Planning your first trip to Havana - tips for the newbie.

First let me begin by apologizing for not posting for two years.  The Doctor and I have continued to travel widely but life has been busy so I have not been writing; although, my trip to Sicily is certainly worth a huge mention.  I may still write about it since this trip was a lifelong dream and one which took me to the mountain town of San Cataldo to meet my cousins for the first time.

This blog entry will focus on my beloved city of Havana, Cuba.  I have now been visiting this gem twice a year for 6 years.  As a result, I am often asked by Canadians and curious Americans about life in Cuba and what to see and do during one's first trip to the historic city of Havana.

Things change daily in Cuba so it is important that I update this entry often for my loyal followers.  Since the travel restrictions for Americans has eased up a bit, the city is teeming with Americans which has caused hotel room shortages and huge rate increases.  There are still deals but one needs to know how to work the system.  

Your first trip to Havana

A.  Stay in a hotel in Old Havana or Central Havana

There are some very good hotels in the center of the city which will make your stay much easier and more enjoyable.  I recommend Parque Centrale for a number of reasons.  First, the location is perfectly located next to The Prado, a main street in Havana (more on this street can be found in earlier posts).  The hotel is clean, has two beautiful rooftop pools with views of the city, and a superb European breakfast in their main dining room.  Not all meals are equal in Havana so one needs to know where to eat.  The rooms are not fancy but clean.  You can change your money here but you will get a better rate at a Cadeca or the bank on Obispo.  But this is your first trip folks, so take advantage of the hotel's services.  Internet is available in the lobby and cards can be obtained at the front desk.  There are internet hot spots around the city now and cheaper one hour cards can be purchased on the street but save this for your next trip when you are more familiar with the city.

The bathrooms in this lobby are always a stopping point for me when I am downtown because they are clean, always have toilet paper and there are no bathroom matrons who demand payment for one square of toilet paper.  

Make sure you stock up on travel packs of tissues and carry them with you at all times.  Toilet paper is difficult to find.

There are other nice hotels downtown such as the Saratoga but they are very expensive.  However, if price is not an option, I would stay here.  It is beautiful and is the hotel of choice for American celebrities:  Madonna, Beyonce and JayZ, Usher. You get the picture.

B.  Walking maps

The hotels will provide you with a walking map but I prefer to use online maps downloaded onto my phone that work with GPS since WiFi is not very accessible in Cuba.  The one I always use, Havana Good Times is unfortunately no longer available from the app store.  The next best one is CityMaps2Go.  I use this app for every trip and it has proved invaluable.  Simply download the map of choice, look up landmarks, find your hotel and mark everything with a star.  It works with GPS so you will see a little bouncing ball that will mark where you are, where you are going, and how far something is from your location.  A must.
Make sure you download the app and map before you leave home.  The internet in Cuba is too slow to accommodate downloads.

C.  Google Translator
Google translator now works without Wifi.  Download this app with the updated offline Spanish and you will be set.  Cubans are learning English but don't expect everyone to know it.  The app also has a camera that will translate signs and text for you.  Please learn some basic phrases before you go.
D.  Cash only country
Credit cards are not accepted in stores and restaurants.  Please bring enough cash for your trip.  However, the hotel can withdraw funds from your credit card if you find you are running low on cash.  For one week in Havana, I usually bring about $1000.00 but you will not need that much.  Food and souvenirs are cheap.  However, if you plan on buying any art, you will need the additional funds.
I rent an apartment (which must be paid with cash upon arrival), treat my Cuban friends to meals and purchase art so I spend more than the average tourist.

E.  Purchasing art
There are many little souvenir shops along Obispo to purchase trinkets and art but avoid buying art here.  If you want good Cuban art, then I will recommend more worthy options.  The first thing you must do is visit the main art gallery: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.  This is a world class museum which will allow one to familiarize oneself with Cuban artists.  Many of the pieces of art one buys on the street are copies of famous works.  If you want a painting of a famous piece, an old Chevy, primitive copies, then this type of art if for you.  I prefer to support local artists who are trained at ISA as well as the other fine schools of art in Cuba.
An important note for art collectors and art lovers:  Cuban art is now increasing in value so I highly recommend purchasing a piece or two by an artist of some importance.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the masters take a taxi (unless you are a walker) to Almacenes de San José on the waterfront.  Your cab driver will know how to get there.  This is a huge warehouse that sells everything from wicker purses to large canvases.  It is definitely a one-stop shopping location.  Often one can find young artists in rented spaces near here where you can see fresh new talent on the rise.  If you buy a piece that is larger than you can put in your suitcase, you must have it stamped at the office of Registro Nacional de Bienes Culturales which is located in this building.  The fee is $10.00 CUC.
Every item for sale is negotiable so bargain aggressively like a Cuban and be prepared to walk away.  The fun is not in the purchasing but in the haggling.

If you wish to buy an important piece by a well-known artist there is a book called:
Cutting Edge Art In Havana: 100 Cuban Artists that can be purchased online from Amazon.  This book allows one to familiarize oneself with the best known artists and as an extra bonus, gives art lovers the addresses of art studios.  I have had the privilege of meeting some of the artists and purchasing their art.  My favourite artist is Jesus Nodarse.  I fell in love with his work 4 years ago and finally met him in 2015.  I can only afford smaller pieces because his work has increased in value and unfortunately, out of my price range.  However, Jesus is always happy to meet new potential collectors.  His art can be viewed at his home in Old Havana or at his studio in Vedado.  You can reach him by messaging him on Facebook Jesusnordarse Nodarse.
This is his website but at this time, his newest pieces are not displayed here.  However, if you friend him on Facebook, you can see what he is currently working on.
http://www.jesusnodarse.gallery

This is my favourite painting by Jesus but purchased by someone else. Sigh.

Noshing in Havana

A few years ago, 350 plus restaurants opened in Havana.  Some are tiny establishments located in the front of someone's home and some are beautifully appointed spaces with outstanding food.  The choices range from traditional Cuban fare to Iranian cuisine.  One can also have sushi if so desired.  Most of the best restaurants are found in Vedado which is a five minute drive from Central Havana and is a neighbourhood worth visiting.  However, I will list my favourite restaurants located in three neighbourhoods.

Habana Vieja

Doña Eutima:  This traditional Cuban restaurant serves the best of Cuban cuisine.  The decor introduces one to Cuban decor at its best while one savours the best pulpo money can buy.  The location in an alley bordering the Plaza de la Catedral is not easy to find but don't give up.  Once there, the outstanding staff will ensure you are well fed.  This restaurant is located near the Taller Experimental de Gráfica which is a gallery and print workshop.  Foreigners can also take printmaking classes here.  

Callejón del Chorro No. 60-C.  Plaza de la Catedral

El Chanchullero: I have not eaten here but it comes highly recommended by friends both Cuban and Canadian.  This is a fun place for both noshing and dancing but has been discovered by many tourists so it is always full.  However, persevere and you will have a great time.  The prices are reasonable so it will not eat up all of your cash.

Teniente Rey (Brasil) #457A between Bernaza and El Cristo

Ivan Chef Justo

This restaurant is small and the decor is simple but the food is outstanding.  I am an Italian food snob so I am not easily impressed.  But Cuba's Mario Batali lives up to his reputation and creates a fusion of Cuban and Italian cuisine that is worth its high price.  Be warned that if stairs are an issue, you will not find this spot easily accessible.  

Aguagate #9, corner of Calle Chacon

Vedado

When visiting Havana, one must leave the downtown core and head to my favourite neighbourhood in the magical city.  This neighbourhood is home to many famous hotels: Hotel National, Habana Libre, and The Riviera.  There are a number of other hotels within a block or two of one another but these three have histories worth reading about as well as are must sees.
Since there are many internet hot spots around the city now which allow Cubans (and tourists) to access the web after purchasing an internet card for around $1.50 CUC (the price continually changes) one can see clusters of folks checking the web and speaking with family and friends outside of Cuba using an app called IMO.  Skype and FaceTime do not work in Cuba but for some reason this app does. I find that a decent connection is best in the morning when there are fewer people online but this is Cuba folks and the internet is problematic at the best of times.  If one would like to have a cafecito or  drink while checking one's mail, I highly recommend sitting on the terrace of the Colina Hotel. This terrace is located next to a park which is an internet hot spot so access here is fairly good.  On most evenings, you will see my dear friend and Cuban radio personality, Tamara Pero, sitting here talking to her beloved who lives in Miami.  If you see her, say hola from me and buy her a drink.  She is awesome and speaks English well so feel free to visit with her and ask her about Vedado and its hotspots, unless she is talking to her beloved.  If she is wearing her headphones then she is in her love zone and cannot be disturbed.

Calle L No. 23 E/27 Y Jovellar Plaza.  It is very near the Habana Libre.

Tamara enjoying her cafecito at the Colina

Now back to restaurants . Along the main street of Calle 23, La Rampa, you will find a number of restaurants.  My favourite place that is inexpensive and traditionally Cuban is located across from my apartment at 23 y H.  We think it may be called Eat and Run but we refer to it as Hollywood Restaurant.  When it opened two years ago, the front of the restaurant was adorned with large red signs that read, Hollywood which is the name of a Cuban cigarette company; hence, the name Hollywood.  Whatever it is called, it is always good, consistent, and inexpensive.  Warning:  stick with the tradional Cuban fare rather than their attempts at Italian food.  I had their version of lasagne once and it was horrid.  

On the same side of the street as Hollywood there are a number of cool spots that are good.  There is also a cute little bakery/cafe that is a few blocks away.  When I am in Havana next month, I will take photos and post the names of these sweet little spots.

On the other side of the street towards Paseo there are also a number of new places including the best new club apart from FAC, better known as Fabrica.  This new spot next to the Iranian restaurant is called King Bar.  It is a small club, with a huge video screen and great dance music.  There is a website in Spanish:  http://kingbarhavana.com.  I have not eaten in this restaurant but am told by my friend Reynier Querol Tabares, another well-known Cuban radio personality,  that it is good and inexpensive.  

Rey and Tamara talking to me via IMO and yes, sitting at the Colina.

There are a number of new restaurants that have opened near my apartment and Habana Libre Hotel.  Again, when I return to Havana next month I will make sure I record the information on these new places as well as the upscale restaurants such VIP and Verso which are also located next to one another in Vedado.

Of course, I cannot write about restaurants in Havana without mentioning my favourite restaurant: Opera.  I love this place so much for many reasons:  food, atmosphere, decor, Chef Claudio and of course, Claudio's wife and business partner, Judith.  Judith always makes one feel welcome with her warmth and charm.  She ensures my favourite table is ready on the gorgeous terrace while instructing her well-trained wait staff to provide my guests and me with the best of European service.  Opera is now open 7 days a week for both lunch and dinner.  I have not been here for lunch yet because this is relatively new but cannot wait to try Claudio's menu.

Please check out my blog entry, Havana, my home away from home for more information about Opera as well as few other restaurants in that area.

Opera

Calle 5ta no. 204 entre E y F

Vedado

There two new books written by my favourite Canadian author, Queen's University professor, and all-round amazing person, Dr. Karen Dubinsky.  I highly recommend these books prior to visiting Havana.  

CUBA BEYOND THE BEACH: STORIES OF LIFE IN HAVANA

BETWEEN THE LINES Publishing

Purchase ebook: KOBO, BARNES & NOBLE, KINDLE, GOOGLE PLAY, APPLE, OVERDRIVE (FOR LIBRARIES)
Havana is Cuba’s soul: a mix of Third World, First World, and Other World. After over a decade of visits as a teacher, researcher, and friend, Karen Dubinsky looks past political slogans and tourist postcards to the streets, neighbourhoods, and personalities of a complicated and contradictory city. Her affectionate, humorous vignettes illustrate how Havana’s residents—old Communist ladies, their sceptical offspring, musicians, underground vendors, entrepreneurial landlords, and poverty-stricken professors—go about their daily lives.
As Cuba undergoes dramatic change, there is much to appreciate, and learn from, in the unlikely world Cubans have collectively built for themselves.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Queen’s University Student Overseas Travel Fund - The Sonia Enjamio Fund, which funds Cuban/Canadian student exchange.

MY HAVANA: THE MUSICAL CITY OF CARLOS VARELA
Edited by Maria Caridad Cumaná, Karen Dubinsky, and Xenia Reloba de la Cruz
Translated by Ana Elena Arazoza
Foreword by Jackson Browne
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division © 2014
can be purchased at Amazon.com or University of Toronto Press
For more than thirty years, musician Carlos Varela has been a guide to the heart, soul, and sound of Havana. One of the best known singer-songwriters to emerge out of the Cuban nueva trova movement, Varela has toured in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. In North America, Varela is “Cuba’s Bob Dylan.” In Cuba, he is the voice of the generation that came of age in the 1990s and for whom his songs are their generation’s anthems. My Havana is a lyrical exploration of Varela’s life and work, and of the vibrant musical, literary, and cinematic culture of his generation.
Popular both among Cubans on the island and in the diaspora, Varela is legendary for the intense political honesty of lyrics. He is one of the most important musicians in the Cuban scene today. In My Havana, writers living in Canada, Cuba, the United States, and Great Britain use Varela’s life and music to explore the history and cultural politics of contemporary Cuba. The book also contains an extended interview with Varela and English translations of the lyrics to all his recorded songs, most of which are appearing in print for the very first time.

My next entry will focus on Vedado and will discuss the best apartments to rent in this neighbourhood as well as how to grocery shop (also mentioned in a previous post), taking cabs, local hangouts, and the newest restaurants and bars.  Ciao!