Centre College Alumni Trip – March 16-24, 2019
About Us
Cuba Educational Travel (CET) is a leader in cultural travel to Cuba. CET unlocks the best of Cuba by providing access to the country’s top artists, academics, tastemakers, and cultural figures. CET’s tailor- made programs enable clients to experience Cuba’s vibrant culture and gain a deeper understanding of the island, while ensuring full compliance with all U.S. regulations.
CET has been on the frontlines of cultural collaboration, helping to bring Cubans to the U.S. and Americans to Cuba. From Yoga retreats to concerts to dance performances, CET has wide-ranging experience and contacts. Recent highlights include organizing the Diplo Major Lazer concert in Havana, which drew a crowd of over 500,000 people and bringing Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, the country’s top dance group, to perform at the Latin Grammys.
www.cubaeducationaltravel.com
Our Value Proposition
By leveraging this business expertise and curated travel capabilities, Cuba Educational Travel offers a product that is unrivaled. This combined with the beauty and intrigue of Cuba make for truly unforgettable experiences. CET has designed and executed executive retreats, board meetings, quarterly business reviews, incentive trips, industry specific investment delegations and conferences for some of the world’s most respected companies and organizations.
CENTRE COLLEGE ALUMNI – MARCH 16-24, 2019
Saturday, March 16
TBD Arrival to Havana. (pending flight information)
TBD Check-in at the Hotel Parque Central, Trip Advisor’s selection as the best hotel in Havana. Located on the corner of Central Park and along Prado Boulevard, the hotel is just steps from the Capitol building, the Great Theatre and the famous Obispo Street.
5 pm Centre College-Cuba Connection. Presentation by Marie Petkus and Genny Ballard, Specialists in Economics and fellow alums who have led undergrad immersions into Cuba with Cuba Educational Travel. Petkus and Ballard, will be joined by senior staff from CET to discuss partnerships and ongoing collaboratives between the two, and how the immersions are helping to fortify the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Cuba.
7 pm Welcome dinner at La Guarida paladar, famous not only for its delectable dining, but also as the location for the film Strawberry and Chocolate. It is housed on the third floor of a large, old town house carrying the charming ambience of the early 1900s.
Nightlife suggestion:
Take in a floorshow at Tropicana, Cuba's oldest and most famous Cabaret known as the "Paradise Under the Stars", it opened in 1931 and has been pleasing crowds ever since. Surrounded by lush vegetation, you will enjoy a glittering spectacle featuring over 200 singers, dancers, and musicians. (Reservation required)
Sunday, March 17
9 am Socio-economic discussion with urban planner Miguel Coyula, whose presentation will touch on housing, infrastructure, investment, and restoration programs in the city. It’s bound to leave you with a better understanding of why Havana looks the way it does today and possibilities moving forward.
10:30 am Walking tour of Old Havana’s Historic Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. Wander through the Plaza de Armas, a scenic tree-lined plaza formerly at the center of influence in Cuba. It is surrounded by many of the most historic structures in Havana as well as important monuments. See the Plaza de San Francisco, a cobbled plaza surrounded by buildings dating from the 18th century, dominated by the baroque Iglesia and Convento de San Francisco dating from 1719. Visit the Plaza Vieja, surrounded by sumptuous houses of the Havana aristocracy from the 18th and 19th centuries. Visit Plaza de la Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana.
12:30 pm Lunch at Doña Eutimia paladar. Famous for its ropa vieja and frozen mojitos, this cozy paladar made Newsweek Magazine’s top 100 restaurants in the world in 2012. The restaurant’s location in the beautiful cathedral square is unbeatable.
2:30 pm Visit to Morro Castle, one of the oldest and most important Spanish forts in the Americas, featuring a great view of the Havana city landscape.
6 pm Spend the early evening at Café Madrigal with Frank Delgado, renowned singer and songwriter, for a discussion about the nueva trova movement in Cuba, followed by a musical performance. Café Madrigal, owned and run by film director Rafael Rosales, is housed in a beautiful colonial mansion with the walls lined with captivating artwork. Enjoy tasty tapas and cocktails.
CENTRE COLLEGE ALUMNI – MARCH 16-24, 2019
***CET Travel Curators will assist with dinner reservation and coordinate transportation if you’d like to check-out one of Havana’s fine paladares.
Nightlife suggestions:
Enjoy a ballet or dance performance at a local theatre.
Go to La Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club. You will partake with Cuban fans and enjoy a performance by the new generation of jazz composers and musicians.
Monday, March 18
9:30 am Visit to the Museum of the Revolution, which holds hundreds of artifacts from pre- and post- revolutionary times and highlights the tense relationship between the U.S. and Cuba.
11 am Visit to a Cigar Factory. We will receive a tour and learn about the cigar making process.
12:30 pm Lunch at La Moraleja Paladar. Havana knows about yearnings and, for those who caress them, this Paladar was born out of the dream of a family that always wanted its own space to explore and offer gourmet pleasures. A house in the heart of Vedado neighborhood where everything guides the dream.
2 pm Tour of the University of Havana, the country’s oldest and most prestigious university, where we will receive a tour of the grounds, the Aula Magna and other important buildings.
Free late afternoon
Tuesday, March 19
9 am Discussion with Ricardo Torres, Economist from the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy. Get an overview of the Cuban economy, reforms, and growth outlook from one of the leading economic minds in Cuba.
11 am Visit a centuries-old mansion in Vedado neighborhood for a discussion with specialists in the real estate market. Step inside this stately residence to discover what lies behind the crumbling facades of Havana’s impressive mansions. Josie, who has lived in the house for over 60 years, will show us around and explain its rich history. Real estate specialists will discuss the complexities of buying, selling and determining value in Cuba.
12:30 pm Lunch at Paladar Atelier. This restaurant is equally known for its atmosphere and exquisite cuisine. The lighting and textures of the house, which was home to a pre-revolutionary senator, coupled with walls adorned in modern art, create a cozy, but modern setting.
2:30 pm Visit to the Nostalgic Cars restoration garage. Owners Nidialys Acosta and Julio Alvarez have taken advantage of the recent economic opening to put together a fleet of over 20 pristine clasicos to provide professional service to their clientele. We will visit the garage to see how they restore these beauties from the 1950s.
Ride in classic American cars from the 1950s. We’ll explore areas of the city we’ve yet to see. Visit the Plaza de la Revolucion, check out the Colon Cemetery, and venture into Miramar neighborhood, a residential district of the municipality of Playa, where many embassies are
CENTRE COLLEGE ALUMNI – MARCH 16-24, 2019 located including the landmark Russian embassy. Drive along the famous Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) and see the mansions that used to belong to many of Havana's upscale residents prior to the Revolution.
8 pm Dinner at Paladar San Cristobal. Located in the heart of Central Havana, this paladar has a reputation of excellence in both atmosphere and local cuisine. Enjoy great food while the local takes you back to the 1940s and 50s.
Nightlife suggestion:
Attend a live performance by the Buena Vista Social Club at Sociedad Cultural Rosalia de Castro. Egido 504 Altos e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana. (Reservation required)
Wednesday, March 20
9:30 am Check-out and depart for Trinidad, a UNESCO world heritage site, known for its cobble stoned streets, pastel colored homes and small-town feel.
10 am Visit to La Finca Vigía. Formerly the home of Ernest Hemingway, today it still houses his expansive collection of books. It was here where he wrote two of his most celebrated novels: For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. The beautiful grounds and bizarre tales from Hemingway’s many years in Cuba are captivating.
10:40 am Continue on to Trinidad.
On the way, stop in Cienfuegos, referred to as the “Pearl of the South,” is one of Cuba’s only cities to display French and Spanish architecture. Housed on one of the country’s largest bays, the city offers beautiful ocean front landscapes, and is deeply rich in culture.
2 pm Lunch at El Lagarto. With views and breezes from the bay of Cienfuegos, the location of El Lagarto is unbeatable.
3:30 pm Visit to the beautiful Palacio Del Valle in the Punta Gorda neighborhood. This palace is an architectural jewel and a National Heritage Memorial in Cienfuegos, a place of cultural events, restaurant, bar and museum.
4 pm Tour of Cienfuegos Historic Center: Parque Marti, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national monument. This vast square is revered for its historical importance and symbolic significance, not only because it is the official site of establishment of the city but also due to an architecturally noteworthy group of buildings surrounding the square.
4:30 pm Music and discussion with the local chapter of UNEAC, the National Union of Artists and Writers of Cuba, featuring an opportunity to meet local artists.
5:15 pm Continue on to Trinidad.
6:30 pm Check-in at bed and breakfasts. Since the 1990s Cuban families have been permitted to rent rooms out of their family homes to foreigners. Featuring comfortable accommodations and ample privacy, it’s a great way to interact with everyday Cubans.
Evening free
CENTRE COLLEGE ALUMNI – MARCH 16-24, 2019 Thursday, March 21
10 am Walking tour of the historic center with Nancy Benitez, a local architect, historian and restoration specialist. Ms. Benitez will provide an overview of the city’s history from an architectural, economic and infrastructural point of view.
Along the way, meet with local artists and learn about the city traditions like crochet, pottery and basket weaving and visit the art gallery of Yami Martínez at La Casa de los Conspiradores. Yami has achieved international recognition for her art depicting the strains of life on Cuban women.
12:30 pm Enjoy lunch at Paladar Sol y Son, a restaurant with a typical decoration of all Cuba with very old elements and excellent food.
2 pm Visit to the archeological site San Isidro de los Destiladeros, near the city of Trinidad, it was a typical sugar plantation, operated with slave labor in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Remnants of this thriving and historically underappreciated industrial heritage survive: an impressive owner's house, three-story tower, cistern, main sugar factory, ancillary buildings, and dikes. Almost all are in ruins or in imminent danger of collapse. We will discuss about sugar cane in Cuba and slavery
4 pm Rum and cigar tasting. A local expert will explain the qualities and traits of fine Cuban rum and cigars, pairing them together for the perfect match.
Evening free
Friday, March 22
8 am Depart for a day Trip to Topes de Collantes, also known as Guanayara National Park, is in the Sierra del Escambray, Cuba's second-largest mountain range. The beautiful crenellated hills are rich in flora and surprisingly isolated. With the best network of hiking trails in Cuba, these jungle- clad forests harbor vines, ferns and eye-catching epiphytes.
9 am Meet your local guide, board the truck and depart for Guanayara Park.
9:30 am Guided hike through the forest. Learn about the flora and fauna, take photos at a gorgeous waterfall and inside a cave. Stop at a natural fresh-water pool for swimming.
Midday Cuban traditional lunch at “Casa de la Gallega”, a local paladar at a farm house on the forest. We will be welcomed by the owner and enjoy the house cocktail prior to our meal.
2 pm Visit the House of Coffee, a tourist project that relates coffee-specialized gastronomic service (represented in 22 different service ways and presentations) with an exhibit on the history of coffee in the Topes de Collantes region. It comprises a museum-related design distributed in a small exhibition hall and the house’s patios that lead visitors all through the learning process about this location’s rich and peculiar history.
3:30 pm Say Farewell to your local guide and return to Trinidad.
Evening free
CENTRE COLLEGE ALUMNI – MARCH 16-24, 2019 Saturday, March 23
10 am Check-out and return to Havana. Enjoy a boxed lunch en route.
3 pm Arrival. Visit to the Lizt Alfonso Academy, a women-led dance company and school for local youth, specializing in various types of dance. We will watch a private performance by the adolescent dance group and sit with the dancers afterward to discuss how they came to join the school and the impact it has had on them. The talent and work ethic at this school is impressive.
4:30 pm Check-in at hotel.
6:30 pm Enjoy a discussion and private performance by Banda Ancha, a jazz band led by Yissy Garcia, an amazingly talented young percussionist. Banda Ancha calls its style “high-speed Cuban jazz,” a mixture of different rhythms like funk, reggae and samba, with Afro-Cuban influences.
8:30 pm Farewell dinner at Tierra, Havana’s newest international dinning spot. Located inside a container in the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, the restaurant mirrors the eclectic crowd, serving dishes from around the world.
Nightlife suggestion:
Following dinner, enjoy live music, art and dancing at La Fábrica de Arte Cubano. Rock star X Alfonso has turned this into meeting spot for a young, eclectic crowd of Cubans and foreigners.
Sunday, March 24
TBD Check-out and depart for airport. (pending flight information)