The announcement from Royal Caribbean International was greeted with smiles. Its Caribbean itineraries out of Tampa aboard the Empress of the Seas will now include four- and five-night cruises with overnights in Havana.
That means it's time to start mapping out your strategy to make the most of this fascinating city.
Royal Caribbean passengers will have the chance to visit the famed Tropicana Club, as well as experience walking and driving tours of Havana in classic American cars (Ford Fairlane, anyone?), but for those who want to branch out on their own, there are a few highlights they won't want to miss.
The first stop should be a visit to the Malecón. This 5-mile waterfront esplanade makes for a lovely place from which to get your bearings. By day, it's a great place to walk and take advantage of the ocean breezes, and by night it turns into a popular spot for locals to come, enjoy a drink while they catch up on their day and play live music.
One of five main squares in Old Havana, La Plaza de Catedral it is a great spot to discover colonial mansions and quite a number of cafes and restaurants. It's also home to the Museo del Arte Colonial (Colonial Art Museum) and the nearby Taller Experimental de la Grafica, a graphic arts cooperative, where you can watch artists engaged in making prints (classes in traditional lithography, woodcutting and etching are also offered). The studio is so well-known and respected that it was on Former First Lady Michelle Obama's itinerary in 2016. Another must-visit spot is the multi-media arts center Fabrica de Arte Cubano. Housed in a former olive oil factory, this combination club-art gallery-lounge is a great place to see modern art by day, and party among the exhibits by night.
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Papa Hemingway fans will want to visit the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where he lived in Room No. 511 for a period of about 7 years. Fans will appreciate that it has been kept much the way it would have been when Hemingway sat down to begin writing "For Whom the Bell Tolls."
Be sure to grab a drink on the Garden Terrace of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, a Cuban icon and a luxury hotel that has been visited by such illustrious guests as Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner and some not-so-illustrious guests, namely Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky.
Before leaving, visit one of Cuba's famed cigar and rum factories if for no other reason than to see how they are made. A good place to buy quality Cuban cigars is the shop inside the Hotel Florida, where they can point you to the perfect cigar (or cigars) to take home as a souvenir.
Don't leave before sampling some authentic Cuban food before heading back to the ship. Whether it's a mom-and-pop café offering up mounds of tasty black beans and rice and ropa vieja (shredded beef) or dinner in a more elegant setting such as those offered by the private paladar restaurants, Cuban cuisine is sure to please.
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