Colonial and Cultural Cuba February 15-23, 2015
Dear Travelers, Floating between the United States to the north and Latin America to the south, Cuba was a former Spanish colony liberally colored with French, African, American, Jamaican, and indigenous Taíno influence. There is no denying the breadth of its historical heritage. Cuba has saved many endangered traditions while the pause button has been pressed on important historical heirlooms forts, palaces, hotels, and colonial towns, many of which are in the process of being faithfully restored. The Colonial Dames will travel on a unique and inspiring People-to-People program focused on Cuba s Colonial and Cultural Heritage. This program which has been specifically designed for the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia, will include visits to towns, cities, palaces, forts, remnants of sugar plantations, and slave trading ports. We will get acquainted with Cubans in diverse settings, from Cienfuegos to Sancti Spiritus, and colonial Trinidad to Old Havana. We will meet with historians, artists, teachers, students, and engage with local people directly about their lives, work, traditions and culture. We will discover Hemingway s haunts, all while enjoying an exuberant place where music emanates from every doorway and even hardened cynics are ensnared by the intrigue and romance. Cuba is truly a melting pot of African, European, and Caribbean cultures. Connoisseurs Tours is pleased to facilitate this People-to-People program. We will be limited to 28 passengers. Sincerely, Kathryn J. Waller Kathryn J. Waller People to People Travel engages participants in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba. We are partnering with our associates at International Expeditions which has a specific license to sponsor and organize educational exchange programs to promote contact with the Cuban people under the regulations and licensing guidelines of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of Treasury. (CT-2013-299822-1)
Day 1 MIAMI Our small group of 20 to 30 travelers gathers this afternoon at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel. This evening we will meet our Expedition Leader who will be with us through out our stay in Cuba. At 6:00PM we will gather for a welcome reception and briefing about our travel to Cuba and tomorrow morning s flight to Cienfuegos. Day 2 MIAMI / CIENFUEGOS / SANCTI SPIRITUS After breakfast this morning we will transfer to Terminal G at the Miami International Airport. Our guide will assist us with our check in procedures as we begin our educational journey to Cuba. Our flight to the city of Cienfuegos is one hour. Upon arrival, we collect our bags and clear customs where we will be met by our local guide and driver. Cienfuegos is arranged around the country s most spectacular natural bay. Founded in 1819, Cienfuegos earned a Unesco World Heritage Site listing in 2005. Our first stop is for lunch at a bayside restaurant and then we will enjoy a performance and discussion with the world famous Cienfuegos Choir, an a cappella choir, followed by a walk around the central square. The city was established by French settlers and contains many buildings with French architectural influences. Later we will drive to the town of Sancti Spiritus, where we will spend the next two nights. Founded in 1514, it was one of seven colonial outpost cities of the Spanish. It is a city filled with narrow cobblestone streets and hundreds of well-preserved colonial buildings. It is like stepping back in time to the colonial past with its beautiful range of architectural styles and the only Roman style arched brick bridge in the country. Dinner tonight is at our hotel. Overnight at Hotel Del Rijo or similar. (L,D) Day 3 SANCTI SPIRITUS & TRINIDAD The town of Sancti Spiritus just celebrated its 500th anniversary, and is a town rarely visited by mainstream tourists. Here we will have a more authentic People-to-People experience with the local residents. This morning, we walk from our hotel across the square to a street market where residents shop for household items and tools. We will see what is being bought and sold and have the chance to interact with the local people. We then drive a short distance to Trinidad, an architectural jewel and one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Cuba. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trinidad, Cuba was built on the back of the 19th-century sugar and slave trades. At its zenith in 1827, one of the 56 sugar mills in the region harvested the biggest cane haul in the world. This enormous, conspicuous wealth shaped the town and no expense was spared in fashioning the finest Spanish colonial mansions, plazas, and churches. We will walk on cobblestone streets, first visiting the Palacio Cantero which was once the home of the wealthy Borrell family and now houses the historical museum. We will walk
around the Plaza Mayor, which was the heart of the old settlement and where the wealthy land owners lived, and we will visit the cathedral. We continue to the Casa de los Sanchez Iznaga for a discussion about Trinidad s architectural development. After we enjoy local music and a drink, we drive to the coastal town of Casilda for a lunch of fresh seafood. The coastal town of Casilda was the port where Cortez departed to conquer the Aztecs and where the wealth of the Aztecs studying to be chefs in hopes to open their own private restaurants in the future. After lunch, we continue west on Cuba s National Highway and then turn north to the Atlantic Coast. The peninsula of Varadero is known for its beautiful beaches. We will visit the nearby city of Matanzas, which was Cuba s major colonial era port with exports of coffee, tobacco, and sugar. It was also the most important slave trading port. While in Matanzas, we visit the Museum of the Route of the Slave, located in the restored fortress of Castillito de San Severino which was originally built to guard the bay. After our visit we cross the causeway to the Varadero Peninsula. Dinner tonight is in our hotel, the Melia Varadero Resort or similar. (B,L,D) returned before fleets of galleons took everything to Spain. After lunch and en route back to Sancti Spiritus, we will stop at the old colonial sugar estate of Manaca Iznaga in the Valle de los Ingenios, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we see the restored home of the wealthy landowner. We will have the opportunity to visit local residents who specialize in linen and lace, and offer their work for sale from their homes. We return to our hotel in Sancti Spiritus. (B,L,D) Day 4 SANCTI SPIRITUS / SANTA CLARA / MATANZAS / VARADERO Leaving Trinidad behind, we begin our drive across the island to Matanzas. En route, we stop at the most notable site in the city of Santa Clara: the memorial to Ché Guevara, who captured the city on December 28, 1959 causing Batista to flee the country on New Year s Eve. Lunch is at the Restaurant Los Caneyes and here we learn about culinary training in Cuba with a Peopleto-People experience from individuals who are Day 5 MATANZAS & VARADERO Our visits in Matanzas today will include Las Muñequitos de Matanzas, a center for traditional Cuban dance, where we have a People-to-People experience with young Cuban dancers and rhythmic musicians. We will also visit the Cuban Art Instructors School, and a Colonial pharmacy. Returning to Varadero in the afternoon, time permitting, we will visit the Varadero Art Museum. In Varadero, we will have dinner at Xanadu Mansion,
afternoon, we will stop at Revolution Square for photos before checking into our rooms at the Hotel Nacional or the Hotel Melia Cohiba, where which was built by Irenee Dupont de Nemours, but now serves as the club house of Cuba s finest golf course. (B,L,D) Day 6 VARADERO / SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA / HAVANA Today we leave Varadero and Matanzas. En route, lunch today is at Paladar IL Divino, which is considered by many as one of the best private restaurants in Cuba. We also visit the garden that supplies fresh vegetables and other ingredients to the restaurant. Then continuing our drive past the fishing town of Cojimar, where Hemingway kept his boat, and then to the outskirts of Havana to the small town of San Francisco de Paula. Here we pay homage to Papa Hemingway at his former home Finca Vigia, preserved almost as it was on the day of his death. There Hemingway wrote two of his most celebrated novels: For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. A Movable Feast was written there as well. Hemingway s boat Pilar has been restored and is also on display. We will have a People-to-People discussion with a Cuban Hemingway expert for about the history of the home and Hemingway s time there. En route to our hotel in Havana this we spend the next three nights. Tonight we enjoy dinner at Paladar Dona Eutimia, a small private restaurant (paladar) in Cathedral Square of Old Havana. Following dinner we take a leisurely stroll along Obispo Street, a lively pedestrian boulevard in the middle of Old Havana, and meet our vehicle at the Floridita, a bar famous as being Hemingway s favorite, and known as the Cradle of the Daiquiri. (B,L,D) Day 7 HAVANA We begin the day in Old Havana with a visit to the Casa del las Tejas Verdes for a People-to- People presentation by an architectural preservation specialist from the City Historian s office, and a discussion about the Old Havana Restoration Project. Afterward we begin our exploration of Old Havana. Walking through the historic squares of Old Havana we will see local artists at work in their studios. We will stroll through
parks and plazas which are famous for book sellers lining the edges of the park, as well as artists and musicians. Lunch will be at La Paella, a classic Spanish restaurant. We will visit the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where in 1932 a room on the upper (5th) floor became the first home in Cuba of writer Ernest Hemingway because he enjoyed the views of Old Havana and the harbor sea in which he fished frequently in his yacht Pilar. We conclude the afternoon with a visit to a local arts and crafts market before returning to the hotel. Dinner tonight is at L Atelier, a paladar in a Vedado neighborhood mansion decorated with wonderful contemporary Cuba art. Optional: After dinner those who wish can attend the world renown cabaret show at the famous Tropicana. (B,L,D) Day 8 HAVANA This morning we visit the Cementerio de Colon and see the vast array of monuments and works of architectural art located here. Designed by Spanish architect Calixto de Loira in the mid-1800s, Colon Cemetery, Havana, is one of the great historical cemeteries of the world, and is generally held to be the second most historically and architecturally important in Latin America after La Recoleta in Buenos Aires. Lunch is at the Restaurant La Barraca. In the afternoon, we will learn about the daily lives of ordinary Cubans as we set off on a walk through Plaza Cristo, for a Peopleto-People experience chatting with those who are out and about. Continuing on foot, we will explore the Paseo del Prado, a wide avenue separating Old Havana from the central city. Paved in marble, this promenade is a popular place for locals to relax while children play. We will see numerous art deco buildings, including the famous Barcardi Building. We then continue to a Cuban cigar factory, which is a journey back in time. There you will see scores of workers, each making cigars entirely by hand. It s an un-rushed, antique and artisanal process; one that has not changed in any major way for hundreds of years. This evening we say farewell to Havana with dinner at the elegant Café Del Oriente. Optional: Tonight, we will have an optional excursion to hear the famed Buena Vista Social Club. (B,L,D)
Day 9 HAVANA / MIAMI Today we leave for the airport and check in for our flight from Havana back to Miami. PALADARS A large variety of fruits and vegetables are hard to come by in Cuba. Therefore many of our lunches and dinners will be in paladars, which are privately owned family run restaurants with higher quality food. Paladar owners are truly Cuba s new breed of entrepreneurs. During visits to these private restaurants, you will meet the families and can discuss the impact of private business on Cuba s economy and will also begin to get a sense of how people live in Cuba. HOTELS Traveling to Cuba is like stepping back in time to the 1950s; It is nostalgic. Our hotels will be comfortable but not luxurious. Cuban hotels may not reflect the same standards and amenities as modern American hotels. PRICE OF TOUR $4795.00 per person, double occupancy $795.00 single supplement THE COST OF OUR TRAVEL PROGRAM INCLUDES: Eight nights accommodations all meals except dinner and breakfast the first night in Miami Cuban Visitor Visa Fee Round trip Airfare from Miami to Cuba All scheduled transportation during the tour unless otherwise specified. Fully escorted by a Connoisseurs Tours escort, IE Tour Leader and the services of experienced English-speaking local guides. Full schedule of engaging people-to-people activities. Visit to Hemingway s Finca Vigia & his room at Hotel Ambos Mundos. Walking visits in Cienfuegos, colonial Trinidad & Havana. Stops at Museum of the Revolution & Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. A visit to a Havana cigar factory In-studio discussions with a variety of Cuban artists. Excursions with preservation architects in Old Havana. Local fare at privately owned paladars. Choice of two drinks at group lunches and dinners: local beer, soft drink, or water. Bottled water on transfers & excursions Cuban-government mandated medical insurance. Tips to porters, day guides & waiters for included meals. Complete pre-departure information to help you get the most out of your expedition.
GENERAL INFORMATION, TERMS & CONDITIONS 1. Deposit A Deposit of $600.00 per person is due to reserve a place on this tour. Travel Cancellation and Medical Protection is mandatory for this tour and is also due at time of deposit. The cost of the Travel Cancellation and Medical Protection Insurance is $359.00 per person. 2. Final Payments: Final payment for land, ship, air and special arrangements for Cuba is due 90 days prior to departure. 3. Cancellation Fees: $175 per person from the time of booking to 90 days prior to departure. * Cancellations prior to 90 days will also receive a full refund of the prepaid Travel Cancellation and Medical Insurance Premium of $359.00 per person. $600 per person from 89 to 61 days prior to departure 100% of the full program cost from 60 to 0 days prior to departure. All cancellations must be in writing. Tour cost does not include items of a personal nature and tips to Cuban government guide, driver & expedition leader. RESPONSIBILITY Connoisseurs Tours acts only as an agent for the traveler with respect to transportation, accommodations and other services offered on the tour. Connoisseurs Tours and their agents assume no responsibility or liability for any act, error or omission, or for any injury, loss, accident or delay or irregularity that may be caused by any defect in any aircraft, ship, train, bus or other carrier or through neglect or default of any subcontractor or other third party. The passage contract in use by the carriers when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the carriers and the traveler. Connoisseurs Tours and/or their agents will not be responsible for loss, injury, damages or expenses to person or property, due to illness, weather, strikes, local laws, hostilities, wars, terrorist acts, acts of nature or other such causes in connection with the tour for anything beyond their reasonable control. Connoisseurs Tours is not responsible for transportation or other delays or changes in the tour program beyond their control, nor any additional expenses or loss of time that may be incurred by the traveler. It may be necessary or advisable for the well-being of all travelers to alter the itinerary at any time, without notice to the travelers, and such alterations will be made without penalty to Connoisseurs Tours. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to decline or not to retain any person as a member of any tour or to change or withdraw a tour as circumstances demand. All rates quoted are based on tariffs in effect at the time the tour was planned and are subject to change in the event of adjustment therein. Baggage is carried at the owner s risk and baggage insurance is recommended. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to substitute hotels of equal or superior quality. The proposals of this section are governed by Georgia law, and final payment by the traveler to Connoisseurs Tours shall be deemed to be consent to the above provisions. VALIDITY February 15, 2014 through September 2015 Cuba is a fascinating country that has remained relatively isolated from the rest of the world. Traveling on the island demands a spirit of flexibility and adventure, so we want to make sure that you are well-prepared. We cannot expect travel to be entirely smooth or for all conditions to be similar to American standards. The nations s isolation has had both positive and negative impacts on its society, but it is this unique feature of Cuba that makes our journey there so captivating. Many admirable aspects remain, including amazing colonial architecture, a rich and dynamic community of art, music and dance, enriching museums, and a friendly and educated local population.