Go Cuba:Beyond the facade of impoverished socialism and fast-buck tourism, Cuba's capital emerges as one of the most intriguing, eccentric and mysterious cities you could hope to visit, writes Eddie Lennon
HAVANA IS A city of unique charm and atmosphere. It is a place of disarming contradictions, with a quirky mishmash of culture and politics that makes it one of the most intriguing, eccentric and mysterious cities one could visit.
In this crumbling colonial metropolis, the paradoxes linger in the tropical air. This is a Catholic city, yet extremely liberal; communist, but surprisingly laid-back; politically repressed, but sensual and hedonistic; poverty-stricken, yet with a wonderful blend of tranquillity and Latin exuberance.
The city has a scruffy elegance. Architecturally, Havana is like a beautiful woman who has lost many of her looks but whose humour and poise make her just as alluring as before. The city appears to have been freeze-framed in the 1950s, not least because most of the cars are vintage American smoke machines, from Cadillacs to Plymouths to Chevrolets.
But the most impressive aspect of the Cuban capital, by a long shot, is the people. Their civility and gentleness belie the fact that their daily life is a constant struggle. Poor living conditions, shortages of food and car parts, and electricity blackouts are common.
The average monthly state salary is about €15, but to live in Havana costs several times that amount. Few Cubans get by on their salaries alone. A thriving black economy sees many engaged in negocio (business), anything from selling home-made CDs and other goods in public to recommending tourists to restaurants, accommodation and nightclubs in return for a tip from the business in question.
A few weeks ago Cuba quietly celebrated 50 years of the revolution that came about when Fidel Castro and his supporters overthrew the cruel and corrupt Batista regime, in 1959. In the meantime, the problem with the revolution has been its lack of evolution: Cuba’s economy has hobbled along behind the capitalist world for decades.
The economic embargo that the US imposed after the cold-war dramas of its abortive Bay of Pigs invasion and the missile crisis, where Cuba allowed Soviet missiles to be aimed at the US, still stands. Most trade between the US and Cuba is banned, although exports of food and medical products from the US to Cuba are allowed with approval from the US.
The embargo has limited Cuba’s chance to achieve its potential as a modern socialist state. Meanwhile, Cubans are deprived of basic economic freedoms. The freezing of human potential under the highly controlling government has left the vast majority of Cubans resigned to their collective fate as sons and daughters of the socialist family, afraid to hope too much for change after decades of painfully slow improvements in their quality of life. Even as Cubans hear positive noises from Barack Obama, false dawns remain uppermost in their minds.
We in Ireland associate dark streets with danger. In Havana dark streets – either poorly lit or not lit at all – are the norm, complete with potholes and uneven, broken pavements. Late one night in 2007, on my first visit to Cuba, I walked alone from El Barrio Chino (Chinatown) along the quiet, narrow back streets towards Parque Central and La Habana Vieja (the Old Town). A ghostly hush hung over everything. Locals brushed by with quiet, almost whispered greetings, and an overall feeling of mystery and melancholy prevailed. I began to wonder about the chances of being mugged in the shadows. The truth, however, is that Havana is extremely safe. Violence is rare, and there is no drug problem. In fact, in the weeks I spent in the city on that, and my recent, visit I did not encounter a single person who was visibly drunk.
That night in 2007 I crept back through the side streets, the strange intimacy of darkness my only companion. In a wide open doorway a pot-bellied man sprawled in an armchair in his dusty living room, drinking beer and watching sport on TV; in another a frail old lady fed her dog. Snapshots of a city where the ordinariness of people hides an extraordinary pride. Everywhere a tragic undertow coupled with a quiet defiance.
There is a feeling of abundance in the city that further adds to the improbable mix. For Havana is a capital pulsating with life. Music is a constant feature, from the taxis to the bars to the streets, a never-ending soundtrack. One quickly forgets the frazzled individualism and urban unease so evident in other cities. It is somewhere to be enjoyed at your own pace. Like all the best cities, Havana slows you down.
The Malecón, Havana’s five-kilometre coastal boulevard, is the city’s best-loved hangout for anyone with time on their hands and a pause on their mind. It is the spiritual heart of the city and the centre of its nocturnal social life. (A beer costs more than a day’s wage in Havana, so you won’t find many ordinary Cubans in most bars you visit.) Overlooking the 140km stretch of water that separates Cuba from Florida, the Malecón is a place for dreamers, lovers, friends, singers, hustlers and new acquaintances. Every night the Malecón wall is thronged with people taking the balmy sea air.
One aspect of the city’s social life is potentially problematic. In bars and nightclubs, and even on the streets, charming, extremely beautiful and sexually available women make very direct advances towards foreign men. The generalised poverty and the obvious economic divide between Cubans and tourists means these romantic liaisons are almost invariably inspired by the need for money. So if you are a single man in Havana, be careful. There have been some instances of men having their money and possessions stolen after a night of alcohol-fuelled passion with a beautiful Cuban stranger.
The best beaches near Havana are at Santa María del Mar, to the east of the city. They offer a welcome respite from the bustling city centre. Tropicoco beach is the best option. It is less touristy and much quieter than the other beaches in the area. You can get there for 15 pesos (€12.50) by taxi from the city centre. The journey takes about half an hour.
When you take a taxi in Havana, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, avoid the vintage American cabs and the Soviet-built Ladas. Both options involve sitting in a mobile rust bucket and inhaling lungfuls of noxious fumes. You will have to wait for (or book) a cleaner, more modern car, but it is always worth the wait, especially for long journeys. Agree the price in advance (taxi fares are about half the price of fares in Ireland) or insist that the driver switch on the meter (el contador), so you don’t get ripped off.
On a similar note, change your euro into pesos at banks, not at currency exchanges or hotel receptions, where you will get as little as 1.08 pesos (€1 is worth about 1.20 pesos).
And don’t count on using your credit card or traveller’s cheques. Most of the companies they are issued by are American, and some have been known to block transactions in Cuba.
Havana’s Old Town has been impressively restored in recent years, and it is a pleasure to explore. At night, though, it is predictably touristy and expensive. Floridita bar, where for some years Ernest Hemingway propped up the counter (there is a statue of him in the bar doing just that) is a sterile and characterless tourist trap. So is his other former principal haunt, El Bodeguita del Media, a few blocks away.
For venues that are authentic and far more interesting after dark, make your way to the eclectic and alternative neighbourhood of Vedado, with its impressive tree-lined streets, or the sleepy embassy suburb of Miramar, possibly the most elegant suburb in Cuba. Both are just a short taxi ride from the downtown area.
In Vedado, on the lively, sprawling street known as Calle 23, La Zorra y El Cuervo (corner of Calles 23 and O; 00-53-7-8332402) is an atmospheric venue that features some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians. In Miramar, La Casa de la Música (Calle 20, corner of 35; 00-53-7-2040447) is a busy dance venue that specialises in Latin music. It opens until as late as 4am. Both venues have live concerts most nights.
Where to stay and eat in the Cuban capital
Where to stay
We stayed at Habana Riviera (Avenida Paseo, 00-53-7-8364051, www.gran-caribe.com) and Habana Libre (Calle L, 00-53-7-8346100, www.solmelia.com), both in Vedado. We found the former cheap and musty and the latter expensive but disappointingly basic.
Better hotels, according to our friends in Havana, include the Occidental Miramar (Avenida 5, 00-53-7-2043584), the Melia Cohiba in Vedado (Avenida Paseo, 00-53-7-333636, www.solmelia.com) and Hotel Nacional de Cuba (Calle O, 00-53-7-8733564, www.gran-caribe.com).
You can book accommodation online at websites including www.cubahotebookings.com, www.cubahotels.ie and www.havanahotelbookings.com. The Irish operator Beaconsouthamerica.com offers tailor-made holidays to Cuba.
Casas particulares are self-contained apartments in private homes, usually with a separate entrance for visitors. They cost from €20 per room per night. Check out www.casaparticular.org. Demand is high and response from some websites is slow, so book well in advance.
Probably the best area to stay in is Miramar. The air is the cleanest in Havana, it’s near the sea and it’s a mature residential area.
Where to eat
Food in Havana is a hit-and-miss affair. The best food is often found at family-run restaurants, known as paladares. The best ones we found in Miramar were the upmarket (but cheap) La Fontana (Calle 46 #305, 00-53-7-2028337) and Doctor Café (Calle 28 #111, 00-53-7-2034718).
In the Old Town, the paladar La Casa Julia (Calle O’Reilly #506a, 00-53-7-8627438), El Tablao de Pancho (Calle Zulueta #660; 00-53-7-8617761) and El Templete (Avenida del Puerto #12-14, 00-53-7-8668807) were consistently excellent.
Go there
KLM (www.klm.ie) flies from Dublin to Havana via Amsterdam. Air France (www.airfrance.ie) flies via Paris (its timing of the connections can be tight). Iberia (www.iberia.com/ie) flies via Madrid (which generally requires a night in the city). You can buy your visa (€22) from the Cuban embassy (2 Adelaide Court, Dublin 2, 01-4750899). A fee of 25 pesos (€21) is payable on leaving Cuba.