Havana Bound

[rdaner]

My boyfriend and I are going to Havana in two weeks. It sounds amazing and I can't wait to start taking the first of the 10 000 photos I plan on taking.

Has anyone else been there recently? Any suggerstions?

 

[roch5220]

Went last easter.

Try and buy some pesos when you first arrive. Most places you see only accept hard currency but some do accept pesos (like some food places) but will charge you like 1 peso = 1 US dollar, when in fact, 1 US dollar = 22-23 pesos.

Don't bother with fine dining, the ingrediants I found was pretty good quality but they don't know how to cook, ie, everything tasted bland.

Drink lots of Cristal, best beer on earth. Also, Havana Club is the best rum in the world.

Jazz clubs are also good in Central Havana, can't remember the names of the clubs, but they were great, any tourist book should include Jazz clubs.

OH YEAH, TROPICANA WAS THE BEST THING OF MY TRIP

 

[roch5220]

Oh yeah, don't go to chinatown, its a waste as there were 2 chinese people. Its like a street of restaurants like Manchu Wok (but only sit down versions) with cubans serving you.

 

[Danny225]

go to old town Havana! very well preserved 1600's colonial spanish architecture!! UNESCO designated it as world heritage site and pumped money into restoring it !! its beautiful!! very colourful, and surprisingly clean...

 

[roch5220]

^^ Surprisingly clean?? It wasn't filthy but Toronto is definately cleaner. There were also a lot of roads dug up when in old Havana last time.

 

[andreapalladio]

Take lots of $1 bills. You'll need them to pay people for things.

Also, try to go to some of the private/government restaurants n- they are really good, and are often in people's homes or apartments.

Havana is really safe - there is a cop on every corner - and it's beautiful - the architecture is like paris - only as if paris hadn't had any maintainance from the 1950s until a few years ago.