If you plan on just making a stop in Havana, your visit will be centered around visiting the four historic plaza’s in Old Havana, Ernest Hemingway’s House, buying rum and cigars and getting your requirements in for your people to people or educational visit. This will not take you more than a couple of days to do and you can use the third day to visit the beach. There honestly is not much else to do and see without venturing out to the other cities along the coast and for that, I would recommend taking a cruise.
Here is what you need to do to get everything done and save those extra vacation days for another trip to somewhere else…
Day 1: Walk through the four historic plazas in Old Havana and take photos with the locals. The locals that you will want to take photos with will be in traditional 1800’s Cuban attire and are employed by the government. They will show you their government I.D, and will ask you for $2 to $3 cuc’s (Cuban Pesos) in exchange for taking the picture.
The Havana Club (Rum museum) is in San Fransisco Square. Take a walk through there and enjoy a brief history on Rum in Cuba, have a Rum tasting and this is also the best place to buy your rum. My favorite is the Havana Rum number 7 and the Havana Club Ritual. The Havana Club 7 goes great with coke even though it is not meant to be mixed. The locals love Santiago Rum which is not meant to be mixed as well and is best with cigars. You can buy Santiago Rum for about $7 cuc’s at the Government Cigar stores. The Government Cigar stores are found in the squares and are the best place to buy your cigars even over the cigar factory because the government stores are regulated. The prices are not cheap but you are sure to get the best quality.
In that same area, go ahead and get all of your handmade souvenirs, artwork, t- shirts and whatnot at the Almacenes de Depósito San José, a giant arts and crafts market. The craft market is closed on Monday so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that you are working with cash only and you do not have access to an ATM and you can’t use your credit card. Most websites suggest that you take $100 per day. If you are anything like me and love to shop, take at least $200 per day. I had an all inclusive meal and lodging plan and used all of the money that I had. I bought art, handmade leather purses for me and my mom and sister, rum, cigars, linen clothing for my daughter. So many things were appealing and hard to just leave on the shelf. Set yourself a budget and stick to it. The American dollar does not go far with conversion rates of .87 to $1.00.
End the day with a good meal and enjoy the evening at the Tropicana Show or watching the traditional cannon blast.
Day 2: Start the morning by visiting Ernest Hemingway’s Home which has been turned into a museum that displays his library and holds his manuscripts. This site visit takes no longer than 30 minutes since you cannot go inside.
Next, fulfill your people to people or educational visit requirements. We spoke with a professor from the University for 90 minutes on many aspects of everyday life in the country, including the role of women in Cuban society, the trade embargo and how Obama has done so much but can’t do more because of bills that were signed back in the ’90’s that gave congress most of the power. We spoke about racism, the LGBT community, human and civil rights and the government’s role in them all, and why countries are afraid to invest their money into Cuba and cannot invest their money into Cuba. Cuba is so advanced in many aspects of society such as equal pay for women. The government provides a year paid maternity leave with full salary plus a year off after that with full pay, to take care of your child, they also offer paternity leave. Sounds great right? It’s the least they can do when you are a slave to the government and your salary is only $25 per month. The average Cuban family only has one child because they simply cannot afford to have more. Also, the National religion is not Catholicism, they just used it as a disguise to practice the Yoruba religion of their African ancestors. Racism is real and they struggle to keep their roots. Change comes from the top down and the bottom up. They are proud and strong people that are survivors. They acknowledge that they get their survivor spirit from their African ancestors and they honor them. This should be the main focus of your trip.
End the evening at the Buena Vista Social Club where you can have dinner, drinks and enjoy entertainment by the Afro Latino All Stars.
Day 3: If you get a late flight out, you can do this all in 4 days, 3 nights solid. Day 3 will be your beach day. I will let you in on a little secret. You don’t have to ride two hours away to touristy Varadero to enjoy the white sand beaches and beautiful aqua blue water that Cuba has to offer. The locals enjoy beautiful Santa Maria Beach, about 20 minutes East of Havana. Save your money and most importantly your time. Hire a car for the day and after breakfast, have them take you straight to Santa Maria Beach. Lay out for a few ours, sip fresh coconut water and ride a few waves. Chair rentals are available once you get there. Your driver will stay with you. On your way back into town, stop by the home of revolutionist Che Guevara and take photos of the best panoramic views of Havana. Stop by the Plaza de Revolution for more photos and El Floridita for a daiquiri. If you time it right, you can get this all in and make it to the airport in time for a 6:30pm flight and be back in Miami by 7:30pm.
So, would I go back? Of course! We are already running low on rum and my husband has to see it for himself. I would not do Cuba the same way. Next time, we will fly into Havana and cruise to the other cities on the island. I am a fan of not having to worry about lodging and having all of my meals included. We will see what else Cuba has to offer and take advantage of tour guided excursions.
Here is a list of the entertainment and restaurants that we enjoyed.
Until next time next time! I will talk about my love for Anthony Bourdain and why you should get tickets to hang out with him at the Cayman Cookout in my next blog post. #LiveLoveTravel
Alisha
The Tropicana Club http://www.cabaret-tropicana.com/welcome.php?p=main&lang=en
Buena Vista Social club
The National Hotel Restaurant http://www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com
El Ajiaco: See TripAdvisor
El Ajibe http://www.lahabana.com/guide/el-aljibe/
Nazdarovie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwKTG7CfO78
Café del Oriente
Your pictures are so full of life!
Thank you!
Awesome tips. I cannot wait to go to Cuba.
You will have a great time! Plane tickets are cheap now but I still recommend taking guided tours and using a travel agency to book and for a stress free experience.