Havana, Cuba 2019 - Planning, Travel

My husband Rich and I have wanted to visit Havana, Cuba for some time now. This would be another new country for both of us, and the first time in the Caribbean for Rich.  Neither of us like sun vacations, so we have no interest in any of the resorts or beaches in Cuba.  But the history and culture of Havana sounded really interesting, so that is where we planned to spend the 5 days of our vacation.  During the Obama administration that saw a thawing of relations between United States and Cuba, we felt an urgency to go before the place became inundated with Americans with a
Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner.  That risk seems to have diminished with the new U.S. regime, but we still decided that it was time to make the trip.  Our timing was vindicated when we learned that Havana was in the process of upgrading their docks in order to accommodate a total of six major cruise ships at one time, when currently they can only handle two.  Once this happens, the city will be swarmed with tourists from around the world.

Planning our travel to Cuba and specifically to Havana did not turn out to be as simple as our previous visits within Europe or North America, where we could just go online to book flights and accommodations.  Since most people who go to Cuba are headed for resort destinations such as Varadero, there are hardly any direct flights available from Toronto to Havana.  The only one we found was an Air Canada flight that left Pearson airport at 8:21pm and arrived at the José Martí International around midnight!  From there, it was a 40 minute taxi ride into Old Havana.  We did not want to be trying to navigate this trek in the wee hours, so we put ourselves in the capable hands of a Flight Centre travel agent and let her advise us as to our best options.  What the travel agent came up with was a package deal that included flight, transport and hotel.  The good news was that the Air Transat flight departed at a much more reasonable time of 9:10am arriving at 12:45pm.  The bad news was that the flight landed in Varadero at the Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport and we would have to take a 2 hour taxi ride from there to Havana.  I initially resisted this idea, but in the end, the difference in the timing of the flights won me over. Also, at least the transport to the hotel would be pre-arranged, was included in the price of the package, and the ride to and from the airport gave us a chance to see the Cuban countryside.

Wanting to avoid the need to take taxis to get around the city (especially since the price can be a moveable feast unless you pre-negotiate prior to the trip), we searched for accommodations in the heart of Old Havana within walking distance of all the sights that we would visit.  Since we heard that the standard of accommodations are not on par with what we are used to, we decided to stay in one of the highest rated hotels that we could find, understanding that a “5-star” hotel in Cuba would probably be equivalent to a 2-3 star one back home.  We chose the “five star luxury hotel” Iberostar Parque Central, run by the same chain of hotels that we recently stayed at last year in New York City.  It was situated in the perfect location within walking distance of all the sights we wanted to see.  Having a hotel at such a central location meant we could stop by in the middle of the day for a rest or a bathroom break before heading out again!  We were also lured by the promise of a roof-top pool and bar with a spectacular view of the city and the inclusion of a comprehensive breakfast each day.  Yet we took it all with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that the standards might not be the same.

In addition to the conundrum of the flight, we had to deal with other nuisances that are not typically issues that we that we face in our travels.  We required multiple Twinrex shots for protection against hepatitis and were told that we needed proof of our travel medical insurance coverage, which we get with our credit card.  We jumped through a few hoops to get this from our credit card’s insurer, but as it turns out, no one asked us for it.  We could not buy local currency (CUC) until we reached Cuba and had to ensure that we exchanged any remaining CUCs back to Canadian dollars before leaving Cuba, since it is illegal to take the currency out of the country.  We knew that we should not drink the water in Cuba and had to rely on bottled water.  This was sold at a premium at our hotel, but we found a cheaper government-run source and stocked up.  We were warned that there would be no local cell service and very slow or spotty WIFI service available, so we planned to go without for the duration of our trip.  This would be quite the “first-world-problem” sacrifice since we have come to rely so much on our internet connectivity at home.  There were also warnings online about the lack of toilet paper in restaurants and other sites, so worry-wart Rich ended up packing TEN packages of travel-size Kleenex.  Needless to say, he left nine behind at the hotel.  He even wanted to bring soap and shampoo but I was sure that a “5-star” hotel (even by Cuban standards) would provide this for us.  Luckily I was right or I would not have heard the end of it!

During our early web check-in the day before our flight, we were happy that we were able to snag the second row of the plane, allowing us to be among the first passengers to get off.  Things got a bit tense when it was announced at the departure gates that there would not be enough overhead bin room for everyone and there were multiple pleas for people to gate-check their carry-on bags.  This would defeat the purpose of our trying to get off the plane quickly, so we resolutely lugged our bags onto the plane and hoped for the best.  As feared, there was no room in any of the overhead bins near our seats.  Undeterred, we decided to stuff our bags in the leg room space under the seats in front of us.  They barely fit and it made for a bit of an uncomfortable flight, but at least it was only 3.5 hours and we were the first ones to zip through customs and process our money exchange.  As we landed, we saw the word “Fidel” marked in the grasslands beside the runway, making it very clear whose country we had just entered.  Going through customs was interesting and a bit stressful.  On the plane, we were given Cuban travel cards that we were told to fill in carefully and keep safely throughout our stay, since we would need to produce them again when we went home.  If we made a mistake filling out the form, we would have to pay to get a replacement card to start again, since corrections were not accepted.  When we got to the customs booth, we were told that we had to go one at a time (whereas most other locations allow a family to show their passports together).  When it was my turn, a photo was taken of me, my travel card and passport were stamped and then I was told to go through a closed door that made me feel like Alice going through the Looking Glass but actually just led to the exit.  It seemed weird that each customs booth had its own door that led to the same place on the other side.

On the 2-hour drive from Varadero airport to Havana, we rode in an air-conditioned 7-seater van taxi with a couple from Burlington, Ontario who were staying at the same hotel.  The ride was bumpy and luckily after some digging, we found some seat belts, albeit only lap belts instead over-the-shoulder ones.  We were not so fortunate on the way back to the airport, as we rode in a rickety old limousine with no seat belts, no air-conditioning and manual windows that barely opened.   As we drove along the coast towards Havana, we saw views of the Straits of Florida, as well as various resorts and little towns and municipalities.  We also spotted multiple signs with Fidel’s name and face on them.  On the way back, passed through several police checkpoints and were stopped at one of them while the driver’s papers were inspected.

The Iberostar Parque Central Hotel is actually two separate buildings found on either side of Calle Virtudes, connected by an underground passageway that links the two buildings.  Alternately, you could walk outside for half a block to avoid going up and down a flight of stairs at each building, but then you would face the blazing heat.  The main hotel is a Spanish Colonial building with featuring a gorgeous Tiffany-styled lamp held up like a torch by a female bronze right by the entrance, a beautiful lobby with a massive glass-domed ceiling and a swooping staircase leading to a bar and art gallery on the second floor.  The windy underground passage that leads to the modern side is decorated with photographic views of Havana that inspired us for our own photo-taking endeavours.  We chose a room on the Modern side since it was a bit less expensive, but still gave us access to all the features on the Colonial side.  This included the musical entertainment in its lobby bars, the large breakfast space that offered more choices than on the modern side and roof-top pool and bar area. 

Our room was spacious and well stocked with all the typical amenities similar to what we would find in high-end North American hotels.  This included ample power outlets located in convenient places, a mini-bar fridge, a digital safe, large bath towels, standard toiletries, and even bathrobes. From our 9th floor unit, we had a stunning view of Old Havana including the Art Deco headquarters for the Barcardi Rum Company.  Our bathroom had BOTH a sizable rain-head shower AND a separate large, deep bathtub, where most other hotels that we’ve been in only offered one or the other.  Due to the heat in Havana, I did not think I would have any interest in my usual indulgence of taking a “hot bath in a big tub”.  But after multiple days of intense walking, I did take some relaxing hot baths, turning it into my own personal hot tub to soothe my tired muscles.  Our maid even treated our room like a cruise ship and would turn our blankets and bed sheets into different creative shapes each day, including two love-birds, a swan and a heart.  We were given a free bottle of water by the hotel every second day, but this wasn’t enough to drink and brush our teeth with, so we supplemented by buying a case of water from the government store.  All in all, we were extremely happy and relieved with our accommodations, especially since we weren’t sure what to expect before we arrived.

The only thing missing was reliable internet access, but this was true throughout the country.  The hotel actually provided several free WIFI cards good, each good for 5 hours of connectivity.  But the WIFI was only accessible from the lobby of each building, required carefully entering a 12-digit userid and a 12-digit password, and the connection would drop every few minutes so that you would have to type in the onerous credentials all over again.  Despite our best intentions to try to go 5 days without Internet access, when we learned that we could use the Bell roaming service which would cost us $12 Canadian per day and would use the data from our cell phone data plan from back home, we jumped at the chance.  Not only did this give us more reliable (abet still slow) internet service, but we could access it on the streets and therefore use Google Maps to help us get around.   We decided to use this option on Rich’s cell phone, while I struggled on and off with the WIFI cards.  At least while sitting in the beautiful Colonial lobby trying to connect to the WIFI, I had the chance to listen to various musical acts play including a pianist and a jazz singer

The breakfast at the Iberostar Parque Central was every bit as fabulous as it was touted to be.  There was so much choice that we literally ate something different each day.  There was a wide assortment of cold cuts, cheeses, various types of plain and flavoured butter, freshly baked bread, assorted fruit including pineapple, orange, papaya and guava, multiple types of fruit juices, various flavours of yogurt and granola, a full salad bar and eggs or omelets made to order.   In the hot food section, there was bacon, scrambled eggs, and each day, a rotating selection of sausages, grilled vegetables and a variety of starches including roasted potato, hash browns, spring rolls and wontons.  In the seafood section, there was smoked salmon every second day, and once there were fish croquettes and a seafood salad with shrimp and mussels.  There was a variety of pastries and churros, and on the first day after our arrival, there was an actual chocolate fountain.  Coffee was served and refilled regularly, but what seemed to be at a premium was water, which we often had to ask for explicitly.  On our second last day of breakfast, we discovered that there were mimosas being served as we entered the breakfast area.  Had I known, I would have had one every day!  We often ate so much for breakfast that we did not need a lunch and saved ourselves for dinner.

After our first breakfast in Havana, we rode the elevators up to the top levels of both the Colonial and the Modern buildings to check out their respective pool/bar areas and the views of the city.  Both locations provided stunning panoramic sightlines of the neighbouring points of interest, including the Capital Building, the Grand Theatre, the lovely Hotel Inglaterra, the Bacardi Building, and the Central Park.  We also had a bird’s eye view of the vibrantly painted old cars and convertibles parked in the lot across from the hotel.  This would become quite the past-time for Rich as he tried to capture images of the cars driving past various settings.

 

While the pool areas on both the Colonial and the Modern sides were beautiful, we preferred the one on the Modern side where we were staying, since it was less of a trek from our room, and also seemed to have more areas providing shade to cover the lounge chairs.  The days were so hot during our trip that after the first few full days spent touring the city, on the last couple of days we only went out in the early morning and later in the evening.  We spent the hottest hours in the heart of the afternoon relaxing by the pool while sipping pineapple mojitos and jumping in for a quick dip whenever we needed to cool off.  This was the closest that we came to partaking in “beach resort-like” activities while enjoying our time in Cuba.