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Itinerary

Day 1 - Sunday, 21 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[4:55 pm] - Arrive Jose Marti International Airport, clear customs - met by our staff and driver for transfer to Hotel

[7:15 pm] - Check into hotel

[8:30 pm] - Dinner at Cafe Laurent (included in your package price)

A collaboration between Havana restaurateurs Lorenzo Enrique Nieto and José Figueroa, Café Laurent is one of the new chic spots in Havana that is located in a rooftop former apartment. Styled in a shabby chic 50s style, the food is excellent.

 

Day 2 - Monday, 22 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[9:30 am] - Old Havana Four Plazas

The morning begins with a walking tour of the Four Plazas; a magical journey through five centuries of history and architecture that comprise Cuba’s first of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites – “La Habana Vieja” or Old Havana. The tour takes you on a stroll through the four main plazas, Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de San Francisco de Asis and Plaza de la Catedral, giving you an insight to the truly magnificent and powerful place Cuba held in the Caribbean for centuries. You’ll see colonial fortresses and opulent palaces highlighting the majestic architecture spanning from Spanish Colonial to Neo Classical interspersed with a mix of Baroque. Old Havana is packed with churches, cathedrals and monuments, as well as a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought iron gates and internal courtyards—many evocatively time worn, but many others restored to their original majesty. The plazas host outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants where live music is always playing, as well as art galleries and quaint shops that can range from touristic items to hand crafted gourmet chocolates and exotic spices. You will want to return to La Habana Vieja on your own to explore and discover its magic and mystery for yourself.

[11:30 am] - La Bodeguita del Medio

La Bodeguita del Medio is a famous tourist destination because of the personalities which have patronized it: Salvador Allende, the poet Pablo Neruda, the artist Josignacio and many others.

[12:00 pm] - Lunch at Havana 61 (included in your package price)

Located in one of the oldest colonial areas of Havana, near the beautiful Iglesia del Angel, is a bright and airy, Havana 61. The modern design is in extreme contrast to the six-century old city and offers traditional Cuban cuisine as well as culinary creations of their own. The seafood is the house specialty as well as the originally concocted libations.

[2:00 pm] - El Prado – Capitolio, Parque Central, Paseo and more…

El Prado is one of the most exquisitely designed and splendid major avenues in all of the Americas and home to the quintessential structures that define Havana, ranging from Colonial to Baroque to Neoclassical to Art Deco. Designed in 1772 by French landscape architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, El Prado runs for many blocks from the dramatic fountain, La Fuente de la India, to the iconic Malecon, marking the boundary between Habana Vieja and Centro Habana. El Paseo, a marble promenade lined with a natural canopy of trees, marble benches and bronze lions was recently chosen by the House of Chanel for one of the most dramatic runway shows in the history of fashion. It is home to El Capitolio (1929): El Gran Teatro de La Habana (1918), home to the National Ballet of Cuba; The Bacardi Building (1930), a testament to Art Deco and dozens of other structures immortalized in photography and film for decades. Havana’s Central Park, is home to first statue of Jose Marti in Cuba. The gardens are best known for the 28 magnificent royal palms. Some of Havana most recognizable buildings surround the park. El Prado encompasses all of the mystery and magic, all of the historic and cultural wealth that Havana has offered from the 17th to the 21st century.

[3:00 pm] - Bacardi Building

The Bacardi Building (Edificio Bacardi) is an Art Deco building in Havana, Cuba. The building was designed by architects Rafael Fernández Ruenes, Esteban Rodríguez Castell and José Menéndez, for the Bacardi rum company.

[3:45 pm] - Drinks at El Floridita

Ernest Hemingway was known to say, “My mojito at La Bodeguita; my daiquiri at Floridita”, the world famous bar and one of Papa’s favorites where it is rumored he invented the “daiquiri” with his regular bartender. The venue opened in 1817 under the name “La Pina de Plata” or The Silver Pineapple in English, and almost 100 years later the name was changed to “El Florida”, but in time became known as “El Floridita”. One the famed Old Havana corner of Obispo and Monserrate, the bar was not only frequented by Hemingway, but was a regular haunt for generations of Cuban and foreign intellectuals and artists including Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos and British novelist, Graham Greene. The Bar, complete with the bronze bust of Hemingway (2003), still preserves much of the atmosphere of the 1940s and 1950s and no trip to Havana would be complete without a visit to this iconic location.

[7:00 pm] - Dinner at San Cristobal Paladar (included in your package price)

Set in an early 20th Century mansion in the “Centro Habana” district of the city, San Cristobal Paladar is probably the best restaurant in Havana. Restaurateur and Executive Chef, Carlos Cristobal Marquez, has created a uniquely engaging ambience within a cluttered, but warm, eclectic décor; each room offering a journey through a particularly iconic aspect of Cuban culture. The cuisine, Cuban Creole with a very refined and international twist, has a five-star rating by many international food critics and was enjoyed by former President Barack Obama and his family during their 2016 visit to Havana.

 

Day 3 - Tuesday, 23 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[9:30 am] - Farmers market 19 y B Vedado

Cuba is known for its fertile lands, diversity of ecosystems and its agricultural productivity. The local farmers markets are strategically located throughout the towns and cities and are the source of this spectacular selection of produce for the Cuban population. Daily, folks purchase their fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and other produce at the local market in local currency. Your guide will escort you to one of the best of these markets in the heart of the Vedado district on 19th St. and B. Pick up some fresh fruit for your room or just feast your eyes on the tropical delights that grow on this island paradise.

[10:30 am] - Revolution Square

One of the most dramatic examples of modern architecture in Havana, if not the world, is the Plaza de la Revolución José Martí. The Plaza is among the largest civic plazas in the world, measuring nearly 24,000 sq. ft., surrounded by modern construction and featuring the enormous obelisk monument to Jose Marti, built on the highest ground in Havana. It is a major attraction for visitors of all walks of life, world leaders and dignitaries, including Pope Francis who held mass there  and Pope John Paul II who visited in 1998. The plaza was constructed prior to 1959 during the government of Fulgencio Batista, but gained popularity afterward as the center of public celebration and demonstrations in Cuba. Two of the government buildings in the square, both mid-century modern (1958), are best known for the iron sculptures of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos that cover their facades, both by Cuban artist Enrique Avila. This grand plaza is also home to the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, built in 1979. This plaza is another one of those magical locations in Havana that take you back in time but simultaneously offer you a great vision and hope for the future.

[11:30 am] - Os Ortega and Lissandra Ramirez ( Artist Studio visit)

[12:45 pm] - Lunch at El Aljibe criolla cuisine (included in package price)

The nearly 69-year old secret chicken recipe developed in the 1940s has drawn the likes of Jack Nicholson, Matt Dillon and former President Jimmy Carter. El Aljibe is one of the busiest restaurants in Havana, especially during lunchtime and is run by Sergio Garcia Macias who, with his brother Pepe, opened their first restaurant in 1947. Named Rancho Luna, located in the countryside west of Havana, El Aljibe’s predecessor closed down in the early 1960s. When asked to help revive Rancho Luna in the 1990’s, Sergio agreed to open it under a new name, El Aljibe, and at a new location in the city’s busy Playa neighborhood. Here you will enjoy delicious Cuban creole cuisine in a country-like setting where you simply must have the world-famous chicken.

[2:30 pm] - Modern Havana

When most people envision Havana, they see a Spanish Colonial city of cobblestone streets, baroque palaces and churches, large plazas and the vestiges of ancient fortresses with cannons and dungeons. What they don’t realize is that most of Havana was built during the 20th Century. Most surprising is that some of the best examples of mid-20th century modern architecture in all of Latin America can be found in Havana; the most notable of these buildings remaining relatively unchanged from their initial construction. The Cuban modernist movement, active since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reached its zenith in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1955, the Museum of Modern Art in New York featured the seminal exhibit and publication by Henry-Russel Hitchcock “Latin American Architecture Since 1945” introducing Cuba’s avant-garde modern architects. This driving tour will take you throughout Havana’s neighborhoods, showcasing the inordinate amount of modern architecture in contrast to the size of the city, both commercial and residential, opening your eyes to a Havana that is rarely seen in photos but of great historical and architectural significance. You’ll witness the surprising number of notable architects that practiced during these two decades in Cuba, and the modern, sophisticated and stylish city they built by the first half of the 20th century.

[4:30 pm] - Hotel Nacional Visit

This hotel is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon of mojitos and sunset, on the beautiful grounds of the back patio.

[5:30 pm] - Explore Havana - Live like a Cuban

If you would rather walk off the calories from your delicious lunch, your guide can drop you on Havana’s Malecon, the seaside avenue that borders the Caribbean Seas through Centro Havana and Vedado. The quintessential sea wall is a gathering place for Cubans from all walks of life. Strolling the Malecon as the waves break on the rocks below, you might hang out on the sea wall with friends and enjoy a cigar or a sip of rum, run into musicians playing to the rhythm of the city and tides, pass a couple in love or a whole bunch of local kids swimming in the pools created waves on the rocks. The Malecon is the city’s artery and the heart of social interaction in Havana and there, you are truly living a Cuban experience like a real “Habanero”.

[7:45 pm] - Dinner at Atelier (included in package price)

A very unique and upscale restaurant, Atelier is the brainchild of Niuris Higueras, who has long nurtured her passion for exciting food. She has designed a very contemporary space housed in an idiosyncratic Havana mansion in the Vedado district. The décor has a retro feel including an antique hob and old sewing machines. While Niuris is the inspiration, Chef Enrique cooks the food on the very eclectic menu that changes every day. Together they create an international range of dishes than might include from falafels to duck confit to stewed rabbit in wine. The food may vary from day to day, and sometimes be unpredictable, but it is consistently excellent as is the service.

 

Day 4 - Wednesday, 24 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[10:30 am] - Day trip to Las Terrazas

Depart in the morning, drive west to the province of Pinar Del Rio. Arrive at the Las Terrazas biosphere reserve. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and learn about the history and development of the biosphere. Visit the Buena Vista Coffee Plantation from the 16th century. Learn about coffee production in Cuba. Have lunch at Casa del Campesino, a typical rural house, and enjoy local delicacies prepared over a wood burning stove. After lunch visit the communities of Las Terrazas. Enjoy local coffee and meet local artisans and world class artists. Finish the day by visiting the San Juan River. Take time to swim in this beautiful river or just enjoy the surrounding nature. BE SURE TO BRING YOUR SWIM SUITS TODAY!

[12:00 pm] - Lunch at  Casa del Campesino (included in package price)

Enjoy a tasty lunch at a typical country house, located in a natural environment.

[5:00 pm] - Return to Havana and Hotel

[7:00 pm] - Dinner on your own

Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price

 

Day 5 - Thursday, 25 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[10:00 am] - Museo de Bellas Artes Cuban art collection/Bellas Artes Museum

Very near El Prado, still in the heart of Havana’s urban center where La Habana Vieja meets Centro Habana, is a notoriously modern structure, housing the largest permanent collection of Cuban art in the world dating from the 16th Century to present. The collection boasts extensive works of the Cuban masters from the 1920s through the post-modernists of the 1980s who influenced a worldwide movement and grace museums and private collections worldwide. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, curated to show exclusively Cuban works, has its international counterpart in the Palacio del Centro Asturiano, devoted to universal art. You might have time for both, but you cannot miss the Cuban collection whose artists exemplify the profoundly multicultural, mysterious and rich history of Cuba and its people. Don’t forget to take a short stroll to catch a glimpse of the original Bacardi Building; an art deco masterpiece and a quick stop at the world famous Sloppy Joe’s bar that was reopened in 2013 after 43 years.

[11:00 am] - Cigar Factory

A guided tour of one of Cuba’s oldest cigar factories, founded in 1845 by “Don” Jaime Partagas y Ravell, will give you a first-hand look at the manufacturing of the Habano. You will also have the opportunity to meet and speak with the master rollers who have inherited and will pass down the fine art of rolling the best cigars in the world. Located in the historic colonial district of La Habana Vieja, the factory also has a VIP lounge and a store, offering the US connoisseur the rare opportunity to purchase and smoke a Cuban cigar at the source made by the master rollers at Partagas.

[12:00 pm] - Centro Habana driving tour

As the inner city of Havana, what we now know as Habana Vieja, grew in population and the walls that surrounded the city were demolished in 1863, the wealthiest families began moving to the western side of Havana City. Life within the walled city had become too cramped and too crowded and the growing population demanded expansion. The growth of Havana that created Centro Habana during the 19th century quickly became the retail heart of the city, with hundreds of fashionable shops and businesses promoted by a spectacular display of neon signs extending out of the storefronts, hanging over the bustling, busy streets. There is a mysterious aura to Centro Habana, battered by the sea and left to decay, but there remains a ghostly essence of its former brilliance. There is a compelling charm to the locals and the deeply rooted afro-cuban culture of the district.

[12:45 pm] - Lunch at La Guarida (included in package price)

There is a mysterious aura to Centro Habana, battered by the sea and left to decay, but there remains a ghostly essence of its former brilliance and a vibrant inner-city life fueled by the locals. Remarkably, some of the city’s top paladares (privately owned restaurants) are located in Centro Habana and among the best of them is La Guarida. The location for the acclaimed Cuban movie, “Fresa y Chocolate”, La Guarida serves delectably sophisticated international cuisine in a venue that is a perpetual work in progress. The top floors of this seemingly dilapidated neoclassical structure are renovated to a degree of contemporary glamour that is impressive with a rooftop bar and an even higher mirador with spectacular views. The bottom floors are obviously under renovation, but when you reach the top of the endless marble staircase wrapping its way up and up, you are in for a culinary delight by any standard.

[2:45 pm] - Luis Camejo - Artist Studio Visit

[6:00 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner

[7:30 pm] - Dinner at Mediterraneo Havana  (included in package price)

A true “farm to table” and “sea to table” restaurant, Mediterraneo Havana features fresh plant and protein from their own two private, organic farms and fresh catch and seafood fished every other day from their own fishing boat. It doesn’t get any more fresh or real than this in Cuba. The food is prepared fresh daily without preservatives or additives, the pasta and the desserts are homemade and the menu, created by Chef Luigi, executive chef and founder, is a work of art. Enjoy an extraordinary fusion cuisine and exceptional service in this lovely, airy, Mediterranean environment in a beautifully retrofitted Vedado home. This extraordinary restaurant is the recent recipient of the coveted British farm to table award, the International Quality Crown Award in the “gold” category, chosen by culinary experts from 49 nations.

[10:00 pm] - Havana after Dark

Your guide will help you select from an array and wide range of evening activities based on what is happening in Havana. Enjoy live music, dance, baseball and other cultural activities scheduled nightly throughout Havana, including traditional and popular activities enjoyed by the locals.

 

Day 6 - Friday, 26 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[9:00 am] - Ferry ride across Havana Bay

Take the ferry from Old Havana across Havana Bay, to visit the historic City of Casablanca.

[10:30 am] - Finca Vigia - Ernest Hemingway’s Home & Museum

Your transportation will await you at Casablanca for the short drive to Ernest Hemingway’s home in the rural village of San Francisco de Paula, also just east of Havana. Named Finca Vigia or “Lookout Farm”, the home was built in 1866 and purchased by Hemingway in 1940. This property, emerging from a lush tropical flora and fauna, was his primary home from 1940 until his death in 1961. Hemingway loved Cuba and according to close sources, he spent more time there during those two decades that any of his homes around the world. Here, Hemingway wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”, and his famous fishing boat, El Pilar, is also on display here. In 1962, Finca Vigia became a museum making it the first institution in the world devoted to Ernest Hemingway and his work. Recently, the feature film, “Papa” was filmed on location in Cuba and much of it at Finca Vigia.

[12:30 pm] - Lunch at Ajiaco Cafe

“Papa’s” passion for fishing and drinking has left an indelible mark on the Caribbean seaside the town of Cojimar, the picturesque fishing village where Hemingway docked his boat, El Pilar, and where some old timers might still remember Hemingway and his guide, Gregorio, whom the “old man” was based on. Café Ajiaco is a Cojimar favorite. The fare is as varied as the drinks, but given that you are so close to the coast it is almost mandatory that you go for some seafood. The choice of fish changes daily with the catch. Enjoy this seaside fishing port village that is almost frozen in time since Hemingway made it his favorite hangout.

[2:30 pm] - Drive by El Morro for a photo opportunity

Built on the high rock entrance to the Bay and completed in the early 1600s, El Morro Castle guards the Port of Havana, complete with dungeons, cannons and the iconic lighthouse. Known as “El Morro”, the castle is actually The Castle of the Three Kings, named for the biblical Magi. The lighthouse stands on the end of a promontory strongly fortified with huge walls and battlements built by the Spanish Conquistadors to defend the city against pirates and bounty seekers. You will make a brief stop here for photo opportunities of the colonial fort and the magnificent panoramic views of Havana.

[3:30 pm] - Kelvin Lopez - Art Gallery ( Artist Studio visit)

[7:00 pm] - Dinner on your own

Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.

[10:00 pm] - Tropicana

Founded in 1939, the Tropicana was once the most famous nightclub in the world, featuring the musical extravaganzas of choreographer Rodney and the talents of Celia Cruz, Nat King Cole, Carmen Miranda, and a host of other international performers. The nightclub continues to be the most visited music and dance revue in Cuba and its buildings are considered the finest examples of International-style modernism in the Caribbean.

 

Day 7 - Saturday, 27 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[9:30 am] - Beth Shalom Synagogue

Known as the Patronato, Cuba’s major Jewish community center, which was founded in 1953 and maintains its beautiful facade with the symbols of the twelve tribes of Israel and modernist arch rising to the heavens.

[10:00 am] - Walking tour of Vedado

This walking tour highlights the architecture of the Vedado district. The maine monument and the Malecon, Coppelia park the Havana Libre hotel and the Rampa district.

[11:00 am] - Habana Hilton

Havana Hilton (now the Hotel Habana Libre), designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket. Opened in March 1958, it was Latin America’s tallest and largest hotel, financed by the pension fund of the union of Cuban restaurant workers but operated by Hilton Hotels. On January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro entered Havana and the hotel served as his headquarters, even as it continued operating as a Hilton (until October, 1960, when all American hotels in Cuba were nationalized). In 1996 the Spanish Sol Melià chain assumed management of the hotel and restored the enormous original mural by artist Amelia Peláez over the main entrance which had spent decades hidden from public view.

[12:00 pm] - Lunch on your own

You will have lunch at a paladar of your choice from a list of the best restaurants in Havana. Our staff and your guide will help you with selection and making reservations. You can be adventurous and travel by taxi that our staff will also help you get and your return trip can be arranged by the establishment where you dine. The cost of this meal is not included in the price of the trip. We recommend reservations be made at least one day in advance.

[2:30 pm] - Afternoon is open to revisit places of appeal

[6:30 pm] - Classic Car Ride on the Malecon

You will be picked up at you hotel and whisked away to your dinner in perfectly restored vintage 1950s convertibles and enjoy an amazing driving tour of Havana’s “malecon” on the way. The quintessential avenue that wraps around Havana from La Habana Vieja to the Almendares River, hugging the famous sea wall that protects the city from the crashing waves of the Caribbean Sea offers the perfect sunset view. This drive is a retrospective, nostalgic journey through time and you can feel you’re in the 1950s with the backdrop of the Cuban skyline, nearly frozen in time.

[7:30 pm] - Dinner at Rio Mar  (included in package price)

Amazingly for a city by the sea Havana has precious few places to eat with a view to the deep blue ocean. Rio Mar has a large terrace overlooking the Caribbean where the Rio Almendares flows into the sea. This little bay is sheltered but gives you a sense and smell of the ocean without the waves.

 

Day 8 - Sunday, 28 October 2018 - Havana City

 

[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel

 

You will be met by your guide in the lobby after breakfast to begin the day’s program.

[8:30 am] - Morning at Leisure

The rest of the morning is yours to explore. You might want to stay near El Prado and walk the beautiful marble promenade traversed daily by locals living their day to day life in Havana, sit among the royal palms in the Parque Central (Central Park) or just enjoy wandering among the locals and making new friends.   Or rent one of the many vintage cars with driver to explore a part of the island perhaps you have not seen.  Your driver will take you anywhere you want to go and will also make recommendations. (This is not part of the tour and at your own expense.)

[9:30 am] - Craft Market  - Almacenes San Jose

Almacenes San Jose, the vast craft market right on the docks at the Port of Havana offers an impressive diversity of goods and artwork crafted by artists and artisans in Cuba. Traditional artisanry is a relatively new tradition in Cuba, stemming from economic need combined with an extraordinarily talented natural human resource. This experience is unique from any craft market in Latin America due to the people, their level of education and the elaboration of their talent. A visit to the market offers the visitor the opportunity to have meaningful interaction with the artisans from all over the island who bring their handmade crafts, from traditional souvenirs, original paintings, an impressive array of fashion, leather goods and accessories, all designed and handmade by local talent. They will share their experience of using 100% local raw materials, precious woods, a wide range of onyx, cow and pig hide, tobacco, pewter and more, and it’s influence on their personal economy and on the economy as a whole.

[1:00 pm] - Check out of Hotel

[2:00 pm] - Transfer from a Havana hotel to Jose Marti International Airport

You’ll be met by your guide and transportation for your airport transfer from the hotel to Jose Marti International Airport. Your guide will remain with you at the airport, assisting with check-in and to see you off, ensuring a smooth departure.

[5:55 pm] - Depart Havana to LAX