VALERIE HEMINGWAY'S CUBA
"Memories of my days working with Ernest Hemingway in Cuba"
HAVANA MATANZAS VARADERO TRINIDAD
This ONLY OF ITS KIND TOUR will give you insight into the REAL stories of Ernest Hemingway's life in Cuba!
Who better to tell this story than one of the ONLY LIVING PEOPLE who was there with him!
PRICING: $5,499.00 Double/$5,799.00 Single
January 22 - 29, 2017
April 30 - May 7, 2017
Valerie Hemingway is the daughter-in-law and last personal secretary of iconic author Ernest Hemingway. She is also the author of the Award-winning novel "Running With the Bulls: My Years With the Hemingways"
Ever wonder what Ernest Hemingway was really like? And from where the larger-than-life adventurer drew inspiration for some of his greatest writing? Ever wonder why he resided for 20 years in Cuba? Where he went? What he did? Now you can find out from first-hand, behind-the-scenes knowledge from one of the last living persons who was there with him. Join Valerie Hemingway, daughter in-law and last personal secretary of iconic author Ernest Hemingway on this exclusive only-of-its-kind exploration of Cuba. Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of authentic Cuba that Hemingway so loved. Witness his modern-day impact and legacy on the island. This 8 day/7 night adventure will include visits to the towns of Matanzas, Varadero and Trinidad, a World UNESCO Heritage site. Also included is a unique visit to Hemingway’s beloved casa Finca Vigia, now Museo Hemingway, with Valerie giving lively commentary and exclusive stories of the last months the famed Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author spent at his Cuban home.
AN EXCLUSIVE ONLY-OF-ITS-KIND CUBA TOUR!
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Hello Cuba!
- Arrival at José Martí International Airport in Cuba's capital city
- After arriving, a welcome cocktail in hotel bar (Hotel Nacional)
- Day 1 Activities will depend on what time arrival is into Havana…..stay tuned!
- Dinner at restaurant TBA
Day 2 - Havana
- Walking Tour of Old Havana, a World UNESCO Heritage Site
- During walk, visit to the market where Valerie and Mary shopped each week
- Lunch at Hemingway's favorite restaurant La Bodeguita del Medio
- Visit Belle Arte Museo or Cigar or rum factory??
- Afternoon cocktails at El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway’s favorite hang-out
- Evening dinner at Restaurant TBA
Day 3 - Havana
- Visit the the Museo Ernest Hemingway (Finca Vigia) and meet with Ada Rosa Alfonso Director of Museo Hemingway and Gladys Gonzales Rodriguez, of the Ministry of Culture and the museum’s former director
- Lunch at La Terraza restaurant in Cojimar (another Hemingway favorite)
- Visit the village of Cojimar, where Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, was docked and where his mate, Gregorio Fuentes lived
- Shopping at Almancenes de Deposit San Jose
- Meet with authors: Claudio Izquierdo and Enrique Cirules, both of whom have written books on Hemingway and are renowned scholars
- Dinner
- Attend show at Tropicana Nightclub or the showroom at Nacional
Day 4 - Matanzas/Varadero
- Early morning departure for Matanzas
- Tour Bellamar Caves
- Lunch at Romanitco San Severino in the Plaza de Libertad
- Short walking tour of town center
- Kairos Center for African Folklore Dance Troupe
- Visit Museum of the Slave Route (San Severino Castle)
- Travel to Varadero (45 minutes)
- Dinner at hotel
Day 5 – Varadero/Cienfuegos/Trinidad
- Morning at beach and lunch before departure
- Depart Varadero - On drive to Trinidad, stop at home studio of artist Carlos Alberto Cáceres in Cienfuegos
- Arrive Trinidad
- **Dinner at Sol Ananda
- Evening free…suggest Casa de la musica and/or Club El Rincon
**Musical group Alaclave to perform especially for group (Depending on schedule)
Day 6 - Trinidad
- Walking tour of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Lunch at paladar TBA
- Train ride or bus to Valley of the Ingenios and tour area
- After dinner at Restaurant TBA your evening is free
Day 7 – Havana
- Return to Havana in early morning
- Time for Shopping and last minute personal touring
- Sunset stroll along Prado and Malecon. From a specific point along the Malecón, we will be met by Coco Taxi’s and whisked along the streets of Havana for a roof top dinner at the Ambos Mundos Hotel (where Hemingway once had took residency)
Day 8
Depart for Home —— “Adiosito” (“goodbye for now”)
*Itinerary subject to change
Sadly, all good things must come to an end! But, Cuba will always be here for you!
ABOUT VALERIE HEMINGWAY
A chance encounter in Spain in 1959 brought young Irish reporter Valerie Danby-Smith face- to-face with Ernest Hemingway. The interview was awkward and brief, but before it ended something had clicked into place. For the next two years, Valerie devoted her life to Hemingway and his wife Mary, traveling with them through Spain and France and living with them during the tumultuous final months in Cuba. In name a personal secretary, but in reality a confidante and sharer of the great man’s secrets and sorrows, Valerie literally came of age in the company of one of the greatest literary lions of the 20th century.
In Cuba, Valerie spent idyllic days and nights typing the final drat of the Hemingway novel A Moveable Feast, even as Fidel Castro’s revolution closed in. After Hemingway shot himself, Valerie returned to Cuba with his widow, Mary, to sort though the thousands of manuscript pages and smuggle out priceless works of art. It was at Ernest’s funeral that Valerie met Hemingway’s estranged son Gregory — and again a chance encounter drastically altered the course of her life.
Five years after his death, Valerie became a Hemingway herself when she and Gregory married.
Throughout this tour you will spend time with Valerie as she recounts her days in Cuba with the Hemingways: the places they went, the conversations they had, and the deep friendship that bonded them.
Now making her home in Bozeman, Montana, Valerie is the author of “Running with the Bulls - My Years with the Hemingways” (Ballantine Books, 2004).
Tour package includes:
Lodging
All All Meals except one (1)
Transportation by AC bus throughout the stay in Cuba
English speaking tour guide
Travel Visa and License
Day Day activities (entry fees to museums, meetings, lectures, conversations with professionals, artists, etc…)
Emergency Medical Insurance while in Cuba
Please Please note: A $750.00 USD deposit is due upon registration.
The balance is due three (3) weeks prior to departure.
NOT Included:
International Flight from US to Cuba
Domestic flights with-in USA or with-in your country of residence,
Checked bag fees & airport departure tax
Incidentals, tips and gratuities
Lunches and dinners which are not specified on the itinerary.
Disclaimer: This itinerary is subject to changes, however, options will be provided if something is changed or canceled. Also, hotels may be those listed or best available as they sometimes change changes at the last minute.
**Please note:
Our tour specialize solely in the legal people-to-people travel to Cuba for Americans.
All activities and tours are operated under the regulations set by American Laws.
YOUR CUBA CONGIERGE:
CONTACT:
Tour Coordinator (Los Angeles, CA)
Email: Byron@EmbracingCuba.com
Telephone: (323) 982-0552
Contact: Byron Motley
Tour Supplier: CAPS Tours (Toronto, ON)
Email: clemaxel@gmail.com
Cell: (647) 863-2146 (Canada)
Contact: Clem Axel Paredes