Month: June 2015

The Future of Cuba’s Legendary Cigar Industry

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The Future of Cuba’s Legendary Cigar Industry

By the Cuba Journal Staff Image by: Big101big The soil of Pinar del Río, a province located in Cuba’s southwest, nourishes the distinctive flavor and mystique that has defined the island nation’s image as a producer of the world’s best cigars. Fidel Castro made a special effort to brand himself as a cigar-chomping revolutionary in … Read more

A New Way to Text in Cuba

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A New Way to Text in Cuba

By the Cuba Journal staff A new Fort Lauderdale Company is launching a service called SMS Cuba, which will allow Cubans to send text-messages at a much cheaper rate than ever before, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Behind this endeavor is telecom entrepreneur Frank S. Caruso, who began working on the concept after a … Read more

A Poet in Cuba

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A Poet in Cuba

By the Cuba Journal staff American poet Richard Blanco visited Cuba this week as one of a recent series of expressions of softening of relations between the United States and Cuba, according to a report by ABC News. At President Obama’s 2012 swearing-in, Blanco became the first immigrant, first openly gay person, and first Latino … Read more

Engage Cuba Coalition Challenges Legislative Roadblocks

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Engage Cuba Coalition Challenges Legislative Roadblocks

By Cuba Journal Staff Engage Cuba is an independent public policy organization dedicated to mobilizing American businesses, non-profit groups and concerned citizens in support of the the ongoing U.S.‐Cuba normalization process and enacting legislation to reform U.S. travel and trade restrictions with Cuba. Despite its short life, the organization has acquired an impressive membership roster.  To … Read more

The Major Issues Holding Up New US-Cuba Embassies

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The Major Issues Holding Up New US-Cuba Embassies

Above: Havana (Photo: Cuba Travel Services) By the Cuba Journal staff They were even ordering office supplies that said Embassy instead of “Interests Section.” After US President Barack Obama’s surprise announcement that he would seek to normalize relations with Cuba, it seemed that it would only be a short time before the US opened its … Read more

The 4 Best Beaches To Visit In Cuba

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The 4 Best Beaches To Visit In Cuba

Despite an uninterrupted boom in the world’s travel infrastructure in the last 50 years, Cuba’s relatively modest development has some hidden benefits.  One little known benefit from Cuba’s policy of isolation is the preservation of its coastline that remains mostly unspoiled by bulldozers and asphalt. Its pristine beaches sparkle with seashells and vegetation rather than the typical sprawl of highrises and parking lots so familiar to most Western tourists.  Cuba is a haven.  Here are four of the beaches you must see on your next trip to Cuba.

US-Cuba Embassy Announcement Expected Soon

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US-Cuba Embassy Announcement Expected Soon

By Cuba Journal staff photo by: Anna Rydin On Friday, Reuters cited sources suggesting the Obama administration is expected to announce an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies and restore diplomatic relations severed more than five decades ago.  The announcement is expected in July, clearing the way for Secretary of State John Kerry to visit … Read more

Cuba’s Most Famous Bar, El Floridita

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Cuba’s Most Famous Bar, El Floridita

by the Cuba Journal staff image by Haydn Blackey El Floridita is a seafood restaurant and cocktail bar located in La Habana Vieja, the old section of Havana.  It occupies its original location at the end of Calle Obispo (Bishop Street). El Floridita opened in 1817 under the name “La Piña de Plata” (The Silver … Read more