Highlights of Havana

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My sister and I had been talking about going to Cuba together for several years and through fortunate timing it finally materialised this May! Over 18 days we were able to cover the main points over the island and well as some some time to relax at an all-inclusive resort. Overall the trip exceeded expectations, however as with any trip there were ups and downs. My next six posts will be dedicated to covering the all the trials and tribulations of our trip. Here is our story:

At first glance Cuba seemed to be a cross between Russia and Morocco. The cars, propaganda signs and the infrastructure in need of repair reminded me of Russia, while the dusty climate and the antiquated modes of transport such as horse and cart reminded me of Morocco. However once you arrive in the centre of Havana it is more reminiscent of Europe in the style of architecture.

At our casa particular (like a Cuban B&B and super cheap!) we had a very warm reception from Rolando the owner. He gave us an overview of Havana and of Cuba, explained how the two currencies worked and told us there are four rules you must follow in Cuba to enjoy your vacation.

1. Don’t change money on the street
2. Don’t bring handbags at night
3. Ask for the price before paying
4. Don’t believe what people on the street say

We found to large extent these rules to be true and when we forgot to follow them we got scammed.  Casa Rolando and Magaly turned out to be probably the best casa we stayed at in Cuba. The family was friendly, helpful, spoke English and always made us huge delicious meals at a reasonable price. Eating at your casa in Cuba is often better value (and quite often taste) than eating out.

Being a vegetarian is Cuba is almost impossible. While some places did in fact offer vegetarian items like salads, in most places it was difficult to get away from the meat. In some places even when you specify ‘sin carne’ (without meat) they think that means without red meat and still bring you a ham sandwich. Or they consider the fish option the vegetarian option – at least eating in you can make special requests.

We had three pretty jammed-packed days in Havana in which we saw a lot of different neighbourhoods and points of interest. On the first few days we saw lots of parks and squares. While the Central Park is beautiful and elegant with amazing architecture, we preferred La Plaza de las Armas. There you could actually sit down and take a break without being disturbed by offending smells. Aside from the occasional busker it was pretty quiet and great for enjoying the sunshine.

Most of the areas in Havana would be considered slums by Western standards especially in regard to the state of disrepair of the infrastructure. The best examples was when we enjoyed an hour’s long walk along the boardwalk from Old Havana to Central Havana. In any other place properties along the boardwalk would be expensive hotels and houses. In Havana many of the buildings had seen better days and others were condemned. The bad smell that frequently pervaded Havana also didn’t help with its slum image.

It wasn’t until out last day in Havana that we really saw the tourist part of Old Havana. This part of town has been well maintained, brightly painted and is loaded with tourist restaurants and shops. Our favourite was this perfume shop that used natural scents to make perfumes and colognes. Prices were incredibly cheap compared to international brands of perfume. My only warning is that we bought the porous clay containers which ended up leaking a lot, so make sure you buy the glass bottles.

Other daytime highlights included seeing the University of Havana, which has a beautiful campus (even when it’s raining). After walking around the campus and resisting locals who try to give your a tour, stopping in at the nearby Coppelia for ice cream is also worth it. While you are in the area you should definitely visit the Callejon de Hamel, a beautiful alley full of modern art installations, which is a little off the beaten track but definitely worth it. Finally, one of my favourite things to do in Havana is go for a ride in a Coco taxi. We went to see John Lennon Park out in the direction of Vedado. Riding in these motorcycle taxis is similar to being on an amusement park ride because of the way they weave in and out of traffic and especially in our case because it had just rained and it was similar to riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland.

Our evening activities were fairly touristy. First we hit up a tourist jazz club. The prices were quite reasonable and included two free drinks. The band was also fairly decent, but my sister’s highlight of the night was when we got pulled over by the police for being in an unmarked taxi – in the end everything was fine and the driver managed to talk his way out of it. My sister told me at least you’ll have something to write about!

Our other big evening adventure was to see a cabaret. The guide book had insisted that a cabaret in Cuba is a must. We opted for the one at the Hotel Nacional (one of the big tourist hotels). You can get tickets for just the show or dinner too. The show was pretty fantastic, lots of dancing and singing all in bright colours. There is so much going on at one time that you never know where you should be looking! It was nice to get all dressed up after being tourist bums most of the time.

Havana is definitely a great city to visit and you need at least a few days here, but you could easily spend a leisurely week here. It’s important to see ALL of Havana not just Old Havana, because otherwise you will miss out on what REAL Cuba is like.