Amid Havana’s majestic decay and the amazing urban vistas made beautiful by a total lack of commercial advertising, there is one potential shock that could render you a rootless wanderer – lack of adequate Internet. Cuba has the lowest Internet penetration in the Western Hemisphere, and while the government has been more generous recently in … Read more
It was a typical Spring Miami day when on April 17th, 2016 I boarded the 704-passenger vessel, MV Adonia, for a lunch gathering with a select group of people responsible for the creation of the Fathom brand and the re-purposing of a small ship with a big concept, to yoke industry behemoth, Carnival Corporation, into … Read more
The inaugural SAHIC Cuba conference, to be held this May 15-16, 2017 in Havana, Cuba, adds two keynote speakers for this first-of-its-kind conference. They are David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, and renown Cuban historian Mr. Eusebio Leal. Hotels, resorts or related real estate developments, including shared ownership, recreational … Read more
By Mary Anne Bargen, Cuba Journal contributor When I decided to venture to Cuba for the first time, it was a no brainer to check into what was available on Airbnb. I’ve relied on the service when traveling both across the states and abroad, and prefer staying in apartments and homes to hotels. Havana would … Read more
Yesterday, St Giles Hotels announced its expansion into Cuba, positioning the company as the first UK-based hotel brand to enter the Cuban hotel market. Gran Caribe, one of Cuba’s leading hotel groups, accepted St Giles’ bid to renovate and manage the Hotel Deauville, located in the heart of Havana. Abigail Tan-Giroud, St Giles Hotels Head of UK, Europe, and The … Read more
There is a freight of circumstance knotted around that contrasts you will find in Cuba. As you have probably heard, Cuba is not like any place you’ve been before. Witnessing the outward detail of her majestic decay contrasted against the inner beauty of her people will challenge you – and in ways that can be … Read more
Guitarist Pablo Menendez’s funky Yoruba, Afro-Cuban, salsa, bebop fusion septet Mezcla (“mixture”) is as much about Cuba’s musical past as it is the future. Let’s Do Cuba‘s Intimate Cuban Jazz Weekend offers deep immersion into the Cuban Latin/fusion jazz scene through Mezcla and renowned artist, Pablo Menendez. According to Let’s Do Cuba’s Lily Puosa, “Our experience … Read more
It’s one of Cuba’s signature cigar brands: H. Upmann, one that counts more than 173 years of heritage and among the world’s oldest cigar brands. Indeed, the Upmann brand, named after a German banker, was the favored brand of none other than John F. Kennedy, whose regular smoke was the H. Upmann Petit Upmann. And … Read more
The sixth annual International Jazz Day, to be celebrated worldwide on April 30, 2017, will be held in Havana, Cuba. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock announced the news today. RELATED: Cuban-born Paquito D’Rivera Composes Diplomacy and Art with His Sax International Jazz Day … Read more
Havana’s restaurant scene moves in three dimensions: style, size and quality – and all are constant in flux, cooking up exciting new alternatives, making Havana’s restaurants a reflection of the broader unleashing of Cuba’s once dormant commercial energies. In Cuba, private restaurants, called paladares (pl) or paladar, are where much of the innovation is happening. … Read more
