Bubble gum cars from the 50’s, strong and sweet coffee, rum, cigars, rich culture and a deep and strained history - Cuba is a destination that has captured the attention of American travelers for decades. Its heir of mystery and sense of being off limits had piqued the curiosity of people for years, especially now more than ever since Cuba and the United States reestablished a diplomatic relationship in 2014. What once was not allowed is possible, with American tourists having plenty of opportunities to explore this island nation.
There are some specific things to keep in mind when considering a trip to Cuba.
After President Trump’s recent reinstating of certain travel requirements, Americans must travel to Cuba as part of an organized tour group and must not do business with any large military-run corporations. This includes resorts, and government owned shops and restaurants. Tourist travel to Cuba is still considered illegal, so your trip must fall into one of twelve categories as determined by Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). If you choose to travel by air to Cuba on one of the many now available commercial flights, make sure you select a tour offered by a reputable company prior to arrival (there are plenty and Big Adventures can help!) and choose home stays or bed and breakfasts, and paladars (family owned restaurants).
One fantastic way to take a majority of the guesswork out of your trip to Cuba is to travel through a cruise line. Many of the major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, operate regular sailings to Cuba from a number of ports.
When planning our honeymoon, my now husband and I began looking at a number of options of places to explore in the US and abroad. We had several friends visit Cuba in the past year, and I had always dreamed of visiting the country after the diplomatic relationship was reestablished. Luckily, he agreed and we selected Royal Caribbean’s 5 day sailing on Majesty of the Seas.
This itinerary allowed us two full days at sea, a day docked in Key West, and a full day and overnight docking in Havana.
Part of the appeal of going through a cruise line is that Royal Caribbean fulfills the requirement of traveling with a reputable tour group, with all of their shore excursions meeting the requirements set forth by the OFAC. In Havana, shore excursions were all educational or cultural in nature, such as a tour of Ernest Hemingway’s most visited locations, visits to cigar and rum factories, evening cabarets and dinner shows, bus tours around Havana, and walking tours.
The Hotel Ambos Mundos was a regular landing spot for Ernest Hemingway on his trips to Cuba. It was here where he finished "Death in the Afternoon" (1932) and began "New Green Hills of Africa" (1935) and "To Have and Have Not" (1937). His room, 511, is now a small museum.
My husband and I selected a 5 hour walking tour of Old Havana as our morning shore excursion. We were paired with a local tour guide named Carlos in a small group of other travelers. Carlos took us through 5 of the main plazas that defined Old Havana. He was by far one of the most knowledgeable tour guides we had ever encountered, sharing key facts and dates about all of the places we visited.
Old Havana itself is beautiful. When you visit, you’ll definitely notice the ‘old’ part. This was the original site of the capital city, which has since expanded out and added areas with more modern buildings. Havana feels like it has been frozen in time, but especially Old Havana. Old Havana is full of cobblestone streets (not without the vintage cars, of course) and original structures with their beautiful, historic architecture. The city is currently in the midst of a huge refurbishment project, with an allotted $20 million per year budget, selecting most of the historic buildings in Old Havana and restoring the structures. Many of these refurbishment projects are tourism focused, with a majority of the buildings being prepared to convert to hotels, restaurants and shops.
Plaza de La Catedral
We 110% believe the walking tour was the best option for us, as we got to explore Havana hands on, and not through the windows of a bus. It was up close and personal, and gave us the opportunity to interact with the locals, all who were friendly and welcoming. It was so interesting to see Cuba through their perspective and hear their point of view on all the things that their country has experienced in the past 50 years.
Three of Cuba's most noteworthy things.
Towards the end of our walking tour, we took a brief intermission and made a trip to a local restaurant where we participated in a coffee, rum and cigar pairing - all three things that Cuba is especially known for. My husband especially enjoyed this stop, and we encourage you to do something similar and see how all three are so complimentary of each other. And as a plus, if you enjoy it so much, you can bring 1 liter of rum per traveler and 100 cigars home with you :)
For our evening excursion, we wanted to explore more of the Cuban music scene. We noticed all through out the day that Cuban bands and artists were regular fixtures in the squares and restaurants throughout Old Havana.
There are two main cabarets that draw in travelers for a taste of Cuban music and dancing: the Tropicana and the Cabaret Parisien. We chose the Cabaret Parisien, mostly because its home resides in the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba - site of a skirmish involving the Cuban Army and top officials pitted against each other after the declaration of Batista as Army Chief of Staff, hosted guest like Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Jimmy Carter, John Wayne, Marlon Brando and Ernest Hemingway, and was the location of the Havana Conference, a mob summit in the 1940’s. I could’ve spent hours exploring the hotel itself. Not much has changed since its creation in the 1930’s. It remains what the staff calls a “living museum”. The grand hotel sits on a hill overlooking the malecon and the bay, and boasts beautiful gardens and a bar that displays a tribute to the hotel’s famous guests.
The Cabaret takes place in the area of the hotel that used to house the casino, which was outlawed by Fidel Castro in the 1960’s. We were served some delicious mojitos and the show began at 10 pm, with big singing a dance numbers - a mix of Indoamerica, African and Hispanic culture that led to what is now Cuban culture. It was a very cool presentation, and I encourage anyone who loves music or theater to visit the show on their trip.
We were able to spend one full day in Havana, and after our experience, we decided it wasn’t nearly enough time. I think you’ll have the same reaction as well.
And if you’re intimidated by the thought of planning your own itinerary to Cuba, Big Adventure Travel Company is here to help!