Havana Cigar Experience
Havana, Cuba October 6 - 11, 2016
Join Fellow Cigar Connoisseurs from the United States in Havana!
The Havana Cigar Experience, from October 6 - 11, 2016 at the Hotel Melia Cohiba and Club Habana, has been exclusively designed for cigar connoisseurs from the United States to travel to Havana for a first-hand encounter with the production, manufacturing and commercialization of Cuban cigars, and to delight in exquisite tastings and unique pairings.
Havana Cigar Experience Auction of Original Art & Humidor
A very special pairing will be designed for the farewell dinner at Club Habana. During what promises to be a magnificent and unforgettable smoke, a silent auction will take place featuring an original work of art by Milton, “the Cuban painter of the tobacco” and a one-of-a-kind humidor by artist Rene Roque. The funds raised from the auction will be donated to Barrio Habana, a community project devoted to underprivileged children of La Habana Vieja. The project organizers will give a brief presentation on their mission and accomplishments.
Now it's Easier to Visit Cuba!
On January 16, 2015 President Barack Obama liberalized People to People educational travel, which now allows Americans to travel to Cuba without all of the paperwork previously needed. This makes travel to Cuba infinitely easier. People to People travel is not tourist oriented or self-directed but it is both rewarding and unique. It allows participants to visit a wide scope of organizations, institutions, and community projects that provide a deeper understanding of Cuba, its people and its culture. Our trip includes a full time schedule of educational exchange activities designed to promote meaningful interactions between Americans and the people of Cuba.
Program Price
$ 4150.00 per passenger (double occupancy)
The price quoted is for double occupancy. If you would like a single room, please add $750.00 to the price.
Highlights of Havana Cigar Experience
During five days in Cuba, you will visit the tobacco farms in the province of Pinar del Rio and learn about the phases of planting, harvesting and the all the workings of a tobacco farm from the actual tobacco producers. The experience will include a visit to the world-famous Partagas Cigar Factory, one of the Cuba’s oldest, founded in 1845 by “Don” Jaime Partagas y Ravell. Here you will experience the manufacturing of the Habano - the authentic Cuban cigar - and meet and talk with the master rollers themselves.
You will spend five nights at Havana’s five-star Hotel Melia Cohiba, located in the Vedado district on the magnificent “malecon”, the famous avenue that wraps around Havana’s quintessential sea wall. One of the city's premiere cigar stores, Casa del Habano, is housed at the hotel. The program will include exclusive tours of Havana, conferences with the experts and lunches and dinners at the top "smoke-friendly" restaurants and “paladares” in the city, carefully selected from Havana’s booming culinary scene.
The iconic Club Habana will be the main venue for the Havana Cigar Experience. Founded in 1928 as the Biltmore Yacht & Country Club, this very exclusive club had nearly 4000 members by 1958, most of them from the United States. The Perfectly preserved, eclectic mansion will host modern art exhibitions of works dedicated to tobacco, as well as an exhibit of sublime humidors, hand-crafted by world renowned craftsmen.
What's included
*Meet and greet at the Miami International Airport.
*Round trip air Mia-Hav.
*Arrival assistance at Jose Marti Airport HAV.
*Cuban Visa.
*US Licensing paperwork.
*Transfers in and out from the airport to hotel.
*Medical Insurance in Cuba.
*Accommodations for five (5) nights at Hotel Melia Cohiba.
*Daily breakfast at the hotel.
*Four (4) lunches.
*Four (4) dinners.
*Luxury Motor coach transportation for the whole program.
*Full translation by professional Cuba based guide.
*Program led by the leading Cuban Cigar sommelier, Fernando Fernandez.
*Cigar pairings with the best Cuban rums.
*Visit to a Cigar Factory.
*Visit to a Cigar farm outside of Havana.
*Free cigars for pairings.
*Two (2)visits to Museums or organizations.
*Lecture on Cuban Music with private concert.
*Farewell dinner and pairing in one of the most exclusive Clubs in Havana.
*Program Management in Cuba.
*Our Cuba Travel Tips publication and other traveler guidance.
PROGRAM PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
* Passports
* Tips for restaurants, guide, driver and bell man
* Trip Interruption Insurance
* Round trip airfare from Home City to Miami
* $28 Havana Airport departure tax paid at Miami airport
* Drinks, wine or meals that are not listed in itinerary
* Items of a personal nature
* All other items not listed in “PROGRAM PRICE INCLUDES”
FINAL PAYMENTS
Final payments are due at 60 days prior to departure. Reservations received after this date will be on a request basis and must be accompanied by payment in full. All passenger payments are subject to the following cancellation schedule. Cancellation of reservations must be made in writing (fax, email or postal mail) are are subject to the following charges:
CANCELLATION CHARGES
Up to 60 days prior to departure $500
60 days or less to departure No Refund
Space is Limited - Reserve Early!!
Departure is a few short months away. This is the perfect time to book this special visit to Cuba. Sign up now to ensure your place; reservations are accepted on a first come first served basis.
Fernando Fernandez Milian
“Working with cigars is one of the most rewarding tasks in my professional life. The cigar and its world are inseparable from Cuban culture, so much so that I feel it’s my duty to share and preserve it.” Fernando Fernandez Milian
Fernando Fernandez Milian is a renowned specialist in the hospitality and tourism industry and a Cigar Sommelier for Habanos S.A. He is currently one of the most renowned experts on tobacco culture, wines and spirits in the world, largely due to his extensive education. In his role at Habanos S.A. as a Cigar Sommelier, Fernando helps to create truly distinctive cigars, selecting the three kinds of leaves that will be used to make each type of cigar: seco (for aroma), ligero (for strength) and volado (for combustion). His extraordinary ability in choosing the perfect combination of leaves comes to life when the ‘Torcedor’ (cigar roller) makes the actual cigar under Fernando’s instructions.
As a key advisor to Habanos, Fernando has participated in many festivals and conferences in the Habano world, including the prestigious yearly Habano Festival in Cuba, which he has been organizing for the past 15 years. He also participates as a judge in the Habano Sommelier competition held each year, testing the new Habanos cigars that will be internationally launched
at these events.
Fernando is also a professor at the Cuban School of Hospitality and Tourism Higher Studies (where he has created the program for Sommelier training) and at the Higher Institute of Foreign Trade. In 2014 he created the Habano Sommelier Study Programme that is carried out at the Cavo Santamaria and at the Higher Studies Institute in Havana. He is also the creator of the Club de Sommelier and the Academic Training of Cuban Sommelier.
Cuba Tours and Travel
Cuba Tours and Travel has over fifteen years of experience offering expert-driven cultural travel to Cuba. Our management and program-design team, working together with a team of superb Cuban travel associates in both Havana and Miami, are uniquely suited to offer you the finest in-depth travel program to the island. We are licensed by the US Treasury Department and are fully insured. Most importantly, we have an abiding love for Cuban art and culture and have strong connections to the cultural institutions on the island.
Cuba Tours and Travel is a full-service agency licensed by the U.S. Government
TSP# CU-077926-b. CST number 2073790-40
For more information on OFAC licensing please visit the following document:
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/pages/cuba.aspx
Infrastructure in Cuba may not be maintained as well as participants are used to, resulting in potential challenges and risks. Participants must be careful walking, and aware of their surroundings at all times. Participants will be required to sign a waiver releasing Modernism Week from liability. Cuba does not have accessibility laws and some sites may not be accessible to travelers with limited mobility. Please contact us with any questions.
For information or to sign up, please contact:
888-225-6439 Ext. 808