By Dana Niland Cuba Journal Contributor Carnival Cruise Line will offer 17 new sailings to Cuba aboard Carnival Sensation in 2019. The five-day Cuba voyages will be the line’s first to operate round-trip from Miami, and will feature a day-long call in Havana as well as stops at ports including Grand Turk, Grand Cayman, Nassau, … Read more
If you’ve been to the cigar shops of Havana lately, you’ve noticed an odd inventory situation. Some legendary cigars, like the Bolivar Belicoso Fino, are nowhere to be found. Others, like the Partagas Lusitania, are, remarkably, frequently in stock. In general, the shelves seem a bit barer, not surprising given the wave of new visitors … Read more
It’s finally here. The highly-anticipated Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana has opened its doors to guests, a major new addition to Cuba’s booming tourism sector. The five-star property has been exquisitely restored, taking a building first constructed between 1894 and 1917 as Cuba’s first European-style shopping arcade and turning it into what’s easily one of the … Read more
By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon Cuba Journal Contributor It’s not every day that I have lunch in Havana. And it’s not every day that I have lunch in a repurposed peanut oil processing plant. But today I’m doing both. Hidden in plain sight on a non-descript street in the Cuban capital’s Vedado neighborhood, El Cocinero is the … Read more
With few options to choose from for shopping in Cuba, what exists should capture your sentiments about the art and beauty of the island nation – and most importantly the creativity of the Cubans themselves. Alma – a quaint shop tucked into the residential Havana neighborhood of Miramar – is the place to find a … Read more
They like to say at the Ambos Mundos that the typical hotel check-in desk is replaced by a piano bar. It’s no surprise, then, that a place like this pink building, which was first built in the 1920s in the heart of Old Havana, became one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite Havana haunts. Indeed, the hotel’s … Read more
Sure, you’ve had Cuban Coffee before, that sweet alchemy of spoonfuls of sugar and robust espresso. But have you had it in Cuba? Old Havana is increasingly filled with restaurants aiming to cater to travelers, but some stops are simply better than others. Some are for tourists, while others actually deliver something truly authentic. One … Read more
It’s the most famous hotel in Havana: the Hotel Nacional, where the ghosts of legends still roam the halls. And while it’s mostly celebrated for its imposing architecture and its long history of famous guests, there’s one major reason to come here, whether you stay the night or not. It’s Bar Rosa Nautica, the tiny … Read more
The Malecon: the signature boulevard in the most beautiful city in the region: Havana. It’s a place where Cubans and tourists alike travel to discover and rediscover the soul, the rhythm, the scenery of Cuba. And it’s a place that has two lives: playful and quiet during the day, pulsing and exotic at night. This is what … Read more
Cuba’s fleet of classic cars has become an inextricable core of the country’s image abroad — to the point of being overdone in recent years. With that said, however, taking an old taxi remains one of the signature experiences in Havana — like this old Chevy Bel-Air convertible usually stationed at the Hotel Nacional in … Read more
