Globalrelations.Ourcuba.Com New Year's in Cuba

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New Year's in Cuba In Cuba from Friday 29 December, 2017 to Tuesday 2 January, 2018 Day 1 – Friday :: Arrival Cuba, hello Havana and Cannon Depart to Havana via your own arranged flights Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Proceed through Immigration, collect your bags and go through Customs. You will be welcomed at the airport Arrival Lobby by our Cuba Education Tours guide. (Included) Participant’s arrival times may vary throughout the day. Arrangements will be made for each flight Private transfer to the iconic Hotel Ambos Mundos located in heart of Havana’s Old City. This historic hotel, seasoned with elegance, was home to Ernest Hemingway when he stayed in the city. (Included) You will need to wheel your bags a few blocks to the hotel since vehicles are not allowed in the Old City. Enjoy a welcome cocktail (Included) after your private check-in with assistance from your Guide Free time to settle in and get oriented with your historic hotel and the streets of Old Havana where you are ideally located This evening you will enjoy a welcome dinner at the bustling paladar (private restaurant) Los Naranjos. (Included) View a Havana tradition which first started hundreds of years ago. At 9 o’clock, a cannon was fired from the ancient Fortress of San Carlos de Cabana to indicate the gates of the Old City were about to close. A large chain was then raised from the water and put across the entrance to the Harbor to keep pirates from sailing in. You will go to the fort for the ceremony where the tradition continues, other than the chain which is no longer used. (Included) Day 2 – Saturday :: Hemingway, Old Havana and Buena Vista Social Club Breakfast in Hotel. (Included) Visit Finca La Vigía, home and farm of Ernest Hemingway. This unique National Museum includes his boat Pilar (in part, made famous from his book Old Man and the Sea), the graves of some of his dogs and inside the fully furnished home you will be able to see his library, manuscripts and personal effects. (Included)

Visit Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José, a giant craft market offering the most iconic objects of Havana: garish-colored paintings by local artists, guayaberas (short-sleeve, open-neck Cuban shirts), sculptures, leather, jewelry, and various trinkets and gadgets bearing the image of Che Guevara. The souvenirs are high quality, which is why you'll see as many locals, as tourists, among the shoppers. The metal-framed structure itself, an old renovated maritime warehouse, is very retro and Art Deco and is worth the trip in itself. (Included) Lunch at El Templete, along the Bay of Havana, is on an active street of vintage cars, horse drawn carriages and ships in the harbor. (Included) Enjoy a coctel lesson at Sloppy's Bar Walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will visit the historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by our Cuba Education Tours guide. (Included) Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana was built by the Jesuit order Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as: Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City Palacio del Segundo Cabo [Palace of the Second Lieutenant] dates from 1770. Today it houses the Centro para la Interpretacion de las Relaciones Culturales Cuba - Europa [Center for the Interpretation of Cultural Relations Cuba-Europe] You will continue on to San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuba baroque architecture Then on to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences Visit Casa del Habano in Hotel Conda del Villanueva for a large selection of the best Habano brands which may be purchased and enjoyed in the smoking lounge Return to Hotel to freshen up

Dinner at El Aljibe, a popular, casual, open air restaurant famous for their roast chicken. (Included) Visited by Danny Glover, Jack Nicholson and Jimmy Carter Attend the fabulous Buena Vista Social Club, the next generation of the original performers. (Included) Men must wear shoes and long pants Day 3 – Sunday :: New year’s eve 2017 old man and the sea, top restaurant and Cabaret Tropicana Breakfast in hotel, included Travel to Cojímar, a small fishing Village outside of Havana and Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fishing port in Cuba. See the harbor where his boat Pilar was moored and where Papa and Gregorio (the bases for Old Man and the Sea) would depart to marlin fish or hunt German Submarines. Tour the small town, see Hemmingway’s bust made from metal donated by the local fishermen and get photos in front of the 17th century Spanish Lookout Fort. (Included) Lunch in Cojímar at a paladar El Ajiaco which is known for its robust servings of typical Cuban county-style fare. Humble, but visited by a number of celebrities and food networks. (Included)

Return to the Hotel to freshen up New Year’s Eve Dinner at Rio Mar, one of the finest restaurants in Havana and acclaimed as a top seafood restaurant on the island. (Included) Located where the Rio Almendares flows into the sea, off a small bay where Miramar meets the Malecon and where the Almendares River ends New Year’s Eve you will celebrate with a show at the Cabaret Tropicana, internationally acclaimed and ranked the number one attraction in Havana by Tripadvisor. (Included) The Tropicana was built in 1939 in the Havana neighborhood of Marianao. Once considered a risk taken by an entrepreneur who decided to open a restaurant with night club entertainment and a capacity for 300. At the time many considered his idea unfeasible. Today Cabaret Tropicana is known around the world and is one of Cuba’s most popular venues. One should plan for a late evening! Happy New Year! Day 4 – Monday :: New year’s day & Liberation Day Holiday in Cuba and vintage american cars Breakfast in Hotel. (Included)

Discussion with Cuban Education Guide on the reason Cuba celebrates Liberation Day and a dialog on its history. (Included) Lunch on your own Time to visit some of the places in Old Havana that Ernest Hemingway helped make famous by frequenting: the Floridita (daiquiris) and the Bodeguita del medio (mojitos) Late afternoon you will caravan in Vintage American cars along the Malecon, and stop for photos. (Included) Dinner not included. With all the great food you have experienced the past week, this is your last chance to re-visit one of your favorite restaurants or check out a paladar, of which, you have heard mentioned. Your Cuban Guide will be glad to help. Plan ahead, even earlier in the week if you need reservations Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of Havana. It’s your last night in the Republic of Cuba so Enjoy! Day 5 – Tuesday :: Havana return and Goodbye Cuba Breakfast. (Included) Check-out of hotel Transfer to José Martí International Airport for flight home. (Included) Memories of a wonderful visit to the Pearl of the Antilles: Cuba (Included)!

Cuba travel is a challenge. Our staff and Cuban partners work super hard to make your tour unfold seamlessly despite Third World conditions on the island. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Flexible travelers understand this is part of their Cuban adventure.