With five times as many inhabitants as the country's next biggest city, Santiago de Cuba, Havana is in a class by itself. Nowhere else are the contradictions which have come to characterize Cuba – particularly since the advent of mass tourism and the introduction of a dual currency system – as pronounced as they are in the capital. The emerging middle class, most of whom have made their money through the latest wave of tourism, drift around the brand-new shopping malls, while just down the road long queues of people ... More
Overview of Havana, Cuba
Information by Rough Guides
With five times as many inhabitants as the country's next biggest city, Santiago de Cuba, Havana is in a class by itself. Nowhere else are the contradictions which have come to characterize Cuba – particularly since the advent of mass tourism and the introduction of a dual currency system – as pronounced as they are in the capital. The emerging middle class, most of whom have made their money through the latest wave of tourism, drift around the brand-new shopping malls, while just down the road long queues of people clutching ration books form outside the local bodega. Restoration projects have returned some of the finest colonial architecture in the Caribbean to its original splendour, even as overcrowded and dirty neighbourhoods wait for their first coat of paint since the early 1990s. There is a sense that Havana is on the move, with tourist money pouring in, new nightspots appearing regularly and an increasing variety of products in shops that not long ago either didn't exist or stood empty. Yet on the other hand, time stands still, or even goes backwards, in a city where 1950s Chevrolets, Buicks and Oldsmobiles ply the roads, locals fish from tyres floating near the ageing seawall and many people seem to spend most of the day in the street or on their crumbling nineteenth-century doorsteps.
We arrived at Jose Marti (he's a Cuban martyr you'll see more than Che) airport after around 20 hours of travelling. Exhausted but awake with ...
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We arrived at Jose Marti (he's a Cuban martyr you'll see more than Che) airport after around 20 hours of travelling. Exhausted but awake with excitement we made our way of the plane and into the terminal, through customs (which was smooth enough) and onto a bus that visits each of the popular hotels around Havana. We stayed at the 5* Hotel Nacional. Saturday we spent most of the day exploring the hotel and its grounds. The Grand Nacional is steeped in history having had guests such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ava Garner and others. It also played a major role in the Cuban missile crisis. ...
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El vuelo de Copa Airlines fue perfecto y a horario, llegamos al Aeopuerto José Martí y de allí nos trasladamos en bus al Hotel Nacional ya que ...
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El vuelo de Copa Airlines fue perfecto y a horario, llegamos al Aeopuerto José Martí y de allí nos trasladamos en bus al Hotel Nacional ya que teníamos 2 noches reservadas allí. Hablamos con Delilah, una guía de La Habana amiga de Darío, un cubano que vive aquí en Mendoza, y quedamos en juntarnos con ella en el Capitolio para que nos diera unas vueltas por La Habana vieja. Nos fuimos en taxi desde el Hotel hasta el centro, allí nos encontramos con Delilah, estuvimos toda la mañana con ella dando vueltas y escuchando un poco de la historia de Cuba, fue muy interesante y divertido. Luego comimos...
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Description:
Modern hotel linked to intl conferece ctr thru a shopping gallery. Downtown 20 min. Amenities:Air Conditioning (In Room). Telephone. Television.
Hotel Details:180 Rooms. Laundry/ Dry Cleaning Service. Multi lingual Staff. Common/Public Areas Accessible to Wheelchairs.
Description:
Built in 1929 to house the island's Senate and House of Representatives, National Capitol Building and with a dome that
dominates the Havana skyline, this building looks rather similar to the Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Inside ...
Description:
One of the best things about this hotel is its excellent location and economic prices, which help make it ideal
accommodation for travelers on a tight budget. Another advantage is that guests are allowed to use the swimming pool ...
*Terms & Conditions: Savings calculation is based on Flight + Hotel vacation package bookings for a 3 month period for 2 adults with a 2+ night length of stay compared to price of the same components if booked separately during same period. Savings will vary based on origin/destination, length of trip, travel dates and selected travel supplier(s). Savings not available on all packages.