KJAZZ Cuba--Itinerary
December 14-22, 2015
[1] Mon, 14 December 2015 - Miami Airport area
Check-in: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center
[2] Tue, 15 December 2015 - Miami Airport area - Havana City
Checkout: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center
Check-in: Hotel Quinta Avenida
[2:00 pm - 3:00 pm] - Arrive in Havana
[3:30 pm - 4:30 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.
[4:30 pm - 5:30 pm] - Check in to hotel
[7:00 pm - 9:00 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 - 11:30 pm] - Jazz activities (TBD)
[3] Wed, 16 December 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:30 am - 2:00 pm] - 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.
[12:30 pm - 2:00 pm] - Paladar Los Mercaderes (Restaurant - International cuisine)
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.
[2:30 pm - 3:30 pm] - Taller de Grafica (Museum - Art Gallery)
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.
[4:00 pm - 7:00 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm - 9:30 pm] - Dinner on your own
[9:30 pm - 11:30 pm] - Jazz activities (TBD)
[4] Thu, 17 December 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:30 am - 5:00 pm] - Capitolio Central Park and Prado
Lying on the border of Old Havana and Centro Havana municipality, this area is notable for containing numerous architecturally and historically significant buildings that exemplify mid-19th c. urban center. We will begin at the 1877 Central Park, then walk along the 1772 Prado Promenade, see the Moorish-style Inglaterra Hotel, oldest in the city, the 1929 Capitolio building, which is modeled on the US capitol, and the Bacardi building, the best example of tropical Art Deco.
[10:00 am - 12:00 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.
[12:30 pm - 2:00 pm] - Ivan y Justo (Restaurant - International cuisine)
[2:30 pm - 4:00 pm] - Lecture on Cuban Music by Prof. Alberto Faya and Maria Cordova
Married since 1973, both have been working together as musicians, professors and researchers within the Cuban musical world. Both have obtained national awards due to their work in the field of music and musicology. They will be joined by a quartet of musicians who will take us on a musical journey thru the history of Cuba. This will be an interactive experience, with the audience encouraged to engage the lecturers and musicians.
[4:30 pm - 6;00 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[6:30 pm - 8:00 pm] - Paladar Mediterraneo (Restaurant - International cuisine)
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.
[8:00 pm] - Attend the premiere concert of Preservation Hall Jazz Band in Havana as part of the opening celebration of the Havana Jazz Festival
[9:30 pm - 11:30 pm] - Jazz activities (TBD)
[5] Fri, 18 December 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:30 am - 2:30 pm] - 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, Coppelia 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.
[12:30 pm - 2:00 pm] - El Aljibe criolla cuisine (Restaurant - Cuban 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 - 3:15 pm] - Folklorico Nacional de Cuba private rehearsal
Go behind the scenes and witness this extraordinary ensemble of Afrocuban folkloric music and dances.After 35 years and 93 international tours you can't find more authentic Afrocuban performance than this.
[3:30 pm - 4:15 pm] - Fuster Studio/home (Museum - Artist Studio Visit)
Visit the Gaudí-like whimsical park-residence of Cuban painter, printmaker, and ceramicist José Fuster. For more information see, www.josefuster.com
[4:30 pm - 7:30 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:30 pm - 9:30 pm] - Atelier (Restaurant - Paladar - Bar- Restaurante)
Calling Atelier contemporary is like calling Havana a little rundown: true, but enough of an understatement as to miss the point. The large main room is decorated with sparse modern lines, inside a typically idiosyncratic Vedado mansion. Two balconies have boundless cushions for the outdoor lounge. An antique hob outside, old sewing and adding machines inside make the place retro yet not old. The food changes every day, every week, hence the handwritten menus.
[9:30 pm - 11:30 pm] - Attend The Havana Jazz Festival
[6] Sat, 19 December 2015 - Havana City
[6] Sat, 19 December 2015
- Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:00 am - 4:00 pm] - 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.
[12:30 pm - 2:30 pm] - Finca Paradiso Agroecological (Restaurant - International cuisine)
[2:30 pm - 3:30 pm] - Local tobacco farm
[4:00 pm - 5:00 pm] - Return to Hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner
[7:00 pm - 9:00 pm] - Dinner on your own
[9:30 pm - 11:30 pm] - Attend second concert of MONGORAMA in Havana
[7] Sun, 20 December 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:30 am - 10:15 am] - Ferry ride across Havana Bay
Take the ferry from Old Havana across Havana Bay, to visit the historic City of Regla.
[10:30 am - 11:30 am] - Ernest Hemingway's Finca La Vigia
Visit Ernest Hemingway'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 Hemingway’s history.
[12:00 pm - 1:30 pm] - Ajiaco Cafe (Restaurant - Cuban cuisine)
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.
[2:00 pm - 3:00 pm] - Drive by Morro for a photos opportunity
[3:30 pm - 4:30 pm] - Rumba Morena
Rumba demonstration at Callejón de Hamel by Rumba Morena
[3:30 pm - 5:15 pm] - 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.
[7:00 pm - 9:00 pm] - Rio Mar (Restaurant - Bar- Restaurante)
This Restaurant is located in the Miramar neighborhood, it has wonderful views of the Almendares river and the Malecon.
[9:30 pm - 11:30 pm] - Attend The Havana Jazz Festival
[8] Mon, 21 December 2015 - Havana City
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[11:30 am - 12:30 pm] - Compania Irene Rodriguez
Private and very special dance performance by Havana’s newest sensation, the Compania Irene Rodriguez. This group of 10 dancers and 3 musicians have been performing to rave reviews since their founding in 2011. We will have the privilege of seeing them in their intimate studio space.
[12:30 pm - 2:30 pm] - Le Chansonnier Paladar (Restaurant - Bar- Restaurante)
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.
[6:30 pm - 7:30 pm] - Classic cars
We will be picked up by a fleet of classic American cars and ride through Havana in style to dinner tonight.
[7:30 pm - 9:30 pm] - La Guarida (Restaurant - Paladar)
Anyone who has been to La Guarida will find it difficult to disagree that Enrique and Odeisys have managed to create their own magical place. It oodles a cosy atmosphere with soft lights, fine table linen, German silver cutlery, candles, Cuban music and good jazz. The effect is magnified by the entrance from a run-down Central Havana street. The building, originally known as La Mansión Camagüey, shows its former grandeur from the magnificent wooden entrance door through the marble staircase up the two flights of stairs to the restaurant itself. Fidel’s famous explanation of [why he said] Patria o Muerte (country or death) is a photographer’s dream on the way down. For visitors to Havana, La Guarida has become a must experience. This is deservedly so for while it may be busy, expensive and has been discovered before, it retains its intimate (somewhat formal) charm and provides a quality dining experience with sensitivity and professionalism.
[9] Tue, 22 December 2015 - Havana City- Miami
Checkout: Hotel Quinta Avenida
[7:00 am - 9:00 am] - Breakfast at the hotel
[9:00 am - 10:00 am] - Check out of Hotel
[10:00 am - 11:00 am] - Transfer from a Havana hotel to the airport
[2:00 pm - 3:00 pm] - Depart Havana for Miami