Many of my travels if not all of them had a deeper motivation behind them than just to visit the place or tick it off the bucket list. Cuba was one of them. I was dreaming about visiting this colorful island since I was a little girl and heard Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan Chan” for the first time. This magical melody of only 4 tones resonated with me and since then I knew that one day I would travel to this country which I could perfectly imagine just by listening to it. Classic american cars, the taste of rum, smell of cigars and the sounds of son..If that is your idea of Cuba, then you’re right. Cuba has it all and much more.
La Habana
For most travelers La Habana is the first place to visit and it was my starting point as well. There’s a lot of ways how to get to Havana from Europe and now also the US. We flew from Dubai to Zurich and then to Havana with Swiss Airline. On the way back we opted for Southwest Airlines and Emirates from Fort Lauderdale.
Havana is a beautiful historical city with a stunning architecture from Moorish-Spanish and Baroque to Art Nouveau and unlike other communist cities, Havana is vibrant in color and character. In fact, it all kind of seems like you are in a 50’s movie set. Those classic American cars are really everywhere and you can get an hour ride in them for 20 bugs. Actually, you can get anything done in Cuba if you have money.
The dollar struggle
Havana has been a tourist attraction for decades but now with the doors open also for the US citizens, it’s becoming a little too much and you can feel it on your own skin. As my friend said, after a week in Cuba we felt used and abused for money, haha. First of all you cannot just walk peacefully in Havana without being asked to come in to a restaurant, try a hat, go horse riding, buy cigars etc. My friend ended up saying “No, gracias.” even before she was asked something! 😀
Secondly, most of the people would offer you help but would expect a tip. Which is ok, but somehow we felt the warmth of Cuban hospitality is disappearing and it ruined the whole experience a little bit. Also Cuba has two currencies, one for the locals – the Cuban peso, and one for the tourist – the convertible peso, which is equivalent to the US dollar. So everything is pretty expensive for us there, but mostly only in Havana. In other cities we felt way more relaxed (so did our wallet) and felt genuinely welcomed.
Hotels in La Habana
Now if you’re wondering where to spend money in Havana, here are some tips. Let’s start with the accommodation. You have a few different options from hotels to casas particulares. We opted for hotels to experience the glamour of La Habana. The first hotel we stayed at was “Hotel Sevilla”. A beautiful hotel inspired by this city in Spain which happens to be also my second (maybe 3rd?) home. I loved the mudejar architecture, patios and especially the restaurant on the 9th floor with amazing views of the city. Definitely my favorite throughout the trip. Second hotel we stayed at was the oldest hotel in Havana – “Hotel Inglaterra”. I must be honest here, we booked it for its rooftop and location right in the main square.
Where to eat in Havana?
Now let’s get to the fun part – food and drinks. There is a lot of places where to eat in Havana and not all of them are so great. We stayed long enough to try the best ones.
One of my favorites was the famous bar and restaurant “El Floridita” where Ernest Hemingway used to sip on his daiquiris. Daiquiris here are really delicious but so is the food. We had a lobster which I’m still dreaming about! It’s a little bit on the expensive side but totally worth it. On the other hand the paladar “Doña Eutimia” near the Cathedral was cheap and also very delicious. I tried the traditional Cuban “ropa vieja” which is shredded lamb with rice.
Luxury and rooftops
For a luxurious experience go to “La Guarida” (reservation needed) near Malecon. The area looks a little bit dodgy at night but the building will blow you away. Unfortunately we couldn’t eat in the restaurant as we didn’t have a reservation but they directed us to the lounge bar on the rooftop where we could taste the best of the restaurant’s menu and enjoy some lounge music (which is really rare in Cuba) and it all felt like somewhere in Europe, I would say Barcelona.
Not to miss is also the rooftop bar of “Ambos Mundos” hotel. But don’t eat there, just have a mojito and enjoy the view instead. The famous “La Bodeguita del Medio” is small bar which in my opinion is not even worth trying. On the other hand you have to go to “Rosalia del Castro” where the famous Buena Vista Social Club performs every Tuesday. For me it was a dream come true.
Hasta que se seque Malecon..
If you have enough days to explore Havana, head to Malecon on your last day. But before you go and fall in love with Havana again while watching one of the most beautiful sunsets, go to “Hotel Nacional” for a drink. This hotel is one of the oldest in Havana and most of the Hollywood celebrities used to stay there. President Obama also stayed there while visiting Cuba as the first American president in almost a century.
How to move around?
Now when you saw sunset at Malecon, you’re set to hit the road. Initially we rented a car but we never saw it! And this is how sometimes things go in Cuba. Nothing is sure, nothing can be planned. So we had to arrange ourself last minute. Luckily there’s something called “taxi colectivo” in Cuba. A car or a van shared by a few travelers with the same destination. There are also buses of companies like “Via Azul” or “Cubanacan” but they need to be mostly booked ahead, especially in high seasons. A 3 hours “collectivo” ride took us to a charming little town called Cienfuegos.
Cienfuegos
One day stay in Cienfuegos is enough and I highly recommend la casa particular of “Ivan y Lili”. Ivan was an amazing host and his house was cozy, clean and with hot water anytime (a luxury in Cuba). He recommended us where to eat and so we ended up in “Casa del Prado”. Food was great and cheap. You can also try “Doña Nuria” or “Las Mamparas”. Ivan also arranged for us a driver to Trinidad with an excursion to El Nicho, which is a natural reserve with waterfalls and natural pools and it was a great detour on our way to Trinidad.
Trinidad
Now, let me tell you, if you go to Cuba you have to visit Trinidad. Forget Varadero, Viñales…Trinidad will give you the real taste of Cuba. Cuba of an another era. An era of cobbled streets, horse carriages and grand 19th century Spanish mansions. Add some slightly rum intoxicated mulattos swinging their hips to the rhythmic conga beats in the sweltering late afternoon heat and you’ve got yourself the perfect Cuban cliché, which quite truthfully, isn’t too far off from reality.
The sound of son
If you want to swing your hips yourself, go to “Casa De La Musica” which is such an unique place where music never stops and people enjoy their drinks and dance till dawn. Also if you want to try “Bodeguita del Medio”, try it in Trinidad. It’s much more spacious and mojitos are better. I must say we struggled a bit with food in Trinidad until we discovered “Son Ananda”. This family paladar is literally a family house transformed in a restaurant. We ate in a very classy bedroom :D. Definitely try their “canchanchara”. This drink, born in Trinidad, consists of rum, lime, soda water and honey and it’s delicious!
Trinidad also treated with a nice beach after we had to cancel our plans for Cayo Coco as it was not recommended to go there after Hurricane Irma. Playa Ancon is a nice sandy beach with crystal clear water and it was a good one day treat after all the sightseeing and traveling. I would avoid Varadero as it is too touristy and instead I would visit Cayo Coco or Cayo Largo in a two-day excursion from Havana.
I definitely recommend to visit Cuba and as soon as possible. Things are changing rapidly not as much on the outside but definitely in the way they treat tourists. So prepare yourself with a lot of patience, some Spanish and most importantly a big smile and positive attitude.
And as I always say, enjoy, be happy, bee on cloud 9!