The Ultimate Jet Setter

If you're interested in learning Spanish while you're in Cuba, Havana University offers Spanish lessons for visitors from beginner to advanced level. Classes start on the first Monday of each month except August. There are 20 hours of classes per week starting at 100CUC/$100/£62 for 1 week, 200CUC/$200/£124 2 weeks, 240CUC/$240/£150 3 weeks and 300CUC/$300/£186 4 weeks.  There are more intensive and longer running classes from 4-9 months, prices ranging from 960CUC/$960/£600-2000CUC/$2000/£1250.  You can email asl@flex.uh.cu for more information. If studying for less than a month a tourist visa is sufficient. If studying for longer periods an academic visa is required which can be obtained in advance from the embassy or with the aid of the Spanish Faculty at the university. 

Santiago de Cuba Day I We drove from Holguin to Santiago. It was about 4 hours long. As soon as you enter Santiago you notice the sharp increase in temperature as Santiago is the hottest part of Cuba. To find our casa particular we chose one randomly where we saw the Arrendador Divisa sign. The house was beautiful inside with several rooms and an oriental garden. The rooms were very spacious with a large fridge, fan, air conditioning, two double beds and a large bathroom. A key is given for your room and the room was 25CUC/$25/£15 per night. This would be perfect for groups as this room would comfortably house 4 people. Gran Piedro View After we settled in we took the car and drove to the Gran Piedro which is a 8 mile drive up a winding mountainous uphill road. After about 25 minutes of driving you will be able to see magnificent views. It's like nothing I've ever seen before as you are so high up, the mountains are beautiful and you can see the differen...

Hotel Nacional de Cuba Hotel Nacional de Cuba  is one of the oldest hotels in Havana and was built on Mafia money before the Revolution. Several famous people have stayed there including Naomi Campbell, Nat King Cole, Kate Moss etc.  It's now a 5 star hotel located on El Malecon and four blocks from La Rampa. I stayed here my last 2 nights in Havana. Single rooms are 120CUC/$120/£74 per night and double rooms are 170CUC/$170/£105 per night. The hotel is very grand and opulent from the entrance which is lined with palm trees and lobby which includes reception, Cubatur, currency exchange, public relations, nightly shows and a postcard shop. Hotel Nacional de Cuba There is also a business centre which offers internet connection but at a higher rate than the other hotels in Havana. You can purchase wifi for 12 hours for 10CUC/$10/£6 and 24 hours for 20CUC/$20/£12. Hotel Nacional Price List Check in is at 4pm but the hotel will keep your luggage until check in....

Holguin Holguin was about a 5-6 hour journey from Trinidad. It's less poverty stricken that Havana. I didn't really do much sightseeing here apart from visit Fidel Castro's old house aka Sitio Historico de Biran. Bici-taxi If you're interested in Cuban history it's a must see. It's 10CUC/$10/£6 per person and an extra 10CUC per camera/photographic device. A guided tour is given, the tour guide only speaks Spanish so take a native speaker with you or try to understand the lingo. The tour is about 45 minutes and includes a tour of Castro's father's house, Fidel's house, Fidel's school, the teachers houses, barn, bar and restaurant. It's quite an impressive piece of land and an interesting tour if that's your cup of tea. Playa Esmeralda Fidel's house is a 32 mile car journey from Holguin. There are coach tours offering this service.  La Loma De La Cruz Restaurant view Later that  evening  we went to a  restaurant  ...

Veradero Veradero is the12 mile peninsula located in the province of Matanzas. It is about 2/3 hour drive from Havana. You can get a coach by using some of Cuba's tour companies e.g.  Havana Tour  and  Cubatur . Havana Tour offers transport to Veradero by coach from your hotel for 50CUC/$50/£31 per person or an inclusive package of a buffet lunch and a drink for 71CUC/$71/£44. Cubatur also offers a coach service for 50CUC/$50/£31. Local bus service Viazul  also offers a standard bus service from the Havana bus station to Veradero and other destinations, from Havana to Veradero it's about 15CUC/$15/£9.  Playa Veradero When we went to Veradero we were only supposed to be going for the day and a friend was driving us there and back. On the way there the car broke down in Matanzas about 18 miles from Veradeo so we got a taxi from there to the beginning of the strip for15CUC/$15/£9.  Hotel Tortuga We spontaneously decided that ...

Vinales Today we drove from Havana to Vinales. It's an hour and half drive. Vinales is very mountainous and beautiful and very popular among bus tours and tourists. See  Havanatour  and  Cubatur  for prices and destinations. These tour guides can be found in all hotels or offices all over the country.  Vinales mountains There are also many souvenir stalls selling Che Guevara t shirts, paintings, cigars, cigar holders, postcards, books, jewellery and trinkets. Vinales is also home to the caves and we took a tour of the caves for 5CUC/$5/£3. It was pretty and there was a boat tour too. It was about 20 minutes long. If you've seen stalagmites before I wouldn't recommend it as its very samey. Cave We then went to Pinar Del Rio where we went to a cigar factory. It was 5CUC/$5£3 for the tour which is also 20 minutes, the guide told us that the factory makes 5000 cigars daily so around 100 cigars per person per day. There are abo...

Havana Viejo III Today we visited Museo Napoleonico which is around the corner from Havana University in the opposite direction of La Rampa/Habana Libre Hotel. Museo Napoleonico It's 3CUC/$3/£2 per person with an extra 5CUC/$5/£3 per camera but no ticket was given and no one checked when we took photos so I wouldn't bother paying the extra 5 CUC. The museum is relatively small but interesting. The museum houses several Napoleon artefacts and things he used in his life. It's 3 storeys high and the docents speak some English and are very informative.  Lunch at Casablanca Later that day we had lunch at an outdoor budget restaurant on El Malecon by the Punta Fortress or Cathedral side. The restaurant is called Casablanca with wonderful views of the sea. Main courses range from 3-5CUC/$3-$5/£2-£3 including two side dishes and drink prices are also reasonable. A good food portion is given and I would definitely dine there in the future.  A...

Havana Viejo II Today we went to Obispo Street where there is a square and is opposite Havana Palace. I'm not sure if there are vendors everyday but they are definitely there on Thursdays. They mostly sell old books in Spanish and English, old Cuban currency no longer in circulation, jewellery, trinkets and watches. Most of the books are in Spanish but there are some in English too, most of the literature relates to Cuban history and heroes e.g.Che and Fidel. There are also some Cuban travel books and children's books available.  Most of the vendors are friendly and interested in where you are from etc and others are a bit more pushy and concentrate more on the hard sell, but happens everywhere you go. There are several forms of transportation that are everyday occurrences e.g. horse and carriage, rickshaws, old US cars, buses, coaches, bici taxis and taxis.  There are also several references, pictures and paintings of Che Guevara all over ...