CUBA VACATIONS

HAVANA CUBA VOTED BEST CRUISE SHIP DESTINATION

Havana, welcomes the world famous Carnival Cruise Lines to Havana, Cuba.  The world leader in Cuba Cruises plans to launch another 20+ cruises beginning in 2019 and 2020, including the company’s first scheduled voyage to the island nation from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cuba has become red hot on the cruise ship travel circuit and tourist continue to sing the praises as the “best cruise ever” according to many cruise ship passengers
Here is a list of the Havana Cuba Cruises as well as their Florida Port of Call:
Carnival Triumph (Fort Lauderdale): Eight five-day cruises featuring an overnight stop in Havana and a day-long call in Nassau leaving Dec. 14, 2019, and Jan. 11, Feb. 8 and 22, March 7 and 21, and April 4 and 18, 2020; and a five-day cruise with an overnight Havana stop and a visit to Half Moon Cay, Carnival Corp.’s private island in the Bahamas, departing Jan. 20, 2020.
Carnival Victory (Miami): A three-day voyage with a day-long call in Havana departing Nov. 22, 2019.

CUBA MIAMI CRUISES
Carnival Sensation (Miami): A four-day cruise featuring an overnight Havana stop and an extended visit to Nassau departing March 19, 2020, plus two five-day sailings with overnight Havana calls plus stops in Freeport and Nassau departing Feb. 15 and 29, 2020.
Carnival Paradise (Tampa): A five-day voyage departing Nov. 18, 2019, with an overnight call in Havana and a stop at Key West.
Carnival Sunshine (Charleston): A four-day cruise with a day-long call in Havana departing Nov. 21, 2019, along with eight five-day cruises with Havana and Freeport calls departing Jan. 6, Feb. 3 and 17, March 2, 16 and 30 and April 13, and 27, 2020.
Havana Cuba Cruises all offer  cultural shore excursions that showcase  Cuba’s unique Latin culture, and architecture. Cuban-themed activities and entertainment including “Havana-inspired deck parties, trivia contests and salsa lessons,” Carnival said in a news release.
Cuba Criuses  prices starting at $220 per person for three-day sailings, and less than $400 per person for most of the five-day sailings. Port fees and taxes are extra

If you plan to criuse to Cuba,  be aware that the Cuban government requires all guests to present a tourist visa — called a “Tarjeta Turistica” — for $45 upon entry and departure, but those are available from Carnival for $75 a person. Enjoy your Havana Cuba Cruises and practice your Latin dancing.

HAVANA CUBA

Havana Cuba at Night

GUIDE TO HAVANA CUBA

Havana Hotels 

There are many top 4&5 star hotels located all over Havana. Prices range from a low of $40 USD to $1,000 per night for a suite at the hotel Nacional de Cuba. All inclusive packages are available as well as a la carte depending on your preference.

Havana Car Rentals

If you have to rent a car in Cuba remember a few simple things. first car rentals are very expensive and dangerous to drive in Havana. Its due to the poor road conditions. poor signage, lack of experience drivers and most important is that if you are in an accident the Cuban government may keep you in Cuba for months while they conduct an investigation. This turns a great holiday to Cuba into a living nightmare so best to take taxis if and whenever possible. Remember whenever in doubt call the police and your embassy as quickly as possible.

English: The Hotel Inglaterra in Havana, Cuba (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Havana Cuba Area Codes

Call to and from Cuba  are very expensive and can reach $7 USD per minute to some countries so be very careful when it comes to long distance calls. Always ask how much the call will be per minute before you dial the numbers.Cell phone is # 05 and land lines are 7 followed by the number

Havana Business Hours

Cuba in general has no set rules for setting up meetings. The main point to remember is that the meeting is all about your relationship & credibility with your Cuban Partner. They have to Trust you which is very hard for Cubans when it comes to business as well as pleasure.  If you get a opportunity to talk with anyone that has done business with Cuba they will advise you to run as fast as you can and do not trust the Cubans in Business because in the end they will get you money and there are no rules for you to recoup you investment. Most businesses and banks are open Monday through Friday  9-5.  Shopping and malls, especially those that cater to tourists,  are almost always open till at least 9pm even on Saturday and Sunday.

Cuba Drinking Laws

 There are no drinking laws in Cuba. Only law is if yu are drunk and get caught in any sort of crime or illegal activity even a small traffic accident then you go straight to jail while Cuban authorities conduct a "Cuban Investigation" which may take months. Cuba has no firm or clear liquor laws. Beer, wine, and liquor are served at most restaurants, shopping malls, gift shops and hard-currency stores. Drinking while intoxicated is illegal and will get you thrown in jail. In short you can drink as much as you want, get drunk but don't get into trouble.

Electricity In Cuba

Havana hotels and private homes all use a 110-volt current with standard U.S.-style two- or three-prong outlets. Current converters are available in all hotels for European tourist

Foreign Embassies & Consulates In Havana Cuba

 All major consulates and embassies are in Havana. USA, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and Canada also have other locations in Cuba. Canadian Embassy is at Calle 30 no. 518, at the corner of Avenida 7, Miramar (tel. 7/204-2516; fax 7/204-2044; http://havana.gc.ca). 

The Consulate of Canada is at Hotel Atlantico, Suite 1, Guardalavaca (tel. 24/430-320; fax 24/430-321; honcongvaca@canada.com); and at Calle 13, corner of Avenida 1 and Camino del Mar, Varadero (tel. 45/61-2078; fax 45/66-7395

The embassy of the United Kingdom is at Calle 34 no. 704, between Avenida 7 and 17, Miramar (tel. 7/214-2200; fax 7/214-2218; www.britishembassy.gov.uk/cuba).

American Embassy in Cuba

 In Cuba the American government does not officially have  an embassy nor a consulate. The US Embassy is officially called the United States Interests Section and is located next to the Malecon at  Calle Calzada between Calle L and M, Vedado (tel. 7/833-3551; http://havana.usinterestsection.gov, is the official U.S. government office in Cuba. There is no Australian embassy in Cuba. The Canadian embassy will assist.

Havana Customs

 Flying to Havana is very easy from most countries. Once you arrive you will have to clean Cuban customs. It wont be a problem becasue Cubans in Havana are very friendly, open, and physically passionate and expressive people. They enjoy to talk with tourist and never use the formal terms in Spanish.  Warning to be leery that many Cubans want to talk with you as a tourist for economic gain in one form or another. Jineteros, or street jockeys, are a way of life in Cuba for getting a good restaurant or hotel or a women companion that is for enjoyment in exchange for for money, gifts and a good night on the town.

Havana Attire

How to dress in Havana is usually very casual and informal, due to the Cuban culture and economic times faced by the Cubans. Suits are rarely worn for only weddings and official governmental meetings, although a simple, light, short-sleeved guayabera, are the standard for most formal of
Language in Cuba-- Spanish is the official language of Cuba. English very popular and is spoken at all tourist hotels and most restaurants and Cuban attractions. Once yuou venture outside of Havana into thre countryside English is not widely spoken.

Havana Laundromats 

Cuba dry cleaners and laundromats are located in Havana and will usually be full service or self-serve . They are rare , hard to find and expensive. Best to ask your hotel for their laundry services, which are expensive. Best option is to ask a private house to do your laundry for you for $5 they will wash, dry & press all your laundry.

Havana Legal Aid

 If case you need legal help call your embassy immediately. You never know in Cuba what is going to happen when it comes to their very shaky legal system so be over precautions and make the call for legal advise quickly. All embassies have round-the-clock emergency numbers. Call Asistur  emergency numbers: tel. 7/866-8521, tel. 7/866-8339, and tel. 7/866-4920.

Havana Lost & Found 

Lost in Cuba is Yes, and found in Cuba is NO! There is no such thing as "found" in Cuba! If you loose something you can be sure you wont be seeing that again.

BOOK HAVANA HOTELS IN CUBA

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HAVANA GOLF HOLIDAYS

Havana Cuba's Only Golf Resort

GOLFING IN HAVANA CUBA

(CNN) -- Under Fidel Castro's rule, golf was all but eliminated in Cuba, but the bourgeois sport of the West is poised for a comeback on the communist-run island.

Castro and Che Guevara famously staged a golf match to antagonize then-U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and soon after he came to power in 1959 the revolutionary leader began his march on Cuba's dozen or more courses.

The tanks rolled in, and some were turned into military facilities. One became an art school, and Castro reportedly built a house on the fairways of another. By the time he was finished, only two courses remained.

But over half a century later, a more relaxed political regime and a hunger for the tourism dollar is set to transform Cuba into an unlikely golfing hotspot for Western travelers.
Gallery: Alberto Korda golf

"Golf is becoming a reality in Cuba this year," Andrew MacDonald, chief executive of London-based Esencia Hotels and Resorts, told CNN.

"The key moment was a change in Cuban property law last August to make foreign ownership far more attractive.

"The Cuban government have a vision of establishing 15-16 new golf courses in the next five to seven years."

Esencia is part of that vision. Its luxury Carbonera Country Club development in the beach resort of Varadero has been seven years in the making, and MacDonald hopes to start construction on the $300 million project in the next few months.
Cuba has a great climate, coastal frontage for development and needs golf to support tourism demands
--Les Furber, golf course designer

* Golf
* Cuba
* Tourism
* Fidel Castro

Leisure Canada, a Cuban investment company based in Vancouver, is also at advanced stages with three planned golf developments in the Pinar del Rio province on Cuba's west coast.

And London-based firm Foster and Partners confirmed to CNN it has been commissioned by a Spanish developer to build a 2,000-unit golfing community with three courses in the same area.

Cuba currently has just 27 holes for golfers. The ramshackle nine-hole Havana Golf Club survived the Castro regime as a venue for foreign diplomats and visiting businessmen, while the Varadero Golf Club on the east coast was extended to 18 holes in 1998 thanks to a $20 million investment from the government.

Canadian Les Furber was the man who designed it, and he said the political climate made for a protracted process.

Why did Communist heroes play the bourgeois game?

"Because of the U.S. embargo on products and services it was challenging to get many of the things we needed, and the economic time meant it took eight years to build the golf course due to the lack of diesel fuel, tires and batteries etc," he said.

Despite the frustrations, Furber is keen to return to the island to work on future developments, and believes Cuba is ideally situated to attract Western golfers.

"Cuba is 90 miles from Miami and has a great climate, coastal frontage for development and needs golf to support the tourism demands," he said.

"Cuba recognizes now that it does not have any financial support from foreign countries and needs tourism in a big way to help pay for its imports and lines of credit for most things it does not produce or manufacture."
Golf will be an Olympic event in 2016. Cuba should seriously prepare for golf as they have done with other sports
--Golfer Alvaro Quiros

Cuba's minister for tourism Manuel Marrero said in 2010 that 16 golf developments had already been approved by the Council of Ministers. He stressed that golf was fundamental to its plans to bolster the tourism industry.

But Havana Golf Club's resident professional Johan Vega has heard it all before. He remains skeptical over the mooted developments, and harbors doubts whether Cuba is truly ready to embrace the sport that, thanks to Castro, is no more than a minority activity.

"When the new ones open show them to me. Then I will know it is true," he told the Golf.com website.

"In Cuba golf culture simply doesn't exist. If you talk to people here about birdies and bogeys they have no idea what you mean."

Cuba's golf revolution will certainly be on the agenda in April when Varadero hosts the third annual Montecristo Cup, a tournament open to amateurs and professionals.

Spanish professional Alvaro Quiros will be the big-name attraction this year, and the four-time winner on the European Tour is fully behind the initiative to bring golf back to the Cuban people.

"It is important that support is given to many people in Cuba to play, practice and participate in golf," he said after his appearance at Varadero in 2010.
Golf wasn't a priority in Cuba before. It's worth noting that 10 million U.S. citizens can already come here because of their Cuban relatives--Esencia's Andrew MacDonald.

Gallery: Alberto Korda golf

"Cuba is known for its baseball players, and when you think about it the golf swing is not a million miles away from that used in baseball."

While initially looking to the "Anglo-Saxon" tourist market, MacDonald believes the U.S. government will ultimately relax its restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba.

"I see that coming in softly over the next few years. But it's also worth noting that 10 million U.S. citizens can already come here because of their Cuban relatives," he said.

As for Castro and Guevara's famous game, it was won by the younger man with a score of 127. Castro shot over 150 and some have suggested his resentment of golf was simply down to the fact he was never any good at it.

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HAVANA TRAVEL

HAVANA CUBA TRAVEL VIDEO

HAVANA VIDEO

Havana,or La Habana as the Cubans call their capital of 2.5 million people, is one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Havana Cuba Feelings is a collage of old Cuban film footage, Cuban photos, statements from Cuban personalities from Cuba's world of entertainment, Latin Art and culture, as well as shots of today's modern Havana. It's a glittering portrait of a city in its golden years. Havana. An air of transience shrouds the moods of Havana city, whose lethargic rhythm of life only serves to accentuate the ravages of time. Havana's dilapidated charm has become fashionable. Its old splendor is being restored. For all those who hope to find here what may have been lost forever elsewhere - The feeling of a bygone era.


Havana Cuba, an old man who, for decades, had his finger on the pulse of the city: chronicles of the Cuban way of life and friend of the Lost Cuban bohemians. As a Cuban young man is always writing stories about this exotic mysterious city. His articles and reports now cast light upon a world consigned to the past since the triumph of Fidel Castro's revolution. In the early thirties many Cubans came from the countryside to the Cuban metropolis. Since then they have been writing about everyone and everything in the city. "You can't talk about Havana at that time without mentioning the friendly Cuban people." They saw the old Havana city as it became transformed, as it turned into a throbbing metropolis. The cityscape kept changing along with the style of the times. The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie behind facades where the most diverse styles mingled, coating the city with Cuban patina.

Know the real facts of the city of Havana, its people from the present and its past; Cuban singers, actors, composers, journalists,& sexy Cuban dancers. We also learn about Havana's turbulent history and fascinating culture and amazing architecture.

The old city of Old Havana or Havana Veja thrives on its folksy original characters. The eccentrics are now one of Cuba's top tourist attraction. They personify - and sell - Cuban flair.

One of Havana's most famous visitors was Ernest Hemingway. He always turned up with him in the right place at the right time to provide the press with little stories about nights in Havana.

Hemingway left a special memento to his local Cuban bar Floridita. With the master barkeeper, he created the world famous Daiquiri Hemingway Special, the legendary papa Hemingway double. Both the master and the drink have been immortalized in his novel Islands in the Stream. It was intended as a gathering of friends. A party for Hemingway, who won the Nobel Prize with his Cuban theme. On this day, the American author surprised those present with an unusually emotional gesture. After the meal he climbed up onto the platform and handed his Nobel Prize medal to Fernando Campoamor - who in turn donated it to the patron saint of Cuba, the Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre near Santiago de Cuba. With this gesture, as far as the Fidel was concerned, Hemingway had finally become a Cuban.
Enjoy this fabulous Havana Cuba Video.

Cuba Travel Video

Cuba Havana Video.
Havana Travel the streets of modern day Havana. Its like going back into a time capsule into one of the most exciting cities in the modern world. Witness how Cubans celebrate their daughter's coming-of-age while enjoying the Havana high life at a tobacco festival fashion show with catwalk model and soap opera star Yoandra Suarez.