With a car and chauffeur (Matt) we had the whole of Cuba to see and explore. In the space of two and 
a half weeks you can pretty much cover all of the western and central parts of Cuba that need to be seen…getting down to Santiago in the eastern tip of the country however, is possible but the journey from the centre is about 7 hours, and with limited sights on the way and the necessity (if you love your life) to drive during the day then a visit there and back will eat into a lot of this trip that you have. So we decided to stick to the west and central areas. After Part I of Havana, this blog will cover the other main cities and towns of Cuba, which all pretty much sit in the central parts of country, relatively close to one another. Here you will find beautiful coastal locations, quaint cobbled streets, fascinating places to stay and eat, birthplaces of La Revolucion and wider encounters with the friendly locals.
Starting with Cienfuegos, around 3 hours from Havana, called the pearl of the south and not named after the revolutionary comandante, but rather a captain general of Cuba from the early 19th Century. Picking your base here will influence what kind of pearl this town is for you, most of it is some kind of pearl, but some parts are rare south sea pearls and other parts just a well made piece of costume jewelry…nonetheless it all sparkles and looks
great at night! Getting a place to stay along the narrow finger of the city that pokes out into the bay will give you that south sea pearl – particularly Villa Lagarto that is like a mini resort along the waterfront with friendly staff and great food. Unfortunately for us we had not booked in advance and only got to spend a great lunch here, nonetheless there are other options in the town. Having a car also makes accommodation shopping quite fun and an interesting way to try before you buy a place to stay…it was one of Lyssa’s highlights to go and investigate the different accommodations that were on offer before picking the one that was just right for us. On this day in Cienfuegos we did have a bit of a struggle to find a place that was not fully booked, but the other great thing about Cuba is that one place will always recommend somewhere else where you can try,which is why we ended
up in the casa with no name or number (On Calle 33 between avenues 56 and 58!). A classic Cuban town mansion, chock full with period furniture, high ceilings, rocking chairs, etc; half of it about to fall apart and the other half a wonderful living museum with the reward of our room with a spiraling staircase to the rooftop to give great views of the city. For all it’s shine there is not so much to do in Cienfuegos, especially on a Sunday when a wander of the clean, empty streets felt like it was more of a movie set where all of the extras had gone home for the day.
We spent our time visiting the local theater and snapping pictures of the colonial Cuban facades, crossing the street wherever we wished (as traffic had also evaporated) and experiencing the local taxi service to visit parts of the town. A slightly morbid but worth a visit is to the Cemeterio La Reina, an ornate an peaceful place on the edge of town where bodies are interred above ground (in walls) due to high groundwater and you’ll find a monument to Bella Durmiente, the young woman who dies of a broken heart.
The main event of the day that brings out the crowds is the sunset stroll along the very photogenic Prado, so do like the locals and walk hand in hand with your loved one and admire the stunning views of the bay. Along the Prado you can stop off for some pre-dinner drinks on the terrace of Club Cienfuegos.
The rest of the nightlife in the city was also not so lively with the main venue in town being the Union hotel and its rooftop bar, you can get a decent (if not slightly pricey) dinner here but don’t expect too much in the way of service as most of the staff will be transfixed to the tv watching the the local Cuban soap opera.
As well as a visit to this city one of the other main reasons to base yourself here for a night is to take a trip out to the Delfinario where you can get some swimming time with the Dolphins as well as a great show. It was one of Lyssa’s highlights to be carried through the air by a couple of dolphins and to get a kiss on the cheek at the end.
Next onto Trinidad, over 500 years old and one of the best preserved cities in the Caribbean that has the seal of approval from Unesco. On the outskirts a bit crowded, busy and overawing but once you get into the calmer classic centre then it truly lives up to all the hype that surrounds it as the jewel in Cuba’s crown. Get set to be hit by colour from all angles, the blue,blue sky, the yellows, greens, reds and oranges of all the casas and churches of the city.
A lot of your time can be spent up in the air overlooking these pretty sights – the Museo Historico Municipal – up the creaky stairs to the best views of Trinidad; the Romantic museum with its balconies to see yet more sights of the streets below…although we could not figure out what was so romantic; the derelict Spanish military hospital that requires a bit of a hike, but will give you yet more great views of the city.
Back at ground level to the crooked, cobbled streets and Plaza Mayor, where’ll you’ll be surrounded by red terracotta roofs and religion on all sides with the Church of the Holy Trinity and the Church and Monastery of St Francis.
Make sure that you give your feet a chance to rest after tiring them on the cobblestones of the Trinidad streets as one of the other main activities to do whilst here is a bit of salsa and for those of you with two left feet like Matt then you can get some lessons in almost every house in the centre, so you can dance the night away and eventually avoid stepping on one another’s toes after a few lessons.
Where to stay and eat in this perfect place? We again had a little difficulty to find a place as we had not reserved, but we relied on the word of mouth and following a recommendation from Cienfuegos we found ourselves at Casa Balbina. Not too far from the centre, classic colonial, not much to look at from the outside but behind the doors was a mini palace – ancient furniture, ornate tiling and a beautiful courtyard garden that was all tucked away out of sight. You can get a good breakfast and naturally dinner will serve up classic Cuban lobster. A novel dinner spot at the Restaurante Museo 1514, where you can eat in the building or in the garden surrounded by piles of ancient bric-a-brac that give it an eccentric feel, along with great food and live entertainment it was one of our favourites of Cuba.
From Trinidad you can also do a few short trips to the surrounding sights – to the waterfalls of Ranchon el Cubano, where, after a 2km walk you’ll find a little paradise with an impressive waterfall and secluded pool to jump into from the surrounding rocks, swimming under the waterfall, exploring behind it and generally having a great time for a few hours.
Another quick trip from Trinidad is to Playa Ancona, purportedly the south coast’s best beach and a chance to escape the heat and dip into the crystal waters of the Caribbean sea, see more on this in Part III of our Cuban Blog – Playas. Moving on from Trinidad the next town to aim for is Santa Clara, not pretty like Trinidad, but an epicentre of the revolution with the monument to Che, a statue that contains Che’s remains along with an eternal flame lit by Castro himself; and the Museo Tren Blindado that was where the comandante and his revolutionaries derailed an armored train and set the start of the reign of Castro.
Sancti Spiritus is often overlooked in favour of Trinidad but it is also a relaxing respite from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist centres. Around Peunte Yayabo you’ll find similar cobbled winding streets as in Trinidad and all the prettily painted houses, but above all,no crowds. Treat yourself to the Hotel del Rijo where you can get a stunning colonial room, high ceilings, period furniture and a great balcony overlooking the streets below. Dinner has to be at the facing Meson de la Plaza, for lively, tasty food – shredded beef, chick peas and local beer.
So that about sums up a tour of some of the towns and cities in the centre of Cuba, if you are ready for more then take a look at Part III in this blog series on Cuba – Playas. Enjoy!