A Short Habana Guide
Restaurants Private/Paladars all in Miramar:
La Guarida – best for dinner – 30-50 Cuc depending on wine – reservation needed
La cocina de Liliam – best for lunch – 30-50 Cuc depending on wine
Calle 10 (Calle diez) – slightly rustic but still good food outdoor rest – 15-30 Cuc
L’esperanza – very authentic – 20-40 Cuc
Restaurants state owned:
El Ajibein Miramar– famous for their orange marinated chicken pretty good at 12.50 Cuc they also have a great wine cellar but check prices….
La Mina – pretty good very nice surrounding at Plaza de Armas
El Rancho in the Hotel National – pretty good and relatively cheap
Bars:
Floridita in old Havana – best Daiquiris (try the Mulatta)
Bodequita Del Medio in Old Havana – best Mojitos
The Veranda in the Hotel Nacional – 24 hours my favourite place for coffee in the morning, beer in the afternoon, drinks in the evening and night cab after midnight and it might be the very best place in the world to smoke a cigar
Beach Club in Miramar:
Havana Club – you will need your passport and they will charge you 10-15 Cuc’sper person for that you will get a top notch beach club with white sand, gym, 2 very good restaurants, 2 pools and a spa (massages are very good) oh and they have internet access if needed
Clubs/Discos
There are many of them and really it depends what kind of Cuban music you like – it is however not very easy to get info about who is playing when and where - the hotel might be able to help…. mind you with the new laws the clubs are fairly empty Monday/Tuesdays.
Here are the clubs which are normally ok…..
Salon Rojo – very near the Hotel National gets good later on from 1 am onwards 1-2 bands nightly
Casa de la Musica in Miramar – 2-3 bands every night
Tun tun – in the same building as Casa de la Musica slightlyclubbier
Habana libre – on the 25th floor of the Habana Libre (the old Hilton) hotel –IF you are there on Saturday you MUST go and see Eliades Ochoa there (that’s the guy who put the Buena Vista social club together)
Café Havana – in the Melia Cohiba hotel always a good show 2-3 bands nightly
Cato tuerto – nice little jazz club
Shows:
Well there are a few, but really only one - the Tropicana – its one of those things you would want to see once and that’s it – its a little touristy, but it is spectacular to see up to 150 dancers on stage at the same time
Ballet:
The Cuban state ballet is fantastic, well the performance is - not so much the seating etc, but even with its downsides it is still unbelievable - go if you can
Cigars:
Leopoldo is the director of La Casa Del Habano – in the Hotel Melia Cohiba (every cab will know)
Tel (07) 835 2434
Get your cigars from Leopoldos Casa– make sure you keep the receipts you can only export 23 cigars without official receipt (as many as you like with receipt) – VERY important you must show your passport or at least a copy of you passport in order to buy cigars.
If you are a cigar aficionado then see the attached list of most Casa Del Habanos in Havana
Shopping:
Really not that much to buy but go and check out the markets for antique books etc I like Plaza de Armas in old Havana and just stroll around there.
Palacio Artesania, also in old Havana
Money:
Basically the $ has gone but they are still exchanging everything into $ before the exchange it into Cuc’s – don’t laugh but $ 110 is 100 Cuc’s…….. so if you exchange £ they change it into $ and then into Cuc’s…. there is no way around that – its just another way for Fidel to make some money – you can use your credit cards in the hotel but I would not use it anywhere else except in Casa Habanos and at the very few cash points(there is one in the arrival hall near the baggage claim and one in the business centre of the Hotel National)
Visa:
Strangely enough with when you book directly with Airlines (I booked with Virgin, Iberia, Mexicana) they don’t really tell you about the visa you must buy before leaving for Cuba – if you book via a travel agent they will normally get it for you or otherwise via the Cuban embassy - or via this website
It should be around £15 – this visa has to be filled in before you enter into Cuba and you MUST keep your part with your passport and present it on leaving the country as well as pay 25 Cuc’s airport/leaving tax.
Airlines:
Virgin Atlantic –
Direct flight – twice weekly (Thursdays/Sundays) - probably the best….
Cubana -
Direct flight – 4-5 times a week
Iberia -
Daily flights via Madrid – daily and you get BA miles......
Presents:
Cubans basically have nothing so they will really appreciate stuff like pens, lighters and clothing (hats, t-shirt) even better if they have some sort of English writing on it, shoe polish, and anything Beatles goes down very well too.
Casa Particulars/ B&B:
Mauricio Alonso rents out 1-2 rooms for about 30-35 Cuc’s a night – his flat is clean and has a private elevator access – what is most spectacular is his roof terrace with some of the best views in Havana right on the water - great for bbq’s etc
Calle A No. 312 apto. 9,
e/ 3ra. Y 5th., Miramar, Playa
Ciudad Habana, Cuba
Tel. No. 537 203 7581
Casa Del Habanos in Havana:
Miramar, 5ta y 16
-normally very good selection, a few specials, stored very well, good prices, nice bar/restaurant, but a lacks a little charm, right in the diplomatic district of Miramar
Fabrica Partagas, Calle Industria, No. 520, Habana Vieja
-when you are there go for a tour in the Partagas Factory, good selection, slightly more expensive due to high tourist numbers, but very comfortable VIP smoking room
Hotel Melia Melia Cohiba, 1ra y 3ra
-great selection, its half Casa half Bar so a nice place to smoke and watch a game of Baseball or listen to music, lots of specials and more to the point Leopoldo is running it – send him my regards and you will be looked after good
Marina Hemingway, Calle 248 y 5th
-about ½ drive from the hotel National past Miramar so off the beaten track, hence you will find a good selection of aged cigars (combine your trip with a lunch in La Terazza one of Hemingway’s favourite restaurants)
Palacio Artesania, Calle Cuba No. 64, Habana Vieja
-very good selection, lots of specials, off the beaten track (go for a coffee in the Palacio and listen to the 80 year Old Caribbean Queen singing romantic love songs with her piercing voice)
Museo del Tabaco, Calle Mercaderes No. 120, Obispo y Obrapia, Habana Vieja
-slightly more exciting that the attached Tobacco museum but that doesn’t mean much
Club Habana, 5th Ave y 188 a 192, Playa
-small but nice, very few specials, however one always seems to find aged cigars, very nice VIP room but why wouldn’t you smoke at the beach instead
Hotel National, Calle 0 y Calle 19
-this could well be the most expensive Casa in Cuba, however they seem to have a lot of specials
Hotel Melia Habana, Avenida 3ra e/ 76 y 80, Miramar
-very good selection, quite a few specials, nice VIP definitely worth a trip