Havana: the complete guide
It's all change in the Cuban capital – so join the party before the new
(Western) dawn. Clare Ferro knows where to go
Clare Ferro
From the September issue of The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
If you come expecting a Havana steeped in aspic, you're in for an
eye-opener.
While it's true you'll see '50s motors swarming about decaying colonial
buildings, the old smell of poverty from crumbling blocks is gradually
being overpowered by the new scent of fresh plaster – thanks to a
decades-long restoration project.
And as for the cars – there are now as many government-issue Ladas as
classic Buicks. These dilapidated-but-delightful Cuban icons owe their
presence to one man and his revolution.
Even though he's been bedridden for three years, you can't miss him:
graffiti on every street eulogises Fidel Castro, whose 1959 ousting of
American influence froze Cuba in time.
So do as the locals do: get used to the timewarp, and celebrate. The
streets of Old Havana are in permanent party mode. Carnival processions
swagger down the cobbles, and music – salsa, son, and the
hip-hop-inspired reggaetón – blasts through every doorway. And don't
fret about museums and galleries – just go with the flow.
If the city's layout were a clock face, Old Havana sits at three o'clock
(on a first trip, you'll probably spend most time here). Then comes
Centro at six o'clock, home to the iconic Capitolio (the ex-government
building based on the White House, later taken over by Fidel and Che).
At nine o'clock is Vedado – all decrepit mansions and tree-lined
streets, while midday is the Malecón, or waterfront.
For years, people have been saying of Havana, 'Go now, before it
changes'. Well, it already is – which means there's something for
revolutionaries and revellers alike. But with Obama easing restrictions
on American travel, the 21st century is about to hit the city head on.
Watch out for the wet paint.
For revolutionaries
Not for Castro the luxurious spoils of the ruling classes – he turned
the sprawling, gilt-painted presidential palace over to the people,
transforming it into the Museo de la Revolución (Refugio 1; 00 537 862
4092; £2.50). It's a mammoth, if highly partisan, collection – the
interesting bits come first (the build-up to the Revolution) and last
(tanks used by militants, and planes from the Bay of Pigs invasion). But
the propaganda in-between is eminently skippable.
Never let it be said revolutionaries are party-poopers – funding for the
arts has always been high on the Castro agenda. The best place to see
the fruits is at the frothy-fronted Gran Teatro (458 Paseo de Prado; 00
537 861 3096; tickets from £4). Every weekend there are performances of
opera, modern dance and ballet (the National Ballet, which counts Carlos
Acosta among its progeny, is based here).
Che Guevara memorabilia isn't limited to that campus-favourite T-shirt
at the second-hand book market in Plaza de Armas (closed Sun and Mon).
The oldest square in Havana – complete with mansions, a fortress, and El
Templete, a mini Greek temple marking the city's foundation in 1519 – is
ringed with stalls hawking Fidel's speeches, Che's diaries and even the
odd erotic story collection (helpfully translated into English).
Cigars are right up there with Socialist icons when it comes to
celebrated Cuban exports. Watch them being made at the Real Fábrica de
Tabacos Partagás (Industria 520; 00 537 862 0086; £7; closed August). A
40-minute tour shows you how tobacco leaves become Cohibas and
Montecristos – the latter being Castro's favourite brand.
Seize Cuba's most famous photo-opp at the Plaza de la Revolución in
Vedado neighbourhood, where concrete buildings are jazzed up by that
giant, steel-cut likeness of El Che. Heading back towards Old Havana,
check out the US Interests Office, America's embassy – it's the building
completely obscured by Cuban flags that forms the Plaza Tribuna
Anti-Imperialista (Anti-Imperialist Square), with its 'Patria o Muerte'
(Homeland or Death) and 'Venceremos' (We shall overcome) slogans. Catch
it before Obama ends the hysteria.
For counter-revolutionaries
However much the regime frowns on religion (Castro declared Cuba an
atheist state in 1959), it can't prevent Havana's deliciously jaunty
Cathedral (Plaza de la Catedral) being one of the city's most
spellbinding buildings. The florid exterior, with its misshapen
belltowers, belies the plain interior, saved from complete austerity
only by the pink flush of coral ingrained in the stone. Drop in on
Sunday mass (10.30am) to hear the choir's Caribbean beats.
Acquire a trademark Hemingway ruddy glow with a Daiquiri (£4.30) at the
writer's favourite bar, El Floridita (Obispo 557; 00 537 867 1300). Or,
for somewhere with even more sparkle, walk a block further down
Monserrate to the raucous Bar Monserrate (Obrapía 410; 00 537 860 9751),
which, unusually for Havana, seems to have as many Cubans sparking up
impromptu karaoke sessions as tourists.
The afternoon sun can take its toll, so try a reviver at El Cafe Taberna
(Mercaderes, corner of Tte Rey; 00 537 861 1637): it not only lays claim
to being the first cafe in Havana (opened 1772), it also doubles as a
salsa school. Slip on your dancing shoes and drop in any time between
11.30am and 11pm – hour-long classes cost £11.
By day, the Malecón is just a road linking Old Havana and Vedado. An
eight-kilometre-long buffer between the city and the Straits of Florida,
its high sea wall shelters seafront buildings from gusts of ozone. Walk
it by night, however, and see it transformed into a long open-air
theatre, the wall acting as bar, catwalk and lovers' seat all at once.
Cuba has a fine chocolate-making tradition, thanks to its historical
sugar plantations (America's Hershey brand was made from Cuban sugar
before World War II). The Museo del Chocolate (Mercaderes 255; 00 537
866 4431) has a paltry collection of chocolate moulds and teacups that
hardly merit the permanent queues. Treat it as a specialist cafe
instead: try the deliciously gloopy hot chocolate with its kick of
cinnamon and vanilla (40p) – it will be up there with your first Cuban
Mojito and linger longer in your memory than in your mouth.
OUR WOMEN IN HAVANA: Mother Teresa and Princess Diana make unlikely
Cuban icons, but they each have a garden devoted to them – the former
next to the Greek Orthodox church, the latter just north of Plaza San
Francisco. 36p BUYS: A copy of the party rag, Granma. RUM-DO: For the
best Mojito in town head for the mezzanine watering hole in the Art Deco
Bacardi Building (it used to be the private bar of the Bacardi family).
MONEY MATTERS: Debit cards don't work in Cuba, and credit cards charge
11 per cent. Exchange sterling and travellers cheques at cadecas, where
you'll get CUC (tourist currency); make sure to get some Cuban pesos,
too, to buy street food and market produce.
WHERE TO STAY
No expense spared
Saratoga, Paseo del Prado 603 (00 537 868 1000, www.hotel-saratoga.com).
Here, you'll find everything you'd expect from a five-star hotel (which
in Havana definitely shouldn't be taken for granted). The rooftop pool –
opposite the Capitolio building – has knockout views as far as the Plaza
de la Revolución. Doubles from £168, room only.
Hotel Santa Isabel, Baratillo 9 (00 537 860 8201,
www.habaguanexhotels.com). This is possibly the most idyllic setting of
all of Havana's hotels – in a sprawling colonial mansion taking up one
side of the sleepy Plaza de Armas. There's a whopping rooftop terrace.
Jack Nicholson and Jimmy Carter head up the celeb count. Doubles from
£106, B&B.
Middle of the Road
Hotel Raquel, Calle Amargura 103 (00 537 860 8280,
www.habaguanexhotels.com). Here's a sumptuous, newly renovated Art
Nouveau building tucked behind the Plaza Vieja in a residential area.
Rooms are big if basic (avoid those with internal windows); crowning
glory is the rooftop terrace, where you can dine à deux in one of the
Gaudí-esque tiled turrets. Doubles from £77, B&B.
Hotel Los Frailes, Calle Tte Rey 8 (00 537 862 9383,
www.hotellosfrailescuba.com). Despite the copper monk planted in the
doorway and the habit-like uniforms of the workers, this 18th-century
building used to be a house, not a monastery. Nevertheless, the 22
recently decorated rooms emanate a meditative calm. Doubles from £68, B&B.
On a budget
La Casa Hector, Flat 4, Acosta 162 (00 537 863 1260,
www.geocities.com/hector_rent). Cuba is famous for its casas
particulares (local-owned homestay B&Bs) – and this one is run by Hector
and Ery, who rent out their spare room on the crumbly edge of Old
Havana. It's basic, and the lack of streetlights in the area can be a
tad unnerving, but the warmth of the welcome makes up for it. Doubles
from £21, B&B.
La Casa de Ana, Calle 17, 1422 (00 537 833 5128, www.anahavana.com).
This casa particular is at the far end of Vedado, past the Plaza de la
Revolución – but the standard of the rooms more than makes up for the
extra you'll pay out in taxi fares. Friendly Ana also acts as a broker
for other casas particulares in her neighbourhood – so she can vouch for
the quality of them. Doubles from £21, room only.
WHERE TO EAT
No expense spared
La Guarida, Concordia 418 (00 537 866 9047, www.laguarida.com). The
(entirely deserved) superlatives heaped upon La Guarida have made this
paladar (small family-run restaurant) Havana's best-known place to eat.
Make your way through the spectacularly dilapidated building in Centro
Havana to find dishes such as snapper in orange, and swordfish with
pumpkin sauce and cardamom. Mains from £9.
La Cocina de Lilliam, Calle 48 (00 537 209 6514). Make like Jimmy Carter
and order the ropa vieja (beef stew) at this cut-above paladar in an
impressive Vedado villa. Dinner is served on the terrace and accompanied
by lush foliage. Mains from £7.
Middle of the Road
El Templete, Ave del Puerto, corner with Narciso Lopez (00 537 866
8807). Charming service and a good selection of fish cancel out the fact
that you're sitting on the main road. Leave some room for the brownie
with caramelised banana – it's heavenly. Mains from £6.
La Maison, Calle 16, 701 (00 537 204 1543). First things first: the
bog-standard food is not what you're coming for when you eat at La
Maison. You're here for the experience of dining in a Versace-esque
mansion that's also home to one of Cuba's top 'fashion houses'. This
means watching live catwalk shows as you eat, with barely a tourist
among your fellow diners. An unmatchable experience. Mains from £5.
On a budget
Hanoi, Tte Rey, corner with Bernaza (00 537 867 1029). Ignore the name –
although it claims a Vietnamese influence, this place serves thoroughly
Cuban food to the sounds of the house band working the leafy courtyard.
Best value are the 'combinaciones': rice, beans, vegetables and meat of
your choice for just £2. Mains from £1.50.
La Marina, Tte Rey, corner with Oficios (00 537 862 5527). Come for the
freshly squeezed juice, pasta (£1.50) and set menus (£2) at this quiet
spot near the Plaza Vieja, with potted plants and caged birds pitted
against blaring '80s ballads and Cuban rap. Mains from £1.
BARS AND CLUBS
Taberna de la Muralla (San Ignacio, corner with Muralla; 00 537 866
4453). This slick bar and restaurant is also the brewery for Plaza Vieja
beer (made on the premises from Austrian ingredients). There's free stew
on offer at 10pm.
Tropicana (Calle 73, 4504; 00 537 267 1717; closed Mondays). Paradise
under the stars or just a clapped-out trap for tourists with more money
than taste? It all depends where you stand on less-than-scantily-clad
girls floating about the open-air auditorium, and paying £50-plus for
the privilege.
SHOPPING
Feria de la Artesania (Tacon between Empedrado and Chacon; open
Wed-Sat). Cigar boxes, traditional guayabera shirts (like the waiters
wear), dolls and the photos of Havana you didn't quite dare take – if
you've been wondering where to spend your cash, this market's the
answer. Bargain hard. Habana 1791 (Mercaderes 156; 00 537 861 3525).
Perfumes and oils from flower extracts make this the place for girly
gifts – and, at £1.40 for a 50ml bottle, it's cheap, too.
Casa del Tabaco (Oficios 53). Here's where Hollywood producers invest in
fine Cuban cigars. You'll find more than 35 brands, and 500 different
types of cigar, from the mini Montecristo (£18) to the Cohiba Esplendido
(£320 for a box of 25).
TRAVEL BRIEF
GO INDEPENDENT
Virgin Atlantic (0844 874 7747, www.virginatlantic.com) flies direct
from Heathrow to Havana from £449 return. Iberia (0870 609 0500,
www.iberia.com) flies from £526, via Madrid. Air France (0871 663 3777,
www.airfrance.co.uk) flies from £366, via Paris. You'll need a 'tourist
card' (visa, valid 30 days), which must be bought in the UK – over the
counter for £15 from travel agents or the Cuban Embassy (020 7240 2488,
www.cubaldn.com).
GO PACKAGED
Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) has
four nights' B&B at the Saratoga, including tourist card, flights, and
transfers from £770pp. Or try Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels (0844 573
2451, www.vhiphotels.co.uk).
FURTHER INFORMATION
Ask the local
Hector Ramirez Abreu, runs casa particular La Casa Hector
Cubans don't have much money, so if we want to party, we take a bottle
of rum to the Malecón wall and have a singsong. Havana Club is the best
brand of rum – to get it cheap, ask at your hotel or casa (everyone has
a friend who works in one of the factories). Anejo Blanco is the one
that's used in cocktails – but Habaneros drink it straight. Try it, but
beware – it's very strong. Never buy cigars in the street – they're
probably fake. Don't miss the Playas del Este beaches, but avoid the
tourists and take a 20-minute taxi to Megano. The water's clear and
warm, there's only one cafe and a few food stands – but there's always a
fiesta there!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/caribbean/article6799168.ece
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