Introduction to Hemingway’s Cuba

There is a great deal to recommend a visit to the beautiful island of Cuba at this moment in time, recent political changes inciting the dawn of a new era in a country where the crumbling legacy of the heady pre-Revolution days still remains. Additionally, flying with Virgin Atlantic allows for a full 14 nights exploration of Western Cuba’s most important cities and stunning landscapes. Now flying twice weekly direct from London Gatwick, Virgin provide high quality on-board service, including a 31-inch seat pitch, individual seatback TV and a selection of meals.

Much of Cuba’s infrastructure was built to cater for the American elite in the heavy pre-revolutionary days before Castro, and the island is still redolent with imagery of the 1940s and 50s, whether it be Hemingway’s old haunts, museums to the exploits of the revolutionaries, the Tropicana Night Club, which still somehow echoes to the sound of Nat King Cole, the hotels run by “Long Legs Diamond” and the events of the Bay of Pigs.

However, Cuba is not just about tourist clichés since there is much to see not only in UNESCO World Heritage site Havana, with its baroque cathedral, many forts and Old Town, but also the provincial cities and towns. Port city Cienfuegos, known as the “Pearl of the South” was built around a stunning bay and its pastel coloured buildings are a striking example of Spanish colonial architecture; UNESCO World Heritage site Trinidad is sometimes referred to as a living museum, with its preserved squares, and San Juan de los Remedios, officially recognised as the oldest city in Cuba, is home to beautifully restored colonial mansions surrounding the main square.

An island of contrasts, outside of the main cities Cuba’s countryside is surprisingly varied. Pinar del Rio province’s Vinales Valley, home to a unique flora and fauna and over 17 endemic species, has been declared a National Natural Monument for its remarkable landscapes. Large limestone formations dating from the Jurassic period contrast with the lush greenery of the valley where the world’s finest tobacco is grown. Varadero is Cuba’s fashionable Caribbean resort, a 12-mile long slender strip of white sand on the island’s north coast in Matanzas province, also home to the Zapata Peninsula National Park, the largest wetlands in the Caribbean.

Itinerary

In brief:

London Gatwick – 1 night. Havana – 3 nights. Vinales Valley – 1 night. Soroa – 1 night. Trinidad – 3 nights. Santa Clara – 2 nights. Varadero – 2 nights. Havana – 2 nights. Flight – 1 night.

Day 1 Fly from Dublin to London Gatwick or to London Heathrow for Cork & Shannon Departures and transfer to Gatwick. Overnight in Gatwick airport hotel.

Day 2 Fly from London Gatwick to Havana. Transfer to the 5-star Hotel Parque Central or Melia Cohiba for three nights.

Day 3 A city tour exploring both old and modern Havana.

Day 4 Visit the local botanical gardens before continuing to the small fishing town of Cojimar on the outskirts of Havana and the Hemingway Museum at San Francisco de Paula where Hemingway wrote ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.

Day 5 Travel to Viñales in Pinar del Rio, Cuba’s most westerly province, 178 km from Havana and crossed by two spectacular mountain ranges. En route, visit a tobacco and rum factory and Indian’s Cave, part of the spectacular Santo Tomas cave system. Overnight at the 3-star Los Jazmines.

Day 6 Depart for scenic Soroa, famous for its botanical gardens, home to over 700 different types of orchids and waterfalls. Overnight at 2-star Villa Soroa Hotel or similar.

Day 7 Depart for Cienfuegos, a beautiful town with buildings showing the French influence of those who migrated here from Louisiana. Drive by the Bay of Pigs (with an optional visit to the Bay of Pigs Museum) and continue to Trinidad for three nights at the 3-star Hotel Las Cuevas or Hotel Brisas Trinidad.

Day 8 An orientation tour of Trinidad. Recently nominated a UNESCO World Heritage site, admire its beautiful colonial architecture, many squares and cobbled streets. Later visit the city’s museum, La Canchanchara bar, named after a local rum drink made with water and honey, and the nearby sugar plantations and mansion.

Day 9 Day at leisure or take an optional steam-train ride to a local sugar plantation at Manaca Iznaga.

Day 10 Travel to Santa Clara visiting Sancti Spiritus en route. Two nights at the 2-star Hotel La Granjita or Los Caneyes.

Day 11 Visit the colonial city of San Juan de los Remedios. Visit the Plaza Marti, a beautiful square surrounded by colonial mansions and the town’s main church, Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, built in 1570 and one of Cuba’s oldest churches.

Day 12 Travel to Varadero, a 12-mile strip of sand backed with dense tropical foliage and overlooking the Caribbean Sea, for a two-night stay at the 4-star all-inclusive Melia Varadero (four-night stay in 2010).

Day 13 At leisure with a variety of optional excursions, bookable locally.

Day 14 Return to Havana for two nights at Hotel Parque Central or Melio Cohiba.

Day 15 At leisure.

Day 16 At leisure before transferring to the airport for the overnight flight to London.

Day 17 Arrive Gatwick in the early morning and transfer to your onward flight to Dublin

Optional Extension – Havana (2011)

With two million inhabitants and 500 years history, Havana is a fascinating place to explore independently. Wander around Old Havana, admire the colonial architecture, visit some of the smaller museums dedicated to antique automobiles or Cuban music. Visit Lenin Park with its monumental statue to the Russian revolutionary leader, Christopher Columbus Cemetery where the beauty and magnificence of the headstones are famous throughout Latin America, the Botanical Gardens, China Town, the lively bars and street life and stroll along the Malecon, the sea wall that surrounds the city.Extend your stay for three or four nights in Havana, staying at the 5-star Hotel Parque Central with breakfast daily.

Price: €470 pp (4 nights – Tuesday departures) Single Supplement €165

Price: €400 pp (3 nights – Saturday departures) Single Supplement €120

Itinerary sequence may be re-arranged in order to reduce overcrowding at some sights. The stay in Varadero will be at the end of the tour.

Price inclusions

• Flight Dublin to London (Times vary)
• Overnight accommodation in Gatwick Airport
• Flight London to Havana with Virgin Atlantic
• Airport transfer to your hotel
• 15 nights accommodation (see Itinerary)
• Meals : All inclusive Varadero and half board elsewhere
• All tours outlined in the itinerary
• Return transfer from your hotel to airport
• Flight Havana to London Gatwick (Overnight)
• Onward flight to Dublin , Cork and Shannon
• Services of guide and local representatives
• Taxes and charges of €418

Booking remarks

• Inclusive of taxes and service charges as indicated
• Single room supplement €560 for the duration
• Supplement for extended stay €458 (Single Supplement €159)
• Virgin Upper Class Upgrade €2,180 pp
• Non refundable or transferrable booking deposit 10% per person
• Full payment due 12 weeks before travel
• 2% surcharge if balance is paid by credit or charge card
• Optional Insurance €48 (conditions apply)
• Taxes, charges or compulsory charges introduced after publication are not included in the above price.
• Irish Nationals require a tourist card to enter Cuba. Cost €30, arranged through Citiescapes

Accommodation details

Following a recent inspection visit, we have upgraded accommodation in Havana to the 5-star Hotel Parque Central in Viejo Habana (Old Havana) or the Melia Cohiba in the neighbouring enclave of Vedado, overlooking the ocean. Both hotels offer a choice of restaurants, bar and a swimming pool. At Varadero, we now stay at the 5-star Melia Varadero, pleasingly situated on the Varadero coast, nestled in tropical gardens with a two large swimming pools, numerous bars and restaurants. Our revised hotel choices afford maximum comfort at the beginning and end of the tour.

Throughout the rest of Cuba, choice is more restricted and hotels are of a simple 2 and 3-star standard, with private facilities. Tourism in Cuba is still under state control and on occasion hotels of a similar standard to those listed in the itinerary may be used. Advance notification of this is not always possible.

Dates and Prices

Date	Price
08 Nov 2011	€2339
15 Nov 2011	€2339
22 Nov 2011	€2349
29 Nov 2011	€2349
06 Dec 2011	€2329
03 Jan 2012	€2,649
07 Jan 2012	€2,699
10 Jan 2012	€2,649
14 Jan 2012	€2,699
17 Jan 2012	€2,649
21 Jan 2012	€2,699
24 Jan 2012	€2,649
28 Jan 2012	€2,699
04 Feb 2012	€2,769
07 Feb 2012	€2,689
11 Feb 2012	€2,769
14 Feb 2012	€2,689
18 Feb 2012	€2,769
21 Feb 2012	€2,689
25 Feb 2012	€2,769
28 Feb 2012	€2,689
03 Mar 2012	€2,769
06 Mar 2012	€2,689
10 Mar 2012	€2,769
13 Mar 2012	€2,689
17 Mar 2012	€2,769
20 Mar 2012	€2,689
24 Mar 2012	€2,769
27 Mar 2012	€2,689
30 Mar 2012	€3,239
03 Apr 2012	€3,239
07 Apr 2012	€2,769
10 Apr 2012	€2,689
14 Apr 2012	€2,769
17 Apr 2012	€2,689
21 Apr 2012	€2,769
24 Apr 2012	€2,689