Good article from the USAToday on the Paladar culture in Havana. These little restaurants are great for dinner – better than most restaurants you’ll find in Havana.

USAToday

Havana is by far the most lively city in Cuba. You’ll find a nice assortment of bars and clubs. However, there is quite a distinction between touristy spots and places where locals go. The prices are the most visible difference!

Tourist Spots
——————

* Tropicana

The most famous club in Cuba. A bit formal and a decent show, but their money (from 60 CUC), the show is probably not worth it.

* Kopa Room

Similar to the Tropicana – pricy!

* Casa de la Musica

They have two locations in Havana. One in Miramar, the other on the street in the center of Galliano. Lots of fun, with dancing and li;ve Cuban music. Entrance costs about 5 pesos, the night of 15-25 (depending on the group) in Miramar. In the Galiano location, entrance free,

Addresses:

* Calle 20 esquina 35 Miramar / Playa Calle 20 esquina 35
* Calle Galiano between Concordia and Neptuno. Centro Habana. Tel: (7) 8608296 (“Miramar”) Tel: (7) 8608296 ( “Galiano”)

Places for Locals

* Tropikal

Address: 41 y 46, Playa
Huge outdoor disco. Every weekend you’ll find a famous band. Entrance is much cheaper entrance than in the Casa de la Musica.
For Cubans – 5 CUC, for tourists, 20 CUC.

Thankfully, few tourists.

* El Chevere

Nice place. There is a swimming pool, small club, then discotheque. Entrance is 12 pesos: included an open bar and dinner. You have to come early to take a table.

* Almaneser

Located at the intersection at Malecon with Linea (near gas station). There, a small cabaret and disco stands. Entrance is 5 pesos: a cocktail included.

* Imahen

Located on the street Calsada between D and E. Small Karaoke bar.

* Cafe Kantante

Located near the Revolution Square.

* Casalta

Located right near the bridge Almendares (at the place where Linea passes 31 street). Dancing there is not very much, but it has a very cool vibe.

Entrance is 10 pesos with an open bar.

Varadero is a stronghold of tourism in Cuba. Originally this was a private hideaway for American millionaires in the early 20th century. After the Cuban revolution in 1959 Varadero became the resort for the party elite, and only recently has Varadero has become open to the masses.

Varadero today holds some of the most popular resorts in Cuba, which focus on Europeans and Canadians and rarely Cubans.

Varadero is a relatively small town, so the cost of a taxi from the hotel to any of discotheques not exceed $5. In the evening, there are special buses on the route from the hotel to discos.

La Rumba is the most popular one in Varadero. It has a cover charge of $10 for open bar where all drinks are free.

On Friday nights, this is considered one of the best in Cuba. On Fridays, it’s better to come as early as possible since they tend to fill up and not allow more people in.

On other days in the club it is less ful, so the atmosphere is not quite as vibrant.

Cubans themselves are not very welcome in Cuba. Ask any Cuban of Varadero and they will say “Varadero is not Cuba. ”

Hotels range from at least $100/night to $300 a night at all inclusives.

If you are mainly interested in beach recreation and day trips, Varadero is an excellent option. If you are interested in something more, it is worth it to spend at least a few days in other towns like Havana or Santa Cruz.

Google Maps is now available for Cuba!

The nicest beaches in Cuba are at Varadero, about a 2 hour drive/bus ride from Havana. These are beautiful clearwater beaches with perfect sand and blue water.

Varadero is pretty quiet otherwise. Ther’s not a ton of nightlife except at each hotel. Each hotel however has a bar and some have clubs as well. Since almost every hotel is all-inclusive, you’ll find the open bars quite attractive.

Booking a stay in Varadero is best done on the web. Look for consolidators offering discount packages on just the all-inclusive hotels. You’ll find many in the UK and Canada offering deals on flights – call and look for savings on just the accomodation.

You’ll wind up paying 150-250/night per person for the all-inclusives, so shop around to find the best deal.

Getting back into the US after a Cuba trip is an easy process. You should prepare well to make it easier on yourself.

First, it’s much safer to have a 24-hour layover in your Mexico gateway city. This ensures flight data is not sent to the US and gives you some breathing room.

Get rid of *all* signs of Cuba in your luggage. Dispose of any guidebooks or receipts you may have. And don’t even think of bringing rum or cigars!

If you get questioned or someone mentions Cuba, do *NOT* admit to anything. They can’t arrest you and you’ll only hurt yourself. Be nice and tell Customs you’ve been through Mexico. If they press, you can just decline to answer their questions and there’s nothing they can do. If you ever admit to anything, they can use your word against you so just clam up and eventually they’ll have to let you go. They can’t hold you there after a few hours of you gently not answering their questions. If pressed, you can gently mention that you have a Fifth Amendment right to be silent.

A little dated but some great information. It’s all true still, except now the Cubans never stamp your passport – they stamp your tourist card instead which is taken at the end of the trip.

NY Times Cuba

November 14, 2003
JOURNEYS; Cuba: You Can’t Get There From Here . . .
By SETH KUGEL
FOR a 52-year-old Manhattan lawyer, there is a lot about Cuba that is alluring, from the beaches to the architecture to the music straight out of ”Buena Vista Social Club.” But the real draw of traveling to Cuba: it is illegal. ”There’s certainly an excitement to going somewhere that’s off limits,” the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said he had been to Cuba three times, most recently for a weekend trip in late 2001.

Indeed, he is only one of a select group of travelers who have made going to Cuba for a weekend — and doing it illegally by traveling through Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas or some other third country — a notch on the belt for the American tourist eager to say he has traveled to a forbidden land.

Over the last months, American travel to Cuba has been caught in a tug of war between President Bush and Congress. In September, the House voted to end enforcement of the longstanding travel ban, followed by the Senate last month, but this week a joint committee stripped the provision from an appropriations bill.

While other Americans eager to experience the country of Fidel Castro and Cohiba cigars may have been disappointed by the committee’s move, some Havana travelers are just as happy with the status quo. ”The fact of the illegality makes it appealing,” said an Atlanta entrepreneur in his 30’s who said he had been there seven times alone this year. ”The fact that there’s a place on earth that our government does not want us to see is itself an attraction.”

….

If you’re staying in Havana, you’ll probably want to stay in Old Havana. It’s by far the nicest and poshest part of Havana. Everywhere else is crumbling and poorly maintained but Old Havana is nice and colonial.

Habaguanex has a monopoly on all hotels in Old Havana, so you must go through them one way or another. Their site lists all their hotels in Old Havana here: Habaguanex.

Note that you should call ahead and ensure a reservation before your trip, as they do fill up early in high season.

Particularly recommended is the Hotel Florida, which is a nice old colonial mansion restored to be a hotel. The rooms were nice and better than other similar hotels like the Ambos Mundos, etc.

There are two tiers of money in Cuba – convertible pesos (CUC) and national pesos (CUP).

Things used by locals are priced in CUP. Things for tourists in CUC.

It’s a MUCH better deal usually to buy something in CUP if poss. This goes for snacks, some food, drinks and things in local stores as well as *all* tips.

The rate for CUP is about 32:1, so you can give 10 peso tips like candy to those who serve you. This is a great value.

When exchanging money, get about 10 dollars or 10 euro worth of CUP. It is invaluable in saving money on small things and getting good deals.

Currency exchange is a pain. You’ll generally need to get convertible pesos (say “pesos” or CUC). If you have USD, you’ll wind up paying .80 USD = 1 CUC, which is pretty rough. The better deal is to have either CAD, GBP or EUR. Euros are most favorable, so if at all possible plan on buying a bunch of Euro ahead of your trip. Unfortunately if you’re currently in the US, it’s not very easy.

There’s a money exchange (“Cadeca”) in the airport that charges the same as everywhere else, so feel free to change a lot of money when you step off the plane. It’s simple and easy.

Havana (Jose Marti International) is a regular first-world caliber airport. You should have no problems getting through and you’ll find english-speaking staff in most places.

Note that there will be aggressive taxi pushers outside. Don’t get taken. Negotiate upfront and for trips to downtown Havana, pay no more than 15 CUP (say “keen-zay”). Remeber, you’ll need to transfer money first to get 15 pesos. Taxis are modern and safe here.

Booking your flight is a little more complicated than booking a regular flight if you’re a US citizen. You need to be on an entirely separate itinerary than your US segments.

The best way to do this is to simply call and make a reservation directly in the Mexico call center. Look on Mexicana.com and find the Mexico City line. They speak good english and can make your reservation.

You can pay for it in person at the Havana airport OR you can pay by credit card over the phone. It’s pretty safe since it doesn’t show Havana on your US credit card bill like some US airlines would show.

If you’re going through Mexico City or Cancun to Havana, you can usually find good flights on Mexicana and Cubana. I don’t quite recommend Cubana, but they have a pretty good safety record for the volume of flights they do.

Typically you’ll pay $300-500 for a roundtrip from Havana-Mexico City or a little less from Cancun. You can see and price flights at mexicana.com.

There is little competition on these routes, so don’t expect fares to go on sale much or at all.

It’s pretty easy to get to Havana from the US, albeit indirectly.

The best method for most US citizens is via Mexico. Canada is also possible but more likely you’ll get into trouble since US Customs is based in the airport and you’ll be pretty obvious getting off the plane from Havana.

Mexico City is a top choice, as well as Cancun, depending on which is cheaper.