if month would be..Its a city full of surprises but like a fairy tale usually have a happy ending! Couple things you might learn before you will actually take off:
1/Cuba is online only since one month so book restaurants and tours two weeks before you arrive, and receive a confirmation email.
2/Dont forget to write down the names, addresses and phone numbers of places you would like to go!
3/Food: Simple and overcooked. Shrimps in garlic, fish in garlic, lobster with side mix of white rice and cooked potatoes thats pretty much what you get.Try cuban sandwich for lunch at local Bar Bilbao( https://www.facebook.com/Bar-Bilbao-1603241453293930/timeline/) in old Havana or choose one from the safer options- Cafe Laurent(http://cafelaurent.ueuo.com)or Atelier(.http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d2373205-Reviews-Atelier_Restaurante_Paladar_en_Habana_Cuba-Havana_Cuba.html)Cafe Laurent located in a walking distance from Malecon stunned us with their rooftop and modern vibes, excellent food !
La Guarida is number one dinner option in Havana. Rihanna, Kate Moss, Naomi, Paris and Beyonce is just a shortlist of La Guarida guests. Before you will arrive on the second floor you will be already stunned by the beauty of interiors remembering the glory days. You can't go wrong with food selection hoverer tuna tartare and lobster melt in your mouth like ice in daiquiri ..its more like an art experience. Make sure to grab a cocktail on the rooftop bar after dinner.
4/ Drink Hemingway style- he loved it!. Definitely try two most famous places located in old havana - la Floridita, where daiquiri was born (JFK’s favourite) , http://www.floridita-cuba.com/index.htm and La Bodeguita del medio(https://www.facebook.com/LaBodeguitadelMedioMexico?fref=ts) is well known from the world’s first mojito!
5/Book old cars tour with http://www.oldcartours.com and ask for Osvaldo as your tour guide, than hit the road to see the world’s longest cigar in one of Havana’s largest cigar factorie, view of the city from Cristo de La Habana hill (the same is in Brazil and Portugal). Created by one woman’s hands- Jilma Madera, and was inaugurated on La Cabaña hill on December 24, 1958. Just fifteen days after its inauguration, on January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro entered Havana during the Cuban Revolution. Cubans love to point sculpture hands placed the way to make illusion of Jesus holding a mojito in a left and cigar in a right hand.
6/ Evening - make sure you will have a night walk at the Malacon. Havana’s waterfront is a “hanging out” place of young generation, all you need is to have a comfy shoes and a bottle of Havana Club !
However Havana experience would be nothing if you won't book your night in Cuba’s oldest cabaret, the world famous Tropicana! http://www.cabaret-tropicana.com. Tropicana, also known as Tropicana Club, is a world-known cabaret and club in Havana. It was launched in 1939 at Villa Mina, a six-acre (24,000 m²) suburban estate with lush tropical gardens in Havana's Marianao neighborhood."Las Diosas de Carne" will stunned you with colourful scarce outfits and amazing choreography, however make sure you will have dinner before (food is average and cost additional 20$ to 95$ per person in a first raw). Tropicana is in open air experience with bottle of rum and welcome champagne.
Fabrica de arte Cubano should be on your “must do” list http://www.fac.cu . Old factory building turned only one year ago into entertaining centre including modern art gallery, 3 dance floors with different music ,restaurant, couple bars (indoor and outdoor) and cinema for those who prefer quiet evening .
7/Accomodation- if you are hungry adventures try Airbnb, they just lunched in Cuba. Hotel Florida is mid city boutique experience. Hotel Florida opened in 1885 and swiftly became renowned as one of the better hotels of the city. Its ground floor courtyard has a sliding glass roof, which is a great boon during the rainy season.http://hotelfloridacuba.com
Hotel Saratoga and Hotel Nazionale are the oldest and most exclusive option, hovewer prices are still compare to regular European hotels (170-300$per night). Rooftop in Saratoga has not only stunning view and cool lounge but also swimming pool to chill after hot day (http://www.hotelsaratoga.com/alojamiento). Hotel Nazionale was opened on the night of 30 December 1930.
For over 12 years, the hotel was home to steel magnate Barón Thyssen Bornemicza. The avalanche of celebrities continued unabated: George Raft, Amanda Ledesma, Betty Grable, Rómulo Gallegos, María Félix, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Vargas, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Carol II of Rumania, Mario Moreno (Cantinflas), Tyrone Power, Lucky Luciano, Rita Hayworth, Ali-Khan, Ernest Hemingway, Fred Astaire, the Los Panchos trio, Ernesto Lecuona, Hugo del Carril, Germán Valdés (Tin Tan), Bola de Nieve, César Romero and Gary Cooper.
In 1956, Eartha Kitt inaugurated the hotel's Cabaret Parisien, where the famous voices that charmed the guests included those of Vic Damone, Nat King Cole, René Cabel, Esther Borjas, the Los Modernistas quartet, Yma Sumac, with excellent entertainment by Mario Martínez Casado and, more recently, Las d´Aida, La Orquesta Aragón, la Orquesta Jorrín, Compay Segundo and Alberto Herrero, among so many who have enlivened nights at the Hotel Nacional.
In 1998, the first historic rooms were inaugurated, namely those that had been occupied by Maria Felix, Ava Gardner, Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan), and Jorge Negrete. The year's guests included Alejandro Vargas, son of the famed singer Pedro Vargas, top models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell and many more.
http://www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com/en/home.asp
8/ Try Havana Good Time app &
http://www.cuba-junky.com
9/ If you planing production in Cuba than the best is
http://www.havanavision.com
More pictures from Cuba you will find on my FB fan page
https://www.facebook.com/Rita-Zimmermann-PHOTOGRAPHY-232487390124165/timeline/?ref=tn_tnmn
jacobvanloon
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