Rhett & Daphne CUBA - ITINERARY
[1] Wed, 3 February 2016
- Havana City
[3:00 pm] - Arrive in Havana
[4:00 pm] - Check in to hotel Capri in Havana's Vedado District
[5:00 pm] - Orientation and familiarization
We will take a few moment to offer an Orientation to the city and familiarization of the neighborhood around the hotel.
[6:00 pm] - Hotel Nacional Visit
Is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon of mojitos and sunset, on the beautiful grounds of the back patio.
[7:30 pm] - San Cristobal Paladar
Rated by The Guardian as the number one Paladar in Havana, This paladar, is in a space that is cluttered and eclectic on the bottom floor of an early 20th-century mansion. Piles of old books are stacked atop beautiful old furniture; black and white photos jostle for space with antique record covers and bullfighting posters, while a selection of clocks, religious artefacts and, even a full-size zebra pelt, add to the mix. The food is Cuban-Creole: malanga, yucca, cerdo asado (roast pork), lobster, fresh fish, shrimp and other traditional fare. This is not, however, the bland standard cuisine found in many state restaurants. The dessert menu is expansive: pudding San Cristóbal (eggs, fruit, milk and almonds) is excellent while the fruit tart and rice puddings are pretty passable, as well as the omnipresent flan. The wine list is broad enough and reasonably priced. We will have a chance to speak with the Chef and the owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba.
[9:30 pm] - Submarino Amarillo
Enjoy a night at one of Havana's most interesting clubs devoted to the Fab Four and music from the 1960s to today. A cavern for Beatlemania, the Submarino Amarillo is the hot spot where each night rockers, troubadours, and symphonics provide a pleasant “pop” ambience, designed by young graduates of the Instituto Superior de Diseño of Havana , dedicated to the magicians from Liverpool.
[2] Thu, 4 February 2016
- Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:30 am] - Old Havana Four Plazas
Tour Old Havana on foot, walking between the four main plazas that comprise Cuba’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Start at Plaza de Armas, the site of the oldest Spanish fortress in the Americas, the 1519 locale of the first mass in Cuba, and the massive Baroque seat of government, known as Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. Continue to Plaza de San Francisco de Assis and Plaza Vieja, where we will visit artists galleries and historic buildings and get a sense of the structure of the colonial city. Wind through historic streets spanning 5 centuries of historic architecture and end at Plaza de la Catedral and see the Baroque cathedral.
[11:30 am] - Taller de Grafica
Stroll to Plaza de La Catedral to visit Havana’s premiere graphics arts workshop. This public center for local artists was established by Pablo Neruda and Che Guevara at the beginning of the Revolution as a place where artists living and visiting Havana can work on printmaking. Over the years they have developed an inventory of prints by unknown artists as well as more celebrated artists. This is an excellent time to purchase art gifts for yourself and others at great prices.
[12:30 pm] - Paladar Los Mercaderes
In Old Havana "Los Mercaderes" paladar, combines the atmosphere of a typical colonial house (the tainted glasses, murals & frescoes, and original XIX century floors) with an excellent variety of plates coming from traditional to international with a special emphasis on fresh seafood. This restaurant is ranked as one of the six most important restaurants in Cuba by TripAdvisor.
[4:00 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[9:15 pm] - La Zorra y el Cuervo
Listen to the finest jazz performers in Cuba. This famous jazz club is considered as one of the best in town. You can't miss the location on La Rampa, the entrance is a replica of a red English telephone box and lead you to the basement where the club with a capacity of 120 people is situated. The venue is popular among Cubans and tourists, many renewed names like Roberto Fonseca and Chucho Valdes have given performances at this club. After the music you can casually stroll back the two blocks to the Hotel Nacional and enjoy a nitecap a the hotel’s vibrant inner courtyard.
[3] Fri, 5 February 2016
- Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[10:00 am] - Ferry ride across Havana Bay
Take the ferry from Old Havana across Havana Bay, to visit the historic City of Regla.
[11:00 am] - Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigia
Visit Ernest Hemmingway's Finca La Vigia, located on a hilltop in the rural village of San Francisco de Paula, just southeast of the City of Havana. The home has recently been the subject of a massive preservation effort by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the author left it in 1961. At this farm you will be able to see his sport-fishing boat, the Pilar. This place houses the Hemingway Museum. The Finca Vigia estate and the fishing village of Cojimar are considered the most significant locales for those interested in Hemmingway’s history.
[12:30 pm] - Ajiaco Cafe
This Paladar serves meals that could easily make you think you are dining at one of the best restaurants in New York or LA. But as soon as you look up at the scenic tropical scene you will realize you are eating at one of Havana’s best new paladares.
[2:30 pm] - Muraleando community muralist colony
When local artists Manuel (Manolo) Diaz Baldrich and Ernesto Quirch Paz began teaching art workshops in the neighborhood school in 2001, they had no thoughts of starting community development project. They quickly moved the workshops into the streets, and there the seeds of Muraleando (literally "muraling" or mural-making) were sown. The murals that started springing up throughout the neighborhood were a natural outgrowth of the art classes. The murals depict fanciful celebrations of Cuban life. In a country where nothing is disposable and everything is useful, broken typewrites, old telephones, tire rims, wrought-iron chair parts - all were fair game to weld and paint and turn into sculpture. Muraleando also helped address community fragmentation with a recurring Peña Comunitaria, a block party when streets are blocked off, tables and chairs are set up, and young and old arrive to share in the festivities. Invited artists include musicians, dancers, singer, actors and poets from local, national and international realms. The Peña also gives emerging and aspiring artists from the neighborhood a venue to demonstrate their talents. Food is served, of course, neighbors and visitors come together in a cultural celebration. Rhett and Daphne will do a song swap with the Cuban musicians!
[6:00 pm] - Casa de la Musica Habana
This is Havana’s most popular nightclub. It features top of the line bands from 10:00pm to 2:00am nightly. There’s a “matinee” every afternoon from about 5:00 to 9:00pm. The afternoon shows have a special price in pesos Cubanos so you will be sure to rub elbows with the very enthusiastic Cuban fans. This makes the matinee really fun!
[8:30 pm] - Dinner on your own
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[4] Sat, 6 February 2016
- Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[10:00 am] - Callejon de Hamel
This Alley is located in the working class Cayo Hueso quarter that serves as an open-air Afro-Cuban Religion Sanctuary, the work of local artist Salvador Gonzalez who has adorned its walls with evocative Santeria murals paying homage to religious cults and currents of African origin. It hosts the famous Afro-Cuban rumbas that take place every Sunday afternoon.
[12:30 pm] - Le Chansonnier Paladar
A paradise for privacy and enjoyment of good taste, Le Chansonnier is a combination of good art and fine dining, a colonial house that invites you to enjoy its spacious rooms, good music and great hosts. In addition to the regular lunch and dinner deals are also offering the possibility of organizing breakfast, tastings and events of any kind for large groups with digital projection, have previous experience.
[2:30 pm] - Museo de Bellas Artes Cuban art collection/Bellas Artes Museum
You will visit the Cuban collections in this striking modernist building which was completed in 1953 and exemplifies the combination of sculpture with architecture in Cuban mid-century modernism. The Palace of Fine Arts houses a collection of Cuban visual art that spans 4 centuries.
[3:30 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[6:30 pm] - Paladar Mediterraneo
Elegance and locally sourced food are the remarkable characteristics of this restaurant, the creation of a Cuban dreamer who lived in Italy for many years and a Sardinian chef, where you can enjoy the most delicious ravioli in Cuba.
[9:30 pm]- Rhett Miller and Daphne Willis in concert at the Fabrica de Arte (FAC)
You will be treated tonight to the highlight of the trip. Rhett and Daphne will perform for the first time in Cuba to an enthusiastic crowd of music lovers at the FAC. You will be right up front and having a great time in this converted salad oil factory that is now one of the city's most progressive havens for the arts.
[5] Sun, 7 February 2016
- Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:00 am] - Day trip to Vinales
Enjoy this all day excursion to Vinales Valley located in Western Province of Pinar del Rio. a UNESCO world heritage site Vinales Valley has one of the most beautiful views in Cuba, the mogotes are limestone mountains that come out the valley floor. Take a boat ride through a mogote and enjoy a typical Cuban lunch while enjoying rational country music.
[11:00 am] - Local tobacco farm
[12:00 pm] - Finca Paradiso Agroecological Lunch
[3:30 pm] - Mural de la Prehistoria
The Mural illustrates on the face of a Mogote (a typically local steep-sided, flat-topped limestone formation) the process of animal evolution from the prehistoric ammonites to Homo Sapiens in the Sierra de los Organos, the surrounding mountain range. It was the work of Cuban artist Leovigildo Gonzalez, a disciple of famous Mexican Muralist Diego Rivera, who was commissioned by Fidel Castro himself to carry out such a task in 1959.
[4:30 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[10:00 pm] - Jazz Cafe
Irakere (Chucho Valdez’ group) often plays here, along with other famous Cuban groups. There are two sets nightly at 8:00 and 11:00pm. The atmosphere is more sophisticated that La Zorra y El Cuervo and it has a more open spacious feel.
[6] Mon, 8 February 2016
- Havana City
[7:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:00 am] - Vedado and Havana Moderna visits
After breakfast - Visit Vedado, Plaza and Modern Havana districts. The morning starts with a visit to Plaza de la Revolucion or revolution Square followed by a visit of the Vedado district which highlights the architecture of the area, drive by the mane monument and the Malecon, Copelia park the Havana Libre hotel and the Rampa district. The group will visit the farmers market, and other places of interest in Havana where they will have the opportunity to interact with the Cuban people.
[10:00 am] - Plaza of the Revolucion
[11:00 am] - Cementerio de Colon
Visit Havana's Cementerio de Colon. Laid out between 1871 and 1886, the cemetery includes more than 500 mausoleums, chapels and family vaults, sculpted in bronze, granite, marble and limestone by leading Cuban and European artists. Learn about the relationship between this cemetery and the Catholic Church in Cuba.
[12:30 pm] - El Aljibe criolla cuisine
An outdoor thatch roof restaurant located in the residential area of Miramar, a few minutes from downtown Havana. A flavor created and maintained by the family tradition since the first restaurant was founded on the El Aljibe farm. The specialty is the El Aljibe Chicken, which combines roast chicken with French fries and fried plantain, delicious black beans, white rice, salad and, for dessert, national sweets.
[2:30 pm] - Afternoon on your own
[7:30 pm] - Dinner on your own
Tonight dinner is in a paladar of your choice from a list of the hottest foodie scenes in the City. The tour guide will make the reservations. This is an opportunity to get away from the larger group and dine with a smaller group of friends. You will take a taxi to the meal that we will find for you. The group will have a chance to speak with the Chef and owner of the establishment to discuss food and new opportunities in the food industry in Cuba. The cost of this meal is not included in the trip price.
[9:30 pm] - Cafe Cantante
The ambiance of this basement club with its black walls and lack of décor screams dungeon, but don’t let that stop you from putting it at the top of your list of hot spots in Havana to catch the most popular bands. Los Van Van played a “Matinee Larga” in February (2008) and Manolito Simonet has had a weekly Peña for over a year.
[7] Tue, 9 February 2016
- Havana City
Departure back to Miami