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My relationship with the Sea The Sea in Cuban painting The TEN BEST dives in Cuba The sea
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editorial Playwright, Virgilio Piñera, considered the sea to be “the damned circumstance of water everywhere” while the great poet José Lezama Lima asserted that it was “the violet sea bewitched by the gods.” Cuban culture is overflowing with references to these waters; it speaks to us in all the different creative languages. This issue of What’s On La Habana is dedicated to the sea, something which is omnipresent in this island nation, this recognizes Havana’s role as a port city, it’s origin back in 1519. There is a distinctive smell to the sea. It penetrates the skin and our memories. We are constantly aware of this effect. I love sunsets on the Malecón, with the city at my back, refreshed by the breezes, contemplating the infinite blueness of waters that belong to me and to which I belong. In this issue we walk with Cuban fishermen who come in all varieties: those with rods, those with nylon lines and others with their boats that allow them to leave the shore far behind them. The most famous fisherman of all in Cuba, Ernest Hemmingway has left behind an indelible mark on the city. In 2014 the first underwater art gallery in Cuba opened its doors at Punta Perdiz, Ciénaga de Zapata. Sándor González, the Cuban artist who started this project, has managed to surround his idea with a group of guest artists who not only create the pieces that end up under water, but they also paint canvases and perform work under the waters. Our favorite is the work by Juan Carlos Balseiro. He submerges a royal palm tree, which stands with the surface waves as the sky and the divers as birds. He also sinks a complete bohio (the typical peasant’s house with palm wood walls and palm leaf thatched roof), into the depths. Sticking with the sea we look underwater in a watersports section from the best place to dive to an exploration of what Havana’s gorgeous beaches East of Havana may offer. In terms of happening this month, don’t miss Brit week, 7 days of tremendo swing from October 4-11, 2015. Starting with a rugby celebration (go Wales!), look out for a week of concerts and films, talks and happenings, all done with a certain sense of style! Abrazos! The LaHabana.com Team
photo by Alex Mene
octuber 2015 The sea
The Sea in Cuban painting p7 My relationship with the Sea p9 The beach p12 The Sea and I p14 Havana: Signs of a Port Ciry p16 Fishermen: More than just an illusion p18 Hemingway haunts Havana p20 Art beneath the sea p24 On the Malecón p26
Havana Listings
Visual Arts p29 — Photography p31 — Music p35 — Theatre p40 — For Kids p41
WATERSPORTS
The TEN BEST dives in Cuba p47 Cuba’s Underwater Treasures p51 Santa María del Mar: watersports central p55 Lemay Gutiérrez Álvarez: apnea diving in Cuba p57
Havana Guide
Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music Hotels - Private Accommodation p59
The Sea in Cuban Painting by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
Over the years Cubans have interpreted the sea that surrounds us in many different ways. Our most important playwright, Virgilio Piñera, considered the sea to be “the damned circumstance of water everywhere” while the great poet José Lezama Lima asserted that it was “the violet sea bewitched by the gods.” Cuban culture is overflowing with references to these waters; it speaks to us in all the different creative languages. The visual arts in general and painting in particular have been especially significant in this regard. When I was a boy, my parents gave me a book on painting entitled Pintores Cubanos. In those pages, I was able to discover the splendid seascapes by Leopoldo Romañach (1862-1951). Romañach, who was born in a small town called Sierra Morena in the center of Cuba, spent some time in Spain and later studied painting in Italy. However, the power of the sea was always close to his heart and he considered it to be a vital part of himself. Many years have gone by and I still feel nostalgic whenever I see those scenes painted by Romañach. They awakened my love of Cuban art and today I feel very close to it on a spiritual level.
She manages to create a fertile ground where she adores nature with the rationality of humans. In an exhibition of Tomás Sánchez’s (Aguada de Pasajeros, 1948) work in 2014, I was impressed by his large format photographs depicting the sea and rocks in which he establishes an enigmatic dialogue. Some of the places he chose to portray are well-known to those of us who love the northern coast. Sánchez’s photographs present us with an infinite possibility of thoughts without the danger of being diverted by any obstacle. He reveals uncontaminated spots where the salty sea rules. El mantra de las olas and Drama are two of his works that well represent this imagery.
Among the canvases that I remember, mainly because of the impact of their colors are those painted by Alicia Leal (Sancti Spiritus, 1957). Alicia’s marine landscapes could be called “seas of contents.” They are very much linked to religious feelings and to the spiritual evolution of mankind.
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Three contemporary Cuban artists who have taken the sea as their subject matter, injecting renewed vitality into the context of visual art, are Antonio Espinosa (Manzanillo, 1974), Alejandro Campins (Manzanillo, 1981) and Niels Reyes (Santa Clara, 1977). In some of his current work, Antonio Espinosa has painted unusual seascapes in black and white. By divesting the subject of color, he is able to focus on the visual relationship between clouds and the surface of the water. His clever use of light heightens the spectators’ emotions, stirring up memories that are not always related to the sea. The way the artist understands the visceral importance of the sea for Cubans makes it obvious that he was born in a city by the sea. Alejandro Campins was also born in the seaside city of Manzanillo, but his sea is an essentially private one that elicits mystery and reveals a rare
sense of beauty as represented by towns such as Pilón, Manzanillo or Niquero. His minimalist compositions are the true protagonists of his work, taking us towards the appreciation of the smallest of details as transcendental elements. Niels Reyes’ marine landscapes almost always focus on children who are meditating, playing or fishing. His work is a personal reflection about the daily occurrences which take place at an age when many ideals, dreams and hopes are formed. I would also like to mention a work that, even though it is not a painting, has had a great impact within the body of contemporary Cuban art: the video installation Isla composed of photographs by the duo Nelson and Liudmila. For me, the evocative image of the José Martí Memorial Monument surrounded by water (part of the series called Revolución Absoluta), seems to sum up this special relationship Cubans have with the sea in a philosophical and historical context.
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My relationship with the Sea by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
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When I was very young, my father instilled in me a special fascination with the sea and its environment. We would go to the beach often or he would take me fishing on the north coast that extends to the east of Havana. What I most remember about those excursions is the transparency of the waters that allowed me to catch a glimpse of the coral reef sea bed. I also remember the fish, still alive and swimming on the threshold of death, as it were. Their multicolored scales and those eyes that seemed to be pondering something between vengeance and clemency. My father and I would arrive at night and not leave till the next dawn, which is a part of the mysterious world at the edge of the sea. There is a distinctive smell to the sea. It penetrates the skin and our memories. We who live on islands are constantly aware of this effect and I think because of it we become unique beings. It is as if all roads lead us to those depths that unmistakably speak of the unknown, leaving us with two options: either to ignore it or to eventually succumb to its mystic qualities. As for me, I enjoy being a captive of the marine domain. As soon as I was old enough I began to explore the seabed that I had dreamed of for so long. At a place called Puerto Escondido on the north coast, whenever my friends and I would go camping in the summers, I would take
the opportunity to escape from the boredom of terrestrial bonds. I could contemplate the magnitude of life from a whole different angle and discover the beauty of an environment that is not our own natural habitat. It seemed to me that there was always a challenge awaiting me under the surface of the water, sometimes even one fraught with danger. This I could feel whenever I saw some underwater cave or a coral formation that surpassed my imagination, or some fish that astounded me with its shape. I was always left with the desire to return again and again. And when one lives on an island that is noted for a marine platform that is a veritable paradise with its abundance of species of underwater flora and fauna, this becomes a sensation that can be constantly repeated. A few years later, I was fortunate to spend some of my high school years on the Isle of Youth just a few kilometers to the south of the main island of Cuba. I would spend most of my free time submerged at the beach around the Colony Hotel and I think it must have been the multitude of starfish that floated close to shore that beckoned me on this adventure. The place is one of the most spectacular sites in our archipelago and is the reason why it has been the scenario for a wide range of underwater activities covering everything from photography to all types of diving.
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As I renew my contact with that endless universe, I discover that the events that have taken place in my life, when I have been near or in the sea, have a very special place in my memories. Three is no question that being an islander carries much weight in my behaviors\ in many aspects of life, especially when sharing thoughts with others. And like me, countless of Cubans consider the sea as a place of peace and quiet, where your imagination can run riot—a place that is irreversibly connected to the way we are.
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The beach
photos by Alex Mene and Ana Lorena
by Margaret Atkins I went out on the street and asked some Cubans if they remembered the first time they ever saw the sea. Almost everyone said they couldn’t remember, which is very easy to explain: The sea is out there, at their fingertips, as common as the air they breathe, an inextricable part of their lives. In Havana, it is the omnipresent Malecón that embraces the city; in Matanzas it is the broad, majestic bay; in Oriente it is the vertigo of the mountains that tumble into the sea. The beach is a formidable force under hurricane conditions and in the summer it becomes our best friend. Popular lore tells us that we should only go to the beach during the months that don’t have an “R” in them, despite the fact that because of our climate we can go swimming all year round. We have powder-fine sand or spiky rocks or pebbles on the seabed. In the south, the shore is somewhat muddy and in the north it is transparent. The sea is our border and our highway; it is the rocking chair that soothes the Island with its continuous ebb and flow.
we make expeditions to find the best sand. The sounds of laughter, fun and children splashing on the water’s edge are the sound track. Fishermen get up at dawn and stand in the water up to their knees until, to the amazement of tourists, they pull out silver sardines for their lunch. There are the “athletes” who swim far out to sea, way beyond where we can touch the bottom. Showing swimwear that only their young bodies can pull off, large groups of teenagers get together for games in the sand or in the water.
When the dog days of summer arrive, people go to the beach to “cool off.” They might as well say they are going to “heat up” because the sun scorches, the sand underfoot is like live coals and the water reaches temperatures that range between lukewarm and positively hot. That’s when beach umbrellas, beers, soft drinks, ices, rum and coolers start to multiply. Summer and beach are synonymous. We rent houses on the coast and
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There is always someone who brings a folding table and starts up a dominoes tournament that is immediately surrounded by kibitzers and players waiting for their turn. Loving couples are always sprinkled over the sand and in the shallows. We go to the beach “en famille”; even granny who was telling us yesterday that she was far too old for this sort of nonsense gets swept along by the enthusiasm and starts telling funny stories to the delight of everyone. Even tiny babies who have received their pediatricians’ blessings to undergo their salt-water baptisms get to go to the beach. As a verse in one of José Martí’s poems says, “everyone is at the beach.” The sea continues to be the most democratic and popular source of entertainment for Cubans. Certainly beaches have their charms during the summer months but there are also those who prefer to go in “winter,” a season in this Caribbean island that never really attains all the connotations it has elsewhere. In spite of the threat of jellyfish and huge waves, after the vacation season has ended, the beach remains almost empty and silent, the water and the sand are cooler and the sun seems to be gentler on our skins. For Cubans, a year without the sea is like a year that has been lost.
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The Sea and I
by Victoria Alcalá photos Y. del Monte
I still remember my amazement, or rather dismay, when as a child I heard an old man in Pinar del Río say that he had never seen the sea. I am from Havana and the sea is a part of my everyday life. My father was an expert swimmer who had taken part in several university swimming tournaments, even though he hated pools, and I would spend my holidays on the beach. I could swim like a fish and I couldn’t even imagine anyone who had never enjoyed the placid waters or shuddered to see the giant, angry waves coming in over Malecón’s wall he. Many years later, travelling on a train from Moscow to Leningrad (today’s St. Petersburg), immersed in a strange landscape of pines, fir trees and birches, I felt something odd, an unexplainable void that reminded me of the Cuban Romantic poet José María Heredia, who in the midst of the awesome spectacle of Niagara Falls, was suffering from the longing for “the delicious palm trees.” And when off in the distance I spied the grey hues of the Baltic, a sea that was not my sea, yet it was the sea, the ancient, northern, lovely capital of the Czars suddenly became familiar to me without ever having been there before. Could it be true that the sea is nothing else than a ribbon that communicates lands and peoples?
What mysterious bond do we who live by its shores establish with the sea? Seeing it almost on a daily basis, walking alongside it in times of joy or pain, submerging ourselves in its always warm waters in search of relief or pleasure, crossing it to reach the picturesque towns of Regla and Casablanca, fearing its devastating surges during hurricanes or cold fronts….I don’t know whether all that doesn’t grant us a sort of identity. I have been able to check that this personal and intimate communion is something people from Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Manzanillo also have. And I have also been delighted that during celebrations for Santiago de Cuba’s 500th birthday, the city’s maritime condition was being emphasized. Nevertheless, allowing themselves to be influenced by the thin silhouette of the island on the map or by tourism slogans reducing us to “Sun and Beach,” some people make the mistake of insisting on the stereotype of “Cubans” as people defined by their relationship with the sea. Many inhabitants of the “hinterland” (and by hinterland we might be talking about places just a few kilometers from the coast) couldn’t care less about the sea; they bathe in rivers or reservoirs, they don’t eat fish or shellfish or even the delicious oysters that a lot of people turn up their noses at. They trust in products
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coming from the soil and they get seasick by the mere thought of going out on a boat; they pity a fisherman’s life. Perhaps because of that reason, the famous “ajiaco” (a thick soup or stew made up of a variety of tubers and meats) by which the ethnologist Don Fernando Ortiz characterized us, totally excludes anything coming from the sea. Pork has been crowed the King of Cuban cuisine and our painters have turned out countless country landscapes, very rarely venturing to the depiction of seascapes. They tell us that Nature is “wise”—a lot of the wealth of Cuba comes from the waters surrounding it. There are the beautiful beaches that attract millions of visitors every year, the insular platform abounding in species that are in great demand on the markets, facilities for diving and other water
sports and possible oil deposits in the off-shore waters, all of which appears to contradict that oft-quoted line by Virgilio Piñera: “the damned circumstance of water everywhere.” I prefer to think that the sea does not isolate us; rather it communicates us with each other. The sea brought people to us, navigating from island to island, those first inhabitants of the archipelago who came from the far-off lands around the Orinoco River Basin and from Florida. The first Europeans arrived and a little later, the first Africans came as slaves. What we are today, we owe to the sea. That may be the reason why I love sunsets on the Malecón, with the city at my back, refreshed by the breezes, contemplating the infinite blueness of waters that belong to me and to which I belong.
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Havana: Signs of a Port City by Victoria Alcalá Havana is a port city par excellence. It is conditioned by, indeed dependent on, the comings and goings of ships ever since its founding year way back in 1519. Even though maritime motifs are not that abundant in Havana architecture they are much more frequent than a casual glance might perceive. Perhaps the first influence of the sea in the city’s architecture comes from the fact that the first buildings were close to the coast, in the interest in taking advantage of sea breezes to assuage the suffocating temperatures that surely had to have tormented the European conquistadors. But the visibility of marine elements is really a phenomenon typical of the twentieth century when the craving to attain modernity prompted architects and master builders to abandon traditional volutes, classical orders, cornucopia and floral details to surrender themselves to elements that would symbolize speed and progress, in short, anything that suggested things novel and contemporary. That was the beginning of seeing houses built to look like steam boats, something that was very much in keeping with the precepts of Art Deco. Lines undulating like waves can be seen on the lovely Solimar Building in Centro Habana. Grillwork emulating ropes, decorations composed of anchors, coral and fish, windows like oculi… These are elements we can see in the Puerto de
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Sagua Restaurant, which specializes in seafood, and also in the house on the corner of two streets with highly evocative names, Marina and Vapor, both of which are located also in Old Havana. The balconies of an apartment building on the Malecón, a prime exponent of the Modernist Movement, have entered into legend because they appear to be coffins, commissioned by the owner who also owned a funeral parlor. But one almost forgets to admire their mosaic decorations reflecting the aquamarine and blue hues of the sea. All of these examples are built close to the sea and this might justify their symbolism. But there is a small chapel in the Santos Suárez neighborhood, to the south of Central Havana, which was built as an ex-voto for a bricklayer whose life was spared after falling from a scaffolding. It looks like a marine apotheosis: thousands of seashells that had been collected by the residents of the neighborhood for months cover the main façade and the altar. Of course, the chapel is dedicated to the patron of Cuba, the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre—Our lady Of Charity of El Cobre—whose image miraculously appeared in the sea!
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Photo by Y. del Monte
Fishermen: More than just an illusion by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
Ever since I was a child, I have loved to contemplate those mythical beings on the mysterious waters of the coast. Those are my early memories of fishermen. Let’s talk first about Havana’s Malecón: the Sunday outings with our parents, our amorous adventures, chats with our friends. These have always been accompanied in some way by the presence of one or several fishermen. I’ve always been impressed particularly by the rustic aspect of the fishermen on La Punta, across the lighthouse, with all their homemade contraptions that are meant to bolster their luck. I like to say that these individuals are engaged in “domestic fishing”. Often we snap photos of these spots and these anonymous people become part of the picture. Many of these individuals fish as a way to deal with solitude or to feel like heroes when they struggle with fish tugging at the hook. Cuban fishermen come in all varieties: those with rods, those with nylon lines and others with their boats that allow them to leave the shore far behind them. Sometimes when we go to the beach, we watch them at a distance, feeling a bit jealous that we cannot reach their locations.
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The village of Cojímar, just outside the city, is definitely the most legendary of all the fishing spots—the beauty and ancient traditions of fishing were celebrated by the American writer Ernest Hemingway who used the town as the location for his famous novel “The Old Man and the Sea.” Cuba’s south coast is also a real fishing paradise with towns that have been engaged in this activity for decades, turning fishing into an important feature of the local economy. But what is most alluring are the solitary fishermen, whether in Batabanó or in the former Oriente Province where places such as Pilón, Niquero and Manzanillo provide the scenario for man and landscape to fuse together into one perfect poetic statement.
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Hemingway haunts Havana By Juliet Barclay
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Whether in his favourite bars, at his secluded country house or among the fishermen and boat builders of Cojímar, Hemingway’s presence in Havana is still almost tangible. In April 1932, Ernest Hemingway and his friend Joe Russell sailed from Key West to Havana for a two-day trip which ended up lasting for four months. Amongst Cuba’s principal attractions were excellent marlin fishing and the company of beautiful women. Hemingway had his fair share of wives and girlfriends both before and during his Cuban sojourn, but the great love of his life was the Gulf Stream. He wrote, “This Gulf Stream you are living with, knowing, learning about, and loving, has moved, as it moves, since before man, and it has gone by the shoreline of that long, beautiful, unhappy island since before Columbus sighted… That stream will flow, as it has flowed, after the Indians, after the Spaniards, after the British, after the Americans and after all the Cubans and all the systems of governments, the richness, the poverty, the martyrdom, the sacrifice and the venality and the cruelty are all gone.” Complementary to his love of the sea was his obsession with marlin-fishing. Hemingway invested the pursuit of these majestic fish with a romantic, swashbuckling sense of adventure and chased them from his boat Pilar day after day, frequently sailing back and forth off the mouth of Havana harbour where the coast juts out to meet la Corriente, the Stream, and the marlin often stop to feed. He even went as far as collaborating with the Smithsonian Institute in the classification of marlin species and in 1950 he instigated an International Marlin Tournament. After the Revolution, the contest was named after him, which didn’t particularly please him; he called it “a lousy posthumous tribute to a lousy living.” First prize that year was won by Fidel Castro.
Hemingway ended up staying in Cuba for 22 years, keeping Pilar at Cojímar, a small fishing village east of Havana. La Terraza Restaurant there is still one of the most evocative locations for those who wish to experience the Havana Hemingway Effect. Sitting in the rear dining room on a blowy winter afternoon, eating lobster and drinking rum, whilst an Atlantic gale rattles the shutters and whips the ocean into a glittering sunlit froth, one half expects ‘Papa Hemingway’ to come rolling in to the bar with his fishing friends. It was from Cojímar that he sailed daily with Gregorio Fuentes, who looked after his boat. The saltiest of Old Salts, Fuentes lived to the age of 104, fascinating visitors to Cojímar with tales of accompanying Hemingway on all his adventures, from hunting German submarines in Cuban coastal waters during the second World War, to battling with giant fish, to holding court with admirers in his favourite haunts. Many people think that Fuentes was the inspiration for Santiago, the tragic hero of The Old Man and the Sea. This was not actually so. One day, whilst they were at sea, Hemingway and Fuentes encountered an old man in a small boat struggling to catch a huge marlin. When they offered to help him he waved them away, and later Hemingway heard that the old man had died whilst playing his vast fish. This was the trigger for Papa’s creation of the book, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and it was a measure of its author’s affection for Cuba that he placed the prize in the sanctuary of the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, the island’s patron saint. It’s no wonder that Hemingway liked Cuba so much and stayed here longer than in any other of the various locations to which his peripatetic lifestyle led him. Cuba liked him, too. His unrelentingly macho attitude made him popular in Havana, where machismo and loud mutual reinforcement of maleness was, and to some extent still is, a way of life. He was an aficionado of cockfighting and the terrifyingly fast-paced and dangerous ball game called Jai Alai, at that time very popular on the island. Like many Cubans, he regularly fell in
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and out of love, having lots of wives and girlfriends, both his own and other people’s. Almost as soon as he arrived in Havana he began an affair with Jane Mason, the tall, blue-eyed wife of the head of Pan Am in Cuba. Jane was creative, clever, beautiful, fascinating, a good shot and an accomplished flirt. Often she left her luxurious mansion west of Havana (now the residence of the Canadian Ambassador) to go fishing with Hemingway, and on one occasion her daredevilishness extended to climbing through a window at the Ambos Mundos Hotel to spend the night with him.
Hemingway took up residence at the Ambos Mundos in room number 511; it was to be the nearest thing he had to home for several years. With its view of the beautiful Plaza de Armas and the surrounding buildings, its proximity to the American Embassy and the ease with which he could go down to the harbour, the hotel was conveniently located for Hemingway to write and it was here where he began the final draft of For Whom the Bell Tolls. It was also comfortingly close to his favourite bar, the Floridita. It was there that he repaired in the morning; to drink sugarless daiquiris–his record was eleven of them before eleven o’clock in the morning. The Floridita daiquiris aren’t drinks for sissies; most of us would have serious difficulties in articulating after three or four, but Papa must have built up considerable daiquiri antibodies. He drank “double frozen daiquiris, the great ones that Constante made, that had no taste of alcohol and felt, as you drank them, the way downhill glacier skiing feels running through powder snow and, after the sixth and eighth, felt like downhill glacier skiing feels when you are running unroped.” Glacier skiing and powder snow are seductive images when you’re sweltering your way through the soupy steam of a Cuban summer. The icy impact of Floridita daiquiris (lime juice, maraschino, dry rum, crushed ice) is wonderfully moreish; it’s only when you try to get off your bar stool and walk that you wonder whether you should have had the last three.
In 1940, Hemingway married Martha Gellhorn and they bought a large estate 15 miles outside the city. Finca Vigía “Lookout Farm” was very run down but Martha determinedly set about restoring it. The marriage soon began to disintegrate, though, due to Hemingway’s drinking, outbursts of temper and bullying and Martha’s departure to cover the war in Europe for Collier’s magazine. The war provided Hemingway with an excellent excuse for going to sea to search for something more substantial than marlin. By 1942, German U-boats were entering the Gulf of Mexico to attack American shipping and encouraged by the American ambassador in Havana, Spruille Braden, Hemingway fitted the Pilar with machine guns and ammunition for U-boat-hunting voyages. Unfortunately no opportunity for heroic behaviour presented itself and eventually Hemingway followed his wife to Europe to write for Collier’s. This trip sounded the death knell for the marriage when he met another journalist, Mary Welsh, whom he brought to Cuba in 1946. They lived at Finca Vigía with crowds of cats and dogs, but travelled frequently to the United States, Europe and Africa in search of excitement.
Finca Vigía has been maintained since Hemingway’s departure from Cuba exactly as he left it. Visitors are not allowed into the house but may walk around it, peering in through the open windows. The place looks as though Papa has just gone fishing for the day, with his books, papers and personal possessions much in evidence. Nearby in the woods the Pilar, his beautiful little boat, has been carefully preserved. The collection of original letters and manuscripts held at the house is unique; recently the Cuban government agreed to send copies of the papers to the John F Kennedy Presidential Library in the interests of continuing scholarly research into Hemingway’s life and work.
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After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, most Americans in Cuba swiftly returned home but Ernest Hemingway, who had closely observed the corruption and oppression of the Batista regime, wished Fidel Castro “all luck” in his endeavours to bring social equality to the troubled island. He stayed in Cuba until the summer of 1960. Those were to be his last days in a country he had always considered as “a good place to live in.” Of his long stay in Havana, he wrote subtle evocations like this one:
“He got into the car and told the chauffeur to go up O’Reilly to the Floridita. Before the car circled the plaza in front of the embassy building and the Ayuntamiento and then turned into O’Reilly he saw the size of the waves in the mouth of the harbor and the heavy rise and fall of the channel buoy. In the mouth of the harbor the sea was very wild and confused and clear green water was breaking over the rock at the base of the Morro, the tops of the seas blowing white in the sun. It looks wonderful, he said to himself. It not only looks wonderful, it is wonderful.”
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Art beneath the sea by Margaret Atkins If the love of the sea is a mark of being authentically Cuban, then the artists who have decided to do their work underwater must certainly be superCubans. In 2014 the first underwater art gallery in Cuba opened its doors at Punta Perdiz, Ciénaga de Zapata. It exhibits 10 large clay vases donated by their creators who are a part of the “Transeuntes” project. These pieces, which are not for sale, are made of a material that allows them to remain underwater without harming the marine ecosystem. The “gallery” is visited by many tourists who come to one of the most well-known and beautiful international diving centers in our archipelago. In the year that has passed since they were submerged, the vases have integrated perfectly into the aquatic environment, becoming the home for many small local species. Sándor González, the Cuban artist who started this project, has managed to surround his idea with a group of guest artists who not only create the pieces that end up under water, but they also paint canvases which emerge from the water to be exhibited in another room in the Gallery at Punta Perdiz, this time on terra firma. If you ever decide to dive in the waters of the Ciénaga, don’t be surprised if you should bump into those strange “divers” painting their canvases on submerged easels.
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Juan Carlos Balseiro, originally from Matanzas and now living in Havana, has been collaborating on Sandor’s project right from the beginning. He goes even further in his endeavors to combine the sea with art. He submerges a royal palm tree which stands with the surface waves as the sky and the divers as birds. He also sinks a complete bohio (the typical peasant’s house with palm wood walls and palm leaf thatched roof) in order to create charming video art filled with profoundly Cuban references that inspire a multitude of sensations and feelings in every amazed spectator. As if that were not enough, almost at the end of the videos, when you think that nothing more can astound you, a peasant comes out of the little house hoe in hand ready to go to work, as if the sandy sea bed was his fertile field. The series called “Prefiero hundirme en el mar” [I prefer to submerge in the sea] includes canvases, photographs and sculptures born out of the imagination of the artist as a result of his experiences under water. This is an on-going project—Balseiro intends to continue making more videos during future dives. And so, the depths of the sea have become a space for artists to create new themes and use new resources. Just one more example of how the sea infiltrates every corner of life in Cuba.
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On the Malecón byRicardo Alberto Pérez It could be said that Havana breathes thanks to the Malecón. Over the years, this promenade flanking the sea has become the most legendary place in the city. Whoever has lived in Cuba for some time knows with certainty how things and many customs have been quickly changing. But the familiar Malecón has successfully stood up to all the transformations and, especially, has kept the privilege of being the protagonist in a good many of them. As we stand by the seawall, we are definitely close to the Caribbean Sea, a symbol that unites the fates of a large number of countries. Behind us, it protects us and intoxicates us with the sound of its waves against the rocks. In front of us is its immensity that dissolves all our bad thoughts and brings to us all our hopes and good omens. People get together all along almost eight kilometers, particularly at night and especially when night is beginning to turn into day. Some go there to continue or intensify a romance that was begun elsewhere. Others choose to celebrate there, together with their friends, some event associated with spiritual growth or material prosperity. And there are those who simply go there to finish off a lovely evening, after the theater or a meal at a restaurant. People living nearby like to go there on sleepless nights caused by cares and worries because they find it gives them comfort. At dawn,
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it is the perfect lookout point, highly appreciated by amateur photographers. The younger generation gives it special energy, providing a carefree attitude and new visions of life—groups gather, a guitarist appears and the moment becomes festive. Often the songs are renditions of what’s in at the time, but just as often, you can hear a retro-repertoire that brings back some of the classics of days gone by. One of the transformations that Cuban society has been experiencing is a changed perception of sexuality and on the Malecón this becomes patently visible. It is very common to see scenes that require reflection and which are related to the freedom each one of us has for expressing our feelings without any sort of repression. It reminds me of the words written by the Cuban photographer Eduardo Hernández Santos in the introduction to his photo series called El Muro: “This is how very late at night, a section of the Malecón wall becomes a nocturnal “jungle,” real and marvelous, inserted into another greater one and it becomes one of the favorite spots for furtive meetings, courtships, reaffirmations and confrontations of identities.” Even though I have stresses the Malecón at night, let me make it clear that during the day, the Malecón
lives just as intensely. People use its stretch from the early hours, taking advantage of its width and the clean air to indulge in all kinds of physical exercise; kids and teenagers dare to go swimming in the cavities in the reef; photographers, especially from other countries, challenge the intensity of the sun and capture wonderful images of the Castillo del Morro and the singular relationship the city has with the coastline. The most frequented part of the Malecón, even though it extends right to the Avenida del Puerto, goes from La Punta Fortress to the 1830 Restaurant, just before you entre the Quinta Avenida tunnel. According to your interests, there is a segment that belongs to you. Micro-worlds multiply and manage to live together without any problem. The Malecón is also the setting for many important sporting and cultural events: regattas, international sports competitions, car races, race marathons. In terms of culture, for years this has been the site of the Havana Carnival parades, and at the two precious Havana Art Biennales, it has been the site for the project called Detrás del muro (Behind the Wall), which has been creating controversies and providing outdoor gallery space for notable artists to showcase their work. One thing we are sure of, though: visiting Havana and not taking a walk along the Malecón is like never having been in Havana at all.
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From September 3 to 13, 2015, Havana is where it’s at. Under the slogan “All art at the same time,” more than 1,000 artists— musicians, singers, theater and dance companies, visual artists— will be participating at the city’s theaters, plazas, nightclubs, galleries, museums and all kinds of cultural institutions. With special performances added to the usual cultural program in Havana, Habanarte aims to give a true picture of what is happening in Cuban culture today, from the traditional to the most innovative and avant-garde. More information and complete program at http://www.habanarte.com/
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Visual Arts
photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano
Contaminación
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano Through November 22
Altavoz contra la pared, a retrospective of the work of Esterio Segura, including projects from the 1990s to the present, which show the ingenuity, humor and irreverence used by the artist to delve into pressing matters of contemporaneity. The show includes well known pieces from his collection, performances and interactive installations
Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales Through October 11
John Cage interpretado, Sound installation by Maikel Rodríguez Ricardo, 2013 Creation Scholarship Estudio 21. Scissors, by Aissa Santiso Camiade, 2013 Creation Scholarship Estudio 21.
October 30 February 14
El eco del último disparo, focuses on the changes occurred in the artistic production between the 19th and 20th centuries Curator Delia María López points out classical composition, the representation of historic events and basic elements of academic art.
Biblioteca Rubén Martínez Villena Throughout The Left Sentence, show by Iván October Perera and Marlon Portales, which,
under the apparent innocence of everyday life, hints at generational concerns that are the object of dialogue and controversy.
Casa del ALBA Cultural Through October 11
Los hijos de Matías Pérez, show by artist Alejandro Lescay.
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photos by Ana Lorena Factoria Habana
Factoría Habana Opens October 15
Signos. Arte e industria y viceversa, which has been conceived as an installation that brings together objects, texts, artefacts, photos, ceramics, graphic works, video and printed materials, aims at emphasizing creative experiences in which a balanced fusion between art, design and industry, and elements of the urban and architectural environment takes place through the works of Fernández (Tonel), Carlos José Alfonzo Espina, Gonzalo Córdoba, María Victoria Caignet, Cirenaica Moreira, Diango Hernández, Ernesto Oroza, Felipe Dulzaides, Gabinete Ordo Amoris, Humberto Solás y Héctor Veitía, Juan Carlos Alom, Mario García Joya, Leandro Feal, Manuel Piña, Roberto Matta and R10.
Casa Museo José Lezama Lima Through November 8
Galería Habana
Personal Details, show by artist David Rodríguez La Rosa.
Through October 11
Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño Throughout Universo desconocido, by Michel October Meulenert, whose figurative work
is only a pretext to create abstract spaces.
Galería Servando Through October 9
Fábrica Partagás Through October 18
Cedar, brushstrokes and aromas, show that exhibits humidors that have been painted by well-known Cuban artists and artisans.
Through October 11
De mujeres, ciudades y flores, art naive by artists Georgina Henríquez, Mercy Rivadulla and Consuelo de los Ángeles.
Presente continuo, group show of paintings by Aluan Argüelles, Elvis Céllez, Darwin Estacio, Alejandro Gómez Cangas, Harol López, Ozy Milian, Yuri Santana and David Velázquez.
Hostal Los Frailes Through December 31
Hotel Armadores de Santander
Pintura fresca. Group show of works by Yunier Hernández, Niels Reyes, Agustín Hernández Carlos, Frank Martínez, Roldán Lauzán, Darwin Estacio, Antoine Mena and Alex Hernández.
Post devoto, group show contemporary religious art.
of
Lloyds’ Register Emeas Throughout R con R, exhibition by artists R10 October and Reynerio Tamayo.
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photography
Fototeca de Cuba Through October 11
Candela, by Justine Ford (England), exhibits photographs of impressive landscapes of sugar cane fields in Cuba which have been set on fire. En concreto, works by Flor Mayoral, who has for years documented the virtually abandoned Miami Marine Stadium and the José Martí Vocational Sports Center, which can be seen as metaphors of the history and relations between these two cities. Galería La Acacia
Cine Charles Chaplin October 10 November 8
Mandala... el universo de las estrellas, photo and digital art exhibition by Humberto Mayol, Javier Rodríguez, Laura Alejo and Emilio Arias.
Échame a mí la culpa, show by artists María Cienfuegos, José M. Fors, Ernesto Javier, Kadir López and Lisette Solórzano.
Melen Club
Galería Carmen Montilla Through October 18
Through October 22
Chivo que rompe tambó, group show by artists from the town of Guanabacoa, which acquaints the viewers with this town that is so culturally and historically rich.
Through October 18
Imágenes, photographs and paintings by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz.
Sala de la Diversidad. Sociedad Patrimonio, Comunidad y Medio Ambiente Through October 18
Las voces humanas, photos by cuban photographers Julio Larramendi, Raúl Cañibano, Gabriel Guerra Bianchini a española Ana Yturralde.
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MUSIC
Contemporary Fusion
Los Ángeles Photo Alex Mene
The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) as well as the newly opened Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside.
In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
Chucho Valdés in Concert October 1, 8:30pm Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional
Don’t miss Chucho Valdés leisurely performing musical miracles at the piano and his Afro Cuban Messengers
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Balneario Universitario El Coral Fridays & Saturdays
1pm-1am
Submarino Amarillo / 9 pm
Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art expressions.
October 10
La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García 5 pm David Blanco y su grupo
Saturdays
9 pm Vieja Escuela
Fresa y Chocolate Electronic music
10 pm Sundays
Aceituna sin Hueso
7 pm Havana Hard Rock / 6 pm
11 pm Alain Pérez
Tercera y 8 Mondays
5pm Rock and roll with Luz Verde
Thursdays
Café Concert El Sauce / 5 pm Sundays
Fridays
Baby Lores
11 pm
Every other Friday
Soul Train, a show of soul music
Sat & Sun
Rock cover bands
Le Select
Barbaram Pepito’s Bar / 5 pm
Sundays
Thursdays
Los Francos
Sundays
Discoteca Onda Retro
Los Ángeles
5pm Diablo Tun Tun
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht / 11 pm
Fridays
5 pm
Wednesdays Interactivo
Saturdays
10 pm
Tenor Bernardo Lichilín and DJ Eddy Sánchez
Salón Rosado de La Tropical Fridays
Electronic music with Sarao,
9 pm Raúl Paz
Wednesdays Qva Libre Thursdays
Jardines del teatro Mella / 5 pm October 8
Rap group Conciencia
October 15
Dúo Jade
October 22
Rap group Conciencia
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional / 5 pm Tuesdays
Gens
11 pm
Gato Tuerto Saturdays
Proyecto Lizzy
Elaín Morales
October 3
Alain Pérez
10pm Cine Charles Chaplin October 17
8pm
Concert unplugged Morales and guests
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Photo by Alex Mene
Photo Alex Mene
Salsa / Timba Casa de la Música de Miramar
Casa de la Música Habana
Mondays
11 pm Sur Caribe
Mondays
5 pm Havana Show
Tuesdays
11 pm Pedrito Calvo
Tuesdays
11 pm Havana Show
Wednesdays
11 pm NAdalberto Álvarez
Wednesdays
11 pm NG La Banda
Thursdays
11 pm NG La Banda
Thursdays
5 pm Pupy y los que Son Son
Saturdays
5 pm Bamboleo
Saturdays
11 pm Azúcar Negra
Piano Bar Tun Tun Thursdays
Jardines del 1830
11 pm NG La Banda 5 pm Manana Club
11 pm Juan Guillermo
10 pm
Wednesdays Alain Daniel
11 pm Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri Sundays
Azúcar Negra
Tercera y 8
Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri Sundays
Fridays
11 pm Juan Guillermo
Mondays
11 pm Manana Club
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MUSIC JAZZ
Jazz Café
Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians, but the open-plan design also provides for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat. Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.
Café Jazz Miramar Shows: 11 pm - 2am
This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical October 15
6 pm
Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto Jazz Cubano.
5 pm
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano / 7 pm October 1
Mondays
Real Project
11 pm Wednesdays Zule Guerra (singer and composer)
UNEAC October 8
Jazz Café
Thommy Lowry (trumpet player) and guests
9:30pm
and Blues D’Havana
Jardines del teatro Mella October 28
5pm
Zule Guerra (singer & composer) and Blues D´Havana
Plaza del Santo Ángel October 8
9pm
Concert by Zule Guerra, Albertico Lescay and Kike Wolf
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MUSIC Bolero, folklore, son & trova Asociación Yoruba de Cuba Saturdays
Diablo Tun Tun
Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)
4 pm
Trova
5 pm
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional Saturdays
Thursdays
El Jelengue de Areíto 5
Waldo Mendoza
5pm
pm
Mondays
Son del Nene
Tuesdays
Conjunto Chappottín
Wednesdays Trova
Café Concert El Sauce / 9 pm Tuesdays
Charly Salgado and guests
Thursdays
Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez
October 10
David Álvarez y Juego de Manos
Fridays
Rumberos de Cuba
Saturdays
Explosión Sonera
Sundays
Rumba
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht / 9 pm October 31
Rafael Espín and guests
4 pm
Hotel Telégrafo Fridays
Casa del Alba October 2
9:30 pm
Eduardo Sosa
8 pm October 9
Hurón Azul, UNEAC Annie Garcés
Saturdays
Trovador Gerardo Alfonso
October 29
6 pm Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre October 25
5 pm
Get-together with trovador Ireno García.
Casa de la Música Habana Sundays
Pabellón Cuba 4
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador Silvio Alejandro
Saturdays
Peña Participo with trovador Juan Carlos Pérez
Tuesdays
Los Zafiros in concert
5pm
Trova
Leo Vera
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
8 pm
October 3
Duo Ad Libitum
3 pm
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
5 pm
Trova hosted by Richard Luis and Eric Méndez
7pm
Casona de Línea
October 16
pm
Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Poetry in Motion: poetic “jam session” that combines poetry reading with performance art, music and dance.
Fresa y Chocolate
Teatro América
8:30 pm
6 pm
Yoruba Andabo
5 pm
October 10-11
Bolero Night
9 pm
4 pm October 16
Ivette Cepeda.
Get-together La Juntamenta, with trovador Ángel Quintero.
October 25
5 pm
El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors from every generation.
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classical MUSIC
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís October 3
Concert by pianist Harold López-Nussa and percussionist Adrián López- Nussa.
6 pm October 31
5 pm
A selection of of arias from the opera Dido y Eneas by soloist from the del Teatro Lírico Nacional, the Vocal Leo Choir and the National Symphony Orchedstra
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí Saturdays
Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles.
4 pm Sala Covarrubias. Teatro Nacional Sundays
Concerts by the Nationl Symphony Orchestra.
11 am Casa del ALBA Cultural October 4
Concert by Ensamble de Vientos Nueva Camerata
5 pm October 11
En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.
5 pm Casa Víctor Hugo October 24
Concert by the Ébanos de La Habana wind quartet.
5 pm October 26
Musical afternoons with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina and his Cáliz Duo
4 pm
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Iglesia de Paula October 30
Performance by Coralia, concert choir of the University of Puerto Rico
5 pm Sala Ignacio Cervantes / 6 pm October 2
The Trío Amanecer, made up by Efraín Amador (lute), Doris Oropeza (piano) and Ariadna Amador (tres, lute & piano), the Solistas de La Habana orchestra and guest musicians will play works by Turina, Tchaikovsky and Efraín Amador.
October 18
Concert dedicated to the Dat of Cuban Culture, to the founding of the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory on its 112th anniversary and Digna Guerra on her 70th birthday.
October 23
The Children’s Symphony Orchestra, made upo by students from the Paulita Concepción music school, will play works by Josef Mysliveček and Mozart.
October 25
Performance by the Camerarpa project, led by Mirtha Batista.
October 30
The French clarinetist Florent Héau, along with pianist Roberte Mamou (Belgium), clarinetists Maria Wong (China) and Lester Alexis Chio (Cuba), and a string quartet with Anolan González (viola) and Alejandro Martínez (cello), will play works by Mozart, Hersant, Schumann, Ponchielli, Mendelssohn and Weber.
Cine teatro Miramar October 30-31
Performances by Ópera de la Calle, with the show 1959.
8:30 pm
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Theatre
Teatro Trianón Photo Alex Mene
Decamerón
Teatro El Público / Production: Carlos Díaz Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Teatro Trianón Several stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron are put onstage with more than a hint at Cuba today. Those who expect nudity galore from Carlos Díaz are in for a surprise.
Ni un sí ni un no
Compañía teatral Hubert de Blanck / Production: Fabricio Hernández Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Teatro Hubert de Blanck Comedy by Abelardo Estorino, winner of the National Literature and Theatre Prize in 1992 and 2002, respectively, a true master of character study, efficient dialogue and of taking comedy into the realm of love and death.
Mecánica
Argos Teatro / Production: Carlos Celdrán Fridays & Saturdays 8:30pm; Sundays 5pm Argos Teatro Play written by award-winning Abel González Melo, which based on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, turns the conflict around while it deals with an aspect of that is scarcely dealt with on the Cuban stage: the world of the nouveau riche.
Aladino
Anfiteatro de La Haban August 25 & 26, 9pm Aladino, musical based on Casey Nicholaw’s Broadway hit, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin. The magical world of the One Thousand and One Nights enacted with the usual imagination, good taste and professionalism of Alfonso Menéndez and his company.
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For kids Con BB Compañía
October 18, 11am Edificio de Arte Cubano. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Music and dance for the little ones of the family.
Matinée circense Sundays, 11am Carpa Trompoloco
Children’s circus companies hosted by clowns Kariño and Kariña.
La calle de los fantasmas Teatro El Arca October 9-11, 16-18, 3pm Teatro de Títeres El Arca
Ghost Street, emblematic play of Latin American puppet theater, by Javier Villafañe, adapted and directed by Miriam Sánchez.
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events in havana
XVI Festival de Teatro de La Habana October 20-31 Havana and sub-venues Pinar del Río, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus Founded in 1980, the Havana Theater Festival which takes place every two years, will focus this year on stage direction. The event will pay tribute to British film, theater and opera director Peter Brook, on his 90th birthday, and will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Havana’s Teatro Buendia Company. Although the official program has not yet been announced, 43 international groups from 23 countries have confirmed their attendance, Cuba will present 16 prizewinning companies or which have outstanding performances. The opening will take place on October 22 at the Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional with the play Charenton, directed by Flora Lauten with Teatro Buendía. There will be a parallel program at the Carpa Trompoloco, Complejo Cultural Raquel Revuelta, and the Villa and Miramar Theaters with performances by Ópera de la Calle and Teatro Escambray, among others. Also, The musical Rent will be showing at Fábrica de Arte Cubano. Street theater will be present with Mirón Cubano, from Matanzas; Morón Teatro and Teatro Andante, from Las Tunas. Not to miss will be the closing ceremony with the performance of Cinderella by the Monte Carlo Ballet.
Encuentro Internacional por el Diálogo Interreligioso y la Paz Mundial October 16-18 Palacio de Convenciones The main topic for discussion during the International Encounter for Interreligious Dialogue and World Peace will be world peace; fighting terrorism and Jihadism; Ecumenical Relations: trends and challenges; interreligious dialogue and ecumenism; religious family and civil society; today’s religious women, their goals and challenges; cultural diversity and religious plurality; identity, religion and civil society; social/religious activism; community work and religiosity; popular imaginary and religion; religious institution, humanism and social projection; and Church, State and civil society.
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events in havana October 9
Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 5 pm
Semana Británica October 4-11 Havana British Week in Havana: Seven swinging days! From October 4-11, 2015, we will be celebrating a whole cultural week in the best British style. We invite you to enjoy a varied program that includes photography, film, music, dance, fashion, sports and theater. Join us in this new cultural adventure! October 4
Ciudad Deportiva / 10 am Rugby match between Indios del Caribe and Habana del Este teams October 6
Museo Castillo de La Real Fuerza / 10 am Opening of exhibition on the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta Museo Castillo de La Real Fuerza / 10 am Photo exhibition Candela, by British artist Justine Foord, who establishes a metaphorical relationship between the UK and Cuba October 7
Multicine Infanta, Sala 2 / 8 pm Shooting for Socrates / UK / 2014 / 92´ / Dir. James Erskine. Set during the 1986 World Cup, when Northern Ireland faced Brazil in the finals October 8
Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 5 pm Shooting for Socrates Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 8 pm Out of the Ashes / UK / 2011 / 86´ / Dir. Timothy Albone, Lucy Martens, Leslie Knott. On the successful Afghanistan cricket team and their coach Taj Malik Aleem Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 3 / 8 pm Documentaries on British music Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 11 pm Concert by guitarist Dominic Miller Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 3 / 12 am Films about the UK
Class of ´92 / UK / 2013 / 99´/ Dir. Ben Turner, Gabe Turner / Documentary on the rise to fame of six young footballers who played for the Manchester United: David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 8 pm Dark Horse / Reino Unido / 2015 / 85´ / Documentary on the true story of a group of Welsh friends of humble origin, who decide to train a racehorse themselves Teatro Trianón / 8 pm Freddie, produced by Teatro El Público. Play by Cuabn playwright Abilio Estévez Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 3 / 8 pm Fashion and music with the performances of La Alianza, La Reina & La Real, Brebaje Man and DJ Kike Wolf, and fashion designers Arassay Hilario, Lisandra Ramos and Celia Ledón Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 12 am 4Dj Set: Kike Wolf October 10
Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 5 pm Next Goal Wins / UK / 2014 / 97´/ Dir. Mike Brett, Steve Jaminson / Documentary on the Samoa football team, known as the weakest in the world, and their efforts to qualify for the 2014 World Cup 8 pm Fast Girls / UK / 2012 / 91´ / Dir. Regan Hall. A skilled street racer develops an intense rivalry with a young, wealthy and equally ambitious athlete. Both become professional sprinters and join the British relay team for a world championship 8 pm Freddie, Teatro El Público Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 3 / 8 pm Cultural documentary on the United Kingdom Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 9:30 pm Danza-Hip Hop by students of the University of the Arts Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 11 pm Concert by Eddy Escobar dedicated to British music, with the performances of David Blanco, Beatriz López and Vj Arturo de la Fe Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 12 am Films on the UK Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Nave 4 / 12:30 am Dj Set, Xander Black October 11
Multicine Infanta, Sala 3 / 5 pm Class of ´92 8 pm Dark Horse
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events in havana Festival Mozart-Habana 2015 October 16-24 Havana’s Historic Center symphony music, and will close the three-year long implementation of the cultural project European classical music in the social environment of Old Havana, funded by the European Union and the Mozarteum Foundation under the auspices of the Office of the Historian of Havana, the Higher Institute of Art in Cuba (ISA), the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and the Heritage, Community and Environment Civil Society. October 16 Sala de la Diversidad 6:30pm Opening of the exhibition Mozart en La
Habana
Catedral de La Habana 8:30pm Mozart’s flute Concerto in G major, No.
1, KV 313, and Great Mass in C minor, K. 427. Performed by Niurka González (flute), Bárbara Llanes (soprano), Claire Elizabeth Craig (soprano), Roger Quintana (tenor), Amhed Gómez (baritone), Orquesta Sinfónica del Instituto Superior de Arte, Exaudi Choir, Schola Cantorum Coralina, Ensemble Vocal Luna and Coro de Cámara del ISA.
October 17 Oratorio San Felipe Neri
3 pm
Recital by Claire Elizabeth Craig (soprano) and Marita Rodríguez (piano).
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
6 pm
The Camerata Romeu and guest pianist Ulises Hernández in Mozart’s Symphony in G major, No. 12, KV 110; Concerto No. 9 for piano, and orchestra, Jeunehomme, in E-flat major, KV 271; and Serenata cubana by Ignacio Cervantes
7 pm
The ISA Symphony Orchestra and Renaud Capuçón (violin), Gérard Caussé (viola), Braulio Labañino (violin), Anolan González (viola) and Clemens Hagen (cello), in Mozar’s Divertimento for string trio in E-flat major, KV 563, String Quarte No. 4 in G minor, KV 516, and Sinfonía concertante for violin, viola and orchestra in E-flat major, KV 364.
10 am
Master classes by Renaud Capuçón (violin), Gérard Caussé (viola) and Clemens Hagen (cello).
3 pm
Master classes by Renaud Capuçón (violin), Gérard Caussé (viola) and Clemens Hagen (cello).
October 18 Oratorio San Felipe Neri
October 19 Lyceum Mozartiano
Centro HispanoAmericano de Cultura
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October 20 Mediateca del Lyceum Mozartiano
3 pm
Screening of Davide penitente (Mozartwoche 2015). Bartabas, Academieé Questre de Versailles, Les Musiciens du Louvre. Music Director: Marc Minkowski.
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
7 pm
Concert by Siegfried Mauser (piano), Florian Willeitner (violin), Fédor Roudine (violin), Benedict Mitterbauer (viola) and Shizuka Mitsui (cello), musicians from the Mozarteum University of Salzburg.
Lyceum Mozartiano
10 am
Master classes by Masters Florent Heau (clarinet) and Siegfried Mauser (piano).
Mediateca del Lyceum Mozartiano
3 pm
Screening of Concerts by the Mozarteum Salzburgo. Hagen Quartett, Sabine Meyer, Robert Levinauf Mozarts Hammerklavier, Christian Tetzlaff, Sir Roger Norrington, Gidon Kremer, Ton Koopman.
Teatro de la Orden Tercera
3 pm
Peter and the Wolf, theatrical adaptation of Serguéi Prokofiev symphony by La Colmenita Children’s Company
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
7 pm
Piano recital by Fidel Leal, with guest pianists Paula Suárez and Mayté Aboy, violinist Desiré Justo and cellist Alejandro Rodríguez, in Fantasía in C minor, KV 475; Trío (Sonata) in G, KV 496, and Sonata for two pianos in D major, KV 448, by Mozart; Four Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899, by Schubert; Adiós Nonino (for two pianos) and an arrangement for classical trio of Libertango, by Astor Piazzolla.
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
3 pm
Pianist Víctor Díaz will play Op. 10, No. 2, by Beethoven; Sonata in D major, KV 576, by Mozart; March Fúnebre by Franz Liszt and Symphonic Studies Op. 13 by Robert Schumann.
Mediateca del Lyceum Mozartiano
7 pm
Bolero vs. Fandango. Music in Spain in late 18th centurty early 19th century. Conjunto de Música Antigua Ars Longa.
Teatro de títeres El Arca
11 am
Ópera Bastien and Bastienne, KV 50, by Mozart, adapted by Maikel Rodríguez de la Cruz and Laura Liz Gil Echenique; performed by Rígel González Herrera and Lázaro Emilio Hernández Boffil, the Orquesta del Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana and pianist Daniela Rosas.
Iglesia de Paula
3 pm
Concerto No. 1 for organ, in C major, H. XVIII 1, by Haydn; XII new preludes for easy organs, by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger; Wind Quintet, Op. 56, No. 2, by Franz Danzi; Serenade No. 11 for Winds in E-flat major, KV 375, by Mozart, performen by the Ventus Habana Quintet, the organist Karen Hernández and guests.
October 22
October 23
October 24
Teatro Martí
8:30pm Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, KV 16; Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra
A major, KV 622, and Symphony No. 41 in C major, Júpiter, KV 551, by Mozart, performed by Florent Heau (clarinet) and the ISA Symphony Orchestra.
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Around Cuba Fiesta de la Cubanía October 17-20 City of Bayamo Art and culture in a festival that contributes to a reunion with the roots of the nation. The 2015 edition will be devoted to Improvised Verse bad Rumba, both of which have been declared National Cultural Heritage. Highlights of the event include Akokán Aché, from Guantánamo; Rumbavila and Parranda de Florencia, from Ciego de Ávila; Gagá de Barrancas and Pilón del Cauto, from Santiago de Cuba; Los Richard y Guasimal, from Granma, and Raíces Soneras, from Las Tunas. Other activities include craft fair, art exhibition, danzon and rumba afternoons, among other. The theoretical section of the event, The Melting Pot of Cuban Nationality, will deal with the topic of Heritage Values of the Rumba and Improvised Oral Poetry. The launching of the book Cuba Libre, by historian Ernesto Limia will also take place during the event. National Cuban Culture Day is celebrated on October 20, which is considered the day that marks the birth of a rebellious nation and its identity, one of the most important events in Cuba’s history. The Cuban National Anthem, La Bayamesa, was heard for the first time when rebel troops led by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes freed the city of Bayamo in 1868. The author of the ardent verses was the lawyer Pedro “Perucho” Figueredo, who had been asked the year before to write “our own Marseillaise.” The next day he composed the melody of the future anthem and a month later it was played in the principal church in Bayamo. However, the hymn would have to wait 14 months for the lyrics, which Perucho wrote after the battle of October 20, 1868, right on the saddle of his horse. Two years later, he was captured by the Spaniards and just before he was executed, he shouted one of the the lines from his anthem: Morir por la Patria es vivir—“To die for the Motherland is to live.” From October 20, 1868 on, the Bayamo Anthem presided every ceremony and action of the Cuban independence movement. Over time, it transcended as a symbol of the nation and faithful expression of the character and identity of the Cuban people. This is why on August 22, 1980, the Council of Ministers agreed to establish October 20 as Cuban Culture Day in acknowledgement of the day that the people sang Cuba’s National Anthem, expressing the spirit of independence in its inflamed music and patriotic poetry.
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TEN BEST
dives in Cuba by Eric Testi
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Maria la Gorda photo by Alex Mene
1. Avalon
3. Yemayá
Jardines de la Reina has established a reputation as one of the best dive and fishing spots in the world. Isolation and environmental protection have enabled the marine park to thrive evidenced by the abundance of huge jewfish, barracuda, bull ray and tortoise, not to mention reef sharks. The Avalon dive is for shark-junkies and in 25 meters with good visibility and very little underwater current, it is common to see up to 20 reef sharks. Not for the faint-hearted.
María la Gorda and Cabo de San Antonio International Diving Centres together have the most number and varied diving sites in Cuba. At the far tip of Pinar del Rio, they are wild and romantically located, with unforgettable sunsets and a string of beautiful long white sandy beaches. The Yemayá dive is very special. You begin with a descent down the vertical Yemayá wall and return via a “mysterious cave” having seen an abundance of fish, giant gorgonian and black coral. (Ask for the dive instructor Martin to take you out).
www.avalon.com / Jardines de la Reina, Doce Leguas area The Tortuga floating hotel is the only (and best) place to stay
María la Gorda
2. Cueva Azul
4. Ojo del Mégano
The Isle of Youth offers the most dive sites in Cuba (56) and is a natural paradise offering giant coral, caverns, tunnels, huge mogotes, impressive walls as well as a great fish selection. The Cueva Azul (Blue Cave) is a great cave dive which you enter through a tunnel that has three exits (you will exit at 35 or 42 metres). Extensive sponges, coral and shoals of small silver glassfish greet you; before exiting the wall, you will find the “big blue” stretching a whopping 1,500 metres down. Be warned that the Colony Hotel is a dive hotel and not a luxury resort.
Ojo del Mégano is a “blue hole” (former cave whose roof broke and sank). Just 10 metres below sea level, Ojo del Megano acts as a natural refuge for fish of all types including snapper, barracuda, red grouper, plus predators. The walls are crammed with lobster and other coral fish. The hole is 45 meters in circumference and more than 70 metres in depth and offers an easy and enjoyable cruise. Varadero Located 6 miles from the coast, the expedition is organized by Varadero’s Club Barracuda
Isla de la Juventud 45 minute-drive from The Colony Hotel
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Cayo Largo photo by Alex Mene
5. Banco de Jagua
7. Tiburones Toro
The “Banco” can be described as a mountain that rises from the abyss. A tricky dive for experienced divers, you go down to between 18 to 40 metres where a wide variety of coral, sponge and marine life, including barracuda, hogfish, grouper, red snapper, parrotfish, stingray, tortoise, cat shark, reef shark, hammerhead shark—and if you are lucky—whale sharks await you.
Another shark-junky dive. Visibility is average, so pick a good day to watch impressive whale sharks being fed lunch. This is done at 28 meters during the turning of the tide and is handled by experienced dive-masters. Make sure you are up current from the sharks and don’t wear red! (I am mostly joking.)
Cienfuegos / 50 miles from the coast Organized by the Faro Luna Club on calm days
Playa Santa Lucía Camagüey Centro Sharks’ Friends
6. El Colón
8. El Acuario
“El Colón,”is the best preserved site holding shipwrecks from colonial days. Just 6 metres away from the shore, you dive straight to the ship’s stern, and on your way to the bow, 32 metres away, other parts of the wreck are visible. The seabed is full of bullets, cartridge cases and other metal gadgets. The stones, which are moved by the underwater current, make a special sound that gives a magical, almost mystical feeling to the place.
Cayo Largo is tiny and gorgeous with the whitest and finest sand in all Cuba and an abundance of seagulls, pelicans, turtles and iguanas. Under the ocean, there are 30 diving sites of which I would choose El Acuario where 15 metres below the surface you will see multicoloured coral fish, sting rays, bull rays, turtles and cat sharks among the coral. Cayo Largo
Santiago de Cuba 100 km from the city of Santiago in a pretty site called La Mula, where the Turquino River flows into the Caribbean Sea
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Jardines de la Reina photo by Alex Mene
9. El Ébano
10. Boca de Caldera
The stretch from Playa Larga to Playa Girón holds 24 diving sites, which are all accessible from the shore. The beautiful turquoise waters are ideal for snorkelling and diving. At El Ébano, the waters are clear and clean with great visibility. Going towards the edge, you dive down into a beautiful canyon which goes down to 23 metres before the wall begins. Fish can be scarce, but the wall and big blue are awesome and on your way back, under the crag, there are a number of small caves.
“Boca de Caldera” is Havana’s best dive spot and is accessible from the rocky shore from where you swim out 200 meters East before dropping down into a small cave at 5 meters, which takes you to the first wall at 12 metres. The good visibility and the absence of sea currents allow you to appreciate the impressive garden of corals, sponges and gorgonians, as well as a numerous young population of coral fish. Habana del Este
Playa Girón / Bahía de Cochinos
Varadero photo by Alex Mene
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Cuba’s Underwater Treasures by Diana Williams Shipwrecks In Cuba I have visited many wrecks—some very old, others much newer, and all have a story to tell. The attraction of Varadero’s waters has been increased fourfold by these wrecks. Barco Patrullero, built in 1945, was a Russian patrol ship used by Cuban navy in the 1980’s. In the late 1990’s, it took on another role as an artificial reef. It’s fascinating to visit. It still has its guns, surface-to-air missiles and smoke dispensers. Finning over the deck it is easy to let your imagination r un riot, and transport yourself back into the Cold War era. Close to Barco Patrullero is another sunken wreck—the Coral Negro, which served for a time as a restaurant and bar—and a small Russian AN 24 plane. Further out, you can find the Neptuno, an older much more broken up wreck sunk in 1943, which has become home to some large moray eels, some of whom are friendlier than others. It is also a delight to watch the attractive groups of grunts and snappers milling in and around the small spaces between the wreckage. Not far from Neptuno, the section of a sunken tanker, dominating and
imposing with its bright blue backdrop and colonies of marine life, enthralls the diver. The Cristóbal Colón wreck is a thrilling experience, especially when you take into account the historic events leading to its demise. In 1898, this armored cruiser was the subject of an 80-kilometer chase by U.S. warships—one of the offensives towards taking control of Cuba from the Spanish. Sunk close to the shore, some 45 kilometers west of the town of Chivrico (Santiago de Cuba), the Colón once again brims with life—though instead of people, hydroids, worms and colorful sponges have made it a more permanent home. Large glittering tarpon also offer the ship their protection as they weave their way stoically around the ship, alongside their more colorful helpers including different types of snapper, jacks and damselfish. Cuba has many other historic wrecks and remnants. The Mortera, a Spanish merchant ship that sunk near Santa Lucia in 1896, is now frequently visited by bull sharks, and coral encrusted cannons and anchors may often be seen around its shores.
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Underwater Formations
Underseas Forests
One of the dive sites named Farallón in Los Jardines de la Reina (a one-hundred mile long archipelago off the south coast of Cuba) has five coral pinnacles, the tallest being around 20 meters. The pinnacles themselves yield an incredible range of life. Trailing whip corals, and colorful rope sponges extend into, and overhang the gaps between the small mounts. These exist alongside fan-like gorgonians and delicate looking flower corals. It is fun to wind your way around them. Who knows whom you may meet? Rotund and ugly mouthed jewfish favors the gaps between the mounts, as do tarpon and even silky sharks, and the sandy floor below provides a resting place for the occasional eagle ray.
Around Cayo Coco, off the north coast, dense and lush mini forests of sea rods, fans and fingers wave gently along with the current. It’s a colourful, calm, yet lively scene. The cover offered by the coral offers a good hiding place for different types of groupers, including those of the tiger, nassau, black and red hind species. They’re easy to find, as thanks to the elegant waving of the sea fans, their hiding place does not last for long.
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Walls
Caves
The island’s sea walls themselves can be striking. Extending outwards, the large and colourful rope, pipe and elephant ear sponges make a bold contrast with the surrounding blue depths. Some of the sponges are embellished with jewels. Small, golden and flowerlike zoanthids cover thin rope sponges in winding chains. Delicate pink, purple and blue vase sponges add more texture and brightness to the walls, alongside the encrusting sponges, gorgonians and hard corals. Obtaining a glimpse of some prized black coral interests many divers, and there is generally a good chance of finding some along your route, alhough given that its polyps can be a grey or muted brown in colour, its fine branches may not be as impressionable as the sponges. Wall diving has the potential for an odd surprise: if you look outwards you might spot some passers-by, which, from August to December could even be a whale shark.
When it comes to caves, there is much to choose from in Cuba’s subaquatic world. El Brinco cave along Playa Giron looks like a small dark pool, filled with a mix of salt and fresh water, and at first glace offers little enticement to the diver. Timing is crucial, undertaking a descent to around 38 metres, then ascending via a tunnel for around 4 metres or so, you need to re-enter the main pool at around mid-day. This is when the sun is high enough to filter through a hole in the top of the cave, directly onto the water below. On impact, the sun extends a wide golden-white ray through the dark greenish water. As you place yourself in its midst, the light consumes and energises. Touched by the sun’s tentacles, you can only leave the cave feeling incredibly high. Also accessed via land are the Saturno caves, near Varadero. Stalactites and stalagmites await you in this caves system, and blind fish and shrimp inhabit its cool waters.
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Another interesting, yet quite different cave is El Salon de Maria, accessed from Maria la Gorda in western Cuba. This has a more colourful and cosy environment. Located at a depth of around twenty metres, the cave’s walls and ceiling are decorated with a plethora of pink, blue, green and purple sponges and corals. Small internal pillars, also made of coral, interspersed with fragile looking feather stars, break up the space to create a more homely feel. Whip corals trailing from the ceiling add atmosphere to this fairy-tale place. It is not surprising that a few groupers, as well as basslets and grunts have made this their home.
Cuba’s Underwater Sandy Plains and Channels Cuba’s underwater sandy plains and channels, akin to the country’s beaches, also hold a fascination. All around the island, a phenomenal range of species can be found hiding in, or just resting on the sand. Peacock flounders—spotted by their blue markings lay semi-covered, as do rays of all kinds, including southern stingrays, yellow stingrays
and eagle rays. Trunkfishes and jacks often hover above them, waiting for any tasty morsels the feeding rays might dislodge. If you wait a while you might see a ray move its position. This is when you will experience the true beauty of these creatures, their fins moving gracefully, and in harmony with the water around them. Long, lumpy and mottled sea cucumbers spend their time on the sand, and it is fun to watch the busy translucent gobies burrowing in and out of the grains. Dig a little, and you may even find conches, crabs and urchins. Nurse sharks also see the sand as a good place to while away the time—particularly where there are overhanging ledges to provide extra protection; and if you are lucky, a turtle might pass over the bright white expanse. Sandy areas are also a good place to look for remnants of the past, since they can shield ballast stones—a key towards finding more interesting spoils from the ships that patrolled Cuba’s waters in the 17th and 18th centuries. Cuba is an island of historic and natural wonders— both on land and underwater. Plunge in!
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photos by Y. del Monte
Santa María del Mar: watersports central by Ricardo Alberto Pérez As we drive along the Via Blanca Highway, 19 kilometers to the east of Havana, we are beckoned by a splendid strip of coastline—the beach known as Santa María del Mar. Especially during these sweltering summer heat waves, this panorama impacts all our senses and invites us to connect with the ocean spread out before us. I have taken this trip at different points in my life, dashing downhill to plant my feet in the sand. I have always felt the same sensations when faced with this vista of aquamarine tones, spattered with the white crests of waves that dissolve into foam on the beach. Among the coconut palms you can see the sunbathers, persistent in their efforts to achieve a golden tan. Some of them have refreshing drinks in hand and many others are engaged in a variety of water activities and sports. Lately, swimming and throwing or kicking a ball around seems to be taking a back seat to everything else that is making its appearance: kite-surfing and wind-surfing are definitely heading the list these days. Not only are people taking part in these sports, they are also providing an entertaining show for everyone else. Now there is more to look at than the landscape.
These sports provide us with a challenge, combining the dexterity of both body and mind and if you can’t manage that, you will forever be a spectator taking a dip from time to time and letting your imagination run free in a sort of fantasy film. But there are other diversions to tempt you. The appearance of the banana boat, an inflatable yellow tube that resembles the tropical fruit in gigantic format, lets a number of people get on and be pulled along by a motorized water skidoo. Between the speed, the action of the waves and the skidoo pilot’s maneuvers, it’s a matter of time when all those passengers end up in the water. photo by Alex Mene
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Catamarans also navigate the waters on short trips, taking you off to the horizon under the geometric patterns of the sails. This seductive pleasure craft has the advantage of being noiseless and you feel like you are one with the wind and the spray, a permanent part of the scenery. When the sun is about to set in the evening we get together with the kitesurfers on the beach. By now we have been watching them for about three or four hours, as they were working on their extraordinary ability to use the wind and the currents to their advantage. Some of them tell me that it’s taken them something like a month, observing the strength and direction of the wind, to be able to put their fantasies into practice. And we’re in luck because this is the day that has been predicted ideal for kitesurfing.
learn all the rules and measures for practicing the sport safely.” There was also a story about how he miscalculated one of his moves once and almost died, but everything turned out well in the end. Next we talked to Alberto Domínguez from Santa Cruz del Norte, a fishing village about 20 kilometers further east, also famous for being the location of the principal Havana Club rum factory. He told us how kitesurfing was such an important part of his life; if too many days went by without practicing the sport, he would actually get depressed. He also mentioned his contacts with other people doing kitesurfing, how interested they were and how many of them were asking him to teach them the tricks of the sport.
As we begin to chat, one of the first things that stands out in their conversation is that kitesurfing is indeed a group endeavor. Working together, they are able to emulate each other and learn more complex individual maneuvers to improve their performances. So, as soon as any one of them discovers that the conditions are ideal, they call the rest of them so that they end up with a sizeable group.
Everybody there agreed in emphasizing the wonderful feeling of solidarity they were experiencing. This provided a way for them to improve because, as yet, Cuba still has no formal courses or schools for the discipline. I next decided to examine the equipment used for the sport, from the design and comfort of the board to the characteristics of the rigging, the steering arm and the body harness. Not to be missed is the fabulous kite that is their means of propulsion and which allows each surfer to personalize his equipment.
The group we met was made up of young and very enthusiastic athletes, with good senses of humor and great physiques. The first one we talked to was Yasser Cabello Rivero, a lifeguard who lives in Guanabo Beach. He especially stressed the idea that the learning process for kitesurfing is tough: “You really have to be rigorous in order to
And so a wonderful day in Santa María del Mar came to an end. More than anything, else we were able to enjoy the warm waters that always invite you to return. Driving back along the same route we used to get there, this time ascending the hill, we were able to get a last glimpse of the extraordinary view of sand and sea stretching along the coast.
Photo by Alex Mene
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Lemay Gutiérrez Álvarez: apnea diving in Cuba by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
photos by Y. del Monte
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When you decide to delve into research about such a demanding practice as apnea diving, you begin to understand the inner workings of this freediving extreme sport that has inspired growing admiration for the men and women involved in this fascinating universe. Basically, apnea deals with submerging the body in an extreme situation where the ability for resistance and for surpassing unimaginable barriers is put to the test. This specialty is characterized not only by its inherent conditions but also by a kind of artistry at the moment of executing each attempt. It could be compared to having the gift of transforming a rational and terrestrial animal into a docile marine creature. For my generation, apnea diving acquired a high profile thanks to Deborah Andollo, the Mermaid of the Deep. Not only did she break around 17 world records in different specialties but she became an iconic figure for many of us young people, intrigued by her undeniably charismatic personality. Her example has been followed by many talented youngsters who continue to encourage and insert free-diving in Cuba. In order to find one such talented individual, we set out on another pleasant journey along the Via Blanca Highway. At the lovely northern shore of the province of Mayabeque, around Villa Trópico on Jibacoa Beach, we met one of the greatest exponents of apnea in Cuba in the last few years: Lemay Gutiérrez Álvarez, born in Jaruco, 1972. He revealed to us that he first learned about apnea from his father who had spent many years as a diving instructor in Varadero, where he would spend his school vacations. He also remembers the friendly competitions as a child with friends to see who could stay underwater the longest or swim the greatest distance. They would even lay bets. He was gradually discovering his natural abilities for this sport. Around 2000, he started to work as a diving instructor at the Breezes Jibacoa Hotel (today’s Memory Jibacoa Hotel) and he met Sandalio Cienfuegos who at that time was the record holder for static apnea. It didn’t take long for Sandalio to notice the young man’s talent and so he retired from competition in order to become his coach. Under his guidance, Lemay broke the national record for the first time in 2001 in dynamic apnea diving with a team at 152 meters. In the following years, he would break over ten more records. He confessed to me that Deborah Andollo herself told him that he had set a formidable pace for breaking records. This had effectively placed him beyond the reach of the rest of his competitors in Cuba. Lemay had established a cycle where he was breaking his own records around once a year.
Among all these exploits, the one that he remembers with particular affection occurred in 2011 at an international event in Havana—he reached 189 meters and this brought him the gold medal. Another important event in his history as an athlete took place in 2013 when he submerged to 203.64 meters. This is now the Pan-American record for dynamic apnea with a team. Last year in 2014, he became the first man to break the 100-meter barrier in the dolphin dive without fins: he made it to exactly 125 meters. It was enlightening for us to listen to Lemay tell us about his physical preparations in great detail and how this has changed in the last few years. Nowadays, apnea divers train in the gym as if they were track and field athletes. Lemay stresses cardio training for himself by working out on the static bicycle. He also runs, swims and does exercises aimd specifically at strengthening his leg muscles, which is essential for properly being able to handle his fin movements. He also told us that the technical quality of everything needed to compete in this sport has greatly improved, specifically something called the monofin, like one big flipper, which facilitates the purely technical aspects of free diving. Lemay is presently one of a select group of divers in the world who have been able to surpass the 200-meter mark. The other divers are Europeans, principally from Italy and France. When we asked him about any age considerations for the sport, he told us that all the world record holders are over forty years old. That seems to be the age at which the desired maturity takes place when dealing with controlling your metabolism and having your body respond properly to emotions occurring during the feat, especially at the final moments when you have attained distance but the judges need to see that you are in good shape to officially make the mark. We asked him what he is concentrating on as he goes underwater after the goal. Without any hesitation he said that he concentrates totally on the pre-planned strategy. At the start he is counting the flipper strokes in a specific distance and then he begins to deal with the contractions that are a clue to exhaustion. By doing this, he can make a diagnosis and create a plan to relax and not be overcome by those contractions. Lemay Gutiérrez has not yet been able to participate at any world championships even though his results rank him among the best on the planet. Those who know how humble he is encourage him constantly to keep on training, to let his dreams soar, or in his case, dive into the deepest depths.
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Havana’s best places to eat
La Guarida
El Atelier
5
Bella Ciao
5
Café Bohemia
5
Café Laurent
4+
Experimental fusion
Homely Italian
Café
Spanish/Mediterranean
Interesting décor, interesting menu.
Great service, good prices. A real home from home.
Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices
Attractive penthouse restaurant with breezy terrace.
Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025
Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406
Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja
Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2090
Casa Miglis
El Chanchullero
La California
5
La Casa
5
5
5
Cuban-Creole/International
Contemporary fusion
Swedish-Cuban fusion
Spanish/Mediterranean
Beautiful C19 colonial building. Great fresh pastas.
VIP service. The Robaina family place. Thurs Sushi night.
Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana
Fabulous value hole in the wall tapas. Trendy.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863 7510
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-7000
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486
Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza del Cristo, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-872-8227
El Cocinero
Corte Príncipe
Il Divino
5
5+
4+
D. Eutimia
5+
International
Italian
International
Cuban/Creole
Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere
Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food.
Set in huge gardens outside town. Great for the kids.
Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food.
Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355
Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091
Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza y Lindero, Arroyo Naranjo (+53) 7-643-7734
Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332
Habana Mia 7
Iván Chef
La Fontana
4
La Guarida
5+
5
5+
International
International
International gourmet
Spanish
Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school.
Justifiably famous. Follow in the footsteps of Queen of Spain
Endless summer nights. Excellent food and service.
Brilliantly creative and rich food.
Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-9047
Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra. Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287
Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-863-9697
Nautilus
Nazdarovie
El Litoral
5+
5
5+
Nero Di Seppia
5
International
French/Mediterranean
Soviet
ITALIAN
Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant.
Imaginative, tasty and innovative menu.
Well designed Soviet décor, excellent food & good service.
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201
Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13. Playa (+53) 5-237-3894
Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947
SThe new location for Havana’s best pizza chef, Walter. Same food, great locale.
Opera
5
Otra Manera
5
Río Mar
5
Calle 6 #122 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Miramar (+53) 5-478-7871
San Cristóbal
5
INTERNATIONAL
international
International
Cuban/Creole
Homely & intimate environment. Quality food. By reservation.
Beautiful modern decor. Interesting menu and good service.
Contemporary décor. Great sea-view. Good food.
Deservedly popular.Consistently great food. Kitsch décor.
Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 5-263-1632 (+53) 8-31-2255
Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315
Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838
San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109
Santy
Starbien
VIP Havana
304 O’Reilly
5+
5+
5
5
Sushi/Oriental
Spanish/Mediterranean
Spanish
international
Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi.
Fabulous food and great service in the heart of Vedado.
Jordi’s place. Fabulous modern open-plan space.
Chic, stylish. Superb gin & tonic. Best in Old Havana.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039
Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado (+53) 7-830-0711
Calle 9na #454 e/ E y F, Vedado (+53) 7-832-0178
O’Reilly #304 e/ Habana y Aguiar,La Habana Vieja (+53) 5-264-4725 contents
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La Guarida
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Contemporary fusion
Cost Expensive
www.laguarida.com
Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy. Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047
El Litoral
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
International
Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened. Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201
Nazdarovie
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Soviet
Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale. Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon. Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947
Santy
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Sushi
Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea. World class. Don’t miss Getting a reservation here. Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039 contents
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Café Bohemia
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food Traditional Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for perfect for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban. Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building. Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com
Iván Chef Justo
5+
TOP PICK
Style of food
Spanish
Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime. Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish. Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches. Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540
Casa Miglis
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Swedish-Cuban fusion
Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana. Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries. Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486
www.casamiglis.com
Habana Mía 7
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International gourmet
Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Stylish and fresh décor give a Mediterranean feel for long endless summer nights. Excellent food and service. Don’t miss Watching the world go by on the lovely terrace overlooking the ocean. Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2287
www.habanamia7.com contents
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La California
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Cuban-Creole/International
Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building. Popular place with quality food and great service. Love the fresh pastas. Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out. Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-7510
Atelier
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
Experimental fusion
Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building with great décor and service. Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace during summer. Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025
[email protected]
La Casa
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International/sushi
Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Warm hospitality and openness from the four generations of the Robaina family. Quality food. Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night. The Piña Colada. Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado. (+53) 7-881-7000
[email protected]
Otramanera
5
TOP PICK
Style of food
International
Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar) Food Ambience Service Value Best for Beautiful modern décor and good food. Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet & sour sauce and grilled pineapple Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa (+53) 7-203-8315
[email protected] [email protected] contents
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Sloppy Joe’s
Havana’s best Bars & Clubs Traditional Bars El Floridita
4+
Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Touristy but always full of life. Great cocktails. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1299
5
1950s Traditionals
GUEST PERFORMERS INCLUDE BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271
Sloppy Joe’s Bar
4+
Cervecería Antiguo Almacén Madera y el Tabaco
Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-7157
5+ de
la
Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant. Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja
Contemporary Bars El Cocinero
5+
Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (+53) 7-832-2355
Espacios
5-
Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beer-garden.
TaBARish
5
A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service.
Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro) (+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica. deartecubano
(+53) 7-202-9188
Contemporary bars/clubs Don Cangrejo
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837
Packed night after night with a young dressed-up clientele wanting to party. Don’t go looking for Buena Vista Social Club!
5
4
Bohemian attracting a hip Cuban crowd. Excellent DJ’s keep the place jumping.
El Gato Tuerto
4+
Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky.
Calle 17 e/ E y F, Vedado, La Habana (+53) 7-832-0433
Up & Down
5
From the team that brought you Sangri-La. Attracting a young party crowd, very popular. Take a coat.
El Tocororo
5
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343
4+
Expat favorite hangout. Small indoor bar with live music and eclectic clientele.
Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224
Sangri-La
For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends.
Calle 3ra y B, Vedado
Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa (+53) 5 -294-3572
Other
Sarao’s Bar
Bolabana
5+
X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts, funky young scene.
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
(+53) 7-836-3031
Fábrica de Arte
Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar
Bertolt Brecht
5
Think MTV Unplugged. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354
Gay-friendly Cabaret Las Vegas
4
Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts. Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado. (+53) 7-870-7939
Humboldt 52
One of the hottest venues for gay nightlife in Havana at present. Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital, Centro Habana. (+53) 5-330-2989
5
Fashion Bar Havana
A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676
5
Café Bar Madrigal
4
Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks. Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433
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Bertolt Brecht
5
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/clubs Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music. Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354
Espacios
5-
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people. Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden. Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921
Sangri-La
5+
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/club. Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343
Bolabana
5
TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Trendy new location near Salón Rosado de la Tropical Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana Farándula Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa
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Humboldt 52
5
TOP PICK
Gay friendly Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for Hot staff, comfortable setting, and welcoming vibe at Havana’s first full-time, openly-gay bar Don’t Miss The disco ball, a talented opera duo performing Wednesdays and karaoke and drag performances other days of the week Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital, Centro Habana. (+53) 5-330-2989
Fábrica de Arte
5+
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
Fashion Bar Havana
5
TOP PICK
Gay-friendly Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show. Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676
TaBARish
5
TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB Ambience Popularity Entertainment Service & drinks Best for A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service. Don’t Miss The homemade Russian soup – just like Matushka makes it. Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. (+53) 7-202-9188
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Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
Havana’s best live music venues
Concert venues Karl Marx Theatre
5
World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue. Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801
Jazz Café Jazz Miramar
4+
Salsa/Timba
4
Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273
Contemporary
5
Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354
Trova & traditional Barbaram Pepito’s Bar
4+
Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment. Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808
A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts.
Fábrica de Arte
5
X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!).
Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
Jazz Café
La Zorra y el Cuervo
4
Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht
5
A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmosphere-wise.
Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise.
Café Cantante Mi Habana
Basílica San Francisco de Asís
4
Casa de la Música Miramar
A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa.
Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene.
Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165
Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837
4+
Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224
Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución.
5
Intimate and atmospheric, this basement jazz club, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous.
Centro Habana
Gato Tuerto
5
Teatro Nacional
Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402
Casa de la Música
Don Cangrejo
Sala Covarrubias
El Sauce
4
Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa Times: varies wildly (+53) 7-203-5322
5-
Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428
Teatro de Bellas Artes
4+
Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern. Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja.
5
The 1950s traditionals, a project created over 10 years ago, pays tribute to the Golden Era of Cuban music: the 1950s. Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761
5
The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee.
Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert.
Tradicionales de los 50
Salón Rosado de la Tropical
4+ Salón 1930 ‘Compay Segundo’ Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional. Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896
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Havana’s Best Hotels
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Simply the best… Iberostar Parque Central
5+
Santa Isabel
5+
Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas
Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central
5+
Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor.
Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201
Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627
Saratoga
Terral
5
Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated.
Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201
Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061
Boutique Hotels in Old Havana Florida
5
Beautifully restored colonial house.
5
Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist
Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127
Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja
Business Hotels Meliá Cohíba
Palacio del Marqués...
5
Oasis of polished marble and professional calm.
Meliá Habana
5
Attractive design & extensive facilities.
Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636
4
A must for Hemingway aficionados
Mercure Sevilla
4
Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560
On the banks of the Río Almendares. Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232
3
Deauville
Lack of pretension, great location. Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812
4+
Hotel Nacional
Saint John’s
Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Popular. Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740
H10 Habana Panorama
4+
Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi. Modern. Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100
5
Riviera
3
Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896
3
5
Mercaderes #202, esq. a Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293
Eclectic art-deco architecture. Gorgeous gardens.
Economical/Budget Hotels Bosque
Occidental Miramar
Conde de Villanueva
Delightfully small and intimate. For cigar lovers.
Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037
Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583
Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant.
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529
5+
Immensely charming, great value.
Good value, large spacious modern rooms.
Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500
For a sense of history Ambos Mundos
Hostal Valencia
Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051
3
Vedado
3
Good budget option with a bit of a buzz Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072 contents
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Bohemia Boutique Apartments
Havana’s best private places to stay For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact
[email protected]
Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B) 1932
Carlos in cuba
4
5
Gay Friendly BED and Breakfast in Havana
Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming.
Calle 2 #505 e/ 23 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-833-1329 (+53) 5-295-4893
[email protected] www.carlosincuba.com
Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203
Habana
5
Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location.
Julio y Elsa
5
Cluttered bohemian feel. Hospitable.
Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253
Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana (+53) 7-861-8027
Artedel
Hostal Guanabo
Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals) Cañaveral House
But undoubtedly the most beautiful about private homes in Cuba
5 Vitrales
39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse. com/canaveral.home. html?lang=en
5
Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms.
5+
Ydalgo Martínez Matos’s spacious and contemporary 3-bedroom penthouse is magnificent.
Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607
5
Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo. Excellent food. Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Guanabo (+53) 7-799-0004
Calle I #260 e/ 15 y 17, Vedado (+53) 5-830-8727
Apartment rentals Bohemia Boutique Apartments
5+
5+
Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents.
Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja.
Luxury Houses
5
Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool. Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado (+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456
Casablanca
Tropicana Penthouse
5
5
Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29 (+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com
Michael and María Elena
This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084
5
Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524
Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero (+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com
Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden.
Suite Havana
Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building. Quality loft style décor.
A luxurious penthouse with huge roof terrace and breathtaking 360 degree views of Havana and the ocean.
Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja Habana Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com
Villasol
Casa Concordia
5
Residencia Mariby
5
A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559 contents
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Artedel Luxury
5+
TOP PICK
3 Bedroom penthouse Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Stylish and contemporary furniture along with a beautiful 360-degree view over Havana Don’t Miss Ydalgo – an impeccable host, discreet or gregarious, as you prefer Calle I #260, e/ 15 and 17, Vedado (+53) 7-830-8727
Bohemia Boutique Apartments Blue
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning. Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
[email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com
Bohemia Boutique Apartments Red
5+
TOP PICK
Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
[email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com
Rosa D’Ortega
5+
TOP PICK
Boutique Villa Facilities Rooms Ambience Value Best for Large elegant villa away from the bustle of downtown Havana. Gracious hosts, beautiful rooms. Don’t Miss Exploring the off-the-beaten track neighbourhood. Patrocinio #252 esq. a Juan Bruno Zayas, 10 de Octubre (+53) 7-641-43-29 / (+53) 5-263-3302 http://www.larosadeortega.com contents
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