A bit of a travel back in time for our blog posts to 2012 when summers were longer, budgets smaller and our taste for adventure just as hungry as today and we ventured into the unknown of Cuba. Although in a time-warp for decades, Cuba has seen a big transformation over the past few years, so we have tried to see if the places we mention are still there, places will be of course, but restaurants and hotels may change, so Matt has tried to do a bit of fact checking to make this blog both entertaining and relevant in helping you plan your own trip. We did a fair bit in our several weeks in Cuba so we have split this blog into 4 parts – Havana (this blog), Ciudades (Towns), Playas (Beaches) and Campo (Countryside).
In these days of having almost all information at your fingertips preparing for a trip to 
Cuba is still a bit like going back to the old skool days of relying on guide books and word of mouth to figure out what you need; the trusty internet will still, even to this day generally give you ambiguous details on some fundamentals of your trip, and 2012 was practically the stone age in terms of this information. What do you do about cash (take a lot and exchange in country, euros, dollars does not matter), do credit cards work (not US cards, otherwise still a bit vague…check with your bank), Is Cuba safe? (yes, one of the safest countries we have visited…mainly down to the Iron fist of communism) can I rent a car? (yes, pretty easy in fact although quite pricey), can I pre-book hotels? (in Havanna and the big resorts, elsewhere enjoy the fun of shopping for a bed for the night), do people speak English? (in the tourist hubs), and are we allowed to eat lobster? (tourists can, but it always feels illicit, check this little story from Charles Martin Reid). All of the normal things that we take for granted when moving around the rest of the world take a little more time to research and a little bit of blind faith just to go with it and hope it all turns out right (which it invariably does). So preparation for our trip had us scouring the internet for answers to all these questions, stockpiling cash that we could exchange for the local currency and trying to brush up on our Spanish to make sure that we could do more than just order another beer!
Arriving was easy, no problems with passports and visas, especially as the border guy had taken a liking to Lyssa! The airport was a little chaotic, rushing from one luggage belt to the next in the hope that our bags would turn up, just be patient and things will arrive. You’ll find plenty of taxis, expect to pay 20 – 25 USD for a taxi into town, so numbers should be the first on your Spanish speaking preparation, along with “muy caro” to haggle down the initial prices that are quoted. For our first few days in Havanna we decided to treat ourselves to a stay at the Parque Central hotel right in the centre of town, forgetting about the price you’ll pay you can not really go wrong with this place – perfect location for sightseeing the city, spacious, clean and with an amazing rooftop pool and bar that is perfect to look out over the city.
Havana has that classic Latin night time feel, so let’s start with a roundup of evening activities. Start your evening with cocktails on the roof of the Parque Centrale to watch sunset or the Saratoga hotel which is on the other side of the central square (or both is even better). Your first visit into Havana and you’ll pick up some jinetaros (disguised as a friendly local couples) who will try to steer you onto the path of the ‘real Buena Vista social club’ or a great restaurant that is off the beaten track. Be nice and polite, but also indicate that you don’t have an money and you’ll soon be left to go on your way. Havana is pretty safe as cities go, the usual things to be aware of such as pick pockets but you should not find anything worse, even when it seems that not all street lights will be on. In the main strips of O’Reilly and Prado you’ll find plenty of people and lots of places to eat and drink in the evening. Options for dinner (that still exist since our time) – paladors galore –
on the Prado where you can get a balcony table ad the first of many lobsters. 
La Galliga, just off O’Reilly where you’ll be serenaded with all the Cuban classic songs that you’ll grow to love, esp Guantanamera and Comandante Che Guevarrra. Top marks go to La Guarida – set in the suburbs in an apartment block, where you’ll have to navigate past washing lines along the stairs to enter a food oasis of cosiness and excellence, the usual venue for the international stars (list). A note for travelers, if you get to much sun during the day and find yourself a bit dizzy or queasy in the restaurant then there’s no better place to fall ill than in a Cuban restaurant as you’ll find that most of the wait staff are also medical professionals, so you’ll be well taken care of…as Matt was after a heavy day of sun. For some late nightlife you can visit the cabaret at Tropicana. To get to Tropicana you’ll need a taxi to get there and 95 cuc seats will get you literally under the dancers, more spectacular than Paris and full on vision for the senses.
Havana by day is just as easy. Just walking out the door of the hotel and you will be wowed by all the classic cars, 
the grand buildings in various states of decay, men smoking extra large cigars and colourfully dressed women ready to give you a kiss on the cheek.
We started our first day by picking up an introductory tour of the city – the Capitolo, ironically almost a replica of the capital building in Washington DC, perfect for pictures with all the classic cars outside. Revolution square, dominated by the towering Jose Marti memorial that looks like something out of the Lord of the Rings, complete with giant eagles flying above it, flanking the square are the the murals of Comandante Che and Cenfuegos.
A taste of Cuban cigars at a Tienda (Partagas – only open on certain days) – you can find boxes of cigars on every street corner for cheap, but most probably they are the banana leaf variety, so if you want to buy something smokeable then pick them up from the tienda. Into the old town – for a bit of tap dancing along the wooden road of Plaza de Armas, watching samba in the street. Cathedral square and the stunning Cathedral of Havans and a perfect spot to have a cerveza in the shade of the midday sun. Get the
history of the revolution at the Museum of the Revolution, previously the presidential palace – no propaganda, just the truth on how it all happened (honest)….along with the original bullet holes still in the walls and some of the largest national flags we have ever seen!
It was timely that our next spot we encountered a spot of dissension with a parade of the Ladies in
White – wives and female relatives of jailed dissidents who dress in white a walk on the streets in silence each Sunday – and the establishments way of fighting against them,by bussing in counter protesters to harass and jeer them. Barcardi building for a cheap trip to the top for fantastic views across the whole of the city. Plaza vieja to visit the camera obscura. If you get a chance then try to go on a search for classic cuban ice cream – a bit of a trek to the outskirts of the inner city at Coppelia – here you can get yourself some super cheap peso ice cream…but you have to pay for it with a super long queue, or you can quit communism and pick up an ice cream with your Cucs in minutes!
2 or 3 days is enough to get a feel for Havana and will have you ready to explore the rest of Cuba. Pick up your hire car (details – 100 eur p/day so not cheap), you will not be getting a classic American caddy from the 50’s but something more modern like a Renault (although model that we have seen before). Driving is an experience, not too chaotic in terms of the other drivers (as especially on the highways you won’t see many other cars; signs are
sparse, thankfully GPS ow works in the country, but in our day it was back to paper maps and guide books, wrong turns and hard discussions between driver and co-pilot, Stopping for local directions usually meat a crash course in the local dialect of Spanish, but as long as people pointed the way then we were invariably ok. You’ll get plenty of foot traffic on the highways, hitch-hiking is a national past-time. Driving at night – just try to avoid and if you have to then drive with full beam everywhere – the walking dead along the inside lane and horses and carts travelling (with no lights) towards you in the central reservation, a literal minefield.
To see where these roads of Cuba will take you then take a look at part II in this blog series on the other big towns of Cuba, in the meantime take time with Havana and enjoy!